Crossing the Savage Lands

Li Jinyao readily agreed to Bai Qiuran's request.

Previously, after witnessing Su Xiangxue and Bai Qiuran's intimate encounter, Tang Ruowei secretly wrote to her to inform her of this news and that Bai Qiuran was going out again. That's why Li Jinyao rushed to the Azure Nether Sword Sect as soon as she came out of seclusion, wanting to go with Bai Qiuran.

Su Xiangxue's offensive not only overwhelmed Bai Qiuran, but also made Li Jinyao feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Of course, Bai Qiuran couldn't let her go with him so casually. There might be dangers in the Savage Lands, and besides, the place he was going to this time involved the tombs of the ancient Heavenly Gods.

Even though the First Ancestor Demon Emperor had been dead for so long, he could still be reborn as a zombie through magic. Bai Qiuran didn't believe that those Heavenly Gods who were once called incarnations of nature wouldn't have similar methods.

He himself could no longer freely use more than 10% of his power. Last time, the First Ancestor Demon Emperor forced him to exert a little more effort. Now, as long as he moved more than 10% of the True Qi in his Purple Mansion, he would feel an extremely strong urge to break through.

Considering that even Wisdom Immortal advised him to suppress his cultivation level first, Bai Qiuran decided that in this exploration, unless they encountered a truly life-threatening crisis, they should not take it too seriously.

But facing the Heavenly Gods, Bai Qiuran couldn't be sure. If something unexpected happened and he and Li Jinyao were separated, he had to ensure that Li Jinyao had a way to escape back to the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou on her own, even in the depths of the Savage Lands.

However, after Bai Qiuran told Wisdom Immortal about this concern, Wisdom Immortal immediately said, "What's so difficult about that? Come here, little girl, I'll teach you an Arts for manipulating space!"

"Etc."

Bai Qiuran shouted, "Why didn't you tell me you had such magic before?"

Unexpectedly, Wisdom Immortal replied to Bai Qiuran with great disdain, "The hard threshold for this series of spells is the Spirit Severing Stage. Even if I told you, could you practice them?"

Bai Qiuran speechless.

Spatial Arts is a series of smaller spells, and the minimum requirement is Spirit Severing Stage cultivation level, making this spell extremely difficult.

However, it turned out that Li Jinyao, who possessed the Heavenly Demon Physique, was indeed exceptionally talented. While ordinary Cultivators would have to practice diligently for a long time to even begin to grasp the basics of Spatial Arts, she successfully mastered it in just half a month. At the same time, she also learned the Space-Transiting Art that Wisdom Immortal had taught her.

Under Wisdom Immortal's guidance, she decided to return to Bai Qiuran's courtyard on Seven Star Peak. Then, at Bai Qiuran's request, she took some time to return to the Heavenly Demon Sect and told her master Ji Lingyun and grandmaster Huangfu Feng about her travel plans.

Ji Lingyun naturally opposed her plan. Not only was Bai Qiuran her most hated teacher, Jueyunzi, but more importantly, she would not allow Li Jinyao to risk her life with Bai Qiuran.

However, Huangfu Feng strongly agreed, believing that with Bai Qiuran present, Li Jinyao's trip would be a valuable opportunity for training.

If Bai Qiuran gone with them and something had happened to both of them, then one day, when those things emerged from the Savage Lands, no one in the entire Ten Lands of Jiuzhou would have been spared.

According to seniority, Huangfu Feng was Ji Lingyun's master, so Li Jinyao finally obtained the consent of the sect elders and happily followed Bai Qiuran on her journey to the Savage Lands.

Having agreed to Huangfu Feng's request, Bai Qiuran intended to train Li Jinyao. After crossing the Western Lands and entering the Savage Lands, the two slowed down. Li Jinyao handled most of the attacks from the Savage Beasts tides along the way, while Bai Qiuran stood by and watched over her.

After observing her, Bai Qiuran realized that Li Jinyao's talent was indeed terrifyingly strong. At first, she was somewhat strained when dealing with these frenzied Savage Beasts. After defeating one wave, she had to rest for a long time, panting heavily.

But soon, her combat skills skyrocketed, increasing at a visible speed. The awkwardness that ordinary Cultivators experience when they break through a realm and lack mastery of that realm seemed to be completely absent in her.

The same was true for those Dragon Fang. At first, she was a little clumsy in using them after she got them, but the more she used them, the more freely she became.

In just four or five days, she had mastered the Immortal Treasures, and the newly born Artifact Spirit were completely devoted to her, becoming her loyal lackeys.

After recovering, Li Jinyao also started taking over the housework in the evenings. Her cooking skills were indeed as she claimed; at least Bai Qiuran thought they were rare delicacies after eating them. Moreover, every night, she would also properly lay out the two of their bedding on the floor.

After a week or two, Bai Qiuran felt as if he were treating the young girl like a slave.

After traveling at various stops, Bai Qiuran and Li Jinyao finally reached the edge of the Soul-Ending River after more than a month.

Having been away for some time, the appearance of various aquatic Savage Beasts in the Soul-Ending River has become increasingly bizarre. Bai Qiuran even saw monsters with three heads—a dog's head, a duck's head, and a white bear's head—floating and sinking in the waves, hunting and killing other aquatic Savage Beasts.

"This river is getting stranger and stranger."

As Bai Qiuran stepped on the back of Li Jinyao's sword and flew over the Soul-Ending River, he sighed with emotion.

This was the first time Li Jinyao had witnessed such a blatant display of the survival of the fittest in the Savage Lands. She turned her head to look at the blood-soaked Broken Soul-Ending River and couldn't help but ask, "Sword Ancestor, what do you think will happen to the final Savage Beasts that evolves as they continue to devour each other?"

"It's unclear; we currently know very little about the things in the Savage Lands."

Bai Qiuran replied, "Does Wisdom Immortal understand?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't figure it out in our time either. Just defending against the Demon Race was already exhausting us."

Wisdom Immortal twitched her hand on Bai Qiuran's belt.

"However, by following you this time, I've learned quite a few interesting things through the Great Wisdom... For example, the air in this Savage Lands, which is highly toxic to Human Race, is actually, in my opinion, [Residual Resentment], and these Savage Beasts are also related to the owner of this resentment."

"It seems we'll have a pretty good harvest this time."

Bai Qiuran smiled.

Li Jinyao rode the Divine Saber to the other side of the Soul-Ending River, and then Bai Qiuran made her stop flying on the blade, and the two began to walk forward on the ground.

The beast tide on the west bank of the Soul-Ending River was no longer something Li Jinyao could handle, so up to this point, Bai Qiuran was the one leading the way.

Following the map in the Storage Bag, Bai Qiuran led Li Jinyao towards the Land Where Gods Fell. The source of these resentments seemed to be the Land Where Gods Fell. As the two went deeper, the resentment in the Savage Lands became more and more intense. Its effect was so strong that Li Jinyao, Cultivators in the Spirit Severing Stage, had to fully circulate her True Essence to maintain her defense in order not to be eroded.

However, in the end, Bai Qiuran managed to lead Li Jinyao to the entrance of the Land Where Gods Fell, but the two stopped there.

For before them, on the only path leading to the Land Where Gods Fell, several Great Demons had appeared, pacing back and forth.