Of course, Mu Ranwu had originally planned to secure her qualification to enter the pool first, then use the isolation characteristics of Tianmai Mountain against Wei Jiu. But she never expected that Xue Ranran would also enter Tianmai Mountain unexpectedly. In the end, she was like a blind cat who ran into a dead rat, and even won.
However, this was even better. If Wei Jiu and Xue Ranran could both perish together, then she would have no more future troubles!
Did Su Yishui think he was the only one who knew how to get rid of the poison?
Thinking that she might soon be able to detoxify the Grudge water poison, a faint smile of joy appeared on Mu Ranwu's face…
Just as Wei Jiu called out to her again, Mu Ranwu snorted coldly, threw the last mysterious clay pill into a nearby gully, closed her eyes suddenly, silently chanted a spell to catalyze the clay pill, and then flew down the mountain.
The matter of Wei Jiu appearing in Tianmai Mountain must not be leaked out; otherwise, the conspiracy between her and Wen Hongshan would inevitably be exposed. So Mu Ranwu had to intercept them before Gao Cang and Wei Fang descends the mountain.
With this in mind, Mu Ranwu moved extremely fast, leaping over the suspension bridge in a few bounds, and chased after Wei Fang and the others.
Xue Ranran caught a glimpse of Elder Mu throwing the clay pill and remembered seeing her do something similar in the vision of Medicine Immortal. She couldn't help but feel some doubt. Elder Mu had thrown so many clay pills; it couldn't it be that she found carrying them cumbersome and obstructive?
Just then, she saw red mist rising from where the clay pill had fallen.
The White Tiger, entangled with Wei Jiu, suddenly let out a roar, at the same time it used its body to nudge Ranran, as if urging her to leave quickly. It was going to hold the rear for her.
Ranran had a bad feeling, but it was already too late to leave the mountain. The red mist spread rapidly, and the clay pills scattered around seemed to burst open, gradually releasing the mist.
When Ranran heard buzzing sounds, she realized that this "red mist" was actually densely packed red flying insects.
Wei Jiu also jumped back right then, no longer entangled in the fight. He quickly surveyed the area and immediately muttered, "This is bad!"
These insects initially looked like sesame seeds, but they seemed to grow rapidly in the wind, quickly reaching the size of soybeans. In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain was covered with them.
Wei Jiu seemed to recognize these insects and his fair face began to darken with anger. "Immortal Devouring Bugs! Has Mu Qingge lost her mind? She actually summoned these things!"
These red insects seemed to have a common target and they all rushed towards Wei Jiu, Ranran, and the white tiger.
Ranran quickly wielded her mechanical staff, creating a vortex of airflow to block the insects.
However, one or two still landed on her arms and neck.
In the instant they bit her, Ranran felt her arms and neck go numb, and at the same time, her just replenished dantian suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if being drained of spiritual energy.
Just then, the white tiger swiftly pounced toward Ranran, using its body to surround her and blocking the first wave of attacks from the red insects.
Ranran buried her face in the soft fur of the white tiger. She heard the white tiger's whimpers of pain in her ear. These red insects were just as formidable even when biting divine beasts.
These Immortal Devouring Bugs were not creatures of the mortal realm; they live on devouring spiritual energy. Their sharp mouths could penetrate flesh and bone, and once they targeted someone, they would continuously drain their spiritual energy.
At the moment when the White Tiger shielded Ranran, its body was immediately covered with a layer of red insects. Fortunately, it had thick fur, which temporarily resisted them.
Taking advantage of this moment, the white tiger half stood up and whispered in Ranran's ear in human language, "Hold on to me, I'm going into the water!"
Ranran was startled by what the white tiger said by her ear because that deep voice… was clearly her Shifu, Su Yishui!
With no time to think, Ranran quickly grabbed the fur on its belly. The white tiger then jumped into the deep valley under the snake bridge in a flying leap.
Before jumping down, Ranran caught a glimpse of Wei Jiu igniting True Fire to burn those insects. Initially effective, Wei Jiu's True Fire was also fueled by spiritual energy. Dealing with these weird insects that feasted on marrow and essence, it was apparent that this was a futile attempt.
Although many of the insects were burned to death, even more insects swarmed in, and they managed to suppress the flames in Wei Jiu's palm. Soon, Wei Jiu's body was covered in a layer of red insects, looking extremely creepy!
Ranran didn't know what happened next because she and the white tiger had plunged into the deep valley. The valley was very deep, and after falling for what seemed a very long time, they finally fell heavily into deep water.
Immediately afterward, Wei Jiu, who was screaming from being bitten, also jumped down. The tremendous impact of entering the water temporarily dispersed the Immortal Devouring Bugs covering his body.
Unfortunately, these Immortal Devouring Bugs had already tasted the deliciousness of absorbing spiritual energy and were rushing towards the water, seemingly unafraid of it.
After Wei Jiu entered the water, he saw that the White Tiger was leading Ranran toward a cave below the water pool, so he hurriedly followed.
It turned out that the cave under the water pool was connected to another cave. After passing through a water passage, they climbed into the cave.
Ranran was the only one of the three who hadn't been severely bitten, so her strength was still considerable. She quickly used her spiritual energy to move a huge rock and blocked the only entrance.
Ranran exerted force to tightly seal the rock, temporarily cutting off the pursuit of those insects.
In the pitch-black darkness, Wei Jiu used his palm to ignite fire and illuminated the surroundings, astonishingly finding that this place was actually a bedroom-like house, complete with beds, shelves, and books.
As they entered the house, there was no need to light a lamp; the surroundings became bright on their own, with sunlight streaming in through the windows. Colorful butterflies danced playfully in front of the peony flowers outside the window, and the faint sounds of a children playing with their mother could be heard.
Ranran could still smell the dampness of the water cave, and her body couldn't feel the warmth of the sunlight. She blinked and immediately understood, "Is this...all an illusion?"
Just like when she mistakenly entered the Medicine Immortal's medicine field farmhouse before, this should also be an illusion formed from memories. She just didn't know which immortal left his memories forgotten here.
Wei Jiu was now sitting slumped on the ground, his body covered in wounds from fending off the insects. He felt weak all over and vigilantly watched Ranran to see if she had any intentions of attacking him.
Seeing that Ranran didn't come over, he spoke, "This should be a memory sealed by a great Cultivator like Dun Tian. It is said that when a great Cultivator ascends, they have to let go of worldly attachments, so they seal their memories somewhere. They can return occasionally in the future to have a look if they wanted."
Ranran found his explanation reasonable. In Dun Tian's memories, there seemed to be a woman and a child, indicating that he had already started a family before becoming immortal…
Just then, a shout came from outside the window, "Husband, it's time for dinner!"
Followed by a string of giggles from a child, "Father, if you don't come soon, Bao'er will eat all the chicken legs!"
But the door remained unopened, and the calls were repeated over and over…
Before long, a bird with red feathers and a crescent-shaped white fluff around its neck flew in, hopping around the window.
Then, a woman's voice singing a lullaby to put a child to sleep came from outside. The voice was as gentle as a meandering stream… The little bird also seemed to be enchanted by the song, curling up into a small fluffy ball, quietly tilting its head to listen.
Perhaps, before Dun Tian ascended, what he couldn't bear to part with the most was his wife and child. However, in this deliberately sealed memory, he could only hear their voices and never saw their faces.
What made him unable to even dare to look at his wife and child's faces in his memories?
She didn't have time to think about it any further. She quickly crouched down to check the white tiger's injuries. When they entered the water earlier, the insects on the white tiger had been shaken off, leaving behind numerous wounds that dyed its fur red.
Her heart aching, Ranran hugged it lovingly and softly petted its head. She then took out a small medicine pouch from her pocket. Although the medicines inside were damp, they could still be used. She applied them to the white tiger, hoping to alleviate its pain and make it more comfortable.
Just now, she was certain that she wasn't hallucinating; this tiger did speak, and it used her Shifu's voice. What was going on? Was her Shifu a Tiger spirit?
His appearance was indeed somewhat different from an ordinary mortal. If he was actually transformed from a demon, it was also very possible… After all, Fox spirits and the like were very seductive…
At this moment, the tiger raised its eyes slightly, and its cold gaze on her was exactly like her Shifu's!
Ranran suddenly realized something. No wonder she felt something was off when she looked at the white tiger these past two days. It was because the little tiger had seemed inexplicably majestic and dignified.
Ranran thought of these past few days when she cuddled, rubbed her face on and petted the white tiger, even scratching its belly… She suddenly felt troubled!
Shifu! Please believe me, I'm not lusting after your beauty and intentionally outraging your modesty!
Just then, Su Yishui's cold voice sounded in her ear again, "There's a gold talisman I have given you in your pocket. Stick it on Wei Jiu. If you want to get out of here, you'll need to use him. You can't kill him for now."
Ranran blinked and noticed that the nearby Wei Jiu didn't seem to hear the white tiger speak.
She understood now. Her Shifu was using a technique which can direct his voice to a specific target, so apparently only she could hear him.
As for Wei Jiu, he sat on one side, meditating and recuperating. He was injured while fighting Ranran and the white tiger earlier, and later he was heavily bitten by the Immortal Devouring Bugs. He needed to recuperate well. Fortunately, not much of his spiritual energy was absorbed, and the white tiger was heavily injured protecting the little girl and lost its spiritual power, so there was nothing to fear with only Ranran left!
As for Mu Qingge...there was no need to wait for the backlash of the Black Pool to end his affection. He couldn't wait to capture her and break her neck right this moment...He had already returned the key and the soul oath with Su Yishui has been nullified, so killing Mu Qingge should not be a problem…
He was just thinking this, when suddenly he felt someone approaching. Before he could react, a golden talisman was pressed against his cheek.
Even Ranran didn't expect that she could stick that talisman so smoothly. She had just tried it casually and didn't expect Wei Jiu to not even dodge, and she just stuck it on like that.
Wei Jiu glared with rounded phoenix eyes, gritting his teeth as he said, "Remove the talisman. What kind of righteous path would use this sneak attack?"
Rangran breathed a sigh of relief, half-squatting and staring at Wei Jiu with big eyes. She smiled bashfully, "I really can't beat you, so I might as well stick a talisman on you. Let's both calm down and think about how to get out of this predicament?"
What Wei Jiu regret the most at this moment, was refusing Mu Qingge's assistance just now and not killing this little brat together earlier.
However, he's at a disadvantaged position now. Although he had entered the Black Pool, which could expedite his cultivation, he had lost a lot of spiritual energy to the Immortal Devouring Bugs. Now his dantian was somewhat empty, and he needed to gather his Qi again to recover.
Thinking about this, he didn't want to provoke the little girl and force her hand, so he said coldly, "Only I know how to solve the problem of these Immortal Devouring Bugs. If you want to escape, you'll have to rely on my help!"
The meaning behind his words was to inform Xue Ranran not to try harming him at this time. If she killed him, she would also perish, trapped in the cave.
Xue Ranran sincerely expressed that the Demon Lord was worrying too much. However, if he could make a soul oath with her, guaranteeing not to harm her and the White Tiger, she would gladly remove the talisman for the Demon Lord.
Wei Jiu snorted coldly and did not agree, instead closing his eyes to meditate.
As Xue Ranran had temporarily taken care of that demon, she allowed herself to relax a bit. However, since this was an illusion and there were no real beds, she let the tiger lie on her legs, so that it could be more comfortable.
But the present Gengjin white tiger was not the small cat it used to be. Its large head resting on her legs felt quite heavy.
However, it would seem that due to its injuries, its now acting a little spoiled. When Ranran called it, its eyes remained half-closed but continued to silently snuggle into Ranran's arms.
Thinking that this might be her Shifu, Ranran suddenly felt a bit at a loss. Just then, the voice of Su Yishui echoed in her ear again: "I used Beast Control Technique to connect my spirit with the White Tiger. However, now the White Tiger's spiritual energy is dissipating too quickly. I don't know if I can continue to control it. You should take the time to meditate and make the best use of the spiritual energy you just attained. Although those Immortal Devouring Bugs are domineering, they also have weaknesses. Every sun set, they will lose the yang energy that sustains them, and their activity will greatly decline. At that time, you can tell Wei Jiu to clear the way with True Fire, and you should be able to rush down the mountain…"
When Shifu spoke these words, his voice sounded somewhat weak. Ranran understood that the Beast Control Technique meant merging one's own spirit with a spiritual beast. Now that the white tiger's body was covered in wounds, it also meant that Shifu who was controlling the white tiger was also injured to some extent.
At this moment, Wei Jiu finally finished meditating and took a deep breath. With a smirk on his handsome face stuck with a talisman, he said, "Little girl, you actually managed to subdue Mu Qingge's mount, you do have some skills. However, did your master tell you that these wild beasts are unpredictable? They may be affectionate one moment and bite your head off the next?"
Ranran thought for a moment and honestly replied, "Shifu didn't say that. He just told us to be wary of you members of the Crimson Gate Sect. But I don't think you're as bad as my Shifu described. At least you have some skills and look quite manly in a duel, which is much better than the disciples of the Jiuhua Sect…"
Because she would need his help later, Ranran decided to say something flattering and stroke this demon's smelly ego.
Her words made Wei Jiu quite pleased. He raised an eyebrow and agreed, "How can those hypocritical fellows compare to me?"
However, the white tiger in Ranran's arms seemed to disapprove of her insincere words. It raised its head slightly and stared at her with its big tiger eyes.
Ranran stuck out her tongue. Out of habit, she reached out and scratched the White Tiger's chin, and the White Tiger couldn't control its own instinct and turned its body to let Ranran continue scratching its chin.
...Shifu, your disciple really didn't mean to…
But at this moment, she could not tell whether it was the white tiger or her Shifu, who was looking at her with squinted eyes, and seemed to be waiting persistently for a comfortable scritch.
Ranran had no choice but to continue scratching the tiger's chin.
And she had to continue bantering with Wei Jiu to ease the previously tense killing atmosphere: "Excellency Wei, now there are Immortal Devouring Bugs outside, and we can't stay trapped here forever. Do you have any ideas?"
Wei Jiu snorted coldly, "Mu Qingge is deliberately plotting against me. But where did she get so many Immortal Devouring Bugs? These insects parasitize on the decayed corpses of Demon Mountain, and it usually takes twenty years for them to mature. Without careful nurturing, they cannot spread so rapidly under sunlight…"
Ranran understood the meaning behind Wei Jiu's words. It had been less than a year since Mu Qingge fell from the tree. She would not have had the time to find these rare poisonous insects, let alone cultivate them personally.
So who gave Mu Qingge those insects? This was probably something that they could only find out from Elder Mu.
What Ranran was more worried about was whether these insects would spread from Tianmai Mountain and affect her Second Uncle Master and the others down the mountain.
At this point, Wei Jiu took a breath and slowly opened his eyes, carefully observing the pensive little girl in front of him.
To be fair, although she wasn't a beauty as stunning as Mu Qingge, her features were delicate, especially her lively eyes. The longer one looked , she would became more pleasing to the eye.
As Wei Jiu squinted his eyes looking at her, he suddenly noticed that the White Tiger had raised its head alertly, blocking his impudent gaze that had been scrutinizing Ranran.
Wei Jiu snorted coldly, this inconsiderate beast, did it think he was interested in that ugly girl?
Although he had been tagged with a talisman, he wasn't in a hurry because he knew that once he restored his true qi, he would naturally be able to break the seal of the talisman. He decided to let the little girl feel smug for a while…
As Wei Jiu was thinking this, suddenly another golden talisman slapped onto his forehead – Ranran retracted her hand and said with a shy smile, "Excellency Wei, your cultivation is too profound. You won't mind if I put another one?"
Wei Jiu's true qi, which had finally gathered, was scattered in an instant. He grinned with gritted teeth and said, "Xue… Ranran, right? You only asked after you already stuck it on, isn't that quite unnecessary?"
Ranran wanted to say something else, but the White Tiger behind her used its mouth to tug at her clothes, indicating that she should stay away from Wei Jiu.
"No need to waste words with him. In order to stay alive, he'll definitely cooperate with you… Scratch my back, the wounds are a little painful…"
After hearing her Shifu's covert message, Ranran quickly continued massaging the White Tiger's back. Then she obediently followed her master's instructions and stopped talking to Wei Jiu, focusing on meditating instead.
Since coming out of the marrow-cleansing pool, she had felt her dantian qi surging violently, requiring her to meditate every now and then.
Seeing that Wei Jiu also closed his eyes and remained silent, it seemed that he was doing the same.
After a while, Ranran entered the realm of clarity. Even though she had crossed the stone wall and the pool water, she could still clearly hear the sounds from the world outside.
The buzzing sound of the red insects continued unabated. She didn't know if senior brother had made it down the mountain in time to avoid this insect calamity…
Just then, Wei Jiu suddenly spoke again, "Little girl, I'm willing to make a soul oath, but you also have to swear that you'll remove the golden talismans for me."
Wei Jiu had tried several times just now, but he couldn't break the talismans' seal with his true qi. He didn't know where she got it from; it seemed to be the handiwork of a skilled talisman maker.
Since he couldn't break it, Wei Jiu could only accept Ranran's proposal. However, he kept his guard up; he would only swear not to harm her on Tianmai Mountain. Once they were out of Tianmai Mountain, he would deal with her then.
Ranran nodded in agreement. After they both made their oaths, Ranran went over and removed the talismans from Wei Jiu's face.
The moment the talisman was removed, Wei Jiu suddenly reached out and grabbed Ranran's wrist, pulling her into his arms. Ranran didn't panic. She blinked her big eyes and reminded the Demon Lord, "Um… the consequences of breaking a soul oath are quite tragic…"
Wei Jiu's hand that was holding her wrist suddenly moved slightly: this girl's skin is really delicate, just a touch feels like soft jade…
Before he could move his fingers to stroke her skin again, the tiger suddenly let out a deafening roar of anger and pounced towards him.
Wei Jiu quickly let go and dodged. He had forgotten that he had sworn not to harm this beast, but the beast couldn't swear anything. If he provoked it, he would have to expend his true qi again.
"It was just a hand hold, how does that violate a soul oath? Could it be that you still don't have a lover and your heart hasn't opened yet, so you are feeling a little shy?"
Although they weren't shaking hands anymore, Wei Jiu couldn't help but tease verbally. However, she was really quite pretty, delicate and charming, with such smooth skin… I wonder if that sanctimonious Su Yishui has had a first taste, savored this little sweet fruit…
Ranran didn't have time to deal with him. She looked bemusedly at the little white tiger licking her wrist. It seemed to think that Wei Jiu had dirtied her hand, so it simply lightly bit down on her wrist with its mouth, making low purring sounds as if it was very unhappy.
Hmm… Although Shifu had merged with the white tiger, he obviously couldn't control some of the white tiger's daily habits. This kind of finger-biting game was something the little tiger loved to do on normal days.
After soothing the white tiger, Ranran looked up seriously and said, "Whether my heart has opened or not is not important, but Excellency Wei, you must be starving. If you don't go out soon, I'm afraid you'll pass out from hunger in here."
The reason she said this was because Ranran herself felt very hungry. The sudden surge of true qi, coupled with the movement of her breath, seemed to have stimulated her appetite, and fasting no longer worked.
Sure enough, right after she finished speaking, Wei Jiu's stomach also rumbled. Ranran took out her snack bag. Although the dried sweet potatoes were a bit damp, they could still stave off hunger.
Seeing Wei Jiu glaring at her, Ranran handed some to him. This time, Wei Jiu didn't stand on ceremony and finished it all in few bites – this girl's snacks were quite delicious…
When Ranran entered the cave earlier, she had taken out the water droplet hourglass that Uncle Master Zeng had given her, to calculate the time they entered the cave. Now, it seems they had been in the cave for too long.
So Ranran said, "When we entered the water, it was just noon, with intense sunlight, which is when the Immortal Devouring Bugs were most energetic. But now it's evening, without sunlight, so those Immortal Devouring Bugs won't be as formidable. We can take this opportunity to break out."
Wei Jiu didn't expect that such a young girl would know the weaknesses of these Immortal Devouring Bugs. It really took him by surprise. However, she was right, now was indeed a good time to break out.