"Chase them!"
This time, without Bai Shengyi needing to say anything, everyone realized something was amiss and hurried after them.
It was raining throughout the secret realm, the heavy downpour ceaseless. The dark sky was like eternal night, and amidst the continuous curtain of rain, black mist rose, gradually obscuring their vision.
Bai Shengyi's steps suddenly faltered.
"Shengyi, what's wrong?" Feng Wuya immediately sensed Bai Shengyi's unusual behavior and scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
Bai Shengyi frowned slightly. Just moments ago, the black mist in her dantian, which hadn't stirred for years, had moved again. But upon closer inspection, it seemed like a mere illusion.
Bai Shengyi questioned the Reincarnation Brush and the Dream Grasping Vine. Both the brush and the vine shook their heads, stating they saw nothing.
The Dream Grasping Vine, rooted in her dantian, rustled its leaves and whispered, "The black mist hasn't moved for a year. It only stirs a little when Master feeds it spiritual energy. Otherwise, it's like it's in slumber."
"Shengyi?"
Seeing Bai Shengyi seemingly frozen in place, Feng Wuya and Li Xiaoxiao called out worriedly.
Bai Shengyi withdrew her thoughts and shook her head at them. "I'm fine."
"Have you found Qi Zhouzhengping?" she asked again.
"No," Feng Wuya replied, shaking his head. "Daoist Qi Zhou's cultivation is only at the early Golden Core stage. How could he run so fast? Even you and Senior Brother Jing Fei couldn't catch up to him."
Li Xiaoxiao whispered, "What if something happened to him?"
Bai Shengyi remained silent. It was highly probable that Qi Zhouzhengping had indeed met with misfortune.
"If it wasn't that person, then who could it be?" Jing Fei asked directly.
Their group had been searching this forest for an hour, yet they still couldn't find Qi Zhouzhengping, nor had they found anything related to the altar or formations.
The vast forest, apart from the towering ancient trees, seemed devoid of any living creatures.
Bai Shengyi said, "It's Bai Murong. Bai Murong cultivates a special technique that allows her to inhabit other cultivators' bodies. That day, she must have hidden inside Bai Yiyi's body and followed us into the secret realm."
Feng Wuya said angrily, "That woman is nothing but trouble! First, she used Sister Li to deal with you, and now she's here, undoubtedly plotting some mischief!"
They were unaware that Bai Murong had killed the Duke of Rong. They only felt that Bai Murong's deliberate entry into the secret realm was likely not just for revenge against Bai Shengyi.
Although Li Xiaoxiao was timid, she possessed a strong sense of justice. Together with Feng Wuya, they berated Bai Murong before resignedly continuing their search.
Feng Wuya, in particular, wore a distressed expression. "I never thought picking up a stranger would bring back a troublemaker. If Brother Qi Zhou truly met with an accident, wouldn't I be the sinner?"
"He clearly didn't listen to our advice," Li Xiaoxiao murmured softly.
Bai Shengyi ignored their conversation and continued searching in the direction where the resentment-filled black mist was deepest. As she rounded a cluster of bushes, her finger suddenly touched an invisible barrier, and she stumbled through.
"Formation..."
"Daoist Bai!" Jing Fei's outstretched branch of peony flowers met empty air as he watched Bai Shengyi disappear mid-sentence.
He quickly called out to Feng Wuya and Li Xiaoxiao, "There's a formation here!" and followed her in.
As Jing Fei and the other two entered the formation, they found themselves in a new world.
Unlike the torrential rain outside, this place was bathed in sunshine, with a clear sky and abundant spiritual energy. Countless spirit flowers and herbs swayed in the breeze, exuding an ethereal, tranquil aura.
"There are so many people here!" Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed suddenly.
Feng Wuya and Jing Fei hurried over and saw over a dozen familiar faces lying on the ground.
"Tianle? Hua Xueji? Brother Qiyang? Sister Li?" Feng Wuya recognized them one by one, realizing that besides his friends, the others were also the academy's elites!
These individuals were all powerful, yet for some unknown reason, they had fallen unconscious within the secret realm.
Jing Fei also saw someone he knew.
"Fairy Baixia?"
The woman in blue on the ground moved her fingers and, with difficulty, broke free from the illusion, opening her eyes. Upon seeing Jing Fei, a flicker of joy crossed her gaze, and she managed to utter a few words urgently.
"The key... was... was snatched... Illusion..."
Before she could finish, her eyes slowly closed again. Following this, a faint, serene smile slowly spread across her lips, as if she were having a pleasant dream. However, Jing Fei could distinctly feel the life force within Fairy Baixia gradually dissipating.
Jing Fei's expression changed. He frantically tried to find a way to preserve Fairy Baixia's life force, while warning the other two, "Feng Wuya, Daoist Li, there is another mystery here. Be careful and do not fall into the illusion!"
There was no reply, only silence.
Jing Fei turned around and saw that Feng Wuya and Li Xiaoxiao had already fallen to the ground, having been caught in the trap without realizing it!
...
"Could this be the Sanghai Spirit Mansion?"
Thanks to the days of cultivation in the Cangtian Spirit Mansion, Bai Shengyi's comprehension of time rules had deepened significantly. Thus, the moment she entered this small realm, she sensed that the flow of time here was clearly different from the outside.
However, as far as she knew, there were only two spirit mansions in the Sanghai Secret Realm that involved the rules of time: the Cangtian Spirit Mansion and the Sanghai Spirit Mansion.
She had already visited the Cangtian Spirit Mansion. This could only be the Sanghai Spirit Mansion.
But the Sanghai Spirit Mansion required the collection of more than half of the spirit mansion keys to be opened, didn't it? She only had fifteen keys so far, so how could she have entered here?
Bai Shengyi frowned tightly.
Just then, the small realm began to shake violently. A pillar of black light suddenly rose not far ahead. The moment the black light appeared, the serene atmosphere of the spirit mansion quickly shattered. The spirit lake dried up, and the spirit flowers and herbs withered...
"Damn it! Xi Men Hongchun, are you useless or what?" an angry female voice cried out, filled with urgency. "They are about to activate the grand formation!"
Bai Shengyi swiftly took to her sword and saw Xi Men Hongchun and an unknown female cultivator locked in a battle with eight late-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Although slightly at a disadvantage, the two were still holding off the eight cultivators. Behind them, a black-clad cultivator of unknown realm held a blood-dripping black stone, about to place it on the altar in the center!
"Stop!"
Bai Shengyi shouted sternly. In an instant, the Reincarnation Brush transformed into a bow, and the Chunhong Sword became an arrow, shooting forth!
"Puchi!"
The Chunhong Sword pierced the black-clad cultivator's shoulder. The cultivator cried out in pain, his hand trembled, and the stone fell to the ground!
"Who? Who dared to disrupt my master's affairs?" the black-clad cultivator asked, rising and grabbing his wound. He immediately locked onto Bai Shengyi.
Upon seeing Bai Shengyi's face, his anger dissipated, replaced by a strange smile. He then burst into hearty laughter, "So it's you? Bai Shengyi! I was planning to kill you after activating the grand formation, but I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep!"
Bai Shengyi coldly asked, "Who are you? Why do you know me?"
This was not the first time she had encountered an outer realm cultivator harboring malice towards her. She was curious who it was that ranked killing her on par with activating the Nine Yin Destiny Seizing Formation. Did they hate her that much?
Just as the black-clad cultivator was about to speak, someone interjected, "Gui Mo, don't forget the Sect Master's important matters. I'll deal with this woman. You continue activating the formation and don't miss the auspicious hour."