Chapter 342: The Little Demoness Finds It a Bit Strange
Bai Xiaoyao's words caused Luo Wusheng's gaze to freeze.
Due to his earlier wandering thoughts and the fact that his current condition left him nearly as weak as an ordinary person, he hadn't observed his surroundings with as much attention to detail as his Junior Sister had.
But now, with her reminder, the images in his mind began to overlap with the scene before him.
"…This…"
Luo Wusheng's eyes trembled slightly.
After comparing it to his memories, he came to the exact same conclusion as the little demoness.
How is this even possible?
(The Antediluvian Nether Eye replicated these elements from the outside world after losing the cube platform? No… both this "Xiaofeng Mountain" beneath our feet and that "Qifeng Parasol Tree" in front of us are distinctly different from the originals outside…)
The most obvious change was how the summit of this new Xiaofeng Mountain was no longer barren—there now stood a lush, vibrant Qifeng Parasol Tree.
And more than that…
His gaze shifted to the tree trunk, eyes were drawn to a very conspicuous and solitary tree hollow.
Inside it, mystical red threads floated up and down, radiating a deeply uncanny aura.
What in the world is that thing?
Is it something that naturally formed inside the Antediluvian Nether Eye's space?
No… come to think of it, am I really still within the Antediluvian Nether Eye's space at all?
"An Overlapping Space Secret Realm…"
"…Huh?"
Hearing that quiet mutter from his Junior Sister, Luo Wusheng instinctively turned his gaze to her.
Sensing her senior brother's confusion, Bai Xiaoyao tilted her head slightly.
"Senior Brother doesn't know? It's something I read about in one of the scrolls that Master transmitted to us through the Holy Maiden Token—a book called 'Records of Strange Happenings in the Cultivation World.' It describes a special kind of secret realm that sounds a lot like what we're seeing now…"
Luo Wusheng froze.
He quickly recalled what scrolls she was referring to… ah, right. After he'd read one titled 'Shocking! Tragedies Among Cultivators May Be Closer Than You Think!' and skimmed through a bunch of bizarre and ridiculous ways cultivators had died, he'd never touched the rest of that collection again.
He couldn't understand their purpose and, deeply resentful of the time he'd wasted, had mentally labeled the entire pile as pure garbage.
But there was something useful hidden in that chaotic mess of books?
As he turned to look at his Junior Sister, he suddenly sank into deeper thought.
Wait… did she actually read all of them?
How did she even manage that??
Luo Wusheng cleared his throat, looking a bit awkward.
"Ahem, my habit has always been to save that kind of thing for last."
Upon hearing that, Bai Xiaoyao blinked her large, watery eyes.
Perfect. Another little habit of Senior Brother's noted.
And it looks like I get to help him out again~
She was delighted internally, but her tone remained earnest as she continued:
"According to the book, an Overlapping Space Secret Realm is an extremely rare type of hidden domain. It exists in the overlap between two spaces, bearing characteristics from both, but it doesn't truly belong to either one."
"These kinds of realms are usually quite small, and entering them requires fulfilling multiple conditions… First is a specific timing. The book gave an example of a Yin-aligned realm that could only be accessed during the hour of deepest Yin. Presumably, a corresponding Yang-aligned realm could only be entered at a time of peak Yang energy."
"But right now it's dusk, so if this place is one of those realms… then the required timing must be during the transition between day and night?"
She spoke as she thought, then continued, "Aside from that, a specific connection and a certain degree of spiritual energy collision are also required…"
At that point, both of them felt an odd sense rising in their hearts.
Everything… seems to line up pretty well, doesn't it?
"So if we look at it that way… the space from my spatial treasure overlapped with the space around Xiaofeng Mountain, and that overlap just happened to form this secret realm in the gap between them?"
Watching his Junior Sister's expression turn more serious as she slowly nodded, Luo Wusheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The Antediluvian Nether Eye—a sacred relic of the Netherkin Race—and both Xiaofeng Mountain and the Qifeng Parasol Tree are, according to legend, connected to the Ancient Phoenix Netherkins.
The link between these elements…
(If the book's contents are accurate… and considering that it was a gift from my conveniently assigned master… this is unlikely to be just a coincidence.)
At that moment, Bai Xiaoyao continued her explanation.
"The book mentioned that the formation of these kinds of special secret realms is extremely complex. Even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator would only be able to open up a space barely large enough to hold a single person. Additionally, the primary purpose of such secret realms…"
The demoness' gaze turned toward the red thread within the hollow of the tree.
"…is to conceal an unparalleled treasure, or to seal an unrivaled powerhouse."
. . . . . . . .
Standing before the massive tree from which red leaves continued to drift down, Luo Wusheng and Bai Xiaoyao exchanged a glance.
Their hands, one large and one small, were clasped together.
Luo Wusheng swallowed hard, his lips slightly dry.
Little Yuli had been properly settled off to the side, and for now, he intended to investigate the current space with his Junior Sister first.
Both of their gazes drifted frequently toward the red thread within the tree hollow, but neither of them made a move to approach.
In their current weakened state, they weren't about to take unnecessary risks.
"Hehe~ Don't worry, Senior Brother. If anything happens, Xiaoyao will protect you and Sister Yuli~" Bai Xiaoyao chirped, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, allowing him to fully feel the soft smoothness of her delicate fingers.
With how bad his condition was right now… he honestly wasn't even sure if he could beat this girl in a fight.
His spiritual energy was completely depleted, and his Buddhist Golden Body had been broken, restoring himself would take a good chunk of time.
Normally, he'd need at least a week of recuperation… but if he could find a moment after tomorrow to go visit his dearest Ling Shuangxue for some dual cultivation, maybe he'd be back to full strength instantly.
As long as he didn't end up getting drained dry instead…
Thinking of his beautiful and soul-soothing fiancée, Luo Wusheng couldn't help but feel his mood lighten considerably.
He wondered how much that heavenly maiden would like the gift he'd prepared in the storage bag this time.
A shame he didn't have more time, otherwise he could have prepared a few more… unique surprises.
Ahem, especially since [Phantomless 2.0] needs charging…
…Huh?
It's already fully charged?
Was that earlier kiss from this demoness fulfilled the condition? Which gift was that counted as a response to? The original Star-Moon Jade, maybe?
As Luo Wusheng was busy being confused by how his artifact kept mysteriously recharging itself lately, Bai Xiaoyao tilted her head slightly to the side.
She was starting to feel like… something was off.
She had originally braced herself for a flick to the forehead from her senior brother after teasing him like that.
But instead, he seemed to get lost in thought, and the expression on his face became unreadable, even to her.
"Hmm? Why does that red thread look more and more familiar the longer I look at it?" Luo Wusheng suddenly muttered.
His gaze, which had been repeatedly returning to the red thread in the tree hollow, came to a stop.
Hearing his words, Bai Xiaoyao also snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention toward the same red thread.
Then, her eyes suddenly widened.
One end of the red thread, previously unmarked, now began to faintly reveal an imprint.
On that imprint, there was an aura that she was very familiar with.
it was her own aura.
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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