Yu Yi cautiously said, "My current cultivation is still shallow, and I fear I may not be able to fulfill Master's task."
Zhang Zai laughed, "Miss, you jest. With your cultivation nearing the perfection of the Golden Core, you have already surpassed the majority of practitioners in the Immortal Realm. Moreover, I witnessed from afar the way you broke the barrier of the Artifact Tower with that sword strike, the sword intent within it even surpassing Qing Xuan's back in the day. It seems your Heart Sword is already well-developed."
He actually understood the Heart Sword.
Zhang Zai continued, "I once worked with your Master for a period and went on missions together, so we can be considered old friends. The task I wish to entrust to you this time can only be handled by you and your Master."
Yu Yi hesitated and asked, "What task?"
Seeing her high vigilance, Zhang Zai knew that if he didn't explain clearly, she wouldn't easily follow them. So, he set up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping and spying, explaining, "You must know that when the Immortal Alliance was first established, it was to guard the Demon Path exit above Wangye."
"The sealing array at the exit has several stabilizing artifacts. These artifacts' spiritual energy diminishes over time and needs to be replaced regularly to ensure the barrier remains intact."
Regarding the "Demon Path," Yu Yi did know some information, which should be common knowledge in the Immortal Realm. Her Master had also left some records about it in the Bamboo Grove Secret Realm.
The Demon Path formed during the several hundred years when the Ji Family disintegrated. At that time, several venerable elders of the Ji Family fell into demonic ways, leading to internal strife and fragmentation, as if the great structure was about to collapse.
The conflict spread from the Ji Clan of Immortals to the entire Immortal Realm, where the righteous factions were scattered and engaged in endless infighting. The demons, on the other hand, were strongly gathered under the command of the Ji Family members who had fallen into demonic ways, growing in strength.
The once demon-slaying Ji Clan of Immortals had suddenly become the umbrella for demons, aiding the spread of demonic qi and swallowing the land. This was one of the reasons why the Ji Family became the target of public outrage and disintegrated within just a few hundred years.
The Ji Clan of Immortals split into two factions, one becoming demons and the other still upholding their original intentions. The two sides were irreconcilable, engaging in relentless battles until the final conflict erupted.
In the ultimate battle at Wangye, a dramatic turn occurred. The demon lord who had been leading the demons suddenly betrayed them without warning during the final battle, sacrificing himself to seal all demonic cultivators in the Wangye battlefield.
To this day, no one knows why the demon lord, who had been trying to destroy the world, did so.
As a result, both the Immortal Realm and the mortal world are filled with countless legends about the Wangye battle. There are serious historical records, and the psychological theories about the demon lord's betrayal are vast.
There are also many poems, songs, and plays derived from this battle. One can find related scripts in any bookstore in Yinzhou City.
After the Wangye battle, the remaining demons were no longer a threat. The new ruling powers in the Immortal Realm restored order, and the world returned to peace.
The righteous factions established the Immortal Alliance at Wangye, building the Moon-Touching Palace to guard the Demon Path seal and monitor any changes within the Demon Path.
Zhang Zai said, "This time, what we need you to do is to retrieve one of the stabilizing artifacts from the depths of the Emotion Flower Valley's submerged flower sea. The water there has a bewitching effect, and ordinary practitioners can easily get lost in it. However, with the protection of the Heart Sword, there is no fear. Thirty years ago, it was your Master who went down to retrieve it."
He mentioned this task, which Yu Yi had seen in her Master's notebook. He had indeed recorded an entry about going down to the submerged flower sea to retrieve an artifact.
Yu Yi sighed, "You came at a very opportune moment. I just learned the Heart Sword, and you immediately came to find me. I don't even know what excuse to give to refuse you."
The contract in Zhang Zai's hand was meant to bind Qing Xuan. If Yu Yi were more shameless, she could refuse. However, seeing Zhang Zai and the others' demeanor, it seemed they had no intention of giving her a choice.
"It was only a few days ago when I saw Qing Xuan's portrait being worshipped that I knew he had an heir," Zhang Zai said with a look of nostalgia, but quickly regained his composure. "The seal of the Demon Path concerns the safety of the world. I believe Qing Xuan's disciple will also be as righteous as he was."
Yu Yi didn't take the high-minded rhetoric he threw at her. She stroked Crane Senior Brother's head and said, "The Immortal Alliance is full of talented practitioners. Surely there are other practitioners who can be entrusted with this task?"
Zhang Zai honestly replied, "There are, but the sacrifice would be great. However, with your Heart Sword protection, it would be different."
Having said so much, it seemed she had no choice but to agree. Yu Yi glanced at the floating boat docked not far away, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, following the Immortal Alliance practitioners onto the floating boat.
Although Yinzhou City is under the jurisdiction of Zhaohua Palace, the distance between the immortal mountains and the mortal world is vast, hidden in places unreachable by ordinary people. It takes two days to reach Zhaohua Palace by floating boat, crossing a vast sea of flowers that divides the immortal and mortal realms.
Once on the floating boat, Zhang Zai handed her detailed information about the submerged flower sea, saying, "The submerged flower sea is located in the deepest part of Emotion Flower Valley, a secret lake within the realm. Its water easily attracts spirits and demons, so there is a demon nest at the bottom."
Attracting spirits and demons? Yu Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly as she thought of someone.
She unrolled the scroll in her hand, which was a map of the submerged flower sea. There was a deep crack in the sea bottom, filled with numerous rugged rocks and ravines.
The scroll also recorded the most common spirits and demons in the sea bottom and their characteristics and weaknesses. The handwriting was her Master's.
Zhang Zai also said, "This scroll was drawn by your Master thirty years ago when he returned from the submerged flower sea. However, thirty years have passed, and the situation at the bottom may have changed."
"Half a month ago, the Emotion Flower Valley secret realm opened, and the Zhaohua Palace issued public invitations to all practitioners, opening the realm to everyone. There are many practitioners in the Emotion Flower Valley now."
"I will escort you into the submerged flower sea together with the Zhaohua Palace practitioners, but only you have the ability to reach the bottom."
The Emotion Flower Valley secret realm of Zhaohua Palace is a natural heavy realm with a total of seven layers, similar to concentric circles. Each layer has natural barriers, either in the form of illusions or beasts. Only by overcoming these barriers can one enter the deeper layers.
The deeper the realm, the more precious the rare herbs.
Zhaohua Palace is built at the entrance of the secret realm, guarding the entrance and exit, claiming to suppress the beasts inside to prevent them from harming the world. In reality, they also occupy the vast resources of this realm.
Now, for the first time, they have opened it to the public, attracting a large number of practitioners, including independent cultivators and disciples from the Twelve Great Immortals on their trials.
As promised by the Zhaohua Palace's Palace Master Jiang Xi, there were no additional thresholds set, and anyone could enter. As for what treasures one could obtain in the secret realm and how deep one could venture, it all depended on individual abilities.
The secret realm has been open for half a month, and most practitioners are still in the first to third layers, with no one yet entering the fourth layer. The value of the treasures they can obtain is limited.
Zhaohua Palace's generosity is precisely because they know this. Only practitioners from the Twelve Great Immortals have the ability to venture into the inner layers and take away treasures that would make Zhaohua Palace feel the pinch.
However, those with such strength are prominent figures in their sects and would not lower their status to plunder someone else's secret realm, thereby offending others.
By opening the secret realm, Zhaohua Palace could disperse some insignificant materials, restore their reputation, and attract the people they wanted to their territory. It turned out that the demon indeed could not resist the temptation and entered the realm.
The practitioners who came to the secret realm this time were a mixed crowd, and it was very common for them to fight over the realm's materials.
At this moment, Xue Chenjing was in the third layer of the secret realm, chased into a mountain cave by a group of practitioners attacking him. As soon as he stepped into the cave, he was teleported to the deep belly of the mountain, where the labyrinthine tunnels amplified the breathing of the beasts hidden within.
On this journey, he encountered such blockades frequently, which was quite annoying.
Xue Chenjing clicked his tongue and held a plump photography worm in his hand, walking towards the direction of the panting. For half a month, this photography worm had been in his possession, its pitch-black body polished to a glossy sheen, almost reaching the point of "bao jiang" (a term referring to the patina formed on objects through long-term handling).
Whenever he had a moment, regardless of whether he was in a dangerous or safe situation, he would pinch the worm and glance at the bubbles it produced.
As Xue Chenjing walked, he pinched the worm again. The soft, fleshy creature was deformed by his fingers, and it spat out a bubble. Inside the bubble was the scene of the Pure Flame Pavilion's artifact building. There was no movement in the artifact building, and he was about to flick his finger to pop the bubble, but just then, a sword light slashed through the barrier covering the artifact building.
Xue Chenjing paused, his pitch-black eyes fixed on the bubble. After a long wait, the door of the artifact building finally opened, and Yu Yi's face, brimming with joy, appeared in the bubble.
It seemed she was very happy, smiling so sweetly. She must have had a great time with Xue Mingyuan from that life.
"System, affection level," Xue Chenjing asked.
The system responded, "Current affection level of the target, forty percent."
Xue Chenjing's brows furrowed deeply, then slowly and deliberately relaxed, as he smiled and said, "It's risen again. That's good. It was rising quite fast before, wasn't it? It reached twenty-six percent in just seven or eight hours. Now, half a month has passed, and it's only risen by this much."
"Xue Mingyuan is just so-so," he leaned closer to the bubble, almost touching it, wanting to see her expression more clearly. He reached out and traced her face in the air, "Not enough, Master. You need to like him even more."
The system remained silent. It couldn't tell if the host was happy or unhappy this time.
A blazing flame suddenly surged from the bubble, and Xue Chenjing's pupils reflected the firelight. He instinctively leaned back, and the bubble burst, extinguishing the fire reflected in his eyes.
Yu Yi had come out and burned his worm.
Xue Chenjing's smile faded, and he pinched the photography worm again. The worm curled up its body and spat out a series of bubbles, each reflecting Yu Yi's figure.
But soon, he saw Yu Yi shrieking and jumping onto Crane Senior Brother's back, unleashing several more sword flames that burned his worm. The bubbles now only showed Crane Senior Brother's sharp beak, which pecked down repeatedly, causing the bubbles to burst around him with a series of pops.
In the end, he almost squeezed the photography worm flat in his hand, but it couldn't produce a single bubble anymore.
Xue Chenjing was incredulous and annoyed: "She actually killed all my worms."
The system was speechless: "Master, anyone would be scared if you sent all the worms swarming at them like that."
Xue Chenjing looked down at the small black worm in his hand. It lay obediently in his palm, its body almost drained: "What's there to be afraid of? They don't even bite."
The system: "..."
