127: Taixu Holy Land

"Aren't we there yet?" Mu Wanqing, who had been traveling for an hour, frowned and asked the woman in the light purple dress beside her.

"Fellow Daoist, do not worry, it's just ahead." Su Zi's face was filled with a perfectly measured amount of anxiety. "Once we pass through this oak forest and walk through the narrow gorge ahead, we'll be able to see the shadow of the Central Stone Tower." After speaking, she pointed ahead.

Li Pingan spoke up to warn them: "Be careful, there's movement ahead."

Ye Hao focused his attention to sense it and said: "It's two Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer Yao Beasts. Their aura is behind the bushes to the east, and they're staring at us."

Before he could finish his sentence, a roar rang out, and two thick-bodied black-patterned bears rushed out from behind the bushes. Their claws were still stained with fresh flesh, and a bloody wind instantly rushed at them.

Xiao Lingxian's expression was cold, giving off an air of being unapproachable as she said: "This is already the sixth Yao Beast attack, isn't it?"

Li Pingan clenched his fists and shouted sternly: "Don't waste time, finish this quickly."

Mu Wanqing's yellow dress fluttered slightly as her jade-like hands formed a seal. She took out two ordinary Thunder Talismans from her storage ring and said: "Junior Brother, I'll cover you."

At that moment, Ye Hao suddenly formed a hand seal and shouted: "Bind!" Three light green vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the limbs of the black-patterned bear on the right, temporarily trapping the two black bears.

Su Zi and the other woman hid behind Xiao Lingxian, watching this scene!

Xie Xingchen frowned slightly; Senior Brother Pingan alone could easily kill two Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer Yao Beasts, so they were hiding their strength.

Eldest Senior Sister is pretending to be a Talisman Cultivator... is she guarding against something?

Without any communication at all, the four Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had already achieved a heart-to-heart tacit understanding.

A moment later, the massive bodies of the two black-patterned bears crashed to the ground, kicking up fallen leaves.

Mu Wanqing and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Li Pingan sat slumped on the ground, panting heavily, "Senior Sister, I need to rest for a while."

Su Yan quickly stepped forward, her eyes sweeping over the bear corpses on the ground before landing on the group. Her tone was full of admiration: "Fellow Daoists are truly formidable! If we hadn't met you, my younger sister and I would surely have died here."

Hearing Su Yan's praise, Mu Wanqing only nodded faintly without saying much.

After resting for fifteen minutes, Mu Wanqing's group continued forward.

Everyone passed through the dense oak forest, and the path beneath their feet gradually became rugged, with the soft fallen leaves replaced by gravel. The cliff walls on both sides of the canyon were as steep as if cut by a knife.

"This must be the narrow gorge Fellow Daoist Su mentioned, right?" Mu Wanqing stopped, looked up at the top of the cliff walls, and frowned slightly.

Su Zi immediately stepped forward and nodded with a smile: "This is exactly it. Once we pass through the canyon, we'll see the stone tower."

Mu Wanqing's lips curled into a sweet smile, "We're finally almost there. Once we reach the Central Stone Tower and stay for three days, we'll be able to win this second round of the competition."

Li Pingan also said with an excited expression: "Senior Sister, let's head in."

The group slowly walked into the canyon, which was even deeper than the outside, with cliff walls on both sides reaching into the clouds.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from one side of the canyon.

Before Li Pingan could react, a flash of sword light appeared, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Ye Hao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly: "It's an ambush!"

He suddenly concentrated his Spiritual Qi in front of him while stepping sideways to block the others. Mu Wanqing took out five yellow paper Talismans from her sleeve in one go, ready to fight at any moment.

"How... how could this happen?"

Following that, about twenty people walked out from the inner side of the canyon, while dozens more surrounded the canyon entrance, attacking from both sides. Leading them was a man in a green robe with stern features, thin lips, and a thick nose, with a white longsword hanging from his waist.

Xie Xingchen's pupils constricted as he stepped forward to Mu Wanqing's side, "Senior Sister, it's the people from the Taixu Holy Land."

Taixu Holy Land, also known as the Taixu Sword Sect, is most famous for its Sword Cultivators in the Central Region.

The leader, Saint Ling Yi, scanned Mu Wanqing with a playful expression and said: "Hand over the spirit fate crystals in your hands, and I can spare your lives."

Mu Wanqing countered, "You've caused such a stir; would you really be so kind?"

"Hahaha—!"

Ling Yi's laughter echoed in the canyon, filled with undisguised confidence!

"I didn't expect you to be so perceptive! You're right; once you've entered this canyon, the result is the same whether you hand them over or not." He paused, his gaze lingering on Mu Wanqing's face, his tone suddenly becoming frivolous.

"However, if you're willing to be my Dao Companion, I might not be unable to change my mind."

Just as he finished speaking, the four people who should have been full of terror suddenly changed their expressions. Ye Hao said calmly: "Senior Sister, it looks like this should be everyone."

Li Pingan, who was on the ground, flipped over and stood firm, then praised: "Junior Brother is quite clever too; his reaction was very fast."

Mu Wanqing sighed softly, her gaze sweeping across the deep end of the canyon, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry: "I just wonder if this canyon really leads to that Central Stone Tower."

The smile on Ling Yi's face instantly froze: "You're not dead? How is that possible! I clearly didn't sense any Spiritual Qi fluctuations, and that Flying Sword should have pierced through..."

Li Pingan raised his hand, holding a miniature Flying Sword between two fingers, the sword's body still carrying the aura of Ling Yi's Spiritual Qi.

"To think you've hidden your Realm; I've met some fellow travelers. But how did you discover this was an ambush?" Ling Yi asked curiously.

Ye Hao explained: "We found out from the very beginning. In this Myriad Spirit Affinity Realm, everyone is an enemy to each other; how could someone suddenly come running for help? People who truly want to survive and leave this place would only be more cautious and wouldn't dare to contact others at will."

Ling Yi nodded slightly, "Is that all?"

Ye Hao glanced at the two women and said in a heavy voice: "Since they knew the way to the Central Stone Tower, they would never linger near the soul-confusing miasma. After all, why would someone who truly wants to win the Great Hall waste time doing such things?"

"Since they were willing to offer up spirit fate crystals, the five of us might as well go along with the act and walk out of that forest in the process."

Su Zi and Su Yan's faces instantly turned ashen. With a flash of their bodies, they pulled several yards away from the five, the Magical Artifacts in their sleeves ready to move.

The trap they had carefully laid out was seen through by the other party from the start; the so-called "ambush" had actually become a "stage" in the eyes of the other party.

Ling Yi stared at the five of them, then showed a hint of admiration: "Not bad, not bad. Zi'er, Yan'er, did you remember? Take this as a lesson for next time."

The two bowed respectfully, "Yes, Lord Saint!"

Li Pingan said honestly: "There won't be a next time."

Ling Yi He sneered: "So what if you saw through it? Do you five really think you still have a chance of winning?"

"You all might not know me very well yet. I, Ling, do not act unless I am one hundred percent certain."

As he spoke, the group surrounding Mu Wanqing in a pincer formation suddenly surged with Spiritual Qi. Their Realms, which were originally only at the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, suddenly rose to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, and a few even reached the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.