Chapter 140: It

Perhaps Thus: Xuantang Xingjun noticed the voice was more urgent than before, and he, with a slight concealment, asked, "Ahem, what do you want to ask?"

"Since you know the ancient city, could you point out a thing or two?" Jiang Yu naturally heard his unusual urgency and, after a moment's thought, realized he knew.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun remained silent for a long while; Jiang Yu silently counted to one hundred, flashed out without looking back, and added another layer of formation around the spiritual sword.

And Xuantang Xingjun could no longer observe the outside through the spiritual sword, sighing repeatedly, "Young one, can't you be a bit more patient? Let me think."

Jiang Yu wasn't lacking patience; she heard Jiang Tu's mental transmission that, among the two Dragon Emperor Island cultivators, one had already been teleported away.

She stepped out and saw the remaining person feeling the stone slabs inch by inch, yet still standing in the sand pit.

"Just now, someone who touched a point on a stone slab was swept away by a wisp of mist." Jiang Tu, still hovering, faintly sketched the shape of the mist.

Jiang Yu stared at the stone tablet without blinking, wondering whether to go out and knock out the remaining cultivator; that cultivator, having touched something unknown, was instantly sucked away by a puff of gray mist.

Yes, it was sucked away, not teleported.

She immediately leapt out of the Dragon Pearl Space, and after Jiang Tu dispelled the invisibility technique, she put the Dragon Pearl back into the dedicated waist pouch.

However, the sand beneath her was truly scorching, so she had to retrieve a pair of wooden clogs from her storage bracelet and slip them on.

Fortunately, her master had given her ice‑silkworm inner armor, whose defensive effect needs no mention; its winter‑warm, summer‑cool property was fully displayed now.

Jiang Tu, disliking the heat, didn't bring the Dragon Pearl out of the Dragon Pearl Space, merely watching her spin to examine others' concealment formations, and asked, "You're not going in?"

"I'll lay another formation to prevent anyone from opening the current formation gate." Jiang Yu said and did it; she had spent merit points to acquire a heap of spiritual talismans and formation arrays, exactly for moments like this.

She is a professional at setting formations; she placed each formation array and banner into their predetermined spots.

In a short time, her formation created a second layer of protective shield within the small white sand pit.

After setting and checking, Jiang Yu did not immediately step forward to touch the stone slabs beneath the sand, but flashed into the spiritual sword again: "Senior, I know your mortal body is likely trapped in the ancient city.

Now, you need not bear any burden; just tell me what you know about the ancient city."

Xuantang Xingjun sighed, "The ancient city, it turns out, was once inhabited. I was once swept into a cave heaven and inadvertently touched a city where no one lived.

Inside, it compresses a person's spiritual energy and consciousness to the limit; a moment of inattention throws one straight into certain delusions.

My mortal body, because after entering the illusion my soul inexplicably could not return, dared to split a fragment of its soul and invest it into this spiritual sword I found, seeking a chance.

You ask me, is it because you don't want to risk going in? Yet the exit of this desert, aside from braving a swarm of fire ants to the death, is the ancient city's gate.

"I'll take a risk and trust you once." Saying that, Jiang Yu deftly drew her sword from the formation, and after telling Jiang Tu, the two of them leapt out of the Dragon Pearl together.

Just as Jiang Yu was feeling around the stone slabs, someone, both inside and outside the desert, fell into the ancient city a step ahead of her.

Jiang Yu didn't touch for long; a barely audible hiss rang in her ears, and before she could feel anything, a sudden gray mist clouded her eyes.

Immediately, a massive suction pulled her away, while Jiang Tu, inside her sleeve, clutched the cuff tightly, fearing they would be separated.

Just as they were tense, with a thud, Jiang Yu fell to the ground, hand pressing the clean floor, and a gust of wind lifted her as she stood up.

Jiang Yu steadied herself, felt the sleeve pocket—Jiang Tu was still inside—and felt considerably reassured.

But when trying to transmit a thought, Jiang Tu didn't react at all, because she discovered her consciousness was compressed within a meter.

Although her spiritual power wasn't fully suppressed, her cultivation was only at the first or second level of Refining Qi—hard to believe?

Jiang Yu shook her head, saw Jiang Tu completely still but breathing evenly, and tried to move her back into the Dragon Pearl.

Looking again at the spiritual sword, she still couldn't reach Thus: Xuantang Xingjun; she wondered whether he was feigning depth or truly unreachable.

Thus, Jiang Yu could only focus on what lay before her: a straight boulevard stretching endlessly, with shop banners fluttering on both sides and all doors and windows open.

She stepped forward a moment, suddenly saw a red figure ahead, and instantly raised her spiritual sword to fly toward the opponent.

The red figure made a similar move, even more decisive, and a sword thrust flew toward her first.

Bang, ding, clap

Jiang Yu didn't even dodge, striking the flying sword head‑on: "Qi Haohao, you want to fight as soon as we meet?"

"Jiang Yu? I thought it was an illusion." Qi Haohao hadn't expected to meet her again and felt it was unreal.

So she spoke again: "In West Port Market, why did you suddenly leave without a word?

I've been looking for a long time and haven't seen any news from you."

"I went to the Deep Sea; your uncles, they came in with you, right?" Jiang Yu finished asking when Qi Haohao sprinted quickly from the opposite side.

But as she got closer, she actually saw Qi Haohao's face instantly change into another person's, who then rushed to her with extremely swift movement.

Without a word, the opponent raised a umbrella in hand and thrust it toward Jiang Yu's eyes.

But a flash of bronze light suddenly pierced her eye; Qi Haohao felt a sharp pain, the umbrella fell, and she instantly dropped to the ground.

Jiang Yu dared not be careless; she withdrew the hand holding the bronze mirror and whooshed out a spiritual net, ensnaring Qi Haohao entirely within it.

Qi Haohao, listless and not struggling, said, "Jiang Yu, aren't you affected?"

A familiar person suddenly became another, and in an instant turned the blade against me."

"Just now, you and your teammate entered together? Where is the other person?" Jiang Yu was affected, but she said nothing.

Qi Haohao whispered, "I have a senior sister; I stabbed her."

"Get up, go find someone." Jiang Yu's hand reached into the spiritual net, gave her a pull on the face— it wasn't fake.

Qi Haohao winced, shook off her hand, "Remove the net, be careful!"

Jiang Yu was about to retract the net when a chill surged from behind; she clutched the net and flipped, shaking it off.

Shedding the attacker, she provoked Qi Haohao's roar: "You bastard, using me as a shield."

However, before her roar ended, the attacker swung another sword at Qi Haohao.

This time, Jiang Yu had a buffer; she threw a hand‑less spiritual sword, her dual‑handed sword technique flaring swiftly, barely blocking the opponent's heavy strike.

Clang clang

The spiritual sword attacked rapidly, one thrust after another forcing the opponent and his sword to retreat repeatedly.

The attacker hadn't expected her such quick reaction, retreating while scanning for an escape route.

He wanted to retreat, but Jiang Yu didn't; instead, she leapt, and with a boom she erupted a massive fireball.

With that, she blasted the attacker onto the ground and even shattered the mask on his face.

Jiang Yu does not stop, commanding the spirit sword with a one‑handed sword technique to strike straight at the opponent's heart.

But the opponent suddenly rolls over, and the spirit sword hovers motionless in mid‑air: "Jiang Yu, you intend to deal a lethal blow, don't you!"

"Senior Brother Xing, it's you!" Qi Haohao exclaims in surprise from the other side.

Jiang Yu gives a faint smile: "A Dao friend from the Ten Thousand Immortal Sect? Or a Dao friend Xun of the Cloud Mist Immortal Sect?"