Sizzle sizzle sizzle——
Another magnificent Buddhist light descended from the sky, accompanied by chanting Sanskrit sounds, fiercely scouring the water-blue flowing light shield in the stone forest.
The harsh sound of melting was incessant.
“Lady Lan, this monk advises you to surrender early and stop your futile resistance. That way, we can end this pointless stalling sooner.”
Hui Guan paused briefly to catch his breath, then swung his zen staff.
Another beam of Buddhist light crashed down, slamming into Lan Cangyue’s barrier.
“How much longer can that barrier formed by your Vast Sea Pearl hold?”
“If I withdraw my defense, will you let me leave?”
“That is naturally impossible.”
Hui Guan’s smile did not fade, nor did his attacks cease.
“Hui Guan, what gives you the audacity to disregard the rules of the cultivation world and attack me alone? And you even want to kill me!”
Lan Cangyue’s voice carried accusation and anger:
“Aren’t you afraid that once you leave the secret realm, my father and the elders of other sects will capture you when this matter comes to light?”
“Hahaha—rules? Who made them? Immortal Siheng?”
Hui Guan said with a beaming smile:
“Those rules left by that old fossil from a million years ago are only adhered to by naive fools like you. Tsk tsk tsk…”
“Lady Lan, this monk might as well tell you—only when you stop following the archaic rules left by the false immortal Siheng will your path of cultivation truly broaden.”
“Things like cultivators must not indiscriminately kill or seize opportunities, must not recklessly use mortals as fuel for cultivation…”
He let out a sneer:
“They’re all just lies to fool people.”
“You… you’ve already fallen to the ranks of evil cultivators?!”
Lan Cangyue inside the barrier cried out in shock:
“You’re clearly the Buddha Son of Compassionate Boat Zen Temple! Compassionate Boat Zen Temple is a long-established prestigious sect, one of the three righteous Buddhist sects! How could you do something like this? Do you even deserve your sect?!”
“Hahaha! This monk chose to do this naturally because the Buddhist sect supports it behind the scenes.”
Hui Guan laughed loudly, once again increasing his strength, and the Buddhist light battering the barrier grew even more intense:
“Lady Lan, this monk advises you to come out soon. That way, when I send you on your way, I can give you a quick death!”
“Hui Guan! You will surely face Heaven’s Wrath and die a horrible death!”
The girl’s angry rebuke came from within the barrier, but Hui Guan paid it no heed.
The reason he was willing to talk to her was simply that the gap in their strength was too vast— Lan Cangyue was merely at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, while he was already at the early Deity Transformation Stage.
She had no chance of escape.
And in this secret realm, as long as Lan Cangyue died here, there was absolutely no way for her to spread the words she had just spoken.
Letting this noble lady of the South Sea die with clarity could be considered a monk’s act of compassion.
Hui Guan’s smile remained, and he continued to increase his output of Buddhist light.
/
Inside the secret realm, in the dense forest area.
Roar——
The massive Dark Scale Mystic Leopard let out a mournful cry and crashed to the ground under the combined attack of the two women.
Su Feiyao’s fox eyes lit up. She reached out and plucked the few crystalline spirit fruits from the small tree, storing them in her storage pouch, a satisfied smile on her face.
“I wouldn’t have guessed you’re quite skilled, Fairy Zuiyue. Actually, I could share these spirit fruits with you…”
Before she finished speaking, a silver-moon-shaped black crescent blade suddenly stabbed at her waist from behind!
Clang!
A folding fan instantly appeared in Su Feiyao’s hand, firmly blocking the crescent blade.
It emitted a harsh metallic clang, and a shockwave of spiritual power exploded outward, further devastating the already battle-ravaged forest floor.
“Fairy Zuiyue, what is the meaning of this?”
Su Feiyao spun in midair and retreated, landing steadily on her bare feet.
Her brows furrowed as she stared intently at the female rogue cultivator who called herself Zuiyue.
“Sigh, I suppose it wouldn’t be that easy, would it?”
Zuiyue twirled the crescent blades in each hand, her tone tinged with regret:
“The Saintess of Hehuan Sect, Su Feiyao, truly lives up to your reputation—alert and vigilant, not letting your guard down even after acquiring the treasure.”
“Heh, you still haven’t explained why you attacked me.”
Su Feiyao said in a deep voice:
“Fairy Zuiyue, don’t you know the consequences of attacking a fellow cultivator without reason while competing for a treasure?”
“Consequences? Are you talking about those rules set a million years ago? Pfft—hahaha!”
The woman dressed in a tight black outfit doubled over laughing:
“My dear Saintess Su, why are you so naive? Do you really think people would still follow that thing, which relies entirely on the consensus of the cultivation world and has no real power, in this sealed place? Hahaha!”
As she laughed, her expression suddenly shifted. The hearty laughter turned into a sinister, evil grin:
“I clearly overestimated you. I thought you were smarter than this! You’re nothing special!”
Before she finished speaking, she transformed into a streak of black light, rapidly charging at Su Feiyao!
Su Feiyao’s expression turned serious. She waved her folding fan again, barely blocking the attack.
But this time, she was blasted back hundreds of feet, her body flying backward, crashing through ancient trees with a rumble.
“Heehee hahaha!”
Zuiyue laughed loudly, kicked off in midair, creating a wave of air, and chased after Su Feiyao in the direction she was knocked back, dual blades in hand!
Eee——!!
A sharp fox cry echoed through the forest. Orange-red blazing fox fire, carrying terrifying heat, suddenly appeared and instantly engulfed Zuiyue.
At the same time, a massive reddish-brown figure lunged at Zuiyue, who was caught in the fox fire—it was Su Feiyao in her original form!
Her fox jaws opened wide, as if to swallow the sky and block the sun, and she bit straight at Zuiyue, who was wrapped in flames.
“It’s useless!”
Zuiyue, completely engulfed in flames, curled her lips. Her smile flickered in the fire, tinged with something eerie.
She suddenly spun around, shooting out countless sharp flying knives straight into Su Feiyao’s open fox mouth.
At the same time, her figure flickered and vanished, leaving behind only a puff of dust from her feet.
Eee——!
The struck giant fox cried out in pain. It rolled over, its massive form rapidly shrinking back into a human figure.
Su Feiyao’s beautiful face was filled with gravity. The corner of her mouth had been cut by a blade, and blood trickled out.
“Heeheehee hahaha!”
Zuiyue turned into a swift black light descending from the sky, chopping straight at Su Feiyao’s head.
The fox-eared girl was caught off guard. In an instant, her head was severed from her body!
……
……
……
Head severed… or was it?
Zuiyue’s expression, which had been in the midst of wild laughter, suddenly froze.
This strike of hers had clearly missed.
The next moment, a delicate jade hand gently lifted her chin.
Zuiyue looked up in a daze, meeting a pair of light golden-brown fox eyes, filled with ambiguous amusement.
“Go to sleep now.”
Su Feiyao’s red lips parted slightly. As her words fell, Zuiyue felt her spirit grow drowsy, her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.
Under the clear sky, the two women remained in this ambiguous embracing pose, completely still.
……
When Zuiyue opened her eyes again, she found herself in a bizarre and dazzling world.
The sky was like deep blue silk. Schools of red goldfish with flowing tails swam freely in the night sky.
Their scales scattered golden powder, turning into a rain of stars.
Beneath her feet, a long street blazed with lantern light, stretching infinitely into the distance.
Both sides were lined with glazed palace lanterns flowing with twilight.
The air carried a sweet fragrance of osmanthus wine and sandalwood.
Faint sounds of silk and bamboo music drifted over.
Around her, figures flickered, but none were real.
“Welcome to my domain, darling~”
Su Feiyao’s voice came from all directions.
Zuiyue jolted in alarm, looking around.
She swung her crescent blades at the floating goldfish and lanterns, only to find that both blades had somehow turned into twist candy sticks.
The goldfish and lanterns she touched exploded with a bang, turning into fireworks.
“This is an illusionary realm!”
Zuiyue angrily threw away the candy sticks and gritted her teeth in a low growl.
“Congratulations, you got it right, darling! I’m going to give you a reward!”
The fox woman’s seductive laughter came from all around:
“The reward is a challenge game. How about that?”
As her words fell, Zuiyue felt the ground beneath her feet suddenly rise.
Countless strange-looking monsters materialized around her— some with green faces and fangs, some with long tongues and fierce expressions, and even chimeras of lions, tigers, snakes, and bears.
They densely surrounded her.
A giant reddish-brown fox appeared behind the monsters.
A full moon hung behind it. It stood in the air, looking down imperiously at Zuiyue, who was surrounded by the creatures.
“As long as you can defeat my little darlings, I’ll reward you by letting you leave this illusionary realm.”
The giant fox spoke in human language, a half-smile on its face:
“But if you lose, then your spirit will have to stay here forever and become one of them, okay?”