The moment he thought of this, cold sweat seeped down Xiao Hua's back, and a wave of lingering fear rose within him. His formerly reckless courage shrank in an instant. At last, he understood why cultivators with profound cultivation tended to be more timid. Take Han Zhu, for example—he knew the Buddhist Sect ruins contained many things he needed, yet after cultivating for so long, he still did not dare venture there. That was because he knew the ruins were fraught with danger, and without absolute certainty, one must never set foot inside. If it had been Xiao Hua, he likely would have charged in long ago and been reduced to white bones by now, perhaps even made into bone pellets for some soul artifact!
Xiao Hua immediately cast aside all distractions and sat cross-legged atop the meditation cushion. As he circulated the Veiling Sun Art, he also focused his mind on comprehending those hundred-odd Green Seal characters. Threads and wisps of obscure insight emerged from the characters from time to time, stirring an involuntary itch in his heart, as though he were scratching at his ears and cheeks...
Xiao Hua entered quiet cultivation. In two places near him, two Dao Sect cultivators were likewise cultivating in silence!
Li Zongbao held the Immortal-Piercing Whip in his hand. The spiritual artifact flickered with a faint golden radiance. That golden light rose gradually, like bamboo shoots after the rain; with every section it grew, the light brightened by half a measure, while the color of Li Zongbao's face waxed and waned several times. Yet though the Immortal-Piercing Whip's golden light was faint, strands of blood-red within it could be seen clearly. As Li Zongbao's complexion changed, that blood-red color alternately thickened and thinned, presenting a rather bizarre sight.
As for Fairy Hongxia,