Meng Xiangxiang led the way through the dense thicket, revealing a stretch of flat land.
Towering ancient trees loomed around them like ghostly claws reaching from the earth. Standing beneath them, the two seemed no larger than ants.
"Fairy Sister, be careful. The black-robed men set traps here. I will take care of them!"
"We should do it together." Yao Ranran was eager, motivated by the thought of spirit stones.
But Meng Xiangxiang shook his head gravely. "Fairy Sister, you have never been here before. You are a spell cultivator. If you were to be injured, neither of us would make it out alive."
Yao Ranran understood his meaning. She had to conserve her spiritual power for unforeseen dangers. Since that was the case, she did not insist.
In a team, one must rely on cooperation.
She obediently followed his lead.
Meng Xiangxiang's brows furrowed as he stepped cautiously onto the exposed ground.
Shua shua shua!
In an instant, the flat surface erupted with thick vines. Thousands of them lashed out, hemming the two of them into the very center of a writhing cage.
Meng Xiangxiang's face paled, his eyes tense. "Fairy Sister, don't be afraid. This is only an illusion. I was once fooled by these vines myself. But today, retracing this path, I swear I will lead you safely through!"
"All right… though, this illusion does not seem very frightening." Yao Ranran studied the twisted vines above and the ones slithering at the edges. A faint confusion crossed her face.
Wasn't this illusion a bit too crude?
Through the gaps left by the giant vines, she could even see Elder Shang drifting in from the exit.
"What is this place? Why are there so many vines blocking the way? Could Yao Ranran and that ghostly creature already be deep inside?"
Elder Shang scrutinized the scene, his eyes narrowing at the menacing vines.
"No, these vines are strange."
"Fairy Sister, Qingshui County is only a remote little place. It could never grow so many thousand-year vines. Most of these are fake. Only a few among them are real."
Meng Xiangxiang stepped forward cautiously. After confirming no vines attacked him, he turned back to explain and signaled Yao Ranran to follow.
She froze for a moment, startled.
What Meng Xiangxiang said… was exactly the same as Elder Shang's words. Yet they seemed unable to see one another.
Should she tell him?
"Meng Daoyou…"
"Shh! Fairy Sister, quickly follow, and lower your voice!"
Sweat dripped down Meng Xiangxiang's forehead as he sensed a vine hovering right above his head.
Yao Ranran reached for her Nine Lotus Ring, but Meng Xiangxiang stopped her.
"Fairy Sister, let me!"
In a breath, his body expanded tenfold. His hands turned pitch black as he roared, snapping the vine before him.
"Actually…" Yao Ranran began.
"Actually, these vines aren't scary at all, hahahaha!" Meng Xiangxiang laughed wildly as he tore them apart.
Yao Ranran: "…" That wasn't what she meant. "Meng Daoyou…"
"Yao Ranran, so you are here after all!"
Through the gaps of the vines, a wisp of blue smoke drifted in. Elder Shang had discovered the flaw in the illusion and locked onto them.
The sudden arrival of an unknown cultivator shocked Meng Xiangxiang.
"Who are you?"
Shua shua shua!
Their disturbance provoked every vine. The illusion shifted again, becoming fiercer.
Meng Xiangxiang's gaze tightened as the vines whipped toward them with suffocating force. He had no time to worry about Elder Shang.
"Fairy Sister, run! I'll hold them back!"
Elder Shang evaded the vines effortlessly, his sharp gaze fixed on Yao Ranran.
"Run? You won't take a single step from here! Well now, tangled up by mere vines—should I lend you a hand?"
He glanced at Meng Xiangxiang, who was struggling bitterly, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Yao Ranran frowned. "Stay back. If you come closer, I won't be polite!"
"Hahaha! Hand over the divine beast Phoenix. For the sake of you once saving me, I might spare your life!"
Elder Shang sneered as he advanced, spiritual power surging secretly in his sleeves.
Meng Xiangxiang faltered, and in that instant his massive body was ensnared by the twisting vines.
"Fairy Sister, run! Don't worry about me!"
He did not know who this old man was, but anyone who could pierce an illusion so swiftly could not be ordinary. At this moment, all that mattered was keeping Fairy Sister alive. If she survived, Qingshui County still had hope.
Yao Ranran looked seriously at Meng Xiangxiang, who was caught in the web of vines. This boy was a good person. He did not truly want to die, but was determined to protect her.
"Neither of you will escape!"
Elder Shang's face hardened. His palms shot forth, striking directly toward Yao Ranran's chest.
"Fairy Sister!!" Meng Xiangxiang screamed, voice tearing from his throat.
He could not bear for her to die. She was his lifesaving benefactor.
"Hahaha… what?"
Elder Shang's expression twisted in shock. "Where is she?"
His strike had shattered only the vines, Yao Ranran nowhere in sight.
"Fairy…?" Meng Xiangxiang's desperate cry died abruptly.
From above, atop a towering vine like a coiled serpent, Yao Ranran stood calmly, looking down upon Elder Shang.
"Phoenix? So Pei Xianqiao chased me so long, only to seize the divine beast Phoenix?"
Elder Shang's eyes narrowed. "You already saw through the illusion?"
No wonder she was so calm. She must have been acting all along, deceiving him.
"Fairy Sister…" The Nine Lotus Ring sliced through the vines entangling Meng Xiangxiang. He stared at Yao Ranran, his face flushing red.
The surrounding vines withered away. The illusion he had fought against so desperately meant nothing before her.
"That is right. The divine beast Phoenix was stolen from Xiao Pei by Bai Qingwu's schemes. It was hers to begin with. You should not covet its power."
Elder Shang no longer hid his intentions. He was not surprised Yao Ranran guessed his connection to Pei Xianqiao. Encountering him at Yan Fortress, then again here—it was only natural she pieced it together.
Yao Ranran heard his frank admission and knew a battle was inevitable. She glanced at the rumbling beneath the ground, then said coldly, "More people are coming. Elder Shang, why not deal with him first, and then discuss our matter?"
Elder Shang stroked his beard with a chuckle. "No need. Alone, I am more than enough."