“In the Dao Realm, I am an invincible existence. From now on, all the treasures within the Mountain Barren Secret Realm belong to me!”
Li Ze was preparing to leave when Cai Xiaonuo suddenly remembered that Qing Ruanning was still injured inside the spear’s spatial dimension.
“Senior, how is Sister Qing?”
Li Ze slapped his forehead, having nearly forgotten her!
“Xing Yao, how is she doing now?”
Inside the space, Xing Yao sat beside a bed where Qing Ruanning lay.
“Young Master has finally remembered your little lover.”
Only Li Ze could hear Xing Yao’s voice.
He replied to her through his thoughts.
‘What little lover? She just has a good relationship with Cai Xiaonuo; it has little to do with me. Anyway, tell me how she is now.’
“She is currently in a coma. She only suffered some minor injuries and excessive consumption of spiritual energy. She just needs one or two days of rest.”
Qing Ruanning appeared before them.
“Cai Xiaonuo, you are responsible for taking care of Qing Ruanning. Wait for me in the stone cave!”
After saying this, Li Ze changed his outfit and soared away on his sword to find the Profound Yellow Pagoda within the secret realm.
This was what Luo Yi had told the disciples before they entered the secret realm; the Profound Yellow Pagoda housed the lifelong treasures of a great master.
It was divided into nine stories, and the higher one went, the more precious the treasures became.
The treasures inside could not be taken at will; one had to rely on fate.
Some people entered and gained nothing, while others obtained great treasures and promoted all the way to the Profound Soul Realm.
For example, the exiled immortal Sword of the Green Sword Sect Master, Jun Zhuohua.
He searched for a long time until, finally, a giant, pale golden, nine-story pagoda appeared before his eyes.
“I finally found it, the Profound Yellow Pagoda!”
Li Ze walked up the steps and entered the magnificent golden gates.
The interior was incredibly vast.
Various treasures suspended in the air caught his eye, along with dozens of disciples from the two sects.
Golden light flowed within the nine-story tower, and each floor had various treasures floating about.
Low-grade spiritual tools drifted randomly, mid-grade magical artifacts emitted a faint glow, and even high-grade Dao tools were vaguely visible.
There were already dozens of disciples from the two sects inside the tower, either sitting cross-legged to gain enlightenment or attempting to collect treasures, yet only one person had successfully obtained something.
A Green Sword Sect disciple shook his head and said, “The Profound Yellow Pagoda chooses its own master; it all depends on opportunity. It seems I’ll be returning empty-handed this time.”
Li Ze stepped onto the first floor of the Profound Yellow Pagoda, his gaze sweeping over the various glowing treasures suspended in the air.
There were already many disciples from both sects inside.
Some had their eyes closed in concentration, trying to communicate with the treasures, while others looked anxious after gaining nothing.
The aura of the Dao Realm permeated the area the moment he stepped in, immediately drawing everyone’s focus.
Those Spirit Realm disciples were filled with horror and disbelief.
Under the rules of the secret realm, someone had actually managed to break through to the Dao Realm!
The invisible pressure made them subconsciously retreat, watching this newly ascended Dao Realm powerhouse with vigilance.
Li Ze didn’t care about their gazes.
He closed his eyes, concentrated, and sent a thread of divine sense toward the air.
The power of the rules within the tower was gentle and grand, brushing over his perception like a tide.
A moment later, his mind stirred.
He felt an extremely weak, almost imperceptible resonance with one of the objects.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the source of that sensation.
He saw a fist-sized green egg that looked plain and even had some traces of mud on its surface.
It wobbled through the other shining treasures and flew straight toward him, finally landing in his open palm.
“An… egg?”
Li Ze raised an eyebrow.
His divine sense probed it carefully, but he could only sense an extremely weak life force inside the shell.
Other than that, there was nothing extraordinary about it, as if it had been picked up from some ordinary bird’s nest.
Several suppressed snickers and confused discussions came from the surroundings.
This was far from the legendary master’s treasure he had imagined.
He tried to communicate with the tower’s rules again, but there was no response.
Clearly, a person could only obtain one item, and this “green egg” was his harvest from this trip to the Profound Yellow Pagoda.
“Whatever, it’s better than nothing.”
Li Ze tossed the green egg into his storage bag without lingering and turned to walk out of the pagoda.
The other disciples inside watched his departing back with complex emotions, feeling both awe for his realm and schadenfreude over the “useless treasure” he had obtained.
Returning to the stone cave, Qing Ruanning had already woken up and was being cared for by Cai Xiaonuo.
Her face was still a bit pale, but her spirit was decent.
Seeing that Cai Xiaonuo was safe and that her aura had become stronger and deeper, a flash of relief and joy crossed her eyes.
However, her attention was immediately drawn to the familiar yet strange “man” beside Li Ze.
When Li Ze briefly explained that he had possessed Li Quan and reshaped his appearance, Qing Ruanning was too shocked to speak.
Her gaze toward “Li Ze” was filled with complexity.
Especially when she remembered how close they had been when she held Cai Xiaonuo earlier, facing a “man’s” identity now made her cheeks flush red, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
Cai Xiaonuo smiled and said to Qing Ruanning, “Before, Senior and I shared a body, but now we have separated.”
“Sister Qing, you can call him Senior just like I do.”
She murmured softly, “Sen… ior?!”
Qing Ruanning curiously walked a circle around Li Ze’s new body.
It felt so strange, yet so familiar!
“So the things from before…”
Qing Ruanning began to speak of his past deeds.
Li Ze nodded.
“Yes, it was me. How do you feel?”
“There are no major issues. Thank you for saving me… Senior.”
Qing Ruanning’s voice was a bit unnatural, and she pointedly kept her distance.
“It’s good that you’re fine. The Profound Yellow Pagoda has opened; there might be opportunities suitable for you inside.”
Li Ze stated his purpose directly.
“I cannot enter again, but you two can try. I will take you there.”
The eyes of both Qing Ruanning and Cai Xiaonuo lit up.
They had both heard the legends of the pagoda.
At that moment, they didn’t care about anything else and immediately agreed.
Arriving once again before the gold-shimmering Profound Yellow Pagoda, Li Ze was indeed blocked outside by an invisible, soft barrier, confirming his suspicion.
He nodded to the two of them.
“Go on. I’ll wait outside. Do what you can.”
Qing Ruanning took a deep breath, exchanged a look with Cai Xiaonuo, and stepped into the pagoda gates together.
Li Ze sat cross-legged on a giant rock outside the pagoda, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.
The bluish-jade glow around his body slowly retracted.
The pagoda gates flowed with golden light, and the barrier cut off divine sense; he could only vaguely perceive the spiritual energy fluctuations inside.
His fingertips unconsciously brushed the Soul-Locking Spirit Banner in his sleeve.
He thought to himself, ‘Xiaonuo and Princess Qing’s realms are still shallow. If they encounter danger — ‘
Before the thought could finish, a blinding light suddenly erupted from within the pagoda, and several streaks of sharp killing intent pierced through the barrier like needles.
Inside the pagoda, Qing Ruanning had just touched a jade slip floating in the air — the four characters of the Nine Heavens Divine Technique shone brightly as the technique automatically entered her sea of consciousness.
Cai Xiaonuo was surrounded by a pair of glowing wings.
The Angel Wings trembled slightly as they attached to her back, a warm current instantly flowing through her meridians.
“(◕‿◕✿) The opportunity Senior spoke of is here!” she whispered excitedly.
But before they could rejoice, five Green Sword Sect disciples had already surrounded them.
The leader was a trusted subordinate of Cao Wei from Falling Bamboo Peak, with a cultivation at Level 9 Spirit Realm. Greed flashed in his eyes like a wolf.
“Hand over the treasures, and I’ll spare your lives!”
The other four formed a circle, their spiritual pressure weighing down like a mountain.
“In your dreams!”
Qing Ruanning held her sword across her chest to protect Cai Xiaonuo.
A Taiji array pattern lit up beneath her feet, and ten thousand sword shadows whistled out.
Cai Xiaonuo’s green sword stabbed out rapidly.
However, the gap in their realms was too vast.
The opponent shattered the sword shadows with a heavy palm strike.
Qing Ruanning staggered and spat blood, the clothes on her left shoulder tearing to reveal a bone-deep wound that gushed blood.
“Xiaonuo, run!”
She screamed, pushing her spiritual energy again, but the array patterns dimmed and collapsed.
Cai Xiaonuo rushed over to block, but she was blown back by three explosive talismans.
Her right leg was scorched black, and the light of the Angel Wings flickered uncertainly.
Fists and kicks fell like rain.
She curled her body to protect Qing Ruanning, several bloody gashes opening on her back, staining her white dress a piercing scarlet.
(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹) “Sister Qing…”
Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth as she gripped Qing Ruanning’s hand tightly.
“Ants think they deserve to touch these treasures?”
The Level 9 disciple sneered as he approached, his longsword aiming straight for Qing Ruanning’s heart.
Cai Xiaonuo’s pupils shrank, and the Angel Wings suddenly exploded with brilliance!
Pure white feathers tore through the air.
She roared as she pulled Qing Ruanning close.
“Hold on to me!”
The wings jolted violently, carrying the two of them as they crashed toward the pagoda gate.
The barrier rippled like water as they flew out of the pagoda, slamming heavily into the pile of rubble at Li Ze’s feet.
Li Ze snapped his eyes open.
Qing Ruanning was unconscious, her green robes soaked in blood; Cai Xiaonuo was badly injured, her Angel Wings drooping and dim, yet she still stubbornly held Qing Ruanning’s waist.
Her blurring vision caught sight of Li Ze, and she forced out a difficult smile.
(。-`ω´-) “Sen… ior… the treasures… were kept safe…”
Before she could finish, her head tilted, and she lost consciousness.
Li Ze slowly stood up.
The pressure of the Dao Realm silently crushed the ground, causing the stones to crack inch by inch.
He leaned down and gently brushed the blood-stained hair on Cai Xiaonuo’s forehead, his fingertips grazing Qing Ruanning’s pale cheek.
The ice in the depths of his eyes shattered.
The Soul-Locking Spirit Banner hummed and vibrated in his sleeve.
The golden light of the pagoda gate flickered, reflecting his profile as his killing intent boiled over.
“Not a single one of you shall leave this secret realm alive.”