Chen Xuan had never seen Honglan look so solemn before. Even when their lives had been hanging by a thread and death seemed inevitable, her expression had remained carefree, perhaps because after living for thousands of years, she no longer feared death itself.
Yet as she stood before the formation surrounding Luan Yi’s courtyard, that usual nonchalant attitude had completely vanished.
In its place was a stern, focused expression as countless runes and intricate patterns flashed across her dual-colored pupils.
Streams of light reflected within her eyes, intertwining and separating like rivers flowing through an endless starry sky.
’Is the threat of having no lollipops really that serious?’ Chen Xuan couldn’t help but mutter inwardly, feeling that perhaps he should have resorted to this tactic much sooner.
Although the thought amused him, and Honglan’s serious expression made him want to tease her even more, he knew this was hardly the right moment.
He wisely kept his mouth shut, allowing Honglan to maintain her student-like concentration as she carefully studied the formation.
Time slowly passed.
Seconds stretched into minutes.
One minute. Two minutes...
Just as Chen Xuan began to suspect that Honglan had greatly exaggerated her attainments in formations, her eyes suddenly lit up.
Her face brightened with excitement, and a relieved smile flashed across it as she rose to her feet before turning toward him.
"I’ve found a loophole in the formation. You see here?" she said, pointing toward an almost imperceptible corner of the array.
"This is where the Spiritual Energy converges to sustain the formation. I have to admit, whoever arranged this array was extremely careful. Their attainments are far from ordinary."
"But who am I? I am the Thousand Butterfly Fairy, the greatest Artifact Spirit who has ever existed!"
"Using the principle of mutual attraction between Yin and Yang, I created a method based on the powers of Creation and Destruction, following the Heavenly Cycles and Earthly Veins, while applying the Sword Arctic Pivot Theorem, the Nine Meridian Rotation Principle, and the Thirty-Six..."
Honglan continued enthusiastically.
At first, Chen Xuan nodded from time to time, impressed by the elegance of the method she described.
However, only a few moments later, he completely lost track of what she was saying.
By the end, he understood absolutely nothing.
Honglan’s explanation had become utterly incomprehensible. For a brief moment, Chen Xuan even wondered whether she was simply making things up in an attempt to fool him.
Yet as he looked at her eager expression, one that practically screamed "Praise me!", he immediately dismissed the thought.
’What in the world is the Sword Arctic Pivot Theorem? And what are the Nine Meridian Rotation Principle and Thirty Six...?’
Chen Xuan couldn’t help but grow suspicious.
How was it that these concepts, which Honglan spoke of as though they were common knowledge, sounded more like advanced mathematics than cultivation?
’Could it be that I’m actually a fake cultivator?’
The more he thought about it, the more doubtful he became.
Eventually, he could endure it no longer.
Looking at Honglan, who showed no signs of ending her lengthy explanation, he decisively raised a hand.
"Enough," he said, raising his hand.
"There is no need to explain something so... ordinary. I’m a Nascent Soul cultivator, after all."
He deliberately paused before continuing with a straight face.
"We don’t have enough time. Go ahead. Open the formation."
Honglan pouted slightly after being interrupted. When she heard Chen Xuan urge her onward, she nearly blurted out that he should do it himself if he was truly so capable.
Fortunately, she remembered his current lack of cultivation and reluctantly swallowed those words.
Snorting softly, she turned back toward the formation and extended a finger.
The next instant, a streak of light shot from her fingertip.
It sliced through the air and arrived in front of the formation before weaving effortlessly between its countless runes.
The formation continuously shifted, its patterns rearranging themselves to prevent any intrusion.
Yet Honglan’s mastery was astonishing.
She guided the ray of light through billions of ever-changing runes as though strolling through an empty garden before finally directing it toward the point she had indicated earlier.
Bang! The entire formation trembled violently.
Cracks spread across its surface like spiderwebs as violent Spiritual Energy erupted in every direction.
For an instant, it seemed ready to collapse entirely.
Chen Xuan nearly cursed aloud.
He had only wanted to create a loophole—not blow apart the courtyard.
Wouldn’t that alert everyone within the palace?
Thankfully, Honglan seemed to have anticipated his concern.
Just as the formation reached the verge of collapse, she flicked her finger again.
A second beam of light shot forth.
Then a third and a fourth.
Each one landed upon a different section of the formation with uncanny precision. Gradually, the violent tremors subsided.
The spreading cracks stopped.
Moments later, the formation appeared completely intact, as though nothing had happened.
At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
As Chen Xuan looked more carefully, he noticed that a small opening had silently appeared within the array.
It was not too big. Only a few feet wide.
Just enough for a person to squeeze through.
Seeing this, Chen Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Honglan was considerably more reliable than he usually gave her credit for.
Still, he didn’t immediately step inside.
Instead, he carefully examined the opening, wary of hidden traps or unstable fluctuations.
Unfortunately, with his cultivation sealed away, his divine sense had become pitifully weak.
As such, it didn’t take long.
After simply confirming that the passage remained stable, Chen Xuan exchanged a glance with Honglan before stepping through.
The Artifact Spirit followed closely behind.
The moment both of them entered, the opening quietly repaired itself.
Within only a few breaths, it had disappeared entirely.
Silence returned once more to Luan Yuan’s courtyard.
Meanwhile, the most important place within the entire Myriad Souls Sect had unknowingly welcomed two uninvited guests.
--
When Chen Xuan opened his eyes again, the ordinary courtyard had vanished.
What entered his sight was a breathtaking paradise.
An endless sea of flowers bloomed beneath a crystal-blue sky, each blossom radiating its own unique brilliance.
Crimson, emerald, sapphire, gold, violet—countless colors merged together, making the garden resemble a rainbow.
Thin streams of mist drifted lazily among the flowers, shimmering beneath the sunlight like strands of immortal silk. Every breath carried an intoxicating fragrance that soothed the soul and calmed the mind.
Snow-white cranes glided overhead, their elegant wings scattering specks of Spiritual Light wherever they passed.
Somewhere in the distance, crystal-clear streams wound through the garden, gathering into a tranquil pond whose surface reflected the heavens like polished jade.
The soft sounds of flowing water blended naturally with the songs of countless spirit birds.
Each chirp rose and fell in perfect harmony, forming a melody so beautiful that it rivaled the mysterious singing Chen Xuan had heard inside the ancient book.
Beautiful.
This was the only word Chen Xuan could use to describe the breathtaking sight before him.
Despite having lived for nearly a century and visited countless secret realms, he had to admit that this was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.
Had he not known where he was, he might have believed he had truly stepped into the Immortal World.
Of course, he knew that wasn’t the case. This paradise was simply Luan Yi’s personal garden.
After quietly admiring the scenery for several moments, Chen Xuan finally snapped himself back to reality.
Turning around, he noticed Honglan standing beside him.
She no longer wore Luan Yuan’s disguise, having already reverted to her original appearance.
Although she displayed no obvious shock, the brilliant light dancing within her dual-colored pupils betrayed her inner excitement.
Had it not been for the occasion, this girl might have already rushed off to chase the cranes or play among the countless flowers.
Chen Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.
After lightly patting her shoulder to bring her back to her senses, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward his true destination.
Although the place had appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary courtyard from outside, its interior was unimaginably vast. Spatial formations had clearly expanded it many times over.
As a result, despite Chen Xuan’s quick pace, it still took several minutes before he finally reached the center of the garden.
Unlike Luan Yuan’s modest residence, this place resembled an imperial palace.
Countless halls and pavilions were interconnected by elegant corridors, winding bridges, and flowering courtyards until the entire complex resembled a magnificent maze rather than a cultivator’s residence.
Of course, strange as it appeared, cultivators were known for having peculiar tastes. Luan Yi’s residence was hardly unusual by those standards.
What truly drew Chen Xuan’s attention, however, were the two statues standing before the palace entrance.
One depicted a woman with long black hair and dark pupils.
She held an ancient banner in one hand, while behind her stretched a sea of ferocious evil spirits, each one roaring silently toward the heavens.
She stood facing the second statue.
The moment Chen Xuan followed her gaze and looked upon it himself, his expression visibly darkened.