Chapter 33: The Little Fox is Gone Again

Yan Zhao dragged Bi Lan away from the Immortal Market, her footsteps hurried, afraid that Tushan Yu would follow.

Only when they had traveled a great distance and confirmed no one was behind them did she let go and let out a long breath.

Bi Lan found her behavior amusing and asked, “Do you know the identity of that young master just now?”

Yan Zhao brought out the little fox, stroked its head, and answered upon hearing the question, “I don’t know.”

Nor was she interested.

Bi Lan then shared what she knew with Yan Zhao: “The jade fan in that young master’s hand is a priceless treasure. To my knowledge, it should belong to the Qingqiu Tushan Clan.”

Presumably, that was exactly why Tushan Yu showed interest upon seeing the spiritual fox beside Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao gave an “Oh,” completely indifferent.

No matter who the other party was, as long as they coveted her little fox, they were an enemy to her.

Yan Zhao clearly wasn’t listening to advice, and didn’t even know who the Qingqiu Tushan Clan was. Bi Lan, seeing this, didn’t press the matter further and instead said, “It’s getting late. Let’s set out for Mount Yuliang.”

“Mm.” Yan Zhao had no objections.

Bi Lan rose up on her sword, and Yan Zhao rode along on her flying sword, spending the journey busily tallying her gains.

Just as she had expected, the pouches of these people were bulging, full of quite a few good things. Especially that Wu Ren who appeared later, his Universe Pouch was packed with high-grade alchemy materials, and there were at least a dozen Spirit Beast Demon Cores alone.

Yan Zhao took out the Demon Cores and placed them separately into one Universe Pouch. As for the remaining things, what could be eaten was put aside, and what couldn’t was put on the other side.

By evening, the outline of Mount Yuliang was already visible within their field of vision.

A mist began to rise in the air. The closer they got to Mount Yuliang, the lower the visibility became, and flying gradually became difficult.

Bi Lan said to Yan Zhao, “For this final stretch, we might have to walk.”

Yan Zhao didn’t speak, but Bi Lan had more or less learned to read her emotions. As long as she didn’t dodge or resist, it basically meant silent agreement.

So she slowed down and descended from the air.

The forest was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained; there was not even the sound of fish, insects, birds, or beasts.

Bi Lan carefully discerned their direction and judged, “This heavy fog might be the effect of a formation outside the Immortal Abode.”

The news of the Immortal Abode’s appearance at Mount Yuliang had long since spread throughout the Three Realms. Over the past two days, masters from all walks of life had been continuously pouring into the Mortal Realm, rushing toward Mount Yuliang. No matter what, the area near the Immortal Abode shouldn’t be this quiet.

Yan Zhao also looked around. She wasn’t very curious about the Immortal Abode; she just didn’t know how many Demon Beasts were in this forest.

The little fox poked its little head out from Yan Zhao’s arms.

Looking at the forest before them, it suddenly jumped out of Yan Zhao’s embrace and ran a few steps forward.

“Where are you going?” Yan Zhao called to it.

Bi Lan also quickly followed.

The little fox climbed up a gentle slope and found a spot with a high vantage point. It looked left and right, then wagged its tail at Yan Zhao, signaling her to follow.

Bi Lan was amazed: “Your Spirit Fox seems to know the way.”

Yan Zhao didn’t understand, nor was she curious. She was afraid the fox would get lost again, so she quickly followed.

Bi Lan pursued closely behind. The two of them followed the little fox as it moved through the forest in a profound, arcane trajectory. After a while, a beam of light suddenly shone before their eyes. The fog dispersed, and their view suddenly opened wide.

At the same time, the clear, cold sound of water reached their ears.

The little fox’s steps abruptly halted. It suddenly jumped back into Yan Zhao’s embrace and burrowed into her pocket, as if hiding from some plague god.

Yan Zhao instinctively held the little fox tighter, placing one hand on its head and gently stroking. Looking forward, she saw a waterfall beyond the forest.

Below the waterfall was a deep pool. Several people had already arrived first by the pool’s edge and were gathered together, speaking in low voices.

Yan Zhao spotted at a glance that young Daoist dressed in a dark green robe.

Beside the Daoist were several Fuyun Sect disciples, including Luo Qi and Lin Chao.

Bi Lan saw them too and subconsciously stopped, not moving any further forward.

But the area around the waterfall was open, and as soon as they appeared, they naturally drew the attention of those by the pool.

Luo Qi let out a “Ha,” a cold smirk curling at the corner of his lips: “Enemies are bound to meet.”

Lin Chao, after glancing at Yan Zhao, quickly averted his gaze and said nothing.

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi turned back and was quite surprised to see Bi Lan and Yan Zhao traveling together.

Yan Zhao certainly hadn’t come of her own volition, but for someone to actually be able to persuade her to move—that was truly a rare thing.

Besides Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi and people like Luo Qi, quite a few other Fuyun Sect disciples who had descended the mountain for training were gathered around the pool. Additionally, there were some unfamiliar faces Yan Zhao didn’t recognize.

The existence of the Immortal Ruins was no longer a secret. Any cultivator with a bit of confidence in their own strength wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Bi Lan pulled Yan Zhao to an open spot with a good view and looked toward the waterfall: “The entrance to the Immortal Abode is very likely behind this waterfall.”

Yan Zhao also looked. The distant waterfall water cascaded down with a roar.

The closer they got, the more one could feel the force of the water plummeting from tens of zhang high, crashing into the deep pool below.

Yan Zhao didn’t quite understand. Why did these Immortals have to build their abodes in such places?

Wasn’t it terribly inconvenient to come and go?

It seemed the gates of the Immortal Abode hadn’t opened yet.

One after another, several more Rogue Cultivators passed through the misty forest outside and found the waterfall. More and more people gathered by the deep pool’s edge.

Yan Zhao saw several Elders of Other Sects actively currying favor with Yuan Yi, proposing that they combine forces to open the Immortal Abode’s gates.

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi’s brows were furrowed the entire time, his expression dark, and he didn’t say a single word. Instead, it was Ling Jiancheng who was at his side, handling these Elders of Other Sects.

Fuyun Sect naturally didn’t want the relics of Immortal Venerable Yuanqing to fall into the hands of outsiders. But now, the news of the Immortal Abode’s appearance was known to all. The longer they delayed, the more people would arrive.

By then, even if Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi didn’t act, some other Mighty Figure would naturally be able to open the waterfall before the gate.

When that time came, Fuyun Sect would be even more passive.

The Elders of the various Immortal Sects promised to let the Fuyun Sect members enter first, with the others waiting before entering the Immortal Abode. Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi had no choice but to nod.

“Looks like they’ve reached an agreement.” Bi Lan said to Yan Zhao, “Let’s get ready and see if we can snatch a front-row spot.”

Yan Zhao didn’t care about front row or not. Her hand was in her pocket, tugging at the fox’s tail, her mind pondering what name to give her little fox.

The little fox was soft and gentle, with fluffy fur, like a little snowball. Why not just call it Snowball?

She was tilting her head, mulling over these trivial thoughts, when suddenly, a Boom!—a great tremor shook the earth, and the mountain peaks quaked.

Bi Lan pulled Yan Zhao up: “Junior Sister Yan, come quickly!”

Yan Zhao followed onto Bi Lan’s flying sword and then saw the distant waterfall splitting apart to both sides, revealing a smooth cliff face behind it.

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi and several Elders of Other Sects opened the abode. Ling Jiancheng immediately led his junior brothers from Fuyun Sect rushing in, crashing straight into the cliff face.

Bi Lan said: “That’s the entrance to the abode!”

With that, she steered the sword and flew over the deep pool.

Yan Zhao peeked around but didn’t see any door to the abode. How did they get in?

The flying sword was very fast, crossing several zhang in an instant. Bi Lan’s voice came from ahead: “Junior Sister Yan, close your eyes!”

Yan Zhao obediently closed her eyes.

Suddenly, an immense pressure enveloped her, followed by a slight tearing sensation.

When all the discomfort completely vanished, Yan Zhao’s feet found nothing but air. Losing balance, she actually plummeted from the sky.

Luckily, she was less than a zhang above the ground. Yan Zhao landed, even tumbling into a somersault, dizzy from the fall.

She looked up and saw that behind the cliff face was a world unto itself.

She had fallen on a gentle slope. The scene of forest and waterfall had vanished from view, replaced by a lake as flat as a mirror.

Wind blew across the lake, and water birds played.

Perhaps it had just rained recently, as the ground was still somewhat damp. Looking up at the sky, one could see a circle of rainbow arching across the lake’s surface.

In the center of the lake hung several Floating Islands. These floating islands seemed independent of one another, yet were connected to each other by winding, serpentine Floating Bridges.

Yan Zhao gazed out and saw several palaces built on the islands, glittering brilliantly under the bright, radiant sunlight.

This was an Immortal’s Cave Abode?

The scale of the architectural complex before her overturned Yan Zhao’s understanding of the word “abode.”

It did look like there were probably many treasures here. Even the glazed tiles on those palace roofs could be pried off and sold for money.

She wondered if she could find Demon Cores. Before, she ate Demon Cores alone. When the cores ran out and her stomach was empty, she could just endure it and it would pass. But now, she also had to feed a little fox.

The few Demon Cores she had scavenged today could only stave off temporary hunger; how could they fill their bellies?

It was one thing if she went hungry herself, but she couldn’t let the little fox go hungry with her.

Yan Zhao suddenly felt a bit of pressure settling on her. Since she had taken in this little fox, she had to be responsible for it.

Thinking this, Yan Zhao reached into her pocket.

The pocket was completely empty.

Yan Zhao froze. She looked left and right. Bi Lan wasn’t beside her either.

Ah.

She and Bi Lan had gotten separated, and the little fox was gone again.

A flicker of light and shadow flashed before her eyes, alternating bright and dark.

When her vision cleared, the scene before her had completely transformed.

The Immortal Secret Realm, with a clear sky stretching for miles.

The sensation of weightlessness came suddenly, but the little fox had anticipated it. While falling from the high altitude, it swiftly adjusted its posture, flipped in a somersault, and gently swayed its large tail to maintain balance. Moments later, its four paws landed steadily on the ground.

Palace walls stood tall all around, blocking the view. In such a remote place, no one had come yet.

The location it appeared at was a corner of the palace complex. Yan Zhao and Bi Lan were not at its side. Within a radius of a hundred zhang, there was probably not a second person present.

This was the effect of the abode’s formation.

Immortal Venerable Yuanqing not only possessed heaven-reaching cultivation but was also highly skilled in array techniques and the Artifact Refining Art. The abode she resided in had similar rules laid down. Any outsider who forcibly broke in would inevitably be scattered upon entering the abode and randomly teleported to different places.

The little fox closed its eyes and silently recited a heart mantra. A thin layer of mist drifted around it.

A few breaths later, an elegant figure stepped out of the thin mist.

The little fox had transformed back into the appearance of a peerless beauty.

It was a secluded, unoccupied place anyway, so Ren Qingyue sat down right there, forming hand seals and circulating her inner breath, taking this opportunity to quickly regulate her qi.

Half an hour later, she had refined over half of the Demon Core. Ren Qingyue felt her strength had recovered by ten percent, roughly to the Early Golden Core Stage. Her meridians were smoother, and her body felt lighter.

Afraid that Yan Zhao might encounter danger alone in this Immortal’s Cave Abode, Ren Qingyue didn’t dare to delay too long at this spot.

Once she had roughly enough strength to protect herself, she ceased her meditation and stood up.

After briefly discerning her bearings, she leaped lightly, vaulting over the palace wall.

Restricted by the Power of Laws, flying on a sword was impossible within the Immortal Abode. No matter where one went, they could only travel on foot.

The palaces on the Floating Islands were quite large in scale. From the outside, one could only see a ring of enclosing walls, but the internal design followed the arrangement of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. Each small hall also had a special Protective Array set up, making the layout extremely complex.

Even Ren Qingyue, who was familiar with her Shizun’s array-setting habits, couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get lost in the palace.

She had to find Yan Zhao as quickly as possible.