Chapter 257: Flee in Panic

Her jade-like face had a mouth that may not have been small, but shimmered like a gem; her nose may not have been high, yet was exquisitely carved as if from jade; her eyes now glowed like the brightest stars in the Milky Way, radiating a light that intoxicated men's souls.

Then, that flawless face, untouched by any earthly dust, smiled warmly at Wang Yu.

Wang Yu felt his mind "boom," and he was instantly drunk—drunk on her smile, blooming like a thousand flowers.

But the next instant, his eyes glinted sharply, his mind snapped awake, and absolute rationality from his overdrive mode forcibly pulled him out of the enchanting whirlpool.

Even so, he could still feel his heart pounding, his blood boiling, his face turning pale.

He had underestimated this woman's charm art; even with his overdrive power, he seemed to barely hold back.

Bi Xinxiu saw Wang Yu's expression change, her eyes flickering with a faint, ambiguous smile as she said coolly:

"Wan friend, this dance is called the 'Heavenly Fox Dance,' said to have been created by the nine-tailed heavenly demon of the Eastern Wastes. My skills are crude—I've only barely learned the first third from my master. Now, please enjoy..."

A muffled "boom."

Before Bi Xinxiu could finish speaking, Wang Yu, who had been sitting cross-legged opposite, clenched his arm and without a word smashed his fist into the ground within the circle.

Instantly, the ground shattered, dirt sprayed outward, revealing a deep pit.

Wang Yu's body sank into the pit; a yellow talisman in his sleeve ignited in the wind, and his form vanished into the depths.

Bi Xinxiu froze for a moment, then her celestial face darkened with anger as she cried sharply:

"Wan Shan, you broke your word and try to flee—do you think it's that easy? Ye friend, Min sister, stop Wan Shan!"

"Damn, I forgot the soundproof talisman I cast earlier."

Bi Xinxiu immediately recovered, her wrist flicked in fury, and a soul-shaking "jing-jing" chime rang from her golden bell.

She flipped her hand, and a yellow token appeared in her grasp; with a single shake, her body was cloaked in golden light, sinking downward into the ground.

But the next instant—"bang!"—a pale blue mist surged up from below, rebounding Bi Xinxiu's form out of the earth.

"Wan Shan, you planned this from the start, didn't you? Don't let me catch you again!"

Bi Xinxiu bit her red lips, teeth clenched, and raised her hand again; a white dagger shot from her palm, transforming into a foot-long white blade-shadow that whipped toward the three blue banners.

Three sharp "cracks" followed—the three Water-Repelling Banners instantly snapped into six pieces.

Bi Xinxiu stomped her foot and sank back into the ground.

But in that brief delay, there was no trace of Wang Yu left beneath the soil.

…

After sinking more than thirty feet underground, Wang Yu shot forward a full mile before bursting out of the earth, fingers forming a seal, murmuring incantations; strands of white clouds draped over his body, erasing his presence completely.

Without hesitation, he leapt onto a nearby large tree, slapped his waist pouch, and pulled out a dozen birds tied with vials of blood.

These birds had seemed unconscious, but the moment he threw them, they awoke, flapping their wings and soaring rapidly in all directions westward.

Wang Yu retracted his spiritual sense, looked up at the sky, and stood utterly still, waiting.

Moments later, a green light enveloping three women shot across the sky, but after flying only a short distance, turned sharply and fled in another direction.

Wang Yu quietly leapt down from the tree and vanished in the opposite direction.

He wasn't a fool; having misjudged her, he now knew Bi Xinxiu's charm art was astonishing—he couldn't reliably resist it, so he'd never be foolish enough to actually accept her bet.

His gains in this secret realm had been extraordinarily rich; if he could win her share in the bet, fine; if not, he had nothing to regret.

Moreover, this woman had deliberately sought him out, forcing him to endure her charm art—it felt suspicious. If he had a chance to escape, he'd flee without hesitation.

…

At the entrance to the Jialan Secret Realm.

Four Golden Core elders were speaking in solemn tones when Guang Fa's chest suddenly emitted a crisp crack—as if something had shattered.

Guang Fa, the Golden Core elder of the Golden Temple, immediately paled, muttered a Buddhist chant, and pulled from his robes a pale green bamboo tablet.

On its surface, silver ink read "Yuan Ming," but now a large crack split it open, faint blood traces seeping from the fissure.

"The soul tablet shattered—the owner must be dead," Lie Guang spotted the name and asked curiously. "Guang Fa, you carried this—was it one of those two little monks whose auras were concealed by secret arts?"

Tian Chan and the old woman also turned to look.

"Yuan Ming is my disciple. I never expected him to perish in the Jialan Secret Realm," Guang Fa replied, his expression darkening.

"Your direct disciple? He must've been Foundation Establishment. Hmph, you even used secret arts to strip his cultivation just to enter Jialan. Guang Fa, I must admit—I'm impressed. You've got real guts."

"Yuan Ming self-emptied his cultivation, but he had a secret method to temporarily restore his Foundation Establishment state. Even so, he perished—this shows the demonic sects' strength far exceeds our estimates," Guang Fa said calmly, though inwardly he was terrified for Yuan Tong.

"It needn't have been the demonic disciples who killed him—the Jialan Secret Realm itself may be deadly. After all, my Tian Chan avatar also perished inside," Tian Chan added, frowning.

"Hard to say. But the Jialan Secret Realm doesn't allow Foundation Establishment cultivators inside—there's likely no Spirit Vein above grade one, so only low-grade monsters should emerge."

"Could the Jialan Elder have left some hidden trap?" the old woman mused.

"Hmph, who knows? We'll find out once our disciples emerge," Lie Guang grunted, his face showing impatience.

The other three fell silent, their expressions varying.

…

"Plop."

An old monk hurled a man into a hidden chamber of the stone pagoda.

It was a young monk with red lips and white teeth, half his body charred, eyes tightly shut, seemingly unconscious.

Kang Wuhen, who had been meditating in his chair, opened his eyes, glanced once, and asked in surprise:

"Who is this? Why bring him here?"

"An outsider who broke in—he's trained in body refinement, and his spiritual power is quite pure. I captured him for future use; perhaps we'll need his blood for a sacrifice to open the treasure vault door," the old monk replied respectfully.