Chapter 152: The Impure Woman Yan Ruyan

Regarding his own affairs, although Yan Taibai said he already knew, Yuan Yao did not say much, nor did she complain; the two of them walked side by side in silence like this, passing through the Ghost Mist without alarm or danger.

Because Yuan Yao was a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, Yan Taibai did not offer to help, and their speed was not fast.

Therefore, when the two passed through the Ghost Mist and entered the gathering place of the Xiaoshi Shan garden, many cultivators had already arrived ahead of them.

Among them, the trio of Wan Tianming was naturally present, as were Yan Ruyan, Zhou Yuan, Zhuo Ruting, and Fan Jingmei, yet Ziling Xianzi was notably missing, which made Zhou Yuan, as a mother, feel worried.

Even though she knew clearly that a mere Ghost Mist could not possibly do anything to Ziling Xianzi, she was still worried, and seeing that Yan Taibai was not with Ziling Xianzi, she became even more anxious.

"Brother Yan did not encounter Ning'er either?"

This was the first sentence Zhou Yuan said upon meeting Yan Taibai, and as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Wasn't this a waste of breath?

If Yan Taibai had encountered Ziling Xianzi, how could he not have brought her along to cross the Ghost Mist?

"Who is this fellow Daoist?"

Realizing she had spoken incorrectly, Zhou Yuan's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly changed the subject to ask about Yuan Yao, who was beside Yan Taibai.

Although Yuan Yao was still wearing a black robe, the faint, lingering fragrance and her vaguely visible, exquisite and graceful figure still made Zhou Yuan realize that the person in the black robe was a beauty.

She was just curious about her relationship with Yan Taibai; based on her understanding of Yan Taibai, if a mere Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator had nothing to do with him, Yan Taibai would not meddle in other people's business.

As for beauty, how many people in the entire Chaotic Star Sea could surpass her daughter, Ziling Xianzi?

"An old friend; I brought her along when I ran into her."

Yan Taibai explained simply.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan nodded slightly, not intending to ask further, but she did take a brief look at Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao bowed with a slight curtsy, her voice sounding somewhat hoarse as she said.

"Greetings, Sect Master Zhou. My appearance is ugly, and I fear startling the Sect Master, so it is inconvenient to show my face. I hope the Sect Master will forgive me."

"No matter, Fairy, you are too polite. If you do not mind, why not stay with us?"

Zhou Yuan smiled charmingly and extended the invitation, not continuing to pursue the matter.

"Many thanks, Sect Master; many thanks, Daoist Yan!"

Yuan Yao bowed to Yan Taibai again, then went with Zhou Yuan to the place where the Miaoyin Sect cultivators were located, a pavilion situated far across from the Righteous Path cultivators, including the trio of Wan Tianming.

In this garden gathering place, there was a pavilion on each side, occupied respectively by the Righteous Path and the Miaoyin Sect, while the Demonic Path and the rogue cultivators stayed in the middle and beside the Miaoyin Sect group, respectively.

After all, the Miaoyin Sect was considered a rogue cultivator sect and did not belong to either the Righteous or Demonic factions.

There was nothing of great consequence, after all!

After arriving at the pavilion and whispering a few words with Yan Ruyan and the others, Yan Taibai chose to continue sitting cross-legged, surrounded by beauties, closing his eyes to rest his mind, which made the Righteous and Demonic factions heave a sigh of relief.

After all, although Yan Taibai was only a Golden Core Late Stage cultivator, the pressure he brought was no less than that of any Nascent Soul cultivator, and was even second only to a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage; under such circumstances, how could they not be worried?

And if Yan Taibai were to strike, the Xuangong Erlao would ten-to-one choose to look the other way and ignore it.

They would be eager for Yan Taibai to kill all the Righteous and Demonic cultivators, completely severing his ties with both paths.

This would be a great thing for the entire Star Palace.

And the area over a hundred feet around this Xiaoshi Shan garden was entirely surrounded by rolling, pitch-black Ghost Mist, sealing this large area off completely, making one feel as if they were in two different worlds.

However, because there were Restrictions blocking it, there was no need to worry about it pouring into the Xiaoshi Shan garden.

Just like this, time passed quickly, and Ziling Xianzi was still nowhere to be seen; the worry on the faces of the three women, Zhou Yuan, Zhuo Ruting, and Fan Jingmei, grew increasingly intense.

Just as the three women were about to open their mouths to ask Yan Taibai, suddenly, the Ghost Mist in one spot parted automatically, and then, Ziling Xianzi and Ling Yuling walked into the garden side by side.

Their brows and faces were full of smiles; clearly, they had gained quite a bit in the Ghost Mist.

And as soon as they saw Ling Yuling enter, the Xuangong Erlao, who had been sitting cross-legged in the middle, opened their eyes to take a look before closing them again.

Aside from Ling Yuling and Ziling Xianzi, they were the ones who knew best why it had taken so long.

Because Ling Yuling had taken Ziling Xianzi to obtain a fortuitous encounter within the Ghost Mist ruins.

This fortuitous encounter was also something their Star Palace had discovered by chance; in the past, other cultivators had encountered it, and then never came out again.

But this time was different; this time it was their Star Palace's Young Master and Ziling Xianzi, so naturally, there could not be any problems, it just took a bit longer.

And once Ziling Xianzi appeared safe and sound, the three master and disciples, Zhou Yuan, Fan Jingmei, and Zhuo Ruting, finally felt relieved, and then they showered the two women with concern.

But the two women did not say a single word about the fortuitous encounter in the Ghost Mist, only explaining that they had encountered a few Ghost Kings, which had delayed them for some time.

Since they were safe and sound, Zhou Yuan, Fan Jingmei, Zhuo Ruting, and the others naturally would not ask further.

During this period, Yan Taibai did not even open his eyes, appearing exceptionally indifferent, or perhaps he had enough confidence in the two women and was not worried at all.

One day later, when many cultivators' patience was gradually exhausted.

In the center of the jade pavilion, on a bare stone slab, a dazzling white light suddenly emerged, causing everyone to look sideways, though there was not much surprise.

Just like last time, after the white light, a Transmission Array appeared on the flat ground, its shape and size exactly the same as the previous one.

Likewise, the Xuangong Erlao stepped forward to examine it.

Not long after, having finished the inspection, they said, "This is the Transmission Array for the next stage, the Ice Fire Path, and it is the only path. Of course, before entering the second stage, there is still some time to collect some Spirit Fruits and herbs as a reward for passing the first stage."

"If you feel the Ice Fire Path is too dangerous, you can also be transmitted back here and wait quietly. After one month, a Transmission Array that leads directly back to the main hall will appear, and everyone can return on their own."

"However, whether you want to challenge the second stage or are satisfied with reaching this point, you only have one full day to pick the spirit herbs. If you exceed the time and are still inside without coming out, you will never be able to escape. Up until now, any cultivator who has been trapped inside has never been seen again when the Void Heaven Palace opens next. As for the reason for their disappearance, no one knows to this day, so do not harbor any wishful thinking and intentionally remain inside."

The voice was not loud, but it made many cultivators look at each other in dismay, and at this moment, Yan Taibai finally opened his eyes, stretched, stood up, and waved his hand with a smile.

"Let's go!"

Hearing this, the Miaoyin Sect members stepped into the Transmission Array one by one.

Not long after, their eyes brightened, and they found themselves in a space that looked like a paradise on earth.

A clear blue sky, clusters of white clouds, an endless green grassland all around, vaguely visible mountains and ridges in the distance, and the scent of flowers and grass blowing in waves.

"Alright, everyone act on your own to search for spirit herbs! Yan'er, you follow me."

As soon as they entered this space, there were no other cultivators' shadows, and Yan Taibai also smiled at this time.

"Okay."

Yan Ruyan naturally would not refuse Yan Taibai's words, and she nodded her head lightly.

Afterwards, the two of them, as a pair of Daoist companions, flew off in one direction like an immortal couple.

The general location of the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng was not only known to Xuangui Shangren and Xiao Cha; the Star Palace had also seen it before, but they had never managed to obtain it.

Their luck was truly not good, and after Yan Taibai asked, the Star Palace told Yan Taibai the general location where the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng appeared; as for whether he could obtain it, that would depend entirely on Yan Taibai's luck.

At the very least, the Star Palace did not have that luck!

After flying for half a day, Yan Taibai and Yan Ruyan landed in front of an unremarkable Xiaoshi Shan.

This Xiaoshi Shan not only had no grass growing on it, but its spiritual energy was also pitifully thin; compared to the several large mountains nearby, the difference was truly like heaven and earth!

"Is this the place where the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng appears?"

Yan Ruyan knitted her brows slightly, her bright eyes filled with disbelief.

"Mm, that's right, it's here. If you use your divine sense to investigate carefully, you will be able to discover it."

Yan Taibai chuckled and nodded.

"Okay."

Hearing this, Yan Ruyan naturally followed his instructions; her bright eyes narrowed slightly, and her divine sense surged out from within, probing toward the Xiaoshi Shan before her.

Before long, within the perception of her divine sense, wisps of cyan glow were distributed across the Xiaoshi Shan in a chaotic and irregular manner, and they were faint to the extreme.

"What is this?"

Seeing something she did not recognize, Yan Ruyan habitually and almost instinctively turned her head to ask Yan Taibai.

After all, in her impression, there was almost nothing Yan Taibai did not know, and it had been like this since she was small.

To this day, he had never let her down.

"It is the Upper Clarity Spirit Qi of the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng. This kind of thing only exists on the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng and other spiritual objects with extremely dense spiritual energy, such as the Spirit Eye Jade."

Yan Taibai explained with a smile, still not letting Yan Ruyan down.

"So that's how it is. In that case, this Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng is indeed here."

Yan Ruyan also smiled beautifully.

After all, the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng was related to whether she could condense a Nascent Soul, and now that there was a clue, she was naturally happy.

"As long as we catch the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, once we leave the Void Heaven Palace and refine it into the Nine-Curved Spirit Pill, we will be able to condense a Nascent Soul and become Nascent Soul Stage cultivators."

Yan Taibai also nodded with a face full of smiles.

"Alright, Yan'er, take this?"

After saying this, Yan Taibai took a Gold Silk Ball out from his Storage Bag and then explained,

"This Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng can only be caught with pure gold items. Other Dharma Treasures and artifacts are ineffective against it. Yan'er, hold this item well; when the time comes, use it to capture the spirit ginseng when it tries to escape."

"Okay."

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan naturally would not refuse.

"Leave the rest to me. With me here, it definitely won't be able to run. As long as we catch this Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, even if we don't get the Void Heaven Cauldron, I will be able to obtain it in the future once I enter the Nascent Soul Stage."

Yan Taibai said, his smile undiminished.

Although he had sufficient confidence, Yan Taibai was still somewhat worried.

After all, the Void Heaven Cauldron could not be compared to other treasures.

Afterwards, Yan Taibai began to prepare everything; in addition to the formation, there was also the most important feces of the Shelan Beast.

This was the thing the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng liked the most, and its intense stench made Yan Ruyan knit her brows tightly, but she did not say anything more.

After placing the feces of the Shelan Beast into the set-up formation, Yan Taibai went to search for the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, while the task of managing the formation and capturing the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng was left to Yan Ruyan.

One hour later, Yan Ruyan had an incredibly cute little white rabbit in her arms that she could not bear to put down.

"Brother Taibai, is there any way to sever its connection to the main body? Otherwise, if it just perishes like this, it's so pitiful."

Yan Ruyan said, feeling somewhat unable to bear it.

After all, for a woman, the appeal of such a fluffy little creature was truly not low.

Hearing Yan Ruyan's request, Yan Taibai frowned and did not agree immediately; instead, he began to ponder.

"Let's talk about it after we go out! I need to think about it carefully."

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yan Taibai still did not directly refuse.

It was not that he could not do it, but that it was rather troublesome.

Therefore, he would not consider it for now; it would not be too late to consider it after leaving the Void Heaven Palace.

"Mm! Yan'er understands."

Hearing this, Yan Ruyan nodded her head lightly, her expression also dimming quite a bit.

"Alright, don't worry! I have a way, it's just rather troublesome. I can't do it right now, I need to wait until we go out."

Seeing this, Yan Taibai sighed lightly and finally agreed.

"Hee hee, Yan'er knew Brother Taibai could do it."

Hearing Yan Taibai's words, Yan Ruyan's face blossomed into a smile, and she said in a sweet voice,

"You girl, you just know how to make things difficult for me."

Seeing this, Yan Taibai smiled helplessly; how could he not know he had been tricked?

"Pfft, didn't Yan'er also find two beautiful concubines for Brother Taibai? Could it be that those two sisters, Jingmei and Ruting, didn't serve you well?"

Yan Ruyan's star-like bright eyes stared at Yan Taibai, full of curiosity.

She was clearly very interested in this, which left Yan Taibai with black lines on his forehead as he said crossly,

"Pah, what are you thinking about?"

After saying this, he headed toward the front of the Ice Fire Path without looking back.

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan naturally followed closely behind, but she did not forget her question and kept asking incessantly.

"Brother Yan Taibai, won't you tell me? How exactly did they serve you?"

"Was it them serving you all together, or one by one?"

"I heard from Madam that the dual cultivation techniques of the Miaoyin Sect are exceptionally formidable, especially..."

Before long, the two landed in front of a giant mountain several thousand zhang tall.

What was most miraculous was that the entire mountain peak was split right down the middle, the rift extending all the way to the base of the giant mountain, forming a natural grand canyon.

Furthermore, what was astonishing was that the separated parts of the mountain peak shimmered with distinct red and blue light, each covering one half of the giant mountain; viewed from afar, it was truly bizarre!

"This is the Ice Fire Path!"

Ruyan looked at the scene before her and said in surprise.

At this moment, besides them, many other cultivators had already arrived, but there was no sign of the trio led by Wan Tianming.

There was no need to worry about the trio leaving early; that was something they could not do.

As for the arrival of Yan Taibai and Ruyan, most of the cultivators felt extremely wary.

(End of chapter)