Chapter 180: It’s Me – This Is Just Ridiculous

Lian Mu soared above the sea, hovering high in the sky as she looked down at the scene below. The spiritual energy fluctuations caused by the Spirit Beast had disrupted the entire island. Even the Chief team of the Returning Immortal Sect, still lying among the flowerbeds, showed faint signs of waking.

She frowned, weighing her next move. If she didn’t intervene, the Illusion Realm would continue, and the Spirit Beast would definitely find its way here. Facing a whole pack on her own would be far too much.

But if she went to find the Wind Core Flower first and picked it while the Chief team was still unconscious, their Heart Realm Trial would be deemed a failure. That meant none of them would qualify for the next round.

Still… the Chief Disciples from the other sects probably weren’t awake either.

After a moment’s thought, Lian Mu decided to find the flower first. Worst case, she’d just do what she did before—dig up the whole thing and carry it off.

She scanned the sea below. There was no sign of the Wind Core Flower on the reefs in the shallow waters. The farther she flew, the stronger the sea wind became. Whirlpools stirred by aquatic beasts churned the water, making it impossible to see the bottom.

The water beast carrying the scent of the Wind Core Flower had come from this area. It leapt out of the water and dove back in, its body already one with the sea—completely invisible to the naked eye.

Lian Mu cautiously descended, skimming close to the water’s surface. She dipped her sword into the sea. Suddenly, a fish-shaped water beast lunged out and snapped at her, nearly catching her hand.

Then it vanished again.

Just as Lian Mu was about to channel her spiritual power into the water to capture one of the beasts, her spirit jade token lit up with a message—Crimson Sky Sect’s Chief Disciple, a body cultivator, had been eliminated.

Someone from Crimson Sky Sect had woken up and lost the protection of the barrier.

Lian Mu sensed they’d be arriving soon. Instinctively, she glanced toward the Chief team. Bai Li Que’s fingers twitched slightly, and his eyes opened.

Lian Mu flew over immediately. “You’re awake?”

Bai Li Que held his forehead, frowning slightly. “Lian Mu… what are you doing here?”

“You were all knocked out by the Yinghui Flowers. I came to find you. How are you feeling?”

“So it was the flowers…” Bai Li Que murmured thoughtfully. “I think I had a really long dream. I was just about to finish it when something started calling out, and it woke me up.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Must’ve been the Spirit Beast’s cry that roused him.

If the Spirit Beast could wake Bai Li Que, it would likely wake the others too.

“Did you find the Wind Core Flower?” Bai Li Que looked around. The rest were still unconscious. “We searched half the forest and didn’t see a single demonic beast. Senior Brother Guan guessed the Wind Core Flower might be near the coast.”

“I already checked the shore,” Lian Mu replied. “Nothing. It might be in the sea.”

“In the sea? Wen Yun has a water spiritual root—he could…”

He trailed off, remembering that Wen Yun was the most troublesome among them. There was no telling if he’d wake up at all.

“If we really can’t find it, we should retreat,” Bai Li Que said. “When we first arrived, we noticed a hurricane would hit the shore in about an hour. Staying here is dangerous.”

“There won’t be one,” Lian Mu said.

Bai Li Que: “?”

“I accidentally dispersed it earlier with the Flying Swan Sword.”

Bai Li Que: “???”

“How do you have the Flying Swan Sword?” he asked, confused.

“It’s a long story,” Lian Mu said, struggling to explain. “I’ll tell you once we’re out. Right now, the priority is finding the Wind Core Flower. A horde of Spirit Beasts is heading this way—they’ll devour our Spirit Artifacts.”

Bai Li Que hadn’t expected so much to happen while he was asleep. He stood up at once and looked out at the sea. “If the Wind Core Flower is really underwater, it shouldn’t be completely still… It contains a Wind Core that stirs the air around it.”

But the water beasts were making such a mess it was hard to tell whether the movement was from the flower or just their chaos.

Lian Mu suddenly remembered the whirlpool she’d seen earlier. “If the Wind Core is underwater, could it be creating whirlpools?”

“That’s possible,” Bai Li Que said. “But we never made it to the shore. We were knocked out as soon as we reached the flowerbeds.”

“I know where it is. But the water’s too deep—we’ll need Water-Repelling Talismans and Immobilization Talismans.”

“I’ll draw them. You keep an eye on the others.” Bai Li Que immediately pulled out a stack of talisman paper.

He had just woken up, his clothes disheveled, but there was no time to tidy up. He picked up his brush and began to draw.

But just as he was halfway through, a sword light suddenly pierced the barrier surrounding the Returning Immortal Sect’s Chief team, shooting straight toward Lian Mu.

Ji Mingyue was lying next to her. Lian Mu instantly sensed something was wrong and rolled to the side, dragging Ji Mingyue with her.

“Lian Mu, I really underestimated you.”

Lu Feishuang stood just outside the shattered barrier, two people behind her. She held the Pohong Sword in her hand, pointing it at Lian Mu.

“Pulling dirty tricks right under my nose—you’re the first to try that,” she said coldly.

Lian Mu: “…”

That was fast.

She kept her expression calm. “Young Mistress Lu, you woke up pretty quickly.”

“You’re not bad yourself. Dodged two of my heavenly lightning strikes—impressive. But too bad you picked the wrong enemy.” Lu Feishuang looked genuinely furious.

Lian Mu felt a twinge of guilt and rubbed her nose. Looked like Lu Feishuang had realized she’d messed with her sword.

Crimson Sky Sect had sent three people. Changsun Li was out, and Gao Linzhen probably hadn’t woken up yet.

On their side, only two were awake. Bai Li Que couldn’t take on three by himself, and her sword had just cracked.

Talk about bad luck. If Gong Rumei hadn’t come gunning for her earlier, maybe things wouldn’t be so awkward right now.

She was still pondering her next move when a sudden commotion came from above. Looking up, she saw two figures in white robes flying through the sky.

White robes… Azure Profound Sect.

Lian Mu: “…”

What are the odds?

Bai Li Que fell silent for a moment, then whispered, “Should we just grab our people and run?”

Lian Mu replied, “Running won’t help. I’ve offended both of these groups not too long ago.”

Bai Li Que: “…You’re something else.”

Lu Feishuang had also spotted the two figures in the sky. She raised an eyebrow. “Looks like everyone’s here.”

Lian Mu shifted slightly, nudging Bai Li Que with the tip of her foot. “Can your barrier hold off Jiang Yuechen?”

They were already surrounded—might as well go all in. Grab the Wind Core Flower first and secure their ranking.

“It should hold for a while,” Bai Li Que understood her intent and handed her a Water-Avoiding Talisman and a Binding Talisman. “You go for the flower. Leave this to me.”

Just as he finished speaking, Ying You and Jiang Yuechen landed on the ground. The three factions formed a triangle, with the Returning Immortal Sect backed up against the sea, completely surrounded.

Jiang Yuechen immediately spotted Lian Mu. “So it really was you who took our stuff. I suggest you return it now.”

Lian Mu gave a faint smile. “…”

Return it? Not a chance.

Nothing that landed in her hands had ever been given back.

She instinctively glanced at Ying You, and their eyes met. He had the Flying Swan sword at his waist, looking like he’d rushed over—his hair slightly tousled at the forehead.

Ying You’s lips parted slightly, just about to speak, when Lian Mu suddenly bolted toward the sea.

Jiang Yuechen reacted quickly, casting a talisman to pursue her, but Bai Li Que intercepted it mid-air.

Bai Li Que: “Your opponent is me.”

Jiang Yuechen: “Overestimating yourself.”

But Bai Li Que wasn’t just targeting one person. He immediately cast a barrier that enveloped the entire beach, like a massive cage.

Jiang Yuechen was about to break through it when a pack of Spirit Beasts from the forest arrived, roaring from the other side of the barrier.

She had never seen Spirit Beasts before and mistook them for demonic beasts. Her hand, which had just reached out, froze mid-air.

In this situation, letting demonic beasts get involved would be bad for everyone.

Lu Feishuang was faster than Bai Li Que. She flashed forward and blocked Lian Mu’s path. “Hand over what you took from us. And tell us where the Wind Core Flower is.”

Lian Mu said, “Young Mistress Lu, I really don’t want to fight you right now.”

Lu Feishuang narrowed her eyes. “So you’re refusing to hand it over?”

Not far away, Shen Wusang suddenly shouted, “The Wind Core Flower might be in the sea!”

The entire Returning Immortal Sect team was on the beach, yet Lian Mu had run toward the sea. Odds were high the flower was underwater.

Ying You heard it too. He gathered spiritual energy in his hand, and a droplet of seawater floated to his fingertip. Then, he drew his sword and slashed at the sea. Sword energy split the water, carving a path straight through, dividing the sea into two halves.

The seawater was held back, unable to flow back in, forming two cascading waterfalls.

Ying You raised his hand toward Jiang Yuechen. “Go get the flower.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Yuechen dashed forward. Bai Li Que didn’t let her go easily and kept trying to block her path. Annoyed, Jiang Yuechen finally engaged him in a full-on fight.

The moment Bai Li Que was occupied, the Spirit Beasts rammed into the barrier, which began to show signs of cracking. Shen Wusang noticed and quickly channeled spiritual energy to reinforce the barrier, preventing the beasts from breaking through.

Crimson Sky Sect’s Chief Disciple and artifact refiner, Tang Jianming, took the opportunity to dash down the path Ying You had opened. No one stopped him, and he sprinted full speed ahead.

Seeing her own side gain the advantage, Lu Feishuang turned her attention back to Lian Mu. She noticed the crack in Lian Mu’s sword and sneered, “Fourth-grade? That’s not going to cut it.”

She raised her Pohong Sword, ready to strike Lian Mu down in one blow. Lian Mu’s expression finally turned serious. Her hand, hidden behind her back, quietly reached for a Jiao Pearl and a Spirit Summoning Talisman.

Just as Lu Feishuang’s attack came down, a fist slammed into the Pohong Sword, forcibly knocking it aside.

Lian Mu’s fingers curled back, slipping the Jiao Pearl away again.

“Well met, Young Mistress Lu. How about sparing me a few moves first?”

Wen Yun stood in front of her, blocking Lu Feishuang’s path.

Lu Feishuang looked surprised. “Wen Yun? Didn’t expect you to wake up so soon.”

Wen Yun smiled. “Just woke up. Still not as quick as you, Young Mistress Lu.”

Now all four Chief Disciples of the Four Great Sects were present.

Wen Yun held off Lu Feishuang, giving Lian Mu the opening she needed. She circled around from behind and spotted Tang Jianming sprinting down the underwater path. A broomstick flew out from her hand and smacked him right in the knee.

Tang Jianming crashed face-first into the ground. As he turned around, Lian Mu’s grinning face came into view. His mouth twitched. “…You just love picking on artifact refiners. Why don’t you go fight our Team Leader instead?”

Lian Mu flew over, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him aside. “I like squeezing soft persimmons. They feel better in the hand.”

“Crimson Sky Sect Chief Disciple and artifact refiner Tang Jianming is out. Preparing to be ejected from the Pangu Illusion Realm…”

Lian Mu looked toward the end of the path—there it was, the Wind Core Flower. With a Water Spiritual Root, Ying You had sensed its location with pinpoint accuracy.

Just as she was about to move forward, she heard footsteps behind her.

“Lian Mu.”

Ying You’s voice called out from behind.

Lian Mu turned her head, face calm as ever. “Almost forgot. You’re still not dealt with.”

Ying You froze for a moment, then lowered his gaze, the expression in his eyes unreadable. “You…”

“Team Leader Ying, come here a moment. I have something I want to talk to you about,” Lian Mu said with a smile. “It’s about the two of us.”

Ying You’s throat bobbed slightly. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. After a pause, he started walking toward her—each step faster than the last.

“The person in the Heart Realm… was you…”

He had just reached her when a cracked sword suddenly slashed past his cheek.

“It was me,” Lian Mu admitted.

Ying You’s pupils contracted. It took a second for him to register what had happened. A sudden mist of tears clouded his ink-dark eyes.

Lian Mu raised her hand and caught a strand of white hair that had drifted down from his temple, gently holding it in her palm.

“Team Leader!” Jiang Yuechen shouted from a distance, eyes wide as she witnessed the scene.

Everyone turned in unison, looking toward them.

Ying You stared at the white hair in her hand, stunned for a long moment.

Lian Mu said, “Sorry, I…”

Blood began to trickle from the corner of Ying You’s mouth—then from his eyes, his ears… until half his face was drenched in crimson.

He collapsed forward, unable to stay upright. The Flying Swan sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Lian Mu froze. Instinctively, she reached out to catch him. He fell into her arms, ice-cold to the touch.

He couldn’t stop coughing. Blood soaked half of her sect robe.

Everyone on the beach stood stunned, unsure of what had just happened. Only the roars of Spirit Beasts echoed in their ears.

One by one, the Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team members lying in the flower field began to open their eyes.

Snapping out of her daze, Lian Mu grabbed Ying You’s hand, trying to check whether the mark on his wrist had faded. Just then, a shadow flashed overhead, swift as lightning.

In the blink of an eye, a message came through the spirit jade token:

“Clear Thought Sect’s chief team has successfully picked the first Wind Core Flower. All Clear Thought Sect disciples will now be transported out of the Illusion Realm…”

Everyone on the beach: “???”

They turned toward the end of the undersea path—and there was Tang Wuxun, sitting atop a silver kite, holding a blooming Wind Core Flower. He was panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

Bai Li Que reacted instantly. With a palm strike, he knocked Jiang Yuechen aside, burned his transfer talisman, and instantly teleported onto Tang Wuxun’s silver kite—where he kicked him off without mercy.

Tang Wuxun rolled across the ground but still grinned. “So… even you guys mess up sometimes.”

It turned out that ever since Crimson Sky Sect had arrived, they had been here too—just hiding in the shadows, observing. And just now, they’d stumbled upon the perfect opportunity.

Bai Li Que immediately plucked a flower from the side. Lu Feishuang tried to rush over and snatch it, but Wen Yun blocked her, allowing Shen Wusang to teleport in first.

Jiang Yuechen also activated her transfer talisman—but her destination was over by Ying You.

“Team Leader!”

Ying You had no strength left, slumped against Lian Mu’s shoulder, coughing up blood nonstop.

He turned his head slightly to look at her. His eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, but not a single one made it out.

Lian Mu couldn’t hold it in anymore. She shoved him back toward the Azure Profound Sect people. “…”

Just before she was teleported out of the Illusion Realm, only one thought remained in Lian Mu’s mind:

All she did was snip off a lock of his hair—not stab him in the heart. Wasn’t this overkill for a little drama?