Chapter 29

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Chapter 29

If she could return home on her own, she would never have endured such torment.

Even if dying four more times could lead her to ascending to immortality, she would refuse it.

As soon as she leaned forward, flames erupted violently, first igniting her hair and eyelashes, then burning through her skin and nails.

Amid the searing pain, Gong Wu felt an icy chill that made her tremble.

Though she had cultivated a rare hard body, it was no match for the inferno before her.

At the same time, the circular spell glowed faintly, and the true energy slashed toward her like a six-pointed blade.

Without waiting for the true energy to reach her, she hurled herself into it.

She would rather have her spirit torn apart than endure another moment of burning agony!

As she died, Gong Wu felt as though she could see her body lying in the sea of flames.

She drifted in a daze for what felt like an eternity, suddenly grateful that her senior brother hadn’t witnessed this.

Thank goodness none of them had seen.

This time, the situation was even more unusual than before.

She had expected it to take days, perhaps even weeks, dying and reviving repeatedly until she had endured the flames four times and finally escaped this torment.

But her body lay trapped between the fiery spell formations; when she drew her last breath, the formation extinguished the flames, and when she revived, the fire reignited.

This meant that as soon as her heart began to beat, before her five senses could even begin to recover, her body would once again be torn apart by the true energy and perish.

Gong Wu’s divine consciousness remained serene and steady, observing her surroundings like a wandering soul.

She couldn’t stray too far from her body, fearing that her flesh and blood would no longer regenerate.

Yet, she dared not gaze upon her flickering heart.

It was too tragic, too unbearable for her to witness herself.

She closed her eyes and let her awareness drift in the void, slowly reciting the "Classic of Purity and Stillness" by the Supreme Old Lord.

Human nature seeks clarity, but the heart disrupts it.

The human heart yearns for calmness, yet desire pulls at it.

This scripture was passed down by the Queen Mother of the West, who heard it from the people, to the Old Lord through the White Turtle Platform, and then it was widely transmitted by the Old Lord to the world.

Gong Wu focused on her prayers, shutting out the pain of her mortal body as her spiritual platform gradually cleared.

She understood that this time, rebirth would take a very long time, akin to undergoing fasting and seclusion.

It was better to sever desires, eliminate impurities, and cultivate purity, waiting for the moment she would achieve success.

Spiritual energy swirled around her divine consciousness, inadvertently hastening her body’s self-repair.

For ten entire days, her heart would beat then fade, and by the time of her fifth rebirth, she no longer felt the torment of the fierce flames.

The two little foxes stared in amazement, witnessing a miracle.

From the charred and desolate bones, a heart suddenly leaped forth, growing ever brighter as the flames licked at it.

Her veins and bones sprouted like spring flowers, blooming without pause within the flames of the Spell Technique.

She was coming back to life.

She was alive again in the true energy of the fierce fire.

Not only was her skin and flesh stretching and growing inch by inch, but even her eyebrows and eyelashes sprouted anew in the flames, and they were even thicker and darker than before!

The old fox, despite its wild and fierce nature, felt a sense of awe as it watched.

It bowed to her body, which was still incomplete in the fierce flames, and pulled the little fox back to the lily pad.

“Where are we going?”

“To find clothes for our benefactor!”

Gong Wu sat there, forgetting everything, allowing her body to slowly achieve rebirth in the flames.

Her Spiritual Orifices opened completely, and as she sank deeper into meditation, her state of being broke through without her even realizing it.

The Realm of Opening Sun began at this moment!

Like a baby wandering in the Spiritual Sea, she practiced with her divine consciousness for more than ten days, until she suddenly awakened, remembering that her body was still deep within the cave.

Her divine consciousness sank a few inches, returning to the girl’s body.

The instant Gong Wu opened her eyes, the spells in the cave shattered like dry powder and scattered with a boom!

She felt around as she sat up, allowing the remaining spiritual energy in the spell formation to be absorbed by her body, only brushing her fingers through her long, dark hair that fell over her shoulders.

Strange, her hair didn’t seem this long before.

As Gong Wu turned to her side, two little foxes brought over splendid garments, jade hairpins, and beautiful ornaments.

“Please help yourself, benefactor.”

She gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and casually selected an outfit to wear.

The little fox asked tentatively, “Benefactor, what would you like to eat today?”

“No need.”

The two little foxes exchanged astonished glances, rendered speechless.

Earlier, they had seemed on the verge of starvation after breaking through the knife walls, yet today their benefactor appeared to… radiate with vitality!

Though the girl’s appearance remained unchanged, her breakthrough into the Opening Sun realm had left her eyes sparkling like clear springs and her skin as smooth as polished jade.

She casually tied up her long hair, allowing a few strands to fall by her temples, and with every movement, she exuded the aura of a half-immortal.

The old fox was utterly dumbfounded.

This was no longer the little girl they had dragged into the cave!

Gong Wu wasted no time on words; she adjusted her posture and strode forward.

The cave, having been blasted open by her, now occasionally shed small rocks from the high walls, but even those that landed on her forehead were deflected by an invisible barrier.

The narrow passage, once only navigable by crouching, had been widened and illuminated by her explosion, allowing her to walk upright.

The two little foxes followed cautiously from a distance, their eyes wide with awe.

Though they had trained for many years, the cultivators they had captured had barely reached the first layer of the knife walls; those who ventured further met instant death.

The path was littered with scattered weapons and skeletal remains, a grim testament to the dangers ahead.

This extraordinary woman truly lived up to the rumors—she was deathless, capable of saving their ancestors!

As they crossed the river of poisonous water, the flame of the oil lamp flickered weakly before extinguishing in the thin air.

Gong Wu no longer needed light; her breakthrough had granted her night vision, and in the distance, she could see something suspended, bound by a thousand chains.

She took a sharp breath and quickened her pace.

The little fox, clearly catching the scent of its ancestor, leaped forward, exclaiming, “It’s great-grandfather, great-grandfather!!”

Before it could take two steps, the old fox yanked it back firmly.

Gong Wu pressed on without hesitation.

With each step, a barrage of arrows rained down.

Like a violent summer storm, they fell relentlessly from all directions.

Yet, she walked unscathed, without the need for shelter.

Ahead, she encountered the Ten Xuan Sword Formation, as though dozens of the most elite sword cultivators were attacking her simultaneously!

Gong Wu remained focused, her gaze unwavering, and her steps never faltered.

Each sword aimed directly for her vital points, only to be deflected by her spiritual barrier.

The lethal killing formations, which even the Yuan Xian Immortal Assembly would find perilous, seemed to her like nothing more than a swarm of buzzing flies!

The girl now stood before the cage, yet the flying swords continued their relentless pursuit.

With a fierce glance back, she unleashed her power, causing several sharp swords to clash against one another, shattering into pieces!

Gong Wu narrowed her eyes and finally gazed upon the captive before her amidst the eerie silence punctuated by the sound of dripping blood.

Rather than a Fox Ancestor, it appeared as a formless mass of mangled flesh.

A barbed silver hook had pierced through its spine, suspending it high up.

Its nine tails had been severed at the roots, and its ears, along with the surrounding flesh, were festering and crawling with maggots.

The symbols etched into the surrounding walls revealed the sheer malice of its tormentor.

Not only had they trapped its true energy, preventing its soul from dispersing, but they had also inflicted layer upon layer of torment, ensuring it suffered ceaselessly, unable to live or die.

She stood before it, unable to detect any breath or discern where its features or heart might be.

The bloody mass clung to life, likely unaware that its suffering might finally end.

Gong Wu stood motionless before the grotesque figure for a long while.

The two little foxes were held back by the arrow trap, watching from afar as she approached their ancestor, bowing repeatedly.

“We know you despise us. Please, just end the ancestor’s suffering with one strike, and we’ll follow him into death!”

“We beg you, we beg you!”

Gong Wu had initially wanted to see what this Fox Ancestor looked like, but she couldn’t even locate its eyes.

She lowered her gaze and pondered for a long time, yet made no move.

“It can still be saved.”

The two foxes froze in place. Having witnessed its condition, they dared not hope for such a miracle.

“Killing it outright would only spare you,” Gong Wu sighed. “Where in the world does such a kindness exist?”

“Once I save your ancestor, I intend to ask what it plans to repay me with.”

The little fox was overcome with both grief and joy, weeping and laughing at once. “Thank you, savior, thank you!”

She swung her long knife, severing the chains, extinguishing the glowing symbols, and breaking the barbed silver hook.

The mass of flesh and blood fell onto the rabbit-fur blanket she had laid out, black blood oozing from it, releasing a putrid stench.

Gong Wu flicked her long knife backhanded, shattering the magical weapon into dozens of daggers that pierced the nodes of the formation.

All the traps crumbled in response, leaving the area safe once more.

Only then did the two little foxes rush forward, weeping as they licked the mass of flesh.

“Stop licking,” she said, struggling to push them away. “It’s already on the brink of death. If your drool and tears seep into its wounds, I won’t be able to save it.”

The foxes obeyed, looking up as the girl wrapped the bloody mass in her robe and began to walk back slowly.

Gong Wu had made up her mind; she would save this ancestor and settle accounts later.

Even if these hundreds of foxes brought thousands of wild chickens to Moonfire Valley in the future, it would far outweigh simply ending its life with a single stroke.

“Now, can you tell me how to return?”

The two little foxes trotted behind her and finally answered eagerly.

“There’s a hidden passage that leads out of the lair. The Keys to leave the Monster Realm are a few dozen miles away. We can take you there anytime.”

“But…” the little fox scratched its ear with its paw and said sharply, “it’s better if you don’t go back.”

Gong Wu turned to look at it.

“It doesn’t mean that,” the old fox sat in place like a person and raised a paw, saying, “You are our benefactor now, on my word, we will not lie to you.”

You’ve harmed me so badly, yet you dare to speak of honesty?

“People from the Demon Realm are looking for you. If you go back, those people will definitely storm into the valley!” the little fox said sharply. “If you don’t believe me, come with me to nearby towns and you’ll see!”

Gong Wu was startled, “Demon Realm?”

The two foxes exchanged glances, slowly walking back with her while recounting the secret happenings of the past few months.

Monsters often lurk in the human realm, but incursions from the Demon and Monster Realms are rare.

The two realms are guarded to completely different extents, resulting in a significant difference in the amount of information exchanged.

Before the rumors were clarified at Ba Jing Tower and Zhi Bai Guan, news had already circulated through the birds and bees, as those seemingly ordinary creatures were part of a network set up by the Monster Realm for spying.

“So, when they angrily returned home that day, mountain hares and skylarks were quietly keeping an eye on you.”

Gong Wu paused, “Could it be that the giant salamander has connections with you?”

“It has connections with the Monster Realm,” the old fox held up two fingers. “I fed it two fresh fish, asked a few questions about you, and it happily told me everything.”

The little girl knitted her brows, furious.

Two fish!!

You fat-headed salamander, you sold me out for two fish!!

The black market in Fuzhou was indeed well-placed in the bustling teahouse.

Ji Yang had expected they would sneak into dark alleys to find masked persons and inquire heavily about the entrance to the Demon Realm.

Instead, Tu Xuixin ordered the Leopard to rest outside the city, and together they changed into commoner’s clothing before entering the Second-Floor Teahouse, one in front of the other.

Inside the teahouse, smoke filled the air, and high up, a stage showcased an old man clapping and singing a tune.

Below, tea guests came and went, including traveling merchants resting their horses and local idlers.

Tu Xuixin sat down next to Ji Yang and noticed the latter sitting too stiffly, giving him a look.

“Don’t appear too upright—slouch a bit, like I do.”

Ji Yang, used to being proper, glanced around slightly, and his posture immediately relaxed into that of a young man of pleasure.

He was handsome and charming, very appealing.

A waiter hurried over, casually tossing a sweat towel over his shoulder, “Gentlemen, what would you like? We have freshly picked Longjing tea today, it’s quite good!”

Tu Xuixin replied, “We’ll have Bird’s Tail Pastry.”

“Oh, that’s a rare treat,” the waiter chuckled. “This pastry is quite difficult to make. If you want it, you’ll have to book a chess room upstairs.”

Tu Xuixin tossed some money as a tip and stood up.

“Lead the way.”

Even though it was a ruse, they still received various kinds of tea.

But after those were delivered, the next waiter to enter was a middle-aged man, clearly dressed in this simple journey-worn clothing.

“What else would you like?”

"The key to the Monster Realm," Tu Xuixin said succinctly. "The price is negotiable."

The middle-aged man, with a goatee, scrutinized them carefully and inquired, "What brings you two to the Monster Realm?"

"To find someone."

"Then why not entrust us with the task of finding them for you?"

"I prefer to see her with my own eyes; I wouldn’t feel at ease otherwise."

"I see," the middle-aged man said as he securely closed the window and spoke in a measured tone. "The Monster Realm is fragmented and disorderly; each region is distinct."

Ji Yang looked up and asked, "What’s the nearest location?"

"The closest area is demarcated by the Nine-Tailed Flag. To the southwest lies Duoqiao, and to the northeast, there’s the elusive cave."

The young man hesitated, recalling a flag he had seen on the mountain.

Most Han flags are long and rectangular, but that flag, fluttering like nine tails, was strikingly conspicuous on the mountaintop.

He had noticed it from a distance, but since Juju the Leopard insisted on staying nearby, he hadn’t gone to investigate further.

Tu Xuixin inquired again, "What are the prices for each?"

"Duoqiao is a wolf, and Xu Miao is a fox. Both are cunning and wary; they don’t easily reveal their locations."

The middle-aged man sighed and continued, "I’m keen on making this deal with you, but unfortunately, I can’t locate either."

Though the two were dressed in simple clothes, their demeanor suggested they could afford to pay handsomely.

He stroked his goatee and had another thought.

"My fifth son mentioned that your rewards are quite generous, so I’ll do you a favor."

"If you’re seeking information about the Monster and Demon Realms, you might want to visit the Second-Floor Teahouse in Jinzhou City, about thirty miles away; there might be some leads there."

Ji Yang expressed his doubt.

"Seeking far and wide, yet you might find something?"

The man waved his hand dismissively and leaned in closer, allowing them to see his eyes clearly.

"I have human eyes; they are round and proper when lit with a candle."

"The owner of the Second-Floor Teahouse in Jinzhou is quite the monster!"

The master and apprentice made their way there, piecing together what they could.

To uncover more about the Monster Realm, one must seek out the monsters that despise their rivals.

They hadn’t anticipated that the search for Gong Wu would drag on this long, and both felt a growing sense of restlessness.

Given Little Wu’s constitution, she could survive even in death.

But they feared for her suffering, hunger, cold, and her overall well-being.

Before leaving, Tu Xuixin wrote a letter, placed it in a bamboo tube, and entrusted it to the Leopard to deliver back.

The journey ahead would likely be lengthy, and those in the valley were probably worried about them.

The next day, they arrived at Jinzhou City, where transportation was sparse, and the area felt more deserted than some villages.

Ji Yang reached the Second-Floor Teahouse first, and before he could locate the owner, he sensed a strong presence of monster energy.

"Who are you looking for?"

The young man turned around sharply to see a gray-haired woman lazily watching him.

Though she still had a woman’s face, her posture against the wall and the way her eyes moved resembled that of a wild wolf.

This was Ji Yang’s first time speaking to a monster, and he asked a few questions with a sense of caution.

At that moment, Tu Xuixin approached, jolted back by the strong monster energy, and looked at Ji Yang with concern.

"You want the Inner Realm Key, right?" The Wolf Demon turned back to the counter and found some paper and ink. "Buy three, get one free, a total of three hundred gold coins, no bargaining."

"Are you robbing us?!" Tu Xuixin exclaimed anxiously. "Who needs that much? We only want the key for the area under the Nine-Tailed Flag’s riverbank. I can barely scrape together a hundred gold!"

"No deal," the Gray-haired Woman bared her teeth, her pupils subtly shifting. "If you don’t buy, then leave."

"If you say one more word, I’ll call my husband to turn you into dumpling filling!"

Tu Xuixin became impatient and pulled Ji Yang aside to discuss in a corner.

"We can handle her, but we don’t know how strong her husband is."

"No," Ji Yang pointed to the sign of the Second-Floor Teahouse. "Even if we manage to extract an answer today, we’d be making an enemy of the teahouse, and it would be hard to gather news nationwide in the future."

"I’ve got it, let’s do this instead," the young man’s mind raced. "We can draw a picture and ask her if she has seen Gong Wu."

"She may not even still be in the Monster Realm. What if she just passed through and her presence faded at the entrance?"

Tu Xuixin hesitated as he pulled out paper and ink from his bag. "Master never taught you the art of drawing. I’m afraid you might end up with something unrecognizable…"

Ji Yang already spread the paper and dipped his brush, delicately starting to draw.

His strokes were clear and flowing. He drew without overthinking, as if the memories were firmly etched in front of him and he could simply copy them.

As he sketched the girl’s eyebrows and eyes, the brush seemed to capture spiritual energy, and just a few strokes brought her vividly to life.

Having grown up together like siblings for over a decade, all their trust and familiarity appeared on the paper, allowing anyone to see their deep bond.

Tu Xuixin watched for a long time.

"If the drawing is too beautiful, it won’t look like her."

Ji Yang pulled back his wrist and glanced at the drawing for a moment.

"Doesn’t she look like this?"

Tu Xuixin appeared puzzled. "Is this how she looks to you?"

Ji Yang countered, "What does she look like to you?"

"A bit like a clumsy little quail," Tu Xuixin recalled. "Very obedient and simple-minded, not as graceful and gentle as in the drawing—Hey, where are you going?! Can’t I just tell the truth?!"

Though Ji Yang walked quickly, he steadied his hand on the drawing.

Unbeknownst to him, he held a special fondness for this picture.

If he made a mistake with the ink, he would furrow his brow slightly, burn the work, and start over.

He often found Gong Wu’s character a bit careless and hasty, but he thought it was adorable, always protecting her quietly.

As he grew up, he often reflected on whether he was being too protective, yet he continued to cherish her deeply.

The girl in the drawing smiled playfully and adorably, and Ji Yang glanced down, shaking his head ever so slightly.

At the very least, she shouldn’t marry a brat from the Fu Family.

His Junior Sister deserves the best marriage proposal in the world, wedded to someone truly dependable.

Back in the Second-Floor Teahouse, a customer had just left, carrying a lotus leaf wrapped with seasoned rabbit legs.

Ji Yang slowly unfolded the portrait and asked, "Have you seen this young lady?"

The proprietress chewed on a rabbit bone, holding one end like a smoking pipe, sucking the marrow, and raised her willow-leaf eyebrows.

"This one is a hot commodity; it’s more expensive than what you asked for earlier. Do you have money?"

"If you don’t have money, then I have nothing to say. You all should leave quickly."

Tu Xuixin had just arrived, and upon hearing this, he lunged forward, sensing a great crisis.

"What did you just say?"

"Hot, commodity," the proprietress said leisurely, glancing at the upstairs private room. She finished sucking the marrow from the bone, crushed it, and swallowed with an audible crunch.

Ji Yang slammed down the payment for the private room, and finally, the Gray-haired Woman smiled, swaying her hips as she led them upstairs.

On the second floor, they could hear a man snoring loudly; that was her husband keeping watch over the place.

Amidst the snoring, the woman gestured with her hand, taking the room payment and demanding a tip.

Tu Xuixin, tired of handing out money, carelessly gave some and urged, "Just tell us quickly!"

"This little girl is a rare treasure," the Gray-haired Woman said, her wolf tail swishing beneath her skirt before retreating. "She’s a young disciple from Moonfire Valley, with a master whose surname is Tu, and she has no parents."

"Somehow, she is unkillable. Even if she falls into a poisonous pool, she can recover and come back to life."

"You tell me, is this treasure valuable?"

At this point, Ji Yang subtly tightened his grip on the chair, and Tu Xuixin froze, both stunned by the extent of the information revealed.

"My plan has changed," the Gray-haired Woman said, smiling amid the snoring. "I’ll sell you all the information about her and those four locations together, never separately."

"The first for six hundred taels, the latter for four hundred taels, totaling one thousand taels of gold. Please proceed."

After saying this, she flipped her hand, her crimson nails beckoning.

"If payment is delayed, I may end up attending to other customers."

Her asking price was extraordinarily high, clearly intending to create difficulty.

The woman stared with a half-smile, unwilling to yield an inch.

Tu Xuixin leaned back lazily and said, "I’ll give you two thousand, but you have to return me one thousand."

"I came without any cash, so I need to find a convenient option."

The woman laughed dismissively. "Mr. must have never seen such a large banknote."

"We don’t have banknotes."

"Then what do you have?"

Ji Yang flipped his wrist, revealing two shiny plums in his palm.

The fruits glimmered, resembling gold and jade.