Ash Region

With Li Weiyi's current cultivation level, a distance of fifty or sixty zhang could be traversed in a moment.

But being in this dimly lit, spiderweb-filled, and treacherous underground spider cave felt unusually deep, like stepping into a strange and dark underworld.

Mentally alert, with all five senses fully engaged, vigilant of the ground beneath one's feet and the surroundings.

After walking for more than forty feet toward the Purple Cistanche deserticola, getting closer and closer, Li Weiyi stopped and looked back.

Ten feet away, Hidden Twenty-Four's slender and thin figure was slightly blurred, but her cold and beautiful face could be seen. Further away, Yao Yin by the Blood River was only the size of a fingertip, almost completely blending into the darkness.

It's already very far.

Further ahead lies an unknown region shrouded in purple mist.

The Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors were incredibly powerful, but after entering, they vanished without a trace and have not returned to this day. As their master, Li Weiyi severed all contact with them.

At the heart of the purple mist, the Cordyceps Sinensis plant stood over a meter tall, radiating a crystalline luster and shimmering with iridescent colors. But its alluring appearance and the Medicinal Fragrance it released no longer tempted Li Weiyi. Instead, she felt it was like a naked, seductive femme fatale, extremely dangerous.

Hidden Twenty-Four tightened the spider rope and nodded to him.

With the Five Seas Realm expert backing him up, Li Weiyi felt more confident. Holding the Yellow Dragon Sword, he secretly channeled his magic power to activate the Corpse Cloth Soft Armor he wore close to his body, and then stepped into the purple mist area.

"Call!"

It was as if I had stepped into the eye of a storm, my body was unsteady, I was lifted off the ground, and everything disappeared from my sight.

The interior of the purple mist region was not as calm as its surface; it was filled with chaotic forces.

Li Weiyi was horrified. While shouting "Take me back!", she tried to steady herself, landed on her feet, and stumbled out of the purple mist area. Then, she was completely stunned.

They were no longer inside the spider's nest.

"Where... is this...?"

Beneath our feet lay extremely fine black sand, as fine as dust.

In the field of vision, the space is vast, with towering mounds resembling Yardang landforms, strange and rugged, full of wind-eroded ridges.

It was the light of the Purple Cistanche that illuminated this place.

A hundred feet away, the edge of the purple light was blurred by darkness. But Li Weiyi believed that there was an even wider area within the darkness.

The spider rope around his waist had somehow broken long ago. He turned around abruptly. The purple mist still shrouded the area, swirling and changing shapes in the wind and sand.

"Li... only..."

A faint, distant sound arose.

A moment later, Hidden Twenty-Four, like a light, floating leaf, drifted through the purple mist and suddenly plummeted horizontally.

Li Weiyi waved her hand and released a wisp of magical energy. She quickly regained her balance and floated down to the ground.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she realized something was wrong; the ground was softer than the desert, and her legs sank half a foot deep.

Release magical energy.

Her body felt light, and her legs slowly came out.

After observing his surroundings, Hidden Twenty-Four's eyes grew increasingly shocked. "How could there be such a strange place underground around the Jiu Li Insect Valley? This doesn't seem like the nest of the White Winged Spider."

"Why don't you pull me back?" Li Weiyi asked.

Hidden Twenty-Four glared at him, her eyes wide and round with annoyance. "I've tried my best to pull, the spider rope even broke, I can't hold on at all."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Li Weiyi, while remaining vigilant about his surroundings, walked towards the purple mist, saying, "You shouldn't have come in! You should have taken Yao Yin and left immediately to seek help from the Hidden Lord. I feel this place... is..."

The moment Li Weiyi stepped into the purple mist, he immediately lost his balance and was pulled back by an incredibly chaotic and powerful force, thrown several feet away.

Hidden Twenty-Four exhaled a breath, which transformed into a gentle breeze that enveloped him.

She knew, of course, that Li Weiyi's suggestion was the most correct strategy, but she stubbornly insisted, "I am from the Five Seas Realm, and I have the responsibility and obligation to bring you back safely."

After Li Weiyi landed and stood still, a look of apprehension appeared in his eyes. He pointed to the purple mist, as if to say, "You are at the Five Seas Realm, then you come."

Hidden Twenty-Four possessed the aura of a powerful figure. He released his powerful magical energy into his palms and strode towards the purple mist, clearing a path with his palms as if he wanted to forcefully tear it open.

However, the magical energy in her palms dissipated into nothingness upon touching the purple mist.

The stronger the force exerted, the stronger the reaction force.

"Bang!"

Hidden Twenty-Four flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground. Li Weiyi didn't even have time to catch her.

Her slender body was almost completely submerged in the black sand. After a long while, she crawled out again, looking extremely disheveled. Her face was covered in dust, her hair was loose, and her waist-length hair hung down in a messy manner.

Hidden Twenty-Four quickly adjusted his state, regaining his aloof and arrogant demeanor. "Be careful of the black sand on the ground. If you don't use your magical energy to support your feet and body, you might be buried by it, fall into the deep underground, and suffocate to death."

Li Weiyi had already sensed this, and channeling his magical power into his eyes, he peered into the distance, saying, "This place doesn't seem to have formed naturally; there might be unpredictable dangers. I just hope Yao Yin is smart enough to quickly return to the Hidden Gate for help."

"Whoosh!"

The purple mist began to churn and surge again.

Yao Yin, dressed in a white cloud-patterned robe, fell from within.

Li Weiyi closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Hidden Twenty-Four immediately stepped forward, saying with exasperation, "What are you doing in here? We're both trapped. You should leave the Spider Cave immediately and go to Hidden Lord for help."

Ignoring the two women behind him, Li Weiyi searched around and found Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors.

The seven of them flew around a wind-eroded pillar six or seven meters high, excitedly and happily munching on the sand on it. Li Weiyi was puzzled and tried to communicate with them using his telekinesis, but received a terrifying response that sent chills down his spine.

They said they were eating Cordyceps Sinensis, a precious medicinal herb.

But that Purple Cistanche was clearly dozens of feet away...

What they eat is clearly the sand and soil from the wind-eroded pillars.

Li Weiyi felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat poured down his back. He quickly tried to tell them the truth with his telepathy, but it was no use. The Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors firmly believed that they were taking the precious medicine.

"This is bad... Ah, there's great danger here!"

Li Weiyi's voice trembled as he tried to rush over and bring the Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors back, but after taking just one step forward, he immediately pulled his foot back, afraid of following in their footsteps.

So, he used his mental power to inscribe Insect Script, forcibly commanding them to return.

The Insect Script inside the Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors flickered, unable to contend with Li Weiyi, whose mental power had reached the "Square Inch Bright Fire" realm, and they flapped their wings and flew back. But as soon as they flew to Li Weiyi's side, they fell to the ground, their abdomens swollen like round balls, hard to the touch.

Hidden Twenty-Four and Yao Yin had already arrived behind Li Weiyi and naturally noticed the strange situation earlier. They were quite frightened and only wanted to escape immediately.

"Get out of here!"

Li Weiyi put Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors into the Insect Tube, rushed towards the purple mist, activated the Yellow Dragon Sword, and slashed at it.

Hidden Twenty-Four and Yao Yin also used their respective methods to unleash their power.

Unfortunately, instead of opening a path, the area shrouded in purple mist shrank smaller and smaller after being attacked, eventually disappearing altogether.

"What happened?"

Li Weiyi rushed forward, first brandishing his sword, then waving his hand. The area where the purple mist had been was now empty. His face was extremely grim. "Now we're completely trapped!"

Yao Yin crouched down, studying the fine dust and black sand on the ground. "Sister, do you think this could be an Ash Region?"

Hidden Twenty-Four had already sensed something and said solemnly, "Perhaps, but how is that possible? This is underground. The books record that even the smallest Ash Region is hundreds of miles wide."

"What Ash Region?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yao Yin said, "I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I've read in books that there are six or seven such mysterious places in the Lingxiao Shengjing. These mysterious places are devoid of life and fraught with danger, so each Ash Region is also known as Ash Hell."

"According to records, the largest and most dangerous Ash Region is located west of the Western Territory Region State, spanning tens of thousands of miles, and is insurmountable by human power. Legend has it that it is the remnant left behind by an ancient immortal who burned a living realm."

"Look at this sand on the ground, doesn't it look like the ash left after burning grass and trees? It's too soft. If we don't use our magical energy to support our bodies, we'll slowly sink into the depths of the earth."

Li Weiyi didn't have much of a concept of the Ash Region, but he was well aware of how dangerous their current predicament was. He said, "With our cultivation level, we probably can't keep releasing our magical energy indefinitely. We must find a way out as soon as possible."

Hidden Twenty-Four looked up, exhaling a wisp of magical energy that formed a bridge. With a twist of her slender waist, she leaped into the air, stepping onto the bridge of energy to search for the top of this Ash Region.

She shot upwards for more than ten feet, then fell back down, only to be caught by the magical energy released by Li Weiyi.

"How about it?"

She shook her head, her heart heavy. "There's no way to see the top; this place can't be understood using common sense."

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment, then took out the Ghost Flag, unfolded it, placed it on the ground, and sat on it to cushion his body's natural descent. He closed his eyes and used his mental power to consult his three masters in the Blood Mud Space.

The three elders were far more knowledgeable and experienced than those two fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girls.

What kind of the Five Seas Realm expert is he? He's completely unreliable when faced with real danger.

Coffin Master said, "I don't know much about the Hidden Gate, and I didn't know there was such a strange place hidden there. From your description, it does indeed seem very much like the Ash Region."

"The dangers in the Ash Region are numerous and bizarre. It's hard to guess what the Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors encountered earlier. But it's nothing more than some mysterious force from the outside world interfering with their consciousness."

"You can try using your unique Breathing Technique to Qingming your mind and detach yourself from external influences."

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "You can also try using your mental power! I'll teach you a mental technique that can cultivate a spiritual eye."

The Master Urn said, "Use the Golden Meridian Lines to illuminate it; it might reveal any evil. As long as the yang energy is strong enough, one will be immune to all evil."

It would have been better if Master Urn hadn't brought it up, because his mention of it immediately reminded Li Weiyi that it had been almost four months since the Six Desires Talisman had been implanted in him. He still hadn't received the pills that Hidden Lord had mentioned.

No one knows when the Six Desires Talisman will activate.

Being stuck in this damn place is going to be a really troublesome thing.

Coffin Master said, "Since you were able to get in, you must have a way out. The key is that you need to figure out the layout here first. I feel that this Ash Region is man-made."

Li Weiyi withdrew his mental energy from the Blood Mud Space and glanced at the two women several feet away who were trying various methods to find a way out. They probably hadn't noticed that the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish had just been activated.

"There is some food stored inside the Evil Camel Bell, but it probably won't last more than a few days for three people."

He cleared his mind of all distractions and began practicing the spiritual eye technique taught by his Spirit Tablet Master.

About three hours later, Hidden Twenty-Four and Yao Yin had exhausted all their methods, not to mention finding a way out, they had also depleted all their magical energy. They had no choice but to sit on the Ghost Flag and use Breathing Technique to regulate their breathing and recover their condition.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi made a hand seal, raised it above his head, and then slowly lowered it from between his eyebrows.

Spiritual Light Bright Fire emanated from between his brows, condensing into a golden eye.

According to the Senior Spirit Tablet, this is a unique Daoist technique called "Heavenly Eye," which is completely different from the mental power eyes of ordinary Great Mind Master. Even in its initial stage, it can dispel illusions, see through veils, and observe subtle traces.

That's her signature move!

She once used this unique skill to defeat the Coffin Master in the Coffin Opening Skill, thus forming a bond and eventually leading to marriage.

Li Weiyi peered into the distance with the Heavenly Eye between his eyebrows, golden light illuminating all directions. There he saw that the wind-eroded mounds, resembling Yardang landforms, had shifted in position, as if two worlds had been misplaced and superimposed.

Without a doubt, one world is real, and the other is fake.

He immediately stood up and quickly took off his upper robe, revealing his strong and aesthetically pleasing muscle lines.

"Splash! Splash..."

Golden Meridian Lines appeared beneath the skin, intertwining like dragons, flowing throughout the body and illuminating the surroundings.

Startled, Hidden Twenty-Four sat atop the Ghost Flag, raising her head to gaze intently, her eyes filled with astonishment and indescribable shock. She had always considered herself a top genius, and after reaching the Five Seas Realm, she looked down upon the younger generation, with few worthy of her attention.

However, Li Weiyi, who was standing next to her, was only at the Eighth Spring Realm, but the divine aura emanating from him was already comparable to that of the Five Seas Realm martial artist and Great Mind Master. She suspected that once Li Weiyi broke through to the Ninth Spring Realm, he would be able to compete with her in terms of raw strength.

Yao Yin's beautiful eyes sparkled, making no attempt to hide her amazement and admiration. Li Weiyi's body was as if sculpted and created by the gods themselves, not only full of beauty but also possessing a masculine charm that could draw one's soul in.