The world was left with nothing but a vast expanse of white.
“Who the hell are you?!” Yun Qingxue shouted with the last shred of her consciousness.
In her previous life, she had essentially died at the hands of Zhou Dao. Now, in this life, was she really going to end up not even knowing how she died?
And worse… because of her momentary carelessness, she had even dragged Daise, Liuli, and Adai into this!
“Heh heh heh…” The eerie laughter echoed like a ghostly whisper, and a voice equally spectral repeated Yun Qingxue’s question, musing to itself, “Who am I? Who am I…
Hahahahaha… Whatever you think I am, that’s who I am!”
This was the last thing Yun Qingxue heard before she completely lost consciousness.
She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but when her awareness finally returned, the eerie voice from before still lingered in her ears.
However, by the time she woke up, the ghostly laughter had turned into desperate, wailing pleas for mercy.
“Grandfather, please spare me! I was blind not to recognize Mount Tai!
Stop sucking, I beg you! If you keep going, I’ll die!”
Frowning, Yun Qingxue slowly opened her eyes.
The white mist that had surrounded her before she lost consciousness had somehow dissipated.
The sun blazed overhead, the sky a vast, deep blue, its warm light almost blinding.
She was alive!
That was Yun Qingxue’s first thought.
Then, instinctively, she turned her gaze toward the source of the wailing.
There, a clump of white mist hovered midair, being steadily devoured by some unseen force, shrinking bit by bit.
The desperate cries were coming from that very mist.
Following the direction in which the mist was being drawn, Yun Qingxue saw Adai—now in his true form, a massive serpent several meters long!
The dwindling mist was being sucked straight into Adai’s stomach.
*Burp!*
A loud belch interrupted Adai’s feast.
Seizing the momentary pause, the mist tried to flee, but it had barely drifted half a meter before Adai sucked it right back.
Yun Qingxue was stunned, but one thing was clear—Adai had saved them.
Glancing nearby, she saw Daise and Liuli still lying unconscious on the ground.
“Adai!” she called.
Adai paused mid-swallow and turned to look at her, only to let out another loud *burp!*
“Adai, Daise and Liuli are still unconscious. Get the antidote from that thing first!” Yun Qingxue ordered.
Before Adai could react, the mist let out a pitiful, whimpering voice: “Y-yes, oh great ancestor! Your friends are still under my spell. If you spare me, I’ll give them the antidote, alright?”
The voice was bargaining.
Remembering how she had fallen victim to this mist earlier, Yun Qingxue flicked her wrist, summoning a blue barrier that trapped the mist inside.
“What do you people even want?!” the mist wailed, its voice laced with fear.
“Nothing much. You’re just too slippery—can’t be too careful, that’s all. Now, hand over the antidote!” Yun Qingxue stretched out her hand toward the mist.
“Then promise to let me go!” the mist haggled.
“Adai, eat it! I refuse to believe we can’t save Daise and Liuli without its antidote!”
*Burp!* Adai’s belly was already round and full, but at Yun Qingxue’s command, he prepared to obey—only to let out another massive belch the moment he opened his mouth.
“Wait, wait, wait! Let’s talk this out, okay? Please!” the mist begged frantically.
“Fine, we’ll talk. But you’d better show some sincerity first!” Yun Qingxue extended her hand again, making it clear—antidote now, or else…
“Then… if I give you the antidote, can you promise that the great serpent—no, the serpent ancestor—won’t eat me?” the mist pleaded pitifully, deeply regretting ever messing with these people.
Especially that damn snake!
She had spent five thousand years cultivating in the Yunhuang Illusion Realm, painstakingly refining that vast expanse of poisonous mist to protect her true form.
And yet… in less than five hours, that damned snake had devoured all five thousand years of her hard work!
If this beautiful woman hadn’t woken up when she did, she would’ve been swallowed whole too!
Damn it all! As a snake, do you have any idea how much you’re eating? Does your mother know? Your father? Your ancestors for eighteen generations?!
“Deal,” Yun Qingxue agreed readily. “Hand over the antidote now, and I’ll make sure Adai doesn’t eat you—for the time being.”
“Done!”
Two pinkish beads flew out from the mist.
Yun Qingxue opened two tiny gaps in the barrier, allowing the antidote beads to drop into her palm.
The mist inside the barrier glared resentfully at her.
She had hoped to escape while Yun Qingxue opened the barrier to retrieve the antidote, but the gaps had been impossibly small.
What a cunning woman! The mist seethed with frustration.
Still, she had one last trick up her sleeve—she hadn’t given them the complete antidote.
If they tried to double-cross her, she could still use that as leverage.
“Adai!” Yun Qingxue called, holding the antidote but addressing the serpent who had just devoured five thousand years of someone else’s cultivation. “Keep an eye out. If this antidote doesn’t fully cure Daise and Liuli, eat that mist immediately!”
Trapped inside the barrier, the mist tensed up. Watching as Yun Qingxue prepared to use the half-finished antidote, she hastily cried out, “Wait, beautiful big sister!”
Yun Qingxue smirked coldly, turning back to the mist. She raised the antidote beads, her gaze sharp as a blade. “You lied. This antidote is fake.”
“No, no, no!” Terrified that the woman might just let the snake eat her out of spite, the mist hurriedly denied it, forcing an ingratiating laugh. “Beautiful sister, how could I ever deceive you? That’s the real antidote! It really is!”
“If it’s real, why stop me?” Yun Qingxue demanded.
The mist chuckled nervously. “Well… it’s just missing one last ingredient!”
“Missing an ingredient?” Yun Qingxue’s eyebrow arched. “So you *did* give me useless pills. Adai—”
“Waitwaitwait! Let’s talk this through! Gorgeous sister, I’d never dare trick you, right? I’m being completely honest!” The mist groveled desperately. Damn it all, threatening her at every turn—how unfair!
“Actually, I’ve changed my mind about negotiating,” Yun Qingxue said, her voice chillingly calm. “You’re too deceitful by nature. I think it’d be simpler to just let Adai eat you now.”
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