The radiance of the sun completely vanished behind the mountains as night fell.
Amidst the dense thicket, a star-blue peony bloomed under the night sky. Not far from the peony grew a small mimosa plant.
A tiny snake coiled around the roots of the mimosa, while beneath the petals and leaves of the peony slept a snow-white fox.
Yun Qingxue gazed up at the sky, where the moonlight was bright and the stars shimmered brilliantly.
Suddenly, she remembered the first magical spell she had learned upon arriving in this world—the ability to freely shift between her true form and human form.
Back then, when she had first arrived in this unfamiliar world, it was only thanks to Qian Dai that she had survived. That loyal, almost foolish girl had been willing to die for her useless master…
The stars above shone with dazzling brilliance, and Yun Qingxue recalled a saying from the world she once lived in—that people turned into stars after death…
Now, she had a master and had begun learning magic…
Was Dai Se watching from the heavens? If her spirit lingered, she must be hoping that her master would master her skills soon and reclaim the Flower and Wood Clan…
Lying beneath the peony’s sheltering leaves, Liuli lifted her head in confusion, gazing at the sky.
The night was clear, yet droplets of water—she didn’t know where they came from—dampened the snow-white fur on her head.
Under the bright moonlight, the pure spiritual energy of the world was slowly absorbed by Yun Qingxue’s outstretched branches and leaves.
The dark forest was eerily silent. Yun Qingxue snapped out of her thoughts and realized, to her surprise, that she had been crying without noticing…
She let out a long sigh, then suddenly sensed something amiss.
It was too quiet…
Even though it was night, the silence was unnatural—no wind, no chirping of insects in the mountain forest.
A sliver of unease crept into Yun Qingxue’s heart. She swiftly shifted back into human form, her fingers twitching slightly as strands of green light coiled around her fingertips. She flicked the light outward, scattering it into the surrounding forest.
“Swish, swish, swish…”
The green light struck distant trees and grass, causing them to sway and rustle, breaking the silence.
But after the commotion, everything fell back into dead silence.
Yun Qingxue’s actions didn’t startle any birds resting in the trees, nor did they disturb any nocturnal creatures. There was nothing—just a terrifying, lifeless stillness…
“Master,” Dai Se also reverted from her mimosa form and stood beside Yun Qingxue, nervously scanning their surroundings.
“Dai Se, do you feel something’s off?” Yun Qingxue asked.
Dai Se frowned in thought before replying, “It’s too quiet! When I cultivated in the mountains before, nights were quieter than daytime, but there was still wind and the occasional chirping of insects. But here, it’s like a graveyard!”
Yun Qingxue exhaled deeply, suddenly recalling a saying—the calm before the storm.
The unnatural silence could only mean something unusual was happening.
“Stay close to me and don’t wander off.”
With that command, Yun Qingxue sat cross-legged on the ground, closing her eyes to sense everything around her.
Her spiritual awareness slowly expanded outward, but the silent forest felt like an empty, lifeless ruin. Wherever her awareness reached, she detected no signs of life.
Even the wind seemed frozen in this space.
Because her magic wasn’t yet strong, Yun Qingxue’s spiritual awareness couldn’t extend too far. Soon, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Detecting nothing and nearing her physical limit, Yun Qingxue reluctantly withdrew her awareness.
However, just as she was retracting it, she sensed a faint anomaly from a mountain to the east.
Alerted, she carefully directed her awareness to investigate the eastern peak.
There was indeed something unusual, but no matter how many times she probed, she couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Her body was nearing its limit, and with unknown dangers ahead, Yun Qingxue knew she couldn’t exhaust herself on this one task. She withdrew her awareness.
Slowly opening her eyes, she found Dai Se anxiously leaning in. “Master, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Yun Qingxue replied with a troubled wave of her hand, her clear eyes fixed on the east.
There stood a mountain peak—the source of the anomaly she had sensed earlier.
“Master, is there something wrong over there?” Dai Se followed Yun Qingxue’s gaze and cautiously asked.
Yun Qingxue nodded. “I sensed something strange there.”
The moon hung high in the sky, its cold, silvery light spilling over the forest.
Yun Qingxue silently watched the eastern peak.
Suddenly, Dai Se’s eyes widened in shock. “Master, look!”
As the moon moved across the night sky, its light suddenly illuminated a spot on the eastern peak. The previously dark and lifeless mountaintop now emitted a fiery red glow, resembling molten lava from a volcano…
Yun Qingxue stared at the spot—that was where she had sensed the anomaly earlier.
She didn’t know what caused the red light, but right now, it was better not to invite trouble.
As long as the light didn’t conceal anything threatening, she had no intention of investigating its origin.
The anomaly had appeared, and its location was identified. Yun Qingxue calmly averted her gaze and turned to Dai Se. “Let’s leave this place along this path.”
“Yes,” Dai Se replied, immediately following Yun Qingxue without question.
Where there was strangeness, there was danger. Like Yun Qingxue, Dai Se had no curiosity about the red light.
Ever since arriving in the Yunhuang Illusionary Realm, trouble had been relentless. Now that they finally had a moment of peace, they weren’t about to go looking for more.
Having seen the anomaly, Dai Se agreed with Yun Qingxue—avoid it if possible!
Following the narrow path between the mountains, Yun Qingxue led Dai Se northward.
A-Dai was still asleep, and Liuli seemed listless, her large, grape-like eyes blinking drowsily.
Yun Qingxue and Dai Se carried Liuli and A-Dai respectively as they walked north. After about fifteen minutes, the surroundings remained deathly silent.
Yun Qingxue halted, surveying the landscape.
Damn it—after walking for so long, they had somehow returned to their starting point!
Without a word, Yun Qingxue continued north as if nothing was wrong. Fifteen minutes later, they were back again.
“Master, we seem to be going in circles!” Dai Se stood at their starting point, frowning in concern.
Yun Qingxue pressed her lips together in thought before saying, “Let’s try one more time.”
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