Chapter 59
In the time that followed, Mo Xiaoxin practiced magic like crazy.
She has improved a lot in every spell, especially fire spells. Even Ziyu was full of praise for her. Compared to her previous clumsy appearance, she has become much more proficient and has completely shed the ignorance of a beginner.
Unlike before, Leng Huai has been busy ever since he recovered from his illness.
Every day, Leng Huai would send Mo Xiaoxin to the Illusionary Spirit Abyss and then disappear. As the sun was about to set, Leng Huai would bring Mo Xiaoxin back from the Illusionary Spirit Abyss.
Mo Xiaoxin didn't know what Leng Huai was busy with, and when she asked him, he wouldn't say.
Never mind, practicing martial arts is the most important thing.
A month passed quickly, and Mo Xiaoxin's fire magic had become quite good. Of course, this was all because she had absorbed Mu Xue's magic power, which enabled her to make such rapid progress.
She had been busy practicing her spells for a short time, but the number of missions she had was still the same, so she couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, making money is not easy.
She'll try again after the hunting feast.
In the far north of the Demon Realm lies a mysterious place called Ash Ruins.
The gate opens once every hundred years, allowing everyone to enter. Inside, there are all sorts of rare treasures as well as monsters and ferocious beasts.
It is said that some of the precious magical artifacts sold in the market were found here, and that eating these monsters and beasts can increase one's magical power.
Of course, everyone wants to try to enter this place, but the Ruins of Ashes are full of dangers. If you don't have the strength, you will be reduced to ashes if you go in. This is why many people hesitate to go.
This will naturally attract those with sufficient strength to come and challenge them.
Because this place is located in the Demon Realm, it is not easy for people from other realms to come to the Demon Realm. Usually, only experts from the Demon Realm come. Of course, this is not absolute. There are always people who will travel thousands of miles and go through hardships to try their luck.
Although the four major families appear to be on good terms, they have always been secretly competing with each other. They would certainly not miss such a rare opportunity to obtain precious magical artifacts and improve their strength. Therefore, they would invite Leng Huai, the Demon Lord, to preside over such an important occasion. Over time, this has evolved into the current Beast Hunting Feast.
In the mist, Mu Xue felt cold all over, broke out in a cold sweat, felt a tightness in her chest, palpitations, nausea... all sorts of discomfort.
After escaping from the icicle, she discovered that she had lost her magic. She couldn't figure out how she lost it, but she figured it must be related to that woman.
Unfortunately, all her years of hard work collapsed. Leng Huai was unharmed, but she had her magic power taken away.
Fortunately, the woman didn't kill her. As long as she's alive, she has a chance!
Before she could recover, she realized that something was wrong with her body; her limbs began to feel cold and numb.
But Huanlingyuan is not a place to linger. She must leave here quickly, otherwise it would be a great loss if they regretted it and came back to kill her.
But then she found that she couldn't walk, her limbs were so weak that she couldn't do anything.
She felt extremely uncomfortable all over, her mind was foggy, as if she were sick, but she knew it wasn't illness, it was more like she had been poisoned.
What happened?
A person flashed through my muddled mind—it was that woman!
I never imagined she had such a potent poison!
The discomfort was getting worse, and she had no choice but to rest for a while before she felt better.
She was filled with anxiety, but thankfully Leng Huai didn't come looking for her.
After leaving the Illusionary Abyss, she had been trying to leave the Demon Realm to find a place to live, but the Demon Realm had long since changed, and she couldn't find one no matter how hard she searched. She was also afraid that her unfamiliar face would attract unwanted attention and cause her to get lost.
Her symptoms worsened; she went from feeling dizzy and cold at the beginning to completely losing control and fainting whenever the poison took hold.
If this continues for a while, something even more frightening might happen.
But she has no relatives left in this world. Perhaps she can go and beg that person from back then again.
She arrived at the pinnacle of despair, the place she had once longed to visit. It was only through the help of someone that she was pulled back from the abyss.
She gazed at the endless, parched ground, the countless corpses of humans and demons, and the swarms of carrion ants gnawing and crawling on the bodies.
Her palms were slightly sweaty, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Unconsciously, I moved further away from the carrion ants.
Things are different now. All her magical power has vanished. If these carrion ants were to bite her, she would surely die here.
She didn't want to die!
I wonder if that person will show up.
She felt both anticipation and fear.
The words that person had said to her echoed in her mind.
“Kill him…”
Their goals were the same, but unfortunately, she failed to kill him...
Will that person still help her?
The Peak of Despair is fraught with danger, home not only to carrion ants but also to other ferocious beasts.
The longer she stays, the more dangerous it becomes for her.
However, that person never appeared.
Suddenly, she felt something sting her ankle.
She looked down and saw that a small carrion ant had somehow crawled onto her.
Her face changed color instantly, her lips turned black, and her body collapsed uncontrollably to the ground.
Before she lost consciousness, she seemed to see something.
The black mist was hovering in the sky.
The far north of the Demon Realm, in the Ruins of Ashes.
The group waited on the edge of the cliff for the portal to open, and everyone was filled with excitement and anticipation.
Below the cliff was a rushing river, and Mo Xiaoxin felt a little scared.
This is the entrance to the Ruins of Ashes.
Looking at the large crowd, she saw many familiar faces.
People from the four major families were bound to come. There was one more person who surprised her: the woman in red who had played the guessing game at the Ye family. She remembered her name: Meng Zheng.
Meng Zheng tied her hair up and stood next to Ye Deqing, seemingly already a favorite of his.
Ye Deqing was talking to Meng Zheng from time to time, and Meng Zheng smiled and nodded repeatedly, not knowing what the two were talking about.
Mo Xiaoxin noticed a sharp gaze. She followed the gaze and saw it was Ye Songlan.
Ye Songlan looked very energetic in her hunting gear. If an ordinary person dressed like this, they would look ordinary, but not Ye Songlan. Her delicate face looked even more charming and beautiful.
A tall man stood next to Ye Songlan. The man only had eyes for Ye Songlan. He tried to talk to her from time to time, but Ye Songlan ignored him completely and treated him as if he didn't exist.
The man was arranged by Ye Deqing for Ye Songlan's marriage. He was a capable and popular figure in Ye Deqing's business, named An Youdao. Although he was of average appearance, he had a great business mind and high magical power.
Ye Deqing knew that Ye Songlan liked Leng Huai, but it was obvious that Leng Huai would not marry into the Ye family. Therefore, Ye Deqing wanted to put an end to his daughter's feelings as soon as possible to prevent her from being trapped in a predicament.
After Ye Songlan learned that her father had secretly arranged a marriage for her, she made a scene at the Ye family home because she knew that in her father's eyes she had never been as good as her eldest brother, and that he was arranging the marriage for her only to win over An Youdao.
Then she came to her senses and realized that instead of doing nothing, she should marry An Youdao and use his business acumen to take over the Ye family.
An Youdao did indeed fall in love with Ye Songlan at first sight. Ye Songlan's beauty was renowned throughout the Demon Realm, and it would be ideal if he could form a marriage alliance with the Ye family.
He tried every means to please Ye Songlan, just to win a smile from the beauty.
Ye Songlan always ignored him, but sometimes she would smile at him. He didn't know whether Ye Songlan liked him or not.
Having been in the business world for so long, what kind of woman hasn't he seen? She's just a pretty face from the demon realm. He figured this woman's behavior towards him was just a tactic of playing hard to get. He was confident that given time, he would definitely win her over.
Ye Songlan was an extremely proud person who never knew how to bow her head. Even if she wanted to use An Youdao, how could she so easily give up her proud heart?
She didn't dislike An Youdao, but she didn't like him either. She couldn't bring herself to smile at a man she didn't like.
As the third young lady of the Ye family, she had always been arrogant and domineering. She could only keep convincing herself and reminding herself to put aside her pride and talk to her.
Before arriving at the Ruins of Ashes, she kept reminding herself to treat him well.
But when she saw that man, that man who was impossible to ignore in the crowd, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Then she saw that hateful woman, and jealousy welled up in her heart again, which she couldn't control, to the point that she completely ignored An Youdao beside her.
Ye Songlan didn't come to her senses until Ye Deqing cleared his throat.
She then noticed An Youdao's speechless expression. She forced a standard smile and said apologetically, "Youdao, what did you just say? I didn't hear you."
An Youdao said, "It's extremely dangerous inside. None of us have ever been in there before. Just in case, you'll have to stay behind me and I'll protect you."
Ye Songlan gave a slightly shy look: "Thank you."
An Youdao was overjoyed by Ye Songlan's response. Her shy demeanor melted his heart, and he completely forgot about how Ye Songlan had ignored him earlier.
Ye Songlan knew that Ye Deqing had been watching their movements, and only turned his attention elsewhere when he saw that Ye Songlan and An Youdao were getting along well.
Once Ye Deqing's attention was diverted, Ye Songlan no longer wanted to pay attention to An Youdao.
After withdrawing her gaze from Ye Songlan, Mo Xiaoxin felt another gaze. She turned to look and saw it was Ye Hualing.
Meeting Ye Hualing's gaze, he winked at her and smiled slightly.
Mo Xiaoxin always felt that Ye Hualing was not as cynical as he appeared on the surface; the gentler a person is, the more dangerous they are.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the crowd: "Fellow villagers, I am Min Dibao, the head of the Min family. You all know that the Min family specializes in making magical artifacts for the Demon Realm! Everyone here is a renowned figure in the Demon Realm, and your strength should not be underestimated. However, this Ruins of Ashes is not a place for fun. If anyone is afraid, feel free to come in with me. We can keep each other company and look out for each other if we encounter danger!"
Mo Xiaoxin looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the man who spoke was a big, burly man with strong muscles. His eyebrows were raised and he looked very fierce. He was holding a huge curved sword in his hand. The curved sword looked like it had great magical power. If he were to cut someone's head off, it would probably be a matter of life and death.
The servants behind Min Dibao set up a long carpet around him, on which various magical artifacts were placed.
Min Dibao laughed and said, "These are magical artifacts that I specially took out from the armory. If anyone needs them, feel free to take them. Today is a special occasion, so I'll give everyone a discount!"
Hearing the man speak, someone nearby scoffed, "Min Dibao, I haven't even settled the score with you for what happened last time! Are you trying to incite everyone to become your stepping stones again?"
"Li Zhao, you almost fell into the wolf demon's mouth last time! If it weren't for me, would you have survived?" Min Dibao was furious. He roared and looked in Li Zhao's direction, his broadsword waving incessantly. People around him quickly moved aside, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
The man named Li Zhao appeared somewhat less imposing than Min Dibao. He was thinner, his face gaunt and dry, like a withered tree branch. Though he exuded a fierce aura, he wasn't afraid of him. He angrily said, "Don't think I don't know! All I did was refuse to buy a magical artifact from you, and you deliberately orchestrated for that demonic beast to bite me. You're supposed to be the head of the Min family, is this how the Min family operates?"
“I, Min Dibao, have always acted with integrity and have never engaged in any form of forced buying or selling! I simply want to provide you with a sales channel for these magical artifacts. Whether you buy them or not is up to you. Your slanderous accusations against the Min family's business are nothing short of defamation and framing!”
"You're spouting nonsense! In less than a hundred years, you've already forgotten all the bad things you did! Everyone, don't buy his magical artifacts. This man is of bad character. If we don't buy his artifacts, he'll kill us. Let's not fall for his tricks!" Li Zhao advised everyone.
The people present looked at each other, unsure of which side to believe. For a moment, no one came to the stall.
Seeing this, Min Dibao turned to the elegant young man beside him and said, "Master Xian, why don't you be the judge for me?"
To everyone's surprise, the seemingly refined and elegant young man spoke in a carefree and irreverent manner. Xian Fei immediately retorted, "Brother Min, I didn't hear anything just now. Don't drag my Xian family into this!"
Seeing that Xian Fei didn't want to get involved, Min Dibao was somewhat annoyed: "I even gave you a magic artifact before, and you didn't even dare to put in a good word for me!"
Xian Fei didn't buy it. He said confidently, "Brother Min, that's not how it works. Although you gave me a magic weapon, I've already written off all the money you owed my family in the Demon Market. Does that magic weapon of yours not even worth two hundred thousand taels of silver?"
Min Dibao knew he was in the wrong and didn't want to argue with Xian Fei. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity before the beast-hunting banquet started to sell these high-end magical artifacts.
He glanced at Yue Ke, the head of the Yue family, but the latter didn't even give him a second look.
Yueke was a woman, barely in her early twenties, yet she possessed the resolve and decisiveness of a family head. She wore a plain-colored robe, her silver hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, exuding a cool and aloof aura that made people hesitate to approach her.
Standing next to Yue Ke was a woman who looked somewhat similar to her, but who seemed much more lively. The woman was Yue Ke's twin sister, Yue Si.
Yue Si pouted and muttered softly beside Yue Ke, "Don't you even know who you are? You think you can talk to my sister?"
Yue Ke glanced at Yue Si, who pouted, lowered her head, and stopped talking.
Min Dibao looked around but couldn't find anyone to ask for help. He could only turn his gaze to Ye Deqing, the head of the Ye family, who was not far away. He said respectfully, "Master Ye, you know me better than anyone. I have always been a man of integrity in business and never force anyone to do anything against their will. Today, I am just trying to provide everyone with a convenience so that you won't regret it when you encounter powerful enemies and ferocious beasts after entering the Ashes Ruins."
Ye Deqing said kindly, "Di Bao, I know your character well, but we are all from the four great families. If I speak up for you, others will definitely think I am biased towards you. Why don't you ask our Demon Lord?"
Ye Deqing lived up to his name; he was cunning and shrewd, and with a single sentence, he shifted the blame to Leng Huai.
All eyes turned to Leng Huai.
Leng Huai smiled knowingly. "Excuse me, I was talking to my wife and didn't hear what you were saying."
Since Leng Huai had already said that, Min Dibao naturally couldn't say anything more, and the matter was dropped.
Fortunately, after a while, someone came up to his stall and started picking out items. Seeing that they were indeed good products, the person readily bought them without haggling.
After that person bought it, people kept coming to him to choose their goods.
Li Zhao was anxious but couldn't stop others from buying things.
Mo Xiaoxin touched the box in her sleeve. Before leaving, Leng Huai returned the box that Mu Xiaoxiao had given to Mo Xiaoxin, wanting her to take good care of herself.
These people don't seem like good people; we really need to be careful at today's hunting feast.
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