Liu Yiyi and Zhong Yiyang stared at Su Qi, but they couldn’t discern her Cultivation level.
However, Liu Yiyi had heard that Jiu Xi was still at Tier Two. There were many monsters ahead; never mind Tier Two, even a Tier Three cultivator would have a hard time.
If they hadn’t been unfortunately separated from Blade Master Hai Bian, they wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.
After all, Blade Master Hai Bian was at Tier Three Peak.
In their group chat, Blade Master Hai Bian had the highest Cultivation.
At this point, Liu Yiyi and the others stopped running because they were surrounded.
The only thing they could do was maintain the Holy Light, hoping it would last a little longer.
Right now, the person they wanted to see most was Po Xiao.
But they weren’t sure if Po Xiao had even entered the Secret Realm.
Su Qi said, "Stay here and don’t move."
With that, she headed toward the monsters.
These monsters had no definite form. They existed as parasites within the black smoke of the curse, making them difficult to kill.
Su Qi understood this the moment she saw them, but she was confident she could handle them.
Su Qi stepped forward, and the monsters naturally swarmed her.
But before they could get close, Su Qi closed the distance first. A flash of sword light swept out, and one of the monsters instantly dissipated.
Liu Yiyi: "..."
Zhong Yiyang: "..."
To save Yiruo, they had expended a great deal of effort—and who knew how many Magical Treasures—just to kill a single one.
And this person had finished one with a single strike?
’She’s that strong?’
But what Su Qi did next completely stunned them.
Su Qi struck with her sword and vanished from their sight. All they could see was a single streak of sword light flashing between all the monsters.
The next moment, Su Qi reappeared where she had been standing.
It was as if she hadn’t moved at all.
Then, Su Qi sheathed her sword and walked back toward Liu Yiyi and the others.
As Su Qi returned, all the monsters shattered and vanished at once.
Liu Yiyi, Zhong Yiyang: "..."
’We really ran into a master.’
Su Qi walked up to Zhong Yiyang and asked, "Fellow Daoist, may I see my junior sister?"
Zhong Yiyang immediately set Yiruo down. "Fairy, you’re too kind."
Zhong Yiyang’s voice had become subconsciously respectful.
’How should I put it? This Fairy Jiu Xi is incredibly powerful, and also so serious. It feels impossible to get close to her. Yeah, she gives off a completely unapproachable vibe.’
Su Qi then held Yiruo and examined her condition.
Liu Yiyi said, "Don’t worry, Fairy. I just gave her some medicine. It’s not serious. She’ll be fine after some rest."
Su Qi thanked them. "Yes, thank you both. I will have my martial uncle properly thank you later."
Liu Yiyi shook her head. "There’s no need. It was nothing."
Su Qi didn’t say anything more, but she was determined to thank them properly.
Then Su Qi asked, "Would it be possible for you to take my junior sister and leave first? I need to go deeper to find my other junior and senior martial sisters."
Liu Yiyi nodded. "No problem. But you’re going to search inside? We haven’t gone deep, but it gets more dangerous the further in you go. The Curse Power is especially dense near the mountain peak, though strangely, there’s almost none on the peak itself."
Su Qi said, "I know my limits."
With that, Su Qi once again headed deeper into the area.
Watching Su Qi leave, Zhong Yiyang couldn’t help but say, "As expected of a Candidacy Saintess. She’s so serious, and so strong."
Liu Yiyi added, "Yes, she’s truly formidable. She might even be on par with Saintess Yue Lian."
"Alright, let’s get out of here quickly," Zhong Yiyang said.
As he spoke, Zhong Yiyang moved to carry Yiruo on his back.
But before he could even touch her, Liu Yiyi sent him flying with a kick.
"There’s no danger now, so you should just quietly focus on comprehending your Sword Intent. Otherwise, they’ll say I’m a bad influence on you again." With that, Liu Yiyi personally lifted Yiruo onto her back, activated her Holy Light, and ran toward the exit.
Zhong Yiyang: "..."
---
When Jiang Zuo vanished from the palace, it was because he had found the way beneath it.
When Jiang Zuo arrived beneath the palace, he found an unusually vast, empty space that was spatially isolated to some degree.
In other words, this was a Secret Realm within a Secret Realm.
And the Curse Power was, naturally, radiating from here.
The Curse Power here was exceptionally dense. The Battle Spirit Stele was spinning diligently, continuously absorbing the Curse Power and converting it into Spiritual Qi that it fed back to Jiang Zuo.
The Innate Two Qi also swam around Jiang Zuo, constantly devouring the Curse Power.
Jiang Zuo felt that if this continued, he would have to advance in rank again.
However, he didn’t stop it.
Just then, something launched a sneak attack on Jiang Zuo.
The thing appeared with extreme abruptness, as if it had been birthed from the Curse Power in an instant.
In fact, it had indeed been born suddenly from the curse.
Jiang Zuo glanced back. The Curse Bead and the Purification Bead spun in an instant.
The monster immediately ceased its attack. It consciously crouched down beside Jiang Zuo like a well-behaved pet.
’It’s already subconsciously creating monsters? It seems even if it hasn’t woken up, it’s close.’ Jiang Zuo frowned as he looked ahead.
He wanted to find the source and eliminate the Master of Curses.
That way, Su Qi could explore this place normally. But if that thing woke up prematurely, he would have to find Su Qi first and get her out.
’If worst comes to worst, I’ll help her find those deadweights, too. That way, Su Qi won’t have any regrets.’
Jiang Zuo checked his list of marks. All of their marks were bright, meaning none of them were dead.
---
「Sword Cultivation Lineage」
On Swordsman Beitian’s mountain peak, Swordsman Beitian sat looking at the sky, his mind constantly replaying the memory of Jiang Zuo’s sword strike.
’I’m close. I’ve almost grasped it.’
At that moment, a woman appeared before Swordsman Beitian. She spoke in an interrogating tone, "Junior Brother, do you know what you’re doing? Where have you thrown the face of the Sword Cultivation Lineage?"
Swordsman Beitian had ordered a full retreat for everyone on his mountain peak, an act that others could not comprehend. It was a direct message to the outsiders that this place was so dangerous even the Sword Cultivation Lineage itself was afraid.
Swordsman Beitian said calmly, "Senior Sister, this is my mountain peak. I have full authority here, don’t I?"
The woman replied, "Junior Brother, the competition is about to begin. Once you are defeated, this place will no longer be yours."
"But it is for now, isn’t it?"
Swordsman Beitian looked at his senior sister. "Senior Sister, do you know? As a child, I was proud of my talent. Later, I learned what arrogance was, and what setbacks were.
I witnessed what true confidence and courage were, and I understood what it meant to be insignificant.
His words, ’we are not the same,’ made me understand what true pride is."
His senior sister frowned. "Junior Brother, your Dao heart has been shattered. Your path has come to an end."
"Hahaha," Swordsman Beitian laughed. "Senior Sister, you’re right. My heart has been shattered."
Then, Swordsman Beitian tossed a sword to her. "This is the sword our master gave me, and the proof of my standing in the Sword Cultivation Lineage. From this day forward, it belongs to you, Senior Sister."
The senior sister caught the sword, her brows furrowing even deeper. "What do you mean by this?"
"Haven’t you always wanted it, Senior Sister? With both of Master’s swords in your hands, you should be able to reach a new level, right?"
Then Swordsman Beitian said, "And what I mean is, I want to show you, Senior Sister, what true pride is. *My* pride."