Chapter 32

Yao Yue already had an idea, yet she still asked, "How do they look?"

"Quite beautiful, the most stunning I have ever seen in my life."

Gong Gong Guangjie answered instinctively, then felt a chill in his heart and hastily added, "Of course, compared to the heroine, the two of them fall far short."

These words were not entirely flattery.

In Gong Gong Guangjie's view, those two young girls were indeed extremely beautiful, but compared to the palace-dressed woman before him, they appeared somewhat dim.

It was just that the gap between them was not as exaggerated as he had made it sound.

Yao Yue did not hold it against him, nor did she become conceited because of it.

She knew better than anyone what her own appearance was like.

Even against the peerless beauties of the mortal realm mentioned in the diary owner's words—Wang Wang Wang Yuyan and Xiao Longnu—she was confident she would not fall short.

At the same time, Gong Gong Guangjie's answer basically confirmed to Yao Yue that those two young girls were the holders of the diary instances.

"In these three days, aside from those two, has anyone else come to the Wuliangjian Sect?"

"I did not see anyone, but I heard my junior brothers say that two days ago, two more women arrived at Mount Mount Wuliang, and another one came yesterday. As for whether there are more, I do not know."

Hearing this, Yao Yue's heart sank.

Five people!

At least five people had arrived here before her!

She wondered if the "Northern Nether Divine Art" and the "Wave-Treading Micro-Step" had already been taken by others.

"Take me to your sect's forbidden grounds at the rear mountain."

"Yes! Yes!"

Immediately, Gong Gong Guangjie led the way, guiding Yao Yue and her group to the cliff edge of the rear mountain.

"That is the stone wall of 'Immortal Dancing with a Sword'... Eh? There is a rope here."

Gong Gong Guangjie had barely finished introducing it when he cried out in surprise.

Without him saying anything, Yao Yue had already seen it before he did.

Arriving at the cliff edge and glancing down, Yao Yue gave an order: "Keep a close watch on him."

Then she leaped down.

Gong Gong Guangjie let out a frightened low cry.

Hua Yuenü said coldly, "Do not think of escaping; be honest, and you might just have a chance to live."

"Yes, I won't run! I won't run! How would I dare..." Gong Gong Guangjie forced a smile, repeatedly making promises.

After leaping off the cliff, Yao Yue borrowed force several times mid-air and finally landed safely and steadily at the bottom.

Looking around, she saw a large waterfall on the left cliff, hanging like a jade dragon in mid-air, rolling down and pouring into an exceptionally clear large lake.

By the lakeside, clusters of camellias grew, swaying gracefully in the hazy sunlight.

Suddenly, Yao Yue's heart stirred; she had heard some slight movement.

Even with the roaring sound of the waterfall not far away interfering, it still had not escaped her ears.

Without hesitation, Yao Yue followed the sound directly and finally spotted a cave.

Faint human voices and a dim light came from within the cave.

"Sigh, we've searched everywhere; there are no martial arts secret manuals at all!"

"Could the diary owner have remembered incorrectly?"

"Impossible! How could something so important be remembered wrongly? That 'Northern Nether Divine Art' was what he longed for above all."

"Could it be somewhere else on Mount Mount Wuliang, and not here?"

"That is also unlikely. This place is so hidden, actually concealed beneath the lake; it took us joining forces and searching for so long to find it. It is eighty percent certain to be here."

"I don't want to search anymore; I give up."

"Since we are already here, let's look a bit more; perhaps we will find it in the next moment."

Hearing this from outside the cave, Yao Yue felt a surge of joy and flashed inside without hesitation.

After passing through a corridor, descending more than ten stone steps, and crossing several chamber doors, a palace-dressed beauty suddenly appeared before her eyes, holding a long sword with its tip aimed at Yao Yue's chest.

Yao Yue flashed aside to avoid it, her eyes revealing cold light, and slapped back with her palm!

However, in the instant she looked back, she realized that although the woman possessed myriad graces, she was not a living person, but a jade statue carved from white jade.

Realizing she had misunderstood, Yao Yue immediately struck out with another palm.

This palm strike was faster and fiercer, arriving before the previous one despite being launched later, neutralizing the force of the first strike.

A rumbling sound erupted, and rubble flew in all directions.

The jade statue remained unharmed, but the ground became pitted and uneven.

Hearing the commotion, the several people in the cave turned their heads one after another and saw Yao Yue standing beside the jade statue.

"So beautiful!"

"So formidable!"

Two different exclamations of astonishment rang out in the stone chamber, as six pairs of eyes fell simultaneously upon Yao Yue.

Her robes fluttered as if riding the wind, her white gown whiter than snow, her long hair like clouds.

Her demeanor was graceful, like a fairy treading the waves; her beauty was heavenly and national, surpassing all within the four seas and eight wastelands.

Even if one exhausted all words of praise to describe her, they would still seem somewhat inadequate.

That kind of beauty, which did not belong to the mortal world, endowed her with an intimidating magic that seemed innate.

Lofty and superior, she was unbearable to gaze upon directly.

Her figure was petite and exquisite, yet it exerted a strong sense of oppression.

Within that tiny body seemed to hide a primordial behemoth; provoke it slightly, and it would unleash boundless power, shredding everything in its path to dust.

She stood there silently, yet gave the impression of standing atop the nine heavens, gazing down upon the myriad mortals of the human world with those indifferent eyes.

Faint sunlight, cleverly refracted onto her snow-white palace robes, created a soft halo that made her appear even more holy, transcendent, and unapproachable.

In an instant, Yao Yue outshined everyone present!

One of the women, dressed in black with her face covered by black cloth, shifted her gaze, carefully examining Yao Yue's features and figure, feeling confident she did not lose to the other.

But when it came to temperament and presence, she fell far short.

Suddenly, a young girl in a green robe beside her ventured tentatively, "Diary duplicate?"

The words no sooner left her mouth than, without waiting for Yao Yue's reply, she turned to the woman in black and exclaimed, "Oh, I said it out loud! Sister Mu, this sister is also a Diary duplicate holder!"

At this moment, another woman holding a pipa spoke up, "Are you the Palace Master of the Shifted Flower Palace? The Eldest Palace Master Yao Yue? Or the Second Palace Master Lian Xing?"

Hearing this, Yao Yue looked over; seeing the other woman possessed striking beauty and would be considered a great beauty anywhere, she did not answer but countered, "Who are you?"

Facing Yao Yue's reversal of roles, the woman did not grow angry but smiled gently, "This humble one is Lan Lan Xiaodie."

The girl in the green robe waved at Yao Yue, her voice soft and cheerful, "My name is Zhong Ling."

Then, hugging the arm of the woman in black beside her, she laughed, "This is my Sister Mu, Mu Mu Wanqing."

The woman in black glared at her and scolded, "Who asked you to run off at the mouth, you little brat!"

Hearing the slight reproach in her tone, Zhong Ling dared not talk back; she lowered her head slightly and softly uttered an "Oh."

Among the remaining three women, one was just as stunning as Yao Yue, yet she too lost out in terms of temperament and presence.

Clad in white robes whiter than snow, possessing unparalleled elegance, her expression blank and her voice cool and clear, she said, "Mei Mei Jiangxue."

"Five Poisons Sect, Senior Senior Dugu Senior Senior Dugu Yiren," the fifth woman announced her title.

Yao Yue's gaze shot over; she immediately recognized that this cold, beautiful girl before her was the one who had poisoned Zuo Zuo Zimu to death with a single palm strike three days prior.

Seeing Yao Yue's oppressive gaze fixed upon her, the young girl behind Senior Senior Dugu Senior Senior Dugu Yiren felt her heart tremble; forcing herself, she stammered, "I... my name is Zhu Tao, I am merely the Young Lady's maid."

A maid?

Even if she were merely a maid, from the moment she obtained the Diary duplicate, she was no longer an ordinary maid.

She was even luckier and more noble than some imperial princesses!

Yao Yue glanced at Zhu Tao's appearance.

Though dressed as a maid, her features were exquisite and her countenance beautiful, no worse than her mistress.

No wonder she could possess a Diary duplicate.

Seeing that all six had reported their names, Yao Yue stated indifferently, "This Palace is Yao Yue."

"To possess such beauty and presence, looking across Yunzhou, indeed only the two Palace Masters of the Shifted Flower Palace qualify," Lan Lan Xiaodie smiled faintly, not surprised in the least.

Yao Yue glanced at her, "You are not bad either."