Chapter 97: A Thrilling Descent and Lingering Mysteries

The three finally landed steadily, accompanied by Mu Wanqing’s continuous screams throughout their descent.

The instant her feet met the earth, Mu Wanqing felt her heart pounding furiously, threatening to escape her throat.

The sheer weightlessness of their rapid plummet, despite Ye Xingchen’s firm embrace, had left her legs trembling uncontrollably.

Even after being gently set down, she still had to cling to Su Liyue’s arm to maintain her balance.

“Well, Qingqing, wasn’t that exhilarating?” Su Liyue mischievously squeezed her best friend’s chilled hand.

“Exh-exhilarating, my foot! You two barely flinched, but I was practically terrified to death! Qizai’s dive was so fast, it felt like we were plummeting straight into the deepest abyss!”

Mu Wanqing was so utterly petrified, she nearly burst into tears right then and there.

Ye Xingchen chuckled in response:

“This is hardly anything. When the opportunity arises, I’ll take you to our hometown, where you can try roller coasters and drop towers. You’ll get used to it.”

“Roller coasters?! Drop towers?!” Mu Wanqing’s eyes widened in alarm, and her mind immediately conjured terrifying images: perhaps soaring through stormy clouds on a broomstick, or being flung skyward by some arcane catapult.

‘Could these possibly be some… novel instruments of execution?’

Su Liyue, observing Mu Wanqing’s wildly imaginative expression, instantly knew the girl was conjuring up peculiar scenarios in her mind again.

“What are you imagining now? They’re just ordinary amusement rides, I promise they’re far safer than riding flying broomsticks.”

Just then, Qizai manifested into her human form, circling the two with a light, airy float.

“Amusement parks are absolutely delightful! It’s just that Master hasn’t taken me in such a long time…”

Ye Xingchen cleared his throat, then swiftly began to coax her:

“I’ll take you as soon as we return. You can play whatever you wish, and eat as many candied hawthorns as your heart desires, alright?”

‘When this girl starts pouting, why is she even more difficult to manage than the Yaochi Saintess’s Nine Heavens Profound Art?’

“Yay! Yay!” Amidst Qizai’s joyful cheers, Mu Wanqing’s tender heart, which had just been so thoroughly shaken, finally began to steady itself.

“Hush.” Ye Xingchen abruptly brought a finger to his lips, his expression instantly turning grave.

He distinctly perceived that the spiritual energy fluctuations ahead were not only intensifying but also carried a faint, almost imperceptible human aura.

Could it be, as he had just conjectured, that a transmigrated cultivator was indeed residing here in secluded cultivation?

Mu Wanqing and Qizai immediately fell silent, their breaths softening involuntarily.

“There’s no need to be so tense, you two,” Su Liyue murmured, a soft chuckle escaping her as she sought to reassure them.

She gestured towards the Qimen Dunjia compass array, which slowly rotated on the ground, spanning about ten meters with Ye Xingchen at its heart.

“As long as we remain within the confines of this barrier, our presence will remain undetected by others.”

“It’s all Master’s fault for being so jumpy…” Qizai grumbled under her breath, a slight pout on her lips.

“Yueyue, is Senior Xingchen’s barrier truly so potent? It seems even more miraculous than anything taught at Starry Sky Academy.” Mu Wanqing voiced her surprise, casting a slightly dubious glance at Ye Xingchen.

‘Hadn’t Yueyue previously mentioned that this particular concealment magic was taught by her own master? Why had it suddenly become Ye Xingchen’s concealment barrier?’

Just as she prepared to press for more details, a rustling murmur of conversation suddenly drifted from ahead, clearly indicating the presence of more than one individual!

“It appears this place is far more intricate than we initially imagined.” Ye Xingchen’s brow furrowed deeply.

Through the keen senses of his Wind-Listening Art, he perceived that the individuals ahead possessed neither the aura of mages nor that of cultivators.

Deep within the Aiseran Magic Empire, if they were neither mages nor cultivators, what manner of beings could they possibly be?

And what precisely were the spiritual energy fluctuations that he and Qizai had just detected?