Under the mountain shrouded in thick fog, Cloud Mountain's geography became treacherous and unpredictable. This ordinary mortal mountain had somehow managed to trap many cultivators.
Numerous practitioners entered the mountain, only to wander in circles for days without even being able to exit a small patch of forest.
Even Pei Jingchao, whose cultivation had reached mid-stage Nascent Soul, stumbled in this misty trap.
Their group of six were all disciples from the twelve major immortal sects, the cream of the crop among the new generation of cultivators. Four were direct disciples of the Lishan Sword Sect, while the other two were from the Blazing Sun Sect and Shanyin Illuminating Flower Palace respectively. These two sects were on good terms with Lishan and had specially sent disciples to assist in finding the Sword-Sealing Stone.
However, after entering this bewildering barrier for a full seven days and exhausting every method they knew, they still couldn't break through.
"I've read about this kind of barrier in an ancient text," said Shen Qingzhi. He was from Shanyin Illuminating Flower Palace, which specialized in talisman arrays, so he naturally understood maze formations better than the others. "The book mentioned something called the Ten Demon Formation. As the name suggests, it's an absolute formation created by ten great demons. One of the demon arrays is exactly this kind of maze."
"The demon capable of laying such a maze is called 'Earth Impurity'. It's a demonic entity born from the world's impurities gathering in deep ravines and chasms. Therefore, Earth Impurity inherently contains the power of thousands of mountains and waters. Under its bewildering barrier, it can transform sand into mountains and water into seas."
As Shen Qingzhi spoke, he bent down to scoop up a handful of soil, crumbling it between his fingers. "We've been rushing about in these mountains for so many days, but we might just be circling around a few small mounds of dirt."
"I remember the book stating that this barrier cuts off spiritual energy. The mist is full of filth and impurities. If trapped here for too long, our spiritual roots will degrade, and we'll gradually turn into ordinary mortals incapable of cultivation, then die of premature aging."
Zhang Kuang, the body cultivator from the Blazing Sun Sect, irritably flexed the muscles on his arm and said gruffly, "Damn it! No wonder I've been feeling my meridians becoming more and more congested these past couple of days!"
The others nodded in agreement. During the few days they had been trapped in this barrier, they all felt their spiritual energy becoming sluggish and their cultivation dissipating. It turns out it wasn't just their imagination.
"I also sensed my cultivation regressing, which suddenly reminded me of what I read in that book," Shen Qingzhi said. As he spoke, he continued to rub the sand between his fingers. Far from looking worried, his face revealed a hint of barely concealed excitement as he surveyed the surrounding vegetation.
Earth Impurity was such a rare demonic creature that one might not even be born in a thousand years. So Shen Qingzhi had only ever read about it in books. When they first entered this misty barrier, he hadn't thought of Earth Impurity at all.
It wasn't until now, when everyone clearly felt their cultivation regressing, that he came up with this guess.
Seeing his enthusiastic expression, as if he had encountered some rare treasure, Yao Yuxiu angrily said, "You've said so much, but can you break through this barrier or not?"
Pei Jingchao reached out to grasp her wrist, frowning as he said, "Yuxiu, don't be impatient. Don't be rude to Senior Brother Shen."
"Senior Brother..." Yao Yuxiu turned to glance at him, her eyes filled with resentment and grievance.
These cursed demons had invaded Lishan on her and Pei Jingchao's wedding day, stealing the Sword-Sealing Stone and using despicable means to injure her father. How could she not be anxious?
The wedding banquet she had looked forward to for so long, which she had personally prepared for several months, staying up countless nights to embroider her wedding dress stitch by stitch – she hadn't even had the chance to wear it or step into the wedding hall before this calamity ruined everything. Who knows how many people were laughing at her behind her back.
How could she not be anxious?
Yao Yuxiu's eyes reddened, brimming with tears. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to devour these cursed demons alive and tear these sewer rats to pieces.
"Yuxiu." Pei Jingchao called her name again softly, gently rubbing her wrist with his fingertips as he shook his head in disapproval.
His gaze was gentle and understanding, exuding a convincing calmness as he said firmly, "We will definitely find the Sword-Sealing Stone and eliminate these demons that are wreaking havoc on the world."
Under his gaze, Yao Yuxiu took several deep breaths, suppressing the tumultuous emotions in her heart. Reluctantly, she said, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Shen."
Shen Qingzhi waved his hand, not taking it to heart, and continued, "To break this maze formation, we must first find the location of Earth Impurity's true form."
"There's dense fog everywhere, obscuring the sun and moon. Even our compasses aren't working. We don't even know where we are, so how can we find its true form?" another sword cultivator from the Lishan Sword Sect asked urgently.
His cultivation wasn't as stable as the others. After staying here for a few days, his Nascent Soul realm was already beginning to waver. He could barely suppress the chaotic sword energy within him. If they continued to stay in this barrier, he feared he might fall from the Nascent Soul realm.
With the thick fog obscuring their vision and preventing them from observing the surrounding mountain terrain, Shen Qingzhi could only rely on identifying the types and growth patterns of nearby vegetation. He bent down to examine the soil, rocks, and plants on the ground, while the others followed closely behind him.
Shen Qingzhi said, "Earth Impurity is a demon of the abyss. Like water, it loves to flow to low places. We just need to find the lowest point in this area, and its true form will definitely be there."
Hearing this, Pei Jingchao pondered, "The landscape here is illusory and uncertain. It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake, and with the thick fog obscuring everything, it won't be easy to find."
"Indeed," Shen Qingzhi sighed. "But this is the only way to break the formation. We have no choice but to try."
...
In a valley nestled between two peaks, this area was unusually free of white mist. The warm early spring sunlight poured down, casting shimmering reflections on the steaming hot spring lake.
The lake wasn't large, but it was extremely deep. Its blue-green waters turned pitch black in the center where light couldn't penetrate the depths.
A red-crowned crane with bright plumage stood in the shallow water, preening its feathers. Yu Yi rolled up her pant legs and stepped into the warm spring, scooping up water to pour over the crane. She watched as Senior Brother Crane spread his wings, splashing water everywhere.
Yu Yi raised her hand to block the flying droplets, her eyes curving into crescents, her smile more radiant than the sun above.
The young woman's silvery laughter drifted into the small wooden cabin by the hot spring lake. A tall figure stood at the window facing the lake, the shadow of the window frame casting his eyes into darkness, but a strange silver light flickered deep within his pupils.
Xue Chenjing held a kitchen knife in his right hand, his long fingers of his left hand pressing down on a piece of marbled pork belly. Early that morning, he had sent the Bone Demon to fetch a small wild boar from the mountain, and this was freshly cut from its body.
— All because Yu Yi said she wanted to eat twice-cooked pork today.
His gloomy gaze fixed intently on the person frolicking with the crane in the lake, as he sliced the pork belly into even, thin pieces. He imagined the blade cutting into Yu Yi instead, peeling off her fair skin and flesh slice by slice.
"Ahh! Master, you should watch the cutting board when you're chopping vegetables! You've cut your own hand!" the system suddenly shouted in his ear.
Xue Chenjing's fingers throbbed with pain. Looking down, he saw a deep gash on the knuckles of his index and middle fingers, cut to the bone. He let out a whimper of pain in his throat, then forcefully swallowed it back, pressing his lips tightly together.
The Bone Demon, catching the scent of his blood, suddenly leapt in through the window at the back of the cabin, crashing into the furniture inside with a series of bangs, and rushed to Xue Chenjing's side.
But a wisp of white mist moved faster, floating in from outside the window like a small white cloud. It completely covered the cutting board, licking up all the fresh blood, then instantly bounced onto Xue Chenjing's hand. It rapidly condensed into a soft, flowing white ball, wrapping around his injured fingers.
The Bone Demon didn't even get a drop of blood. Its eyeballs nearly popped out of its face as it stared in disbelief, scratching at the ground in frustration, its teeth chattering angrily.
Yu Yi's voice called from the lakeshore, "A'Qiu, what's wrong? I thought I heard something."
Xue Chenjing gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words between them, "It's nothing."
He waved his hand, shaking off the Earth Impurity wrapped around his fingertips. Tender flesh grew from the wound, quickly knitting it closed.
The Bone Demon stared longingly at his healed fingers, then raised its head to look into his eyes.
Xue Chenjing could tell what it was hoping for just by looking at its stupid expression. He stepped on its face and said, "Both of you, get out. Don't let her see you."
The Bone Demon, with a fresh footprint on its face, hung its head dejectedly as it climbed back out through the rear window and shrank back into the forest.
Xue Chenjing's gaze returned to the half-cut meat slices on the chopping board. He raised his hand and brought the knife down on the board, his voice as cold as if it contained crushed ice: "Twice-cooked pork? Why should I be making twice-cooked pork for her here?"
The system hurriedly tried to placate him: "Master, Master, the female protagonist's favorability towards you has already increased to 6%, please endure a little longer, you'll be able to complete the system task soon."
"Six percent." Xue Chenjing repeated each word slowly. The system's words not only failed to soothe him but made him even angrier.
A thin flush of annoyance rose on his jade-white cheeks. The corners of his eyes, as if drawn with a single brush stroke, showed traces of red. His eyelashes were damp as he sarcastically remarked with heavy breath: "Hah, her favorability towards her husband is only six percent."
No, not even six percent.
That day, when Yu Yi woke up in his arms, her jet-black eyes stared at him for a long time. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in close, and gently nuzzled his cheek. The young girl's voice was soft and coquettish as she sweetly called him, "Husband."
Xue Chenjing's heart blossomed with joy at that moment. Immediately after, the system chimed in his head, informing him that the female protagonist's favorability towards him was four percent.
As soon as the system finished speaking, with a clang, the favorability immediately dropped to three percent.
Three percent.
How dare she call him husband!
The current six percent was only achieved after days of fulfilling her every request and working tirelessly.
The system was speechless: "..." Don't you have any idea how you became her "husband" in the first place?
True affection can't be gained through trickery and deception!
By the hot spring lake, Yu Yi had already come out of the water, but she was still crouching by the water's edge, craning her neck to peer into the water. The crane had gone to the center of the water and was now sticking its bottom up, head plunged into the water, exploring the depths of the lake.
Just moments ago, they had seen a large white shadow flicker past the black hole in the center of the lake. Bubbles gurgled up from the water, carrying wisps of mist that shrouded the lake's surface.
The crane master lingered in the center of the lake for a long time but didn't discover anything unusual. Instead, it began to feel dizzy and lightheaded, perhaps from soaking for too long. It floated back to shore in a daze, collapsing onto a rock by the shore like a puddle of mud, weakly squawking twice.
Yu Yi hurriedly examined it closely, only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming it was unharmed.
She glanced towards the center of the lake once more before anxiously returning to the wooden cabin. She said to Xue Chenjing, "Achu, I think there's something at the bottom of the hot spring lake in front of our cabin."
Xue Chenjing paused for a moment before vaguely replying, "You must have seen wrong. What could possibly be in the water? Don't let your imagination run wild."
[System: Ding - A temporary strategy task has been triggered. Please note, host, that the target of your strategy got her clothes wet while playing in the water. Please seize this opportunity to kneel before her, gently lift the hem of her skirt, and dry her clothes for her.]
Hearing the system's voice, Xue Chenjing glanced at Yu Yi out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, he saw that her clothes were half-wet, the pale green skirt clinging to her legs, outlining the slender, straight lines of her limbs.
With his back to Yu Yi, he viciously tugged at the corner of his mouth before turning to walk towards her. Following the system's instructions, he half-knelt down, cupping her dripping skirt in both hands and using his spiritual energy to dry the soaked fabric.
Yu Yi looked down at the young man kneeling before her, reaching out to pat his head. She smiled sweetly and said, "Achu, you're so good to me. I like you so much."
Xue Chenjing raised his head, his dark eyes staring directly at her as he asked, "Is that so? How much do you like me?"
"I like you very, very much. In this world, I like you the most," Yu Yi said with a beaming smile. Her fingers slid down to his face, gently caressing the upturned corners of his eyes.
The young man's skin was slightly cool, his eyebrows and eyes dark as if painted with ink. The corners of his eyes were tinged with a hint of lingering red, as if he had been crying. Looking up at her like this from below, he exuded an air of pitiful vulnerability that was particularly endearing.
This appearance was truly very beautiful.
Xue Chenjing, half-closing one eye at her touch, asked in his heart, "Favorability?"
The system: "..."
After a good while, it finally answered tremblingly: "Fi-five percent."
Very well. Despite her sweet words, the favorability had actually decreased!
Xue Chenjing's chest heaved with anger, the corners of his eyes growing even redder, as if tears might fall at any moment.
In the empty space of the wooden cabin, ripples began to form. Transparent and sticky tentacles squeezed out of the air, enveloping Yu Yi from behind. The thick appendages swayed, longing to wrap around her body, tighten, writhe, and entangle, crushing her bones inch by inch, then devouring her flesh and blood, consuming her until nothing remained.
The system screamed, "Master, calm down! Think about the Sword-Sealing Stone, you'll be able to open it soon!"
Yu Yi blinked innocently, asking in confusion, "Husband, why aren't you happy? Don't you like hearing me say I like you?"
Xue Chenjing replied with a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I like it. I absolutely love hearing it."
