Chen Ming kept trying, but the result remained the same. Then, after who knew how long, a voice reached him.
"Junior brother, how are things outside?"
It was Li Fengling's voice.
"Junior brother, are you all right?"
When Chen Ming failed to respond, Li Fengling called out again!
Hearing Li Fengling's voice, Chen Ming looked around but found no one. Only when she spoke again did he realize the voice was coming from the talisman paper in his hand.
Chen Ming frowned, utterly speechless. So he had come here just to admire the water. Look how clear the water by the lake was.
"Senior Sister Fengling, nothing has happened out here."
A moment later, ripples rose in the air again, and Li Fengling stepped out of them.
"Senior Sister Fengling, why is this?"
Bewildered, Chen Ming was about to ask more, but before he could finish, Li Fengling handed him a Jade Stone. With a push from her, he entered the secret realm, where a palace appeared before his eyes.
He pushed open the palace doors and stepped inside. Ahead lay a lotus pond. Beyond it stood a divine statue whose features he could not make out. An offering table stood before the statue, but there was no incense burner on it, only a box.
Curious, Chen Ming opened the box and found an ancient, pale-blue key inside. The moment he picked it up, he was transported out of the palace.
"Junior brother, are you done yet?"
Still unsure what was going on, Chen Ming stared in confusion at the key in his hand. Then Li Fengling's voice reached him.
Hearing her, Chen Ming headed outside and returned the Jade Stone to Li Fengling once he emerged.
But just as the two left the Red Maple Forest and summoned their flying swords, several dark-green arrows shot toward them.
"Junior brother, watch out! They're from the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect!"
Li Fengling dodged as she spoke.
Chen Ming also darted aside, then hurled seven fireballs toward the source of the arrows. Four white-robed figures leaped clear over there before unleashing spells that sent dozens of dark-green arrows flying at the pair.
Faced with so many incoming poison arrows, Chen Ming and Li Fengling could only keep blocking with their flying swords, retreating as they defended themselves.
"Senior sister, what do we do? Do you have any magic treasures or anything?"
Seeing that things were looking grim, Chen Ming spoke up.
"No! Do you think a lousy peak like Iron Bamboo Peak would have anything like that?"
Li Fengling flung out several talismans, still blocking with the sword in her hand as she snapped back.
"Senior Sister Meimei, hurry to Fengling City and save us! Junior Brother Chen Ming and I are being attacked by four people from the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect!"
Li Fengling took a communication Jade Stone from her Storage Bag and spoke into it urgently.
Beside an artificial lake halfway up Falling Moon Peak, a young man and a young woman sat on a large rock, nestled together and gazing tenderly into each other's eyes, when an ill-timed "Ding! Ding! Ding..." rang out!
The young woman was Li Mei of Iron Bamboo Peak. A little displeased, she picked up the Jade Stone and fed a wisp of spiritual power into it. Li Fengling's voice immediately rang out.
"Junior sister, let me go with you!"
Seeing Li Mei rise, Tang You stood as well. He had heard the voice too and naturally could not ignore it. Taking Li Mei's hand, he spoke gently.
"All right, senior brother. Let's return to Iron Bamboo Peak first and bring a few of our fellow disciples. How dare the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect ambush our little junior sister! Let's go!"
As she spoke, Li Mei summoned her flying sword and flew back to Iron Bamboo Peak. She gathered Lin Hao, Lin Lie, and Li Yao, who were still on the peak rather than out on missions, and they headed for Fengling City.
Just as the situation grew desperately dangerous, Li Fengling thought, Should I enter the secret realm and wait for rescue? Only one person can enter at a time. Unless I have absolutely no choice, I'd rather not sell Junior Brother Chen Ming down the river! While she was still considering whether to sacrifice Chen Ming, a sound tore through the air.
"You dogs of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect! How dare you ambush my junior brother and sister! Die!"
The moment the voice rang out, five fiery-red figures raced in from the distance, surrounding the four members of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect in turn.
At the sight, the four Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciples did not panic. Instead, they grinned sinisterly. Just as Li Mei and the others were about to attack them from behind, light flared from an array.
"This is bad! Fall back!"
Tang You's expression changed at the sight, and he shouted a warning.
But it was already too late. The array lit up and engulfed them all. Their surroundings shifted, leaving nothing but pitch-black darkness before their eyes and the feeling that countless eyes were watching them.
Chen Ming tried to activate the Fireball Technique, only to find that he could not mobilize even a trace of spiritual energy.
"It's actually a Spirit-Locking Array!"
Tang You's voice rang out again!
"You're rather knowledgeable. You even recognize the Spirit-Locking Array!"
A voice rang out in the air.
"Impossible. Wasn't the Spirit-Locking Array lost long ago? If your Ten Thousand Poisons Sect really had one, you wouldn't be limited to petty skirmishes like these."
"It must be Spirit-Softening Powder! Spirit-Softening Powder only works on those below the Golden Core stage!"
Tang You's voice rang out again!
"What good does knowing do you? Die!"
The voice rang out again in the gloom. At that moment, two silvery-white lights shone in the darkness, just as a figure thrust a palm toward Tang You.
After hearing that, Chen Ming tried circulating his true qi and found that he could. He immediately channeled it, and light flashed from his Silver Demon Hand, clearly revealing the positions of the four Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciples.
Seeing one of them about to strike, he rushed forward and seized the disciple's neck. With a crack, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciple crumpled to the ground.
In truth, the array could only trap people. Anyone who came into contact with Spirit-Softening Powder would be poisoned, but its effects did not last long. The duration depended on the severity of the poisoning, and even at its longest, it lasted only about the time it took an incense stick to burn!
Thus, everyone trapped there, including the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciples, had been poisoned by Spirit-Softening Powder. The only difference was that they could control the surroundings within the array, giving them a natural advantage.
Chen Ming activated Shrouding Smoke Steps and appeared before another disciple in a flash. One strike of his Silver Demon Hand, and another fell.
In just a few swift passes, Chen Ming killed all four Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciples.
He searched the bodies of the four Ten Thousand Poisons Sect disciples and found a Jade Stone that controlled the array. Feeding a wisp of soul power into it, he deactivated the array.
"We really must thank you for saving our lives, junior brother. I never imagined Junior Brother Chen was such a powerful martial artist. If not for you, we might all have died here."
Li Mei, Lin Hao, Lin Lie, and the others looked at Chen Ming with complicated feelings, and Lin Hao voiced his thoughts.
"Please don't say that. If you hadn't come to rescue us, I might be the one lying here now. I should be thanking all of you!"
After hearing that, Chen Ming earnestly expressed what he thought.
After exchanging pleasantries, they chatted casually. About an incense stick's worth of time later, once the effects of the Spirit-Softening Powder had worn off, they summoned their flying swords and headed back to the Sect.
After returning to the Sect, Chen Ming went back to his house and recalled the day's events. More skills are never a burden. If I hadn't still possessed martial strength at the second innate stage today, I would have faced certain death. I'm already at early Foundation Establishment, and reaching the middle stage anytime soon will be difficult. Should I take up martial cultivation again?