Xie Liufeng, having dealt with all the traps and secret passages along the way, finally arrived at the core of the place.

He could feel that he was getting closer to the item he had come for.

The only problem was that, despite all this time, he had yet to encounter Chu Xinghui anywhere.

Though the area appeared to pose no immediate danger to Chu Xinghui, Xie Liufeng couldn’t help but feel a trace of worry.

While considering his next move, Xie Liufeng once again used his spiritual power to force open the stone door ahead of him.

Just as Chu Xinghui finished processing the strange illusions and was contemplating his next move, he suddenly came face-to-face with Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng let out a relieved sigh and, with his usual cheeky smile, said: “What a coincidence, Cultivator Chu is here too.”

However, as soon as he spoke, Chu Xinghui looked up and fixed him with an expression that seemed… off, like he was scrutinizing something.

Indeed, according to the pattern of the illusions’ ages, the figure in front of him now was nearly identical to the real Xie Liufeng.

Chu Xinghui was growing increasingly impatient.

Although he didn’t entirely dislike these Xie Liufeng illusions, they were becoming a nuisance, preventing him from locating the real Xie Liufeng.

His hand instinctively moved toward the hilt of his sword.

Before entering this place, he had promised Xie Liufeng that he would find him first. Chu Xinghui always took his promises seriously, so nothing—not even an illusion that looked like Xie Liufeng—was going to stop him from fulfilling it.

With that resolve in mind, Chu Xinghui drew his sword.

Xie Liufeng, caught off guard, stared blankly for a moment before reaching up with two fingers to catch the sword blade just as it was about to strike his forehead.

Chu Xinghui, though, hesitated, leaving a bit of force behind. He couldn’t bring himself to strike the face that had haunted his thoughts for so long.

Xie Liufeng pushed the sword away, a confused look on his face: “What’s this? So much fire right off the bat?”

Hearing his voice, Chu Xinghui froze for a second, the tension in his grip loosening.

He sheathed his sword and, with a serious demeanor, walked around Xie Liufeng, examining him closely.

Then, Chu Xinghui raised a hand and cautiously pinched Xie Liufeng’s cheek, deeply contemplating: “There’s a seventy percent chance you’re alive.”

Xie Liufeng: “…”

He couldn’t help but wonder what the other thirty percent implied.

…

After thoroughly inspecting Xie Liufeng, Chu Xinghui finally confirmed his identity.

“Now, am I a full-fledged living person?” Xie Liufeng teased, his smile mischievous.

Chu Xinghui, pretending not to catch the teasing tone, responded coldly: “Nine out of ten.”

He then recounted everything he’d encountered up until now.

As Xie Liufeng listened, a strange expression crossed his face—a mix of amusement and perhaps a little guilt.

Chu Xinghui stared at him flatly, finally giving in: “Fine, go ahead and laugh.”

Xie Liufeng couldn’t hold back his laughter and raised his fist to his lips to stifle it. After a moment, he said: “If I’m not mistaken, the ‘keepsakes’ here should also be my bones. Those bones have some… special qualities, and it’s possible they might project some illusions related to me.”

He grinned at Chu Xinghui: “So? Am I not incredibly talented and good-natured?”

After all, not just anyone could have ghostly illusions directing someone along the path. That, he believed, was an impressive and kind skill to possess.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

Looking around, he decided to steer the conversation elsewhere: “There’s a formation on the ground here.”

Following his lead, Xie Liufeng turned to look at the formation etched into the floor.

It seemed the formation had worn down with age, but it still appeared mostly intact, its function seemingly unchanged.

“That flower from earlier…” Xie Liufeng suddenly recalled something and then shook his head with a quiet laugh: “Forget it, it’s not important.”

The event was too distant, and even he had trouble recalling the details. Bringing it up again might just trouble Chu Xinghui unnecessarily.

Chu Xinghui, understanding what he meant, said nothing. He just silently reached over and tugged at Xie Liufeng’s sleeve.

Xie Liufeng, taking his hand, led him to the edge of the formation. He studied the intricate patterns on the ground for a moment before an idea struck him.

“Have you read The Array Manual recently?” he asked.

Chu Xinghui nodded.

His cultivation wasn’t as solid as those born and raised in the cultivation world, so he often sought out beginner-level books to fill in the gaps. Xie Liufeng knew this and frequently provided him with books of uncertain origins, including the Array Manual, which was one of the older texts in his collection. It documented outdated formations that had been superseded by newer ones.

Seeing Xie Liufeng bring up the book, Chu Xinghui guessed: “Is this formation recorded in that book?”

Xie Liufeng nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes: “Exactly.”

Chu Xinghui examined the formation closely, his brow furrowing in confusion: “I don’t recall seeing this one in the book.”

His memory was sharp, and he was sure he had studied the book thoroughly.

Xie Liufeng clarified: “It’s a variation of one of the formations in that book.”

Chu Xinghui, unsure why he was suddenly being taught, simply replied with an unenthusiastic

“Oh.”

The two of them exchanged a look.

Xie Liufeng smiled gently, urging: “Go ahead.”

Chu Xinghui blinked, caught off guard: “Me?”

Xie Liufeng nodded: “Yes, ‘reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles.'”

Chu Xinghui hesitated: “And what about you?”

Xie Liufeng flashed him a playful wink: “You know me. When you’re around, I’m just an ordinary person without any spiritual power. I’m relying on you to protect me, little immortal.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

Xie Liufeng immediately put on a dramatically sorrowful face, continuing to tease: “What, do you think I’m just a weak burden? I know, I know. It’s not like I can be a proper companion for you, but if you really don’t want to help, I suppose I’ll have to deal with this formation on my own.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

Chu Xinghui stood there, silently staring at Xie Liufeng, who was clearly enjoying himself. He didn’t want to listen to any more of Xie Liufeng’s teasing, so he resignedly drew his sword and walked toward the formation.

Xie Liufeng couldn’t contain his laughter.

Chu Xinghui, now focusing entirely on the formation, shut out Xie Liufeng’s amusement and carefully examined the pattern on the ground. Thanks to Xie Liufeng’s reminder, he was able to compare it to what was written in The Array Manual, and after some contemplation, he finally figured it out.

This was a sealing formation. Once the seal was broken, something hidden inside would be revealed.

Chu Xinghui located the heart of the formation and began channeling his spiritual energy into it.

As his energy flowed into the formation, the intricate patterns on the ground began to glow.

The moment the last rune lit up, the ground trembled violently.

Xie Liufeng, who had been watching closely, immediately pulled Chu Xinghui to one side.

From the center of the formation, a small stone temple rose up out of the earth.

*

The temple had a Northern Yue architectural style, with two extinguished stone lanterns hanging on either side and a pair of stone doors adorned with the image of a kneeling, sightless divine beast. The entire structure was seamless, giving the impression that it wasn’t just a building but a powerful sealing spiritual artifact.

Xie Liufeng patted Chu Xinghui on the shoulder and stepped in front of him: “Alright, little immortal, why don’t you take a rest over there? I’ll take care of the rest.”

Chu Xinghui raised an eyebrow: “Can’t I go in?”

Xie Liufeng thought for a moment before responding: “What’s inside is the same as what you saw in that wooden tower before.”

Chu Xinghui understood immediately. He didn’t press the issue and took a step back.

It was clear: his power was still insufficient.

One day, when his strength grew, he would be able to help Xie Liufeng.

Seeing the determination in Chu Xinghui’s eyes, Xie Liufeng ruffled his hair affectionately and said softly: “You’ll get to the point where you can deal with it on your own. But until then… don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

Chu Xinghui looked up at him, silently meeting his gaze before giving a small nod.

Xie Liufeng approached the doors of the stone temple, cut his palm open once more, and let his blood drip into the eyes of the divine beast carved on the doors.

The eyes of the beast seemed to come alive, rotating twice before the posture of the beast shifted from kneeling to standing.

With a mighty rumble, the stone doors opened.

Though Xie Liufeng’s wound had already healed, it wasn’t long before he had to deal with another injury. It seemed like trouble followed him everywhere.

Chu Xinghui had expected Xie Liufeng to disregard the injury, but to his surprise, Xie Liufeng promptly pulled out a medicinal bottle and treated himself.

Turning back, he held up his bandaged hand for Chu Xinghui to see: “Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of it this time.”

Chu Xinghui gave a half-hearted nod of approval.

With a final glance at Chu Xinghui, Xie Liufeng stepped into the temple.

…

Chu Xinghui stood there, waiting for Xie Liufeng to return. Inside, everything was silent, and he could not discern what was happening.

After what felt like a long time—almost two quarters of an hour—there was a sudden explosion of shattered spiritual energy from within the stone temple.

The energy, still filtered through the temple’s sealing power, remained extremely dangerous. It was evident that Xie Liufeng was facing immense pressure inside.

Quickly, Chu Xinghui threw up a protective artifact to shield himself from the incoming spiritual force.

His eyes remained fixed on the temple’s entrance, anxiety slowly rising in his chest.

Then, a dazzling sword light shot up from within the chaotic burst of spiritual power, sealing off the overflow of energy.

Chu Xinghui’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Xie Liufeng was far more powerful than he let on, but he had never witnessed such an astonishing display of strength.

No sword cultivator could remain unmoved by such a brilliant sword light.

After a few moments, the surrounding buildings could no longer withstand the intensity of the battle. With a deafening crash, they exploded from the inside out.

Chu Xinghui frowned, unwilling to leave, and tried to peer through the dust and debris to find Xie Liufeng.

Luckily, Xie Liufeng emerged from the shattered rubble, dust swirling around him as he casually strode over to Chu Xinghui. Without missing a beat, he grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away.

“What are you still doing standing there? Are you waiting to get caught in the collapse? Can’t you see this place is falling apart?”

Chu Xinghui turned to look at him, his eyes still full of awe from the sword light he had just seen.

But then, he noticed something was off. His brows furrowed: “You…”

Xie Liufeng looked back, appearing perfectly healthy and unconcerned: “What’s wrong?”

Chu Xinghui didn’t press the matter further, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Instead, he mounted his sword and followed Xie Liufeng.

…

By the time they emerged from the vortex, it was well past midnight.

The secret realm they had been in had completely collapsed. The vortex they used as an entrance had disappeared as well, shrinking and vanishing entirely beneath the sea’s surface.

The three individuals—Qin Yuwen and his companions—had not reappeared. It was unclear whether they had left ahead of time or just disappeared into the chaos.

Though Chu Xinghui didn’t particularly care about their fate.

Their purpose here had been fulfilled, and now it was time to move on. He turned to Xie Liufeng and asked: “Should we head back to Yongning City?”

Xie Liufeng suddenly spoke: “The moonlight here is beautiful.”

Chu Xinghui glanced at the sky, noting the absence of the moon and only a scattering of stars. He then looked at Xie Liufeng, feeling somewhat confused by his comment.

Xie Liufeng smiled brightly and suggested: “How about we rest here for the night?”

Chu Xinghui studied him for a moment, a slight frown appearing on his face.

Xie Liufeng, already formulating plans, began to instruct him: “The wood by the sea is damp, so you should go and gather some firewood from elsewhere.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He raised an eyebrow and asked: “If we really need fire… why can’t we just use spiritual power or spiritual talismans to light it?”

Xie Liufeng paused for a moment, then grinned and said: “Because I like it this way.”

 

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