...
The raging fire was reflected in Luo Zhiqing's eyes.
The screams of her neighbors echoed in her ears.
Her parents and friends died before her eyes.
Still a young girl, her cheeks were streaked with tears, and her eyes were hollow.
Her heart was plunged into icy stillness.
She had lost everything... her home, her family.
The young Luo Zhiqing hugged her shoulders, curling her trembling body into a ball, alone, as the surroundings gradually plunged into endless darkness.
Just before her world was completely enveloped by darkness.
A voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
"Master."
The girl looked up in surprise and turned to look back.
At that moment, the scene instantly changed, the darkness dissipated, cherry blossoms drifted down with the warm sun, and she, clad in white, was already the Piaoyue Sword Immortal.
The young man stood behind her, a smile on his handsome face warmer than the warm sun, melting the ice and snow.
He extended his hand, "What are you spacing out for? Let's go."
Luo Zhiqing stared at Chu Yuan, stunned for a long moment.
Then she also extended her hand and took Chu Yuan's.
"Mm."
Her face, usually like an ice mountain, showed a captivating smile, though the curve was minimal.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Mm..."
Her heart filled with warmth, Luo Zhiqing slowly opened her eyes.
Only then did she realize she had just been dreaming.
Suddenly, she felt the warmth and touch so close beside her.
She turned her head to look.
What met her eyes was Chu Yuan's face, incredibly close.
"Master, you're awake."
Luo Zhiqing's heart inexplicably fluttered, and she moved away from Chu Yuan's shoulder, creating some distance.
So... she had been sleeping with her head on Chu Yuan's shoulder the whole time.
She had never fallen asleep in front of others, so utterly defenceless.
But she didn't dislike this feeling at all.
Even though she had never been this close to any man.
Luo Zhiqing glanced sideways, not looking at Chu Yuan, and softly responded, "Mm."
She sensed the condition of her body, then stood up and said:
"My Cultivation has already recovered. Let's leave this place and see if we can save more Sect Disciples."
"Good."
【After you left the Immortal Cave, you began searching for other Disciples.】
【After some time, you killed dozens of demonic cultivators and rescued nearly ten fellow Disciples.】
【These fellow Disciples were deeply moved that Luo Zhiqing, as the Sect Master, would personally risk danger to save them, and they were filled with admiration and gratitude, becoming completely trusting of her.】
【Just as all of you gathered together to discuss how to evade the demonic cultivators, save the remaining fellow Disciples, and spend the remaining days before the Secret Realm exit opened—】
【A huge gap suddenly appeared above the Secret Realm, followed by a powerful Spiritual Pressure sweeping over.】
【You were astonished to find that it was the Old Ancestor of the Piaomiao Sword Sect who had arrived, forcefully breaking open the Secret Realm.】
【The Old Ancestor transmitted a message from high in the sky, telling the Disciples of all Sects to leave, then with a wave of his hand, instantly annihilated a large number of demonic cultivators.】
【The crisis of the Secret Realm was thus resolved.】
【Afterward, Luo Zhiqing led a group of Disciples, including you, to thank the Old Ancestor. The Old Ancestor merely nodded slightly and then told you to leave the Secret Realm first, leaving him to handle the aftermath.】
【You were a little puzzled.】
【Because the Old Ancestor had always remained aloof from worldly affairs, and among the Old Ancestors of the many Righteous Path Sects, he was the most low-key one. He shouldn't have made a move unless the Sect was in a critical life-or-death situation.】
【But this time, he came faster than all the other Old Ancestors, and even actively handled the aftermath.】
【It was as if there was something he particularly cared about within the Secret Realm.】
【However, the Old Ancestor was a Soul Transformation Stage mighty figure, and you believed that it was useless for your Realm to speculate about the Old Ancestor, so you temporarily put the matter aside.】
【Some days passed after this incident, and your relationship with Luo Zhiqing grew closer.】
【In addition to Luo Zhiqing guiding your Cultivation, you often shared meals and confided in each other, and your relationship was clearly beyond that of ordinary Master and Disciple.】
【During discussions of certain viewpoints, Luo Zhiqing discovered that you had unique and more correct insights into handling Sect affairs, so she confidently entrusted more Sect matters to your decision-making and handling.】
【When facing the problem of demonic cultivators, she no longer acted as stubbornly as before, learning to let go and asking for your thoughts.】
【Later, she admitted that she was not as good as you in managing the Sect properly.】
【You thought this was natural; after all, you came from the modern era.】
【At the same time,】
【Whenever Luo Zhiqing reached the days when her Cultivation was lost, you would personally attend to and care for her, putting her at ease.】
【You could feel that Luo Zhiqing trusted you more and more, even to the point of being completely undefended.】
【As time went on, your way of addressing her also changed.】
【It was no longer the formal "you" (you), but the more intimate "you" (you), and Luo Zhiqing showed no aversion to this, seemingly preferring it.】
【One day, Luo Zhiqing gave you a Magic Treasure that could unleash the full power of one of her attacks. It was said to be refined with her essence blood, and you gratefully accepted it.】
...
"Finally, Foundation Establishment Perfection."
Chu Yuan sat cross-legged in his Immortal Cave, examining his Dantian, and nodded.
More than ten years had passed since the Secret Realm trial, and his Cultivation was even more refined, his strength several times greater than before.
He could now store some Spiritual Qi in the unformed Golden Core within his Dantian, instead of solely relying on the Qi Sea in his Dantian to store and utilize Spiritual Qi.
This pleased him greatly, as this feat was usually only achievable by true Golden Core Stage cultivators. He essentially gained another trump card, making his combat power even stronger among those of the same stage.
Not to mention being invincible among his peers, even if he encountered an Early Stage Golden Core cultivator, Chu Yuan was confident he could contend with them.
【To prepare for breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, you decided to take on some Sect missions, go out for experience, and increase your experience in all aspects, thereby thoroughly solidifying your current Realm.】
【You informed Luo Zhiqing of this matter, and after receiving her permission, you went to accept a large mission led by the current Grand Elder, and left the Sect with the Grand Elder.】
【Many Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers were performing this mission with you. The team comprised dozens of people, and when flying on swords in the sky, they looked like a flock of swallows from afar.】
【According to the Grand Elder, your mission was to guard the various checkpoints of a certain town, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, and not to leave your posts without authorization, as demonic cultivators might be eyeing something in this town.】
【Before officially beginning the guard duty, the Grand Elder waved his hand and instilled something into each of your bodies, saying it was his aura, which could sense the location of each Disciple.】
As night deepened, the surroundings gradually quieted down.
Chu Yuan and several Senior Brothers were stationed at a checkpoint, chatting occasionally.
Just then, a ragged woman stumbled out of the town and collapsed in front of Chu Yuan and the others.
She cried out:
"Please, Immortal Master, save me! My daughter... my daughter went out to play this afternoon and hasn't returned yet! I've searched everywhere in town, but there's no trace of her. Please let me go out and look for her..."
Chu Yuan frowned slightly, "Madam, there might be demonic cultivators lurking near the town. It may not be a simple case of getting lost. This place is fraught with danger, and going out carelessly could lead to disaster."
"Please, Immortal Master!"
The woman knelt on the ground, weeping heartbreakingly, "I only have this one daughter. She's young, and if she encounters danger... I won't be able to live either!"
The several Senior Brothers nearby showed signs of pity, but ultimately remained unmoved.
"Senior Brother Chu, what... what should we do?"
Finally, a Junior Brother, with a hesitant expression, asked Chu Yuan for instructions on how to handle the situation.
Chu Yuan looked at the woman, and after a moment, sighed softly.
He possessed various protective Magic Treasures given by his Master; even if he encountered demonic cultivators, as long as a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator didn't appear, they shouldn't be able to keep him.
He called a few Senior Brothers over and said to them:
"You all continue to guard the checkpoint. No one is allowed to enter or leave without authorization. I will bear the responsibility for leaving my post alone."
With that, he took his long sword and walked into the night.
Chu Yuan searched back and forth in the wasteland and forest outside the town, his spiritual sense spreading out to investigate, but he never felt the slightest trace of a demonic cultivator.
It wasn't until he reached a stream that he finally found the little girl the woman had spoken of.
The little girl's clothes were covered in mud; she had clearly gotten lost and was waiting there by herself. When she saw Chu Yuan, her tearful eyes were full of fear and grievance.
"Who, who are you?"
"Your mother asked me to take you home." Chu Yuan gently picked up the girl and turned to fly towards the town.
He hurried along, maintaining his vigilance, even unconsciously circulating his Spiritual Qi to sense his surroundings, yet still found nothing unusual.
Only when the town gradually appeared in his sight did he slightly relax.
However, when he stepped into the town's checkpoint, what greeted him was utter silence.
The town's houses had been burned to ashes by a great fire, the surroundings were scorched black, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
What chilled him even more was that the Senior Brothers responsible for guarding lay one after another on the ground, their eyes wide open, their faces still bearing unwillingness and terror, completely devoid of life.
Chu Yuan put the little girl down and slowly walked towards a Senior Brother's corpse, trembling as he reached out to feel his pulse.
The touch was icy cold, without a trace of life.
Looking at the face, the corpse was shriveled like withered wood; its Spiritual Qi and flesh had clearly been sucked dry.
"No..."
Chu Yuan collapsed to the ground, utterly distraught.
He looked at everything before him, his mind seemingly exploding into a blank space.
"Why?"
Suddenly, his gaze swept over the lingering fluctuations in the air, and that faint, indistinct aura sent a shiver through his heart.
"This aura... it's exactly the same as those demonic cultivator suicide warriors in the Secret Realm!"