A clear voice, cool and clear, floated over. Liu Tianyun subconsciously looked up, only to realize that the river of time that had been spanning in front of him had disappeared.
The female cultivator flew through the air, surrounded by endlessly growing green vines. The green was exceptionally translucent and spiritual. Her red robe brushed past, accentuating her ethereal beauty.
She seemed especially favored by heaven and earth.
Thinking this, Liu Tianyun's gaze suddenly sharpened, "You..."
Before he could speak, Bai Shengyi's words cut him off.
"If I knew what you were talking about, I'd be jumping for joy," Bai Shengyi said with a smile. "With such a powerful master looking out for me, won't I be able to walk all over Shenqi from now on?"
Qing Lan's dim eyes suddenly brightened.
Perhaps he didn't realize it himself, but after Liu Tianyun's previous words, his brow had been tightly furrowed. Now, it had quietly relaxed.
He stood silently behind Bai Shengyi, in a protective stance.
Bai Shengyi paused slightly, but quickly continued forward, not letting Qing Lan notice her anomaly.
With a flick of her finger, intense flames engulfed Liu Tianyun with a whoosh, lunging at him ferociously.
"Red Lotus Demonic Lord, instead of sowing discord here, you should think about how to leave. The Heavenly Dao is not as easily fooled as it was before." Bai Shengyi said coldly.
Just as the Shenqi Continent's realm wall was unstable, and the nascent Heavenly Dao consciousness was weak and incapable, allowing people from outer continents to easily enter the Shenqi Continent, the Heavenly Dao consciousness of the Shenqi Continent and the Shenqi world was incomplete. This was why Liu Tianyun, from Chongyuan, could deceive the heavenly secrets and infiltrate the Supreme Sect.
But now, the Heavenly Dao of the Shenqi Continent had devoured the Heavenly Dao of the outer continent. The Heavenly Dao was unified, and it would not be so easy for Liu Tianyun to sneak in again!
As if to echo Bai Shengyi's words, shortly after she finished speaking, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and then lightning descended like a tribulation, striking specifically at Liu Tianyun!
The Blazing Sun Crimson Fire not only submitted to those with great fortune but also had the effect of burning away resentful demonic energy, making it perfectly counter to Liu Tianyun's Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
Liu Tianyun was not only burned by fire but also pursued by lightning, making him appear disheveled and furious.
"Damn it! Little girl, this venerable one remembers you!" Liu Tianyun let out a low, sinister growl and transformed into a black wisp of smoke, escaping.
Bai Shengyi made a move to pursue, but Qing Lan stopped her. "You can't catch him."
"He has many trump cards. Even if you caught him, you and I combined would still be no match for him."
If Qing Lan's previous statement was to calm Bai Shengyi down, then the latter statement made Bai Shengyi's brows furrow tightly.
"Master, is he truly that powerful?"
Qing Lan glanced at her indifferently. "The one who came today was just a clone of him. What do you think?"
Bai Shengyi obediently shut her mouth.
However, she couldn't help but think that her master didn't seem like someone who couldn't defeat the Red Lotus Demonic Lord!
It was likely that her master was not telling her the whole truth.
But Bai Shengyi didn't pry further.
Perhaps because of the complete Heavenly Dao, the previously dim and obscure Heavenly Dao Ravine now seemed to be imbued with boundless vitality.
Green grass sprouted in clumps from the gray ground. A breeze swept through, carrying hints of floral fragrance.
"Where is this floral fragrance coming from?" Bai Shengyi asked, confused.
The floral fragrance was rich and elegant. Taking a whiff seemed to increase the spiritual energy within her.
Daoist Master Qing Lan stared fixedly at Bai Shengyi, who looked at him in confusion.
It was the Samsara Brush that couldn't bear it any longer. With an indescribable feeling, it nudged Bai Shengyi, "Shengyi, look at your feet."
Bai Shengyi looked down.
She saw that beneath the shoes Qin Si had made for her, thick vines grew lushly. From her feet, countless vines stretched endlessly upwards, appearing at first glance like a crystalline emerald waterfall cascading from the heavens.
And the fragrance came from the dense clusters of vines at her feet—delicate, pale pink flowers, timidly blooming.
"Little Vine Leaf?"
Bai Shengyi exclaimed.
How did Little Vine Leaf become like this?
Daoist Master Qing Lan seemed to perceive her confusion. "The Spirit-Devouring Wood naturally lives on spiritual energy. The more abundant the spiritual energy, the faster it grows. This is the dwelling place of the Heavenly Dao, where spiritual energy is most concentrated. Therefore, it has advanced. However..."
He paused, looking puzzled. "Did you feed it anything else? Why does it look like it's about to shapeshift?"
Hearing Daoist Master Qing Lan's words, the biggest reaction came not from Bai Shengyi, but from the Samsara Brush.
"Shapeshift?" The Samsara Brush jumped three feet high. "No way, no way! This brush hasn't even shapeshifted, and little brother is about to?"
"It's just a trend," Daoist Master Qing Lan corrected.
The Samsara Brush still refused to believe this fact. With a whoosh, its body enlarged and pressed directly onto the vines!
"Little Vine Leaf, are you really going to shapeshift?"
The vines transmitted the faint voice of the Dream-Swaying Vine, "Boss, I'll wait for you to shapeshift first..."
"Hmph! Good that you know your place!"
Satisfied with the answer, the Samsara Brush immediately got off the vines. It didn't notice at all that the Dream-Swaying Vine hadn't answered him directly.
It could only be said that the Dream-Swaying Vine lived up to its reputation as a cunning, green tea vine, perfectly understanding the Samsara Brush's little thoughts. The Samsara Brush was no match for it at all.
So, although Bai Shengyi was always worried about the Samsara Brush bullying the Dream-Swaying Vine at first, she later realized that the Samsara Brush was just a silly little firecracker, and it was anyone's guess who was bullying whom!
Bai Shengyi was now thinking about what she had fed the Dream-Swaying Vine, only to realize that it had eaten a lot, including spirit stone ores and spirit-tracing wood...
"Master, aren't you happy?" The Dream-Swaying Vine, after pacifying the Samsara Brush, found its master standing motionless in place and immediately felt a pang of anxiety.
It had heard from other spiritual plants that some masters disliked their spiritual plants shapeshifting, because shapeshifted spiritual plants had reduced combat power and also became like human cultivators, possessing the same weaknesses.
The Dream-Swaying Vine extended two small tendrils, curled up, and tentatively hooked Bai Shengyi's sleeve.
"How could that be?" Bai Shengyi realized that the Dream-Swaying Vine was somewhat uneasy and immediately smiled, clasping its two small tendrils. "I was just wondering when you'll recover like this. We can't stay in the Heavenly Dao Ravine for long."
Not far away, Qing Lan stood aside, a faint smile flickering across his indifferent face, so quickly that one might mistake it for an illusion.
The Samsara Brush, wary of the aura emanating from Qing Lan, kept a distance. It vaguely saw this scene and couldn't help but wonder: Did Daoist Master Qing Lan know Shengyi before?
By "before," it naturally meant before Bai Shengyi entered Qianxiao Peak.
But even then, it didn't make sense. After all, Daoist Master Qing Lan held a distinguished position in Shenqi Academy. How could Bai Shengyi, who had no spiritual roots at the time, possibly come into contact with him?
After the Dream-Swaying Vine recovered, Bai Shengyi and Qing Lan also packed up and prepared to leave the area.
Before leaving, they both looked up at the sky simultaneously.
"Is Master also going to see the Heavenly Dao consciousness?"
Qing Lan nodded.
As they spoke, the two arrived at their destination.
After the unification of the Heavenly Dao, the rules in the sky became more intense and perfect. The pressure emanating from the rules was even greater, like sharp blades and edges with distinct angles. One wrong step and one would be cleanly sliced in half.
Beyond the sea of clouds was a sea of lightning. Lightning flashed, but there was no sign of gray clouds or eyes.