84 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Huaihai City's turbulent shifts had no bearing on the disciples of Yu Cang Shan, who were still engrossed in exploring the secret realm. Having separated from the main group, Huai Ye led her junior disciples towards Lingguan Mansion. She was tasked by Xiang Shi Yan to find a dragon-hide spiritual garment called the "Cloud Veil" in the immortals' relics. To be honest, the idea of a garment impenetrable by any spell seemed almost fantastical to her. Not to mention whether such a treasure existed, how formidable must the dragon, which provided the material, have been to make its body so indestructible? And what method did the maker of the garment use to subdue it? Thus began a journey lasting several days. Due to Qin Miao's leg injury, he struggled to control his spiritual sword with his foundation establishment level of cultivation, and Huai Ye couldn't transport both him and another disciple quickly, so the three of them continued on foot towards their destination. Despite only being around ten years old, He He had already achieved the fourth level of Qi Refinement. Even without studying movement techniques, her pace wasn't slow, and she kept up with Huai Ye’s deliberately reduced speed. In contrast, Qin Miao's limp made him a burden, further dampening his already fragile mood. Huai Ye was not adept at managing others' emotions and couldn't be bothered with Qin Miao's issues. She carved a wooden cane for him and left him to his own devices. Traveling by day and resting by night, they slowly made their way over several days to the outskirts of the Mist Gorge. The dense spiritual energy in the secret realm, coupled with the purified pest core given by Huai Ye, accelerated He He's cultivation. She was now on the brink of the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Qin Miao had also made some progress in his cultivation, yet no matter how hard he tried, his left calf remained numb, leaving him somewhat disheartened and eagerly anticipating the events awaiting them in the Mist Gorge. They camped for a night at a spot where the mist-laden passage was visible in the distance. By noon, they had packed up to enter the Mist Gorge. This valley was shrouded in perpetual fog, impeding a cultivator's spiritual sense, while the beasts living within thrived like fish in water. Although Huai Ye's cultivation made her unafraid, she could not guarantee that they wouldn't encounter troublesome beasts that might harm her junior siblings. She estimated that they would pass through the Mist Gorge within two days and reach the open plains beyond. The purplish-pink dawn glow had long faded over the distant towering peaks and the rugged hills on the other side. The central gorge was enveloped in thick fog, with a shallow river meandering out from the expansive valley, glistening like a shining ribbon in the sunlight. Despite her soul being damaged and her previous cultivation unrecovered, He He had no problem extending her spiritual sense across most of the gorge. To her, traversing the mist-covered terrain was no different from walking across an endless plain. However, Qin Miao suffered much more. His spiritual sense, limited and untrained, could only vaguely discern a few meters around him. This left him anxious, constantly trying not to lose sight of the other two. He had suffered in the dense fog in his previous life, where phantom beasts often disguised themselves as companions to separate travelers and attack them individually. Though their cultivation wasn't high, they were unpredictable and difficult to guard against, especially now, with his spiritual sense so weak... "Sister?" In the blink of an eye, both Huai Ye and He He had vanished. Qin Miao immediately felt a chill in his heart. He used one hand to support the cane and drew his spiritual sword with the other, watching his surroundings warily. He cautiously called out, "Sister? Junior Sister He? Where are you?" The tip of his sword swirled through the white mist, which only briefly parted before swirling back in. Qin Miao dared not leave his spot and remained on guard with his sword. A figure emerged from the thick fog—it was He He. The girl looked bewildered and terrified. Swallowing hard, Qin Miao finally raised his sword towards her when she tilted her head to ask about Huai Ye's whereabouts. “Don't move! Are you really my junior sister He?” He He, understandably astonished that her hard-won brother now pointed a sword at her, soon regained her composure. Qin Miao had to admit, the girl's appearance was indeed striking. Gone was the image of a frail, impoverished girl; He He now exuded a subtle air of danger behind her alluring facade. This was the first time Qin Miao had seen He He with such an aggressive expression, which only deepened his suspicion. Although he was prepared for the phantom beasts in the Mist Gorge, he knew they could only imitate what lay in the prey’s memory: family, lovers, friends... nothing with significant changes. Their goal was to lure travelers into the depths, and they would never reveal their ferocity before achieving this aim. The He He before him seemed alive, pulling a crane-marked jade pendant from her waist with a smile. “Even if you don’t recognize me, will you not recognize our master’s token?” Xiang Shi Yan's jade pendant. Qin Miao's sword trembled; he was all too familiar with the jade pendant's markings. The jade talismans, carved in the same style, were often used by Xiang Shi Yan as a symbol. In his previous life, when Qin Miao entered the Hunyuan Realm, his master solemnly presented him with a crane-marked jade. It contained three fully powered strikes she had stored, in addition to a Sumeru bag filled with useful low-level treasures, medicinal herbs, and practice instructions. Given Xiang Shi Yan’s rare guidance, Qin Miao considered these as a form of recognition. The jade he received in his past life was utterly different from the one He He carried in this life. The girl's charming smile seemed almost pitying as she held the jade high for Qin Miao to clearly see its patterns. Although the design and patterns were identical, the base jade material differed slightly among each talisman. However, the jade Huai Ye held was one Xiang Shi Yan kept close and Qin Miao never saw her without it. This piece wasn’t just a high-quality spiritual jade; it was also Xiang Shi Yan’s preferred storage item. The piece she had given to Qin Miao in the past life contained an idle space, which hadn’t been cleansed due to time constraints, thus restricted to Xiang Shi Yan’s spiritual sense until much later when she remembered it, granting Qin Miao its formal possession. Did Xiang Shi Yan give this frequently used storage pendant to a new disciple she’d known for just six months? In the past life, even after becoming Qin Miao's wife, she had never gifted it. This was the one piece, distinct from the mass-produced ones. Why did something that should belong to him hang from someone else? “Your face is quite the sight, and this is just the beginning. Can I ask, do you overestimate yourself?” The girl sneered, her words dripping like venom. “Do you realize how repulsive you look at our master and other senior sisters? Who gave you the delusion that you're irresistible?” “Don’t covet what isn’t yours.” Qin Miao flared up at this statement. He shrieked, swinging his sword violently at the figure of He He, "What’s mine is mine! What do you know? They’re all mine! I am the chosen one!" His sword sliced through "He He," who dispersed into white smoke, leaving only a mocking ethereal laugh. His chest heaved, the moment of the sword stroke hadn’t even warranted consideration on whether this was the real He He or not. If it had been her, and he activated the jade unintentionally, what then? Driven solely by the irrational panic that surged within him, Qin Miao was left with the gnawing agitation in his heart. Yet strangely, after severing the apparition, he felt even more fear, as these phantoms reflected the prey's inner fears. Qin Miao found himself with a hollow chill in the space before him; he knew exactly what scared him. Flashing repeatedly in his mind was the memory of the woman who pushed him away with such force in his previous life. The blind woman's eyes, covered by a cloudy film, seemed even colder at that time, repeating with an empty, lost expression, "This is not the chosen one." She continually murmured these words. Most likely, she had whispered these words without struggle, pursuing her end. Qin Miao recalled the moment he heard of Fu Zhi's death, distinctly remembering that fleeting moment of panic. The "chosen one" was a title he once dismissed. Everything he achieved was due to relentless effort, not the favor of heavenly decree. He thought it was merely a tale fabricated by the Sky Pavilion to win him over. Consequently, he neglected Fu Zhi’s unwavering belief in it, as if "destiny" were a crown inset on his head, and all the girl could do was end a life that was not meant to terminate so she might protest to the heavens. In a daze, Qin Miao questioned whether his abrupt return to youth changed everything, as if the heavens had truly withdrawn all favor. Standing there, he suddenly grasped his mouth, terrorizing over a startling possibility. If Fu Zhi’s death indeed altered his fate, and if he was no longer the chosen one, where did destiny lie now? Huai Ye's voice seemed to reach Qin Miao through a watery veil, slowly pulling him out of his dazed state. Cold sweat drenched his back as he looked up, seemingly struggling out of water, only to meet the sharp gaze of He He, who stood expressionless behind Huai Ye. The saying that keeping a smile is as good as not smiling at all deeply resonated with Qin Miao—though he found it questionable as He He’s face, devoid of her usual sweet smile, appeared cold and piercing. “You were trapped by a phantom beast,” Huai Ye remarked without worry. Instead, she seemed curious and eager. “Was it interesting? What did you see?” Phantom beasts are mystical creatures, lacking physical form. They are essentially a mass of white smoke surrounding a monster core that’s hard to detect in thick mist. The pervasive fog here is their creation, which, when inhaled, dulls the mind. If the core of a phantom beast triggers it, hallucinations will ensue, leading one unwittingly towards the beast’s lair in the gorge, only to be dissolved and absorbed. Thus, each person's encounter is unique, with the scenes unseen by their companions. Huai Ye only observed Qin Miao raising his sword to eliminate the monster core, unaware of his mental screams or what visions plagued him. Clutching his head, it took Qin Miao a while to realize that everything he saw was an illusion triggered by the mist, including the vivid replays of Fu Zhi's final, strange moments. Not far from him, where the dream-beast He He had stood, lay a bisected transparent monster core. Yet, the remnants of his dream still felt real, as if some divine revelation had struck him. “I... I’m fine. I saw... Junior Sister He injured and collapsed by the road, uh...” Qin Miao lied awkwardly, unable to face He He, as though she harbored some terrifying beast within. “I saw the same thing,” Huai Ye replied, disappointed. Her cultivation might have surpassed the golden core stage, but her spiritual sense wasn’t particularly strong. A cultivator of similar level specialized in spell arts wouldn’t have been affected in the slightest. “Did it ever occur to you that it might have really been me? You didn’t hesitate at all,” He He retorted unhappily. “I controlled the force; it shouldn’t have been lethal,” Huai Ye countered. “I saw how hard you swung at the air; it wasn’t far from deadly force.” He He, arms crossed, glanced at Qin Miao, who was sitting and panting, then at the phantom beast core on the ground. Somewhat regretfully, she mused whether even a weakling like Qin Miao could be irreparably damaged by such a low-level illusion. Perhaps if she increased the intensity... Recovering the strength of her spiritual sense was one thing. Regaining her past ability to command beasts was another. Pushing aside her irritation, He He recalled how she once subjugated all manner of beasts, yet now even controlling such a low-level creature required effort. The snake that bit Qin Miao days ago was one she summoned, its kin were easier for her to control. He He pondered over which scale beasts adept in illusion and mental attacks might be at her disposal when Huai Ye noticed something. Huai Ye halted her junior sister, intending to move forward, and listened intently to the whisper of wind in the gorge. She extended her hand, feeling the swirling mist ahead, sensing the gentle breeze threading through her fingers. “Someone's up ahead,” she said. Her senses were exceptionally sharp. The dense fog obscured sight and dulled smell, yet paradoxically heightened her other perceptions. In the silent, secluded Valley, a sudden vortex of air could only mean that someone was using wind to disperse the fog up ahead. Whether the people were from Yu Cang Shan's team or not, it would be better than facing more phantom beasts alone. These creatures, feeding on hypnosis, were fragile. If numbers were too great, they’d find it hard to attack and would retreat. Finding fellow humans, even to just spend a night, ensured far greater safety. Huai Ye, struggling against the illusion-manipulating beasts, had briefly succumbed to the influence of the mist. Had the apparition of He He not seemed unusually endearing and caused her to doubt, she might have been trapped longer. Qin Miao had also been caught, and though He He hadn’t been affected, she knew her Qi Refinement spiritual sense wasn’t strong enough to fend off an attack. Despite personal experiences warning against letting strangers close, Huai Ye decided to investigate the group up ahead. Drawing a lesser-used spiritual sword from her Sumeru bag, Huai Ye sent two dissipating sword energies to clear the mist, guiding her companions along the riverbank. After about fifteen minutes of walking, the surrounding white fog had indeed lightened; they entered an area cleared by others. A group of people ahead noticed the newcomers, and as they drew closer, Huai Ye was recognized, prompting excited waving and shouting. It was Yu Cang Shan's team. Yet Qin Miao didn't feel truly elated. Walking behind him, He He scrutinized her brother’s uneasy, half-thrilled demeanor. Feeling sweat welling in his palms, he subtly wiped them on his clothes, avoiding looking at Huai Ye whenever their eyes met. So that’s it. This must be the rendezvous point Qin Miao and his accomplices planned. He He touched her chin thoughtfully, wondering who among the group might be colluding with Qin Miao. The author’s note: Oops, I found that after a dozen chapters, I completely forgot the Hunyuan Realm’s plot. I reread it myself and found a few inconsistencies—so embarrassing. Thank you to the angels who sent me votes or nourishment from April 5, 2022, 21:25:13, to April 7, 13:10:12~ A special thanks to the nourishment angels: Yuzu, for 5 bottles; A heartfelt thanks to everyone for your support! I will continue to work hard! No pop-up ads on this site, permanent domain (xbanxia.com).