Bai Shengyi retracted her spiritual energy and thrust her brush into the opponent's dantian, stirring it expressionlessly. "Hold it back for Grandma!"
"Phew..."
The golden core deflated like a leaky balloon.
After dealing with the thin man, she immediately helped Hua Xueji suppress the fat man's attack. Hua Xueji, as the son of an academy elder, quickly dealt with his opponent with Bai Shengyi's assistance.
Elder Li had never expected her two helpers to be so useless this time. She summoned the villagers behind her, who all transformed into peach trees, intending to imprison the two with them.
However, as soon as they moved, Bai Shengyi saw a faint, deep blue flame drift from her hand again.
"Ssss!"
The flame landed on the peach wood branches, igniting into a raging fire.
"Ah! It hurts so much!"
"My arm!"
...
The peach demons let out screams one after another.
"Stop burning! Stop burning!" Elder Li shouted at the top of her lungs, "Miss, don't be fooled by the bee demons. They aren't good people either. If we hadn't guarded this place for generations, they would have gone out and harmed people!"
"What's more, they took our nectar. What's wrong with us using a little of their honey?" Elder Li said, her entire face greedy and ferocious, devoid of its former amiability and kindness.
Bai Shengyi smiled.
To be honest, she had no good feelings towards the bee tribe after being hunted by Yingying. But at least they were forthright. Bai Shengyi intended to borrow their ancient trees later, so she was willing to help the bee tribe.
However, upon hearing Elder Li's words, she couldn't help but lean more towards the bee tribe. The peach demons, being hypocritical, possessive, and greedy, truly opened her eyes.
"Then what's wrong with you negotiating properly with the bee tribe?" Bai Shengyi raised her eyes indifferently, her gaze chilling.
Seeing that Bai Shengyi was not easily fooled, Elder Li panicked and threatened, "If you don't let us go, your two companions from Fengyuan Sect you just killed will seek revenge on you!"
Bai Shengyi was reminded by Elder Li and frowned slightly. "Where is Fengyuan Sect from?"
If she remembered correctly, there was no such sect on the Shenqi Continent!
Did they not only leave the Liuguang Secret Realm but also arrive on a new continent?
Bai Shengyi's heart trembled!
Elder Li: "Fengyuan Sect is one of the most prestigious sects in the Eastern Continent of the Shenqi World. If you let us go, we can put in a good word for you. Otherwise, you can just wait for death!"
"Shenqi World? You are not from the Shenqi Continent?" Bai Shengyi asked.
"What Shenqi Continent? We only have the Shenqi Continent here, with scarce spiritual energy. It's merely a place of exile abandoned by the gods." Elder Li clearly knew a lot about the outside world and didn't notice Bai Shengyi's attempt to pry for information, revealing everything she knew.
After speaking, she opened her mouth to continue threatening Bai Shengyi.
However, Bai Shengyi had gotten what she wanted and was not threatened by her. Just as she was about to burn them all with her flames, she saw the peach trees in front of her change from being human-like to incredibly dull, then their bark became dry and cracked, turning into withered stumps at a visible speed.
"Gulp..."
The satisfied Qiong Meng Vine coiled around Bai Shengyi's wrist like a little green vine, saying groggily, "Master, I was very useful. I ate them all..."
Bai Shengyi: ...
She never imagined she had raised a glutton that could eat anything!
However, Bai Shengyi was a little worried. Previously, Qiong Meng Vine swallowing the Spirit Chasing Wood was an act of desperation, but now it had swallowed so many spirit essences of peach wood. Would it have any ill effects on Qiong Meng Vine?
But she saw that Qiong Meng Vine was clear-headed, and besides being a little groggy, it seemed to be fine.
"Hua Xueji, have you ever heard of the Shenqi Continent?" For some reason, the name stuck with Bai Shengyi.
She always felt that she had stumbled upon some truth, but it remained extremely vague.
She thought that Hua Xueji, who came from the Shenqi Academy, might know something. But to her surprise, Hua Xueji shook his head, "No."
Just as Bai Shengyi was about to ask more, she saw Yingying arrive with a group of bee demons. She looked at the peach wood on the ground and jumped up happily, "Oh my goodness! They actually dealt with them! Wuwuwu, the Queen will no longer have to worry about not being able to transform..."
"Don't you need the blessing of the ancient trees for your transformation?" Bai Shengyi asked doubtfully.
Yingying explained, "The ancient tree's blessing is an opportunity granted to us, but essentially, we need to have sufficient cultivation. In recent years, because the peach demons stole the nectar, the Queen has had no honey spirit essence to nourish her, and has been unable to break through the threshold of transformation."
"The transformed peach demons have all been dealt with, but these cultivators from Fengyuan Sect..."
"Don't worry! We will immediately take over the secret realm barrier controlled by the peach demons and seal the entire secret realm. Aren't you still going to the ancient tree? I'll have someone send you there quickly. We will seal the secret realm in two days, so you must come out in advance!"
Yingying said, and had someone take Bai Shengyi and Hua Xueji over.
As soon as the two arrived under the ancient tree, the Bee Queen appeared and said, "Two benefactors, please make yourselves at home."
Bai Shengyi could now control her fear of soft-bodied insects. She did not stand on ceremony and, with Hua Xueji, rode their swords around the ancient tree.
The trunk was thick, and the branches and leaves were luxuriant. After circling for a long time, they had only examined one main trunk.
Just as Bai Shengyi was about to examine another main trunk, she heard Hua Xueji point to a spot and say, "Here!"
Bai Shengyi leaned closer and indeed felt chaotic spatial fluctuations.
"The jade slip lit up again." Bai Shengyi held the jade slip and moved a little closer. In an instant, the surroundings seemed to open up a brand new space, filled with various kinds of spiritual energy.
"Guests, what are you doing?"
The Bee Queen sensed a great oppressive force and hurriedly ordered someone to investigate, only to see that the two people who were just there had vanished.
"Your Highness, what should we do?" the little bee buzzed.
The Queen said helplessly, "Seal the secret realm first, and we'll talk when they come out."
Bai Shengyi did not know that because of their ordeal, the most renowned Taoyuan Secret Realm in the Eastern Continent of the Shenqi World was suddenly closed indefinitely.
At this moment, Bai Shengyi was staring blankly at everything before her.
After she and Hua Xueji placed the box in the correct position, they were drawn into the spatial fluctuations and were disoriented for half a day. In a blink of an eye, they were back in the Golden Wood Peach Forest.
"Shengyi! Where did you go!" Chu Tianle saw Bai Shengyi and rushed over excitedly, hugging her tightly. "You scared us to death!"
"It's okay, it's okay, I just went to an unknown secret realm, and I also met Hua Xueji." Bai Shengyi patted Chu Tianle's back.
Chu Tianle suddenly realized his gaffe and quickly let go of Bai Shengyi, greeting Hua Xueji, "Fellow Daoist Hua."
Hua Xueji was not a warm person and just nodded.
Bai Shengyi saw Xun Meng also running over and asked about Feng Wuya's condition, then told everyone about her experience in the Taoyuan Secret Realm.
"Shenqi Continent? That name, it sounds so familiar." Xun Meng suddenly said.