"Did you find anything special?" Bai Mulan asked, glancing at Chen Fan, who was still scrolling through the phone.
"Just an energy pill, some weapons, and a strange token," she added with a sigh.
"Same here," Chen Fan replied, studying the red token in his hand. "It might be some form of identification… or maybe even a way out of this place."
Bai Mulan exhaled in frustration. "Nothing particularly useful, then." She turned her attention back to the phone. "Are the messages empty on that one too?"
"Yeah, it looks like they were really cautious," Chen Fan muttered, extracting all the stored items. His gaze fell on a weapon, but his initial excitement faded. "This is only worth a few hundred high-grade spirit stones," he said, disappointed. It seemed the only thing of real interest was the mysterious token.
"The fact that they split up means the Nascent Soul cultivator is alone. Let's see if we can escape without engaging him," Bai Mulan suggested.
Chen Fan nodded. If avoiding battle was an option, it was the best one. Without hesitation, they moved deeper into the cave, keeping to the shadows and extinguishing any light source.
Reaching the other side, Chen Fan activated the concealing talisman—leaving them with only twenty-five minutes of usage left.
"There's no one around," he whispered, signaling Bai Mulan to follow.
As they moved forward, they noticed that the area was completely enclosed—no sight of the sky above. Instead, four more cave entrances loomed in the distance.
"It's a gamble," Chen Fan murmured, scanning their surroundings. "One of these might lead us straight to the Nascent Soul cultivator."
"Let's take that one," Bai Mulan pointed to the farthest cave.
"Agreed." Chen Fan didn't hesitate. The farther the cave, the more likely their enemy had already explored it.
Moving swiftly yet silently, they relied purely on their physical abilities, avoiding the use of qi to prevent detection. Before long, they reached the entrance and slipped inside with full vigilance.
As usual, Chen Fan took the lead, scouting ahead while Bai Mulan followed once the path was deemed safe.
The cavern they stepped into bore an uncanny resemblance to the place where they had first been summoned. For a fleeting moment, they wondered if they had somehow looped back—until they noticed yet another set of caves in the distance.
They picked up their pace, heading toward the next cave—only for a figure to suddenly emerge from the darkness ahead.
Chen Fan's eyes shrank as he locked onto the black-robed figure before them.
"RUN!"
Without hesitation, he and Bai Mulan turned and sprinted back toward their original path. But a Nascent Soul cultivator was still a Nascent Soul cultivator—before they could even reach the cave entrance, their pursuer had already landed in front of them, a smug smile playing on his lips.
Damn it.
Chen Fan cursed inwardly at their terrible luck. His gaze flickered between Bai Mulan, who stood ready for battle, and the man blocking their escape.
Yet, their opponent did nothing—just stood there, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"It seems you've already killed my teammates, huh?" Instead of anger or sorrow, the man's eyes gleamed with delight. "That just means I get to have you both all to myself."
His mood soared at the thought of devouring two of the greatest geniuses in front of him. Though he had considered toying with them first, he ultimately decided against it—he wasn't foolish enough to underestimate Bai Mulan's identity. He moved to strike, but—
Fwoosh!
A burst of fire ignited the ground, instantly filling the cavern with thick, billowing smoke.
The Nascent Soul cultivator narrowed his eyes and spread his qi outward. To his shock, he couldn't sense Chen Fan's presence anywhere. Frustration surged within him as he expanded his spiritual sense across the entire area—yet Chen Fan remained elusive.
Damn smoke!
Irritated, he clapped his hands together, instantly dispersing the smoke with a gust of power.
Bai Mulan stood at a distance, her expression stunned. She clearly had no idea what had just happened either.
Seeing her alone, the man's mood lightened slightly—until his pupils abruptly shrank.
Danger!
Before he could react, Chen Fan leapt from behind, wrapping his arms and legs around him in a tight, inescapable hold.
"Fuck. This is gonna hurt," Chen Fan muttered.
The Nascent Soul cultivator's instincts screamed at him. He immediately retaliated, punching Chen Fan's arms and legs with overwhelming force, forcing his legs free. Seizing Chen Fan by the head, he prepared to hurl him away—
But then he saw it.
Chen Fan's right arm, unnaturally bent from the struggle, was still pressed tightly against his chest—glowing.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, engulfing the entire area in flames and smoke. The sheer force of the blast sent Bai Mulan flying backward. Catching herself mid-air, she quickly extended her spiritual sense—
And her eyes widened in shock.
Through the swirling dust and embers, she saw Chen Fan's body flung high above the abyss—before he began to plummet.
Without a second thought, Bai Mulan sprang forward, leaping off the cliff and catching him midair, wrapping her arms tightly around him before they both began their descent.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a final glimpse of the Nascent Soul cultivator.
Or rather—what was left of him.
Only his legs remained. The rest of his body had been completely obliterated.
But the situation left Bai Mulan with no time to celebrate. Instead, a new danger loomed over them.
With no ability to fly and Chen Fan gravely injured in her arms, she had no way to control their descent. All she could do was hold onto him tightly and hope for the best. The wind roared past her ears, and the abyss below yawned open like the mouth of a beast, ready to swallow them whole.
Her heart pounded. Was this how it would end?
The abyss stretched endlessly below, its darkness unfathomable. Soon, Bai Mulan could no longer see anything—only the cold embrace of the void that welcomed them.
----
"Where are they?"
A sharp, commanding voice shattered the silence.
The red-haired woman stood tall, her piercing gaze locked onto the mutilated man at her feet. Compared to her pristine form, the man was a wretched sight—his body drenched in blood, both his hands and feet severed. Burn marks marred his skin, evidence of the brutal battle that had taken place. Around them, deep craters littered the battlefield, their edges still smoldering from powerful attacks. A headless corpse lay sprawled in one of the craters, blood pooling beneath it.
Yet despite his gruesome state, the man's face held no fear. In fact, his smile only widened as he sensed the woman's growing fury.
"They're dead already," he sneered, his voice hoarse yet mocking. "Devoured by our members. If you wish to join them, you're welcome to visit our stomachs."
He let out a raspy laugh, his expression one of twisted satisfaction.
For a moment, the woman's face remained impassive. But then—
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
His laughter died instantly, replaced by an agonized scream.
His entire body ignited in flames—not normal fire, but something far more sinister. The flames did not consume his flesh, nor did they leave new burn marks. Instead, they inflicted unbearable torment, searing his very soul.
The man thrashed wildly, his body writhing like a worm trying to escape the heat. His mind, once filled with arrogance, could think of nothing but the excruciating pain that now consumed him.
"I asked you once," the woman's voice was cold, merciless. "Where. Are. They?"
His screams turned to desperate gasps.
"S—st… op…" he choked out.
The pain lessened slightly, enough for him to regain a shred of clarity. He looked up at the woman, eyes filled with terror, and finally broke.
"S—Secret realm," he stammered. "They're in our secret realm!"
The woman's expression did not change, but the air around her grew heavier, suffocating.
"How do I get them out?" she demanded.
The man trembled. "I—I don't know! Only the leader can forcibly teleport others into or out of the realm!"
A fresh wave of agony surged through his body. He shrieked, his back arching off the ground as he struggled in vain.
"MIST!" he cried out before she could torture him further. "The mist!"
The woman's gaze sharpened. "Explain."
The man panted heavily, sweat mixing with the blood on his face. "The mist is… produced by the secret realm. If someone is engulfed by it, they'll be transported inside."
His words tumbled out in a rush, desperate to avoid further pain.
"But there isn't much left!" he added hastily. "Most of it was already used in this operation. If—if you can trace the mist's origin, you might be able to find the entrance to the secret realm!"
The red-haired woman studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, without another word, she struck him with a swift, precise blow. The man's body went limp as she sealed his cultivation, rendering him unconscious.
She would interrogate him further later. For now, she had more urgent matters to attend to.
Turning her gaze downward, she focused on the faint wisps of mist still lingering in the air. Extending her spiritual sense, she traced the remnants of its energy—following it like a thread connecting to a distant place.
Her heart clenched. It was far. But not beyond her reach.
Without hesitation, she sent a message to her allies, then took off at full speed, vanishing into the night.