Saving the White Moonlight Chapter 47

Yan Zhuguang turned sideways and took out the drawing. “I do not know what is going on with this hidden realm. Senior Sister, come with me to take a look.”
It was not that Yan Zhuguang was afraid to go to the hidden realm alone. If possible, she would rather go by herself.
But she understood that if this hidden realm was related to the former sect master, then for safety’s sake, Senior Sister would definitely not allow her to go alone.
Yun Mixue nodded. “That is fine.”
“Only Senior Sister and I will go. I do not want anyone else to come with us.” Yan Zhuguang did not hide her narrow-mindedness at all. Yun Mixue was right. She trusted no one, because to her, everyone else was a burden, except Senior Sister.
Yun Mixue was helpless. “All right. It will be only the two of us. When do you plan to go?”
The drawing belonged to Yan Zhuguang, and Yan Zhuguang had learned of the hidden realm from Qiu Qiao. Even if the hidden realm might be related to the sect master’s fall, Yun Mixue would not let anyone else interfere.
Yan Zhuguang thought for a moment. Then she suddenly raised her brows, her red lips curving. “Why not now?”
Yun Mixue did not know whether to laugh. “We just returned from Danye City, and now we are leaving again. What about Ningyan and Changyue? Are we going to leave without saying goodbye?”
“I think that works.”
Leaving without saying goodbye might not be a bad method. In Yan Zhuguang’s view, it simply did not suit Senior Sister’s usual way of doing things.
“Then,” Yun Mixue said, having no choice but to compromise, “I will leave a message for the two junior sisters. Once they recover their energy and come out of seclusion, they will see it.”
Yun Mixue meant that she had agreed to Yan Zhuguang’s suggestion of going to the hidden realm immediately.
The smile on Yan Zhuguang’s face deepened.
“All right.”
Yun Mixue quickly left a message inside a jade slip and placed it on the wooden table in the courtyard’s main hall where it would be easy to see. After setting a simple protective layer around the jade slip, she took Yan Zhuguang out of the courtyard and headed toward the hidden realm entrance Yan Zhuguang knew.
When Chu Ningyan finished restoring the energy she had consumed while rushing all the way to Danye City with Qiao Zhenbang’s group and came out of her room, she saw Yun Changyue standing in the main hall, holding a jade slip thoughtfully.
“What is it?”
Yun Changyue handed the jade slip to Chu Ningyan. “Senior Sister has left. It seems she went in private to investigate a clue related to the former sect master’s fall.”
Chu Ningyan took the jade slip and swept it with her spiritual sense. Yun Mixue’s message entered her mind.
Chu Ningyan put the jade slip back on the table. “Senior Sister would definitely not hide information. It must be that little girl Yan Zhuguang’s idea.”
That girl was clever as anything and had plenty of schemes. She did not put anyone in her eyes. Only Senior Sister would think she was a harmless little white rabbit.
Yun Changyue looked a little curious. “Senior Sister Chu, are you very familiar with Yan Zhuguang?”
Chu Ningyan shook her head. “Not exactly. I have only seen her a few times.” It was just that Chu Ningyan believed her eye for people was not bad, and she was sensitive to people’s thoughts. Although Yan Zhuguang was good at hiding, she could not hide from Chu Ningyan’s eyes.
If Chu Ningyan had not seen that Yan Zhuguang’s nature was not bad and that she had no malice toward Senior Sister, she would never have allowed Yan Zhuguang to stay by Senior Sister’s side.
Even so, Chu Ningyan did not have much goodwill toward Yan Zhuguang. At most, she could treat her normally.
Yun Changyue looked thoughtful.
Chu Ningyan glanced at her and said, “The Qiao family lead has broken. Since Senior Sister left a message telling us to investigate that cultivator surnamed Su from other directions, we should not delay. Let us act as soon as possible.”
“The former sect master’s matter has already dragged on for years. The longer time passes, the more unclear the information becomes. We cannot keep spending all our time on this.”
Yun Changyue nodded. “Senior Sister Chu is right. Shall we set out immediately too?”
“That is fine.”
Chu Ningyan turned to leave, but Yun Changyue suddenly called out to her. “Senior Sister Chu, once the Qiao family lead breaks, we are like headless flies again. It is not easy to ask for news across the vast cultivation world. Why don’t we split up? That would be faster.”
Chu Ningyan paused. “What you said makes sense.”
Yun Changyue quickly said, “Then…”
“However,” Chu Ningyan continued, “the former sect master was a Spirit Division cultivator, yet even he fell here. Investigating this matter will certainly be very dangerous. Splitting up would be unwise.”
Chu Ningyan turned back to look at her. “Investigating the cause of the former sect master’s death is important, but your safety and mine cannot be ignored either. If we act together, we can look after each other. Do not lose the larger matter just to save a little time.”
Yun Changyue pressed her lips together. “I did not consider it carefully. I will listen to Senior Sister Chu.”
Chu Ningyan nodded. “Then let us go.”
The two of them left, and the courtyard belonging to Fenghua Immortal Sect became empty once again.
Yan Zhuguang could fly on a sword, but with the standard flying sword awarded by the sect and her early Foundation Establishment strength, her speed could not compare with Yun Mixue’s.
She did not fuss over her pride in this kind of matter and let Yun Mixue bring her along.
Following Yan Zhuguang’s directions, Yun Mixue teleported twice and was already very close to the hidden realm’s location.
Considering that Yan Zhuguang’s current strength could not withstand the pressure of teleporting too many times, the two changed to riding a cloud.
They flew high above the clouds. Yan Zhuguang held her breath and pointed out the direction. After flying only a short distance, they finally landed in a hollow among the mountains.
This was a barren mountain outside Tianyu City. Scattered demon beasts lived here, but none were stronger than peak Core Formation. Most were at Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment. It did not look like a very dangerous place.
That made sense. Qiu Qiao and the others were only at late Foundation Establishment at most. A hidden realm they could discover could not be in a dangerous area filled with Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators.
Yan Zhuguang pointed at a dark pit below. “The hidden realm is inside there. But we may need to catch a few demon beasts first.”
Yun Mixue frowned.
Yan Zhuguang said, “Opening the hidden realm may require a live sacrifice or blood sacrifice.”
Qiu Qiao’s illusion might not have been real, but it was better to prepare than be caught scrambling later.
If the condition for opening the hidden realm was really the same as in the illusion, there were only her and Senior Sister on this trip. Yan Zhuguang would not be willing to let either of them be hurt.
Yun Mixue frowned in thought. “Zhuguang, wait a moment.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure disappeared.
Yan Zhuguang did not think about where Yun Mixue had gone. She only stared at the cave entrance, trying to identify the situation inside.
“Host, did you sense something?”
When the system saw Yan Zhuguang’s expression change, it felt certain something was not simple.
“My spiritual sense cannot reach the bottom of that cave. How could I detect anything?”
“Oh.” The system was used to thinking Host was all-powerful and knew everything. It had forgotten that Host’s body still had not reached the required level.
“Did you exchange the rewards?”
“They are exchanged. They are in Host’s inventory. Host can check them yourself.”
Earlier, when they had saved Su Qian’er from Qiu Qiao, the system had counted it as completing a side quest.
Later, when Yan Zhuguang obtained information about the hidden realm and the drawing from Qiu Qiao’s illusion, the main quest to assist Yun Mixue in investigating the former sect master’s cause of death had also advanced by several steps.
Yan Zhuguang followed her old rule and had the system exchange these rewards into poisonous objects of various attributes. They would be used to nurture the Sacrificial Blood Spirit Vine and speed up the formation of her poison spiritual root.
These two things were huge consumers of poison. Even with the system backing her, Yan Zhuguang knew it would be a long process of accumulation.
Fortunately, everything was progressing step by step. For the sake of safety, Yan Zhuguang did not mind that it was slow.
Yan Zhuguang took out the newly exchanged poisonous objects. With a flip of her palm, a bright green sprout appeared in her hand.
She fed the poisonous objects to it. The little sprout probed around them, then withdrew with little interest and rubbed against Yan Zhuguang’s palm.
“I do not have extra blood to feed you right now,” Yan Zhuguang said. “Make do with these.”
The Sacrificial Blood Spirit Vine liked to devour poisonous blood. These pure poisonous objects did not suit its taste.
But they would soon explore the hidden realm. Yan Zhuguang wanted to raise her strength as much as possible while keeping herself in peak condition.
If the Sacrificial Blood Spirit Vine wanted to drink her blood, Yan Zhuguang would not allow it.
The little sprout rubbed against her for a long while. Seeing that Yan Zhuguang remained “cold” and unmoved, it twisted its body and finally went to eat those poisonous objects obediently, wronged but compliant.
The strange poisonous objects, colorful and gaudy, were wrapped and swallowed by slits opening on the Sacrificial Blood Spirit Vine.
No matter how large the things it ate were, the little sprout was always still only half the length of a little finger, as thick as a bean sprout, and a deep green color. It did not change at all.
No matter how many times the system saw it, it still found it especially magical.
As Yan Zhuguang fed the Sacrificial Blood Spirit Vine, a cool fragrance brushed her face. Yun Mixue, who had left earlier, had returned.
Yan Zhuguang turned toward the fragrance. Yun Mixue’s clothes were perfectly neat, giving no sign of what she had gone to do. But she now had several pure white ribbons. One end of each ribbon bound a demon beast.
The demon beasts were still alive. The ribbons’ power held them floating in the air behind Yun Mixue. No matter how they struggled, they could not break free from those seemingly fragile ribbons.
All these demon beasts carried a bloody, murderous aura. They were likely vicious killers in ordinary times. Now that Yun Mixue had caught them, fortune had turned, and they had fallen from hunters to prey.
“Senior Sister.” Yan Zhuguang moved closer to Yun Mixue.
Yun Mixue nodded to her. “Let us go.”
Yun Mixue wrapped an arm around Yan Zhuguang’s waist and drew her close. Then she leapt, like a bright moon sinking west, and drifted gracefully into the pit below.
When darkness swept over them, both Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang frowned at the same time.
Yan Zhuguang had experienced much in her previous life and was very sensitive to the aura of unknown places like this.
Outside, there had not been much. But after entering the pit, she sensed something strange hidden inside.
It was like some violent energy had been sealed behind a thin film, terrifying as if it might burst out at any moment.
As for Yun Mixue, her powerful Nascent Soul perception also sensed that something was wrong in this pit.
The pit was very deep. The two fell for quite a while before reaching solid ground. There was no light below at all. Yun Mixue was unaffected, but Yan Zhuguang could barely see anything.
Yun Mixue gently set Yan Zhuguang down and took out a pearl with a soft glow. It lit the bottom of the pit at once.
Where they stood now was not the lowest part of the pit, but a small mound of loose dirt.
Yan Zhuguang said, “This seems to be a pile of earth that fell after the soil above collapsed.”
Yun Mixue nodded. “No wonder this place was never discovered before, yet Qiu Qiao found it so easily. It must have been well hidden all along, and only recently did some change cause it to be exposed.”
“Senior Sister, did you discover something?”
“There is demonic energy here.”
Yan Zhuguang nodded, not surprised.
Although she had not directly sensed the demonic energy, she had guessed it.
No wonder opening it might require a blood sacrifice or live sacrifice. This hidden realm had been left behind by demonic cultivators.