Qing Xuanzi leaped into the air and landed steadily on the sword, his sleeves fluttering in the sea breeze.
Rong Jiaojiao carried Zi Ling as she stepped onto the flying sword. The sword dipped slightly before rising steadily.
With a soft "Rise!" from Rong Jiaojiao, the flying sword transformed into a streak of light and sped towards the azure sea.
The sea breeze was refreshing, carrying a salty, fishy smell.
Ziling excitedly bounced on Rong Jiaojiao's shoulder, pointing her little paws at the school of fish leaping up below and squeaking.
Rong Jiaojiao ignored it and let it do as it pleased.
After about two hours of flying, a small island appeared on the distant horizon.
Rong Jiaojiao lowered her altitude and circled once around the island.
"There are no powerful demonic beasts on the island, so how can we go down and take a look?" Qing Xuanzi said.
Upon landing, Rong Jiaojiao noticed that the island was covered with lush vegetation and towering trees.
She had just stepped onto the beach when she suddenly felt a jolt beneath her feet.
Looking down, I saw the beach suddenly rise up, and a crab the size of a plate broke out of the sand and ran away using all eight legs.
They wandered around the island and found there were no usable resources. After resting for a while, Zi Ling took over and continued flying with them.
Zi Ling shook her fluffy fur, and her body swelled in the wind, transforming into a giant sable that was three zhang long in the blink of an eye.
It crouched down, gesturing for the two to come up.
Qing Xuanzi laughed and said, "This little fellow is getting more and more impressive."
As he spoke, he lightly leaped onto Zi Ling's broad back.
As soon as Rong Jiaojiao settled down, Zi Ling took to the air.
Unlike flying on a sword, Zi Ling's flight was much smoother, and she was surrounded by a faint purple halo that kept out the biting sea wind.
Zi Ling flew fast, and they didn't stop when they saw the small island, but flew straight over it.
Three days later...
Rong Jiaojiao was flying on her flying sword, but gradually, the fog around them became thicker and thicker. Within a dozen seconds, they could no longer see more than one or two meters around them.
Sensing something was wrong, Rong Jiaojiao quickly used her flying sword to fly into the sky, but the same thing happened even when she got there.
Zi Ling activated her Eye of Truth, and squeaked, "It's mirage..."
A crimson sword appeared in Qing Xuanzi's hand. "It seems we've mistakenly entered the territory of the Mirage Demon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fog suddenly began to churn.
A giant seashell rose from the sea, and when it opened, a girl dressed in white stood inside.
"The three of you have come from afar, why don't you come to my humble abode for a chat?" The girl's voice was ethereal, but her eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
Zi Ling suddenly retreated, the hair on her back standing on end.
Rong Jiaojiao felt dizzy and her vision began to distort—she saw her parents waving at her, and her older brother smiling as he held his newborn baby...
A cool sensation ran through my mind, and I regained consciousness.
"break!"
With a sharp shout, Qing Xuanzi unleashed a blood-red sword aura from his Crimson Blood Sword.
The illusion shattered like a mirror, and the white-clad girl's face suddenly twisted into a hideous demonic face. The seashell snapped shut and sank into the sea.
The fog suddenly surged, the surrounding seawater violently trembled, and several thick water chains burst out of the water, sweeping towards the three of them!
Zi Ling let out a sharp screech, and purple lightning surged and erupted around her like a raging tide, instantly turning the surrounding air a deep blue.
Rong Jiaojiao felt a tightening around her waist as her master used a rope formed from spiritual energy to firmly secure her to the flying sword. She swayed slightly, almost losing her balance, but was steadily supported by the powerful spiritual energy.
Rong Jiaojiao suddenly produced a top-grade Heavenly Thunder Talisman. The moment it was activated, a bolt of lightning shot out from the bucket and struck the sea surface.
A deep roar came from the seabed, a sound like the howl of an ancient beast, shaking the entire ocean.
Immediately afterwards, the entire sea area suddenly bulged up, as if some enormous creature was slowly rising from the seabed.
Finally, the giant mirage revealed its full form—a shell the size of half a football field, covered in moss, with clear signs of age.
As the shell opens and closes, its pearly inner wall is revealed, shimmering with a soft light.
The girl in white stood atop the giant pearl in the very center, her gaze cold and haughty, as if she were looking down at her prey.
"Human cultivator..." The girl's voice suddenly changed to a mixed male and female tone, echoing eerily and sinisterly in the minds of the two humans and the beast, "Since you've seen through the illusion, then leave them here as nourishment!"
Before the words were even finished, dozens of tentacles burst out of the water, each covered with suckers, like countless greedy eyes searching for prey.
Just as Rong Jiaojiao was about to make another move, her master's voice came from the side.
"Charge!"
With a shout from Qing Xuanzi, the twelve jade tablets instantly transformed into twelve dazzling golden rays, rapidly arranging themselves into an incomparably profound formation in the air.
On each jade pendant, lifelike zodiac animal images appeared—the Rat was as agile as the wind, the Ox as steady as a mountain, the Tiger as fierce as thunder, and the Rabbit as swift as lightning… The twelve images roared simultaneously, their voices shaking the surrounding area, and the entire sea was instantly enveloped in golden light, as if covered by a golden sky.
"Roar—!" The mirage demon roared in pain, its huge shell trembling violently, as if trying to break free from the invisible restraints.
However, the Twelve Yuan Chen Formation is an ancient demon-trapping formation, containing the most powerful binding force in the world. How could it be easily broken?
Seeing an opportunity, Rong Jiaojiao quickly formed hand seals and chanted, "Heavenly thunder draws in, earthly fire burns, the five elements unite, break!"
A dazzling five-colored light burst forth from her fingertips, the light intertwining into a magnificent rainbow that shot directly into the core of the mirage demon's pearl.
At the same time, Zi Ling transformed into a purple lightning bolt, her agile figure and sharp claws fiercely grabbing at the hinge of the seashell.
With a crisp "crack!", a tiny crack finally appeared on the mirage's shell, as if a gap in fate had been quietly torn open.
Seeing this, Qing Xuanzi's eyes flashed with a sharp light. The crimson flames in his hand surged, and he transformed into a streak of light, instantly appearing at the crack. His sword, as powerful as a thunderbolt, stabbed down fiercely: "Slash!"
"Boom—!" With a deafening explosion, the mirage's shell was cleaved in two, its fragments scattering like a shower of pearls across the sea.
The enormous pearl split open in the middle, and the figure of the girl in white let out a shrill scream before gradually turning into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating in the sea breeze.
The sea churned violently, scattering countless broken seashells as if celebrating this victory.
Once the storm subsided, a fist-sized luminous pearl floated quietly on the water's surface, emitting a soft glow, as if it were the final gift of this battle.
With quick reflexes, Zi Ling dove into the sea, swam back with a pearl in her mouth, and carefully placed it in Rong Jiaojiao's hand.
"Such pure spiritual energy!" Rong Jiaojiao took the luminous pearl and felt a cool aura flow into her meridians along her arm, instantly invigorating her spirit and sweeping away all her fatigue.
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