The clothes Song Wanníng wore were woven from thousand-year rainbow silk, immune to ordinary water or fire. Yet the moment those black specks touched her, multiple holes appeared in the fabric, and in some places the burn went straight through to her skin.
A faint sting spread across her body.
Song Wanníng snapped her head around just in time to see another wave splashing toward them.
Danger before them, danger behind. They were caught between two threats.
The black mud was closing in. Song Wanníng's expression sank as she tossed out a formation plate, hoping to block its advance.
But the black mud passed straight through the barrier, charging forward again.
They tried every method they could think of, yet none had any effect. Even Song Wanníng felt a rising sense of puzzlement. She wanted to know what this black mud truly was.
In the blink of an eye, the mass split into specks and came at them again. With no other choice, they broke in the opposite direction, determined to put distance between themselves and the thing before studying it further.
Even with her exceptional speed, Song Wanníng still took another burn. If she fared like this, Bai Yang was in even worse shape. In just a dozen meters, his body was riddled with small holes, the air around him carrying a faint roasted scent.
"Master isn't helping me. This has to be a test." Gritting his teeth, Bai Yang dodged with all his strength.
"Bai Yang, stall it for me."
Her sharp command cut across the chaos. Bai Yang, who had been pulling away, immediately halted and ran in a different direction.
Master rarely gave him orders. He could not refuse.
Seeing him charge off without hesitation, Song Wanníng's lips curled in a mocking smile as she swiftly retreated.
The black mud hesitated for a moment, then went after Bai Yang.
With a brief window of safety, she pulled out the danger map Luo Hantian had given her. Her eyes landed on a particular marking. It described a cave where white clay could corrode skin.
But what she faced here was black.
There was no time to question the color. The notes said the only way to avoid it was to enter the cave. Deeper into danger… yet safer inside.
She flashed forward to the small hole that had trapped Bai Yang's shoe earlier. It was narrow, the darkness below impenetrable, and half of it was still blocked by his shoe.
Shrinking her body slightly, she leaned down toward it.
A powerful force surged upward from below. Song Wanníng's gaze sharpened and she called out, "Come down, quickly!"
The words had barely left her mouth when the ground gave way and she dropped straight down.
"Master?"
Bai Yang's heart lurched. He watched her vanish into the hole, then bolted toward it. Ignoring the black mud behind him, he leapt into the darkness, yanking his shoe free as he fell.
With a splash, he landed in front of Song Wanníng.
His skin was pitted with black burns, even his face marked by small corroded holes. Fortunately, the wounds did not spread, or his entire skin would have been destroyed.
Song Wanníng calmly took out a pill and gave it to him, then changed her own clothes.
More than two years had passed since he last received a pill from her. A strange heat welled up in Bai Yang's chest, his eyes stinging.
"What are you standing there for?"
Her impatient voice cut through his moment. She had no time to indulge in his sentimental dramas.
"Nothing," Bai Yang said quickly, popping the pill into his mouth. The gloom the black mud had left in his heart vanished. His performance must have been good lately. "Master's attitude had clearly softened." He needed to keep working at it. He changed clothes and found that she was already searching the area.
Time had changed much here. Certain landmarks were gone, and the secret ground itself seemed to have shifted. Whether its mechanisms could still be triggered was uncertain.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he would not disappoint her.
The cave ceiling above them was lined with hanging spiritual marrow, glittering in a rainbow of colors, dreamlike in appearance. Spiritual marrow was condensed spiritual energy in solid form, holding immense power for cultivation.
Too valuable to ignore, Song Wanníng took out a jade vial and began collecting it.
Bai Yang rushed over to help, and in a short time, the two had cleared the cave of every last piece. He presented the filled vial to her like a loyal dog wagging its tail for a pat.
Her gaze was cold. There was no joy in her eyes, only impatience. Affection given too late was worth less than grass. She did not need it. If she could use this opportunity to drive Bai Yang to a dead end, it would be ideal.
But Bai Yang's will was far stronger than Lu Nanfeng's, his Dao heart steadier. Breaking him would not be easy…
Her eyes shifted, and a faint smile curved her lips as she took the vial.
With Bai Yang's uncanny luck, they passed through several more areas in the cave without incident.
Over half a month later, they emerged into a new world. It was like a paradise untouched by the outside realm. Water trickled in clear streams, flowers bloomed in profusion, birds sang in the branches, and animals played in the fields.
They even saw several beasts thought long extinct, racing across the grassland.
It was a peaceful, idyllic scene.
Song Wanníng's heart gave a sudden, inexplicable leap.
The vegetation here was far more vibrant than in the outside world, the leaves heavy with spiritual energy. The grass was lush and unmarred by any yellowing.
Could this be where the Xi Rang dwelled?
After so long, they finally had a lead.
"Come on. Let's look around."
Song Wanníng stayed close to Bai Yang. In these days together, she had finally experienced the treatment of a true "child of the Heavenly Dao."
It made her earlier century feel like a joke. Her rapid progress was all thanks to seizing the fortunes meant for Ye Chuxue and Bai Yang. No wonder they had advanced so quickly in her past life. With the Heavenly Dao favoring them so much, they would have had to be fools not to.
But why such extreme favoritism?
Was the Heavenly Dao not supposed to be impartial? Was the Heavenly Dao not without feeling?
Why grant such blessings to only these two? Was it simply to merge the two worlds into one?
The thought unsettled her. Too much in recent days had upended her understanding, forcing her to question even the nature of the Heavenly Dao.
What was the Heavenly Dao, truly?
She cut off the line of thought before it could shake her Dao heart.
Together, they stepped into the idyllic land.
The moment their feet touched the grass, every animal turned to look at them.
A chorus of howls and cries erupted.
It happened in a heartbeat. A lump of earth, faintly aglow with a soft treasure light, burst up from the ground.