Chapter 21: Is it my moves that are prettier, or am I prettier...?

After a heavy rain, the next morning, as the sun rose, Tai'an Town was greeted by a clear blue sky.

Si Yao slept well last night and wanted to stay in bed as usual when she woke up in the morning, but when she thought about the task she had to do, she immediately got out of bed, dressed and washed up.

Soon, under her leadership, the disciples of the Hehuan Sect who were participating in this mission also gathered in the inn's lobby.

When the waiter saw Si Yao and her group checking out, he couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Are you in a hurry to check out so early? Where are you going?"

Luo Rongrong began, "We're on our way to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Si Yao waved her hand to stop her, "Lingzhou."

The waiter said "Oh", "Going to Lingzhou... Lingzhou is good. I think you must be cultivators. There is a Seven Star Temple in Lingzhou. I suppose you will go there."

Si Yao smiled and nodded, "That's right."

Her smile stunned the waiter for a moment.

In the waiter's eyes, Si Yao was different from Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan. Although Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan were also good-looking, they did not have the three-dimensional features and beautiful face of Si Yao. More importantly, the two female disciples did not have the mature and charming temperament that Si Yao had.

In short, the waiter couldn't describe it; he just thought Si Yao was incredibly beautiful.

The waiter was eager to chat with the beautiful woman, saying, "Just don't go to Cangzhou, especially the Broken Soul Valley there. It's been quite turbulent lately. I heard that many people have tried to go there to search for treasure, but none of them have ever returned."

Hearing this, Si Yao's eyes slowly darted around, feigning a leisurely and gossipy demeanor. "Oh? Is the Valley of Broken Souls really that dangerous?"

"Extremely dangerous. I've heard that there are ferocious beasts and monsters there that eat people."

After gathering the information, Si Yao led her disciples out of the inn.

Luo Rongrong, following behind Si Yao, couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind, "Elder Si Yao, why did you lie to the waiter just now and say that we were going to Lingzhou?"

Si Yao said, "When we're out and about, we can't easily reveal our whereabouts."

Qi Lan then jokingly interjected, "Yes, Junior Sister Luo, this is your first time coming down the mountain. You must not be careless in anything. When traveling, it is best not to trust anyone other than those from our sect."

Luo Rongrong looked embarrassed, her face turned red, and she lowered her head and stuck out her tongue. "I understand, thank you Elder Siyao and Senior Brother Qi for reminding me."

After leaving Tai'an Town, Si Yao and her group once again flew on their magical artifacts towards Cangzhou.

Soul-Severing Valley is located in the northern part of Cangzhou, bordering Lanzhou, where the Hehuan Sect is located, to the east, and Leizhou to the west.

Hundreds of miles north of Tai'an Town, Si Yao and her group had crossed a forest and finally entered the territory of Broken Soul Valley.

"This Soul-Severing Valley is indeed different; even the sky has changed."

"Yes, and the vegetation here is withered and dead, so there must be poisonous gas ahead."

Qin Xuan and Luo Rongrong started talking. Qi Lan heard this, turned around and said, "My two junior sisters should be careful."

After saying that, he took out several silk scarves from his storage ring and handed two to Qin Xuan and Luo Rongrong respectively. "These are Hundred Medicine Facial Scarves. Wear them and they can protect you from a lot of poisonous gas."

Then, Qi Lan flew to Si Yao's side and handed her the Hundred Herbs Silk Scarf, saying, "Elder Si Yao, why don't you try this too?"

Compared to these disciples, Si Yao, with her Golden Core body, could indeed use her Qi to resist poison, but she naturally wouldn't let Qi Lan's kindness go to waste, so she accepted the gift and said, "Thank you."

Qi Lan grinned broadly and then handed another new herbal face towel to Xiao Yezi, "Junior brother, you can use this too."

Xiao Yezi did not refuse, his gaze shifting from the face mask that Si Yao had just put on, and said coldly, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The further we went, the thicker the fog became.

The air was filled with the mingled smells of rotting wood and flesh.

Although it was nearly noon, the Valley of Broken Souls was as dimly lit as if it were dusk.

Following the map's guidance, Si Yao and her group only needed to fly another ten miles.

"Look, what's that!"

Luo Rongrong suddenly screamed, and a flock of strange black birds suddenly darted out from in front of her.

The strange bird resembled a bat, but was two or three times larger than an ordinary bat, with enormous wings and a triangular head. The flock of strange birds was shrouded in a dark, malevolent aura and was approaching Si Yao and the others.

"This is..." Qi Lan's eyes widened, only to hear Si Yao say, "A bloodthirsty bird! Be careful!"

After speaking, Si Yao pointed with one hand and uttered a spell. The Yan Yun fan shimmered with light and began to attack the flock of bloodthirsty birds.

The disciples also unleashed their magical weapons and joined the battle.

Of the four disciples on this trip, apart from Xiao Yezi and Qi Lan who are in the Foundation Establishment stage, Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan are both at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

While manipulating the Yanyun Palm Fan, Si Yao said to Xiao Yezi and Qi Lan, "You two protect Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan!"

After saying that, she leaped into the air and transformed into a beam of light, rushing towards the flock of bloodthirsty birds.

Seeing her like this, Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan shouted in unison, "Elder Si Yao! Be careful!"

The wind howled incessantly, and the cries of the bloodthirsty birds were deafening.

Si Yao held her breath, formed a hand seal, and several beams of blue light burst forth from her hands, attacking the flock of birds simultaneously.

"hiss--"

The flock of bloodthirsty birds screamed repeatedly before turning into a thick plume of smoke and vanishing into nothingness.

Si Yao put away Yan Yun's folding fan and turned back to the disciples.

With the Bloodthirsty Birds dealt with, they could continue their journey.

Qi Lan couldn't help but exclaim, "Elder Si Yao, was that your signature move, 'Wild Goose Leaving No Trace,' just now? It was absolutely stunning!"

Si Yao dusted herself off and jokingly replied, "Is my move prettier or am I prettier?"

Qi Lan was taken aback, not expecting Si Yao to make a joke at this moment, but he was also able to go along with Si Yao and laughed heartily, "They all look good, of course they all look good."

Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan covered their mouths and laughed, "Senior Brother Qi Lan has such a sweet tongue."

Qi Lan's expression was very natural, and his smile remained. "Your two junior sisters are also beautiful. In short, our Hehuan Sect is full of handsome men and beautiful women."

"Hahaha……"

Qi Lan's words made Qin, Luo, and Si Yao laugh continuously, while Xiao Yezi kept his head down and flew forward.

His gaze swept ahead, and a cave not far away caught his attention.

Xiao Ye pointed and said, "Look."

Si Yao looked in the direction he pointed and saw a huge cave entrance at the end of the Broken Soul Valley.

"Let's go take a look; perhaps the stolen treasures and magical artifacts are among them."

After Si Yao finished speaking, the five of them arrived at the cave entrance shortly afterward.

Looking up, one could see black mist swirling at the entrance of the cave, with a chilling wind blowing in from time to time.

Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan stared at the entrance of the cave when they suddenly heard a roar coming from deep within.

The timid Luo Rongrong grabbed Qin Xuan's arm, "Listen, there's something making noise inside the cave."

Si Yao frowned, looking at the dark cave, and couldn't help but swallow.

Finally, she took a deep breath, then took out several tinderboxes from her storage ring, lit them one by one, and distributed them to her four disciples.

"Hold up the light and go in to investigate."

After she finished speaking, she took a step and became the first to enter the cave.

Four disciples followed closely behind. Xiao Yezi held up a tinderbox and looked up at Si Yao not far in front of him, noticing that she was walking with a heavy step.

As if he had just thought of something, he quickened his pace and walked in front of Si Yao.

"Disciple, slow down, don't be reckless, be careful of monsters ahead."

Si Yao's voice lingered in his ears, but Xiao Yezi did not slow down his pace. However, he always kept walking in front of Si Yao. "I understand, Master."

The further you go in, the cold wind blows continuously.

The wind carried a mournful sound, indistinguishable between human and monster.

Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan had already huddled behind Qi Lan, walking extremely carefully.

Sudden!

There was a commotion ahead.

Several people came running out from the depths of the cave, their limbs moving uncoordinated as they ran, their feet wobbling, their hands waving incessantly, and even their heads shaking wildly.

Strange laughter kept coming from his mouth.

"Who goes there!"

Si Yao shouted forward until the group of people got closer. She could see them clearly by the light of her tinderbox. Their faces were distorted, their clothes were tattered, and they were covered in wounds. Even their eyes were missing eyeballs, leaving only blood-filled eye sockets!

"vomit--"

Luo Rongrong couldn't help but vomit.

The group of people jumped around wildly, gradually surrounding Si Yao and her group of five.

Xiao Yezi held the Soul-Destroying Lamp in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the Soul-Destroying Lamp spun in his hand.

Seeing this, Si Yao immediately grabbed his wrist and shook her head, saying, "No rush, let's see what they're up to first."

As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced at the group of madmen again.

What happened to you? Why have you fallen to such a state?

Upon hearing Si Yao's voice, the group suddenly froze in place, then began gesturing wildly and shaking their heads frantically.

"You dare come here to search for treasure? Are you out of your mind?"

"Ahhh! Don't go! Don't go! You'll die!"

"No, no, no, let them go. Since they covet what's here, they have to pay a price!"

Their voices were shrill and unlike those of ordinary people, revealing an endless sense of strangeness.

"Hahaha--"

These strange men, now without eyes, suddenly burst into loud, wicked laughter. With a "boom," they swarmed forward, their blood-red arms outstretched, lunging at Si Yao and the others.

Si Yao then released her grip on Xiao Yezi's wrist, stepped back, and called out, "Disciple, go!"

Having said that, the Soul-Destroying Lamp immediately brushed past her ear and shot straight at the strange man.

"Bang--"

The Soul-Destroying Lamp emitted a roar, and those strange men, like the bloodthirsty birds outside the cave, turned into dust and dissipated into the air.

Si Yao held her breath, pondered for a moment, and then said, "These strange people are probably already dead."

Luo Rongrong and Qin Xuan paled and patted their chests gently.

Qi Lan asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Si Yao closed her eyes and used the light from the tinderbox to follow the smoke and dust that the strange people had turned into. "Their corpses must have been turned into puppets. That person wanted to use these puppets to repel us."

A note from the author:

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Xiao Yezi: Senior Brother Qi Lan, if you keep trying to seduce my master, watch out for my Soul-Destroying Lamp!