Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 11 The Method Worked
Liu Sijun was so angry that her hands were trembling, but fortunately she still managed to stay rational.

These people are still alive, so we must save them.

We must not act rashly.

The absence of bloodstains indicates that the skin wasn't changed here. Furthermore, the man brought by the coughing, wheezing person was involved in more than just a skin change.

They need to investigate all of this thoroughly.

Lord Liyang led his people through the hot spring pool and continued forward.

But Master Lu stopped Liu Sijun and Li Qing: "The concealment talisman has a time limit. There is only half an hour left before it expires. If you cannot get out within half an hour, you will be exposed."

"Don't worry, Master, we will put up another one before it expires."

“Normally it would be fine, but now that we are so close to this Daoist Lord Liyang, even with your master covering for us, I can’t guarantee that your auras won’t be detected by him.”

Once discovered, the danger is unpredictable.

“Master, I can’t leave you here. Either let Qing’er and me come with you, or let’s leave together.”

Before you can save someone, you must first ensure your own safety.

This is Liu Sijun's code of conduct.

"Okay. Let's get out of here first, then we'll figure something out!"

In some respects, the master and apprentice do have many similarities.

That means not blindly showing off.

Just as the three were preparing to leave, they discovered that more people were coming.

Two men dressed as guards arrived. They were about the same age, around twenty-five or twenty-six, though their exact age was unknown. Their cultivation level was in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Just as Liu Sijun was marveling at how this place was truly teeming with experts, he saw the two men furtively following in the direction where Daoist Liyang had just left.

This is this...

Could these two have sneaked in from the outside like them?

The master and apprentice exchanged a glance, then tacitly looked away.

I changed my mind and decided to go with them.

As Liu Sijun passed by the cage, he deliberately avoided looking at the horrific scene inside.

She was afraid that she couldn't bear it.

The three of them, who had initially followed Daoist Liyang and his group, switched to following the two guards.

Beyond the spacious cave, the interior suddenly became cramped and the light dimmed, with skull-polished lamp bases still on both sides.

Soon, the two guards stopped.

Liu Sijun saw that the two had gathered spiritual energy in their hands, but they did not make a move.

"Master, what exactly are these two trying to do?"

Master Lu Dan: "It looks like they're looking for someone."

Such sneaking around must not be for Daoist Liyang and his group. Could it be for the young master they just escorted inside?

Liu Sijun immediately denied this deduction.

If you're looking for that man, you should act with the same caution as they do.

Not only did they not use any concealment talismans, but they also seemed rather arrogant, as if they were afraid that others wouldn't discover them.

Also, both of them are at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so how did they break through the barrier to get in?
The cave is currently very peaceful, which suggests that the two people did not disturb the owner of the barrier when they entered.

Finally, Liu Sijun came to the conclusion that these two people had someone to rely on.

Either they possess extremely powerful magical treasures, which even Daoist Liyang wouldn't take seriously, or there are more than just the two of them.

Jiang Tai: "If we do this, will she be able to see us?"

Gao Kuohui: "How would I know!"

"Otherwise, we might as well reveal our identities and let them come to us."

"Have you forgotten what the master instructed? Do not reveal your identity unless absolutely necessary."

The two guards who were exchanging messages were not far in front of Liu Sijun.

He swaggered along without encountering any enemies or seeing the person his master had mentioned, and for a moment he really didn't know what to do.

Jiang Tai pursed his lips, thinking to himself: What do you mean by "unnecessary"? He felt that it was absolutely necessary right now.

I just saw a person being led in with medicine. It's been half an hour already, and the ceremony may have already started.

That person also came to rescue her; they came to protect her. Doesn't that mean they also came to rescue her?

Thinking about it this way, I immediately felt my mind clear.

Gao Kuo found that Jiang Tai's words made a rare and reasonable point.

So the two of them stopped holding back and blasted open the barrier blocking their way.

The master and apprentice were somewhat bewildered.

They came looking for someone, so why did they suddenly start fighting?

The Daoist Lord of Liyang inside could easily take care of these two with one hand.

This isn't arrogance, this is suicide.

Seeing one of the guards, whose face was as black as coal, rushing forward recklessly while shouting, "Quick, save him!"

Liu Sijun and the other two stopped hiding, removed their concealment talismans, and rushed in.

Inside was a cave that was much more spacious than before, with only a cold ice bed in the very center.

The ice bed was enormous, with its headboard and footboard extending upwards, adorned with intricate carvings. Two people lay on the ice bed, whom Liu Sijun recognized at a glance: the young man who had been brought in earlier and the "master" wearing the bird mask.

Liyang Daojun stood in front of the ice bed, holding a nearly transparent dagger in his right hand and two dark blue talismans between his index and middle fingers in his left hand. Upon seeing this, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Who is so bold as to trespass into my cave?"

The two guards brought by that "master" rushed over and blocked their way. Not only that, but four more guards, all at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, flew in from the back cave and surrounded them.

Jiang Tai showed no awareness of being in grave danger; instead, he was happy.

His method really worked.

We've found the person!

Liu Sijun: "...Fellow Daoist, do we know each other?"

His grin at her was creepy.

Gao Kuo rolled his eyes, completely speechless.

"Miss Jun, please don't misunderstand. Steward Qi was worried that you might be in danger, so he sent us to help you. It's just that we hadn't met before, so there was a misunderstanding!"

"Yes, yes, it was Steward Qi who sent us."

The master said to report any problems to Steward Qi by name, and he remembered those words.

"I see."

"How interesting. They've come to my cave to chat. Do they think I'm dead?" Daoist Liyang felt his authority had been challenged and coldly ordered, "Kill them all, leave no one alive."

Before he finished speaking, the person was already in front of him.

Upon seeing this, Master Lu immediately moved in front of Liu Sijun to block the palm strike from Daoist Liyang.

The two then quickly separated, each drawing their weapons in the blink of an eye.

Liyang Daojun wielded a longsword with a jet-black back but a dark green blade; Lu Danshi held a golden-winged umbrella, which was entirely golden and could withstand a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul stage True Venerable when fully open.

The two, wielding their divine weapons, displayed incredible transformations, their figures shifting constantly between the real and the illusory, exchanging blows at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

"Clang~"

The umbrella handle collided with the blade, sparking numerous sparks, yet neither of them could be detected.

Liu Sijun and his three companions were also engaged in a fierce battle with the six Golden Core guards.

One of the guards, Wan Zhuo, thought he had picked on Liu Sijun, an easy target, and was secretly delighted. However, he didn't expect that as soon as he made a move, she almost slit his throat.

He stared in astonishment at the girl in front of him, his gaze finally settling on her right wrist.

The cultivation level setting in this book continues the setting from the previous book.

That is, there are nine stages: Qi Gathering, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Division, Spirit Transformation, Body Integration, Mahayana, and Tribulation Crossing. Each stage is divided into nine levels except for Qi Gathering, which is divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages.

Corresponding titles: Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment are collectively referred to as Venerable, Golden Core Stage (True Person), Nascent Soul Stage (True Lord), Divine Transformation Stage (Dao Lord), Spirit Transformation Stage (True Venerable), Body Integration Stage (Primordial Lord), Mahayana Stage (Star Lord), Tribulation Transcending Stage (Venerable Lord).
The colors of the talismans, from lowest to highest, are: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, silver, and gold.

Spiritual power is divided into five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The female protagonist possesses all five elements, which are represented by five-colored spiritual energy in the book.

Any remaining questions will be answered later.

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(End of this chapter)