After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

Before entering the secret realm, she always appeared in a black robe. After getting used to the image of the girl in the black robe, it is possible that she might not recognize her true appearance when she suddenly sees her under the black robe.

So she leaned forward, pinched a strand of her distinctive purple hair between her index finger and thumb, and said:

"It's me! Black Fiend... Have you forgotten? Look at my hair, and when we first arrived at the secret realm, you should have seen what I looked like under my black robe, right?"

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing Zi Yun's words, the pretty woman paused abruptly, her bright eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and spoke again, her tone much more familiar than before:

"Black Demon, it was you! You took off your black robe, so I didn't recognize you at first. So, were you talking to Big Flower just now? It seems you've found it."

"Yes, of course. It's obvious at a glance. You seem a bit dazed. Are you alright?"

"No...it might be due to the influence of the secret realm. There are raging flames everywhere nearby that can't be extinguished. However, the closer you get to the ancient tree in the middle, the fewer flames there are, and the temperature gets lower and lower. It seems that there is something there that can block these flames."

It seems that to continue exploring, we must head towards that ancient tree that reaches to the heavens.

Feng Ling covered her head, feeling a throbbing sensation, while simultaneously recounting the phenomena she had observed throughout her journey in the secret realm.

"Now that you mention it, it's true. The temperature inside the secret realm is getting higher and higher. Ah... I thought it was because I was too sensitive because I took off my clothes. It seems it's not just my imagination."

Upon hearing this, Feng Ling's gaze naturally fell upon Zi Yun's attire. She stood with her hands on her hips, her wide outer robe not on her body, but casually draped over her shoulders like a cloak, her body completely naked.

If this way of dressing were combined with two long, tufted hairs on his head, he'd be the alternate-world counterpart of some silly Taoist priest.

Seeing this, Feng Ling's lips twitched slightly. "No, you... you should still wear your clothes properly."

"Wearing clothes is very uncomfortable... and also to my avatar, the poisonous mist..."

Meow!

"Oh, oh, oh... I almost forgot, Feng Ling, something terrible has happened! Ye Ba... he's in trouble!"

Reminded by the Three Flower Goddess, Zi Yun, who had been chatting with Feng Ling, realized what was happening and hurriedly explained the matter of Xiao Yu to Feng Ling in detail.

"So... Ye Ba, for some unknown reason, has been targeted by Long Wanyan of the Qingyun Floating Sect, and his fate is now unknown?"

After hearing what had happened, Feng Ling stroked her chin, glanced at the Three Flower Goddess lying on the rock next to the Flame-Colored Girl, and then looked at Zi Yun before speaking.

Regarding the matter of the Three Flower Goddess speaking, it seems that she will only speak to specific people to communicate directly. Normally, she just meows. Even Xiao Yu is someone the Three Flower Goddess is too lazy to pay attention to.

If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, Xiao Yu might still be in the dark and wouldn't have heard what the Three Flower Goddess was saying.

Zi Yun, who was favored by the Three Flower Goddess and was an exception, nodded:

"Yes, that's right. However, I do want to rescue Ye Ba. After all, he's a member of our Moon Shadow Sect and has given us a lot of help. I just don't know what you think, Feng Ling?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ling did not immediately express her opinion, but instead began to analyze the situation carefully:

"Well... if it's really as you say, rescuing Ye Ba is very risky, not to mention that the opponent is Long Wanyan, who has already entered the Nascent Soul Realm."

"The Qingyun Floating Sect behind them is enough to give us a hard time. Unlike the minor skirmishes with elders and disciples, Long Wanyan is the sect leader. With a single order, the entire sect could launch an attack on us. I don't understand what Ye Ba did to provoke such a behemoth as Long Wanyan."

Feng Ling was puzzled, and Zi Yun pursed her lips and chimed in:

"So, what exactly did Ye Ba do? But it seems the reason lies with her." She changed the subject, pointing to the unconscious Li Yunshang.

"she?"

Feng Ling turned her head and looked at the unconscious girl. "Li Yunshang from the Xuanling Sect?! I know her. I think she was mentioned in the Mountain and Water Gazette for something."

"Ye Ba told me that she was Long Wanyan's real target. At first, Long Wanyan wanted to kill her, but she failed because Xiao Yu desperately stopped her. This time, Xiao Yu was captured by Long Wanyan, which was strictly speaking, in order to buy time for her to escape. He stayed there to cover her retreat."

Hearing this, Feng Ling roughly understood, "That's easy. Anyway, Long Wanyan killed Xiao Yu because of Li Yunshang, right? Saving Xiao Yu is simple. Just take Li Yunshang over and hand her over. Once she's there, she'll naturally release Xiao Yu."

"This... seems to make sense, but Ye Ba said he would protect her."

"We need to save Ye Ba. We don't know who Li Yunshang is. Of course, Ye Ba might be furious about the consequences. After all, strictly speaking, he was captured to save Li Yunshang. If we release her, it would be putting the cart before the horse."

At this point, Feng Ling took a breath and then said firmly, "But this is the best way. Are we really going to have to go head-to-head with Long Wanyan? I don't think we have much of a chance of winning."

It must be said that Feng Ling truly deserves to be called the strategist of the team; she instantly analyzed the pros and cons of the matter in a logical and reasonable manner.

"Ah, this..." For a moment, Zi Yun was also a little confused. Indeed... compared to the tactic of calling for reinforcements proposed by the Three Flower Goddess, the method proposed by Feng Ling was more reliable.

Meow!

The meow rang out again, but this time it wasn't directed at Feng Ling, but at Zi Yun.

"Huh? Oh... oh oh"

Feng Ling's gaze returned to the so-called guardian elder.

“Um… Feng Ling, Da Hua said that your method might not be very effective now. If Long Wanyan had been angry at the beginning, this method might have been able to calm her down.”

Now that Ye Ba has brought this upon himself, the situation has completely changed. Even if Li Yunshang, who was the catalyst, is brought in, it doesn't necessarily mean Ye Ba will be released. On the contrary, the situation might become even worse.

Zi Yun followed suit, relaying everything the Three Flower Goddess had said to Feng Ling in detail. After finishing, she herself was somewhat puzzled by the seemingly disjointed words:

"So, what is Da Hua talking about? Isn't this all because Li Yunshang did something that offended Long Wanyan, and Ye Ba, seeing injustice, stepped in to help, but accidentally got himself into trouble, which led to this situation?"

Ziyun has her own understanding of this matter.

Zi Yun, who was new to the world of magic, did not understand what the Three Flower Goddess was saying, but Feng Ling, who was meticulous, had a glint in her eyes after hearing it.

She looked at the unconscious Li Yunshang and murmured to herself, "So that's how it is. Although it's absurd and unbelievable, it makes sense this way. No wonder Ye Ba was able to get the sect's letter of introduction. Sending Li Yunshang there would indeed backfire and make things worse."

Zi Yun blinked. What was Feng Ling talking about?

After pondering for a while, Feng Ling withdrew her gaze and faced Zi Yun and the cat again, saying in a deep voice, "Hei Sha, you are right. Ye Ba is a member of my Moon Shadow Sect. Although if the Moon Shadow Sect and the Azure Cloud Floating Sect were to form a marriage alliance, it would be beneficial for the future development of the sect. But after thinking about it, it would be better to rescue Ye Ba."

In that case, we'll have to implement another plan.

"What plan?" Zi Yun's eyes lit up as she leaned closer to Feng Ling. She really didn't think the plan for the Three Flower Goddess to gather people was reliable.

However, seeing Zi Yun approaching, Feng Ling smiled slightly, parted her lips, and uttered the same two words as the Three Flower Goddess:

"Shake someone."

"what?!"

Ignoring Zi Yun's surprise, Feng Ling crossed her arms and exchanged a glance with the Three Flower Goddess beside her. The two of them nodded to each other.

"This is the most likely plan at the moment. It doesn't require many people, just four Golden Core cultivators, that's enough. Our Moon Shadow Sect can handle it. Long Wanyan is ultimately a Nascent Soul cultivator, and she only managed to enter the secret realm by exploiting a loophole."

Under this constraint, no matter how strong she is, she cannot withstand the combined attack of the few of us. Once she can't help but use methods that exceed the Golden Core realm, then we will win.

The secret realm is a world unto itself. To maintain its stability, once detected, it will naturally be expelled from the secret realm. In this way, no matter what the situation, as long as we are not wiped out in one fell swoop at the beginning, and we can drag it out in turn, rescuing Xiao Yu is practically a certainty. It's just that there might be some trouble after the secret realm ends..."

After hearing the words and understanding the situation, Zi Yun opened her mouth wide. On her blank expression, a transparent brain shadow could be vaguely seen growing larger, smaller, and rotating.

She was lost in thought.

"So...that's how it is...so that's what happened..."

This makes things much simpler, and facing Long Wanyan doesn't seem so scary anymore.

"This plan is great! It means all we need to do now is find Young Master Tie and persuade him to go save Ye Ba too! Feng Ling, do you know where Young Master Tie is?"

Feng Ling thought for a moment, and was about to speak when the Three Flower Goddess's meow rang out:

"Not far, his scent is nearby, but it seems like he's fighting with something."

As the three were talking, no one noticed that during their conversation, the eyelids of one of the girls lying on the rock twitched slightly.

Li Yunshang felt like she had a dream, a very long, disordered dream, in which she was reborn as a dog, just as she had said before she died.

A dog that is free and unrestrained, that Xiao Yu can approach at will without being pushed away, just like the dramatic developments in the prison.

The girl who mistakenly put the collar around her own neck revealed the relationship between the two at that moment.

The relationship between the well-protected princess and the devoted knight changed and veered to extremes when the princess wanted to place the collar around the neck of the knight.

The relationship that was once built has been shattered, and there is a desire to rebuild a closer one.

There are only two possibilities if things continue like this: either they become master and pet, closely connected and never to be separated, a relationship that may not be as good as that of a knight and princess, but it is what Li Yunshang wants.

After all, pets and their owners will always be together, always by their side and never leaving them, but knights and princesses will not.

The knight won't stay by the princess's side forever. Protecting the princess is just his job, his duty. After completing his mission of protecting the princess, he may leave her side and retire.

Knights don't marry princesses; princesses are usually married to princes.

Ah!

The Luo family...

A powerful cultivation family, possessing a large resource point like the White Cloud Essence, is hampered by its own limitations and unable to grow stronger.

The Xuanling Sect possesses high-end combat power at the Nascent Soul stage, making it a strong sect, but it has a weak foundation, having been established for a short time and lacking in spirit stones and mineral resources.

The result was obvious: Luo's third son joined the Xuanling Sect as a true disciple.

On the surface, it was said to be a meeting for exchange and learning, but in reality, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the Xuanling Sect and the Luo family were trying to negotiate. Once the alliance was successfully formed, the Xuanling Sect, which possessed top-tier Nascent Soul combat power, and the Luo family, which held large resource points and had a strong foundation, would both rise to prominence. During this process, a stable link was needed.

Although her mother didn't say anything, arranging for Luo Yanming to stay by her side, supposedly to protect her since she had no cultivation, was, in a way, a statement of her attitude.

Li Yunshang had seen how tired her mother was. After her father disappeared, she had single-handedly shouldered the heavy responsibility of the Xuanling Sect, working day and night without closing her eyes for so long.

My father's wish is to make the Xuanling Sect the number one sect in the world. My mother is working hard for this, and as her daughter, I should share the burden.

She has no cultivation, no spiritual root, and her talent and ability are far inferior to her mother's newly adopted goddaughter. Perhaps it would be great if she could make this small contribution.

Trading an ordinary person for the support of a superpower seems like a sure win.

But Li Yunshang didn't want to, because she had made a promise with her father that the person who would marry her should be the hero who came to save her.

The girl wasn't ignorant; as time passed, she became more understanding. She was waiting, and even her unreasonable, spoiled, and capricious behavior was all in anticipation of her mother explaining the matter to her. That way, she would have a reason and the confidence to break her promise to her father, for the sake of her poor mother.

Unfortunately, her mother has never brought this matter up in the open. The only thing the mother and daughter talk about is taking care of themselves, living their own lives, not caring about other people's opinions, and just being happy.

Happy and carefree?

How could she be so happy... How could someone as useless as her enjoy her mother's protection and just coast along like this?

The Xuanling Sect and the Luo family are still in steady contact. Sending Luo Yanming into the sect seems to be just for the purpose of exchanging cultivation ideas, but the relationship between the two sides has stalled and has not progressed further.

Even her younger sister seemed to dislike her and targeted her at every turn, both openly and secretly, and was very close to Luo Yanming.

The mother didn't say anything about it, seemingly tacitly accepting her sister's defiance and provocation. When the two argued, she would intentionally or unintentionally side with the sister.