"Thanks a lot, Shopkeeper!" Song Wanníng said with a bright smile.
The shopkeeper's expression stiffened, her grin turning fake as she subtly pulled her hand away.
Song Wanníng didn't mind. She turned her head, grabbed Liu Xingzhi, and left without another glance.
The moment they stepped out, the shopkeeper lowered her head and examined her own hand carefully, her movements cautious and deliberate. Only after checking several times and finding nothing wrong did she finally breathe out in relief. She tucked the pills away and headed toward a private room.
There, she locked the door and stashed the items securely. Those pills? There was no way she'd actually put them up for auction. Once something went into her pocket, it never came back out. After hiding everything, she took out a communication talisman and whispered mysteriously, "Master, the map's been sold. This pair of fat sheep have pretty strong cultivation."
The talisman stayed quiet for a long while before a faint hum answered, then nothing more. The shopkeeper didn't find it strange. She'd long grown used to that kind of response. Task done, she relaxed and left the room with a satisfied smile.
Meanwhile, Song Wanníng and Liu Xingzhi had left Lanyuan and appeared to be in a rush, heading straight for the direction marked on the map.
Someone had been tailing them, but after they exited the city, the shadow quietly turned back.
Once that prying presence vanished, their pace finally slowed.
"As expected, this whole thing's tied to Lanyuan," Liu Xingzhi said, his tone ice-cold, killing intent radiating from his body.
It was obvious Lanyuan wasn't just aware of the situation—they were actively part of it, manipulating everything from behind the scenes.
Song Wanníng nodded. She hadn't expected someone would actually be breeding Monsters. Those things had nearly brought down the entire Immortal Realm once before. If someone really managed to raise them in large numbers, they could wipe out the entire Spirit Realm.
"The person behind this must have ridiculous ambition," she muttered under her breath. "They're probably planning to dominate the whole Spirit Realm."
She couldn't help but scoff. There were always people who thought they could rule the world, only to do things that made Heaven itself rage. This time was no different.
"So what now? Do we follow the map and clear out the Monsters?" Liu Xingzhi asked, glancing at her from the side.
He'd already decided his role before coming here. Song Wanníng led, and he'd act accordingly. After all, no one understood this situation better than she did.
"Yeah, for now let's go take a look," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I planted a tracking drug on that shopkeeper. I'm not sure if it'll lead us to what we're looking for, but it's worth trying."
When she'd grabbed the shopkeeper's hand earlier, she'd done it on purpose, pretending to be friendly while secretly attaching the drug to the woman's hair. A divine imprint would've been too easy to detect, so she used a special alchemical marker instead. Hopefully, it wouldn't be discovered.
After exchanging a few words, both of them fell silent again, continuing toward the location marked on the map.
…
At Guhan Sect, Luo Hantian had gathered everyone to discuss the Lanyuan affair.
The moment they learned Lanyuan had been breeding Monsters, everyone was stunned.
Jiang Wentian's expression was especially dark. After losing his beloved daughter, he'd spent a long period in despair, but now that he'd recovered, the revelation ignited his fury.
"Outrageous!" he shouted. "They've been breeding Monsters right under our noses for a hundred years, and none of us noticed a thing?!"
Just the thought of it made his blood run cold. If no one had discovered it until the Monsters reached full strength, the Spirit Realm might've been completely destroyed. And the first targets would no doubt be the major clans and sects.
"I've already notified several sect masters to investigate," Luo Hantian said with a sigh. "But the enemy's hidden themselves too deeply. So far, no one's managed to uncover who's behind it all."
He was out of options, which was why he'd called everyone together. Song Wanníng and Liu Xingzhi were still out there handling the matter, and he was worried they'd run into danger.
"Lanyuan…" Liu Lanyi murmured, frowning deeply.
That name… it sounded familiar.
Leng Qingzhu noticed her disciple's reaction, her brows furrowing as well.
Song Wanníng had always been the kind to throw herself into danger, and as her master, Leng Qingzhu could never truly relax. What made it worse was that her own cultivation level had long since fallen behind her disciple's, leaving her powerless to help.
She sighed quietly, about to speak, when Liu Lanyi suddenly stepped forward.
"Sect Master," she said firmly, "back when I was imprisoned in the water dungeon, I overheard Gong Ye replying to a communication talisman. He mentioned Lanyuan."
The mention itself wasn't the point—the key was that it came from Gong Ye. That alone made Liu Lanyi feel she had to bring it up. If there was any connection between the two, it might just be the clue they needed.
"Gong Ye? The Palace Master of Bai Yao Palace?" Luo Hantian raised an eyebrow, and the crowd exchanged wary looks.
Elder Song Que's expression turned grave. "That man's vicious and cunning. It's very possible he's involved. Let's split up and investigate from every angle. We must find out the truth as soon as possible."
Everyone nodded in unison. "Understood!"
…
A sharp screech echoed through the cavern.
A Monster let out a dying wail before being sliced apart, its body bursting into a cloud of bloody mist that filled the air.
Song Wanníng's sword hung at her side, crimson drops sliding from its edge.
Drip. Drip.
The cave fell silent. Liu Xingzhi stood beside her, his expression unreadable as he beheaded the last Monster.
The stench of blood hung thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Song Wanníng stared at the scattered corpses, her thoughts spinning.
None of the Monsters had mutated this time. It seemed the variants were still rare.
"Let's move," she said at last.
She cleaned the battlefield and was just about to leave with Liu Xingzhi when a faint noise caught her attention.
Both of them froze. Their divine sense spread out instantly. The moment they sensed what was outside, their faces darkened.
A swarm of Monsters was rushing toward the cave. The entrance was already blocked by countless figures—there was no way out.
Song Wanníng turned to Liu Xingzhi with a sharp, fearless smile. "Looks like we've stumbled right into their nest."
Usually, Monsters crawled out through cracks in the ground. But this time, they were coming from outside. And there were thousands of them, an endless sea of writhing bodies. The sight alone made the scalp crawl.
Liu Xingzhi didn't turn around. His cold gaze fixed on the horde ahead, a chill creeping up his spine. "We've been exposed."
Those Monsters were clearly being driven here from elsewhere. Without someone controlling them, there's no way this could happen.
Song Wanníng knew that too. A cold smile spread across her face. "Doesn't matter who's behind them," she said. "They can all die here."
Her aura flared violently, her eyes burning with battle intent. For a brief moment, it felt as if she'd returned to that ancient battlefield once more. Faced with countless Monsters, fear didn't even cross her mind—only the urge to fight.
Liu Xingzhi silently stepped in front of her, his long blade raised and pointed toward the cave mouth.
The sound came again—
Screech!
The Monsters surged in.
Their eyes met, and at the same instant, both of them swung their weapons toward the oncoming horde.