Chapter 33: A Dilemma and a Secret Realm’s Unveiling

The combined gazes of the two women bore down on Qin Yangjun, a pressure he had never imagined he would endure.

‘Hua Yaoyao’s behavior was one thing, but why had Yu Lingyue, the very protagonist of this world, also turned out this way?’ he silently wondered.

‘Where was her protagonist’s composure?’

“I choose… how about we all enjoy the refreshing breeze on the deck together?”

Unwilling to displease either woman, Qin Yangjun, knowing a direct choice would only lead to trouble, deftly proposed a third alternative.

Both Hua Yaoyao and Yu Lingyue paused, clearly taken aback, before their voices harmonized in a single, eager response.

“Fine!”

Thus, under the collective gaze of the disciples, Qin Yangjun found himself positioned at the ship’s prow, with Hua Yaoyao and Yu Lingyue pressed tightly against his sides.

Qin Yangjun stood stiffly, a silent scream trapped within him; this was arguably a far worse outcome than simply choosing one.

Even now, the two women continued their subtle rivalry.

“Senior Brother, look at that cloud. Doesn’t it resemble a peach?”

“I find it more akin to a pear.”

“No, it’s unmistakably a peach.”

“It is a pear.”

“Senior Brother, what do you say it resembles?”

“Indeed, Senior Brother, tell us.”

Qin Yangjun, utterly indifferent to the cloud’s form, found his mind drifting to a song from his past life, evoked by his current predicament.

The song was titled ‘Escape’.

The playful rivalry between Hua Yaoyao and Yu Lingyue persisted for what felt like an eternity, until the group finally reached the mountain gate of Qingluan Mountain. Only after they had transferred to the Yuqian Sect’s (TL Note: Yuqian Sect is a powerful immortal sect.) immortal boat was Qin Yangjun finally able to extricate himself from that suffocating atmosphere.

Having finally made his escape, Qin Yangjun promptly retreated to his room, resolving not to venture out again. What the two women chose to do outside was, at that point, entirely irrelevant to him.

Yet, as they journeyed back towards the Yuqian Sect, Qin Yangjun, peering from his room, caught sight of two swift arcs of rainbow light streaking across the distant sky.

A distinctly familiar aura registered with Qin Yangjun.

If his instincts served him correctly, it was likely their sect’s Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder.

Both of these elders possessed considerable mastery in the art of array formations.

Their trajectory pointed distinctly eastward.

Qin Yangjun sank into contemplation.

‘It appears my elder sister is already poised to act,’ he mused.

Yet, in the original narrative, the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect (TL Note: The Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect is a malevolent sect with a sinister reputation.) had been brought down by Yu Lingyue and another protagonist through cunning stratagems. Was his involvement now altering the plot prematurely?

‘Ah, forget it!’ he thought, dismissing the concern. ‘When soldiers come, use generals to block them; when water comes, use earth to cover it (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to adapt to changing circumstances; deal with whatever comes). The plot has already veered so far off course, what does it matter if I tweak a line or two more?’

His next task was to prepare for the impending events.

This was a secret realm unlike any other, a landscape of picturesque mountains and crystalline waters, enveloped by verdant foliage. Amidst the towering peaks, a series of striking palaces lay nestled.

Strikingly different from the surrounding verdant landscape, the palaces themselves boasted an unsettling architectural style. Their jet-black marble walls appeared to be fused with the skeletal remains of some unknown beast, and from their stony surfaces, a faint, sanguine aura subtly emanated.

Around these structures, every tree stood withered and lifeless, as though the very air had been poisoned by some arcane chemical plant.

Two figures, clad in black robes, traversed the mountain paths, herding before them a procession of ordinary individuals whose faces bore only vacant, lifeless expressions.

One of the robed figures wielded a long whip, and with every sharp crack, the people ahead would lurch forward two steps, their movements clumsy and involuntary.

“Do you truly believe that brat Cheng Lieqing can successfully complete his mission?”

“I’m not certain. After all, they’re opposing the Yuqian Sect. If that sect were so easily manipulated, our Cult Master wouldn’t be in such a sorry predicament.”

“Hey, keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish? If anyone else hears you, you’ll end up as ‘human medicine’ yourself.”

With that, the speaker cast a wary glance around their surroundings.

“Have you been dabbling with those human cauldrons for so long that you’ve lost your mind? Most of the people on this mountain have already been ordered to Luohe Town. Where would anyone come from to eavesdrop on us?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his companion abruptly halted.

“What troubles you?”

Following his companion’s line of sight, he discerned a figure standing some distance ahead. From their silhouette, it was clearly a woman.

Even from behind, she appeared to be a stunning beauty. The two men detected not a single trace of spiritual energy from her, leading them to believe she was merely a mortal.

They exchanged a knowing glance, a wicked smirk spreading across their faces.

Their secret realm, hidden beneath the ocean’s depths, was quite unique. Occasionally, unfortunate souls would be shipwrecked and plummet into its hidden confines.

These unrecorded individuals, should they be discovered by ordinary disciples like themselves, were considered a ‘perk’.

Men could be consumed as blood sacrifices, while women could be refined into human cauldrons.

“This time, I get to go first! I yielded the last blood sacrifice to you!”

“Last time was last time, but this time…”

Before he could complete his sentence, a sudden, chilling dread permeated his very being. Both men involuntarily lifted their gazes, only to find the woman had turned, her eyes fixed upon them.

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, and unsettlingly familiar.

“Human medicine… it seems I wasn’t mistaken after all. Only vermin like you would resort to such heinous methods, truly defying the heavens and violating all reason…”

As her words resonated, a chilling realization dawned upon the two men, their memories jolted awake. They stared at the woman before them, their faces contorted in abject terror.

“She… she’s…”

“Mu Xianxian!?”

One of them shrieked in sheer terror. As both men spun to make their escape, a flash of fiery light ignited within Mu Xianxian’s eyes.

A torrent of flames erupted, instantly engulfing their forms. Before they could even utter a single cry of agony, their bodies disintegrated into charred fragments, scattering across the ground.

Mu Xianxian’s gaze fell upon the ordinary people, their faces still unnervingly blank.

‘Three souls and seven spirits (TL Note: In Taoist belief, a human has three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls)… lacking two ethereal souls and four corporeal souls,’ she observed. ‘These individuals are no different from walking corpses.’

‘There is no longer any hope for their salvation; it would be more merciful to grant them release.’

“Begin.”

As Mu Xianxian uttered a soft, almost imperceptible sigh, a brilliant beam of light erupted in the heavens.

The sky, which had been perfectly clear moments before, abruptly became choked with ominous dark clouds. From within these swirling masses, innumerable chains materialized, weaving across the firmament and binding the entire expanse of the sky.

From within the palace, tendrils of black energy spiraled skyward, coalescing into several humanoid forms.

Even the weakest among them possessed the formidable power of the Cavernous Void (TL Note: A cultivation realm, usually the 5th major realm.) realm. These were, unmistakably, several elders of the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect.

“This… this is the Soul-Locking Heavenly Pagoda Array (TL Note: A powerful array formation used to seal or trap spiritual energy or individuals)…”

“A Yuqian Sect array formation?!”

“Damn it! How in the world did they manage to locate this place?”

“…”

Amidst the rising panic of the assembled figures, a black pillar of light suddenly materialized, revealing a middle-aged man with a sinister, grim expression standing in their midst.

“Cult Master!”

“Cult Master!”

“Cult Master!”

“…”

The middle-aged man let out a disdainful huff.

“What is there to panic about?” he sneered. “Once this Soul-Locking Heavenly Pagoda Array is fully activated, they won’t be able to breach it. They must have stumbled upon this place by sheer coincidence. Allow me to trigger the array…”

“Oh… so that’s the truth of it. This secret realm must actually be a magical artifact. No wonder I’ve been searching for it for so long.”

A clear, resonant voice echoed in their ears, and simultaneously, a colossal sun began to ascend in the heavens. That familiar voice caused every face present to stiffen with shock.

A flicker of raw terror even crossed the Cult Master’s face. He recognized this particular spell, knowing full well that across the entire Great Universe Continent (TL Note: A major continent in the story world.), only one individual possessed such an ability.

It was the nightmare that had tormented him for half his existence.

“Mu Xianxian…”

Bathed in the fierce glow of the blazing sun, Mu Xianxian fixed her gaze upon her opponent, her once placid eyes slowly succumbing to a chilling, murderous resolve.

The vivid image of her dearest friend collapsing flashed through her mind, and with each surge of her escalating wrath, her entire aura intensified, rising in powerful, successive waves.

The intense, scorching light coalesced into a suffocating wave of heat.

“It’s time to pay your debts, you scum!”

The blazing sun behind Mu Xianxian unleashed an incandescent brilliance, and waves of searing heat cascaded down.

The slaughter had begun.

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