Teacher, Hold Me Tight! Little White: That's the Wrong Position! Medusa: Shut Up!

After leaving Heaven Dou City, Qian Renxue continued maintaining Xue Qinghe's disguise.

She Long could not show himself openly and could only follow in secret.

But a six-year-old's short legs simply could not keep up with the pace.

After running less than half a li, She Xian began panting, his little face flushing red.

Qian Renxue stopped and glanced back at him.

With a faint smile, she bent down and scooped him up in her arms.

Her movements were clean and efficient, as though she were picking up a piece of luggage.

The instant She Xian was lifted, his whole body stiffened.

Although Qian Renxue wore Xue Qinghe's handsome male face,

he could clearly feel the tightly wrapped bindings beneath that seemingly flat chest, as well as the softness deliberately flattened beneath them.

Qian Renxue's warmth and scent seeped through her robes.

Clean and crisp, carrying the faintest trace of a delicate fragrance.

It was unlike Little White's fresh sweetness, and unlike Medusa Queen's scorching heat.

Qian Renxue's scent was cold yet noble, making one unconsciously hold their breath.

She Xian quickly adjusted himself and cleared his throat. "Teacher, hold me tighter. I'm afraid I'll fall."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and glanced at him, a subtle emotion flashing through her golden eyes.

"Shut up."

"Yes!"

She Xian obediently shut his mouth.

In his mind, Little White's voice drifted out sourly. "Husband... that blonde woman is holding you wrong. Husband's head should be resting on her shoulder."

Medusa Queen cut her off speechlessly. "Stupid snake, enough!"

Qian Renxue pushed off the ground with the tip of her foot, transforming into a white blur that shot through the air, her speed instantly reaching its peak.

Squinting against the fierce wind, She Xian raised a hand and pointed in a direction.

"Teacher, slightly southeast."

Of course, he had not sensed it himself.

Through some mysterious connection, Medusa Queen precisely projected the location of the storage ring into his consciousness.

She Xian only needed to serve as a human navigation device.

An hour later.

Qian Renxue landed and set She Xian down.

She Long's figure landed beside Qian Renxue.

The three of them stared grimly at the sight before them.

A massive rift stretched across the wilderness.

The ground was scorched black and cracked, not a blade of grass growing anywhere.

The rocks along the rift's edges possessed an eerie molten texture, as though they had once been seared by some extreme heat.

The depths of the rift were dark and unfathomable.

Occasionally, waves of heat surged up through the gaps, warping the air.

A heavy pressure spread from the bottom of the chasm, making their chests feel tight.

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly. "Elder She Long, do you know this place?"

She Long frowned.

After walking a few steps around the edge of the rift, he shook his head. "Young Master, I remember this place was originally barren land."

"I have never seen this rift before."

He crouched down and touched the blackened marks on the ground, his expression darkening further.

"These scorch marks run extremely deep. To cause destruction on this scale would require at least the power of a Titled Douluo, and powerful fire-element strength at that."

Qian Renxue and She Long exchanged a glance.

But who could have torn open a rift here out of thin air without drawing the attention of any force?

Standing at the edge of the rift, She Xian rapidly confirmed things with Medusa Queen in his mind.

"It's down there?"

For once, Medusa's voice carried a trace of urgency. "That's right. My storage ring is at the bottom of the rift."

"I would never mistake that aura."

Little White softly reminded him from the side, "Husband, the aura below doesn't feel right. Be careful."

She Xian steadied himself and turned to Qian Renxue. "Teacher, I can sense it."

He pointed into the rift's shadowy depths.

"The thing missing from my martial soul should be down there."

Qian Renxue looked at the rift, then at She Xian.

Just moments ago, she had still half-believed and half-doubted his claim about his "incomplete martial soul."

But now, this rift that should not exist and this scorched earth burned by an unknown force had appeared.

Everything was far too strange.

Strange enough that... She Xian's words instead became believable.

"Interesting."

The corner of Qian Renxue's lips lifted slightly, and rare curiosity ignited in her golden eyes.

She stepped toward the rift's edge, her white robes snapping in the wind.

"Let's go down and take a look."

Deep within the rift, heat waves rolled like tides.

The farther down they went, the higher the temperature rose.

The hundred-meter-deep walls of the chasm were an alarming blackened color.

The rock layers had been burned into twisted, warped shapes, with some places even taking on a glassy, molten texture.

Scorching currents of air surged up from beneath their feet, every breath filled with burning dryness.

Qian Renxue landed at the bottom of the rift.

Her golden eyes narrowed, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her fair face amid the heat waves.

She Long followed close behind, fanning his face with his palm-leaf-sized hand as he frowned. "Young Master, something is very wrong here."

He crouched down and touched the ground with his finger, only to jerk it back at once.

"The surface temperature is extremely high."

"These burn marks... are far beyond what an ordinary fire-attribute soul beast could cause."

Qian Renxue scanned her surroundings, a trace of gravity flashing through her golden eyes.

She had seen many ten-thousand-year soul beasts possessing powerful fire elements.

But none of those soul beasts could burn the ground into such a state.

The entire rift looked as though it had been violently torn apart by some incomparably savage force, then repeatedly scorched by searing heat.

"What kind of attack could cause destruction on this scale..." she murmured.

She Long's expression darkened. "I have traveled the continent for decades, yet I have never seen anything like this."

"Even a Titled Douluo going all out might not be able to accomplish it."

The same question arose in both their hearts:

Just who had left behind this rift?

Standing behind them, She Xian looked around with curiosity on the surface, but inwardly, he already understood.

This was most likely caused by the energy fluctuations Medusa Queen had brought with her when she crossed over.

He said nothing more and merely raised his right hand naturally.

Soul power surged, and a giant purple serpent emerged from his palm.

In the form of a serpent martial soul, Medusa Queen coiled around his arm.

Her purple vertical pupils shifted slightly, as though sensing the aura around them.

Qian Renxue glanced at the purple snake.

She Xian communicated with Medusa Queen in his mind. "Which way?"

Medusa Queen's voice was calm and certain. "Forward."

She Xian did as she said.

"The aura is getting stronger. It's nearby."

"Screech, screech, screech—!"

A piercing scraping sound suddenly erupted from the depths of the rift.

The blackened ground began to crack, and dense swarms of jointed creatures crawled out from the fissures.

"Fire-Wing Centipedes!"

She Long was somewhat surprised. There were actually soul beasts here.

Their bodies were scarlet red, with a pair of flame-like wings as thin as cicada wings growing from their backs. Each one was as thick as an adult's arm.

They swarmed out from underground, numbering at least a hundred, ranging from ten-year to thousand-year soul beasts.

"Whoa, a centipede nest."

She Xian took a step back, goosebumps rising all over his body.

He was not afraid of snakes, nor was he afraid of bugs.

But he still had trypophobia.

Especially when faced with these densely packed, swarming fire centipedes covered in countless limbs.

After sweeping his gaze over the insect tide pouring from the ground, then toward the faintly visible nest entrance in the darkness ahead,

Medusa Queen's voice echoed in his mind. "My storage ring is inside that nest."