Before Ye Sisi's smile could fully bloom and before she could even speak, the communication jade tablet in her hand shattered with a snap.

Yes, that's how illogical it was; it just shattered for no reason.

There was clearly no one who ambushed them, and their communication jade tablets were clearly made from the finest refining materials.

So it's the laws of this world that are playing tricks, forbidding people from contacting each other?

But damn it, she's been into caves before, even the Soul Beast Tower. At most, the communication artifact would malfunction, but there's never been a secret realm where the communication jade tablet would be shattered.

She took a deep breath, raised her middle finger to the sky, looked around, and then chose a quiet direction to walk forward.

Judging from this, whether I can meet any senior students depends entirely on luck.

Wuhen suddenly chuckled softly. His magnetic voice was pleasant to the ear, but at this moment, it only made Ye Sisi grind her teeth in anger.

"What are you laughing at? Are you trying to make me so angry that I'll go find someone else? Let me tell you, no way! You're my wife, and you'll only ever be my wife..."

Wuhen curled his lip, wondering who was it that was thinking about other swords all day long.

He didn't mind her having an affair, and he didn't even think about finding someone else, really.

Although she was terrified, she figured if she was careful and played it safe, her life should be fine.

However, Zhao Anran, who was also a time traveler, was not as lucky as her.

At this moment, Zhao Anran was being held by the back of his collar by a Taoist priest in hemp robes as they weaved through the sky amidst the rolling clouds, with the mountains and land receding rapidly below.

The Taoist priest looked to be in his thirties or forties. His hair was gray, and even his pupils were gray. If you looked closely, you would find that his pupils were unfocused. In any case, he looked quite eerie.

Zhao Anran didn't struggle. It wasn't that she lacked the will to live; it was mainly because this guy was too terrifying. She couldn't even commit suicide, let alone confront him head-on.

But she was puzzled. She hadn't offended this guy, so why was he arresting her without saying a word?

"Uncle, we have no past grudges or recent feuds, why are you arresting me?"

Seeing that the Taoist priest in hemp robes ignored her, she continued, "Uncle, how about this, you tell me where I offended you, and I'll apologize to you, or even pay you money. We can talk things over."

The Taoist priest in hemp robes ignored her, his gray eyes remaining completely unmoved.

Zhao Anran had almost worn her lips out from talking so much. She felt that if someone like that kept nagging in her ear, she would definitely be annoyed to death.

But this uncle had such good self-control that he simply pretended not to hear it.

Thinking of this, she paused. Could it be that this uncle was deaf? Should she find another way to survive?

Just as he was thinking this, the Taoist priest in hemp robes suddenly descended and landed straight in front of a magnificent palace.

Zhao Anran was startled, not understanding why this strange Taoist priest had brought her here.

Of course, the Taoist priest wouldn't have the kindness to answer her questions.

Without saying a word, he grabbed Zhao Anran and headed into the main hall.

The main hall door was tightly closed, but it opened by itself the moment the Taoist priest approached.

But the main hall was empty; there was nothing there.

Zhao Anran was carried down floor after floor without any resistance until the Taoist priest threw her aside when they reached the eighteenth floor.

She got up and looked around. The room was bright, even dazzling.

The source of the dazzling light was a transparent pillar of light, which seemed to be filled with colorful moonstones, and it actually looked quite beautiful.

Seeing that she couldn't escape, Zhao Anran took a deep breath and closed her eyes. To be honest, she really hated her broken system, but given the current situation, she could only hope that the broken system could give her some hints.

So she softened her voice and said in her mind, "System, I know I was wrong before, I shouldn't have disobeyed you, but don't be angry. If I die, you won't be able to complete your mission, so please help me, please help me."

After the crackling of electricity, a cold, emotionless electronic voice echoed in her mind: "Just wait to die."

Zhao Anran...

Damn it, sometimes she really wanted to smash this broken system.

Actually, she really wanted to die together with this damn system, but now was not the time. If she died now, and another one came along, especially one that was clueless, then the world would truly be doomed.

Just as she was thinking about how to outsmart this lousy system, she felt her wrist being grabbed.

She opened her alluring eyes and saw the strange Taoist priest place a bowl and a dagger in front of her. She finally heard the first words spoken by the Taoist priest.

"bloodletting".

The voice was hoarse, even more grating and unpleasant than the sound of sawing a tree, and it carried a deathly aura.

Zhao Anran shuddered, feeling as if this person was about to devour her. She instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she met those unfocused, gray eyes, she didn't dare to speak.

Instead, his own hand, as if against his will, picked up the dagger in front of him, which was engraved with strange runes, and then, out of control, slashed his own wrist.

Bright red blood flowed from the wound, accompanied by piercing pain and a clear dripping sound, dripping into the stone bowl in front of him.

Zhao Anran's heart skipped a beat. It was just a small wound, so why did it hurt so much?

The punishment she received for disrupting system tasks before was never this painful; it was enough to make someone die from the agony.

She was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, only tears kept streaming down her face, and her consciousness began to blur.

I don't know how long it took before that excruciating pain finally subsided.

But she felt as if all her energy and spirit had been drained away; the legendary skinning and tendon-pulling was nothing more than this.

She tried hard not to faint; she wanted to see what this strange Taoist priest was up to.

Then she saw the Taoist calmly pick up the strange dagger and, without even blinking, slash at his own wrist.

Thick, dark blood flowed from his pale wrist, dripping into another stone bowl, but he didn't even flinch until the bowl was filled with black blood.

Zhao Anran felt a chill run down her spine as she watched. She was naturally rebellious, so she was very unhappy about being inexplicably dragged into this world.

Even though she possessed the legendary system, she didn't care about it and would even sabotage the so-called system tasks every time.

Firstly, she genuinely dislikes being manipulated; why should she have to listen to the system?

Secondly, this system is incredibly evil; it either makes her kill many innocent people or makes her do things that destroy the world.

Although she wasn't exactly a saint, she was still a young person raised under the five-star red flag, and she shouldn't be an accomplice to evil.

Besides, she was given this life by chance; at worst, she'd just die. Those with nothing to lose aren't afraid of those wearing shoes. Anyway, life is full of suffering, and she never intended to have an afterlife.

But at this moment, looking at the Taoist priest who was so numb that he seemed inhuman, she felt a chill run down her spine. Facing him was more terrifying and unsettling than facing death.