Two puzzles

Right after leaving the Market, Qi Yuan received a message from Ji Chan'er urging him to return to his Immortal Cave immediately; her tone was quite serious.

Upon hearing the news, he quickly found a deserted spot to revert to his appearance as Qi Da, then vanished in a flash.

Soon, he saw Ji Chan'er waiting in front of the Inner Sect Immortal Cave and quickly asked:

"Fairy Ji, I was just browsing the Market. Why did you urgently call me back? Did something happen?"

Ji Chan'er nodded slightly at him and asked with an inscrutable expression:

"Do you remember solving an endgame puzzle at my father's place last time?"

"Of course I remember. Wasn't it just a game of Gomoku? What about it?"

Qi Yuan was slightly confused, as he hadn't taken the matter seriously at the time.

After all, this world already had forms like Go, and Gomoku, with its simple rules, wasn't difficult to invent; it wasn't necessarily created by a Transmigrator.

Hearing him say this, Ji Chan'er didn't seem surprised. After pondering for a moment, she slowly explained:

"Actually, that endgame was a puzzle set by the master of an ancient ruin. Besides the board game, there were two other similar artifacts."

"Currently, it seems that anyone who can solve all three puzzles will obtain the key to open the ruin and thus gain the Opportunity within..."

Two more puzzles?

Hearing this, Qi Yuan immediately became interested and couldn't help but press for details:

"Fairy Ji, what do the two artifacts you mentioned look like?"

Ji Chan'er didn't hide anything and continued:

"Those two items were previously obtained by the Situ Family and the Shen Family. They are a statue of a young woman and a stone slab covered in mysterious symbols, respectively."

"Just like our Ji Family, neither of those two Families has managed to solve their respective puzzles over the past ten thousand years, merely tossing the items into their Storerooms."

"Not long ago, I handed one-third of the key to the Sect Master and suggested that the Sect Master also requisition the other two items for the Sect, letting the Yin Sha Sect handle the matter."

"Now, the Sect Master has requisitioned the statue and the stone slab from those two Families and placed them inside the Mission Hall. All Yin Sha Sect Disciples can Go and observe them, and if anyone can solve the puzzles, the Yin Sha Sect will offer generous rewards."

Speaking up to this point, she looked at Qi Yuan with anticipation:

"You easily solved the secret of the endgame last time, proving you have a connection to that ruin. Perhaps you really can solve the other two puzzles."

"The Sect Master is extremely concerned about this matter. If you succeed in solving the puzzles, you will surely attract the Sect Master's attention, which will be greatly beneficial to your future development."

"That's why I want to take you to the Mission Hall. Whether you succeed or not, there's no harm in trying..."

Qi Yuan felt utterly baffled after hearing this.

Wait a minute!

What the heck does 'greatly beneficial to future development' mean? I don't want to develop in the Demonic Sect at all!

As for the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect's attention, that's even more ridiculous. Is it really a good thing for me, the Dao Child of Tai Xuan, to be targeted by the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect?

Although he wanted to refuse, the words caught in his throat.

After all, Demoness Ji had good intentions, and he genuinely wanted to see what the other two puzzles looked like—what if they were a Treasure Trove left behind by a Transmigrator Senior?

After pondering for a moment, Qi Yuan finally nodded in agreement:

"Alright then, I'll Go and take a look with you."

"Mhm. The Inner Sect's Mission Hall is far from here, so let's take the Yin Sha Sect's internal Teleportation Array."

Ji Chan'er smiled sweetly, pulled Qi Yuan along, and flew towards the nearest Teleportation Array... Shortly after.

With a flash of white light, the two figures appeared tens of thousands of miles away.

The Baleful Yin Sect spans three Demon Regions, occupying an extremely vast territory, far exceeding the area of any Holy Land. Just the Inner Sect core region alone stretches over a million square miles, as large as dozens of future Earths combined.

To facilitate travel for its Disciples, the Baleful Yin Sect has set up numerous Teleportation Arrays internally.

Of course, the Yin Sha Sect is not a Charity Hall. Using the Teleportation Array is not free; each trip requires a payment of Spirit Stones.

Even Sect high-ranking officials or True Disciples are no exception; at best, they get a discount.

It is rumored that the masterminds behind these Teleportation Arrays are the Clan Chiefs of the Three Great Families. Although the truth is unknown, few Demonic Cultivators have dared to default on their payments, or rather, those who dared to default have vanished without a trace.

Guided by Ji Chan'er, the two quickly arrived at a massive plaza nestled among mountains. Standing before the plaza was a magnificent and grand hall, which was the Demonic Sect's Grand Mission Hall.

The bulletin board in the plaza was covered with all sorts of missions, ranging from assassinating False Dao experts to helping care for cats and dogs—all kinds of strange requests were present.

At this moment, outside the Grand Mission Hall, people were shoulder to shoulder, a sea of humanity. From the sky to the ground, numerous Demonic Cultivators who had come to solve the puzzle were packed tightly, three layers deep, blocking the hall entrance completely.

Seeing this scene, Qi Yuan couldn't help but secretly click his tongue.

With so many people, just squeezing in will be difficult, right?

However, he could understand why this situation occurred. Solving puzzles has nothing to do with cultivation; it relies entirely on the brain. Even those with low cultivation have a chance to solve the puzzles and receive generous Sect rewards.

After all, few people would admit they are stupid. Although they might not match certain Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in strength, this time it was a competition of intelligence, so why should anyone be afraid?

Ji Chan'er merely glanced indifferently at the crowd ahead, instantly causing a commotion:

"It's Senior Sister Ji!"

"Senior Sister Ji is here, quickly make way."

"Everyone move aside! If anyone dares block Senior Sister Ji's path, I'll kill them right now..."

Upon seeing Ji Chan'er, many Demonic Sect Disciples looked excited and scrambled to make way voluntarily. Some male Disciples even showed fanatical expressions.

Naturally, the Demonic Cultivators blocked outside the hall didn't hold high status. Intimidated by Demoness Ji's fierce reputation, no one dared to approach her for a chat; even the boldest ones only dared to sneak a glance out of the corner of their eyes.

Ji Chan'er was clearly used to this kind of scene, ignoring the strange looks from the crowd. Wherever she walked, the crowd automatically parted, creating a path that allowed her to enter the Grand Mission Hall without obstruction.

Following behind her, Qi Yuan felt a sense of cold sweat, simply because the gazes from the group of male cultivators were full of envy, jealousy, and hatred—they practically wanted to devour him alive and take his place.

This Demoness is way too popular, isn't she?

If his relationship with her were exposed, he would probably instantly become a public enemy of the Demonic Sect... Fortunately, after entering the Hall, the Demonic Cultivators inside were focused on the two items displayed within. They merely greeted Ji Chan'er casually, their attitude being much calmer than those outside.

Furthermore, Qi Yuan spotted an acquaintance: a blond, blue-eyed Personal Disciple of the Sect Master was standing next to a Demonic Cultivator with a terrifying aura, intently observing the statue nearby.

Just then, Ji Chan'er's Voice Transmission reached his ear:

"The two artifacts surrounded by the crowd are the puzzles I mentioned. Also, the person standing next to Shen Xingxuan is the Hall Master of the Mission Hall. He is also an elder of the Shen Family, so make sure not to provoke him later."

Qi Yuan nodded and turned his gaze toward the two puzzles.