Actually, both women were somewhat reluctant to leave, but pressing on might put Yan Zhen in danger, and they had no desire to nearly lose him forever again, as they had in their previous lives.
After another two peaceful days had passed, Yan Zhen’s wounds were fully healed, and Yun Xiu and Jiu Youyue had also recovered to their peak states.
In total, they had spent only five days in the cave—half the ten days from their previous lives. Jiu Youyue harbored some resentment about it, already plotting ways to make up for the lost time later.
Yun Xiu, by contrast, felt content. These five days had been far more fulfilling than the previous ten.
The three of them finished breakfast, and Yan Zhen stowed the medicine cauldron and tent away with a smile.
“Let’s get going.”
The two women nodded. They followed him as they burst out from behind the waterfall, landing on the churning water’s surface before riding the waves ashore.
They turned to gaze at the hidden cave behind the thundering falls, a wave of emotion washing over them.
Jiu Youyue suddenly formed a mudra and slapped her palm toward the cave.
The mudra pierced straight through the waterfall and shot into the entrance.
Rocks near the mouth began to grow slowly, expanding until they sealed the entire cave shut.
“There, perfect,” Jiu Youyue said, dusting off her jade-like hands. “We can come back together someday.”
Yun Xiu smiled in understanding. She planned to sneak back later and seal it herself, as a private memorial.
In their previous life, after the Cloud Heaven Palace’s destruction, Yun Xiu had stayed here for a time with Huangfu Wenqing. The place already held some sentimental value for her.
Yan Zhen scratched his head.
“…The rest is up to you two.”
“There might be some danger ahead, so Chen Zhen, watch out for yourself.”
“You can always hide behind me, Little Zhen Zhen~”
Yan Zhen flashed an OK sign.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
He positioned himself slightly behind the two women and watched as surging mystic power erupted from their bodies. They soared into the air, where a streak of blue light and one of white bloomed overhead.
The domineering aura of Mystic Lord powerhouses swept outward. Mystic beasts across a ten-li radius lifted their heads in alarm before charging madly toward them.
—With mystic beasts blanketing the mountains in search of them, all they had to do was release their auras, and the beasts—including those two flying dragons—would come running.
Yan Zhen had objected at first; it was far too risky. Both flying dragons were Tier 6, Mystic Lord-level threats, backed by hordes of Tier 3, 4, and 5 mystic beasts. Even treating them as cannon fodder, clearing them out would be a hassle.
But the women brimmed with confidence. They weren’t mere Mystic Lords. In their past lives, Jiu Youyue had been a Six Turns Half-Saint, Yun Xiu a One-Star Mystic Saint. Reborn without that raw power, their vast experience and insight remained, more than enough to crush anyone at their level.
“…Roar!”
Beast roars thundered through the mountains and forests. The ground trembled as countless mystic beasts surged in from every direction, encircling them completely at a distance of about a hundred meters.
Yan Zhen’s spiritual sense stretched far, revealing the dense masses of beasts hemming them in. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
In the script, he’d drawn all these beasts away single-handedly for his “first love.” Talk about bravery—was that the power of love?
“Step back a little, Chen Zhen.”
Yun Xiu brushed her storage ring, and her sword dropped into her hand. Its semi-transparent blade was etched with Mystic runes; its pulsing fluctuations marked it as a Tier 6 mystic artifact.
Sword in hand, Yun Xiu poured mystic power into it and unleashed a strike that transcended her current realm.
“Sect Mystic Technique: Thousand Winds Annihilation Sword!”
A massive wind array unfurled behind her, unleashing countless strands of wind sword qi.
Each one effortlessly pierced a mystic beast’s skull. Tier 3 and 4 beasts dropped dead in an instant, with only a handful of Tier 5 survivors.
Jiu Youyue drew her azure steel sword. Her jade fingers trailed from hilt to tip, awakening its latent power. She hoisted it high, summoning a radiant cyan moon into the sky.
“Sect Mystic Technique: Frost Heaven Moon Fall.”
The cyan moon plummeted like a rolling boulder into the beast horde below.
Icy moonlight froze the creatures solid, while the moon’s immense bulk pulverized them to dust.
The lunar wheel detonated, yin Mystic power surging outward to encase the entire forest in ice.
Those two techniques wiped out most of the surrounding mystic beasts. Even in their mindless state, the survivors recoiled in primal fear.
This was the true might of Yun Xiu and Jiu Youyue!
Gone was the gentleness they’d shown in the cave. Their auras now radiated dominance and nobility, stirring awe in anyone who beheld them!
Even as Yan Zhen thought this, two shrill dragon roars tore through the sky. A pair of massive winged flying dragons thrust their heads from the clouds, arrowing straight toward them.
The remaining mystic beasts, as if under orders, hurled themselves fearlessly at the women in the air.
The women ignored the rabble. Dodging strikes from Tier 5 beasts, they turned to face the flying dragons head-on.
Last time, they’d been caught off guard—and Jiu Youyue had deliberately held back, sealing their defeat.
This time was utterly different.
Mystic power erupted around Yun Xiu, coalescing into a towering tornado that stretched from earth to heavens. It slammed into one of the flying dragons.
Jiu Youyue summoned a cyan moon of her own and hurled it at the other.
Boom!
The earth-shaking impact reverberated across the core region.
Dark clouds boiled overhead. Gale winds howled, sending sand and gravel flying while uprooting saplings.
—This racket was even more spectacular than last time. It had Yan Zhen’s own blood pumping…
He swallowed hard and vaulted from behind a boulder, charging at a Tier 3 mystic beast that looked like easy pickings.
This was a no-harem monster-slaying power fantasy, after all. When in doubt, cultivate or kill beasts—never failed.
A wind talisman boosted his Shadow Following Step and Surging Spring Boots, granting Yan Zhen speed beyond his realm. The Extreme Flame Greatsword, extended from the Mystic artifact embryo, gave him attack power to match.
Together, they made short work of lumbering Tier 3 mystic beasts.
As one fell after another, Yan Zhen could almost hear the chimes of “Experience +1 +1 +1,” lulling him into the illusion that he was growing palpably stronger.
Until a Tier 4 mystic beast lunged. The yawning gap in power snapped him back to reality, and Yan Zhen bolted away at full tilt.
Even as he fled, the battle in the sky hurtled toward its climax. The women had the flying dragons on the ropes from start to finish.
The once-majestic beasts were battered and bloody, their flapping wings ragged and full of holes.
Mindless fire slaves, they pressed their suicidal assaults without hesitation.
Yun Xiu held back no longer. With her self-created Venerable Mystic Technique, Wind Extreme Meteor Kill Sword, she thrust once—skewering the colossal bodies of both flying dragons.
Jiu Youyue followed up with a strike that fell like moonlight upon the earth, lopping off both dragons’ heads.
The flying dragons’ deaths threw the remaining mystic beasts into disarray, bereft of coordination.
The women paid them no mind. Spotting Yan Zhen harried by a pack of pursuers, fleeing in disgrace, they descended swiftly to his aid.
