Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lu Yuanyin followed the few figures without a sound. Fearing she might alert them, she secretly took a concealment pill to completely suppress her aura.

Perhaps due to the dense spiritual power radiating from the Heavenly Fragrant Epiphyllum, the Spirit Beasts lingering in the surrounding area were more numerous than elsewhere. The group carefully avoided the beasts and headed toward the cliff where she had come from earlier.

Lu Yuanyin's eyes flickered. She had stayed near the cliff for quite a while earlier and hadn't noticed anything unusual.

She silently hid behind the dense thicket, peering through the gaps between the leaves. She saw them stop on a muddy path, with nothing around but large trees.

Lu Yuanyin stared intently at the group. They cautiously scanned the surroundings, ensuring no one was passing by, before forming hand seals.

The empty space in front of them rippled like water, and a mysterious wave slowly spread outward. The empty path suddenly widened, and the scene before her eyes shifted continuously. Lu Yuanyin's heart jolted—there was a formation hidden here!

She instinctively held her breath, watching as a palm-sized white flower bud grew on the steep cliff, swaying violently in the mountain wind. Her heart trembled along with the slender leaves, and she gazed longingly at the Heavenly Fragrant Epiphyllum, her desire stirring.

The group did not leave. They took out cinnabar brushes, compasses, and other tools from their storage pouches and began meticulously drawing runes around the flower. Countless runes overlapped, and spiritual energy overflowed. Lu Yuanyin frowned slightly—these people were actually formation masters...

She hesitated. In the cultivation world, a formation master was nearly powerless in one-on-one combat, but if given enough time to set up a formation in advance, they were almost invincible against opponents of the same cultivation level.

In this secret realm, they had few rivals. No wonder they were confident they could guard this Heavenly Fragrant Epiphyllum...

Lu Yuanyin wavered for a moment but couldn't bear to leave. She hid behind the thicket, watching them set up the formation and then restore the cliff to its original state. After confirming they had left, she quietly stepped out of the forest.

She raised her head slightly, let her gaze linger on the cliff for a moment, then went back into the forest to search for rare spiritual herbs.

The jade token in her sleeve kept flashing. Lu Yuanyin didn't need to guess to know that Lu Sisi and the others were frantically searching for her location.

She took out the communication jade token. In just that short afternoon, Lu Sisi and the others had already exploded with messages: "A Yin, I've already asked Lanyi to apologize to you. Please contact me first! We're all fellow disciples; we can talk things out!"

"We can also keep secret the fact that you led the insect swarm over. Don't be mad anymore, okay?"

Lu Yuanyin pursed her lips and casually glanced at Tong Lanyi's messages. Her tone was still as arrogant and domineering as ever: "Where are you now? Come back quickly! How can you be so selfish? We're all fellow disciples, and you just ran off on your own?"

"If you don't come back, don't regret it. Don't even think about getting any of our rewards this time!"

Lu Yuanyin lowered her eyelashes slightly and glanced down.

Perhaps because she hadn't replied, Tong Lanyi was also getting anxious. Her tone gradually softened but still carried a condescending tone of charity: "You're also part of this competition. If you desert and hold the team back, the sect will blame you, and even your master won't protect you. Come back now, and we'll let bygones be bygones. You'll still get your fair share."

"What are you doing? Reply to me immediately."

Seeing no response from her end, or perhaps because their situation was truly dire, her tone softened step by step until, for Tong Lanyi, it was almost pleading: "We were wrong earlier. I apologize to you. If something's wrong, come back first, and we'll discuss it, okay?"

At this point, Lu Yuanyin raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't expected Tong Lanyi of all people to actually back down. Even through the jade token, Lu Yuanyin could imagine her gritting her teeth. She let out a scoff.

Lu Yuanyin flipped through the messages casually. Countless notifications flooded her vision. Perhaps because she hadn't responded, Lu Sisi had no choice but to directly contact Lu Yuan and his wife to help search for her.

Even through this small jade token, Lu Yuanyin could feel their anxiety and irritation.

She scoffed again and muttered to herself, "Serves you right."

Lu Sisi was reckless and scatterbrained, often forgetful. Although she always said she would take care of Lu Yuanyin, it was usually Lu Yuanyin who cleaned up her messes when they were out. Ever since Lu Yuanyin awakened her talent in alchemy, Lu Sisi didn't even prepare spiritual pills when going out.

Now, trapped in this secret realm after encountering the insect swarm, they had likely nearly exhausted their supply of pills.

Thinking about how anxious they must be, Lu Yuanyin felt a rare sense of satisfaction. She ignored them. She casually put the jade token back into her storage pouch and skillfully dug up a brightly colored mushroom from under a tree, carefully tucking it into her pouch.

Compared to Lu Sisi's group, these spiritual herbs and mushrooms were much nicer.

Lu Yuanyin moved through the forest like a fish in water. As the gentle breeze swept over her, an indescribable sense of ease washed over her. She expertly navigated the woods, and by the time she was done, she had a very good harvest.

As evening fell, dusk set in.

The once quiet forest gradually grew lively. The Spirit Beasts hidden in the woods left their lairs one after another, searching for prey.

Lu Yuanyin carefully avoided the powerful beasts, sneaking through the underbrush. Suddenly, she heard the sound of spiritual energy shattering behind her, accompanied by the angry roar of a Spirit Beast. Several sword lights tore through the sky, startling the birds in the trees.

Then, a herd of giant rhinos, each with a single horn and bodies caked in mud, thundered past beneath the trees. The thick trunks they smashed through instantly snapped under their brutal charge. The ground seemed to tremble violently, and faint voices of people echoed from behind.

Lu Yuanyin quickly leaped toward a large tree on the side. Sensing the disturbance in the forest, she didn't even look back and rushed toward the edge of the forest. The earlier encounter with the insect swarm had left a deep shadow on her, and now she feared any group of Spirit Beasts.

The forest was extremely dangerous at night. After yesterday's incident, Lu Yuanyin didn't dare to be overconfident. After a moment's thought, she found a spot near where disciples of the Chongyao Sect had gathered, choosing a large tree not too close but not too far to sit under.

From there, she could detect any unusual activity nearby without getting close enough to expose her aura.

The few disciples sat around a bonfire, wearing the standard robes of the Chongyao Sect. The leaping flames illuminated the envy in their eyes: "Junior Sister Lu really lives up to her reputation. She found so many tokens so quickly. She'll definitely enter the Cloud Reaching Platform this time!"

"I heard the two Lu sisters nearly came to blows over a man. Tsk, tsk, tsk... That kid is really lucky! If it were me, I'd take them both."

"Lu Yuanyin is undeniably beautiful. What a pity."

"You're dreaming!"

The disciples laughed and joked boisterously. Lu Yuanyin frowned slightly, ignoring the latter part of their conversation. She took out her jade token and saw that on the sect competition leaderboard, Lu Sisi's name was prominently listed among the top.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. In the original story, Lu Sisi was supposed to suffer consecutive defeats in this competition and fail to rank. A few malicious cannon fodder characters would mock her for a while, and she would leave the secret realm in disappointment, hiding in her room and moping for days.

Seeing her so upset, Immortal Lord Changye would secretly gift her a better opportunity, helping her form a Golden Core in one go and thoroughly humiliate those who had mocked her.

During that opportunity, Lu Sisi would also meet another benefactor who would later aid her multiple times.

Thinking of the plot in the book, Lu Yuanyin felt somewhat puzzled. Could her departure have altered the story?

She furrowed her brows, holding a Compendium of Herbs in her hands, deep in thought.

As clouds and mist swirled, mountain winds gusted.

A black eagle, like an arrow, cut through the sky. Its sharp eyes scanned the mountains, and then it paused at a certain spot, lowering its body to land gently on the cliff.

The black eagle shimmered with spiritual light and transformed into a flamboyantly dressed Male Cultivator. He scratched his head, sniffed the air, and followed the lingering scent into the forest.

Hong Rong strode to a corner of the forest, where he saw a tall figure casually sitting on a large rock. A black robe was sprawled messily around him. His eyes were slightly lowered, his face expressionless as he stared at the babbling stream below. His crimson eyes were hollow and indifferent, and a red demon mark glistened under one eye.

The evening breeze lifted his snow-white hair, and the long tassel hanging from his right ear swayed gently, making him appear indescribably eerie and mysterious.

Seeing this, Hong Rong quietly waited by his side, not daring to make a sound, occasionally stealing passionate glances at the man before him.

Just as Hong Rong was about to sneak another look, Huo Wuyan lifted his eyes and cast a cold gaze toward the forest on the opposite bank.

Hong Rong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his eyes. But then Huo Wuyan said coldly, "If a woman..."

He paused, choosing his words carefully, then continued, "offends you, what would you do?"

"Offends me?" Hong Rong scratched his head at the question, finding it oddly strange. He had grown up within the clan and rarely ventured out. After learning of Huo Wuyan's deeds, he had joined the dragon clan full of admiration. The dragon clan had sparse bloodlines and few members; in all these years, they hadn't even produced a single child. There were no women in the clan—not even a female mosquito. He had never reached the age of seeking a partner, and the number of women he had interacted with could be counted on one hand. So why would a woman offend him?

But his reverence for Huo Wuyan made him instinctively ponder. He rolled his eyes and couldn't help but exclaim, "That depends on the level of offense. If I could defeat her, I'd just beat her up."

Huo Wuyan was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Imprisonment and insult."

Hong Rong was taken aback by this, as if he had never considered the question before. After recovering, he immediately said indignantly, "A beast can be killed but not humiliated! Since she dares to treat me like this, I will certainly kill her entire clan, snap her limbs, and then lock her in an ice prison until she dies!"

Huo Wuyan lowered his eyes again, staring expressionlessly at the fish swimming below. Kill her entire clan, huh?

As his words fell, the forest fell into an eerie silence again. Hong Rong sneaked a glance at Huo Wuyan, then, as if thinking of something, quickly took out a jade slip from his sleeve and respectfully placed it beside Huo Wuyan. "My lord, this is all the biographical information we've gathered on the woman you asked us to follow."

Huo Wuyan picked up the jade slip and glanced at it casually.

"Her name is Lu Yuanyin. She lost both parents at age eight, joined the Hehuan Sect at ten, and entered the Chongyao Sect with her cousin at fourteen. Rumor has it she even had a fiancé..."

As if afraid that Huo Wuyan, having been in seclusion for so long, might not know what a small sect like the Hehuan Sect was, Hong Rong helpfully explained, "My lord, you may not know, but the Hehuan Sect is a special branch among human cultivators. They treat men as vessels, using techniques to drain men's essence, turning them into withered husks. They are notorious and reviled among human cultivators! Absolutely terrifying!"

Thinking he had overfulfilled his task, Hong Rong puffed out his chest proudly, believing himself to be the Dragon Lord's most loyal subordinate.

At these words, Huo Wuyan's fingers paused. Amid Hong Rong's proud and smug expression, a sharp crack was heard, and the jade slip in his hand shattered into powder.

Hong Rong froze.

He looked at Huo Wuyan in confusion, instinctively stepping back two paces, not understanding why the Dragon Lord had reacted this way. He grew tense, but then, as if a sudden realization struck him, he raised his head sharply... He stared blankly ahead at the tall male cultivator before him, connecting the Dragon Lord's inexplicable order to follow a female cultivator with this situation. Hong Rong's eyes flickered, and he vaguely felt he had discovered something earth-shattering.

Wait... could it be that the lord was imprisoned, humiliated, and drained by a woman?!

Thinking of that terrifying scene, Hong Rong opened his mouth in disbelief. However, on second thought, he wished he could slap himself. In his heart, Huo Wuyan was invincible, ruthless, cold, and handsome—the supreme Dragon Lord, the unquestionable king of the spirit beast clan. How could such a powerful being suffer such humiliation?

Hong Rong's expression became resolute. No way.

Author's note:

Today is a depressed, emo dragon (T＿T)/~~

I'm here~ Tonight, red envelopes continue~

From now on, updates will probably be around 10:30 PM every night. If not, I will let you know!