Six Thousand Li

At daybreak, the Yunhua Immortal Inn stood empty. A gentle breeze swept through it, leaving it incomparably desolate.

An old man with grizzled hair and beard quietly paced inside, his footsteps ghostly and soundless.

He was hunched over, with narrow eyes and a green Daoist robe draped over his body.

The old man stepped cautiously into the small alley opposite the Myriad Medicine Pavilion. Holding his breath, he fixed his eagle-like gaze on the entrance.

Before long, the voices of a man and a woman seemed to drift out from within.

The old man's pupils contracted. He gritted his teeth, and his gaze grew increasingly venomous.

"You little beast, I've finally found you."

The master of Daque Temple clenched his fists, his eyes so dark they seemed ready to drip water as he stared at Xu Yan through gritted teeth.

Ever since the spiritual jade slips of the ten disciples in the temple had shattered, the master of Daque Temple had known that they had perished, body and soul.

For the past two months, he had been searching for Xu Yan's trail.

It was not that he cared about those cheap disciples of his. What he cared about was the Hunyuan Sect's inheritance method.

The Qi Exhalation Treatise Zhang Gan had brought back last time had been exceedingly exquisite. After cultivating it for a time, he had gained profound insight.

If he could obtain the complete inheritance of that great sect from the recent antiquity, perhaps he could break through the Profound Treasury realm and step into the realm of "Carefree Roaming," which countless cultivators dreamed of.

Inside the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, Xu Yan was practically dragged out with his arm tucked under Qin Nishang's, his feet nearly lifted off the ground.

This Third Princess was simply monstrously strong.

"Xu Yan, you stay cooped up in your room all day. You're practically growing mold. Come out and gain some experience with me!"

"Sister Nishang, my leg hurts."

"Nonsense. Your leg is perfectly fine. Where are you injured?"

"Sister Nishang, I only just went to an ancient sect's hidden grounds not long ago, and I even killed quite a few demons and evil spirits. Let's train another day."

"Those who practice martial arts and seek the Dao cannot slack off for even a day. Otherwise, their fists and feet will grow rusty. How will they slay demons and eliminate evil one day, to prove the heavens clear?"

"..."

"When we practiced martial arts in the army as children, you were the laziest one. You stayed in your room all day. What was so good about those worn-out ancient books, hmm?"

"Books hold beauties fair as jade; books hold houses of gold."

"That's a load of crap."

On the street, Qin Nishang seized Xu Yan by the wrist and flew away with him. He covered his forehead in pain, his face full of helplessness.

If not for his concern over the identity of this princess of the current dynasty, Xu Yan would have cursed aloud already.

Had this been a few days ago, it surely would have drawn a crowd of Daoists from the immortal inn to watch.

Did Princess Nishang even understand what it meant to keep a low profile?

What she was doing was no different from exposing her identity outright. How could this be called sneaking out? It was as ridiculous as stealing a bell while covering one's ears.

"Hehe, it seems this old man still has a brush with romantic fortune ahead of him."

The master of Daque Temple clenched his hands until they creaked, his gaze carrying a trace of lecherous lust as he looked Qin Nishang over.

With that thought, the master of Daque Temple moved to follow them.

Just then, a cold Embroidered Spring Saber gleaming with icy light rested against his neck.

The master of Daque Temple froze. In terror, he sharply turned his head!

A middle-aged man with a sharply defined face came into view. He wore a black brocade robe, and tyrannical mana trembled along the Embroidered Spring Saber. For a moment, the master of Daque Temple felt even the mana within his body being suppressed.

Shen Congyun's expression was cold and stern. In an instant, he curled his palm into a claw and struck the master of Daque Temple's dantian abdomen like lightning.

With a wet squelch, blood dripped between Shen Congyun's five clawed fingers.

The master of Daque Temple could no longer summon even a thread of spiritual power.

"Song Fenglin, your good days are still ahead of you."

A smile hung on Shen Congyun's lips, but to the master of Daque Temple, it was as terrifying as an asura from hell.

Song Fenglin's eyes trembled slightly. His mouth hung open, and it was as though something had lodged in his throat; he could not even make a sound.

"Take him to Moat Dragon's water prison and lock him up for now. Report this matter to Prince Wu'an while you're at it. When there's time later, level Daque Temple's mountain." Shen Congyun spoke calmly.

"Yes, Chief."

From the darkness of the alley, two more Imperial Brocade Guards slowly emerged.

Within the Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains, ancient tree canopies blotted out the sky and sun. Morning light filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting broken shadows across the earth's veins.

The surroundings were silent and desolate. Demonic aura was faint, and not a single spirit creature could be seen.

The two had already flown several hundred li, yet they had not encountered a single so-called evil demon or fiend.

"What's going on?" Qin Nishang raised a brow.

"Deep within Mang Mountain, the Li Ancient Secret Repository is about to emerge, and the Emperor Bell is tolling. Those low-cultivation little demons and spirit creatures were probably frightened away." Xu Yan frowned and casually guessed.

"Then didn't I come all this way for nothing?" Qin Nishang seemed somewhat disappointed. Yet after only a few breaths, her beautiful eyes sharpened again, and she said seriously, "Then doesn't that mean many ancient hidden ruins have no demon beasts or spirit creatures guarding them?"

"Sister Nishang, how could ancient ruins from primordial times be so easy to find?"

Xu Yan said this because the Third Princess was taking things a little too much for granted.

Back then, Zhang Gan had discovered the Hunyuan Sect ruins three thousand li away. Who knew what dogshit luck he had stepped in? Because yin energy had gathered around the place, it had gone undiscovered for so many years.

"How will you know you can't find them if you don't look? Cheer up!" Qin Nishang was full of fighting spirit as she fiercely slapped Xu Yan's shoulder. Pain immediately shot through it, as though a mountain had crashed down upon him, and Xu Yan hurriedly twisted his body away.

"Besides, you understand ancient script so well. If we come across some formation, it'll be just the chance for you to show off your skills."

Qin Nishang drew the gilded spear from her back and smiled with heroic spirit.

The two went one ahead of the other, continually venturing deeper into Mang Mountain.

After flying for two hours, they had penetrated more than three thousand li deep.

They were now roughly six thousand li from the outer border of Mang Mountain. In the past, demon beasts and spirit creatures had been extremely numerous here, but now not even a trace of one could be seen.

Xu Yan glanced at Qin Nishang ahead of him from the corner of his eye, breathing slightly heavily.

This woman seemed to possess inexhaustible energy. During these two hours, she had not paused for even a moment.

She stopped only when she found some earthly treasure or spiritual material and picked it.

"Sister Nishang, why don't you just cross Mang Mountain and run all the way to the Eastern Azure Sea?" Xu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Shh, quiet!" Qin Nishang's eyes suddenly narrowed. She made a silencing gesture at her lips and whispered, "Do you hear something?"

At her words, Xu Yan's brow furrowed slightly as he steadied his breathing.

Gradually entering his Glazed Heart state, he released his spiritual power and listened intently in every direction.

In a daze, he seemed to hear a thud, thud, thud, as though someone were striking something with a stone!

"Demonic aura. There are spirit creatures." Qin Nishang's eyes turned sharp. Then, stepping on spiritual power, she flew toward the southeast. "I've finally found a few, hahaha!"

Xu Yan also took out the Literary Gold Shuttle and hurried after her.

The two flew through the massive ancient forest. The sun was already nearing the horizon, and dim rosy light spilled down.

The evening wind came in gusts, making the place seem especially eerie.

They flew several li, crossed a few small mountains, and arrived at a particularly secluded valley.

Crouching above it, the two poked their heads out to look.

"They're bone demons!"