The grand formation of Misty Island was located in the square outside the main hall. As dawn broke, painting the sky in pale gold and rose, Chong Zhao and his fellow disciples stood in precise formation across the square. Channeling their immortal power into their palms, they directed it with focused intensity toward the pentagram etched into the ancient stone ground. The five points of the star flared to life under the surge of combined energy, sending five beams of brilliant light shooting into the sky like pillars connecting heaven and earth.
The disciples' faces lit up with joy and relief, only to pale in the next instant as hope transformed to horror. The five beams in the sky flickered out abruptly, as if encountering an unseen obstacle—or a greater power—and the pentagram on the ground dimmed just as quickly, its light dying like extinguished candles. At that moment, Song Feng arrived at the square, his weight supported heavily by his disciples, his face drawn with pain and worry.
"Junior Martial Uncle, the star formation has failed!" Even the usually composed Chong Zhao couldn't hide his alarm, his voice tight with barely controlled panic.
"Sect Leader! Sect Leader!" Before Song Feng could respond, several junior disciples guarding the island gates rushed onto the square, their robes disheveled, their voices trembling with naked fear. "Something terrible has happened!"
"What is it? Speak clearly!" Er Yun snapped, his own anxiety making his tone sharp as a blade. The young disciples pointed toward the sea beyond the island, their hands shaking, their faces filled with dread. "The ocean… the ocean is in chaos…"
Following their outstretched fingers, the group saw the sky blotted out by an overwhelming mass of dark clouds that churned like living things. Towering waves surged around Misty Island, forming an impenetrable curtain of water that sealed off the entire East Sea from the rest of the world.
The disciples outside the square turned deathly pale, too stunned to speak, their usual confidence shattered by the display of raw, terrifying power.
"Zhao'er, Yun'er, come with me." Song Feng's voice cut through the suffocating silence like a knife. Pushing away the supporting hands of his disciples with more strength than seemed possible in his condition, he slowly made his way into the hall. Chong Zhao and Er Yun exchanged a puzzled, worried glance before hurrying after him, their footsteps echoing ominously.
Meanwhile, in a desolate grove on the cursed island, Bai Shuo turned around with a start, her heart hammering—then heaved a sigh of relief and punched the young man on the shoulder.
"You scared me to death! A-Zhao, what are you doing here?"
Instead of answering, Chong Zhao pulled her into a tight embrace without warning. "I finally found you. Thank goodness you're safe!"
Bai Shuo froze, stunned by the intensity of his reaction, then patted his shoulder awkwardly. "A-Zhao?"
Chong Zhao exhaled deeply before releasing her, his expression shifting to stern disapproval. "How many times have I told you? The East Sea is full of dangers beyond Misty Island. With your meager immortal power, how could you dare to wander around like this?"
Staring at the lecturing Chong Zhao, Bai Shuo was momentarily speechless, warmth blooming in her chest.
It had been years—since leaving the capital—since she had last seen him like this, protective and scolding like when they were children.
"What's wrong?" Chong Zhao paused, catching the expression on her face.
Bai Shuo's eyes reddened as she took a deep breath. "It's nothing, I just…"
"I know why you came here—to refine a medicinal pill for me."
"How did you know?" Bai Shuo blurted out before realization struck like lightning. "That wretched old turtle! Can't keep a single secret!" Then she frowned in confusion. "Wait, that old turtle tricked me into going somewhere else. How did you know I'd be here?"
Chong Zhao summoned a bamboo flute from his palm with a gesture, identical to the one he had given her years ago. "Both flutes carry a trace of my immortal essence. As long as you have the one I gave you, I can always find you."
"No wonder." Bai Shuo nodded in understanding before glancing around at the eerie forest. "A-Zhao, do you remember this place?"
"Of course. Three years ago, we saved Master right here. A-Shuo, why did you come back?"
Before Bai Shuo could answer, Chong Zhao suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a thick tree, his body pressing protectively against hers.
Bai Shuo's eyes widened as Chong Zhao whispered urgently in her ear, his breath warm against her skin, "Don't move. Something's coming!"
Bai Shuo's breath hitched. Before Chong Zhao could finish speaking, a massive black shadow swept over their heads, carrying an overwhelming aura of malevolence and spiritual pressure so intense it made the air itself feel heavy as it swiftly disappeared deeper into the forest.
Bai Shuo's eyes lit up with sudden understanding as she pushed Chong Zhao's hand away. "Quick, let's go! Follow it!"
"A-Shuo!"
Unable to stop her in time, Chong Zhao was dragged deeper into the woods by Bai Shuo's surprisingly strong grip.
Following the direction where the shadow had vanished, the two ventured further into the mysterious forest. But the deeper they went, the more astonished they became, the landscape transforming around them.
The dense trees and barren rocks beneath their feet gradually gave way to a lush green valley that seemed impossible, otherworldly. A babbling stream wound along the valley's edge, its water crystal clear and musical, surrounded by a sea of blooming flowers in every color imaginable. A rainbow arched over a rock by the stream, its colors vivid and surreal, and resting atop that rock was the same black shadow that had flown over them earlier.
It was a pure white tiger, its body gleaming like polished jade in the dappled light, with a pair of magnificent wings sprouting from its back like something from ancient legends. At that moment, it lay with its eyes closed, clearly unaware of their approach, breathing deep and steady.
How could such a paradise exist within this desolate island's forest?
Chong Zhao's eyes were filled with confusion and wariness, but Bai Shuo felt differently. Such a wondrous, hidden sight was the perfect hiding place for a top-tier spiritual treasure!
Suddenly, Bai Shuo's gaze fixed on something beside the white tiger, and her eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement.
"Found it! The spring is right there!" In her excitement, Bai Shuo slipped, crushing the dry leaves underfoot with a sharp crack that echoed like thunder. Chong Zhao grabbed her, and in a flash of spiritual light, they vanished from the spot. Not far away, the white tiger's eyes snapped open, large and alert, scanning the area where they had been hiding with predatory focus.
Its large, copper-bell-like eyes swept the surroundings with methodical precision but found nothing. It settled back onto the rock, though this time, it kept its eyes open, pupils dilated and watchful.
Hidden behind a boulder at the tiger's rear, Bai Shuo covered her mouth with both hands, not daring to breathe, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain the beast would hear it.
"A-Shuo, we need to leave now. That winged tiger is at least at the Peak of the Upper Realm. Even Junior Martial Uncle wouldn't stand a chance against it. If it discovers us, it'll be too late!"
"No, I came here specifically to find it!" Bai Shuo shook her head stubbornly.
"Find it?" Chong Zhao was stunned.
"I mean—to find this!" Bai Shuo hastily pulled the book from her medicine pouch and flipped to the last page with trembling fingers, pointing at it for Chong Zhao. "I knew the old turtle was lying when it led me to the coral sea, so I found this book in the library."
Her finger landed on a handwritten note in familiar script:
"To the south, in the mists, heavenly fire descended, burning an island to ashes. All life perished, save for a single spring in the southeast. Over a decade has passed since."
Bai Shuo continued in a whisper, "This was left by the former Sect Leader. I think the reason he came to this island back then was because it held something he sought. Maybe he wasn't injured in a battle with someone at all..."
"You mean...?" Chong Zhao glanced at the white tiger in the distance, understanding dawning. "It was the one who hurt Master?"
"Yes! Don't forget, top-tier spiritual treasures are incredibly rare in this world, and they're always guarded by Spirit Beasts. Perhaps the Sect Leader tried to take the treasure from the spring back then, angering this white tiger, and that's how he got injured. That would also explain why such an important place remains unknown to anyone on Misty Island. The former Sect Leader knew how dangerous it was and didn't tell anyone, but he also didn't want this heavenly treasure, hidden on a remote island, to be lost forever. So he left clues, hoping that someone in the sect might one day discover it—when their cultivation reached Major Achievement—and claim it."
Chong Zhao listened with rising anger, his jaw clenching. "You know there are powerful Spirit Beasts guarding these rare treasures, ones even Master couldn't defeat. With your meager Immortal Qi, going to the island alone is suicide! Even if there are heavenly treasures here, with our current Immortal Qi, we can't take them."
"Ah, but even without Immortal Qi, I have this." Bai Shuo pointed to her head with a grin. "Don't forget what I'm best at."
As she spoke, Bai Shuo pulled out a small porcelain vial from her medicine pouch and shook it gently, liquid sloshing inside. "I'm best at making medicine, especially for dealing with Spirit Beasts."
"This is...?"
"Ten Thousand Spirits' Drunk!" Bai Shuo grinned mischievously, blinking at Chong Zhao's slightly stunned expression with obvious pride. "It's normal you haven't heard of it—I just finished brewing it yesterday and came up with the name."
Chong Zhao was speechless, half-doubting. "Will this thing really work on it?"
"Absolutely. Although it doesn't contain any heavenly treasures, I added Beauty's Fragrance. Even that old turtle couldn't resist it."
"What's Beauty's Fragrance?"
Bai Shuo chuckled and made a motion to twist open the vial. "It's..."
Curious, Chong Zhao leaned in closer. "What?"
"Ah, you're just a kid—why do you need to know so much? It works, that's all that matters!" Bai Shuo, halfway through opening the lid, suddenly snapped it shut again, clutching it protectively in her palm with a mysterious smile.
"Later, cover your nose and mouth, protect yourself with Immortal Essence, and don't breathe." After instructing Chong Zhao with uncharacteristic seriousness, Bai Shuo was about to leave with the vial when Chong Zhao stopped her, his hand closing around her wrist. "Let me go."
Bai Shuo shook her head firmly. "Your Immortal Essence is too strong—you won't be able to get close. I have no Immortal Qi, so it won't easily detect me. If we're not within three meters of it, Beauty's Fragrance won't work!"
Chong Zhao still refused to let go of Bai Shuo's hand, his grip tightening. Bai Shuo looked at him seriously, her expression unusually stern and determined. "A-Zhao, I must refine a first-grade Immortal Pill for you. Let go."
Chong Zhao slowly released her hand, reluctance written across his features. "Fine, but you must be careful."
Bai Shuo paused, nodded, and then crept stealthily toward the White Tiger with the vial clutched in her hand like a talisman.
The valley was eerily silent, broken only by distant birdsong. Under the cover of those sweet, trilling notes, Bai Shuo finally reached a cluster of flowers closest to the White Tiger, their petals heavy with dew. She lay flat in the grass, barely breathing, and quietly uncorked the vial with trembling fingers. A delicate fragrance wafted through the swaying petals, carried by the gentle wind toward the White Tiger. Unaware, the beast inhaled the scent deeply, its sharp gaze gradually growing dazed and unfocused. Half an incense stick later, the White Tiger's massive head drooped, and it fell into a deep slumber on the boulder, its breathing slow and even.
Bai Shuo kept her eyes fixed on the White Tiger, watching for any sign of movement. Once it showed no response, she crept up to its side with exaggerated stealth and tugged at its tail experimentally. From a distance, Chong Zhao watched in horror, his heart in his throat. "A-Shuo, be careful!"
But Bai Shuo merely played with the White Tiger's tail like a toy, then tossed it aside, hands on her hips as she clapped triumphantly. "Success! I told you—there's no Spirit Beast my Ten Thousand Spirits' Drunk can't handle!"
She waved at Chong Zhao with childlike glee and eagerly headed toward the spiritual spring behind the White Tiger.
Bai Shuo hurried to the spring's edge, where the water shimmered with radiant, otherworldly light that seemed to pulse with life. In its center floated a pure white snow lotus, its body translucent and ethereal, brimming with Immortal Qi so dense and concentrated it seemed ready to burst forth like a small sun.
"A-Zhao, I found it! A first-grade heavenly treasure!"
Overjoyed, Bai Shuo reached out to pluck the snow lotus from the spring, her fingers stretching toward its luminous petals.
Suddenly, a flash of silver light cut through the air like a knife. A surge of thick demonic energy shot straight toward Bai Shuo's exposed wrist with deadly precision. A chill ran down her spine, primal and terrifying, but before she could react, someone grabbed her and pulled her away from the spring with inhuman speed.
The demonic power landed on the spiritual spring and exploded instantly in a blast of energy and water. If Bai Shuo had still been there, she would have been blown to bits, scattered like ash on the wind.
Bai Shuo was so terrified she nearly lost her three ethereal souls. Patting her chest to calm her racing heart, she turned and slapped the air behind her gratefully. "Thanks, A-Zhao!"
It was Chong Zhao who had rescued her. He stared coldly at the distant red figure, his thin lips pressed tightly together in a hard line, his eyes dark as ink and filled with deadly intent.
Following his gaze, Bai Shuo spotted the figure under the tree and suddenly felt her breath catch—her remaining seven earthly souls vanished entirely!
Holy shit! This! Demon! Why is he here?!
Under the tree, Fan Yue stood in flowing red robes that seemed to shimmer with their own light, arms crossed lazily over his chest in a pose of elegant indolence. He raised his head slightly, his gaze settling on Bai Shuo with unmistakable recognition, seeming somewhat surprised himself—but pleased.
Suddenly, he smiled, looking at Bai Shuo with faint amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Since when do immortals of the celestial clans use the charms of our Yao Race to refine elixirs?"
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