Chapter 24

In the blue sea, a small boat drifted along. Bai Shuo lay sleeping on the boat while a group of little turtles and frogs pushed it southward.

Curled up in a corner of the boat, her forehead creased as if she were dreaming of something terrible.

“You have been acting for so long, even I almost believed it. This is the first time I have seen such a cunning mortal.”

A boy’s voice echoed.

The boy stood amidst the clouds and flames, his sharp eyebrows piercing through the scene. Before Bai Shuo could utter a word, her throat was seized tightly.

“How dare you try to deceive me with your slick words? Speak! Who are you really? Immortal or demon?”

The scene shifted in the dream. The boy’s eyes turned icy, laced with a hint of mockery. At that moment, besides fear, Bai Shuo felt a strange sense of familiarity she couldn’t place.

On the small boat, Bai Shuo clutched her throat, drenched in sweat, trapped in her deep nightmare.

Outside the imperial tomb, the boy had transformed into a young man, taller and more imposing, with an even colder and more enchanting demeanor. He leaned down, his mocking eyes indifferent.

“I never owe anyone, especially a mortal. I saved his life, so the favor you did for me on Muxiao Mountain is hereby nullified. We owe each other nothing.”

“If it’s nullified, there’s no need for you to remember certain things anymore.” He extended his hand to her, and those long fingers were imprinted in Bai Shuo’s trembling eyes…

“No!” Bai Shuo cried out, waking up from her nightmare. She looked around and saw she was still drifting on the sea, letting out a sigh of relief.

“I dreamt of that bastard again…”

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and gritted her teeth.

“Asshole! Stinky demon! How dare you knock me out three times! Don’t let me meet you again, or I will beat you up every time I see you!” Bai Shuo punched the air and leaned heavily against the boat’s side.

“Forget it; I can’t let Ah Zhao know I still remember. If we ever meet him, I have to pretend not to recognize him.”

Thinking of Chong Zhao, Bai Shuo sighed.

She didn’t know why, but despite the demon’s spells affecting both her and Chong Zhao, Chong Zhao had forgotten everything after leaving the capital, while she remembered every detail. Even the taste of the wild fruit that dead demon used to coax her was clearly etched in her memory.

But she couldn’t say anything, especially not to Chong Zhao. Bai Shuo lay back with her hands behind her head, gazing at the starry sky. Even if she was ignorant, after three years on Piaomiao Island, she knew what the Haoyue Palace and Cold Spring Palace represented—they were the most powerful entities in the demon realm. Not just Chong Zhao; even the entire Piaomiao Island would be like an egg hitting a rock.

Still, there was nothing to fear. Given her talents, meeting those demon lords again was unlikely. Just becoming an earth immortal on Piaomiao Island would already make smoke come out of Bai family ancestral graves…

Bang!

“Ouch!” Lost in thought, Bai Shuo was jolted by a loud crash as the small boat rocked violently, causing her to fall face-first into the boat.

“Damn it!” Bai Shuo cursed and got up.

When she looked up, her face was full of joy.

“We’re here!”

Well, almost. The small boat had hit a protruding reef, and there were still about a hundred meters to the shore. The boat circled around the reef but couldn’t move forward.

“Come on! We’re not there yet!” She shouted, looking at the bottom of the boat, but the little frogs and turtles didn’t respond. They usually adored her, so why were they being lazy today? Scratching her head, Bai Shuo looked at the shore, which wasn’t far. She could just float over on a cloud.

She climbed up, puffed up her cheeks, and blew out a cloud. Leaping onto it, she clung tightly.

“Quick! Fly, fly to the island!” Bai Shuo pointed to the shore and shouted loudly.

The cloud seemed to understand, wobbling towards the shore. As they got closer, the cloud thinned, threatening to dissipate.

“Oh my god!” Bai Shuo leaped to the ground just in time.

With her feet on solid ground, she patted her chest.

“Finally here.”

Bai Shuo tightened the medicine pouch at her waist and glanced back. For some reason, the sea, which had been bright blue, seemed to darken suddenly. The island was eerily silent.

“Why is it so quiet?” Bai Shuo muttered, feeling uneasy. Just then, a few crows flew overhead, cawing loudly.

Bai Shuo sighed.

“Well, it is a deserted island. What noise would there be?”

She mumbled to herself and headed deeper into the island.

The East Sea was rich in spiritual energy, making its islands lush and fertile. But this island was barren, full of yellow soil and rocks. If there was anything special about this island, it was that Bai Shuo and Chong Zhao found Songhe, the head of Piaomiao Sect here three years ago.

Although Piaomiao Island is not as strong as it once was, Songhe has been cultivated as the supreme lord for five hundred years. Three years ago, he was found gravely injured and unconscious on this island. After returning to Piaomiao Island, he refused to say who had wounded him, which was quite suspicious.

Bai Shuo took out a book she had sneaked from the library, flipping to the last page.

“South of Piaomiao, a sudden heavenly fire scorched an island, destroying all life. Only one spring remained in the southeast of the island, and it has been so for over a decade.”

This note wasn’t originally in the book but was handwritten by someone. Bai Shuo recognized the handwriting—it was Songhe’s. If the island had been burned to nothing, why was Songhe there three years ago? What was the spring he mentioned?

The old turtle, a master alchemist on Piaomiao Island, was a spirit beast; although it never entered the inner hall, it always supplied the inner disciples with spiritual pills to build their foundations. It was respected by all the previous masters. It is very domineering on Piaomiao Island. If there were any top-tier spiritual treasures on the island, the old turtle would have taken them for alchemy long ago. But it had only produced second-grade elixirs so far. When Bai Shuo questioned it, she could tell the old turtle likely knew the whereabouts of the top-grade treasures.

Songhe had predicted his third heavenly tribulation years ago. If he passed, he would reach the peak of the Supreme Lord; if not, he would turn to ashes in the tribulation. He had been at a bottleneck for years, and the only thing that could help him pass the tribulation smoothly was a top-tier elixir. Three years ago, just before his tribulation, he ventured to this island. Perhaps because it had what he needed.

Bai Shuo stuffed the book back into her medicine pouch, trudging through the scorching yellow soil, her forehead dripping with sweat. Though the wildfire had been extinguished many years ago, the entire island still radiated heat, as if there were flames beneath the ground.

Following the location of the spring described in the book, Bai Shuo headed southeast into the desolate island, delving deeper into the rocky terrain. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, shocked by what she saw. About ten steps ahead lay a rocky clearing filled with a dense forest that hadn’t been there three years ago. These trees were hidden deep within the island, impossible to find unless one ventured in.

How could there be trees growing on such a hot island? Could it be due to that spring? With this thought, Bai Shuo hurried toward the trees. As she stepped into the forest, a faint, immortal light glimmered around its perimeter.

In a hall behind the main palace of Piaomiao Island, Songfeng’s eyes snapped open.

“How could someone have intruded there?”

Frowning, Songfeng transformed into a stream of light and flew toward the island where Bai Shuo was.

On the deserted island, Bai Shuo wandered aimlessly in the massive forest, unable to locate the spring. Suddenly, she heard rustling behind her. She turned sharply, but there was nothing there—only branches swaying in the wind.

The deeper she went into the forest, the more the searing heat disappeared, replaced by a creeping chill. Bai Shuo swallowed hard, rubbing her hands together as a cold feeling rose within her. This island was entirely different from three years ago—too strange.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and a pair of hands clapped onto her shoulders. Her eyes widened, her body freezing up.

At the same time, Songfeng landed on the shore in a flash of light. Seeing the desolate island, his face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed, “Such strong evil energy!”

Bai Shuo couldn’t see the island’s strangeness, but with his spiritual energy, Songfeng could perceive the entire island shrouded in a dense black aura. This energy was neither immortal nor demon, but an evil energy filled with a heavy, bloody scent. If Songfeng were more advanced, he would realize that this evil energy was on the verge of turning demonic.

“How could this be?” Songfeng murmured, quickly forming an immortal spell. A glowing compass appeared in his palm, its needle pointing firmly to the southeast of the island. Without hesitation, he soared into the air.

The next second, he appeared outside the forest. Before he could enter, a shadow flashed by, striking his shoulder with a powerful blow. Songfeng spat out blood, falling like a broken kite. The shadow didn’t relent, forming a black sword in its palm and thrusting it toward Songfeng’s throat. Under the moonlight, the shadow’s half-revealed face came into view. Songfeng’s eyes widened, and he threw out a talisman from his sleeve. Immortal energy exploded, forcing the shadow back several steps, and Songfeng disappeared into the talisman’s erupting formation.

The shadow glared at the spot where Songfeng vanished, let out a cold snort, and disappeared.

A flash of light appeared in Xingyu Hall, and Songfeng materialized on a meditation cushion, coughing up blood, his face ashen. He quickly formed an immortal spell with his fingers and threw it outside the hall.

“Come to Xingyu Hall immediately!” The spell split into dozens of sparks, flying to various parts of Piaomiao Island.

Chong Zhao, who was in secluded cultivation on the rear mountain, and the disciples of Piaomiao Island received the spell.

Everyone’s expressions changed as they transformed into streams of light, heading toward Xingyu Hall.

Chong Zhao was the first to push open the hall doors, finding Songfeng unconscious on the cushion. Several disciples, including Er Yun, rushed in after him.

“Uncle!”

“Second Uncle!”

“Master!”

They hurriedly helped Songfeng up.

Chong Zhao quickly infused him with spiritual energy, and after a moment, Songfeng slowly opened his eyes.

Er Yun, her eyes red with anxiety, asked, “Second Uncle, what happened to you? How did you get so injured?”

Ignoring Er Yun’s question, Songfeng gripped Chong Zhao’s hand tightly.

“Quick, Zhao’er, you, Er Yun, and the other disciples, activate the Jingtian Formation immediately!”

“The Jingtian Formation?” Everyone’s faces turned even paler.

“Second Uncle, what happened? Activating that formation will signal to the Three Realms that our sect is in danger of annihilation!” Er Yun exclaimed.

“Go! Activate the Jingtian Formation. Inform the Heavenly Palace that an evil demon has emerged in the East Sea and is about to bring chaos to the Three Realms!” Songfeng commanded with all his remaining strength, his usual calm demeanor gone.

“But—”

“Yes, Master!” Chong Zhao interrupted, making a decisive call.

“Senior Sister, brothers, follow me to activate the Jingtian Formation!”

With Chong Zhao’s command, Er Yun refrained from asking more and followed him out of the hall in haste.

Meanwhile, in the forest on the desolate island, Bai Shuo turned back tremblingly, her eyes widening as she peeked through her fingers, recognizing the person behind her.

“What are you doing here?” she blurted out.