Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sparse stars, a pale moon, wisps of clouds drifting gently.

The forest was utterly silent, except for the occasional dull roars of beasts echoing from afar, startling birds into flight.

Lu Yuanyin abruptly clenched her bloodstained long skirt, her heart nearly stopping as she stared at the swaying shadows of the trees. She almost choked, gasping for air!

“!!!”

She had no idea when Huo Wuyan had broken free of the cave’s restraints and escaped. Perhaps he had never left at all—just used an illusion to hide his aura. The mere thought that he might have been lurking in the shadows, coldly watching her fear and panic these past days, knowing full well she was ready to flee at any moment... Lu Yuanyin felt a chill run down her spine, her scalp tingling.

She gripped her longsword tightly until her knuckles turned white, the rough hilt biting into her palm. Taking a deep breath, she almost wanted to cry.

In the story, Huo Wuyan was never an easy person to deal with. His actions were violent and ruthless, his temperament erratic, and he never followed any rules—completely insane.

Cultivators in the immortal realm believed in the cycle of cause and effect, avoiding bloodshed and karmic sin. But Huo Wuyan acted without restraint, treating life like dirt. He killed his brother and grandfather, slaughtered his own clan, his hands stained with sin.

The leaders of the Nether Sparrow and the Red Elephant Clan once condemned his brutal methods, rebuking him publicly for his many atrocities. The next day, their heads were hung on Mount Without Hope, and all their clansmen who came to seek justice were slain by his hands.

These events caused a huge uproar, yet because of his terrifying ferocity, no one dared say a word against him.

He was like a monster—powerful but utterly devoid of humanity.

Her wrist still ached. Lu Yuanyin grimaced, noticing the faint purple bruises on her pale wrist. She quickly tugged her sleeve down to cover them.

Thinking of his past actions, she slumped weakly against a tree, letting out a sharp internal scream: “Somebody save me!”

If she had known she would end up provoking Huo Wuyan, she would have jumped off Mount Chongyao back then! Or let the Night-Scattering Poison finish her off! She would never have set foot inside that cave!

Lu Yuanyin tugged at her hair in despair, her mind in chaos. Startled by Huo Wuyan, she no longer felt like resting. She swallowed two spiritual pills and began meditating to restore her spiritual power.

Meanwhile, several spirit beasts rushed through the forest, not even bothering to steer clear of people as they fled into the distance. Lu Yuanyin looked at them in surprise, frowning as she faintly heard a buzzing sound.

She focused her attention, but a piercing scream suddenly shattered the night’s silence, startling the roosting birds.

The scream was bloodcurdling, as if the person had seen something terrifying—sharp and piercing enough to make one’s scalp tingle. A moment later, it was cut off abruptly, as if someone had grabbed their throat.

Lu Yuanyin jerked her head up and saw Lu Sisi and the others also woken by the scream, their faces panicked as they stared into the dark forest.

Clouds and mist obscured the view, tree shadows swaying. The once serene and mysterious forest now seemed eerie and terrifying, as if countless ghosts hid in the darkness, ready to burst out and devour them.

Even the breeze carried a thick scent of blood. A bad feeling settled in Lu Yuanyin’s stomach. She stood up and peered warily in the direction of the scream. The leaves rustled violently, and large patches of moving shadows were faintly visible.

The dull buzzing seemed to be drawing closer, mixed with sounds of fighting. Lu Yuanyin tightened her grip on her sword.

This place was no longer safe.

Lu Sisi and the others hesitated, looking uncertainly into the dark forest. One of them asked curiously, “What’s going on? Should we go check it out?”

Another male cultivator hesitated. “Maybe we shouldn’t. I have a bad feeling…”

The blue-robed female cultivator, however, was unshaken. She linked arms with Lu Sisi and said smugly, “What’s there to be afraid of? We have Si Si with us!”

The male cultivator still wavered. “But…”

The blue-robed female cultivator interrupted him. “No buts! The strongest people in this secret realm are only at the Peak of Foundation Establishment. I doubt they can beat us!”

Lu Sisi hesitated only briefly before nodding. She was always restless. She stuck out her tongue playfully and said, “I’m curious too. Cultivation is like sailing against the current—if we’re afraid of everything, how can we break through? Come on! I’ll protect you all!”

Lu Yuanyin watched their confident expressions and couldn’t help but feel exasperated. Lu Sisi acted naive and reckless, and these disciples were just as arrogant and inexperienced. Together, they were always causing trouble.

With her plot armor, Lu Sisi could always turn danger into safety, but those around her often suffered—especially Lu Yuanyin, the designated villainess foil.

Lu Sisi started the trouble, but Lu Yuanyin bore the consequences. And she couldn’t even explain herself; she just had to swallow her bitterness in silence.

Seeing Lu Sisi looking at her expectantly, “A Yin, do you want to come with us?”

Lu Yuanyin averted her gaze and refused bluntly, “No.”

As she spoke, she sensed the buzzing drawing nearer. Ignoring Lu Sisi’s startled expression, she sprinted in the direction the spirit beasts had fled.

Lu Sisi pouted in frustration. Being publicly shut down again and again made her angry, even though she tried not to show it. She stomped her foot. “A Yin!”

The blue-robed female cultivator patted her head consolingly. “Forget that loser. With her skills, she won’t last half a day out here. She’d just drag us down. She’ll regret it later!”

The others snickered, pulling Lu Sisi toward the woods. “Come on, leave her alone.”

“Let’s go find some fun!”

The forest grew noisier as more people arrived. Occasionally, a few spirit beasts would scurry under the trees. Lu Yuanyin, afraid of spooking the agitated animals, moved silently and swiftly through the woods until the strange buzzing faded. Only then did she slow down, carefully settling on a large tree branch.

She scanned her surroundings but found nothing unusual. Not daring to linger, she turned to leave—only to hear Lu Sisi’s cheerful voice behind her. “A Yin!”

Frowning, she saw Lu Sisi and the others running toward her, dragging two blood-soaked male cultivators.

One of them was covered in fresh blood, his waist nearly cut in half, blood dripping all over the ground. The other had half his face ripped off. Lu Sisi’s face was pale; she had rarely seen such terrible injuries. Spotting Lu Yuanyin, she called out, “A Yin, come quick! These people are injured!”

Lu Yuanyin’s brow twitched. She silently watched the worried Lu Sisi, taking a cautious step back. In the story, Lu Sisi, with her kind heart, often picked up wounded strangers and begged Lu Yuanyin to heal them. When Lu Yuanyin refused, Lu Sisi would guilt-trip her.

And after all that trouble healing them, those strangers never showed gratitude. Instead, they became Lu Sisi’s loyal followers, sneering at Lu Yuanyin and wanting her dead.

Lu Yuanyin looked at Lu Sisi and the others coldly. She was about to speak when she heard the buzzing sound again, closer now. Turning her head in surprise, her expression instantly changed!

She finally saw what the black mass was. Her scalp tingled, her hair standing on end.

Countless spirit insects, each the size of a fist, swarmed toward them in a dense black cloud in the sky. Their compound eyes were packed together in a sickening mass, covered in bristling hairs. Lu Yuanyin felt like throwing up.

For the first time, she hated having such sharp vision!

She was terrified of bugs more than anything!

Without a second thought, she ran for her life, stuffing spiritual pills into her mouth like candy.

In this forest, the most dangerous things were swarms of insects. They came in endless waves, enough to make even a Golden Core cultivator lose their skin. Lower-level cultivators could easily be drained of spiritual power and die.

A male cultivator lagging behind tripped over a vine. But no one had time to help him. He grabbed at the clothes of the person in front of him, his face twisted in terror. “Save me…”

The person initially wanted to pull him up, but seeing the overwhelming tide of insects, their courage failed. Without hesitation, they kicked his hand away and fled without a backward glance.

The male cultivator’s face lost all color. He scrambled up, but after only a few steps, the swarm swallowed him whole. A bloodcurdling scream burst out.

Moments later, when the insects dispersed, all that remained was a gnawed skeleton with scraps of bloody flesh and organs still hanging off it.

The sight made everyone’s stomach turn. They ran for their lives.

Soon, the view opened up. Lu Yuanyin stopped short, her expression grim. Beyond the forest lay a steep cliff, with a rushing waterfall plunging down into misty depths.

Being swept into the waterfall, even with a cultivator’s protection, could be fatal. Worse, countless water beasts might lurk beneath.

Looking at the swarm of insects rapidly approaching from behind, everyone's expressions changed drastically as they took a few steps back in despair. Lu Yuanyin took out a tortoise shell from her storage bag, formed hand seals, and the tortoise shell instantly expanded, transforming into a blue barrier that firmly shielded them.

The Spirit Insects, however, paid no heed and crashed furiously into the blue barrier.

Lu Yuanyin made a finger gesture, and a flash of red light shot from her fingers. Crimson flames spread instantly into the swarm, and hundreds of Spirit Insects turned to black ash in an instant. However, in the blink of an eye, even more insects charged forward.

Spirit Insects fear fire, yet they fearlessly rushed into the flames. A nauseating smell of burnt flesh filled her nostrils, and Lu Yuanyin couldn't help but feel like throwing up.

Lu Sisi bit her lip, her voice thick with sobs. “Fire is useless. I already tried it.”

The Blue-robed Female Cultivator looked at the dense swarm of Spirit Insects outside the barrier, her face pale. “What do we do? I just sent a message to my senior brothers, but they won’t be able to get here anytime soon...”

Lu Yuanyin looked at the frenzied insects, which made her skin crawl. Except for a few particularly aggressive species, most Spirit Insects are mild-tempered and will stop chasing once the intruder is driven out of their territory. But these insects had already left their territory and still refused to let go...

Lu Yuanyin's eyes lingered for a moment on the severely injured Male Cultivator and Lu Sisi. “Did you steal something from them?”

Lu Sisi was startled, glanced subconsciously at the swarm, and then whispered in denial, “I didn't...”

The Blue-robed Female Cultivator also stiffened. She set her jaw and said, “What good does that do now! So annoying!”

Seeing their expressions, Lu Yuanyin instantly understood that they had something to hide. She sneered, “If you want to die, don't drag me along.”

The other people also looked anxiously at Lu Sisi and the Blue-robed Female Cultivator. “Junior Sister!”

Sensing everyone's gaze and seeing the blue barrier about to collapse, Lu Sisi finally broke down sobbing. Her eyes were red, like a fragile flower trembling in the wind. “I just took one insect – I didn't think they'd chase us this long.”

Slowly, she produced a grayish-green insect egg from her storage bag. The egg was much larger than the other Spirit Insects, with spiritual power emanating from it, and a Spirit Insect was faintly visible about to emerge.

Lu Yuanyin took one look and almost laughed in exasperation. Lu Sisi had stolen their queen insect; these bugs would chase them to the ends of the earth and never give up.

Lu Sisi slowly placed the queen insect outside the barrier, tears glistening in her eyes.

Several Spirit Insects immediately protected the egg in the middle, but the swarm did not disperse as she had imagined. Instead, they continued to crash furiously into the barrier, and the already unstable barrier quickly developed several spiderweb-like cracks.

The Blue-robed Female Cultivator couldn't help but scream, “We already gave the bug back to them! Why haven't these beasts left yet?”

Lu Sisi nervously grabbed Lu Yuanyin's sleeve and couldn't help sobbing.

As the swarm kept crashing into it, ripples like flowing water spread across the barrier. Lu Yuanyin stared directly at the Spirit Insects and whispered, “When the barrier breaks, split up and run.”

As she spoke, with a crisp sound, the barrier finally gave way, shattering into shards of spiritual light before their despairing eyes.

Seeing this, Lu Yuanyin fled north. A moment later, her expression changed drastically as she saw that the Spirit Insects actually stopped going after the others and chased only her. Her face turned grim. She gathered all her spiritual power into her legs and, ignoring everything else, ran forward frantically, throwing insect repellent pills into the swarm recklessly.

The Spirit Insects hesitated for only a moment before once again madly chasing after her.

Lu Yuanyin's eyes widened slightly. As if thinking of something, she reached behind her and found her hand covered in a sticky liquid.

She had a vague sense of dread. Lu Yuanyin smelled her fingertips and caught the unmistakable sweet scent of honey.

Author's Note:

Here it is~

Readers who comment tonight will all get a little red envelope!