“This is indeed Yin energy!” Zhao Li also chimed in.
“Yin energy? Could there be some ghostly creatures here?”
“Impossible! Before the Yuxiao Sect was destroyed, it was at least one of the top five major sects in Yongning Prefecture. How could there be ghostly creatures so close to their sect?”
“Perhaps it’s from their sect? You know, in the cultivation world, every immortal sect or so keeps some ghostly creatures that can’t be dealt with immediately. It’s only natural for these creatures to escape after the Yuxiao Sect was destroyed by that cat demon.”
The female disciples of Shuiyu Valley were in an uproar.
“This is absolutely not a ghostly creature imprisoned by the Yuxiao Sect!” Cheng Hong Ling shook her head with certainty.
“Hong Ling younger sister, why are you so sure?” Mu Ruoyi, who was beside her, asked curiously.
“Everyone can take a closer look. The ashes on the ground are all produced by the Yin energy corroding everything around. To reach this level of destruction, the strength of this ghostly creature must be at least above the Devil Realm. Such a powerful evil spirit, the Yuxiao Sect probably couldn’t imprison it.” Cheng Hong Ling squatted down on one knee, then picked up a piece of ash with her jade-like finger and tasted it.
“What? Devil Realm! How could there be a devil creature with the strength of the Devil Realm here? Could it have wandered here from another place?” Zhao Li’s expression changed, and she then looked at the remaining female disciples with a worried gaze.
“If that’s the case, then the danger of this trip far exceeds our imagination! Because even a ghostly creature in the early stage of the Devil Realm is equivalent to the Shentong Realm of a cultivator.” Mu Ruoyi introduced with a solemn tone.
“Shentong Realm? Oh my god! Isn’t that the same strength as Grand Elder Wen Jing back then?” A female disciple swayed, almost scared to faint, while others also turned pale. The deeds of Mu Ruoyi’s grandmother were naturally very clear to these female disciples. She had single-handedly eliminated a peerless fierce land in Nansheng Continent, a peerless female powerhouse who was personally granted the four characters “Immortal Bliss Forever” by the Immortal Alliance.
“What should we do now? Should we advance or retreat?” Mu Ruoyi was a little scared and asked subconsciously.
“You are the Saintess! You make the decision!” Zhao Li naturally didn’t dare to overstep in such a matter of leaving or staying. Mu Ruoyi’s face showed hesitation, and then she looked towards Cheng Hong Ling.
“If you want to leave, I won’t stop you,” Cheng Hong Ling’s tone remained calm.
“Then what about you?” Mu Ruoyi asked back.
“For the HongHua Sect, let alone the Shentong Realm, even the Heavenly Punishment Realm won’t be able to block my path.” Cheng Hong Ling looked up at the distance.
Hearing this, Mu Ruoyi looked at the group of female disciples, and her heart began to struggle violently. After a moment, she gritted her teeth and said to Zhao Li, “Elder Zhao, why don’t you take the senior sisters to leave first?”
“Then what about you?” Zhao Li quickly asked.
“I can’t watch her take risks alone!” Mu Ruoyi firmly shook her head.
“You don’t need to have any psychological burden! Feel free to leave if you want!” Cheng Hong Ling turned her head and added, “But I have to remind you that the current whereabouts of this magical creature are uncertain! Who can guarantee that you won’t encounter it on your way out?”
Mu Ruoyi and Zhao Li exchanged glances, and their faces showed expressions of astonishment. Zhao Li pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the female disciples and said, “Everyone, I know you are all scared, and some of you want to leave. But think about it carefully, the whereabouts of that magical creature are unknown, it could be ahead, or it could be behind. Who can guarantee that you won’t encounter it on your way out? Therefore, our greatest taboo now is to split up. Only by sticking together can we have enough strength to resist the risks.”
The female disciples looked at each other, all falling into thought. “Of course, if anyone is willing to leave, I won’t stop them. Whether to advance or retreat, you choose for yourselves!” Zhao Li added. The female disciples all showed struggling expressions on their faces, and after whispering to each other, they surprisingly chose to stay. Cheng Hong Ling didn’t feel the slightest bit surprised, because she knew that in such a situation, the most terrifying thing for those female disciples was not the fiend they had never met, but loneliness!
Zhao Li showed a look of relief on her face and comforted them with feigned ease, “Don’t be nervous, isn’t all this just speculation? It’s not necessarily true that there are powerful fiends.” The female disciples’ faces, with these words, their gloomy expressions gradually dissipated.
Mu Ruoyi felt guilty, so she whispered to Zhao Li to ask for her opinion, “Elder Zhao, how about I use Mullinglong to investigate? That might help clarify the specific situation!”
“But your Mullinglong can only be used once in a short period of time. If it’s wasted here, what about finding the Nine Nether Demonic Cat later?” Zhao Li retorted.
“If Hong Ling younger sister is willing to let me absorb her blood, it could solve this problem, but doing so would affect her strength.” Mu Ruoyi pondered.
“Then forget it, preserving our strength is most important right now,” Zhao Li said after careful consideration.
After the discussion, the female disciples of Shuiyu Valley continued to follow Cheng Hong Ling forward. Because they were afraid of encountering that fiend, everyone was on high alert and exceptionally vigilant. The group finally arrived at the foot of the Yuxiao Sect’s mountain. Judging by the situation before, the obstacles should become stronger as they went forward, so if there were any checkpoints here, they would definitely be the most difficult ones to pass.
“They’re here!” Cheng Hong Ling suddenly stopped, her expression becoming solemn.
As everyone was wondering, two figures suddenly appeared overhead. They were one tall and one short, one fat and one thin, standing proudly in the sky, looking down with eyes like gods who ruled everything.
“It’s a group of women. Judging by their attire, they should be from Shuiyu Valley,” the shorter old man spoke first.
“Shuiyu Valley? Isn’t that the largest all-female immortal sect in our Xihui Dynasty? I heard that hundreds of years ago, there was a peerless genius named Wen Jing among them, who single-handedly destroyed a deadly place ranked in the top ten of the Xihui Dynasty. This incident caused a stir throughout the cultivation world, was inscribed in poems and paintings, and can be called a legend,” the taller old man said slowly, pointing to the mountains and rivers.
“Heh heh, glory comes at a price! Ever since that woman named Wen Jing died, this sect has completely declined. Even in their local Nansheng Continent, they can’t even rank in the top three,” the shorter old man said with a mocking smile.
“In that case, the leader is actually carrying a Nine Nether Demonic Cat around so ostentatiously? It’s simply courting death!” The taller man casually glanced at Mu Ruoyi.
“Judging by her appearance, she should be Mu Ruoyi, who is now revered as the most beautiful woman in the cultivation world?” The shorter old man looked at Mu Ruoyi, a hint of lust in his eyes.
“I don’t think so. If she’s the number one beauty in the Xihui Dynasty’s cultivation world, she should be stunningly beautiful and outshine everyone. Why is there a girl next to her whose appearance is not inferior to hers?” the taller old man questioned, looking at Cheng Hong Ling, who was equally radiant.
“You two old fellows are chattering about people’s appearances as you please, isn’t that a bit rude?” Mu Ruoyi interrupted impatiently.
“Rude? In the cultivation world, the strong are respected. You interrupting our conversation is the real rudeness,” the taller old man said arrogantly.
“Strong? How dare you call yourselves strong when you’re merely in the Huashen Realm? Compared to my grandmother Wen Jing, you’re worse than ants,” Mu Ruoyi taunted.
“Wen Jing is your grandmother? Then you are Mu Ruoyi?” The taller old man’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right! May I ask for your guidance?” Mu Ruoyi asked back with a frown.
“Excellent! We have the Nine Nether Demonic Cat, and the Saintess of Shuiyu Valley!” The taller old man exclaimed inexplicably.
“It’s nothing, we just want to cooperate with you,” the shorter old man beside him answered.
“Oh? I wonder how you two want to cooperate?” Mu Ruoyi became interested. Their side was weak now. If these two experts genuinely wanted to cooperate, it might not be a bad thing.
“You stay, and we’ll find the Nine Nether Demonic Cat of the Yuxiao Sect together. The others leave here,” the shorter old man stated his demand.
“Is this cooperation? This is clearly a robbery. Others just want the Nine Nether Demonic Cat? You want everyone including the person?” Mu Ruoyi was stunned for a moment, then trembled with anger.
“If you insist on thinking that way, I can’t help it, and it won’t change anything. Today, you will cooperate whether you want to or not,” the shorter old man said very forcefully.
“You seem very confident in yourself! The last person who dared to speak to me like this was almost on his knees begging for mercy!” Cheng Hong Ling suddenly spoke.
“And who are you? When we Huashen Realm experts are speaking, are you a little girl qualified to interrupt?” The shorter old man scolded.
“Remember! My name is Cheng Hong Ling! Don’t forget to spread the word for me when you get kicked out later!” Cheng Hong Ling instructed indifferently, extending her jade hand. A scroll appeared in her fair hand. What else could it be if not the Fierce Weapon List?
