Under the grey sky, across the desolate land, they didn't know how long they had been traveling or how many tens of thousands of miles they had covered...
Everyone felt exhausted. The laws of the Immortal Realm had changed, making it impossible for them to tear through space and perform spatial jumps.
Even the step-shrinking technique, which could be used with a single thought in the mortal realm, yielded lackluster results here.
Furthermore, the world was dominated by the Breath of Darkness. They couldn't absorb heaven and earth's spiritual energy to replenish their dantian and sea of consciousness. Instead, they had to use their own spiritual energy to protect themselves from the encroaching darkness.
The constant depletion could only be countered with pills and immortal plants.
However, against such massive consumption, the recovery provided by those pills was like a drop in the bucket. Even with their prior preparations, they were now stretched thin.
Their supplies were visibly running low, yet the person in front showed no sign of stopping.
Lu Yuan was exhausted, gasping for breath.
Jin Yu looked haggard, her energy spent.
Even Tu Sisi’s face was pale.
Xu Xian was doing relatively well. He was the only immortal among them, and his body was an acquired sword body, which was durable...
At a certain point, as they approached a range of mountains and deep valleys, the figure of the red-clad woman appeared once more.
With one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist, she stood like a wandering hero from a painting atop a peak that resembled an ink wash landscape. Her red robes fluttered, and her dark hair was disheveled in the wind.
This time, however, she didn't point the way. She stood directly in the path of Xu Xian and his group, and she was much closer than before.
Even those trailing behind could see her clearly with the naked eye.
Jin Qing hurried to Xu Xian's side, pointing a finger. "Young Lord, look. What is that?"
Xu Xian didn't answer; he already knew.
As they drew closer, he halted and raised a fist.
"Stop!"
The group came to a halt.
They were on high alert, staring intently at the red figure on the mountain while catching their breath.
The wind blew gently.
She was like a drop of cinnabar splashed onto a black-and-white ink wash painting, eerie yet possessed of an indescribable, haunting beauty.
Everyone was nervous. The more they looked, the more they realized they couldn't see through her. The unknown meant danger; being unable to see through someone meant they were powerful.
Some swallowed hard, their Adam's apples bobbing. They instinctively huddled behind Xu Xian. Others clutched wind charms, ready to flee at a moment's notice.
"Boss Xian, what's the plan?" Lu Yuan whispered.
Tu Sisi looked at Xu Xian and said pointedly, "She’s been following us the whole way. She’s the one who’s been pointing the way for you, right?"
Upon hearing this, many behind them were horrified, though the saints and demon gods remained calm and indifferent.
They were as strong as Tu Sisi; if she had noticed, they naturally had as well.
Xu Xian admitted frankly, "Yes."
"Do you know her?" Tu Sisi asked tentatively.
Xu Xian rolled his eyes. "I just got here."
Tu Sisi: "Uh..."
Indeed, they were all here for the first time. How could he possibly know her?
Jin Yu poked Xu Xian's arm and said weakly, "Why don't you go and ask?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward him. No one spoke, but their expressions mirrored Jin Yu's.
They had to find out if she was a friend or a foe.
Xu Xian glanced around at the group and nodded. "Fine!"
He thought to himself that some things truly couldn't be left unexplained.
Right now, the Cangming Realm was a blank slate to Xu Xian, and the same went for the little book spirit. After all, Shuer had met her end during the Era of Primal Chaos. Even Lu Yuan, who was from the Era of Ancient Immortals, was equally ignorant.
If this person truly had some connection to the Li family and was willing to help—even if she didn't act personally—obtaining some information would be a huge advantage in their current situation.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to caution them. "Stay alert. If anything happens, don't worry about me. Run immediately."
The group didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement.
Jin Qing: "Got it!"
Lu Yuan: "Understood!"
Tu Sisi: "Mm."
Xu Xian paused, looking at them with a meaningful expression. He thought, You all agreed so quickly? You could at least hesitate a little.
Oh well!
That was how it should be.
He leaped forward, closing the distance of several miles in a few bounds. He landed on a relatively high, hard earthen slope and cupped his hands in a respectful salute.
He called out across the distance, "May I ask for your honorable title, Senior?"
Because they were still some distance away, he couldn't see her very clearly. So, while Xu Xian was speaking, the little book spirit zipped over to the woman.
Shuer hovered in the air, nearly pressing against the woman's face.
The spirit rubbed her little chin, bending over, tilting her head, looking left and right. She examined the woman's face, her legs, and then her chest...
She muttered under her breath.
"Exquisite!"
"Perfect!"
"Look at those long legs..."
"What a figure..."
"Such a pretty face..."
"Even if her skin is cracked and dry, she's still so beautiful..."
"Tsk, tsk."
"Incredible!"
Xu Xian was speechless, feeling that this was very rude.
As a gentleman, he hadn't intended to look, but the little book spirit insisted on sharing her vision with him, so he had no choice.
Xu Xian basically agreed with everything Shuer said.
This woman must have been a peerless beauty in the past, the kind that would even surpass his senior sister, Jiang Wanyin. Even in her current state, she was still stunning.
Her red blood-robes were vivid, with sword patterns on the sleeves. Her dark hair was loose, dancing in the wind behind her.
Her delicate, nearly perfect face and her exposed hands were a dull grey, not much different from the Death Spirits. Or rather, she was a Death Spirit.
However, the grey of her skin was closer to the color of white clay. It wasn't clear from a distance, but it was very obvious up close.
There wasn't a hint of blood or vitality on her skin. Instead, it was covered in scattered, shallow cracks, much like the parched, dry earth.
She looked like a broken clay doll, and even her lips were cracked.
But what drew Xu Xian's attention the most were her eyes.
They were a deep crimson, like those of other dark creatures, yet they were filled with brimming tears, shimmering with light in the haze.
The tears pooled in her eyes as if they might fall at any moment, adding a touch of tragic beauty to her somewhat eerie, expressionless face.
When their eyes met, a sense of compassion unique to her washed over him.
Xu Xian had noticed her unusual, teary eyes before, but now he saw them more clearly and directly.
Perhaps it was because of those tears that remained in her eyes without falling that Xu Xian felt a certain intuition.
She wasn't evil!
At the very least, such eyes shouldn't belong to someone malicious or treacherous.
That was why he had followed her guidance all the way east to this place.
Of course, it could also simply be because Xu Xian was a man and felt an instinctive pity for her.
It was hard to say.
While both Shuer and Xu Xian were immersed in observing her appearance...
The woman in the bridal gown slowly moved her gaze, finally focusing on the little book spirit. At that moment, Shuer panicked. She jolted, and her little face turned pale.
She turned and scurried back, poking her head out from Xu Xian's right shoulder. She stared at the woman with lingering fear and stammered, "She... she's not human!"
"Huh?" Xu Xian was puzzled.
The little book spirit said with certainty, "She can see me!"
Xu Xian: "..."
The gravity in Xu Xian's eyes deepened. She could see Shuer? In all the world, she was the first person he had encountered who could do so.
No wonder the little book spirit was so nervous.
But Shuer was right about one thing: she wasn't human. Aside from those eyes, she was a spirit that had been swallowed by the darkness.
Xu Xian braced himself and spoke again. "May I ask for your honorable title, Senior?" He paused for a moment and added, "And why did you point the way for me?"
Her mouth moved. After a long while, she slowly and haltingly squeezed out a few words.
"Can... not... go... fur... ther!"
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