Chapter 381

In a corner of Zhenyao City.

Zhenfeng True Person frantically pulled out pills and handed them to several senior brothers and sisters.

His youthful face was streaked with shock: "Close call! At least we made it out alive."

As he spoke, he looked toward Tong Xinchuan, who leaned against the city wall, his expression filled with guilt: "Thanks to Zhu Shixiong Tong…"

Had the other not fought to the death to hold back the Jin Chi Emperor, none of us would have had even a shred of chance to survive.

At this moment, his most prized crimson robe was caked in mud, his entire body cracked open, qi spilling uncontrollably from the fissures.

If this continues, he risks falling in realm.

But Tong Xinchuan sat in silence, his eyes hollow, still lost in the scene just witnessed.

He didn't even have the will to swallow the pills placed right before his mouth.

"Zhu Shixiong Tong?" Zhenfeng True Person blinked, then turned to the senior sister who had brought him back: "What's wrong with him? Did the Jin Chi Emperor do something to him?"

"Though Zhu Shixiong Tong is brave and resourceful, today's survival from the Thousand Demon Caves was largely due to luck."

Miao Qinghui let out a bitter laugh, snatched the pills, pinched Tong Xinchuan's face, and forced the pills into his mouth: "This boy's state has nothing to do with the Jin Chi Emperor."

"Luck…" Zhenfeng stared up in shock.

"We saw Shen Yi."

Miao Qinghui exhaled softly, her pupils flickering uncertainly.

The formation that trapped the Jin Chi Emperor—Zhu Shixiong Tong saw it with his own eyes. How could his mind not be shaken?

And this formation was crafted by the crude warrior the other spoke of.

"That kid's still alive?!" Zhenfeng blurted out.

"What 'that kid'? Disrespectful!" Miao Qinghui glared at him, warning: "Last time you got cornered by Cai Ni Emperor, and this time—both times, it was Shen Yi who saved you. If I hear you speak disrespectfully again, I'll slap both your faces."

At once, Zhenfeng clapped his hand over his mouth.

Only his eyes darted wildly, betraying the shock within.

Does this mean Shen Yi was the one who held back the Jin Chi Emperor? Did he hear right? Could his senior sister possibly mean the same person he was thinking of?

Last time Shen Yi faced Qingqiu Laozu, he was only a Soul Transformation beginner.

Even if he's improved since, his Youwei Spear was stolen by the Lion Emperor—he couldn't possibly be a match for the Jin Chi Emperor. Otherwise, given that kid's temper, the Golden-Eyed Lion would be dead long ago.

As if reading his thoughts.

Miao Qinghui shook her head, sighing: "His realm remains the same—only his methods have changed."

To study widely is not as good as to study deeply.

To dabble in everything and master them all—is this even human?

"By the way, where's Jiang Shijie?"

Zhenfeng suddenly remembered something and looked toward the flying shuttle in the sky.

All the guiding shuttles he'd sent out had returned, yet he still hadn't seen Jiang Shijie's trace.

"She won't come to harm."

Miao Qinghui said coolly; she held a certain resentment toward Ling Xi.

But once she regained her composure from panic, she was still a Soul Transformation peak cultivator, and with her timidity, she'd never dare venture deeper into the Thousand Demon Caves.

Given her nature, if anything happened, her first reaction would be to return and seek help from their master.

At that moment.

A calm voice finally emerged from the corner.

"I don't believe it."

Tong Xinchuan's gaze cleared again; he staggered to his feet.

He offered no explanation to anyone about what exactly he didn't believe.

He summoned a auspicious cloud and shot off toward Mount Wutong.

The others froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

With their cultivation, the long journey would take only two or three days.

It was dusk.

Tong Xinchuan had already seen the silhouette of Mount Wutong.

He shook off his fellow disciples and, under their puzzled stares, arrived at a wooden hut.

He extended golden threads and set up an intricate sealing array, enveloping the place.

Tong Xinchuan stepped to the door and knocked three times: "Tong has urgent matters to ask."

After a moment, the wooden door slowly opened.

Jiang Qiulan stood calmly at the threshold: "What does Senior Tong wish to command?"

Tong Xinchuan stared at her cool, ethereal face, his gaze growing colder: "I have only one question."

"…."

Jiang Qiulan fell silent for an instant, her whole body tensing subtly.

In a single breath, she shifted from tranquil stillness to a blade bristling with sharpness.

With her realm and strength, she could never have drawn the attention of a Soul Transformation late-stage cultivator.

If there was anything special about her,

it was her identity from Daqian—more precisely, her connection to Shen Yi.

He came here wounded, surely because he had gathered some evidence.

Jiang Qiulan had no confidence she could deceive a Soul Transformation expert, so there was no point in pretending anymore. All she could do was seize control of her own life and refuse to become a pawn for others.

"Huh."

Tong Xinchuan sensed the woman's transformation and realized she had entered a desperate, life-or-death state.

He asked bluntly: "Do you know Shen Yi?"

"No."

Jiang Qiulan did not hesitate.

Facing this utterly dismissive answer,

Tong Xinchuan did not anger; he paused for a moment, then slowly turned away: "I understand."

He took two steps forward, then turned back and forced out a cold, sinister smile: "From now on, don't call me Senior Tong—just call me Zhu Shixiong. If you need anything, say it plainly; I, Tong Mou, will do my best."

With that, he withdrew his gaze and waved his hand to dissolve the formation.

As expected.

How could two array prodigies appear in the world at once, both suddenly showing up in the Thousand Demons Cave, both tied to the Yinwei Spear?

Jiang Qiulan is a cultivator from Daqian—how could she not know Shen Yi?

How could she not know such a blazing, sun-like figure?

She clearly knows him—and their relationship is intimate… yet last time, when she heard Shen Yi might die at the hands of the Golden-Eyed Lion Emperor, she showed not the slightest reaction, appearing even more indifferent than my own disciples from Mount Wutong.

This is far too unusual.

The most likely possibility…

Shen Yi is the Golden-Eyed Lion Emperor.

Only this could explain why I escaped the Thousand Demons Cave twice in a row.

There was no divine favor from heaven.

It was merely coincidence—both times, it had to do with Shen Yi.

Tong Xinchuan didn't understand why she was hiding her identity, but he didn't need to; all he needed to know was that Shen Yi didn't want others to find out—for now, that was enough.

"…"

Jiang Qiulan fell silent for a long time, until he was far away.

She wasn't sure what information Tong Xinchuan had gained from her.

The only thing she could deduce:

Was that by quietly staying on Mount Wutong, she had once again received benefits from Shen Yi.

Thinking of this, a complex smile touched her lips.

Even if Shen Yi had no intention, and she had no such thoughts, as long as that shared hometown bond remained, his lingering radiance would naturally shield her and these ordinary people.

She had chased it for half her life.

Now she realized:

There were things in this world harder to catch than time.

(End of Chapter)