Shi Xia was hesitating whether to step out and confront them directly when Scout suddenly pulled out three talismans and slapped one onto each of their chests. He mouthed the words, "Concealment Talisman."
The next moment, the detection array swept right past them without notice. Soon after, the man named Ji Han opened his eyes and declared, "Rest assured, there’s no one else in the city besides us."
Wow, that actually worked! Shi Xia glanced at the talisman on her chest, then at Scout, who looked utterly indifferent. Was her pet companion some kind of Doraemon? How did he have everything?
"In that case, let’s hurry!" another man urged, turning to the woman named Lv Yi. "Where’s the fourth-tier demon core?"
"Right here!" Lv Yi retrieved a fiery red demon core from her storage pouch.
Shi Xia’s heart clenched—red! That was the core of the little fox spirit from before. They had actually killed it!
She glanced at Scout, whose expression was unreadable, and an inexplicable wave of guilt washed over her. Without thinking, she reached out and squeezed his hand.
Scout froze for a moment, turning to look at her. His face remained as calm as ever, his eyes clear like undisturbed spring water, staring straight at her. The guilt weighed even heavier on Shi Xia, and at a loss for words, she finally murmured, "I’m sorry..." Even though contracted spirit beasts severed all ties with their demon kin, it was still because of them that the little fox had been captured.
Scout blinked, something flickering in his gaze, though his expression didn’t change. He simply reached out and patted her head.
Was that... his way of saying he didn’t blame her? That only made her feel worse.
Meanwhile, Lv Yi had already placed the demon core on the ground. Only then did Shi Xia notice the circular array carved into the floor. As soon as the core touched the ground, the entire array lit up with a crimson glow, and at its center, a pitch-black void slowly yawned open.
"This is really it!" The four of them were visibly excited. "Just as the ancient text described—this array opens the entrance to the Twilight Profound Immortal’s Abode with a fire-attribute demon core!"
Twilight Profound Immortal’s Abode! Wasn’t that her mission destination?
"The entrance will close in half a quarter-hour. Let’s go!" Ji Han reminded them. "We must retrieve the 'Cycle of Reversal.'"
One by one, the four leaped into the center of the array and vanished.
"Benefactor, should we go in too?" Long Aotian asked.
Shi Xia hesitated. Entering now might mean running straight into that group. Aside from Scout, the three of them were practically useless in a fight—no chance of winning. Besides, the mission only told her to go to the Twilight Profound Immortal’s Abode, not necessarily to enter it!
Ding!
A notification chimed from her pocket.
Shi Xia pulled out her phone and saw that the "Immortal" app had a new message. Opening it, a prompt popped up:
Destination entrance reached!
The map had disappeared, replaced by lines of black text:
Destination entrance reached. Upgrading to Phase Two mission. Content loading...
Proceed to final destination and complete the restoration.
Task: 0/1
Upgrade my foot!
So they still had to go in after all?! Couldn’t the mission just explain everything at once?!
"Benefactor?" Long Aotian nudged her when she remained silent for too long.
Don’t ask me—I need a moment to process!
"This array is a Formless Teleportation Array," Scout observed, studying the markings on the ground.
"Formless Teleportation?" What did that mean? "Explain in plain terms."
"Formless Teleportation has no fixed coordinates. Though we enter from here, the exit point is unpredictable."
"So you’re saying..." Shi Xia’s eyes brightened. "If we go in, we won’t end up in the same place as those four?"
"Mn." Scout nodded.
Shi Xia’s spirits soared, the world suddenly looking much brighter. She threw her arms around him. "Scout, you’re my lucky charm. Let’s go, unstoppable trio!"
"Benefactor, my surname is Long..." Long Aotian trailed behind, on the verge of tears. Why did his benefactor insist on renaming not just him, but everyone else too?
The three stepped into the center of the array. In an instant, darkness swallowed Shi Xia’s vision, and when it cleared, the dust-choked ruins were gone. Instead, they stood in a dim realm, surrounded by pitch-black pillars, a stone-paved path, a fist-sized flame, and beneath it—four very familiar figures.
"Who’s there?!" a voice demanded sharply.
Shi Xia’s confidence shattered into dust. She turned to glare at her so-called lucky charm.
What happened to "not the same exit point"? Was there no trust left between humans and spirit beasts?
Scout also seemed taken aback. He met her gaze, then silently squeezed her hand.
Squeezing my hand won’t fix this! The bond of trust is broken—I’m dissolving the contract!
"Strange... I could’ve sworn I sensed spiritual energy fluctuations just now, but there’s nothing." The golden-core cultivator Ji Han walked right up to them, yet his gaze passed over the trio as if they were invisible. Puzzled, he returned to his companions.
He couldn’t see them! (⊙▽⊙)
Shi Xia and her companions were stunned. She looked down at the Concealment Talisman on her chest—was this the reason?
Scout nodded and tightened his grip on her hand.
Turns out, the Concealment Talisman didn’t just mask their presence—it made them completely invisible!
Alright, fine. Considering how high-tier this talisman was, maybe she could extend the contract... for a little longer.
"Senior Brother Ji Han, you’re too tense," Lv Yi said soothingly, wrapping her arms around his. "The city was empty, and even if someone knew about this place, they’d never make it in time before the array closed. How could anyone else be down here?"
"You’re right." Ji Han sheathed his sword, and the four continued forward.
Shi Xia signaled to Long Aotian and Scout, and they followed at a safe distance.
The path stretched endlessly. After half an hour of walking, there was still no end in sight. The surroundings were so dark that Shi Xia didn’t dare use fire-based spells for light, lest they be discovered. They moved in silence, close enough to overhear every word of the quartet’s conversation.
From their discussion, Shi Xia learned that these four were disciples of the Qiongling Sect. They had stumbled upon an ancient text left behind by the former Demon Sovereign, which detailed the location of the Twilight Profound Immortal’s Abode and how to open it.
According to the text, the abode was riddled with traps. Only the Demon Sovereign had ever escaped unscathed. Though he had vanished a century ago, despite his vast collection of treasures, no one had ever seen him wield the "Cycle of Reversal." Thus, it was speculated that the abode’s ultimate treasure—the Cycle of Reversal—remained inside. Armed with the Demon Sovereign’s notes on how to bypass the traps, they had ventured in.
The Demon Sovereign again! Shi Xia instinctively bristled at the mention. Why did his name keep popping up everywhere? And if he was going to barge in, why did he have to leave behind a strategy guide too?!
"We’re here," the four announced, coming to a halt.
The previously straight passage suddenly split into two paths—one to the left and one to the right—both shrouded in darkness. Above each entrance, two words were inscribed: "Gate of Life" and "Gate of Death."
The four of them stood at the entrance, deliberating for a long while without deciding which path to take.
Shi Xia and her two companions could only watch from a distance. The two dark tunnels looked eerie, sending chills down their spines. Though the labels "Life" and "Death" were clearly marked, who could say whether the master of this immortal abode had set them as traps? The choice was far from easy, and they wondered which path the group would ultimately choose.
"What should we do?" Lv Yi asked impatiently after studying the gates for some time. "There's no trace of spiritual energy here, and we can't sense any formations or mechanisms inside. Which gate should we enter?"
"Since they're labeled, shouldn't we take the Gate of Life?" one of the male cultivators suggested.
"But what if the labels are deliberate deceptions?" another countered.
Their gazes turned to Ji Han, the strongest among them.
After a pause, Ji Han delivered a cryptic line: "To seek life in the Gate of Life is to court death; to seek survival in the Gate of Death is to embrace life. Without stepping inside, we cannot fathom their depths."
"Then what do we do?" Lv Yi pressed anxiously. "We can't just try both, can we?"
Ji Han smirked, his composure a stark contrast to the others' agitation. His gaze darkened, and whether intentional or not, he glanced toward the rear. "Since we came here seeking survival, one of these gates must conceal a formation. If we cannot test them ourselves, perhaps others can do it for us."
His expression turned cold as he swiftly formed hand seals. Five spiritual swords materialized behind him, shooting straight toward Shi Xia and her companions. "Since you’ve followed us this far, you might as well make yourselves useful."
Shit, they’ve been spotted.
Shi Xia’s heart lurched, and she instinctively tried to retreat. But the swords were too fast—whoosh!—embedding themselves behind them and erupting into a wall of flames, cutting off their escape. The three had no choice but to dart forward to avoid the searing heat. The moment they stepped forward, a formation beneath their feet flared to life, illuminating the entire passage. Shi Xia felt her body stiffen, completely immobilized. Scout and Long Aotian were frozen too.
"It's you!" Lv Yi exclaimed in surprise.
"You know these three, Junior Sister?" Ji Han asked.
Lv Yi stiffened momentarily before recovering. "We’ve met once before. They helped me capture that fire fox. I thought they were just being kind, but it seems their real intention was to follow me here."
Damn this bitch! Who the hell was following her? She was the one who used us!
"In that case, their deaths are justified," Ji Han said coldly, forming another seal. "They’ll serve as test subjects for these two gates."
The formation beneath them brightened further, and thick chains as wide as a wrist shot out from the glowing patterns. Shi Xia wanted to curse—these bastards were using them as bait to probe the dangers within each gate.
She tried to channel her spiritual energy to break free, but her body refused to move, weighed down as if by a thousand pounds. Truly, a single level’s difference could mean life or death—especially when Ji Han was dozens of levels above her, a Golden Core cultivator. How had she ever been foolish enough to think a mere talisman could hide her from his senses?
