"Go down? Of course, we have to go down."
Zhiwei remained calm and composed, gently stroking the gourd at her waist. Her trust in her master was almost blind:
"Since Master pointed out this path, how could he let us walk to our deaths in vain?"
"Qing Jun understands this reasoning... but... but..."
The little girl sneaked a glance at the seemingly endless cliff, where vibrant Yunmian flowers bloomed profusely on both sides.
But,
She couldn’t deceive her own eyes...
And after all, only her senior sister had seen the strategy guide!
Qing Jun felt utterly unconfident!
Darn master, so biased!
Zhiwei glanced at the little girl,
In this world, apart from Master, she understood this girl the best.
This lass must be thinking that Master is biased!
Yet Master, such a great person, how could he be biased...?
Cough, cough, no, perhaps, maybe he is a little biased towards me.
After all... Master should like her the most.
It wasn’t for any other reason, but because she was the senior disciple; generally speaking, most masters would prefer their senior disciple, right...?
But,
not letting Qing Jun see the guide was mainly because this girl was too impulsive.
Master worried that after seeing the guide, she’d come up with bold ideas and cause trouble.
"Don’t worry, Master has made preparations."
Zhiwei said and took out a crystal-clear pill from the Storage Bag.
The pill had just appeared, emitting a cold, pungent bitterness that dispelled the sweet, sleepy floral aroma around them.
"This is the Turtle Breath Pill."
Zhiwei crushed the pill and scattered it over the group,
"It can completely seal off our living energy within the time it takes to burn one incense stick. As long as we don’t actively release magic or touch its stamens, in its eyes, we are nothing but pieces of rotten stone rolling down the cliff side."
"I knew Master had plans!"
Qing Jun’s eyes lit up, and most of her fear subsided.
Though her mind still grumbled, thinking Master favored her senior sister, but since they had this magical powder, there was nothing to be afraid of.
She curiously inhaled the pungent bitter taste, her little face scrunching up, but she still vigorously patted Jin’er on the back: "Hold tight, Jin’er! Qing Jun will take you down the cliff!"
The little white fox on Jin’er’s shoulder rolled its eyes, desperately covering its nose and mouth with its tiny paws, afraid of leaking any hint of fox scent that might alarm the terrifying Golden Core demon plant.
...
The mountain wall was steep, shrouded in purple mist.
The three carefully descended along the rock face using Sword Control.
The further they went, the stronger the strange fragrance became, and the more unnerving the surroundings were.
Cloud-sized Yunmian flowers blossomed beside them, their semi-transparent petals subtly moving.
"Snore... snore..."
An unknown rumble echoed at the bottom of the valley, like the roar of thunder.
Qing Jun held her breath, silently grumbling: Do these demon flowers even snore? Master doesn’t snore! As for how she knew Master didn’t snore, only she knew the reason.
No one knows how long they had been climbing down when the suffocating fog around them gradually thinned.
Passing through layer upon layer of twisted root networks like sinuous dragons, the surroundings suddenly dimmed, but the temperature soared at an exaggerated rate!
Finally, they set foot on solid black rock.
Zhiwei made a gesture, indicating safety.
The three looked up, gazing forward.
Behind the dense root system of the Golden Core demon plant, a massive underground cave emerged.
And at the entrance of the cave, stood two towering bronze doors, ten zhang high!
The doors, though weathered and overgrown with dark red fire moss, still bore a plaque with three bold characters.
"Refining Fire Ground? Sounds more like a place for Artifact Refining than a sect’s library."
Zhiwei pondered.
A thousand years ago, the Songyang Sect was destroyed overnight, most sect texts were burnt to ashes by Songyang Sect cultivators.
The once grand Songyang Sect, with seventy-two peaks inheritance, left only seven disciples of the Songyang Patriarch to escape, though they subsequently fell, but left their legacy in both Yan and Qi.
As for why the legacy of the seven was preserved, it remains unclear.
Moreover, although the Ruins Country sects claim to be righteous paths, they never purged the surviving Demon Path of the Qi Kingdom.
Boom —!
From the gap in the giant doors, pure and scorching earth fire breath continuously poured out, roasting the surrounding stones to a faint red.
Jin’er leapt down from Qing Jun’s back, staring blankly at the bronze doors.
"Senior sister, Qing Jun..."
She clutched her chest, her bright eyes reflecting the firelight seeping through the door cracks, her voice trembling,
"Inside... something is calling me."
The ember of Divine Fire within her, upon sensing this ancient fire vein’s breath, resonated with unprecedented joy!
This was the first time she had seen the Divine Fire so joyful!
"Then let’s head over quickly!"
Qing Jun grasped Jin’er’s little hand, cautiously approaching the bronze doors.
This wasn’t rashness on her part.
Senior sister was right there, if there were precautions to be taken, she would definitely mention them beforehand!
"Zheng —!"
Suddenly, the sound of a sword resounded, startling Qing Jun: "Ah? Did Qing Jun do something wrong??"
She thought her recklessness might have angered her senior sister.
Suddenly, the gourd at her senior sister’s waist emitted a clear sword hum, its tri-colored sword light flickered unpredictably!
"Who’s there? Come out!"
Zhiwei did not scold Qing Jun. She raised her gaze, her voice turning cold as she stepped forward, shielding her two junior sisters, her eyes like lightning directed at the shadows behind a Yunmian flower.