The orchid seemed to sense the vitality, trembling slightly, its curled leaves unfurling a bit.
Time stands still, untouched by the world.
At this moment, Chen Ye rarely experienced the joy of caring for a spirit plant.
...
Mist Forest.
This place is shrouded all year round in a layer of grayish-white miasma, with poisonous insects everywhere in the forest.
Two small figures stumbled and ran away in the forest.
"Sister, those bad people... seem to be getting more and more... boo hoo hoo, Sister Bai is a bad egg! She doesn’t help us at all!"
Qing Jun, teary-eyed, had a little dirty face like carved jade, even with a smear of blood on it.
She tightly grasped the Xiaohan Sword in her hand, its blade shimmering with starlight, yet it barely concealed the owner’s tension.
"Shhh." Zhiwei’s cold eyes swept over the miasma-filled forest. She held the Canchen Sword horizontally in front of her, her voice still calm, "Conceal your aura, don’t be afraid, your sister is here..."
The two little girls never expected things to reach this point!
The Mist Forest indeed has a Secret Realm.
But even they didn’t know how they entered the Secret Realm.
And inside the Secret Realm, there was only a round bead, nothing else.
Most critically, after entering that Secret Realm, Bai Susu’s divine thought vanished without a trace!
"Senior Sister, or... maybe we should just throw them that broken bead?"
Qing Jun whispered, unwillingly touching the inconspicuous Storage Bag at her waist.
This bead... was originally planned to be given to Master as a gift...
Humph!
This is a treasure from the Secret Realm.
If Master gets it, she would definitely pick her up and rub her cheek, calling her a fragrant and soft little bun...
But no matter what, life is the most important!
As long as Qing Jun survives, there’s no fear of no one to cherish!
Zhiwei silently shook her head: "Even if we hand over this item, those greedy people may not spare us. They have no idea the Secret Realm exists! It’s just a fluke..."
She saw clearly that those chasing them, aside from the illusory treasure, were likely more coveting the pair of Second Tier Magical Treasures, the united Flying Swords, in their hands!
"Gurgle—"
Qing Jun’s little stomach suddenly growled. She cautiously took out a Pear Blossom Cake from the Storage Bag, which was flattened and dirty, the last piece of snack left by Chen Ye earlier.
She carefully split it in half and handed it to Zhiwei.
"Hmm? I remember you brought some snacks you made yourself?" The older girl accepted half of the snack, suddenly feeling something strange.
She remembered clearly that Qing Jun had brought over snacks she made in the past few days.
"Those are saved for Master... Qing Jun said she’d make delicious things for Master, but if Senior Sister is hungry, you can have some!"
The little girl carefully took out the Pear Blossom Cake she meticulously crafted, as big as her little face, proudly puffing her small chest,
"Humph! The Pear Blossom Cakes made by Master aren’t as big as Qing Jun’s! Boo... I originally wanted to make them as big as Master, so that when I finish the Pear Blossom Cakes, Master would come back. But I didn’t expect Sister Bai to bring us..."
Zhiwei looked at that enormous Pear Blossom Cake, knowing Qing Jun had used considerable effort to make it.
She smiled slightly, "Sister isn’t hungry, but... when the time comes, Chen Ye will be thrilled."
The little girl pouted disdainfully, "Hmph, Qing Jun doesn’t care if he’s happy or not, Qing Jun is just fulfilling her promise!"
However, before Zhiwei could speak.
"Whizz—!"
A sharp sword light tore through the air like lightning, splitting the huge sugar cake in Qing Jun’s hand right down the middle!
The sugar cake shattered, its fragrance spreading, half falling to the muddy ground, stained with filth, while the other half was blown away by the sword qi, landing who knows where.
"My sweets!"
Qing Jun looked at her empty little hands and the beloved snack destroyed on the ground, her phoenix eyes suddenly wide open, her small mouth quivering, and tears instantly welled up.
"Who’s there?!"
Zhiwei reacted swiftly, the Canchen Sword unsheathing instantly, its blade cold and gleaming as she shielded Qing Jun behind her, warily gazing towards the source of the sword light.
Only to see the miasma surging, several figures slowly emerging, precisely those Loose Cultivators hunting them!
In the lead was a brawny man with a face full of scars. At this moment, he was licking his lips, holding a blood-dripping long sword, a cruel smile on his face: "Little girl, you made the pastry quite well, too bad you won’t get a chance to eat it!"
The people behind him also burst into mocking laughter, looking at the two girls as if they were fish on a chopping board.
The forest’s poisonous miasma churned, murder intent filled the air!
Qing Jun’s sobbing abruptly stopped as she eyed the ruined sugar cake on the ground, then looked at those fierce adversaries, her small body trembling with anger.
She suddenly raised her head, her originally watery phoenix eyes now igniting with two fiery red flames! "You... you bad people! Compensate me for my sugar cake!!"
With an angry shout, the Xiaohan Sword shot forth, its blade’s starlight flaring up, filled with a fierce murderous intent completely out of step with her small figure, heading straight for the leading brawny man!
With a sword whistle, the forest mist rolled, the sword light swift as cloth!
The man’s pupils shrank, hair standing on end.
A sense of impending death rushed to his heart.
How can... this little girl have such a strong aura!
I am a master in the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer!
He instinctively summoned his Magical Artifact, clashing directly with Qing Jun’s Xiaohan Sword without a second thought.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion sounded, the spiritual power shockwaves centered on them, spreading outwards, causing the forest’s poisonous miasma to tumble and trees to sway!
The Xiaohan Sword dimmed in spiritual light, flying back.
And Qing Jun’s small figure, like a kite with a broken string, spat blood, soaring away.
"Scared me silly, an overreaching little thing."
The brawny man, still with lingering fears, spat with a disdainful sneer on his face.
Though he was also shaken by the sword qi contained in the Xiaohan Sword, he managed to withstand it thanks to his deep cultivation.
"No wonder it’s a Second Tier Magical Treasure, to wield such power! Wait... where are they?"
The brawny man’s greed burned hotter, but more so was his dread of the little girl’s bizarre strength.
He steadied his mind, his fierce gaze scanning the swirling miasma around: "Where’s that little brat? And the one with black hair!"
Just now, that strike stirred the spiritual power, turning the forest’s poisonous miasma like a tumultuous sea, the dense fog almost obscuring all vision.
"Damn! She did it on purpose..."
The brawny man’s heart jolted as he realized the white-haired girl contended with him to forcibly stir the already dense miasma in this Mist Forest!
What a vicious mind! What a resolute method!
How could this be something a naïve little girl could do?
"Quick, those two little brats are nearby! Hurry and catch them, if other Loose Cultivators find out, there won’t be room for us to intervene!"
As soon as he finished, the around Loose Cultivators, who were somewhat hesitant, instantly had greed gleaming in their eyes, shouting as they charged deeper into the miasma like hungry wolves smelling blood.
The brawny man watched as the Loose Cultivators, stirred by a few words, charged forward. A cold smirk hung on his lips.
Let them be the cannon fodder to explore the path.
He always felt the white-haired girl wasn’t as simple as she appeared.
Could she be... some Major Sect’s legacy disciple?
No!
If she were a Major Sect disciple, how could there be no Guardian?
It has to be something sinister from the Secret Realm!
After all, their cultivation was too low, and the magic and cultivation techniques used were quite average.
Despite thinking so, he himself quietly retreated, mingling into the crowd.
Meanwhile, a group of cultivators in the middle to late period of Qi Cultivation, about ten people, quietly arrived at the Mist Forest...