Never two without three…
With this thought in mind, Yun Qingxue led Daise and the others forward once more.
This time, she changed their direction. The previous two attempts had been northward, but now she guided Daise southward.
In this unfamiliar world, without a clear destination, it made no difference which way they went!
After another quarter of an hour, Yun Qingxue and her companions did not return to their starting point as they had when heading north earlier.
Daise, who had been nervously scanning their surroundings, smiled and followed Yun Qingxue as they pressed on. After walking for roughly another quarter of an hour, Yun Qingxue suddenly halted.
Daise looked at her in confusion, unable to understand why she had stopped. They were still within the dense forest.
Earlier, something strange had occurred near their resting place. Though they had left that spot, wandering through the forest in the dead of night was hardly safe!
“Daise, do you feel anything amiss?” Yun Qingxue suddenly asked.
Daise glanced around and shook her head. “This servant is too dull-witted!”
“I think we’re lost,” Yun Qingxue murmured.
Daise looked even more puzzled. There was only one narrow path running north-south through the dense forest. They had been walking steadily southward without straying, so she couldn’t understand why her mistress would say they were lost.
“Look there!” Yun Qingxue pointed ahead, exasperated by Daise’s poor sense of direction.
Daise followed her finger and gasped in shock. “H-how can this be? That red light was to the east! We were clearly heading south!”
“The path has changed direction—or rather, the road we’re walking on is an overlapping illusion,” Yun Qingxue explained, her mind racing.
They had traversed this forest path three times now. The first two attempts, moving south to north, had looped them back to the starting point. This time, heading north to south, the path had subtly shifted, now extending westward to east. At the end of the road, the crimson glow was unmistakable.
Yun Qingxue sighed helplessly. It seemed trouble sought her out, whether she wanted it or not!
Behind that red light, who knew what malevolent spirits lurked? Given the circumstances, she had only two choices:
First, stay put and wait for the enemy to come to her, leaving her to passively endure their assault.
Or second, take the initiative and investigate the source of the light herself.
After a moment’s consideration, Yun Qingxue chose the latter. It was better to act than to remain on guard, exhausting herself in anticipation of an attack that could come at any moment.
If she waited too long, her energy would wane, and by then, they would only be in greater danger.
“Daise, Liuli, stay close!” Yun Qingxue instructed before striding confidently toward the source of the red glow.
About half an hour later, they finally reached the vicinity of the light.
At the mountaintop, the crimson radiance emanated from a deep cave. The glow pulsed from within its depths.
Yun Qingxue cautiously stepped inside and peered further in. The light remained blindingly bright, yet its source remained unseen.
“Mistress,” Daise called nervously. “Who knows what wicked thing hides in there? This servant is too weak—you shouldn’t be burdened by me. Take Adai and Liuli and flee!”
Yun Qingxue paused mid-step and turned to frown at Daise. “What foolish talk is this?”
Daise lowered her head. “This servant is useless! After all this time by your side, I’ve only ever held you back…”
“Enough of this nonsense,” Yun Qingxue said, her tone softening. Daise reminded her too much of the late Qiandai—loyal to the end, willing to sacrifice everything for her sake.
“If we’re assigning blame, then it’s I who dragged you into this. You were sent to this perilous Yunhuang Illusion Realm because of me.
But since we’re here, let’s not dwell on who burdened whom. Instead, let’s focus on supporting each other.
If you’re weak, then train alongside me.
Besides, I believe our master had her reasons for sending you with me.
I am her disciple, and I trust she would never harm me!”
“Mistress… I swear I’ll grow stronger as quickly as I can!” Daise vowed.
Yun Qingxue smiled and turned back to the cave. “Good. Then let’s go see what’s causing this disturbance. Once we deal with it, we can rest.”
With that, she ventured deeper into the cave. The further they went, the hotter the air became.
After another half-hour, the scorching heat grew unbearable.
Yun Qingxue had remained vigilant since entering, yet no danger had presented itself so far.
Still, she dared not let her guard down.
“Mistress… do you hear that?” Daise suddenly asked.
Yun Qingxue nodded. “It sounds like chaotic shouting from deeper inside.”
Daise swallowed hard. “From the noise, there must be more than one monster in this cave.”
“So what?” Yun Qingxue arched a brow and smirked. “We’ve come this far. Even if we turn back now, I doubt our ‘friends’ inside will let us leave.”
With that, she strode deeper into the cave, though inwardly, she wasn’t as composed as she appeared.
Daise was right—the cacophony suggested a horde of unknown creatures dwelled within.
If they were just a ragtag mob, it wouldn’t be so bad. The real danger lay in them being formidable foes, in which case survival would be a slim hope.
Then again, true experts wouldn’t congregate like this.
Powerful demons prized their pride and dignity. It would be like a wealthy noble choosing to sleep in a slum—utterly beneath their station!
Unless, of course, this was like *Journey to the West*, where the cave housed an entire demon tribe led by a mighty chieftain commanding lesser minions…
If it were the first scenario, Yun Qingxue estimated the cave’s inhabitants would be no stronger than the swarm of Black Pythons they’d encountered earlier.
In that case, a fight would be tough but not hopeless.
But if it were the second… then everything hinged on the leader’s strength.
If their chief was as formidable as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, their odds were grim.
Of course, not all leaders were peerless. Some ruled simply by being the strongest among their kind.
As for outsiders? Only a fight would tell.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage