Chapter Five: The Master Always Protects People
The streets were empty; there seemed to be nothing there.
The wind whistled past his ears, bringing a sharp, icy chill that slowly stripped away his body heat. Ye Chi instinctively moved closer to Ya Feiyu, but was deterred by the chill emanating from him.
I almost forgot, the main villain has an ice-type spiritual root, so he must be cold.
Ya Feiyu walked with a clear goal in mind. At first, he was able to maintain some patience, but when he passed the same shop for the tenth time, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Master, is there really a way out here?"
In his eyes, the villain was just leading him on an endless journey. They were like people trapped in this space-time, aimlessly cycling through places where they couldn't find an exit, searching in vain for that unattainable way out, again and again.
Ya Feiyu glanced at him indifferently and said nothing. Realizing that the villain might have his own considerations that were beyond the comprehension of someone as insignificant as himself, Ye Chi wisely shut his mouth and followed Ya Feiyu's reincarnation again and again.
He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, he had been lost in this strange secret realm hundreds and thousands of times, and was on the verge of collapse countless times. He felt that he had been in this world long enough, but when he looked up, the night was unchanged, and even the moon had not moved an inch.
Unaware of the passage of time, and unclear about their own location.
This is undoubtedly the most troublesome.
Ya Feiyu snapped out of his daze. His past life was different from this one; he could now vaguely glimpse the true nature of this empty city.
It is a city-state that has been permeated and polluted by demonic energy.
Rather than demonic energy.
In the eyes of humans, demons belong to the same lineage, all being wicked and evil, but the powers they use differ. Mortals may not be able to distinguish them, but in the eyes of high-level cultivators, everything will be exposed.
Fortunately, he had taken precautions in this life, carrying a calming talisman before setting off, thus avoiding being troubled by his restless inner demons. This time, he was taking Ye Chi through repeated reincarnations to find the place with the densest demonic energy—which was also the weakest point in the entire illusion. As long as he destroyed that point, he could leave safely.
"Please wait, Taoist priest."
A deliberately high-pitched, cloying female voice came from behind him, giving Ye Chi goosebumps. Just as he was about to turn around to see who this evil spirit was, Ya Feiyu suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't look, close your eyes."
The cold voice dispelled the chaotic thoughts in Ye Chi's mind.
"Oh dear, Daoist Master, you're so cold-hearted, not even glancing at me." A cloyingly sweet fragrance of perfume wafted from her side, and even her mouth seemed to carry a faint sweetness, like some kind of cheap candy. Ye Chi clung tightly to Ya Feiyu, whose silvery-white eyes lowered slightly as she looked at the demon beside Ye Chi.
"I wonder what your purpose is in going to all this trouble to trap us here," Ya Feiyu said coldly. "No need for such pretense, Sikong Yue."
"Oh dear, as expected, no matter how well you mimic, you can't fool Elder Tianxue's discerning eyes." Sikong Yue spoke meaningfully, her voice carrying a wicked laugh, and the sweet fragrance on her body transformed into an extremely aggressive aura. Ya Feiyu frowned slightly, her expression colder than ever before.
Listening silently to their conversation, which was tinged with tension, Ye Chi was startled.
Ye Chi would never forget Sikong Yue. Although she died young, she was the mastermind behind setting up the Jinyu City scheme and luring the lone Ya Feiyu into it.
Ye Chi cautiously opened his eyes a crack to look at Ya Feiyu's expression. The original work didn't describe much of the interaction between the two, but from Ya Feiyu's few flashbacks, it was clear that it would be very interesting. Before transmigrating into the book, he regretted that the author hadn't written this part; he wished he could have seen it.
Unexpectedly, he found himself right there in the middle of it, with the two main characters arguing in front of him.
Ya Feiyu flicked his sleeve, instinctively shielding Ye Chi behind him. This seemingly insignificant gesture took on a different meaning in Sikong Yue's eyes. She paused, as if remembering something, then suddenly smiled broadly: "Is this your disciple?"
Upon hearing this, Ya Feiyu's gaze grew even colder, as if he wished he could tear her to pieces, and he spat out four words through gritted teeth:
"It's none of your business."
No one wanted to provoke this powerful figure, and Sikong Yue hadn't intended to fight him. Seeing the situation, she simply decided to back down, casually fiddling with her exquisitely crafted folding fan, half her face hidden behind it. Her clear black and white eyes held an inscrutable malice. "Hahahaha... Elder Tianxue, there's no need to be so tense. I didn't come here to attack your calloused little disciple. Relax, relax~"
If we don't take action against him, then we're taking action against Ya Feiyu.
Ye Chi's eyes flashed, a hint of anger rising within him, but he couldn't show it.
He felt pity for this tragic villain when he read the original work, and his liking for him was higher than that for other characters. He is not a particularly empathetic person, but he really couldn't say he liked Sikong Yue.
"Then what brings you here?" Ya Feiyu's voice was as cold as frost and snow. "If you have something to ask of me, then please leave. I have no interest in associating with demonic cultivators."
"Truly as arrogant and aloof as the legends say, Ya Feiyu." A glint of hatred flashed in Sikong Yue's eyes, her smile was cold and stiff, filled with more mockery. Her hand gripping the fan handle tightened until the veins bulged. "If someone like you lost your cultivation, I wonder if you would still have the nerve to put on this disgusting face in front of me!"
Just as expected!
A chill quickly gathered in one direction. Even though Ye Chi's cultivation level was not high, he could sense this obvious fluctuation. He dared not hesitate, tightly grasped Ya Feiyu's hand, and said, "Master!"
This sound pulled Ya Feiyu back from the brink of utter despair.
He originally intended to kill this ungrateful demonic cultivator with his sword, which wouldn't have been difficult with his strength, but at this moment, he had Ye Chi with him.
Moreover... the other disciples might also be in an illusion.
Acting rashly could bring irreversible danger. He bit his lower lip until a faint taste of rust rose in his mouth, barely maintaining a sliver of clarity. He twisted his wrist, and icy blue spiritual energy gathered in his palm before striking Ye Chi's chest.
It doesn't hurt, it feels cool and gentle.
Ya Feiyu glanced at him indifferently, and gently tapped his forehead with his index finger. Instantly, powerful spiritual energy enveloped his entire body, as if he had reached the same level as Ya Feiyu overnight. Even the sound of withered leaves falling to the ground could not escape his five senses.
He fell backward, and time and space suddenly collapsed.
Only Ya Feiyu's cold voice echoed in his mind:
"This is my protective barrier, which can protect you from any external harm for one hour."
"I will transfer a portion of my cultivation to you, so that you can shatter the void, break through illusions, and go to other people. They may need your help more than I do."
"Get them out of here within an hour."
"At that time, I will shatter this illusion."
His emotionless voice was already cold, but it sounded even more ethereal because it was amplified by the illusion. Ye Chi blinked in confusion. The Ya Feiyu in his mind seemed to realize that he might have been too cold-hearted. He cleared his throat and slowly said, "...Take care of yourself. Don't worry about me."
...It must have been hard for him to say something so caring.
...
After discovering that Ya Feiyu and Ye Chi had both disappeared, Cen Dao and the others were thrown into a state of great panic.
The three cannon fodder brothers were particularly bad. Their cultivation level was not high to begin with, and the decision to dare to step into this empty and desolate city was made with the help of a powerful expert in the Tribulation Transcending stage. In the blink of an eye, the expert disappeared, and his little disciple also disappeared!
Although Xu Miaomiao had a gentle personality, she was surprisingly calm in this situation, and said in her soft and weak voice, "Peak Master Tianxue and Junior Brother Ye... are they both missing...?"
Cen Dao's face darkened completely, and he said gravely, "I'm afraid so."
“There’s the aura of a demon cultivator here.” Shen Rong made a decision immediately after observing for only a moment, but then hesitated and muttered to herself, “But something’s not right. The aura is very weak, and it doesn’t seem to come from a living thing… Is it demonic energy attached to a spiritual artifact?”
The female passerby mustered her courage and said, "Senior Sister Chen, to be honest, I am a weapon cultivator. Although my cultivation level is not high, I think this thing should be of some help."
As she spoke, she pulled out a compass no bigger than a young man's palm. Its craftsmanship was exquisite yet simple, with a crane poised to take flight carved on the pointer, its slender neck raised high, forming a graceful arc. Although Shen Rong wasn't a weapon cultivator, she could immediately recognize the compass's extraordinary nature. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this an object-detecting compass?"
“Exactly.” She scratched the back of her head and smiled shyly. “However, my cultivation level is not as high as yours, so this is just a very crudely made version. But perhaps we can use it to find something.”
Taking the object-finding compass, Shen Rong examined it carefully for a moment before handing it back to the other person, saying, "Don't belittle yourself. Your object-finding compass is one of the best I've seen among the freshmen. You can use it."
The girl was overjoyed: "Thank you for the compliment, senior sister! I'll give it a try right away..."
She infused the compass with spiritual power, and the crane on the pointer seemed to come alive, stretching its full wings. After a few cries, the pointer slowly turned, pointing to the northeast.
Before they could react, the crane suddenly let out a few more mournful cries, and the pointer spun wildly without any discernible direction. This object-finding compass was ultimately not a high-level artifact; after spinning a few times, it broke down completely. The crane seemed to have its throat suddenly choked, letting out a few hoarse cries before falling silent again.
Everyone was horrified.
Cen Dao reacted quickly: "What we're looking for might not be here."
Shen Rong nodded and said, "That's right. It seems very likely that we have unintentionally stumbled into an illusion."
Looking up, the moon hung quietly.
There was no change whatsoever.
Xu Miaomiao was so startled that her eyes reddened, and she carefully hid behind Shen Rong.
“Our highest cultivation level is only Core Formation. The one who could pull us all into this illusion so silently must be far more powerful than us.” The male passerby stroked his chin, his brow furrowed in thought. “This is a bit difficult…”
"What are we going to do?! Are we really going to have to stay in this illusion forever?! I don't want to stay in this hellhole for the rest of my life, I want to leave!!" the cannon fodder leader roared at the top of his lungs.
Even before entering this strange, desolate city, he had a bad feeling. It was like having a pebble in his shoe. If he didn't pay attention to it, it would be fine, but once he noticed its presence, he would find it annoying and irritating.
At this moment, everyone's mood was no more peaceful than his. One by one, they were suppressing their anxiety, but after being provoked like this, they really couldn't hold back anymore. Cen Dao's voice was cold, and he cast a gloomy glance at them: "Shut up."
The oppressive aura emanating from him carried an innate sense of pressure. Clearly, this young man's cultivation was even lower than his own, so the cannon fodder silently kept quiet and stood aside. Shen Rong's voice was like a cold blade, devoid of any emotion as she spoke: "Do you think we really want to stay here forever?"
If one could leave this place, who would want to stay here living in fear forever?
Xu Miaomiao gently hugged Shen Rong's arm. She looked harmless, with slightly drooping eyes and a pair of bright, watery eyes beneath her long, curled eyelashes. When she looked up at people, she looked like a small animal, making people feel sorry for her. She said softly, "Senior Sister Shen, let it go, don't lower yourself to their level."
Shen Rong paused slightly, then nodded slowly.
Just then, the male passerby seemed to hear something. He suddenly looked up from his deep thought and, under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, spoke up: "I feel... like something has come in."
Just then, a cold wind blew, and a faint chill followed closely behind, brushing against my back.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. The boy's words were unclear, and no one knew what the "thing" he was talking about actually was.
But one thing is certain: what happened at this critical juncture was definitely not some insignificant little incident.
As the cultivator with the highest cultivation level present, Shen Rong stepped forward without hesitation: "I'll go take a look."
“How can this be?” Cen Dao looked at her. “We can’t let Miss Shen go on this adventure alone. There should be more people going with her.”
The girl who had just provided the object-finding compass stepped forward with her head down, a faint blush on her face: "I also want to... lend a hand to Senior Sister."
Shen Rong frowned slightly, her hand gripping the sword hilt clenching slightly. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a soft warmth cover the back of her hand. Startled, she turned around and saw Xu Miaomiao, who was gently covering Shen Rong's somewhat cold hand with her own.
"It's alright, senior sister, we're not that weak."
"...Fine, I can't go against you."
...
The group walked a short distance forward and saw a figure lying in the thick fog.
Although most of the person's face was hidden in the darkness, it was not entirely invisible. Cen Dao noticed something amiss at first glance: the person's clothes... seemed to be the robes of a disciple of the Qinglian Sect.
Every disciple entering the Qinglian Sect is given a uniform, with slightly different patterns depending on the elder they are apprenticed to. Cen Dao squinted at it for a moment, "Brother Ye?"
The person who just inexplicably separated from you has inexplicably reappeared.
As the group tried to approach, they were all simultaneously overwhelmed by the powerful ice-type spiritual energy emanating from him, making it almost impossible for them to stand upright. Only Chen Rong, who had reached the Core Formation stage, could hold on for a while, but even that was quite strenuous. A bead of cold sweat slid down her forehead and disappeared into her clothes.
It's impossible for someone to undergo such a significant change in such a short period of separation, so the spiritual power within him cannot possibly belong to him!
Cen Dao gritted his teeth, the biting cold seeping into every tiny pore of his body, as if even his blood was freezing.
"This is Elder Tianxue's spiritual power!"
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