The City of Ten Thousand Flowers.
Everything was calm and undisturbed, as if there were no dangers at all.
San Dong stared nervously at the Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge, fearing that the entire ridge might suddenly shoot into the sky at any moment.
She had gone from being a flower spirit with a home to a wandering flower spirit.
Would she be able to live with Li Yingling in the future?
But she was afraid of humans…
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
However, in the next moment, a streak of light soared over from the Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge.
Li Yingling let out a slight sigh of relief—everything was safe after all. But judging by the peaceful scene, there were likely no unexpected surprises. Most probably, it was just an empty ruin.
As for why it had taken so long, it wasn’t hard to guess.
Couldn’t her master and Xie Lingyu have taken their time strolling around the flower ridge?
After all, the scenery was quite beautiful.
Oh well, if there was nothing to be found, so be it. This wasn’t the first place Li Yingling had visited, and she had already come up empty three or four times before.
This time was no exception.
At the very least, she could show her master the picturesque scenery here.
The light arrived in the blink of an eye, and Chu Xingchen descended gracefully with Xie Lingyu.
However, Li Yingling’s gaze quickly locked onto a certain flower spirit.
This spirit wore a white battle skirt, her face slightly pale, but she was even smaller than San Dong—so tiny it was almost startling.
San Dong also turned her eyes toward Luo Yue, curiosity written all over her face. She had lived in the Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge for so long but had never encountered another flower spirit. No wonder she had been so lonely.
Could it be that the so-called dangerous ritual was actually a companion summoning device?!
Chen Baiqing hurried over and tugged at Chu Xingchen’s sleeve, asking worriedly,
"Master, are you alright?"
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen pinched Chen Baiqing’s cheeks, his tone slightly scolding,
"Are you underestimating your master again?"
Chen Baiqing didn’t mind her face being squished back and forth. She simply shook her head with a smile—as long as her master was fine, nothing else mattered.
Li Yingling asked curiously, "Where did you pick up this flower spirit?"
Hearing this, Chu Xingchen glanced sideways at Luo Yue. At this moment, the long-sealed flower spirit and San Dong were already staring at each other.
Though he felt some sympathy for Luo Yue’s story, once someone made a move against him, they became an enemy. After all, everyone had their own reasons, but actions had consequences.
Especially if it involved spending money to save her…
However, Xie Lingyu had stepped in to intervene.
At first, Chu Xingchen thought Xie Lingyu was just being soft-hearted. After all, agreeing to inquire about the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect on Luo Yue’s behalf was already more than enough.
But while Luo Yue was busy gathering the last remnants of her spiritual energy, unable to divide her attention, Xie Lingyu took the opportunity to explain.
When Chu Xingchen had made his move, Xie Lingyu hadn’t been idly watching the fight—she had been observing the situation.
Because… she vaguely remembered reading about something similar in a book, and it was quite infamous.
Based on the circumstances within the illusion, she deduced what technique the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect had used. It was highly likely the—Grand Supreme Heavenly Spirit Nine-Lock Coiling Formation.
This formation was placed on the very first page of the Tianyan Sect’s Compendium of Formations.
Not because the Tianyan Sect held any respect for the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, but purely to mock the formation.
It was an original creation of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect and was quite notorious.
But its fame didn’t stem from its lethality or practicality—rather, its conditions and cost were so absurdly high that it was practically laughable.
Even the wealthiest sects would wince at the expense.
Moreover, the formation’s core required a living spirit to anchor and control it. Sounded noble, but in reality, it was no different from a living sacrifice.
What kind of cultivation era was this? Sacrificing lives was something only demonic cultivators would do.
Thus, aside from being placed on the first page, the formation was boldly labeled with its origin—Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.
The description of the formation was brief, but the criticism that followed was a solid thousand words long.
It outright condemned the formation as a demonic technique, indirectly mocking the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.
Rumor had it that even the current Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect had erased this formation from their records, refusing to acknowledge it.
Who would’ve thought… the ancient Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect had actually used it for real.
And it seemed tailor-made for situations like this.
Xie Lingyu speculated—had the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect fallen so quickly back then that some information had been lost over time?
Naturally, since this formation was the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s creation, the Tianyan Sect only understood its effects and couldn’t replicate it in full.
But Xie Lingyu clearly remembered one thing—this formation could self-destruct.
[This formation demands exorbitant resources for unclear utility, primarily serving to suppress spiritual energy and conceal its presence. However, it can self-destruct, unleashing tremendous power—likely intended for ambushes, revealing its sinister design.]
She still recalled the first time she read about it, feeling nothing but disdain for the so-called Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.
Sacrificing disciples for the sake of an explosive trap—how was that any different from demonic cultivation?
Of course, Xie Lingyu was only speculating. She couldn’t be entirely certain this was the Grand Supreme Heavenly Spirit Nine-Lock Coiling Formation.
But it never hurt to be cautious.
Besides, Xie Lingyu hadn’t intervened without reason.
She would help Luo Yue inquire about the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect. She couldn’t guarantee the outcome, but she would do her best to advocate for her.
In exchange, everything here would belong to Chu Xingchen.
This was a transaction, not a free rescue.
Luo Yue hesitated but ultimately agreed.
However, knowing Xie Lingyu as well as he did, Chu Xingchen suspected she also wanted to help Luo Yue out of genuine sympathy.
Xie Lingyu had a tendency to be overly soft-hearted at times.
If someone’s circumstances were truly pitiful, she would lend a hand within her means.
So when Li Yingling asked where they had "picked up" Luo Yue, Chu Xingchen chuckled and replied,
"Your Aunt Xie took pity on this little spirit and couldn’t bear to leave her behind, so she brought her along to raise."
San Dong nodded in understanding, then cautiously reached out and patted the seemingly even weaker flower spirit beside her.
"They’re actually quite nice… probably won’t eat us. Don’t be scared."
This little spirit must be even more timid than her. San Dong at least dared to wander the Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge at night, but this one was so small and frail—clearly the type to huddle in one spot, too afraid to move.
No wonder she had never run into her before!
Luo Yue glanced at the somewhat silly-looking San Dong, her emotions a tangled mess.
The good news? After a thousand years of isolation, the first thing she saw upon emerging was a fellow flower spirit—it was oddly comforting.
The bad news? Her kin seemed… alarmingly dim-witted.
Had she been raised in captivity?
"Mm…" Luo Yue gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
San Dong found Luo Yue incredibly endearing—a real, genuine fellow spirit! She happily took Luo Yue’s hand and declared,
"Hehe, I know the Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge like the back of my hand. From now on, San Dong will take care of you!"
Luo Yue looked down at her own tiny hand, then assessed the meager spiritual energy left in her body.
Her combat ability was practically nonexistent—she might not even be a match for this naive-looking kin of hers.
As for being taken care of… well, she couldn’t exactly argue.
Xie Lingyu turned to Chu Xingchen and said, "Leave Luo Yue’s matter to me. You handle things here—I’ll take her back to the Tianyan Sect first."
San Dong’s eyes darted to Xie Lingyu and the others—were they really parting ways so soon after meeting?
"Is it that urgent? Leaving already?" Li Yingling asked, puzzled, then shot a questioning look at her master—Did you make Aunt Xie angry?
Just a flower spirit—what could be so urgent that it needs to rush back to Tianyan Sect?
Still… what could Master have done to anger Uncle Xie Lingyu?
"After waiting this long, there’s no need to hurry now."
Luo Yue spoke calmly.
These two had been holding hands the whole way in front of me, claiming to be cultivation partners, yet now they suddenly care about appearances.
Luo Yue’s gaze shifted to San Dong.
It, too, wanted to talk to its own kind first.