“You are mistaken.”

Fairy Lingyue shook her head with a smile.

“Mistaken? How?”

Xu Taiping looked at her, utterly puzzled.

“Have you forgotten? I once told you that this Hidden Cave Mystical Realm was personally crafted by the Yan Emperor. How could he leave such a flaw for the demonic cultivators?”

Fairy Lingyue countered.

“So, you mean the second layer has a restriction against demonic cultivators?”

“The second layer of these nine mystical fragments is actually a prison designed to seal demonic cultivators. Ordinary cultivators can enter without issue, but demonic cultivators will face backlash.”

Fairy Lingyue nodded.

Hearing this, Xu Taiping felt a wave of relief.

If the demonic cultivators grew too powerful, he wouldn’t be able to stay out of it.

“What are your plans next?”

Fairy Lingyue asked Xu Taiping.

“I’ve already opened the formation eyes in Pine Forest Valley and Dripping Emerald Cliff. Now, only the one beneath the Ice Crystal Cave remains.”

Xu Taiping turned to look in the direction of the Ice Crystal Cave.

In the past day and night, his actions had been relatively smooth. He had opened the formation eyes in Pine Forest Valley and Dripping Emerald Cliff and successfully retrieved several pearls from Starfall Lake. He had also gathered all the materials for the Flint Fire Pill. Now, he only needed the spiritual essence from the base of Jade Gourd Peak and the Jade Bone Grass near the Blood Lake in the second layer.

“However, the demonic cultivators have already stationed guards there. I need to find a way to lure them away.”

He continued.

Fortunately, he had overheard the conversation between two demonic cultivators in the well that day. Otherwise, he would have walked into an ambush at the Ice Crystal Cave.

“Do you have a plan?”

Fairy Lingyue asked.

“I’ve thought of one.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

“Let’s hear it.”

Fairy Lingyue looked at Xu Taiping with anticipation.

“Do you have a way to awaken a fierce beast?”

Xu Taiping asked seriously.

Hearing this, Fairy Lingyue’s face lit up with a comforting smile, like a parent seeing their child grow up.

“Yes!”

Fairy Lingyue nodded affirmatively.

Xu Taiping’s plan to awaken the slumbering beast underground was clearly to set a trap for the demonic cultivators.

“Zheng!…”

Just as Fairy Lingyue was explaining how to awaken the beast, the sound of a sword drew their attention.

“Could it be another junior disciple being chased by the Nine Mansions demonic cultivators?”

Xu Taiping frowned.

Since yesterday, he had seen many corpses of junior disciples from various sects. He would help whenever he could.

“Let’s go take a look. If we can capture a demonic cultivator from the Nine Mansions, we might be able to extract some information from him while my divine sense is still active.”

Fairy Lingyue suggested to Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping nodded. After absorbing the power of that bamboo, Fairy Lingyue indeed had such capabilities now.

…

Ten miles west of Dripping Emerald Cliff.

When Xu Taiping arrived, the battle in the forest was nearing its end.

But it wasn’t demonic cultivators chasing sect disciples; it was a fight between sect disciples.

And they were familiar faces—Duan Xiaoyu and Murong Song.

“Duan Xiaoyu, let’s call it a truce… what do you say?”

Murong Song licked his lips, glaring fiercely at the red-clad girl in the forest.

He was covered in wounds, with two deep gashes on his chest and dozens of other injuries, each wrapped in a layer of blade energy.

The red-clad girl in the forest was none other than Duan Xiaoyu, who had parted ways with Xu Taiping at Huangye Slope yesterday.

Compared to Murong Song, Duan Xiaoyu’s injuries were even worse.

Her once white clothes were now completely stained with blood, and several bloody holes on her shoulder, chest, and ribs were still oozing blood.

But her beautiful eyes remained resolute, showing no sign of fear or exhaustion.

She was a far cry from the girl who had been vomiting uncontrollably from flying sword sickness yesterday.

“You killed my brother. I won’t rest until one of us is dead!”

Duan Xiaoyu shouted without hesitation.

With that, she gripped her blade tightly, ignoring her injuries, and charged at Murong Song like a fiery wind.

“Zheng!”

Murong Song’s flying sword shot out, piercing through Duan Xiaoyu’s blade momentum and aiming for her throat.

Although this flying sword was weaker than the one that had shattered, it was still a top-grade spirit weapon, capable of easily piercing a cultivator’s protective True Qi.

“Boom!”

Just as Duan Xiaoyu’s protective True Qi was pierced, she suddenly roared, gathering all her True Essence to avoid a fatal blow, letting the sword stab into her left shoulder instead of her throat.

But to Murong Song, it made no difference.

He could sense that Duan Xiaoyu’s True Essence was nearly exhausted.

“Chang Kong!”

He shouted the name of his flying sword, preparing to summon it back for the final strike.

“Buzz… buzz…”

But to his surprise, the flying sword seemed to lose control, unable to pull out from Duan Xiaoyu’s shoulder.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that Duan Xiaoyu had used her flesh and bones to trap the sword inside her body.

She had anticipated Murong Song’s strike.

“Heh!…”

With the sword trapped, Duan Xiaoyu grinned madly and swallowed an elixir.

“Boom!”

As the elixir took effect, her spiritual energy surged.

Sensing danger, Murong Song immediately activated two Speed Talismans on his feet, fleeing into the forest like the wind.

“One Blade to the End!”

But at that moment, the frenzied Duan Xiaoyu ignored everything, merging with her blade into a red shadow, sweeping through the forest like a storm.

“Boom!”

With a massive explosion, the red blade shadow sliced through the trees and Murong Song’s body, cutting them in half.

Murong Song’s bisected body fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes still filled with disbelief.

Duan Xiaoyu collapsed to the ground.

As the Rosefinch Blade slipped from her hand, she suddenly threw her head back and wailed.

The stark contrast left Xu Taiping wondering if he, like Lin Buyu, had two souls within him.

“Who’s there?!”

As Xu Taiping revealed himself, the crying Duan Xiaoyu immediately became alert, gripping the Rosefinch Blade tightly.

“It’s me.”

Xu Taiping stopped.

Duan Xiaoyu blinked, then rubbed her eyes hard.

Seeing it was indeed Xu Taiping, she burst into tears again.

“Why are you crying?”

Xu Taiping asked helplessly.

“Because… because I’m… I’m scared!”

Duan Xiaoyu sobbed, shouting as she cried.

Dragging the Rosefinch Blade, she crawled to Xu Taiping and hugged his leg.

“Brother Taiping, I… I want to stay with you until we leave. This place is too terrifying!”

Xu Taiping looked at Murong Song’s corpse, then at the tearful Duan Xiaoyu, thinking:

“You seem pretty terrifying yourself.”