...Within the mystic realm.
At this moment, the night was deep and silent. The forest was incredibly dark; only a few strands of moonlight filtered down, barely allowing one to make out the surroundings.
Nearly an hour had passed since Little Yao used the talisman.
Facing Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses, Song Qianqian and the others no longer bothered with pointless fleeing. Instead, they placed their hopes on having enough luck not to be discovered during this time.
Acheron leaned against a tree trunk and slowly opened her eyes.
Thanks to Acheron's protection of Nihility, the divine senses sweeping across the forest were completely unable to detect their presence. However, when she lifted her gaze and glanced ahead, she saw Song Qianqian sprawled out on the grass, snoring loudly, while nearby, Jiang Qingning leaned against a tree in a light but cautious sleep, her brows still faintly knitted with lingering exhaustion.
Even though they had only been inside the mystic realm for three or four hours, the pressure had been far too immense for the two of them. Now that they had a chance to rest, they quickly fell into a deep sleep, their breathing heavy with fatigue.
However, Little Yao's figure had quietly disappeared.
Acheron shook her head slightly, not feeling surprised in the slightest. Before resting, she had already been aware of this girl's thoughts. If she had forcibly made her stay, Little Yao likely would not have accepted it.
Just as she was about to set off and find Little Yao—
A pleasant surprise arrived first.
Silver Wolf: @Sister Acheron, can you hear me?
Sister Acheron: How are things going?
Silver Wolf: Although I can't directly connect to other worlds, with this mystic realm as an interface, it's just a piece of cake for me.
Silver Wolf: ঌ(｀∇´)໒
Sister Acheron: (￣▽￣)b
Sister Acheron: When can you send us out of the mystic realm?
Silver Wolf: Fully hacking the mystic realm is just a matter of time, but I need your specific coordinates, or for you to release your aura.
Sister Acheron: Coordinates are unknown. Little Qian is beside me, so the second option is also impossible.
Silver Wolf: Oh, so you found Little Qian? Alright then. Though it will take a bit more time, I've analyzed this mystic realm—it does have a boundary. I need you to find a way to get close to it.
Sister Acheron: Understood. OK.
Truly worthy of the hacker genius—the "Great Love Wolf Venerable."
Acheron inwardly acknowledged Silver Wolf's efficiency. Then, using "Naught," she left behind a void trail to conceal the presence of the two sleeping girls before quietly setting off.
"Cough, cough..."
Little Yao collapsed onto the ground in a miserable state, her Daoist robes stained with countless streaks of blood.
"I'll ask you one last time—where exactly is that Purple-Haired Woman?!"
Lei Ling was furious to the extreme as he kicked Little Yao hard in the abdomen.
Thump!
With a dull sound, Little Yao cried out in pain. Yet she clenched her teeth tightly, refusing to reveal the whereabouts of Acheron and the others, even if it cost her life.
"Damn it! I want to see just how tough your bones are."
"Enough, Ling'er, don't go too far."
A middle-aged man whose features somewhat resembled Lei Ling spoke up coldly to stop him.
Upon hearing this, Lei Ling responded submissively, but the rage on his face burned like wildfire, completely shattering his previous image as a refined young master.
This man was Lei Ling's father—Lei Hao, the Sect Master of the Wind Thunder Pavilion, a genuine late-stage Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse.
In this era, where Tribulation Transcendence experts had all but vanished, he was already among the top tier of powerful figures.
The reason he intervened was not out of concern for this beast's life. Rather, killing an Auspicious Beast would incur terrifying karmic backlash.
Because of this, only shallow wounds were left on Little Yao's body. Yet for a child as fragile as a young fawn, every wound felt like a brand seared into her very soul—so painful that even tears would not come.
Little Yao did not know this. But at this moment, a faint light of liberation flickered in her eyes.
She knew that if she continued to stay with Acheron and the others, the fate she carried would eventually bring disaster upon them.
So, as the night deepened and their breathing grew steady, she quietly turned and slipped away into the darkness. Her steps were light, yet each one felt as though she were treading upon her own heart.
What she had never expected was that, despite her usual good fortune, she would end up near the mountain gate of the Wind Thunder Pavilion after leaving the forest—
Only to be discovered by Lei Hao and the others.
At this thought, two lines of tears slowly rolled down Little Yao's cheeks. Yet they were no longer filled with bitterness—only a faint trace of relief.
"Sister... Little Yao is really so happy... This is Little Yao's only misfortune, but it was traded for the safety of my 'family.'"
Seeing her calm and indifferent expression, Lei Ling's anger flared once more.
"Hmph! I want to see just how stubborn your mouth is!"
As he spoke, he raised his foot, about to strike her again.
But in that very instant—
Several streaks of purple blade light shot out from the forest, slashing directly toward the Sect Master and Elders present.
Lei Hao and the others were instantly alarmed, hastily dodging or defending.
Lei Ling, however—ignored by everyone—could only stare wide-eyed as the blade light swept toward him, his body completely unable to react.
In his final moment, he seemed to faintly recall the origin of that familiar purple blade light.
But there was no longer time for regret.
"Aaaaaah!!!!"
Screams erupted one after another.
The seemingly ordinary blade lights were neither fast nor imbued with spiritual power. Yet aside from the Sect Master and a few Elders who managed to evade in time, those who attempted to block them head-on were completely annihilated—erased into the void.
"Who goes there?!"
Lei Hao, having narrowly escaped, roared in fury.
He had long since placed numerous life-saving artifacts on his son, even imbuing them with his own Nascent Soul Stage protection. Yet everything had been torn apart as easily as thin paper.
More importantly—
From beginning to end, he had not sensed even the slightest approaching aura.
Could it be a Great Convergence Stage expert? Or perhaps another faction seeking to seize the Auspicious Beast?
Just as Lei Hao's thoughts spiraled, several Elders suddenly shouted in alarm.
"Sect Master—look down there!"
Everyone immediately turned their gaze downward.
To their shock, a purple-haired woman had appeared beside the Auspicious Beast at some unknown point.
"Sect Master! It's her—this is the woman the Young Master mentioned before!"
The speaker was the same Elder from earlier, though his right arm was now completely gone, beyond recovery.
Acheron ignored the figures in the sky. Her gaze fell quietly upon the battered Little Yao below, her expression unreadable.
"...Sister Acheron..."
Little Yao's eyes slowly opened into a thin slit.
In her daze, she seemed to glimpse that familiar purple-haired figure once more. A quiet longing welled up in her heart—she only wished that, at the end of her life, she could see her sister one last time.
Though their time together had been brief, that simple bond had already taken root deep within her heart.
It was only when a pair of gentle arms wrapped around her and lifted her up—
That Little Yao suddenly realized…
The figure before her was not an illusion.