The fog grew deeper and deeper.
In a blink, Ning Xian's figure vanished from Fang Xuan's side.
However, it was merely his vision being obscured by the mist.
The fog was eerily thick; it didn't just block sight, but seemed to interfere with spiritual sense as well.
The spiritual energy within his body rippled slightly, and the surrounding mist was immediately dispersed from a small area.
Sure enough, Ning Xian was still beside him, her hand still firmly held in his.
However, those cold eyes of hers now appeared somewhat dazed as she stared blankly at a spot ahead, as if drawn in by something.
"Senior Sister?" Fang Xuan called out, but there was no response.
He reached out his other hand and lightly tapped her forehead, transferring a sliver of spiritual energy through his fingertip.
Ning Xian's body trembled slightly, and clarity instantly returned to her gaze. She shook her head gently and said, "I just fell into an illusion array."
Since her cultivation realm had fallen, her soul's defense had weakened as well, making her an easy target for such tricks.
She truly disliked this feeling of helplessness.
Fang Xuan looked at her state and rummaged through his storage ring.
He didn't want a situation where Senior Sister fell for a trick and looked at him with eyes full of hearts, trying to pin him down.
There were many miscellaneous items in the ring; most were the standard equipment for a legitimate son of the Fang family, while others were things he had tossed in randomly later on.
"Found it."
He pulled out a plain-looking ring, simple in design and without any patterns.
"Hand," Fang Xuan said to Ning Xian.
Ning Xian looked at him in confusion, but she still obediently extended the hand he was holding.
Fang Xuan let go of her hand, picked up the ring, and slid it onto the ring finger of Ning Xian’s left hand.
The ring was the perfect size. A silver light flashed briefly upon it once it was worn, before it returned to its ordinary appearance.
Fang Xuan said casually, "It's for defending against illusions. It's an earth-grade artifact, but it's single-use. It can probably be used about three or four times."
Ning Xian stared at the ring on her ring finger, momentarily stunned.
An earth-grade artifact... and it was a consumable?
If such a thing were placed outside, it would be enough to make many Void Core or even Golden Core Realm cultivators fight to the death for it.
But now, if she didn't accept it and was influenced by such illusion arrays again, she would only be a burden.
She used to have many spiritual tools and magic treasures, but she had become too poor later on. She had sold everything that could be sold, leaving only the items that no one else wanted.
She didn't refuse further, only speaking in a soft voice, "This item... I will definitely repay you in the future."
In her heart, she silently calculated how long she would have to work, how many dishes she would have to wash, and how many sect missions she would have to complete.
Only then could she scrape together enough for an equivalent earth-grade artifact... Well, it was a long and difficult road, but she would eventually pay it back.
However... Ning Xian's fingertips lightly stroked the ring, her eyes slightly downcast.
Did her junior brother... know what it meant to wear a ring on the ring finger?
He probably... didn't know, right? He seemed ignorant in these matters, so he probably just put it on randomly.
Then... she would just wear it for now.
The tips of Ning Xian's ears felt a bit warm again, and she quickly looked away, pretending to observe the surrounding mist.
Fang Xuan had been hiding his wealth and strength before, mostly because he was afraid Ning Xian would think his motives were impure.
Though, it seemed his motives truly were impure.
But looking at it now, it seemed he had farmed enough favorability. Although Senior Sister was still cold, she was clearly much closer to him and trusted him a lot more.
Revealing a bit of his background didn't seem like a problem anymore.
However, his identity as the young master of the Fang family still couldn't be stated plainly for the time being.
After all, as the heir of a top-tier clan, why would you ignore your family's mountains of gold and silver and countless resources just to run to the Southern Wilderness and join the Qingyun Sect, then shamelessly approach a ruined senior sister...
How could such behavior be explained?
Aside from the four words "lusting after her beauty," he really couldn't think of any other excuse.
System: 【Ding! The host has gained a profound understanding of the nature of their actions! Such clear self-awareness and honesty regarding your inner heart matches a trainee's deep fixation on their target. Training progress +0.1%.】
Fang Xuan: ...I thank you for that.
.......
Just as Fang Xuan was complaining about the system, Lu Mingxuan let out a low shout from ahead: "Everyone be careful, there's something strange about this mist!"
Spiritual energy surged around him, his robes fluttering despite the lack of wind. A powerful aura erupted, transforming into pale green ripples that spread in all directions.
Wherever they passed, the thick fog quickly receded, and the scenery within dozens of feet instantly became clear.
The follower disciples behind him sighed in relief, their gazes toward Lu Mingxuan becoming even more respectful.
"Senior Brother Lu has such great methods!"
"This fog was too wicked. I almost fell for it just now!"
After restraining his aura, Lu Mingxuan turned to look at everyone, the smile on his face remaining gentle.
"Is everyone alright? This mist seems to have the effect of confusing the mind. Everyone must guard your spiritual gates closely and do not scatter."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu," several disciples hurriedly thanked him.
Fang Xuan noticed that after the mist dispersed, Ning Xian shyly wanted to pull her hand back, but he instead gripped it tighter.
They had been holding hands just fine in the mist, and now that it was gone, she wouldn't let him? There was no such logic.
Ning Xian tried to pull away but couldn't. It wasn't appropriate to make it too obvious, so she could only turn her head slightly and let him continue holding it.
......
Lu Mingxuan took out the fragmented map again to identify the direction.
"According to the map, after passing through this misty wetland, there should be... a sea ahead? Strange, for there to be such a vast body of water within a secret realm?"
The group continued forward.
Sure enough, before long, the wetland beneath their feet was gradually replaced by damp sand.
The view suddenly opened up—
A vast, boundless blue body of water appeared before everyone.
"It really is a sea..." Fang Xuan raised an eyebrow.
The original owner of this secret realm had quite the grand style to create such a large body of water within it; it wasn't simple.
Lu Mingxuan looked at the map and then at the sea before him, an excited expression appearing on his face. "That's right, it's here. The map marks an ancient ruin underwater, which is likely the palace ruins of an ancient immortal cultivation dynasty."
Ancient immortal cultivation dynasties were entities that existed much longer ago than the current sects and clans. At their peak, they ruled over vast territories with experts as numerous as the clouds; the things they left behind were bound to be extraordinary.
"It's not difficult for cultivators to repel water. Everyone, follow me down to investigate!"
As Lu Mingxuan spoke, he was the first to leap into the water.
The other disciples also utilized their various methods and entered the water one after another.
Fang Xuan looked at Ning Xian.
Ning Xian whispered, "My cultivation hasn't recovered yet. It's a bit taxing to repel water for a long time..."
"Simple." Fang Xuan pulled a crystal-clear blue bead from his ring and pressed it into Ning Xian's other hand.
"A high-grade water-repelling bead. It'll be no problem to last for ten days to a half-month."
Ning Xian watched... yet another precious artifact.
.......
The seawater was slightly cool, but under the water-repelling methods, the two of them remained completely dry within a three-foot radius. They moved as freely as if they were on land.
The underwater world was bizarre and colorful.
After descending about a hundred feet, the light gradually dimmed, but a huge shadow appeared ahead.
As they drew closer, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.
It was a towering and magnificent underwater palace ruin.
Although most of the buildings were collapsed or damaged, the remaining foundations, broken giant pillars, and the vaguely discernible carvings showed that this was definitely not something an ordinary mortal kingdom could possess.
The material of the palace seemed to be a rare blue-gold jade. Even after being soaked in the deep sea for an unknown number of years, it still emitted a faint spiritual glow.
The massive palace gates were half-open, carved with long-faded patterns of the sun, moon, stars, divine beasts, and immortal birds.
"This is it."
Lu Mingxuan's voice was transmitted to everyone's ears through spiritual energy. "Everyone be careful, follow me inside!"
Everyone walked toward those giant palace gates.
Fang Xuan noticed that the water flow near the gates seemed abnormal, as if an invisible barrier was keeping the seawater out.
Sure enough, when Lu Mingxuan was the first to pass through the gates, there was no water inside.
The others entered one after another and found that the interior was a vast and grand plaza in front of the palace.
Looking up, it wasn't seawater above them either; the entire interior of the palace was completely isolated from the outside sea.
"An independent space... what a grand undertaking!" a disciple exclaimed in wonder.
Lu Mingxuan retracted his spiritual energy, straightened his robes, and looked toward the depths of the palace with burning eyes.
"Let's go. The treasures are likely within the main hall!"
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