This place is fun

Chapter 192 Something happened

Early in the morning, Song Xier opened her eyes in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling as if she were still in a dream. After a long time, her eyes finally moved slightly, and she sat up, biting her lip.

Her loose-fitting top hung loosely, revealing one rounded shoulder and delicate collarbone. Her snow-white, smooth skin was like a freshly peeled egg.

Since meeting Su Daoshan, Song Xier has lost count of how many times this guy has challenged her understanding of things.

From a legendary bookworm to someone who suddenly established his Dao heart and became an extraordinary martial artist, then to an unfathomable level of spiritual root, and the extraordinary talent of mastering the Mad Demon Eighteen Hammers to perfection in just a few days...

He has already saved himself twice.

Therefore, in Song Xier's mind, Su Daoshan was no longer just a strange boy from a remote town, nor merely a newly initiated junior brother. Otherwise, given the Su family's involvement with the Crown Prince's case, she wouldn't have let him know so many of her secrets, nor would she have brought him into the Ember Society.

As for her opinion of this guy, Song Xier has been consistently improving.

In her view, Su Daoshan's only shortcomings were his background and opportunities. Otherwise, with his talent, he might not have lost to those renowned geniuses in a super sect.

Even with such high regard for Su Daoshan, Song Xier still found it hard to accept what had happened in the spiritual realm the previous night.

Song Xier threw off the covers, dressed, got out of bed, and washed up quickly. Just a few minutes later, she was already standing outside Su Daoshan's room, knocking on the door.

Su Daoshan knew she was coming, and when he opened the door and saw her, he showed no surprise. He turned and walked to the washbasin, pouring water and wringing out a towel as he asked, "Senior Sister, so early?"

"Your things..." Song Xier followed behind him and asked anxiously.

Last night, when Song Xier heard Su Daoshan's whispers, she wondered if there was something wrong with her ears.

A newcomer who has only been in the Spirit Realm for a few days asked me to help him acquire 130 Star Sands... Is this guy delirious from being sick?

However, Su Daoshan did not let her doubts linger for long.

In the spirit realm, besides transmitting information, another important function of the Message Tree is the circulation of spiritual energy. No matter how far apart people are, as long as someone on one side pays spiritual energy to the Message Tree, the Message Tree will then pay that energy to the designated recipient on the other side.

These giant tree structures, which collect vast amounts of spiritual energy daily and whose tentacles extend throughout the entire spiritual realm, are themselves a natural network for the circulation of spiritual energy.

Song Xi'er then discovered that Su Daoshan's soul had left the teahouse. Less than two minutes later, she received a message from the message tree containing 5000 spiritual essence.

When Song Xier also left the teahouse and returned to the personal stone house where her avatar had been, she was completely stunned when she received the 5000 spiritual essences.

"Senior sister, please help me sell the Battle Spirit Rebirth Pill and see if I have enough spiritual energy. If not, please cover the shortfall first, and I'll give you 10% interest. I'll pay you back next time I enter the Spirit Realm."

These are Su Daoshan's words.

The tone was casual and matter-of-fact.

So, Song Xier returned to the tea room in a daze and reached a sales agreement with Crow for the Battle Spirit Rebirth Pill at a price of 800 spirit essences. She also subsidized Su Daoshan with 700 spirit essences and collected 130 star sands from Magpie, Tao Zhu and Cloth Tiger.

The payment for the spiritual essence was made on the spot via the message tree, while the related items were transported by the escort agency after the meeting. Based on the one-to-three time ratio between the real world and the spiritual realm, the transaction should be completed by the time we enter the spiritual realm later today.

But even now, Song Xier is still in a state of severe unreality.

I can accept that this guy is talented. Even if he acts like a prodigy, it's still within the realm of explanation.

But how do you explain these 5000 spiritual essences?

You should know that even for me, my spiritual energy is always insufficient to cover my expenses. My savings have never exceeded 2000!

No matter how monstrous this kid's talent is, can he really be transformed into a Spirit Envoy?

However, when facing Su Daoshan, Song Xier stopped herself just as she was about to speak about the question she had been holding back all night—everyone has their own secrets, especially in the Spirit Realm…

"What's wrong?" Su Daoshan covered his face with a steaming towel, enjoying the comfort for a while, before turning his gaze to Song Xier while wiping his face.

The girl had a red ribbon tied in her hair, and she still looked like the Snow Fairy Fan Caiyi.

However, unlike before, her fair and jade-like face was flushed with urgency, her bright eyes were half-hidden by long eyelashes, and she gently bit her lower lip, showing an expression of both curiosity and embarrassment.

For some reason, Su Daoshan felt his breath suddenly stop for a second.

Perhaps because their first encounter was at a critical moment of life and death, Su Daoshan had never truly appreciated his senior sister's beauty. She was undeniably beautiful. But this woman was simply incompatible with him. Every meeting brought nothing good, and even though she was as beautiful as a celestial being, he had no interest in appreciating her.

Moreover, every time she appeared in Fan Caiyi's guise, her icy demeanor had a cooling effect. One glance was enough to freeze any burning desire into eternal ice, instantly erasing any improper thoughts.

You really can't stick to it without a bit of a twisted, masochistic streak.

however……

"Gulp." Su Daoshan swallowed. At this moment, he suddenly realized that when the ice-cold girl showed such a troubled expression, there was a kind of cute contrast that made his heart flutter.

It's a wonderful feeling, like a proud and aloof kitten that, on a sunny afternoon when the sunlight streams through the window, unexpectedly jumps onto the desk in front of you, rolls around on the books, reveals its soft belly, and looks at you with its beautiful, bright eyes.

It's both funny and makes you want to reach out and bully it...

For Su Daoshan, the most irresistible allure of the woman before him was that he knew of her other face.

At this moment, what he saw was the pure and holy Snow Fairy Fan Caiyi, but in his mind, he couldn't help but imagine her charming and fiery appearance when she tore off the red ribbon and transformed into the demonic witch Song Xier.

The same expression, the same person, yet they can evoke completely different feelings. If it were…

"Cough." He couldn't think any further. Su Daoshan quickly suppressed his wandering thoughts, wrung out a towel, and vigorously wiped his face, saying, "Senior Sister wants to ask about those spiritual essences, right?"

"Forget it," Song Xier said dejectedly, pouting and shaking her head. "Let's go downstairs to eat. We can also find out what's going on outside."

Perhaps it was the change in mindset after giving up, or perhaps it was the renewed influence of the red ribbon, but after saying those words, Song Xier transformed back into the aloof fairy.

Su Daoshan smiled at her, said nothing more, and they got ready to leave together.

Beizi Town was still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. The air was somewhat damp. Walking on the second-floor corridor of the inn, the mountains opposite and the two ends of the street were not clearly visible.

Su Daoshan frowned slightly.

Because I entered the spiritual realm last night, I usually sleep a little longer, so when I woke up it was already late morning, almost 9 AM. In my previous life, that would have been past 8:30 AM, and I would have been late for work.

However, even as the sun rose high in the sky, he found the town streets still deserted. The caravans and troops that usually thronged the area were nowhere to be seen. The soldiers directing traffic stood listlessly on the empty streets, looking around aimlessly. The shops lining the streets were also nearly empty.

Song Xier also sensed something was wrong. She turned her head and exchanged a glance with Su Daoshan, and they both quickened their pace.

The two went downstairs, passed through the back courtyard, and just as they entered the main hall of the post station through the side door along the eaves, they encountered people from Hongzhao Palace.

"Daoshan, Caiyi, come over here..." The disciples of Hongzhao Palace were sitting at three tables in the main hall, obviously having already eaten breakfast and chatting. Li Yulian spotted the two at a glance and immediately waved for them to come over.

"Uncle Wang, Uncle Liu, Uncle Li..." Su Daoshan and Song Xier respectfully clasped their hands in greeting, and then exchanged pleasantries with Liu Hua and other disciples of Hongzhao Palace.

"You two haven't eaten yet, have you?" Li Yulian invited the two of them to sit down next to her, and immediately gestured for the waiter to bring up the food.

"Uncle-Master Li, what is this...?" Song Xi'er turned her head and looked around, asking in confusion.

The streets were deserted, but the inn was much busier. The several large, interconnected rooms were filled with dozens of tables. Besides the disciples of the righteous sects we'd seen yesterday, there were many unfamiliar martial artists.

Some of them still had bloodstains and wounds on them, and looked travel-worn, clearly having just arrived.

"As you know, things have been unsettled around here since yesterday. But the situation worsened last night," Li Yulian said gravely. "It's said that the demonic cultivators who appeared are stronger than those who passed through a couple of days ago. Moreover, they are ruthless, and we've suffered considerable casualties..."

"So arrogant?" The Snow Fairy Fan Caiyi, who hated evil as if it were her enemy, naturally had an icy expression and was filled with righteous indignation. Su Daoshan mentally gave Song Xier a thumbs up. As for himself, he only needed to maintain a wooden demeanor, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Li Yulian sighed and said, "Since the cataclysm of the apocalypse, the demonic forces have grown by more than a hundred or a thousand times. Especially after some of the scoundrels joined the You Clan, their combat power has increased by leaps and bounds. If we were in Yishan City or Chongguang City, we wouldn't be afraid of them. But here we are in the middle of nowhere, and there are no strong people stationed here..."

As they were talking, the innkeeper brought up the food.

Liu Xiangyi, who was standing to the side, warned, "Now everyone should try to retreat into the town and avoid their sharp edge. Even if these remnants of the demonic path are rampant, they wouldn't openly attack a large transit station. You should stay here for the next two days and not go anywhere. No matter what it is, we'll talk about it when your elders arrive."

Su Daoshan ate his steamed buns and drank his porridge, behaving himself properly and nodding repeatedly.

Just then, several officers of the Blazing Fire Army and several elders of the sect surrounded the main gate, their faces ashen. They said something, and then one of them came over and respectfully invited Elder Wang Li of the Red Illumination Palace over.

Wang Li is the oldest and strongest among the disciples of Hongzhao Palace, and is the team leader. In Beizi Town, he is considered one of the top figures in terms of reputation, strength, and status.

Elder Wang was gone for quite some time. During that time, someone came and invited Liu Xiangyi and Li Yulian over as well.

It wasn't until Su Daoshan and Song Xier had finished their meal and chatted with Liu Hua and the other disciples of Hongzhao Palace for a while that the group hurriedly returned.

Back upstairs, Wang Li and his two companions summoned the Hongzhao Palace disciples, along with Su and Song, into their room. Their first words were grave: "Something's happened!"

Everyone's hearts jumped into their throats.

Given the strength and status of the three elders, it was no small matter for these three words to come out of their mouths.

Elder Wang Li said, "News has just come in that after dawn this morning, the You Clan launched their attack on Wen'an City. A large number of You Clan members rushed out of the You Mist and headed straight for Wen'an City's defenses... It is said that this time, they deployed Sandstorm Insects and Faceless Clan members, and their offensive is exceptionally fierce."

The disciples looked at each other in disbelief, their eyes filled with horror.

The Sandstorm Worm is an otherworldly creature raised by the Ghost Clan, resembling a silkworm in appearance. However, its skin is gray and rough and hard like rock. It is also extremely large, over fifty meters long and over ten meters tall, appearing like a small mountain.

Sandstorm worms have the ability to control and create hurricanes, and their specialty is sucking up sand and rocks and then spraying them out from their mouths. Dozens of sandstorm worms working together are enough to create a devastating sandstorm.

The sandstorm blotted out the sun, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Inside, thousands of flying stones fell like meteors. Some were as small as pigeon eggs, enough to smash a person's head open, drawing blood and even splattering their brains. Others were as large as millstones, hurtling towards you and capable of turning a rank of soldiers into a bloody path of minced flesh.

As for the Faceless Clan, that's the name humans gave to a mysterious ghost race.

This race is entirely hidden beneath a hard, bony shell; their faces, apart from a pair of small openings that appear to be eyes, are simply smooth, flat bony plates.

This is why this race has extremely strong defenses. Unless you can hit their vital points precisely, a blow to them is no different than hitting a rock.

The defining characteristic of this race is its exceptional combat prowess combined with its ability to precisely control and command the Mad Puppet.

As soon as they appear among the Mad Puppets, the puppets, which were originally irrational and driven only by instinct, immediately become orderly, like well-trained soldiers. Not only can they cooperate with the Faceless Clan to surround and hunt down their opponents, but in times of danger, they will also rush forward one after another to shield the Faceless Clan from harm.

It can be said that the combat power of the same Mad Puppet Tide differs by more than tenfold depending on whether the Faceless Clan is in the middle or not!

With the simultaneous appearance of sandstorm worms and faceless creatures, the predicament of Wen'an City is predictable.

"What's the situation in Wen'an City?" Liu Hua asked worriedly.

Li Yulian shook her head and said, "There is no definite news yet... With the protection of the exorcism array, and the fact that the Chongguang City camp was the first to be deployed in Wen'an City, preparations in all aspects are more thorough. There shouldn't be any major problems in the short term."

Elder Wang Li nodded and continued, "In addition, the You Clan has also launched an attack from the direction of Yishan City through wormholes. However, the intensity here is lower. Apart from a large number of mad puppets they control, the most common enemies appearing so far are ant soldiers."

This time, the reactions were much milder.

Ant soldiers are the most common and lowest-ranking race among the Ghost Clan. They are named for their large numbers and ant-like abdomens and hind legs. This race possesses a particularly frustrating ability: they can rapidly dig burrows into the ground, appearing and disappearing unpredictably and making them extremely difficult to defend against.

However, compared to races like the Faceless Ones and Blackrock Ghosts, the ant soldiers are considerably weaker in combat. A single ant soldier is roughly equivalent to an ordinary seventh-rank martial artist. Furthermore, given our familiarity with this race, we do have methods to deal with them.

Most importantly, the front line at Kolenburg is a full eighty miles from Wing Mountain City. The You Clan does not pose a significant threat in this direction in the short term.

But upon hearing this, Su Daoshan's heart leaped into his throat.

Having witnessed the appearance of the Ghost Mist for so many days, everyone was already mentally prepared for the Ghost Clan's attack. Therefore, while the timing of their attack was surprising, it certainly wasn't the reason the elders were on high alert. On the contrary, their tone seemed more like a prelude and footnote to an even worse piece of news…

Sure enough, Elder Wang Li sighed and said, "Now, the real trouble is on our side. The Blazing Fire Army's focus has shifted to the main battlefield, so they can't afford to pay attention to other places. Last night, orders came down that the teams previously sent out to carry out the mopping-up operations will gradually withdraw..."

As he spoke, he looked around at everyone and said, "You've all heard about what happened in Wanchang City, haven't you?"

Everyone nodded.

“Now both the righteous and demonic paths are mobilizing troops to Wanchang City, and the confrontation is already in the open. If Wanchang City is the center of this storm, then Beizi Town is within the scope of this storm…” Elder Wang Li said, looking around, “Now, we are afraid we will be temporarily trapped here.”

These words were like a thunderbolt. Liu Hua exclaimed in shock, "Uncle-Master Wang, you mean..."

"Xiang Yuxi has been killed!" Elder Wang Li said. "He died less than fifty miles to the west of here. His body was just brought into the town. We all went to see it. There were also four fifth-rank experts with him, who also died in battle."

The news caused a sensation, and everyone was in an uproar.

Seeing Su Daoshan's confusion, Song Xier explained to him in a low voice, "Xiang Yuxi is the dean of Qingluan Academy in Yongzhou, possessing the strength of a peak fourth-rank cultivator. Qingluan Academy's predecessor was Cuiquan Academy, which is now the location of the Cuiquan Valley Secret Realm… Furthermore, Xiang Yuxi is also an elder of the Sect Alliance…"

Upon hearing about the Emerald Spring Valley Secret Realm and the Azure Phoenix Academy, Su Daoshan immediately retrieved relevant information from his predecessor's memories, and was deeply shaken.

His predecessor was taciturn and knew little about the affairs of the martial world. However, the name of the Emerald Spring Valley was so famous that even he had heard of it long ago.

Coincidentally, just now in the main hall, everyone was talking with disciples from other sects and had just received the latest news—the four super sects have specially added five more spots in the Emerald Spring Valley Secret Realm as a reward for this year's Qingyun Secret Selection in Xia Prefecture.

It is said that after receiving this news, all the sects near Xia Prefecture that have a chance to compete for a spot have already set off for Xia Prefecture.

At the time, everyone laughed, saying that no matter who ultimately won the spot, it would be a good thing if it could attract more powerful individuals from other states and counties to come and help.

Unexpectedly...

"Qingluan Academy...it's said to have originated from Cuiquan Academy, but in reality, it's just the representative of the four super sects in Cuiquan Valley. And precisely because of this, the relationship between Xiang Yuxi and the four super sects is predictable. That such a person would die here..."

While secretly alarmed, Su Daoshan couldn't help but quickly make a guess.

"According to Ao Jiu, the Wanchang City Secret Realm Plan was secretly planned by the You Clan and the Demonic Path for a long time. Therefore, when the righteous sects rushed to Wanchang City, their people had already gathered from all directions. Upon discovering that the righteous path was their adversary, they would definitely stop them at all costs..."

"Xiang Yuxi, a peak fourth-rank expert, with several fifth-rank masters by his side, has actually died here. No wonder Elder Wang and the others looked so pale..."

"If I'm not mistaken, Elder Wang and the others were probably holding back. Xiang Yuxi is dead, so you can imagine what will happen to the others outside... I'm afraid quite a few will die. Hmm, Uncle Liu said before that the demonic path wouldn't openly attack a large transit station. But now it seems that no possibility can be ruled out."

"Of course, Xiang Yuxi's death will also trigger a reaction here. The four super sects cannot simply sit idly by. But this will take time... All roads leading to Wanchang City, from east to west and north to south, are now engulfed in a bloody storm of killing."

As Su Daoshan was pondering this, Liu Hua asked curiously, "Isn't Yongzhou in the central region? Why is Xiangyu Creek here?"

"I heard he was originally visiting an old friend in Yuzhou in the east when he happened to be invited to reinforce Wanchang City," Li Yulian said. "There are quite a few experts in the nearby prefectures who were temporarily mobilized like him, but he was unlucky enough to run into a passing demonic cultivator..."

Su Daoshan and Song Xier exchanged a silent glance, their faces turning pale.

Although news of Wanchang City had spread, there were some details that even Li Yulian and the others might not know.

Xiang Yuxi's death was not solely due to his status as a righteous martial arts expert who had been transferred there, nor was it due to bad luck. Rather, it was because only scholars of the Shitu Dao (a school of martial arts) could break through Wanchang City. As the headmaster of Qingluan Academy, Xiang Yuxi was probably the most renowned scholar in Xiazhou recently.

This was clearly a precise assassination planned by the demonic path.

The thought that he and Song Xier were actually planning to go to Wanchang City on their own made Su Daoshan feel a cramp in his legs and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)