“Three Bamboo.”
Yue Jue expertly tossed out a jade mahjong tile and casually asked the elders at the table:
“Speaking of which, what treasures do you think will appear in this secret realm exploration? And who will end up with the best fortune?”
“Who can say for sure?”
The Confucian cultivation elder from Haoran Academy looked up at the massive painting hanging outside the window, casually played a White Dragon tile, and analyzed:
“Looking at this secret realm entrance transformed from the picture scroll, perhaps it contains a Painting Dao inheritance? Maybe the inheritance is hidden in the palace at the center of the scroll island.”
More than two days had passed since the secret realm opened.
The massive scroll entrance still hung over the back mountain of Yuxin Island, suspended in the air, allowing cultivators who met the age restrictions to enter.
Although they knew nothing about the internal situation of the secret realm, the elders of various sects still had to wait here for the return of their respective prodigies.
To that end, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had once again built many cultivation and entertainment venues here for the elders to pass the time.
This Qipai Building was one of them.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Another elder chimed in:
“The giant island on the picture scroll has diverse terrain. I think maybe each area hides a rare treasure. And the treasures in the central palace must be the most numerous.”
He paused and added with a smile:
“As for who will get the best fortune, isn’t it obvious? Yun Xuechang of your Xiaoyao Sword Sect is the strongest, so the fortune will be hers. One Dot.”
The speaker was an elder from the Shenhuo Sect. As he finished speaking, he also played a tile.
“Ah, Pong.”
Yue Jue cheerfully took that tile and continued:
“That’s hard to say. After all, fortune depends not only on strength but also on each person’s fate and luck. Fellow Daoists, isn’t that right? Two Bamboo.”
She played another tile.
After one round of play, it was the turn of the elder from her top seat, Lan Han, the Pavilion Master of Listening Sea Pavilion, to play:
“The juniors have their own blessings. Good fortune cannot be forced. I only hope my daughter can gain some experience and grow in the secret realm. It would be even better if she finds an opportunity to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage. As for treasures, our Listening Sea Pavilion is not lacking in such things. Five Dot.”
“Chow.”
Yue Jue reached out and took that Five Dot, then played a Red Dragon from her own hand.
“So, Senior Lan only hopes for your daughter’s growth in the secret realm, and not encountering any danger?”
“Exactly.”
Lan Han stroked his beard and nodded.
“Pong.”
The elder from Shenhuo Sect immediately declared Pong on that Red Dragon and laughed heartily:
“Senior Lan, rest assured! This is just an ordinary secret realm. As long as no malicious person schemes against Little Cangyue, with her abilities, there won’t be the slightest mishap. Nine Dot.”
“What malicious villains? Fellow Daoist Wang, you really don’t know how to talk.”
Yue Jue shook her head with a smile:
“If you ask me, even if evil cultivators did sneak into the secret realm to cause trouble, with Little Cangyue’s abilities, I think she can protect herself and might even kill quite a few in return. Fellow Daoist Wang, don’t you think so?”
“Haha, yes, of course. I, Wang, spoke wrongly. I hope Senior Lan won’t mind.”
That Wang surnamed elder from Shenhuo Sect quickly apologized with a smile. Lan Han just waved his hand to indicate it was fine.
“Fellow Daoist Wang, we’re all old folks, how can you still be so fond of joking? Matters of evil cultivators cannot be casually joked about.”
Yue Jue shook her head with a smile, then picked up the Nine Dot he played, pushed her tiles forward, and announced with a smile in her eyes: “Oh, by the way, I just won — Full Flush.”
/
Inside the secret realm, desert region.
In the vast, boundless desert, a giant scorpion beast standing a hundred zhang tall, its body glistening with a black-purple metallic sheen, was roaring and howling.
Its eight eyes, like deep caves, stared fixedly at the small white-haired figure before it.
Its venomous stinger shot out fiercely, carrying the terrifying pressure of the Late Nascent Soul Stage, with overwhelming momentum.
However, in the next instant — a dazzling white light flashed from the slender figure’s hand.
With a tearing sound, the scorpion’s stinger, along with its massive body, was split vertically from top to bottom.
Black blood sprayed everywhere, and the scorpion’s body crashed to the ground, kicking up dust clouds.
— Xiaoyao Sword Arts, Second Form: Split!
Yun Xuechang slowly sheathed her sword, using spiritual power to block the falling rain of blood, not letting a drop touch her.
The Eight-eyed Giant Scorpion was already the fourth one she had encountered since entering the secret realm.
Expressionless, she raised her hand and stored the entire scorpion into her storage pouch.
‘Luckily, before entering the secret realm, Yan’er bought me many high-capacity storage pouches. Otherwise, with my original pouch, I would have run out of space long ago.’
‘As I thought this, the smiling face of that brilliant red-haired girl involuntarily appeared in my mind. It had been more than two days since I had seen Yan’er. I miss her…’
During these past two days, she had been trekking through this endless desert, dealing with desert beasts that could strike at any moment, day and night, with barely any time to sit and rest.
Because of this, she increasingly longed for the nights when she could hold Hua Yan in her arms and fall asleep to the fragrance of flowers, longing for the warmth of that soft body.
‘Back when I was cultivating, I endured much more hardship. Days like this, fighting and training day and night, were not rare. Have I become complacent, indulging in love?’
Yun Xuechang then shook her head.
‘No. It’s just that I have regained the warmth of human affection, and unconsciously I have come to cherish those relaxed and carefree daily moments. It was Yan’er who taught me to enjoy life, who made me cling a little more to those ordinary days.’
‘It seems… I miss her even more.’
The white-haired girl looked up at the sun hanging in the sky, made of bright yellow ink.
Yes, in this secret realm, the sun was like this, but it still rose in the east and set in the west.
In these past few days, she had been using it to determine direction in the vast desert and keep moving forward.
‘Rongrong said the immortal artifact is hidden in the palace at the center of the secret realm. Before entering, I also agreed to meet Yan’er there. I can’t keep Yan’er waiting.’
Thinking this, Yun Xuechang lightly tapped her foot, soared up on her sword, and shot toward the direction of the rising sun with a piercing sound.
On the way, a massive sandstorm struck head-on, but she didn’t pause at all, charging straight through.
In just a moment, she scattered the whole cloud of sand, and the sandstorm only delayed her for an instant.
In the distance, behind a sand dune, two cultivators with bronze skin, a man and a woman, poked their heads out and watched the figure flying away on a sword with great momentum.
They exchanged a glance.
“I say, little sister, is that Yun Xuechang of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect? Is she really just at the early Deity Transformation Stage?” asked the male cultivator wearing a skullcap in disbelief to the female cultivator beside him.
“Yes, big brother. Also at early Deity Transformation Stage, but I always feel she’s much stronger than us.”
The female cultivator beside him, wearing deer antler ornaments, a copper mirror hanging from her body, and waist bells, whispered in agreement:
“That Eight-eyed Giant Scorpion, big brother, are you confident you could kill it in one strike?”
Xiao Wang shook his head. The Eight-eyed Giant Scorpion had an incredibly hard shell and its deadly poison was even more troublesome.
Even though he was also at early Deity Transformation Stage, facing a Late Nascent Soul Stage giant scorpion, although he could crush it in a fight, he absolutely could not do it as easily and effortlessly as Yun Xuechang.
“Then… then should we still ambush Yun Xuechang?” Xiao Yan asked softly.
“Ambush my ass! With her strength, even if we both go at her, even if we could win, we’d probably have difficulty retreating unscathed.”
Xiao Wang scolded with a dark expression:
“Those damned Righteous Path bastards. I knew I couldn’t fully trust their bullshit. They said to deal with Yun Xuechang first — fuck! They talk pretty, but why don’t they come deal with her themselves? Instead, they throw this tough nut to us and go find easier prey!”
“Damn, lucky I’m clever, I observed her for a while and didn’t act rashly!”
“Let’s go, little sister. We’ll find other prey! Forget Yun Xuechang. After we’ve killed enough of the others and meet up with those Righteous Path bastards, we’ll deal with her together!”
He licked his lower lip, a sinister glint in his eyes:
“I heard that Lan Cangyue, the Young Pavilion Master of Listening Sea Pavilion, is not only a beauty but also filthy rich—”
“We’ll go find her next. We must strike before anyone else!”
“Yes, big brother!”