Chapter 18: Thousand Mountains Immortal Lord

Yuan Yao only smiled and replied, "Because I like it."

Everyone who heard it, however, did not dare to compliment her taste.

Yuan Yao's sea of consciousness transmitted the system's broadcast voice: 【Target person Cang Li, Awakening Value reached 13. Target person Yan Haonan, Awakening Value reached 15. Target person Weng Mingshu, Awakening Value reached 10……】

【Congratulations, host, you have successfully captured four target characters, lifespan increased by four days, current lifespan as high as nine days.】

Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao, lost in thought, couldn't help but look at her own third senior brother, wondering: If Awakening Value equals favorability, then her third senior brother's Awakening Value should be higher, right?

Why is her third senior brother's Awakening Value not as high as Yan Haonan's?

Then it shows that Awakening Value does not equal favorability, but perhaps includes favorability.

Cang Li noticed Yuan Yao's gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm tired." Yuan Yao habitually replied.

Cang Li's expression instantly darkened; he immediately pulled Yuan Yao to the side and began examining her injuries, discovering that her injuries were worse than Weng Mingshu's.

But she showed no sign of it.

Only upon close inspection did one discover that her face had no color.

Cang Li curled his finger and tapped her forehead reproachfully.

"I'll find someone to treat your wound." He said helplessly.

Although he is a physician, part of the junior sister's wound is in a rather hidden place.

The junior sister has also grown up; we need to be careful about male-female boundaries.

From childhood to now, aside from some minor bumps and scrapes, the junior sister has never suffered such a serious injury.

He also rarely treats the junior sister.

"Take it, eat first." Cang Li took her hand and placed two Tier-3 Healing Spirit Pills in her palm.

Afterwards he walked toward Yan Haonan and said a few words to him.

Yan Haonan then had the female disciple of the Heavenly Cloud Sect treat Yuan Yao's injuries.

Yuan Yao directly ate the two Tier-3 pills; after finishing, she noticed that the surrounding cultivators' gazes toward her carried a hint of strangeness.

Soon she heard them whispering: "These are Tier-3 pills! One would be enough, yet she ate two! What a waste!"

"It's said that Cang Li is a Tier-3 Alchemist..."

"What?! He's actually a Tier-3 Alchemist!"

In the cultivation world, the number of alchemists is already tiny, let alone a teenager who is a Tier-3 Alchemist.

Everyone's gaze toward Cang Li shifted repeatedly; immediately someone began to be polite to him, seemingly wanting to get on good terms.

Yuan Yao: "……"

With the help of the Heavenly Cloud Sect's female disciple, Yuan Yao's injuries were treated.

"Thank you." Yuan Yao smiled and thanked the female disciple.

The female disciple smiled and shook her head: "No need to thank me; Fellow Daoist Cang gave me compensation."

She accepted a Tier-2 Healing Spirit Pill from Cang Li.

"Your senior brother treats you really well." Immediately, the female disciple said enviously.

After this battle, anyone could see that Cang Li protects this junior sister Yuan Yao greatly.

Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao raised her head to look at Cang Li, who was speaking animatedly not far away, and said, "It's quite good."

After the female disciple left, Cang Li approached.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It hurts."

"Then endure it; who made you come here to suffer?"

"Cang Li, can't you speak properly?"

"I can't."

"I'm going to tell Master that you're bullying me!"

"When have I bullied you? Don't spout nonsense!"

"I'll spray you with a mouthful of blood later!"

"Go ahead and spray!"

"Ugh… ugh…" Yuan Yao pretended to be about to vomit blood.

Cang Li frowned in disgust, pushed Yuan Yao away with one hand, and said, "You're too disgusting! How could I have such a disgusting junior sister!"

Yuan Yao lifted her foot and stepped hard on Cang Li's foot.

"Hiss..." He winced in pain and immediately jumped up.

At that moment, Lin Jingtao's face betrayed his gloom; he had underestimated Cang Li's strength, and he silently clenched his fists.

"I don't even know if the passage door above is open." The people, having gained a moment of respite, also remembered they needed to escape this place.

Someone suggested: "Why don't we send someone up to check?"

"Who can go up now?"

As soon as that was said, everyone's gaze shifted to Cang Li and Yan Haonan.

Yan Haonan looked at Cang Li and asked, "What do you think?"

Cang Li spread his hands: "I'm not looking."

Yan Haonan: "……" He felt an urge to stab him to death.

He took a deep breath: "Watch over my junior sister; I'll go up to investigate."

"Alright."

Finally, Yan Haonan entrusted Weng Mingshu to Cang Li's care, then, relying on his weapon, he began to climb upward bit by bit.

Everyone waited in silence for news.

During this time, Weng Mingshu gradually came to.

Weng Mingshu yawned dazedly.

Only when she smelled the strong scent of blood and felt the sharp pain from her body did she suddenly recall what had happened before she lost consciousness.

She opened her eyes, noticed Yan Haonan was absent, and immediately asked her fellow disciples what had happened while she was unconscious.

She lifted her gaze upward.

Time passed bit by bit.

Shortly afterward, Yan Haonan came down.

Facing the crowd's expectant looks, Yan Haonan shook his head with a solemn expression and said, "The passage gate hasn't opened."

Everyone inevitably felt disappointed.

"Why don't we wait a little longer?" someone suggested.

"How long would we have to wait!"

"Are we going to be trapped here to die?"

"No way! Who could pry open that passage gate?"

"By the way, could the direction those giant pythons fled be an exit? Perhaps we should leave by following that direction."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's gazes shifted to the pitch‑black direction where nothing could be seen; the longer they looked, the more their hearts grew uneasy.

That place exuded a chilling, eerie aura.

Yuan Yao also looked in that direction, but for some reason she felt something was calling to her.

Her life‑bound Phantom Spirit Sword also trembled faintly.

If she weren't controlling the Phantom Spirit Sword, it might have already flown toward that direction.

Cang Li also realized that leaving couldn't be rushed, so he told Yuan Yao, "Yao Yao, rest first, recover your injuries; we'll wait a bit longer and see how things go."

Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao nodded.

She really could barely hold on; her whole body felt empty.

In a single day she had gone through two battles, exhausting her spiritual power.

Just as she was about to sit cross‑legged, the green‑clad girl beside her spoke up, "Are you also a disciple of the Thousand Jade Mountain seniors?"

Yuan Yao looked at Weng Mingshu, nodded and smiled, "Yes."

"I've seen Xiao Lingwei, so you must be the Carefree Sect's personal disciple whom the Thousand Jade Mountain seniors treasure like a jewel! I heard from my father and the elders that you're a total lazybones, always looking to slack off."

Yuan Yao: "……" Are you being rude? Your father and the Heavenly Cloud Sect elders are even ruder.

Xiao Lingwei is her second senior sister.

Weng Mingshu, utterly unaware of her own impertinence, continued, "What's your name? I'm Weng Mingshu of the Heavenly Cloud Sect; my father is the sect leader of the Heavenly Cloud Sect, and my mother is the head of the Weng Family. By the way, I take my mother's surname."

Yuan Yao smiled and said, "My surname is Yuan, my given name is Yao; I come from the Carefree Sect and am a disciple of the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord."

Her master is Thousand Jade Mountain, whose title is Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord.

Weng Mingshu curiously asked, "Are you participating in this year's sect grand competition?"