Chapter 55: The Vast Sea That Once Was
One step back, doesn’t Ning Ruoque have…
All four of them were thoroughly soaked and exceptionally disheveled.
Ning Ruoque circulated her spiritual energy, and just as she was about to dry herself and Yin Buran, Chu Xuan strode forward.
“Young lady, let me dry your clothes for you!”
After speaking, she fanned the air and conjured a fireball to warm Yin Buran, her attitude extremely attentive.
The surrounding temperature rose sharply, alternating between hot and cold, making one very uncomfortable.
Yin Buran frowned in annoyance, turned her head, and grabbed Ning Ruoque’s hand, wiping all the water droplets from her face onto her sleeve.
Si Mingyue was so angry that she hit Chu Xuan’s head with her staff, and her originally soft voice also changed its tone.
“I told you to be more careful!”
“What’s the rush!”
“You’re like a rock, I couldn’t even pull you in the water!”
Knowing that she had made a mistake, Chu Xuan did not dare to resist at all. “Ah, I was just… trying…”
The more she spoke, the less confident she became, and in the end, she fell silent, trying to shrink herself and reduce her presence.
Ning Ruoque looked around. “Where is this place?”
Just now, it was an endless sea, but now they were standing on solid ground.
They were surrounded by green trees and vines, and sunlight leaked through the gaps in the leaves, shattering into countless light spots.
The chirping of birds sounded from not far away, adding a touch of vitality.
Si Mingyue shook her head.
She found a clean place and sat down with a thud, exhausted. The crystal pendants on her hair ornament and staff jingled.
“I don’t know. My teleportation spell is random, and after my cultivation was suppressed, I can only use it once.”
Ning Ruoque was more concerned about something else. “Was that really an illusionary realm just now?”
Logically speaking, the four of them did not have the secret realm’s token, so they would not participate in the Mirage Sea Realm’s trial and could only travel between different illusionary realms.
Every illusionary realm must have a flaw.
Especially for experienced people with condensed spiritual souls like Yin Buran, this level of secret realm should be easy to come and go from.
But the waves and pressure were so realistic that Yin Buran had almost suffocated.
Chu Xuan pulled at her curly hair, also unable to figure it out. “I didn’t see any problem. Could it be that the Mirage Sea Realm has been upgraded?”
Si Mingyue shook her head like a rattle-drum.
“Not likely. This is a relic of an ancient god. How could it be upgraded for no reason?”
Ning Ruoque asked Yin Buran again, “What about this one now?”
Her spiritual soul was damaged, and her perception of this kind of illusionary realm was much duller than before.
Yin Buran covered her mouth with her sleeve and sneezed, then glared at Chu Xuan.
The latter immediately hid behind Si Mingyue, afraid of being scratched by her.
But she was very large. Years of forging and refining artifacts had given her a body of lean muscle.
In comparison, Si Mingyue was a thin and small person. Even with her soft white hair and intricate purple clothes, she could not hide Chu Xuan’s figure.
This created a strange sense of humor.
Yin Buran had no time to argue with her now.
She lowered her eyelids to sense the surrounding situation, and after a moment, she said softly, “These plants and trees have no life force. It should be an illusionary realm.”
“But there are people nearby. Let’s go and see.”
After speaking, she tugged on Ning Ruoque’s sleeve and pulled it forward.
Ning Ruoque followed gracefully, the two of them very close.
Chu Xuan didn’t want to be in front of Yin Buran, so she and Si Mingyue trailed behind at a distance.
Ning Ruoque lowered her voice and asked, “Are you still feeling unwell?”
Yin Buran’s dense eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint red appeared at the corners of her eyes.
She looked wronged and pitiful.
She deliberately slowed down a step and walked side by side with Ning Ruoque. “I’m unwell. I choked on water, my throat hurts, and I’m very cold.”
Ning Ruoque saw that she was indeed listless and had no energy, like a drenched little cat, and quickly racked her brains to think of a solution.
“Then… do you want to drink some medicine? I brought some.”
There were very few of her own things in her storage bag. The rest were all Yin Buran’s medicine, fur blankets, a full set of tea set, and some small snacks that had been prepared early.
Yin Buran: “…”
Yin Buran suddenly grabbed Ning Ruoque’s sleeve and whispered, “When we fell into the water just now, I should have…”
Ning Ruoque endured the wet and hot itching by her ear and listened attentively. “Hmm?”
Yin Buran said word by word, “Bite… you.”
Ning Ruoque is really living backwards! She didn’t give her air, nor did she hold her hand to coax her!
Although there was the factor of amnesia in this, but one step back, doesn’t Ning Ruoque have no fault at all?
She had almost gritted her teeth as she said these two words, and then she flicked her sleeve and left under Ning Ruoque’s dazed gaze.
“Ranran!” Ning Ruoque hurriedly followed.
After walking not far, Yin Buran suddenly stopped.
There was a fluctuation of spiritual energy in the distance.
Ning Ruoque had already caught up, but she did not move. Instead, Chu Xuan leaped to the front to watch the fun.
“Ah!” A piercing scream sounded, startling countless birds.
A man stumbled out of the forest, half of his body covered in blood, his face pale.
He was already in a panic. His foot hit a stone and he stumbled, instantly falling half a meter away.
The lush grass and trees swayed, as if something was hidden inside.
Chu Xuan jumped onto a tree and saw it clearly. “Oh my.”
It should be a headless “corpse,” but it was holding a head in its arms and was constantly approaching the man.
The latter was so scared that he was crying and his expression was distorted. He kept kowtowing to the corpse. “I didn’t mean it… I didn’t mean to kill you!”
“Let me go! I’ve already burned incense and offered sacrifices to you. I really regret it!”
But the corpse still pressed on, and the head in its arms stiffly curled up its lips, its smile eerie.
It let out a piercing scream, “Pay with your life!”
The man’s mental state was clearly on the verge of collapse.
Seeing that he could not escape, his eyes suddenly turned red, and he kept throwing all sorts of spells at the corpse.
But these spells hit the corpse and had no effect—
Of course, there would be no effect. All of this was an illusion, his own inner demon.
The corpse pulled out a bloody sword, and countless bone hands emerged from the ground, binding the man in place.
Just then, the man discovered Chu Xuan, who was squatting on the tree.
As if he had found a life-saving straw, he reached out to Chu Xuan and wailed, “Fellow Daoist, save me… save me! I have a great reward!”
Chu Xuan did not move, looking down at him with a teasing look in her eyes.
Seeing that his plea for help was unsuccessful, the man immediately changed his face and cursed viciously, “You’ll get your retribution for not saving me!”
Chu Xuan laughed out loud. “Oh my, oh my. Who’s getting their retribution now?”
It was unknown if it was from anger or injury, but the man suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face even more ferocious.
The corpse had already walked up to the man. It raised the sword high and stabbed down crazily.
Just as Ning Ruoque was about to cover Yin Buran’s eyes, her hand was slapped away fiercely by the latter.
She had no choice but to put her hands behind her back and asked as if nothing had happened, “Is this his dao heart trial?”
Yin Buran’s expression was cold, and she did not answer.
So Si Mingyue kindly added, “It seems like he has done something wrong.”
It was originally a dao heart trial for an individual, and no one planned to interfere.
He had also said such things to Chu Xuan, so it was even more impossible to help.
If Yin Buran’s anger had subsided, and she met this man after she got out, she would probably put a secret “dog-barking pill” in his tea.
The sound of a sharp weapon penetrating flesh and blood almost did not stop, and the man’s groans gradually became almost inaudible.
Just as the “corpse” was about to land the final blow, Yin Buran’s expression changed slightly. “No—”
As soon as her voice fell, the blade of the sword had already pierced the man’s throat, and fresh blood gushed out from his mouth. After a few convulsions, he soon stopped moving.
Not only did the “corpse” turn into dust and dissipate, but the surrounding scenery also became illusory and mottled.
Ning Ruoque had a bad premonition and rushed up in one step to check the man’s pulse.
She looked at Yin Buran, who was walking over, her expression grave. “He’s not breathing.”
Chu Xuan jumped down from the tree. “Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t get hurt or die in the Mirage Sea Realm?”
One of the reasons why the Mirage Sea Secret Realm was so popular was that the injuries sustained in the illusionary realm would not be brought outside the secret realm.
Those who failed the trial would soon wake up and then be thrown out by the laws of the secret realm, at most suffering psychological pressure.
And now, the man who had fallen before them had clearly broken this perception.
This illusionary realm was constantly collapsing. The trees and birds all turned into dust of light and flew towards the pale sky.
Yin Buran couldn’t care about the dirt and gently placed her fingertips on the man’s wrist. “He actually doesn’t have any external injuries, but died of…”
She paused for a moment, then said with certainty, “He died of a collapsed spiritual soul.”
“We must notify everyone in the secret realm to get out as soon as possible, and those outside should not come in anymore.”
Chu Xuan sucked in a sharp breath.
Regardless of what strange changes had occurred in the Mirage Sea Realm, it was fortunate that they had discovered it in time and still had a chance to save more people.
Ning Ruoque frowned. “Transmission talismans can’t be used in here.”
Si Mingyue quickly raised her staff, making a crisp clanging sound.
“I can transmit messages, although I can only transmit them to the people of Heavenly Eon Palace, but at least I can stop others from coming in first.”
Their Heavenly Eon Palace had its own secret method and could transmit messages through water ripples.
Ignoring the gradually collapsing scenery and the increasing number of white voids, Si Mingyue sat down on the spot and took out a dish of clear water.
As she recited the obscure and difficult-to-understand incantation, ripples appeared on the surface of the water.
Si Mingyue quickly let out a breath and patted her chest. “I’ve already informed the people outside.”
But the ripples on the dish still did not stop, and even became more intense, splashing a few drops of water.
Si Mingyue’s brow furrowed again, and she interpreted with a worried expression.
“Someone said that they tried to destroy the token to get out, but the exit of the secret realm was blocked by the sea in the sky. As soon as they got close, they would be slapped back.”
“The sea in the sky? Is it the vast sea we saw when we came in?” Chu Xuan quickly interjected.
“No wonder the compass told us to go down at the beginning. So this sea is hanging in the sky.”
Ning Ruoque looked up at the sky, but all she could see were white voids, and no sea.
Now, only this piece of land under their feet still existed.
Chu Xuan shouted in a very loud voice, “Wait… then where are we going next?”
Yin Buran said concisely, “Save people first.”
Before the last piece of land collapsed, Ning Ruoque turned around and held Yin Buran tightly, at the same time stepping on the Sudden Rain sword.
At the same time, Chu Xuan also summoned a flying boat and pulled Si Mingyue onto it.
As the illusionary realm completely collapsed, only a pure white remained between heaven and earth.
Ning Ruoque rode her sword and flew forward. Yin Buran suddenly tugged on her sleeve. “There’s life force there.”
The place she was pointing to was also a void, but there were a few colorful light spots overflowing.
So Ning Ruoque changed direction and crashed into it without hesitation.
A fierce wind brushed past her ears, like the howl of a demon.
A strong light flashed, and when Ning Ruoque opened her eyes again, the first thing she smelled was the pungent smell of blood.
As far as the eye could see, it was a crimson sky and a battlefield littered with corpses. Not only of humans, but also of demonic beasts.
The blood was almost flowing into a small river. The green flag of Azurefall Creek had fallen on the muddy ground, and the lotus pattern was stained bright red.
In front of the collapsed ruins, a familiar figure was kneeling.
Her hair was disheveled, and she was holding a limp person in her arms, crying, “Waaah, I’m sorry… I’m sorry—”
From under the pile of bones, a wolf demon covered in armor drilled out and bared its sharp fangs at her.
The wolf demon leaped and bit at the little girl, but she was still in a daze and had no reaction.
Ning Ruoque swung her sword without hesitation. The cold glint arrived before the fangs and easily cut off the wolf demon’s neck.
Only when the warm demon blood splashed on her cheek did Qingtong wake up as if from a dream.
Chu Xuan clicked her tongue. “Oh my, we made it in time.”
And Yin Buran sighed softly, “She always wants to do things beyond her ability. Once she picks it up, she can’t put it down. That’s why I often take her out with me.”
She carefully avoided the blood on the ground and slowly walked forward.
When Qingtong saw her, she wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve. Before she could speak, tears began to fall.
She cried until she was out of breath, her face full of despair. She held “Qieyu” and crawled on her knees to Yin Buran.
“Little Senior Sister…”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t save her.”
“It’s all my fault. If I could have worked a little harder, Qieyu wouldn’t have…”
Chu Xuan half-jokingly said, “Miss Qingtong, the person who controls life and death should be indifferent to life and death. If you’re like this, I’m afraid you’ll develop an inner demon in the future.”
Yin Buran glanced at Chu Xuan coldly, and then she actually half-knelt down, her line of sight level with Qingtong’s.
She wiped the tear stains from Qingtong’s cheeks with a soft cloth, her speech unhurried.
“I remember I told you that there are always things that a doctor is powerless to do. All things are impermanent, and one cannot be attached.”
“Moving forward is more important than wallowing in self-pity.”
After Yin Buran finished speaking, she pointed her finger, and “Qieyu” turned into countless flying light spots.
Qingtong lowered her head and stared at her empty arms in a daze.
After a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, “This is… an illusion. Sorry, I—”
Yin Buran interrupted directly, “You are still inexperienced. It’s normal for you not to see through the illusion. Don’t mind it. Otherwise, why would I let you come to this Mirage Sea Realm?”
Although she had no expression on her face, the hand that wiped Qingtong’s tears was extremely gentle, like a flower petal falling on the water surface.
It was not difficult for one to sense the comforting meaning in it.
Ning Ruoque could feel that the smell of blood in her breath was disappearing, and a hazy white light was also appearing on the horizon.
This illusionary realm should also be about to collapse.
Si Mingyue clapped her hands with a smile. “Good! It’s a good start.”
She pulled Qingtong up and stuffed a large, crispy-skinned white steamed bun into her arms.
“Don’t be sad. Eat something to replenish your strength, and then come and help!”
Qingtong nodded foolishly and obediently opened her mouth to bite the steamed bun. Then her teeth became sore from the impact, and tears welled up again.
How can it be so hard! Could this be a steamed bun from the Forging Fire Sect?!
Si Mingyue took out her compass again and examined it carefully.
“Let’s hurry up and go to the next place. If we keep going down like this, deep into the center of the Mirage Sea Realm, we might be able to find the reason for the secret realm’s strange changes.”
This time, without waiting for the secret realm to completely collapse, the group boarded the flying boat and rushed into the void beyond the horizon.
They followed the guidance of the compass and sailed in the empty world for half a quarter of an hour, and suddenly heard a rustling human voice.
“But… really… I…”
That voice was vague and unclear, and only a one or two-word phrase would pop out occasionally.
Listening to it, one only felt that the owner of the voice was timid, with a hint of a shrinking feeling.
Ning Ruoque tilted her head, not quite sure. “It seems to be… Yan Lingge?”
How could she be here?
