## 625 Out of Danger
The cave was quiet.
Jiang Huai hadn’t experienced such quiet in a long time. He suddenly remembered the times he and Bai Li would sit in caves exploring secret realms, lost in their own thoughts, thinking of each other.
Jiang Zhi had been zoning out, gradually feeling sleepy. She unconsciously rested her head on his shoulder. Jiang Huai gently shifted, adjusting them to a more comfortable sleeping position for her.
The cave was dimly lit. Jiang Huai carefully used the spiritual cicada to sense everything outside. The red moonlight outside gradually dimmed. When the light was barely visible, the entire corrupt secret realm fell into a profound silence.
Jiang Huai didn’t sleep, but silently organized the information in his mind. It wasn’t until the next day, with the red moon shining brightly again, that the red snakes outside the cave fully awakened. Enormous, corrupted red snakes slithered on the ground, searching for prey. If two red snakes accidentally touched, their scarlet eyes would light up, initiating an endless battle.
The entire red thorn jungle became incredibly bloody. The fight lasted for half a day before finally ending. Scarlet beetles flying in the air descended, devouring the red snake corpses completely, leaving not even a bone behind.
Jiang Huai felt a slight pang of fear. Even with his current cultivation level of the Ninth Realm, Ninth Heaven, if those red snakes targeted him, he wouldn’t be entirely confident in his escape.
Jiang Zhi, nestled in his arms, slowly woke up. Jiang Huai used his Daoist magic to share everything outside the cave with her. The two silently observed the red thorn jungle that had gradually calmed down.
The world that was once as small as dust in their eyes had now become a part of that tiny dust.
Jiang Huai took out some pastries from his storage ring and offered them to Jiang Zhi. Jiang Zhi took a piece of osmanthus cake, but after a small bite, she lost her appetite. She snuggled closer to Jiang Huai, who gently embraced her, easing her inner unease.
“It’s okay, we can leave in two more days,” Jiang Huai said. As soon as his words fell, both their bodies suddenly trembled.
A divine sense descended upon the entire red thorn jungle. Jiang Huai’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He could clearly feel a sense of being spied upon. He looked at Jiang Zhi; her eyebrows were also furrowed.
“You feel it too?” Jiang Huai asked her softly.
“Mm,” Jiang Zhi nodded gently.
But they didn’t even know what was spying on them. They couldn’t tell whether to flee or prepare to fight. In the next instant, Jiang Huai sensed that the prying divine sense seemed to be focused on them.
A slightly confused whisper suddenly sounded in their ears, “Oh? This corrupt secret realm… has such a harvest this time?”
Jiang Huai sensed something was wrong from the tone. He immediately got up, grabbing Jiang Zhi’s hand, ready to escape. But as they exited the cave and hadn’t flown even a few miles, streaks of azure light lit up in the distance, blocking their path.
When the light completely disappeared, Jiang Huai focused his gaze.
Four men stood before him, all dressed in magnificent azure robes. From their positions, Jiang Huai quickly identified the leading cultivator. A man who looked only slightly older than him possessed a pair of azure eyes. Those eyes were now openly fixed on Jiang Zhi, scrutinizing her.
His gaze made Jiang Zhi extremely uncomfortable, as if he were appraising a porcelain vase, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.
“Where are you two… planning to go?” the leading blue-robed cultivator slowly asked.
Jiang Huai first shielded Jiang Zhi behind him. A moment later, he replied, “May I ask who you are…?”
His question caused the blue-robed cultivator opposite them to freeze for a moment. Then, his smile became increasingly unrestrained. “You walk in the Star Soul Domain and come to explore the corrupt secret realm of my Star Soul Domain, yet you don’t recognize me?”
Jiang Huai was ready to draw his sword at any moment, and slowly replied, “We are cultivators from the lower realm. While traveling from the lower realm, we encountered spatial turbulence and were teleported here. We are not yet familiar with the rules of the upper realm. We hope for your forgiveness, Senior.”
“Cultivators from the lower realm…” the blue-robed cultivator murmured softly. The smile on his face became increasingly playful. He looked at Jiang Zhi behind Jiang Huai without any concealment and slowly said, “This place is called the Star Soul Domain, and you two are currently in the corrupt secret realm under the jurisdiction of my Star Soul Domain.”
“My name is Zhang Lan, the Seventh Young Master of the Star God Clan of the Star Soul Domain.”
Jiang Huai’s nerves tightened. He had already noticed that Zhang Lan’s gaze lingered on Jiang Zhi without any pretense. Before leaving, Jiang Zhi had worn a black Daoist robe, which concealed her figure but could not hide her incomparably beautiful and alluring face.
“Do you two know that cultivators who enter the corrupt secret realm of my Star Soul Domain must pay a considerable sum of Star Soul Coins?”
Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment and slowly replied, “In the future, when we travel in the upper realm and accumulate enough Star Soul Coins, we will certainly pay for this accidental entry ticket.”
“Kid from the lower realm, you probably don’t understand the upper realm very well… Perhaps in the lower realm, you could command the wind and summon the rain, but in the upper realm, you are nothing more than an ant. Even if you work for a thousand or a hundred thousand years, you might not be able to afford this entrance ticket to the corrupt secret realm.”
“But fortunately… the one beside you can be considered a peerless beauty in the mortal world. I haven’t seen such a beautiful woman in a long time. Today, I’m in a good mood. You can go, but she stays.”
“She is my Dao Companion,” Jiang Huai replied coldly.
Zhang Lan showed no anger, only a smile.
“Is this going to be another one of those interesting plays? I especially enjoy seeing how cultivators from the lower realm, initially arrogant, thinking they will surely rise to prominence in the upper realm, only to be struck down, never to recover, and then complain and blame fate…”
“If I wasn’t clear earlier, let me say it again. You should persuade your Dao Companion now to stay obediently and serve by my side… and then you can leave. Killing you would only take a thought, regardless of how many years you cultivated in the lower realm. This is the first thing I’ll teach you now: learn to bow your head.”
“If you can’t learn to bow your head… you must have never seen your Dao Companion pleasure herself beneath another, have you? I can spare your life and let you watch.”
The moment Zhang Lan finished speaking, Jiang Huai had already seized Jiang Zhi’s hand. He triggered the divine abilities of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline to its utmost. Jing Hua was also activated, and their bodies moved nearly a hundred miles in an instant. However, it was only for a moment before a bolt of lightning descended upon him.
The instant he saw the lightning, Jiang Huai knew he couldn’t dodge it. He tightly gripped the Yening Sword in his hand and unleashed a Water Moon Slash. But his Water Moon, which he had always been proud of and had never failed, could only barely block that bolt of lightning. The residual power of the lightning surged into his body, making even his sword-wielding hand weak.
“Playing with low-level ants like you from the lower realm… is indeed quite an interesting pastime. It’s a pity that the cultivators who have ascended to the upper realm in recent years are getting weaker and weaker… They die too quickly, not providing much fun.”
Zhang Lan sighed softly. In an instant, he raised his hand again. Nearly ten bolts of lightning, equal to the one he had just unleashed, surged from his fingertips. Jiang Huai’s face was now pale, and his sword-wielding hand trembled uncontrollably.
Zhang Lan didn’t rush to unleash the lightning. Instead, he took a step forward unhurriedly. When he saw Jiang Zhi place her sword against her own neck, he let out an even more unrestrained laugh.
“Oh?” he gazed at Jiang Zhi before him, lightly licking his lips. “I haven’t seen such a fierce woman in a long time… But what does it matter? If you commit suicide here, I will still kill him. But if you are willing to submit to me obediently, I will spare his life today. What do you say?”
Jiang Zhi bit her lip tightly, a murderous intent blazing in her eyes. But this only made Zhang Lan’s eyes more excited. “If you understand me, then take off your dress now and let me admire your figure.”
Jiang Huai looked at Jiang Zhi beside him. He didn’t have much time to speak. In an instant, he burned his Dragon Emperor Bloodline to its extreme, transforming into his Silver Dragon true form. Although restricted by the Heavenly Way Rules of the upper realm, his body was not as world-covering as it was in the lower realm, it was still dozens of meters long. He picked up Jiang Zhi beside him, his body turning into lightning, and flew towards the depths of the corrupt secret realm.
Zhang Lan behind them didn’t immediately pursue. Instead, he leisurely moved his fingers, and a dazzling bolt of lightning shot out, landing on the Silver Dragon’s body. The dragon’s scales instantly turned black, its flesh grotesquely charred, and it trembled in the sky.
He wasn’t in a hurry, but smiled as he watched the struggling pair before him, as if playing a game of cat and mouse. He waved his fingertips, and another bolt of lightning fell. The Silver Dragon’s once glorious and magnificent scales were now blackened and tattered.
Jiang Huai heard Jiang Zhi’s voice transmission in his ear. Her voice was icy cold. “Let me down.”
“Don’t say such things,” Jiang Huai replied instantly.
“We were even after arriving in the upper realm. I didn’t owe you anything, and I was the one who provoked this trouble. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I know.”
“If you know, then why aren’t you letting me go?”
Jiang Huai didn’t speak again, but frantically burned his Dragon Emperor Bloodline, attempting to fly towards the deeper parts of the corrupt secret realm. He couldn’t discern Zhang Lan’s cultivation level; even his trump cards seemed like a joke against him. But he knew he absolutely couldn’t let go.
“I already said I have nothing to do with you! Put me down!”
The moment Jiang Zhi spoke, another bolt of lightning struck the Silver Dragon’s body. The Silver Dragon could no longer soar in the sky and was about to plummet directly to the ground. The wind howled in his ears, and Jiang Huai’s consciousness began to blur.
His Dragon Emperor Bloodline was almost depleted. His body’s spiritual energy was no longer sufficient to maintain his current form. He transformed back into Jiang Huai, but as he fell to the ground, he instinctively shielded Jiang Zhi behind him, gripping his Yening Sword.
“I have a move that can definitely hold him off for half an incense stick’s worth of time. You go first, run into the depths of the corrupt secret realm and hide. He definitely won’t dare to go there. Your cultivation is very low, those corrupted creatures there might not find you.”
Jiang Zhi patted his head from behind him. “Do you think you’re very proud?”
“Hey, run! Don’t lecture me right now, okay?”
“Who asked you, you despicable, shameless, vulgar, and filthy little bastard, to save me? At worst, we’ll just die together.” Jiang Zhi stood beside him, coldly drawing her spirit sword. “Dying with you seems like the best possible outcome for me.”
Despite the dire and urgent situation, Jiang Zhi suddenly smiled. She no longer seemed as lost and gloomy as when she first entered the secret realm. Her eyes were bright now, and her smile was like a blooming flower.
