Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1245 Old Friends
The "white magic circle" is located in front of you.

Bai Yuxian and Yu Mengning stood guard carefully to the side.

After the mysterious disappearance of Song Qingyu and Li Xianyun, the two were noticeably more vigilant. Even when there was no movement around them, their eyes never strayed far from the barrier.

More than two hours had passed since Song Qingming and his group left.

There is still no trace of them, and it is unknown whether Song Qingyu and Li Xianyun have been found.

Just as Bai Yuxian felt a sense of unease, she suddenly sensed a commotion coming from the giant forest not far from them, as if someone was casting a spell to approach.

Upon noticing the commotion, Bai Yuxian immediately turned around to look in the direction of the noise.

Before long, Yu Mengning, who was standing to the side, also heard a commotion, and a look of joy immediately appeared on her face.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, is it Senior Sister Xia and Fellow Daoist Song?"

"We're probably not the only ones who've come in here; others might approach as well, so we need to be careful."

"Fellow Daoist Yu, you stay here and guard the formation. I'll go check the situation first."

Faced with Yu Mengning's question, Bai Yuxian became noticeably more cautious. After giving her some instructions, she cast a spell to release a magical artifact in front of her and quickly walked forward.

As they drew closer, the noises emanating from the giant tree forest grew louder and louder.

"boom!"

A loud bang came from ahead, and the originally green giant tree suddenly turned red and exploded, creating a huge circular hole.

The next moment, as the crimson light flew out, a figure in red suddenly appeared in front of Bai Yuxian.

The newcomer was also a young woman whose beauty rivaled that of Bai Yuxian. She wore a simple, elegant crimson robe that fluttered like fire. Although she wore no other accessories, her noble and otherworldly temperament was still undeniable.

The woman in red had a cold glint in her eyes, and the powerful aura emanating from her body instantly enveloped the surroundings.

"Another one, a demon emperor at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage!"

Sensing the powerful aura emanating from this woman, Bai Yuxian's face turned ugly, and she immediately used magic to flash back and return to Yu Mengning's side.

Bai Yuxian's cultivation had only recently broken through to the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage. Even with the "Purple Flame Divine Fire Silk" borrowed by Song Qingming, her fighting abilities were only barely enough to contend with a ninth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

The woman in red before him had already reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm, and her strength was far beyond what he could easily handle alone.

Fortunately, before Song Qingming and the others left, they had already set up a high-level magic array here as a precaution.

As soon as Bai Yuxian returned to her original spot, the two immediately activated the magic array, and a semi-transparent white light shield instantly enveloped the vicinity of the "white magic array".

Just as Bai Yuxian was casting her spell and setting up the formation, the woman in red in the distance had obviously already seen what was happening.

With a flash, he disappeared from the spot.

Just as Bai Yuxian and the other person were scanning their surroundings, a powerful pressure suddenly enveloped them from above, and crimson flames transformed into bursts of fire rain that shot down.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Sounds rang out continuously from outside the formation. Under the onslaught of the fire rain, the formation above Bai Yuxian and the other person shook violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Seeing this, Bai Yuxian and Yu Mengling quickly waved the array flags in their hands, rapidly channeling their magic power into the array.

With just a casual strike, Bai Yuxian felt that this goddess's power was even above that of the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," and in no way inferior to the "Suanni Clan" expert they had encountered before.

Without the protection of the great formation, even if the two of them joined forces, they probably wouldn't be able to hold off the opponent.

Although she had secretly sent a message to Song Qingming and the others, Bai Yuxian was not very confident that they could receive the message in time and return, given that they were in such a restricted area.

Faced with such a formidable enemy, Bai Yuxian and her companion had no better options than to try and hold off the enemy with their magic array until Song Qingming and the others arrived to provide support.

A continuous rain of fire fell from the sky, quickly turning the white, transparent shield into a deep crimson.

Even though it seemed to be in dire straits, fortunately, the great formation set up by Bai Yuxian and the others was also quite powerful and not so easy to break through.

Despite the two of them using their full power to activate their magic, the white light shield remained intact, blocking all the fire rain from entering the formation.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky suddenly fell silent, and the surrounding fire rain disappeared.

Just as Bai Yuxian thought the opponent was powerless to break through the formation and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a crisp cracking sound suddenly came from the protective barrier above.

Only when the two looked up did they realize that the small flames attached to the protective shield had not gone out, but were burning brighter and brighter, and were even beginning to absorb the spiritual energy of the entire array.

".

"Oh no, these flames can actually devour spiritual energy! We've been tricked."

Seeing that the crimson flames had already attached themselves to the protective shield and were rapidly devouring the surrounding spiritual energy, and that the great formation was on the verge of collapse, Bai Yuxian couldn't help but feel a look of disbelief on her face.

They saw the woman in red above gather another five-colored phoenix in her hand, which then attacked with blazing flames.

Knowing that the great formation could no longer stop the opponent, Bai Yuxian gritted her teeth and activated the "Purple Flame Divine Fire Silk" to transform into a crimson fire python, rushing out of the protective barrier to entangle the opponent.

The crimson fire python and the five-colored phoenix met in mid-air and immediately intertwined.

However, the crimson fire python summoned by Bai Yuxian was clearly outmatched in terms of momentum by its opponent.

After a few dozen rounds of fighting, the fire python was trampled underfoot by the five-colored phoenix and fell from mid-air.

Seeing this, Bai Yuxian's face also turned pale, and she gritted her teeth once again to activate her natal magic treasure "Azure Lotus" to protect the top of the great formation.

"boom!"

With a violent tremor, the protective shield shattered instantly, and flames danced all around, turning the area into a sea of ​​fire.

Under the scorching flames, the "Azure Lotus" had no time to stop the opponent. Bai Yuxian, who had already fallen to the ground, could only watch helplessly as the red-clad figure descended directly in front of her.

"Oh no, Fellow Daoist Bai, be careful!"

Seeing that Bai Yuxian had been knocked away and was powerless to stop the woman in red, Yu Mengning immediately summoned a cyan flying sword, intending to cast a spell to come to her rescue.

However, Yu Mengning's cultivation level was only at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and she had not fully recovered from the injuries she sustained in the previous battle with the Demon Emperor of the "Suanni Clan". Therefore, she could only unleash less than 60% or 70% of her strength.

Just as Yu Mengning's flying sword approached the woman in red, it was blasted away by a burst of flames, causing her to fall to the side and spit out a trickle of blood.

The woman in red, after easily defeating Yu Mengning, looked indifferent, seemingly not taking her two opponents seriously at all.

Seeing the woman in red turn her gaze again and cast a spell in his direction.

With a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, Bai Yuxian felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

As a fellow late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, I found my supernatural abilities utterly inadequate to contend with such a top expert at the half-step Divine Transformation realm.

Back then, Song Qingming could fight against the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" alone without being at a disadvantage, and led human cultivators to reclaim the northern territory of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" from the demon race.

Now that it's my turn, the situation is vastly different.

For Bai Yuxian, who had been hailed as a "peerless genius" since childhood, the red-clad woman before her reminded her of Xia Mo from back then.

It became an even more insurmountable mountain in her heart.

This time, however, Bai Yuxian did not choose to sigh and lower her head. Instead, she looked firmly at the person in front of her.

"Life and death are preordained. Even if I perish and my soul is extinguished, I will never bow my head to anyone again."

"Since I promised Junior Brother Song and the others, I should stay until they return and fulfill my promise."

In just a moment, Bai Yuxian, who had just looked desperate, instantly regained her fighting spirit and immediately cast a spell to summon a cyan shield in front of her.

"..." Just as Bai Yuxian was preparing to meet the red-clothed woman's next attack, the immense pressure in front of her suddenly disappeared into mid-air.

"Are you from the Free and Unfettered Sect?"

Upon hearing the slightly cold voice of the woman in red, Bai Yuxian's eyes flashed with surprise.

The expert before him, who was at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, was someone he had never seen before, nor had he ever heard of any other top expert among the nearby demon races.

For some reason, this person seems to have had some connection with the sect.

He was able to discern her identity and directly uttered the words "Xiaoyao Sect" to her.

Seeing that the woman in red didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a move and was only trying to stall for time, Bai Yuxian's eyes immediately flashed with a strange look.

After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth to reply:

"That's right! I am a cultivator from the Xiaoyao Sect of the Floating Cloud Mountains."

I have never met you before, fellow Daoist. How did you recognize me? Could you perhaps explain?

"You're right, this is indeed our first time meeting."

"However, I was a guest at Golden Feather Mountain back then, and I heard quite a bit about your Free and Unfettered Sect."

Since Li Mufeng, the only person who has advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage so quickly, if I'm not mistaken, is you Bai Yuxian, right?

"I will not change my name or surname, I am Bai Yuxian of the Xiaoyao Sect!"

"Your Excellency is a member of the Feather Clan and has been a guest at Golden Feather Mountain. You must have some connection with the former Golden Feather Demon Emperor."

"With your level of cultivation and supernatural abilities, you should not be some unknown or ordinary person."

"A powerful demon from the Northern Frontier who's connected to the Golden Feather Demon Emperor, and who specializes in fire-based divine abilities—could you also be a cultivator of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan?!"

As soon as Bai Yuxian finished speaking, the woman in red standing in front of her, though she did not reply, couldn't help but slightly change her expression.

"As expected of someone who has advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, you certainly have some knowledge!"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you today. You just need to answer one question."

What do you want to ask?
"I will not hide anything from you if I can answer your question!"

Although she heard the other party make a guarantee, Bai Yuxian's face did not relax at all, and her eyes were still full of vigilance when she looked at the other party.

The woman in red opposite her remained calm, clearly unconcerned.

She glanced at the white magic circle below and then asked:

"You're not the only one from your Xiaoyao Sect who came here!"
Tell me who came in, and I'll see if I recognize anyone.

"As I suspected, the other party does indeed know other cultivators in the sect. Could it be an old friend of Senior Brother Li?"

When Bai Yuxian first heard the woman in red recognize her, and considering that the woman had been to "Golden Feather Mountain," she already guessed that the woman had some connection with the "Golden Feather Demon Emperor."

Now that she has confirmed that there is someone in the sect whom the other party knows, Bai Yuxian's first thought is of Li Mufeng, the sect's Grand Elder who has already retired to the second line.

After all, the "Golden Feather Demon Emperor" had already left the cultivation world of the Floating Cloud Mountains five hundred years ago, before Bai Yuxian formed his Nascent Soul.

At that time, no other Nascent Soul cultivators were born in the entire "Xiaoyao Sect" except for Li Mufeng.

The only person who could have interacted with such a Nascent Soul expert was him.

Upon hearing the woman in red inquire about the cultivators from the "Xiaoyao Sect" who were traveling with her, Bai Yuxian pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

She then named Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, and Li Xianyun, who were traveling with her. In addition, she deliberately mentioned several other names, including Li Mufeng, but she said that she had already separated from them.

That's why I said it specifically.

Bai Yuxian was only trying to use Li Mufeng's name to see if she could ease the tension with him, perhaps save her life, or buy herself some time.

After all, he had many companions nearby who could come to his aid at any time.

Even if the other party were to actually make a move, they would likely be somewhat hesitant.

After hearing Bai Yuxian's reply, the woman in red nodded slightly, her expression remaining calm, revealing nothing of her inner thoughts.

After a moment, the woman in red slowly spoke: "So many people, and all of them are Nascent Soul cultivators. Your Xiaoyao Sect has really changed a lot in recent years."

Since you're willing to answer, I won't make things difficult for you.

But before I leave, I'd like to remind you of something.

The dangers here are not as simple as you imagine. If you want to escape safely, you must stop in time and not be too greedy.

Having said that, the woman in red ignored Bai Yuxian in front of her and turned around, disappearing from the spot.

The next moment, the woman in red stepped into the white light barrier and quickly disappeared, leaving this secret realm.

"They're really gone!"

Only after confirming that the woman in red had disappeared did Bai Yuxian relax slightly and slowly exhale.

She had just thought she was about to perish here, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, the crisis was quickly resolved, and she was spared from death.

Although he was still somewhat puzzled as to why the woman in red would suddenly let him go.

But Bai Yuxian, who had just survived the ordeal, had no time to think about this problem. Her mind was filled with gratitude for her good fortune; she was indeed destined to survive.

"That was close!"

"Huh! The teleportation array has disappeared."

Just as Bai Yuxian was secretly rejoicing, she suddenly saw the white light barrier beside her disappear from her sight.

Upon seeing this, she was immediately surprised.

After the magic array disappeared, before Bai Yuxian could even figure out what had suddenly happened, the ground shook violently once again.

The next moment, the surrounding giant trees seemed to come alive and began to rapidly approach the location of Bai Yuxian and the other person.

"not good!"

Upon seeing this, Bai Yuxian was immediately surprised. Why did she use magic to take the unconscious Yu Mengning with her and retreat to a distant, open area?

Despite her serious injuries, Bai Yuxian had no intention of tending to her wounds in this situation.

He could only cast spells to activate his magical artifacts to defend himself while quickly moving to dodge the giant tree branches and leaves attacking from all sides.

Just then, a tremor was heard again from the giant tree in the distance.

Upon hearing the commotion, Bai Yuxian didn't think too much and took the initiative to move closer to the other party's location.

Before long, a golden light flashed from the giant tree ahead, and the "golden giant" suddenly descended from the sky and landed in front of the two.

This "golden giant" seemed to descend from the heavens, instantly shredding the giant trees that attacked from all sides into dust.

This immediately turned the situation around for Bai Yuxian and her companion, who had been forced to retreat to a corner.

"Senior Sister Bai, are you alright?"

(Happy New Year! On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I'd like to extend my New Year's greetings to all my fellow Daoists.)
(End of this chapter)