Leaving the Cave; Holding Hands

You Su did not open his eyes, but he was horrified to see that on the dark stone wall in front of him, countless evil spirits, like leeches, were wriggling and clinging to it.

Each one emanated a different, disgusting phosphorescence, and when they gathered together, they formed a vast, dark tide, giving people an eerie feeling, a sense of impending doom.

Even You Su, with her exceptional mental fortitude, felt disgusted and nauseous at the sight, let alone a woman who was naturally averse to such things.

These persistent, leeching evil spirits have finally found them!

You Su cursed under his breath, and the Ink Pine Sword was drawn with a clang. Its dark black blade seemed to disappear in the dark cave.

In a flash, he was beside Ji Xueruo. "Miss Ji, stop recuperating! Let's break out of here!"

Ji Xueruo's face was flushed with anxiety, and she could no longer distinguish whether the sweat flowing down her face was fragrant or cold. What she saw was an extremely disgusting and Evil Tide, but what was coming through her body was an extremely stimulating pleasure, which put her on the verge of breaking down on the border between heaven and hell.

"This is beyond my control! My Cultivation Method has really gone wrong!"

Ji Xueruo struggled to sit up, her lithe thighs pressed tightly together beneath her skirt. Even so, she insisted on raising her hand to prepare to cast Technique Method.

How much longer will this shameless younger sister continue?!

You Su's eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't have time to think about it any further. After all, it was impossible for someone to be so strange as to get aroused in such a situation!

"Then you guard the formation! I'll go slay the evil!"

As soon as You Su finished speaking, the Ink Pine Sword roared out towards the Evil Tide in front of him.

He wielded the sword in a near-perfect circle, You Su the first wave of evil spirits with a single strike, causing the viscous black liquid to splatter everywhere.

To You Su's astonishment, he discovered that when the sword struck these giant leech-like creatures, it felt like it was cutting flesh! This proved that these evil spirits were not illusions, but real entities!

"This is really weird!"

Each individual evil spirit in this Evil Tide is extremely weak, but their sheer numbers make up for it. Moreover, each one is fearless and charges forward relentlessly, attacking from all directions.

You Su had seen a similar evil spirit in the "Tome of Evil Spirits," called a Blood Leech Demon. It was a low-level evil spirit of Flesh and Blood Type, which loved to feed on human blood, and there were many of them. In evil sects, there was even a special treatment for poisoned people: the poisoned person was placed in a vat filled with hundreds or thousands of Blood Leeches, which would crawl all over his body and suck out the poisoned blood. However, far more people died under the suckers of the Blood Leeches than recovered.

However, the Blood Leech Demon was much smaller and weaker than the evil spirits they encountered. The Evil Tide before them was like the Blood Leech Demon's ancient ancestor from a thousand years ago, which was awakened by the arrival of You Su.

You Su swung his sword again and again, but he was already exhausted and felt his hands and feet were getting sore and numb. He didn't know when this would end, and the best thing to do was to fight his way out and leave this place.

"Miss Ji, have you recovered yet?"

"Don't... hurry up!"

Ji Xueruo bit her lip, knowing that You Su couldn't protect her like this forever. She moved her hands and lips, and a surging fire array instantly formed at their feet.

The evil spirits that came into contact with the spiritual fire were instantly charred black and turned into powder. Yet, as if they had no intelligence, they continued to rush towards the two people in the fire formation.

This impressive Technique Method was clearly too much for Ji Xueruo to handle; the weakness in her lower abdomen made her almost unable to stand, and she was about to fall.

You Su strode forward and pulled her into his arms. The firelight illuminated the dark cave, Ji Xueruo, leaning against You Su, finally saw his face clearly.

"What happened to you? How much longer?" You Su leaned him against the stone wall and asked with concern, "We need to find a way to escape!"

Ji Xueruo this critical moment, her younger sister had pulled this stunt on her. If she managed to escape, she would definitely find a way to sever this connection!

"It'll be over soon. This fire formation won't last much longer, so you should rest."

You Su had no choice but to stop asking questions, nodded, and prepared to conserve his energy. However, Ji Xueruo had consumed almost all the pills in his Universe Bag, so he could only meditate and regulate his breathing.

Ji Xueruo's pretty face flushed even more. She took out a fragrant brocade pouch from her bosom, which was clearly a storage Law Treasure. From it, she took out several bottles of Qi-nourishing pills and handed them over, saying gently:

"I have some medicinal pills here."

You Su didn't stand on ceremony and took the pills, pouring many into his mouth as if they were candy.

Watching his back Ji Xueruo felt a sense of relief. She shook her head to clear her mind of distractions; at times like this, she had to remain vigilant.

Soon, the spiritual fire on the Magic Array began to flicker, and the fire array was like a candle flickering in the wind.

You Su suddenly opened his eyes, and instantly more than a dozen evil corpses appeared beneath his sword.

He then resumed his relentless fighting. He was not in a hurry to expand his safe territory, but focused on guarding his own small area, so that no evil spirit could break through his defenses and get close to Ji Xueruo.

Ji Xueruo she tried her best to use various Technique Method to assist You Su. The two of them worked together to kill the evil spirits.

Suddenly, Ji Xueruo's beautiful eyes widened as if she had seen something incredible—

She saw two people emerge from the Evil Tide: one was You Su, and the other was 'her'self!

"This..." Ji Xueruo somewhat shocked.

You Su was also momentarily taken aback upon seeing the newcomer, but quickly regained his composure and said:

"It's an illusion!"

He quickly stood his sword at attention, ready for battle.

Two clones stepped over the Evil Tide and approached You Su. One called out in a sweet voice, "Young Master You," while the other called out in a clear voice, "Miss Ji." They walked towards the two enthusiastically.

You Su felt a chill run down his spine. Without hesitation, he held the Ink Pine Sword horizontally in front of his chest, unleashing a powerful sword aura.

The sword rang out clearly, and Ji Xueruo was suddenly cleaved in two by a single sword strike, then vanished into thin air.

Strangely enough, You Su was completely unharmed, still wearing that calm and composed smile, as she walked step by step toward Ji Xueruo, who was still recuperating.

You Su thrust his sword again, but this time it had no effect on the illusion. He frowned, not understanding what was going on. Why, even though he saw through both of them as illusions, could he only slay one of them?

You Su tried his best to stop the fake body's movements, but to no avail. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he shouted:

"Miss Ji! This is an illusion you've fallen into! I can't help you!"

Ji Xueruo's beautiful eyes narrowed. She struggled to sit up, her lower body trembling nearing its peak. But at this moment, she also had an enemy she had to face, and she had to rely on herself.

"Miss Ji... I'm here to save you."

As 'You Su' approached step by step, despite their identical appearances, Ji Xueruo felt a completely different sense of unease. A surge of Resentment Qi welled up within her; she felt this You Su was an insult to the real You Su, and she was determined to shatter it.

Too lazy to suppress her pleasure any longer, she let out an unintentional moan, and continued to moan and chant incantations. A large water droplet condensed in her hand, and with a soft cry as she reached her climax:

"Mmm!"

The water bullet hurtled towards 'You Su' with lightning speed, piercing its abdomen and crashing into the pile of Evil Tides behind it, causing widespread casualties.

Seeing the fake You Su disappear, Ji Xueruo leaned against the wall, panting slightly, her whole body trembling, a charming look appearing on her face. And at the only part of her exposed ankle under her black dress, a glistening stream of water flowed down, exuding an alluring fragrance.

"I didn't expect Miss Ji to be skilled in water-spraying techniques."

You Su was amazed by the destructive power of the water bullet. Logically speaking, it is difficult for a person to be proficient in the five Technique Method that have opposing attributes at the same time, but Ji Xueruo was able to perform the fire and water magic in succession, which clearly shows that she is a genius girl who is extremely good at Technique Method.

Upon Ji Xueruo was immediately filled with shame and indignation, biting her red lips tightly. She didn't know if the young man was genuinely praising her Technique Method or if he had guessed that she was spraying water from more than just her palms.

"Ha! I didn't expect you to be so skilled in sword control!"

You Su was focused on slaying evil and hadn't opened his eyes yet, so he naturally didn't notice Ji Xueruo's condition. Therefore, he humbly replied:

"I only know a little bit; Junior Sister's talent in Way of the Sword is not bad either."

"Don't mention that brat!"

Ji Xueruo she heard her younger sister's name. This little gluttonous snake had almost killed her older sister, and the boy who fought alongside her still couldn't forget her.

You Su didn't know what had happened, but he could vaguely sense the change in the girl's attitude towards her younger sister. It was as if she had previously disliked him, but now she disliked her junior sister.

He tactfully changed the subject. "Miss Ji, have you fully recovered?"

"Kill the enemy! Let's go out the way we came; I remember the way."

Ji Xueruo straightened up, her hands already beginning to condense powerful Technique Method, radiating brilliance.

You Su tightened his grip on the sword hilt. At this point, instead of aimlessly wandering through the cave, it was indeed more prudent to take a known path. Only by returning to the surface would they have a chance to obtain the lotus seeds to awaken the Little White Fish.

The surging Evil Tide continued. The girl in the black dress and the boy in the black shirt were not working together for the first time. Their battle was perfectly coordinated and seamless. No evil spirit could get close to them, as if they were a match made in heaven.

In the dark cave, You Su held the Wind Weasel Formation Plate in one hand, searching for directions, while his other hand gently connected with Ji Xueruo's.

Neither of them used force; they just touched lightly, then crouched down and walked forward together.

"Is your secret technique really effective?" You Su asked hesitantly.

Ji Xueruo rolled her eyes at him and said, "My 'Void Snake Shedding' is Secret Method of the serpent clan, specifically used to conceal one's aura and cultivation level. Unless there is Void Glimpse Venerable, even cultivators in the Feather Transformation Realm cannot see through my disguise. Otherwise, why couldn't you see through my disguise as a mortal Xiao Yu when I entered the pool?"

You Su nodded, but the warm, smooth touch on his hand still made him feel a little strange. "Is it really necessary to hold hands?"

"You think I want to hold your hand?" Ji Xueruo pricked You Su's hand hard with her fingertip. "Don't overthink it! This technique requires physical contact; I can't help you at all. If you're exposed, then my disguise is meaningless."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Ji." You Su had no choice but to give up, after all, it was just holding hands, which was nothing compared to dual cultivation.

Ji Xueruo pursed her red lips. In fact, she also felt that the rough calluses on You Su's hands were unusually clear, and she herself felt strange.

"Hey, have you seen evil spirits before?" Ji Xueruo suddenly asked.

"How did Miss Ji find out?" You Su, somewhat surprised.

"Whether it's the tentacles in the black pool or that Evil Tide, you can explain them with your Divine Sense. But you knew it was an illusion the moment those two people appeared, which means you clearly saw their faces. And since you're blind, you must have seen even more powerful evil spirits with your own eyes." Ji Xueruo lowered her voice and continued, "Furthermore, the Evil Warding Department doesn't have any members below the Condensing Water Realm. You, a Spirit Platform Middle Stage cultivator, possess Evil Warding Token, which means you must have dealt with evil spirits before."

You Su remained silent for a while before admitting:

"That's right. My junior sister and I experienced a catastrophe in Chuyun City. Like the Jade Ring Pool, many extremely powerful evil spirits appeared there. Evil spirits Dream Master Type once appeared in my dream, so I can directly see evil spirits Dream Master Type after that."

"Alright, I have no intention of prying into your secrets, I just hope you can be more honest. But why were you so decisive when you cut down my fake body? Did you really want to cut me down that badly?"

You Su chuckled in surprise, "I saw Miss Ji spray water at 'me' without any mercy either."

These words infuriated Ji Xueruo, who pinched You Su again and scolded, "Shut up! We're almost at that black pool again!"

You Su kept quiet, and the two of them carefully made their way along the wall.

After walking for a long time, they finally returned to the black pool where they had offered food to the Evil God.

The black pool remained perfectly calm, showing no reaction to the arrival of You Su and Ji Xue Ruo. You Su sent out his Divine Sense in the direction Ji Xueruo pointed out, but did not sense anything unusual. He then followed behind Ji Xueruo, quietly heading back the way she remembered.

After navigating countless bends and vanquishing numerous evil spirits, the two finally emerged from the cave. When they climbed out, they were greeted by a spring and the bright moon in the sky, with Jade Ring Pool located at the foot of the nearby mountain.

The two climbed out of the water, their bodies completely dry, their filth washed away. This spring was the source of the Cleansing Curtain at the foot of the mountain— the Unstained Spring.

"I'm afraid they built the passage here for some other purpose." You Su took a deep breath of fresh air.

"The Unstained Spring may wash away the filth on one's body, but it cannot cleanse the filth in one's heart," Ji Xueruo sighed, then looked at the sky. "It seems a day has already passed..."

"There's no one guarding this place?"

"It's obvious that the people of Jade Ring Pool haven't discovered Yu Zhen's death yet, and only a small group of people are raising the Evil God. Most people are still in the dark. If the thousands of people in the entire pool were involved, the progress wouldn't be like this." Ji Xueruo looked back at the foot of the mountain on the other side, where the vast Jade Ring Lake lay. She asked, "Are we really not going back? Maybe we can escape."

"If it were really that easy to leave, the people of Jade Ring Pool wouldn't be staying here."

You Su faced the Jade Ring Pool, the mountain wind making his robes flutter loudly. He knew this was a journey of no return.

"The most urgent task... is to obtain lotus seeds without exposing your identity, but where can we get lotus seeds?"

As he turned around, their hands, which they had forgotten to let go of, naturally separated. For some reason, Ji Xueruo felt a sense of loss in her heart.

But she quickly concealed it, took out two brightly colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) from her brocade pouch, then You Su's slender figure for a moment, and smiled:

"I have a way."