Chapter 459: The Empress’s Smile
“Those wooden doors are full of Legendary Venomous Insect Eggs. If we can’t find an ingenious way to avoid them, we’ll be swallowed whole once we get close to them,” warned Yun Jiuge. She had experience raising Legendary Venomous Insects for a long time and knew them like the back of her hand.
“We don’t have to go head-to-head against the Five Poison Sect. Look for their Religious Leader first and ask him whether he knows the location of the Secret Realm. If he does, then we can use the Sect’s influence to threaten them into spilling some information. If they don’t, then we’ll think of another way,” said Yin Shili, proving himself worthy of being the Sect Leader for so many years. He was quick-witted enough to come up with a solution within a short time.
“That’s a good idea,” Zi Shang agreed.
“Why don’t Yin Shili and I go look for the Religious Leader of the Five Poison Sect? He and I are on friendly terms,” said Chun Sanniang, taking the initiative.
“Yin Shili and Chun Sanniang are to look for the Religious Leader of the Five Poison Sect, while Qiu Sen, Baili Moyun and Nangong Li will stand watch here,” Zi Shang proposed.
“Yes,” Yin Shili and Chun Sanniang responded together. Then they went down the tree and left.
“Let’s go,” Zi Shang said to Yun Jiuge through mental transmission.
“To where?” asked Yun Jiuge, failing to understand the reason.
“To look for Jun Yichen and the others,” Zi Shang replied as he floated down from the top of the tree to Yun Jiuge’s side.
“What about them?” Yun Jiuge looked at Baili Moyun and Nangong Li both standing on a big tree.
“Just leave them here to keep watch. Qiu Sen will not do anything to them out of respect for Nangong Yue.”
Zi Shang took Yun Jiuge’s hand and left. Qiu Sen briefly glanced at them but said nothing.
Zi Shang brought Yun Jiuge about ten miles away from the Empress Mountain before he said, “Let Feifei out!”
Yun Jiuge let Feifei out. The fluffy gray moth flew around her in a circle unhappily. It cheered up only after it was given two Cherry Pills to eat.
“Go find Xiao Hong and Life’s Origin Parasite,” Yun Jiuge commanded.
Feifei flapped its wings and flew a little higher. Then it flew forward.
Yun Jiuge and Zi Shang followed closely behind Feifei. They walked for about five miles on the road before they realized something was amiss and said, “Isn’t this the way to Empress Mountain?”
“I can sense that Xiao Hong and Life’s Origin Parasite are in the mountain, and there seems to be something there. I want to go in,” said Feifei, flying up and down. It wished it could immediately pull Yun Jiuge and rush in.
“Wait a moment,” said Yun Jiuge as she grabbed Feifei. Then she looked toward Zi Shang and asked, “Don’t tell me both Jun Yichen and Luo Tian have joined the Five Poison Sect?”
“I don’t know. Let’s wait until Yin Shili is back then talk. But if Jun Yichen and the others have really joined the Five Poison Sect, it might be a good thing for us,” said Zi Shang, who was still quite trusting of those two people.
“Okay,” Yun Jiuge replied with a nod. But deep in her heart she still felt something was wrong.
Feifei was still making noise about wanting to go to the Empress Mountain. Yun Jiuge promptly put it back into the Spiritual Beast Bag.
“Let’s go look for Qiu Sen and the others first,” said Zi Shang. Yun Jiuge and he returned to the tree where they first monitored the Empress Mountain but found that Qiu Sen, Baili Moyun and Nangong Li were missing.
“Where are they??” Yun Jiuge and Zi Shang had been gone for not more than two hours. Even if the three of them had something to attend to and needed to leave, they should have sent over a Communication Talisman.
“I can’t get in touch with them,” uttered Zi Shang, crushing the Communication Talisman in his hand. He began to carefully examine the few trees they squatted at earlier. He finally found some transparent mucus on the bark of a tree and said, “This is from a Hypnotic Broken Spirit Insect. They must have been taken away by the Five Poison Sect.”
“I get it if Nangong Li and Baili Moyun were taken. But Qiu Sen is a Golden Core Cultivator and even he was caught. And there are no signs of a struggle. The enemy is too formidable!”
“Only a Nascent Soul Cultivator can covertly capture a Golden Core Cultivator,” Zi Shang said with a heavy expression. Although he had restored his Demonic Core, it was not that easy to deal with a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
“A geezer with Nascent Soul actually exists in Shiwan Grand Mountain?” Yun Jiuge uttered in surprise. Was it not said that a geezer with Nascent Soul had to be in Enclosed Cultivation or wandering in a place with deeper Spiritual Energy?
“It’s the entrance to the Secret Realm after all. Perhaps there’s something special. But now it seems like Yin Shili and the others are in danger too,” said Zi Shang. He sent a Communication Talisman to Yin Shili but there was no response. That group had indeed fallen as well.
“Why don’t we head to Empress Mountain to take a look?” Yun Jiuge gazed at the distant Empress Mountain. She did not know whether she was seeing things. She just felt that the woman’s face with the bowed head seemed to be smiling.
“Let’s move ahead,” Zi Shang instructed. He was about to draw a Concealment Talisman on Yun Jiuge when she stopped him.
“No need for your talisman,” Yun Jiuge replied. A golden light flashed across her body and a rune was naturally revealed to render her invisible.
“Don’t misuse your Holy Power,” Zi Shang said with a frown. Now was not the time to show off.
“I’ve drawn the Holy Power into the Spiritual Power and mixed them for use. Don’t worry,” Yun Jiuge said, thinking she was simply so smart.
She would be a feeble person with only a Foundation Establishment Cultivation if she solely used Spiritual Power. But after using Holy Power, she could have a Golden Core Cultivation.
“Just be careful,” Zi Shang exhorted, still worried. Holy Power was a unique force in Canglan Continent. It would cause great trouble if those people were to find out.
“Yes, I know. Let’s go quickly. They may be skinned alive and have their bones broken if we’re too late,” Yun Jiuge said as she pushed Zi Shang along toward the Empress Mountain.
Staying invisible, the two of them quietly crossed over the wooden fort. Then they hid in the shadows as they traversed through the tiers of stilted buildings.
Yun Jiuge carefully sized up the people shuttling back and forth. They were indeed all Miao folks.
They were dressed in multi-colored costumes, with all kinds of Legendary Venomous Insects perched onto their shoulders and arms.
But these Miao folks looked a little dim-witted. Instead, the Legendary Venomous Insects seemed to be extraordinarily strong. Each had its own strengths. There were also many which were particularly good at searching and locking in on targets.
If Yun Jiuge did not use Holy Power to conceal herself, she would be discovered quickly.
“Have you found Jun Yichen and Luo Tian?” Yun Jiuge quietly asked.
“No, they’re not here. Neither are Qiu Sen, Nangong Li and the others,” Zi Shang replied, shaking his head. His consciousness had already swept through this section of stilted buildings and no traces of them were found.
“Wait, I’ll ask Feifei,” Yun Jiuge answered as she secretly let Feifei out.
The fluffy gray moth flapped its wings excitedly and rushed toward the top of the Empress Mountain, shouting, “There are good things over there. Xiao Hong and Life’s Origin Parasite — both of them are there.”
A Divine Temple, built out of boulders, sat on top of the Empress Mountain. Faint candlelight stood out against the night. It felt like it was so close and yet so far.
“It looks like Qiu Sen, Nangong Li and the others were captured and taken to that Divine Temple on top of the mountain,” said Zi Shang as he shifted his gaze toward the Divine Temple. His consciousness also started to spread towards that direction.
Yun Jiuge also opened her Spiritual Eye to look carefully. She discovered that there was a woman in the prime of her youth who was bowing her head inside the Divine Temple.
That woman seemed to notice someone peeping and turned her head towards where Yun Jiuge was.
She suddenly smiled sweetly and extended her palm out as if to say hello to Yun Jiuge, and also as if to grab something.