112. Surprise

"Which one is Ying Huanhuan?"

Among the shadowy figures, one man’s gaze glinted with a cold, sinister light.

"She’s the one in the white top and green pants, with the ponytail."

An elderly man with graying hair and a few wrinkles on his face responded.

His eyes carried a fierce glint as he spoke. He wore a gray-and-white robe marked with a black sun, its black and white colors shifting like the forces of yin and yang.

"Alright, proceed as planned."

The shadow nodded. "Let’s go!" The old man waved his hand, leading the others as they vanished.

…

Dao Sect, Sky Hall

Chen Xuan sat cross-legged on a stone platform, absorbing the surrounding energy with a remarkable intensity. His entire body shimmered with golden light, as if bathed in divine radiance, growing brighter and more resplendent. As the energies converged, the vitality within him grew increasingly potent.

Boom!


Finally, he completed his breakthrough! He had reached the Advanced stage of the Profound Life Realm. His breakthrough stirred the attention of the entire Dao Sect.

Ying Xuanzi and the elder in the blue robe exchanged smiles, communicating without words.

Down below in Sky Hall, Qi Lei beamed with joy. "Excellent, excellent! He’s only been in our Dao Sect Sky Hall for just over a month, and he’s already reached the advanced of the Profound Life Realm!"

"Congratulations, Hall Master!" Wei Sen grinned.

"Congratulations to you too!" Qi Lei replied, his pride evident.

"Old Qi, congratulations—you really struck it lucky this time!" Chen Zhen said, a trace of envy in his voice.

Xia Yan and Zhu Shan also shared in the sentiment, although they had to accept that what was done was done. At least, they thought, he belonged to the Dao Sect now.

Qi Lei replied, "Luck? This was my charm, recruiting such a talent!"

But deep down, he knew he really had struck it lucky.

Ying Xuanzi had given Chen Zhen the chance first, but he missed it. The second opportunity went to Qi Lei, and he seized it.

"Hmph, what’s so great about that? With the Great Desolate Scripture now in my Desolation Hall, our rise is imminent!" Chen Zhen huffed, his words tinged with bitterness.

Today, you act high and mighty, but tomorrow, you won’t be able to reach my level!

Qi Lei couldn’t resist a jab. "Ha! If it weren’t for my Sky Hall’s Chen Xuan, could you even be so confident, Chen Zhen?"

"What does that have to do with you?" Wu Dao asked, his face red.

Qi Lei replied proudly, "I brought him into Dao Sect!"

"You..."

"Unhappy? Doesn’t change the fact I brought him in!"

"Hmph!"


Chen Zhen and Wu Dao, frustrated, stormed off, muttering about how Qi Lei’s words had struck a nerve.

Qi Lei, inwardly pleased, looked up at the sky. "Xiao Xiao, keep it up. You’re next in line!"

Up on the pill river platform, Ying Xiaoxiao heard him and, though she didn’t reply, revealed a faint smile.

Indeed, he never ceased to excel.

Ling Qingzhu, this time, I won’t lose to you again! Never!

Chen Xuan glanced around, noticing Yun Yun wasn’t present.

With a flicker of movement, he landed beside Qi Lei.

"Hall Master, have you seen Yun Yun?"

"Oh, she and Su Rou went with Huanhuan on an expedition."

"What? Where did they go?"

"Blood Rock Land."

Qi Lei’s words barely landed before Chen Xuan’s heart sank.

Didn’t I tell her not to go? Why didn’t she listen!

Chen Xuan was speechless. "They might be in danger!"

"What?"

"No time to explain! Who can take me there?"

Chen Xuan was anxious.

At that moment, Ying Xiaoxiao, dressed in black, landed and volunteered, "I’ll take you."

"Thank you. No time to waste, let’s go right away!"

…

Meanwhile, in Blood Rock Land, Ying Huanhuan and her group, led by Yuan Fang, arrived at a stone peak.

Ahead of them, dozens of vicious and aggressive auras filled the area. Even the weakest among them was no lower than the Five Yuan Nirvana stage. A closer look revealed they were all Fire Crystal Demon Apes—a type of beast known for traveling in packs and being extremely difficult to handle.

"So many Fire Crystal Demon Apes. How can we possibly fight them?" Su Rou said timidly.

"We’ll have to outsmart them," Yun Yun replied, looking troubled as well.

Ying Huanhuan frowned and asked, "Sister Fang, were there always this many Fire Crystal Demon Apes here?"

"In the past, they appeared occasionally. But for some reason, they suddenly gathered in large numbers this time, so we had to request assistance from the sect," Yuan Fang explained, also feeling troubled. Something unusual must be going on, but with their limited numbers, they didn’t dare to investigate further.

Ying Huanhuan guessed, "There must be something inside that’s attracting them."

Although beasts are driven by instinct, they have a keen sense for the energies of heaven and earth. If so many are gathered here, it must be for a reason.

However, Yuan Fang shook her head. "Impossible. We checked not long ago—there were no strange items."

"Just because it wasn’t there before doesn’t mean it isn’t there now," Yun Yun said, her eyes fixed on the fiery forest.

"Yun Yun’s right," Ying Huanhuan agreed.

Yuan Fang asked, "So, what now?"

"Let’s go in and check it out."

"But Huanhuan, these Fire Crystal Demon Apes aren’t easy to deal with."

"Hehe, who says we have to fight them head-on?" Ying Huanhuan’s bright, lively eyes sparkled.

She lifted off into the air above the forest, raised her hand, and directed a burst of energy toward the forest. Instantly, dozens of fiery figures charged aggressively toward her.

"Be careful, Huanhuan!" Yun Yun called out.

"Don’t worry, I know how to handle them," Ying Huanhuan replied with a smile.

She waved her hand, and a light green energy gathered—a set of emerald harp strings appeared. She lightly plucked them, and a soft melody filled the air.

The fierce apes suddenly collapsed, as if lulled to sleep.

"A soundwave attack…" Yun Yun’s eyes showed surprise.

"Sister Huanhuan is amazing!" Su Rou said in awe.

"Hehe, all done! Let’s go!" Ying Huanhuan waved her hand like a fearless leader and led the group deeper into the forest.

They soon arrived at a patch of crimson earth.

Ahead, part of a dark tree jutted out of the ground. Ancient runes seemed naturally etched into its bark, emitting a strange aura. Five fiery-red fruits, blazing like flames, hung from its branches.

This was clearly what had drawn the Fire Crystal Demon Apes to gather here.

"An Ancient Immortal Tree!" Ying Huanhuan covered her mouth in shock, her wide eyes full of astonishment.

"How could something like this be here?" Yuan Fang was equally surprised. Not long ago, they had thoroughly checked this area and found nothing. When did it grow?

Excited, Ying Huanhuan couldn’t resist reaching out to pick the fruit. But just then, a voice echoed around them.

"Hehehe… thank you for coming, but your treasure hunt ends here!"