This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Inside the Jiao Beast’s cave.

The aged Jiao Beast, now covered in numerous fine sword cuts and scorched burns, lay flat on the ground, its breath weak.

With the combined efforts of three, it took only about five breaths of time to subdue the old Jiao.

Mo Yan’s left hand burned with Cold Spirit Netherfire, pressed very close to the abdomen of the old Jiao. The terrifying temperature from the Netherfire made the Jiao Beast instinctively twist its body.

"Where in the Dragon Pool is the Jiaolong Demon King’s lair located?" Mo Yan’s voice was extremely cold.

The old Jiao didn’t respond at first.

Mo Yan did not ask a second time. His gaze turned icy, and he pressed his left hand with the Netherfire directly onto the abdomen of the old Jiao.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

The sound of burning was harsh, and instantly, a charred hole appeared on the belly of the old Jiao.

The intense pain from the wound made the old Jiao cry out miserably.

Moo! Moo! Moo!

The old Jiao called out weakly.

"It says it holds no high position and has never met the king, so it is not very clear about the specific location of the king’s lair, but it knows the general direction," King Xi Rat voluntarily took on the role of translator.

Such were the Demon Beasts. For them, the law of the survival of the fittest has always prevailed—beasts not imbued with human intellect hardly held any concept of loyalty, or rather, they were only loyal to the strong, only to power.

Thus, with just a little coercion, the old Jiao began to confess without any moral constraints.

Whoosh!

Mo Yan withdrew the Netherfire in his hand, staring at the dimmed eyes of the old Jiao, and coldly inquired, "Which specific direction is it?"

Moo—

The old Jiao responded.

Having obtained the answer, a glint of cold light flashed in Mo Yan’s eyes, and without further mercy, he waved his left hand, and the Cold Spirit Fire burned the old Jiao to ashes.

There was no mercy for a Jiao Beast.

"Let’s go, now that we have a general direction, we’ll follow it," Mo Yan decided.

...

Following the direction indicated by the old Jiao, the three walked for a long time. Along the way, they encountered more Jiao Beasts, but thanks to the Cloak Illusion Techniques and the Concealment Artifact, their journey was not hindered at all.

About half an hour later, Lu Qingshan and his companions finally stopped their footsteps again.

Because a fork with two paths appeared on the road ahead.

Both forks extended very long and were extremely winding, leading to unknown destinations.

Mo Yan furrowed his brows.

"Lu Qingshan, what should we do now?" Zang Xiaojian looked at Lu Qingshan expectantly.

Lu Qingshan’s eyelids tightened as he fell into thought.

This was not an easy situation. Did they need to capture another Jiao Beast for interrogation?

...

"Are the three of you encountering some difficulty?" A very cold female voice suddenly sounded, startling Lu Qingshan and his companions.

Lu Qingshan slightly raised his head, only to see that at the fork junction, which had been empty just moments ago, a woman had appeared.

The woman faced a flowering tree at the fork, her figure slender, dressed in a light and flowing ancient palace dress. The fiery red hem of her dress was hot as flame, billowing without wind, creating gentle ripples.

Her long hair fell from her shoulders to her back, gently tied with a silver ribbon, with a misty halo around her, her demeanor ethereal, not of this earthly realm.

"Who are you?" Mo Yan’s entire body tensed up, his guard shot up, and he asked warily.

It was no wonder Mo Yan was so sensitive.

In the Dragon Pool dominated by Jiao Beasts, encountering such a woman was too eerie, stirring suspicion and alarm.

The woman turned around, and her extremely beautiful face entered the view of the trio.

Her face was as refined as cream, her eyes dark as lacquer, her appearance striking like exquisite jade, her presence radiantly beautiful, her figure grace personified like the willow in the spring moonlight.

"Hmm, you may call me... Qin Yitian," the woman’s voice was very gentle.

Stay connected through empire

"Fellow Daoist Lu, something is off about this woman," Mo Yan quietly sent a message, simultaneously bowing his fists toward Qin Yitian in a probing manner, "I am Mo Yan, it’s a pleasure to meet Miss Qin. May I know who you are, Miss Qin, and why you are here?"

Qin Yitian gave a slight bow to Mo Yan but did not answer his question immediately. Instead, her phoenix-like eyes turned to Lu Qingshan, who had yet to speak, her gaze lingering as she asked, "How might I address you?"

Lu Qingshan’s eyebrows twitched, and although he was surprised, he swiftly responded, "Lu Qingshan."

"My name is Zang Xiaojian." Standing beside Lu Qingshan, Zang Xiaojian, with eyes shining bright, leaned in and introduced himself voluntarily.

Qin Yitian nodded slightly, signaling that he understood, and then asked again, "It looks like you are searching for something? Perhaps I can offer some help... I am quite familiar with this place."

This time, it was a formal inquiry.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan’s face lit up with joy, and he solemnly said, "We are Human Cultivators because the Jiao Clan has been committing evils in the Human Race’s territory, so we have come here to look for the lair of the Jiaolong Demon King and create some trouble for him.

However, the area is very large, with many forks and treacherous terrains, leaving us clueless for the time being."

Qin Yitian thought for a moment and murmured softly, "Jiaolong Demon King, you must be referring to that little snake..."

"What did you say?" Lu Qingshan faintly heard Qin Yitian’s muttering.

"Nothing," Qin Yitian shook his head and said, "I think I know where the Jiaolong Demon King’s lair is, but the terrain here is too treacherous to describe, so maybe I should lead you there."

Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement, saying, "Then we shall trouble Miss Qin."

Qin Yitian nodded slightly, "Hmm, it’s no trouble. Let us go then."

Qin Yitian was very straightforward, without any further words or delay, and turned to lead the way ahead.

"Ah, wait a moment." Lu Qingshan called out to Qin Yitian.

The woman turned around, her face showing confusion, "What is it?"

"There are Jiao Beasts lingering around here, and if our tracks are discovered by the Jiao Clan, it could be troublesome," Lu Qingshan pointed at the red palace dress Qin Yitian was wearing, "Your clothing is too conspicuous."

"I see," Qin Yitian furrowed her brows slightly, somewhat troubled, "But this is the only outfit I have..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan then noticed that on her slender, fair fingers, there was nothing at all, without even a Storage Ring.

Lu Qingshan thought for a moment and finally took off his own Concealment Amulet and Cloak Artifact and handed them to Qin Yitian, "Then I’ll lend you mine for now, otherwise, with your appearance, it really is quite conspicuous."

Qin Yitian was startled, then gladly accepted the Concealment Amulet and Cloak Artifact, expressing her thanks with a bow, "Then I thank Young Master Lu in advance."

"Lu Qingshan," Mo Yan, standing to the side, looked at Lu Qingshan, who seemed to have changed his demeanor since seeing Qin Yitian, and hesitated before finally, with a somewhat helpless air, took out another greenish jade amulet and cloak artifact from his Storage Ring and handed it to Lu Qingshan, saying, "For safety’s sake, I prepared an extra set as a backup...."

"Master Mo truly thinks of everything." Lu Qingshan praised, happily accepting the Concealment Amulet and the artifact cloak.

The trio expanded into a group of four, with Qin Yitian now taking the lead. Under her guidance, they moved quickly.

"I think with Brother Lu’s discernment, you must understand that this Miss Qin, both in terms of identity and actions, is very enigmatic, and her appearance was extremely sudden, without any rationale.

Why then do you trust her so much? Is there some detail I missed?" Lu Qingshan suddenly received a transmission from Mo Yan asking.

Mo Yan was indeed very puzzled and worried; in his view, someone like Lu Qingshan would never trust a strange woman so easily, especially in such a crucial matter.

If this Miss Qin were to intentionally lure them into a trap, what then?

"If she intended harm against us, she needn’t contact us at all, she could just lead the Jiao Clan straight to us, no need for such convolutions..." As Lu Qingshan spoke, he suddenly stopped, sinking into thought.

Yes, no matter what, that doesn’t justify trusting a stranger so easily?

Especially in such a perilous and vigilant time.

What is happening to me? Am I confused?

Lu Qingshan was utterly baffled.

"Zang Xiaojian, why are you so close to Miss Qin?" Lu Qingshan, troubled, unable to find a reasonable explanation, transmitted his question to Zang Xiaojian.

He could tell that the young girl was also extremely enthusiastic toward Qin Yitian, so perhaps listening to Zang Xiaojian’s thoughts might enlighten him as well.

Zang Xiaojian blinked, a bit startled, and naturally transmitted back, "It’s just a gut feeling, my instinct tells me she has no malice towards us.

Moreover, besides that, there’s a very strange feeling lingering about her, how should I describe it..."

Zang Xiaojian pondered for a moment and finally found an appropriate analogy, "I feel like she’s like a long-time good friend, inexplicably making me want to get close."

After hearing Zang Xiaojian’s explanation, Lu Qingshan sank into deep thought.

Because, surprisingly, his and Zang Xiaojian’s feelings were unexpectedly the same, this feeling of a long-time good friend, making him subconsciously trust Qin Yitian immensely.

"What do you think of Miss Qin?" Lu Qingshan asked the Great King Xi mouse.

"Lu Qingshan, are you taken with her? I’ve never seen you act like this, lending your one and only Concealment Artifact to someone you just met!" The Great King Xi mouse, as if catching Lu Qingshan’s small weakness, said slyly.

After confirming that the Great King Xi mouse was still his usual self, Lu Qingshan disregarded him and glanced at Qin Yitian who was leading the way from the corner of his eye.

The broad cloak completely enveloped the tall Qin Yitian, also completely covering her exquisite dress underneath. With the cloaking artifact’s illusion effect, the four of them moved silently.

Had they been affected by some strange Spirit Art or Illusion Technique?

Lu Qingshan considered this possibility.

But why was it that only he and Zang Xiaojian felt this way, while Mo Yan and the Great King Xi mouse were unaffected?

Could it be that this Spirit Art targeted only him and Zang Xiaojian?Nôv(el)B\\jnn