Primordial Era: The Holy Maiden Shiji, a woman of exceptional talent and beauty

Shi Ji and her junior sister exchanged a glance, secretly on guard. They cautiously approached the dense forest and, sure enough, heard a low roar coming from the direction of the ruins.

The junior sister said softly, "We must be careful; this demonic beast is incredibly powerful."

Shi Ji nodded: "I'll scout ahead, and my junior sister will provide support from behind."

The two worked in perfect harmony, gradually approaching the ruins. Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted, and a gigantic beast charged out of the ruins. Its body was covered in black scales, its eyes were blood red, and it exuded a strong demonic aura.

Shi Ji drew his sword and blocked the monster's attack head-on. He put all his strength into a fierce battle with the monster. His junior sister cast spells to help him.

The battle was incredibly fierce; the demonic beast was incredibly powerful, and Shiji was struggling to gain the upper hand. Just then, her junior sister suddenly shouted, "Shiji, I've found its weakness! There's a missing scale on its belly; that's its fatal flaw!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ji quickly adjusted her tactics, focusing her attacks on the breach in the monster's abdomen. With her junior sister's magical support, she finally struck the monster's vital point with her sword. The monster let out a shrill scream, its massive body crashing to the ground, gradually losing its life.

Shi Ji let out a long breath, sheathed her sword, and said to her junior sister, "Thanks to your help, otherwise it would have been difficult to win today."

The junior sister smiled and said, "We are companions, so naturally we should support each other."

Upon seeing that the monster was dead, the hunter knelt down in gratitude, repeatedly kowtowing and saying, "Thank you both, heroes, for saving my life!"

Shi Ji helped the hunter up and said gently, "No need to thank me, it's what we should do. Your family is still in the monster's lair, let's go and rescue them quickly."

Guided by the hunter, Shiji and her junior sister quickly ventured deep into the ruins and found the trapped villagers. Overjoyed to see their saviors, the villagers wept tears of happiness. Shiji and her junior sister worked together to untie them and rescue them one by one.

After the villagers were safely returned to their village, they all expressed their gratitude to Shiji and her junior sister. Shiji smiled and said, "It's good that you're all safe and sound. If you encounter danger again in the future, be sure to escape as soon as possible and don't be reckless."

The village chief said gratefully, "Young Master Shiji, Junior Sister, thank you for saving our entire village. Without you, we really don't know what we would have done."

Amidst the villagers' gratitude, Shiji and her junior sister left the village and continued their journey deeper into the valley. Along the way, they shared many insights from their spiritual practice and gradually developed a deep friendship.

One evening, they came to the edge of a tranquil lake. The water was crystal clear, and the lake was surrounded by verdant mountains, a truly breathtaking sight. Shi Ji sat by the lake, watching the sunset reflected in the water, and felt a sense of peace wash over her.

"Junior sister, the scenery here is truly breathtaking," Shi Ji exclaimed.

The junior sister smiled and nodded: "Yes, the path of cultivation is arduous, but being able to rest in such beautiful scenery is also a kind of enjoyment."

Just then, a gentle voice came from the other side of the lake: "Two cultivators, would you mind coming to the other side of the lake for a chat?"

Shi Ji and her junior sister looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman in white standing on the opposite bank of the lake. Her figure was faintly visible, like a fairy. Shi Ji stood up and said, "Junior sister, let's go and take a look."

The junior sister nodded, and the two used their lightness skills to gracefully skim across the lake and arrive in front of the woman in white.

The woman in white smiled and said, "You two have worked hard. My name is Huxin, and I am the guardian of this lake."

Shi Ji clasped her hands in greeting and said, "So it's Senior Hu Xin. May I ask what brings you here?"

Hu Xin smiled and said, "I sense that you are righteous and have extraordinary cultivation. I specially invited you here because I hope you can do me a favor."

The junior sister asked curiously, "I wonder if there's anything we can help you with, senior?"

Hu Xin sighed and slowly said, "At the bottom of this lake lies an ancient altar, which, according to legend, seals away a powerful evil spirit. Recently, I have sensed that the evil spirit's power is gradually increasing, and it seems to be on the verge of breaking free. I cannot handle it alone, so I hope you can assist me in suppressing the evil spirit together."

Shi Ji and her junior sister exchanged a glance, both understanding the gravity of the situation. Shi Ji said firmly, "Senior, rest assured, we will do our utmost to help you suppress the evil spirit."

The lake heart nodded and said, "Thank you both for your kind assistance. I will take you to the altar at the bottom of the lake. Please follow me."

With a wave of his hand, Hu Xin caused the lake water to part automatically, revealing a path leading to the bottom of the lake. Shi Ji and her junior sister followed Hu Xin and walked together towards the altar at the bottom of the lake.

The altar was surrounded by ancient runes and magic circles, radiating a powerful sealing force. However, Shi Ji could sense a faint evil aura emanating from it.

Hu Xin said, "This is where the altar is located, and the evil spirit is sealed inside. We need to work together to strengthen the seal in order to prevent it from breaking free."

Shi Ji nodded: "Senior, what should we do?"

Hu Xin explained, “Each of you stand at one of the four corners of the altar and pour your spiritual power into the runes. I will guide the power in the center. Together we will reactivate the sealing array.”

Shiji and her junior sister followed instructions, standing at opposite corners of the altar and beginning to infuse spiritual energy. Hu Xin stood in the center, his hands forming a mudra, chanting an incantation.

As spiritual energy was injected, the runes on the altar gradually emitted a brilliant light, and the magic array began to operate again.

However, at that moment, a powerful force of resistance erupted from the altar, impacting the three of them.

Shi Ji gritted her teeth and persisted in channeling her spiritual power, while her junior sister was not to be outdone and tried her best to stabilize herself.

Cold sweat beaded on the lake's forehead; it was clear that it was also doing its utmost to resist this evil force.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the seal at the center of the altar, and an evil eye flashing red light looked at them through the crack, letting out a chilling laugh.

"You fools, how dare you try to seal me away!" The evil spirit's voice was full of mockery and anger.

Shi Ji said coldly, "Since you have done evil, you deserve to be punished!"

The evil spirit roared, and more red light surged from the crack, transforming into tentacles that wildly waved, attempting to break through the seal.

The entire altar began to shake violently, and the light of the runes flickered, clearly indicating that the sealing power was engaged in a fierce battle with the evil spirit.

"Hold on!" she shouted from the center of the lake, her voice filled with determination and resolve. "We can't let it escape!"

Upon hearing the shouts from the center of the lake, Shi Ji and her junior sister gritted their teeth and poured all their spiritual power into the runes.

They felt their spiritual energy rapidly depleting, yet they remained fearless, steadfastly maintaining the sealing array. The evil spirit's power grew stronger, its red tentacles frantically slapping against the runes around the altar, each slap causing the altar to tremble even more violently.

However, no matter how the evil spirit struggled, the sealing array always firmly bound it within the altar.

Time passed second by second, and Shiji and her junior sister were drenched in sweat, but they still showed no sign of giving up.

They knew that if they let their guard down, the evil spirits might break through the seal and bring endless disasters to the world.

Suddenly, the evil spirit let out a deafening roar, and its red tentacles instantly became even more ferocious. However, at that moment, Hu Xin formed hand seals, chanted incantations, and poured all his spiritual power into the sealing array. The runes on the altar instantly erupted with dazzling light, repelling the evil spirit's red tentacles one by one.

"Ah—" The evil spirit let out a miserable scream, the red tentacles gradually dissipated, and the altar returned to calm.

Shi Ji and her junior sister breathed a sigh of relief. They felt a wave of weakness, but victorious smiles appeared on their faces.

Hu Xin also showed a tired but satisfied smile. She knew that with the help of Shi Ji and her junior sister, they had successfully resealed the evil spirit in the altar.

Shi Ji wiped the sweat from her brow, looked towards the center of the lake, and asked, "Senior, how long will it take for this seal to be completely stable?"

After catching his breath, Hu Xin smiled and said, "It's basically stable now. We just need to consolidate it a little more, and there's no longer any danger of it breaking through. Thanks to the help of the two of you, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to continue today."

The junior sister nodded, feeling a sense of relief: "Senior, you flatter me. We only did our part. The seal's restoration is the result of everyone's joint efforts."

Hu Xin said with satisfaction, "Your sense of justice and unwavering belief are admirable. Without your help, I'm afraid today's situation would be difficult to resolve."

Shi Ji looked around and felt the calmness of the lake. She felt a sense of relief and said, "Senior, we have completed the seal. Is there anything else we need to do?"

The lake shook its head: "The seal is secure, and your mission is complete. I will continue to protect this lake and ensure that the evil spirits will not have another chance to break the seal."

The junior sister smiled and said, "Then we won't bother you any longer, senior. If needed, we can come and help again at any time."

Hu Xin nodded gratefully, "Thank you. If needed, I will contact you through this jade pendant." She took out a jade pendant from her bosom and handed it to Shi Ji.

Shi Ji accepted the jade pendant and said solemnly, "Senior, rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the movements of this lake."

Shiji and her junior sister continued walking in the valley. As night fell, the moonlight shone on the valley, draping the earth in a silver veil.

The two walked through the tranquil environment, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.

"Junior sister, how much do you know about this valley?" Shi Ji asked, breaking the silence.

The junior sister thought for a moment and replied, "There are indeed many strange things in this valley. I once heard Master say that this is an ancient sacred place of cultivation, hiding many unknown secrets. The senior from the lake we met is only a part of it."

Shi Ji nodded: "It seems there are still many places worth exploring in this valley. However, the battle just now made me realize that our cultivation still needs to be improved."

The junior sister nodded in agreement: "Yes. Only by constantly improving our cultivation can we better cope with future challenges."

As the two were talking, a strange sound suddenly came from ahead, like the clanging of metal. Shi Ji and her junior sister became alert and followed the sound.

As they approached, they saw a man dressed in black digging into the ground with a long sword, seemingly searching for something. Hearing footsteps, the man turned sharply, his eyes filled with wariness.

Shi Ji stepped forward, clasped her hands in greeting, and said, "Friend, we mean no harm; we are just curious about what you are doing."

The man in black gave them a cold look, then continued digging, unwilling to say anything more.

The junior sister stepped forward and asked softly, "Brother, we are also cultivators. If you need help, please tell us, and we can solve it together."

The man in black stopped what he was doing, looked up at his junior sister, then at Shi Ji, and after a moment of silence, he spoke: "Do you really want to help?"

Shi Ji nodded: "Of course, we have encountered many strange things in this valley, and I believe this is also a kind of fate."

The man in black sighed and slowly said, "My name is Hou Yi, and I am a wandering cultivator. Several years ago, my master, Yun Heng, disappeared here, and I have been searching for him ever since. There is an important item he left behind buried beneath this ground, and I hope to find it in order to unravel the mystery of my master's disappearance."

Upon hearing this, the junior sister's eyes revealed a hint of sympathy: "Brother Houyi, since that's the case, let's help you dig together. Perhaps we can find that item faster."

Hou Yi nodded, clearly moved by their suggestion: "Alright, thank you very much."

Working together, the three of them quickly unearthed an old box from the ground. Han Feng carefully opened the lid, revealing a yellowed ancient book and a faintly glowing jade stone inside.

"This is what Master left behind." Han Feng's voice was filled with excitement. "This ancient book records Master's cultivation insights, and this jade stone is the key to unlocking a certain ancient ruin."

Shi Ji and Liu Yan exchanged a glance, and Shi Ji said, "In that case, what should we do next?"

Han Feng looked at the jade in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "The ancient books mention that the ruins are deep in this valley, but we need to search carefully for their exact location. Since you are willing to help, why don't we go together? Perhaps we can find more clues."

After the three of them finished packing, they set off deeper into the valley. As night deepened, the surrounding scenery became increasingly mysterious and unpredictable, and the moonlight shone on them, as if guiding them on their way.

After walking for a long time, they arrived at a dark forest. A light mist hung in the air, making it seem particularly mysterious. Han Feng took out a jade stone, infused it with spiritual power, and the jade stone immediately emitted a soft light, illuminating the path ahead.

Shi Ji exclaimed, "It seems this jade is indeed extraordinary; it's not only a key, but it can also guide us."

Liu Yan smiled and nodded: "Yes, hopefully it can lead us to Brother Han's master's whereabouts."

Following the direction indicated by the jade, the three traversed the dark forest and arrived at a hidden cave. The cave entrance was covered with complex runes, clearly intended to seal some kind of power.

Han Feng took a deep breath and said firmly, "My master mentioned in the ancient books that this cave holds his last clue, but it is also full of dangers. We must be careful."

As the three entered the cave, a chill swept over them, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Shi Ji gripped her sword tightly, remaining highly vigilant. Han Feng held up the jade stone, its light illuminating the path ahead, but he too could sense the lurking danger. (End of Chapter)