Translator XiaoBai: This is a really long chapter so enjoy :)



.....

The sudden shift in events made Zhang Yiyi's heart sink even further.

She carefully concealed her presence, not daring to let herself be discovered. The way things were going was clearly off—Fang Chun had lied to her!

Not only had he lied, but the elaborate deception had clearly been crafted specifically for her.

Fortunately, her ancient jade concealed her aura, and from the start, she had been extremely cautious. As a result, when the other party's divine sense swept over, they didn't detect her.

"N-Ninth Master, please forgive me. That female cultivator is far too cunning and ruthless. She was completely unaffected by me and didn't care about the lives of others in the slightest," Fang Chun hurriedly defended himself, pushing all the blame onto Zhang Yiyi. "Also, I think... maybe she really isn't someone sent by Yunxian Sect."

"Useless trash!"

The man struck Fang Chun with a palm, sending him flying, not even bothering to listen to his excuses.

That blow was no light strike, nearly costing Fang Chun his life. It was clear the man didn't consider Fang Chun worth anything.

However, despite this, the Ninth Master ultimately spared Fang Chun's life.

Fang Chun, who had been trembling in fear, finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his life had been temporarily spared.

"Thank you, Ninth Master, for sparing me. Thank you!"

At this moment, Fang Chun was like a completely tamed dog. The more he was beaten, the more respectful and grateful he became.

His servile attitude seemed to please the other man, and he did not strike him again.

"Whether or not she's from Yunxian Sect doesn't really matter. In any case, she cannot be allowed to live!"

Ninth Master didn't seem particularly concerned about the issue. Glaring at Fang Chun, he scolded, "Today's perfect opportunity was wasted by you! If we want to act again without involving the City Lord's manor, it will take more effort. Trash like you should've been thrown into the Blood Pool with your two fellow disciples already!"

"Ninth Master, please spare me! I still have my uses, I still have value! If she really was sent by the Yunxian Sect, it means the sect is already investigating why my two fellow disciples and I have gone missing. To prevent the Yunxian Sect from interfering and ruining the Patriarch's grand plans, you must keep me alive for future needs!"

Terrified of ending up like his two fellow disciples, Fang Chun desperately clung to his last bit of usefulness.

"Shut up! If I hadn't already considered that, do you think trash like you would still be alive right now?"

Ninth Master held deep contempt for people like Fang Chun, who were greedy for life and afraid of death. No wonder the so-called righteous sects were declining by the day—just look at the kind of useless disciples they were recruiting. Even a servant had more backbone.

Fang Chun, of course, didn't dare make another sound. He nervously stood up and moved to the side, doing his best to minimize his presence, terrified that Ninth Master might find another reason to pick on him.

"Once you go in, report everything you said to that female cultivator in detail. Don't leave out a single word, including her facial expressions and reactions!"

After leaving these instructions, the Ninth Master turned and entered the Black Forest without lingering any further.

Seeing this, Fang Chun immediately followed, and in an instant, both of them had disappeared from sight.

Though they were gone, Zhang Yiyi didn't move right away. She continued to hide just as carefully as before. What she had just seen and heard gave her a solid idea of what was going on.

Fang Chun was still Fang Chun, but he had long since betrayed the sect, colluding with the group led by this Ninth Master. Who knew what evil deeds they had done together? As for the two missing disciples from Yunxian Sect, there was a strong chance they had already met their end.

And now, it was clear that these people had teamed up to try and kill her as well.

The words of the Ninth Master echoed in her mind: "Whether or not she's from Yunxian Sect doesn't matter. She cannot be allowed to live."

Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but question who this Ninth Master really was. It was normal to be wary of her as a disciple of the Yunxian Sect, fearing she might ruin their plans. But why did it make no difference whether she was from the sect or not? Why was her death inevitable?

If they wanted her dead, they must have a reason.

Aside from her identity as a Yunxian Sect disciple, during her time in Jiagu Guan City, the only people she had offended were the Bai family. And now, right after being personally summoned by the Bai family head, this attack happened.

The one opportunity she had to go outside was likely the same "perfect opportunity" that the Ninth Master mentioned was wasted.

It seemed clear that these people were closely connected to the Bai family. Otherwise, why would the dignified head of the Bai family personally seek advice from a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator about exterminating mutated ants?

Zhang Yiyi's mind raced, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

The Bai family was far from simple. It seemed the secrets hidden in the Black Forest were even more astonishing than those in the Black Marsh and the Liuyun Mine.

Just then, despite having already left, Ninth Master and Fang Chun suddenly returned. Their divine senses swept the area again, catching Zhang Yiyi by surprise.

After confirming there were no abnormalities, Ninth Master and Fang Chun finally entered the formation once more and disappeared deep into the Black Forest.

This cautious behavior wasn't because the Ninth Master had sensed anything unusual. It was simply a habit of his.

Fortunately, Zhang Yiyi had been prepared for their return and had made no sudden movements.

It wasn't until much later, after confirming that the Ninth Master and Fang Chun were truly gone and that there was no one else around, that Zhang Yiyi relaxed slightly and prepared to leave.

As curious as she was about the secrets hidden in the Black Forest, she had no intention of venturing there alone.

By now, she had mostly figured out the reason behind the disappearance of the sect's three outer disciples, and she had essentially completed her external mission. All that was left was to report her findings truthfully to the sect. The sect would handle Fang Chun and the rest of the aftermath.

With the immediate danger temporarily resolved, Zhang Yiyi turned to leave. This was clearly a place she shouldn't linger.

But after just a few steps, her foot suddenly stopped. Before she could even look down to see what she had stepped on, a mysterious force pulled her, and in an instant, she vanished from where she stood.

No one could have anticipated that the Bai family's carefully constructed defensive formation had a small flaw—one that Zhang Yiyi had accidentally triggered.

In fact, the Bai family had tried countless times to locate and fix this tiny flaw, but they had never been able to find it. Because of this, they had never expected anyone to stumble into their sealed territory through it.

Zhang Yiyi certainly hadn't expected to be so unlucky. She had just been thinking about leaving this place of trouble, only to be pulled straight into its heart.

When Zhang Yiyi realized she had suddenly arrived in a place completely different from the Black Forest, she quickly understood. She must have stepped on something or triggered a formation, which had transported her elsewhere.

But where exactly was she now?

Looking at the vast underground cavern before her, along with the many openings of various sizes leading who-knows-where, Zhang Yiyi felt even more puzzled.

Could this be the place the Ninth Master and Fang Chun entered earlier, or was it somewhere completely unrelated?

For a moment, Zhang Yiyi couldn't make a judgment. She felt incredibly unlucky—after all, the sensation of stepping into a whole new world with just one misstep was not at all pleasant.

She carefully found a spot to conceal herself, scanning the surroundings meticulously. Then, with great caution, she gradually released her divine sense, careful not to extend it too widely for fear of alerting others to her presence.

At the same time, she used the ancient jade to mask her aura, hiding herself carefully to avoid being discovered before she could figure anything out.

In fact, she was not fond of the atmosphere here—it felt oppressive, gloomy, and even carried a sense of decay and destruction. It was clear that this wasn't a good place.

Not only was it not a good place, but her divine sense was inexplicably suppressed in this area, allowing her to sense only within a hundred meters, unable to probe further.

After a while, she decided to retract her divine sense, realizing it was futile to continue trying.

Confirming that there was no one around for the time being, she carefully searched the vicinity to see if she could find a way out and return to the edge of the Black Forest.

After all, the chance of exiting the same way she had entered was somewhat plausible.

Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, Zhang Yiyi found herself still in the same spot, without any luck in stumbling upon a mechanism that would return her like before.

"Maoqiu, come out."

After a moment, Zhang Yiyi gave up. She had no knowledge of formations, and rather than wandering around like a headless chicken, it would be better to let her space-sensitive companion, Maoqiu, help.

"Squeak! You finally decided to let me out?"

Once Maoqiu emerged, it exaggeratedly sighed and hopped onto Zhang Yiyi's shoulder.

"Hey, where is this?" It glanced around, noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, and was puzzled about where Zhang Yiyi had run off to.

"Be quiet. I don't know where this is either. Just check my memories," Zhang Yiyi hissed, stopping Maoqiu from speaking. She communicated directly with it through her thoughts.

Feeling too lazy to explain everything again, she released the previous memories for Maoqiu to review.

The contract they had made made it convenient to slack off. No wonder most cultivators preferred to contract spirit beasts.

Maoqiu was no fool. Seeing Zhang Yiyi communicate with it through thoughts, it understood that this was definitely not a safe place.

After reviewing Zhang Yiyi's earlier memories, it began to feel that its contracted cultivator was indeed having a hard time.

Yes, that's right. In Maoqiu's self-deception, it had always believed it had contracted Zhang Yiyi, rather than Zhang Yiyi contracting it.

This was one of the biggest excuses it used to convince itself to accept the contract.

"Tsk tsk, it seems you can't avoid following those two in to investigate because this is their territory."

Maoqiu communicated with Zhang Yiyi through thoughts, speaking sympathetically, "But you entered through a different place than they did. They went through the front gate of the formation, while you happened to stumble upon a flaw in the formation. This luck is almost heaven-defying. After all, this formation is quite complicated. Even if there's a small flaw, it would be difficult for a true formation master to find it. How did you even step on it?"

"..."

Zhang Yiyi was somewhat speechless.

After Maoqiu confirmed her guess, she didn't feel lucky at all. From the beginning, she had never intended to rush in alone to investigate under uncertain circumstances.

"Do you suspect this place is connected to the Bai family?"

Seeing Zhang Yiyi remain silent, Maoqiu began to analyze seriously, "I think the Bai family is truly no good. They still haven't dealt with that nest of disgusting mutated ants in the Black Marsh, and who knows what other filthy secrets are hidden in this Black Forest? Since we're already here, why not sneak a peek? We might find something good."

"This isn't a second low-level monster lair. Do you think you can just waltz in here like you did in the Liuyun Mine and come away with something easily?"

Zhang Yiyi didn't think it was that simple: "That Ninth Master is already at the peak of the Golden Core stage. Who knows how many other powerful opponents there are here, maybe even stronger than him? With just the two of us, how could it be so easy to grab their benefits?"

"If we don't try, how will we know? Let's take a look first. I can sense a unique energy presence below in this cavern. There might really be something good hidden here."

As a ferocious beast, what could attract Maoqiu's attention must be extraordinary.

More importantly, it was currently unusually passionate and determined about finding treasures to earn spirit stones in exchange for beast pills.

"Really? My divine sense is severely restricted here; I can't see anything clearly at all."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yiyi frowned and instinctively said, "But I still feel very uncomfortable here, and since the situation is unclear, it's best to find a way out as soon as possible."

"What are you afraid of? Even if there's real danger, I can tear open space and take you away directly."

Maoqiu patted its little chest, looking confident as if to say, "Trust me, don't hesitate—let's just do it."

"Are you sure?"

Zhang Yiyi recalled that Maoqiu had indeed torn through space to escape back in Jia Fang's cave, even using that ability to grab her. However, given its current cultivation, that would certainly take a toll.

"Of course I can! I'm a Spatial Thunder Beast; it's my innate divine ability!"

Maoqiu proudly assured her once more, but after a moment's pause, it immediately added, "However, because there's a formation blocking us, and I have to take you along, I can only perform a spatial transfer once in this situation, and it won't be very far."

"How far is 'not very far'?"

Zhang Yiyi held Maoqiu in her hands, staring into its little eyes and urging it to clarify further.

"Uh, at most five or six miles from the original spot."

Maoqiu didn't dare to make wild claims this time; after thinking it over, it offered a more conservative estimate. "Of course, this is only if I'm in my best condition."

This meant that if it had to help fight first, and then used its spatial abilities afterward, it couldn't guarantee how far it could tear through space again.

Maoqiu didn't say this explicitly, but with Zhang Yiyi's intelligence, she would certainly understand.

"Well, what do you think? Are we going for it?"

After waiting a moment and seeing Zhang Yiyi remain silent, Maoqiu impatiently urged her on.