Fairy, don't go! I have a mod.

“I think this female benefactor is right.”

A wooden stick emerged from around the corner, followed by a shiny bald head and a round face.

Yuantong floated over slowly on the yellowish-brown light, his gray monk's robe stained with several patches of dark green liquid.

A small section of his sleeve was torn off by something, but he still had that same grinning expression on his face.

He jumped to Mu Tianmiao's side and pointed behind him with the wooden stick.

"This humble monk just came from the entrance. It's in complete chaos there. The major sects have suffered heavy casualties, and the restrictions at the entrance to the secret realm are shrinking inwards, making it impossible to get out!"

"People outside can't get in, and people inside can't get out. This secret realm is like a sealed container; we're all trapped inside."

He scratched his bald head, his tone surprisingly relaxed.

"So I thought, rather than waiting to die outside, I might as well go in and see if I could find a way out of this predicament. And that's how I met you all. What a coincidence, benefactors!"

Yun Qingyao and Mu Tianmiao exchanged a glance and realized at the same time that Yun Qingyao's hand had been tightly gripping Mu Tianmiao's wrist for who knows how long.

Her fingers recoiled as if burned, her cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed, her head turned away involuntarily, and her ears burned intensely.

The images from that night flooded my mind uncontrollably; when he carried her out of the secret realm, his hands were clasped around her wrists in the same way.

On the grassy riverbank, she wrapped her arms around his neck even tighter than she does now.

And she even wrapped her legs around his waist...

He cried out... "Ouch!"

Mu Tianmiao also coughed lightly, casually withdrew her hand, and flexed her wrist a couple of times.

His gaze drifted to the glowing vines on the cave wall, pretending to study their patterns.

Yuantong looked left and right, then scratched his shiny bald head and grinned.

"Amitabha Buddha, has this humble monk arrived at an inopportune time?"

"Let's get down to business."

Mu Tianmiao withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to its previous calm.

"What's the situation at the entrance now?"

Yuantong slammed the wooden stick on the ground, his playful expression vanishing, replaced by a rare seriousness.

"Why don't you two go and see for yourselves? The situation is very bad. The entrance is completely sealed off and cannot be opened from the inside."

"The surviving disciples of all the major sects are retreating, but no one can get out now."

"Those plants are still spreading towards the entrance, and in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, that area at the entrance will also be covered by vines."

"By then, there won't even be a place to stay."

The three of them sped off towards the entrance.

Along the way, the cave scenery became even more shocking than on the way there.

Corpses were everywhere, lying haphazardly on both sides of the passage, some pinned to the rock wall with vines piercing their chests.

Some of them had half their bodies swallowed by Venus flytraps, with only their legs sticking out.

The red vines and dark green Venus flytraps were clinging to the corpse, greedily devouring the flesh and blood, making a sickening sucking sound.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the foul smell of plant sap, a mixture that made it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Mu Tianmiao glanced at these scenes expressionlessly.

It's not that he's cold-blooded, but there's no point in stopping to save anyone now.

The dead are dead, but the living are still waiting to live.

He noticed a detail: the number of red plants was several times greater than when they arrived, almost occupying all the passages, but although they were fierce, fast and numerous, their defenses were extremely weak.

A single sword aura from the early stage of the Golden Core realm could slice through a whole area.

It doesn't seem like the balance that should exist in natural evolution; rather, it seems like it was deliberately catalyzed by something, sacrificing defense in exchange for attack and numbers.

The scene at the entrance was even more horrific.

The once open lakeside area is now mostly covered by dense, blood-red vines.

The five warrior monks of Nanshan Temple stood back to back in a Vajra Subduing Demon Formation, and golden Buddhist light formed a hemispherical shield, blocking the ever-flowing vines from the outside.

Wherever the Buddha's light passed, the vines turned to ashes, but for every area purified, more vines would immediately surge up from all directions, clearly unable to hold out for long.

The situation at the Immortal Shadow Sect is slightly better.

A dozen or so female disciples formed the Immortal Shadow Formation, their sword light flowing like water within the formation, shredding any vines that dared to approach.

One or two disciples were injured, with bandages wrapped around their arms or legs, but none of them died.

Seeing Mu Tianmiao fly out of the passage, the eyes of several female disciples lit up immediately. If they hadn't been still forming an array, some of them would probably have already waved to him.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Ten Deaths Without Survival

The three landed, their robes still stained with dark green liquid and tinged with the stench of blood, attracting the attention of everyone at the entrance.

The rogue cultivators whispered among themselves, and the disciples of the major sects also turned their heads to look.

These three people returned alive from the deepest part of the cave, and the news they brought back concerned the life and death of everyone present.

Mu Tianmiao's mask covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

He ignored the scrutinizing and appraising gazes and walked straight toward the Immortal Shadow Sect's group.

Yun Qingyao lagged half a step behind him, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the direction of Qingyun Sect.

Bai Lingyin was standing in the center of the group of disciples. When she saw her return, a dignified yet concerned smile immediately appeared on her face, and she asked from afar.

"Senior sister, what's the situation at the back? Where are the rest of the pathfinder team?"

She spoke gently, but Yun Qingyao could tell that she wasn't concerned about the fate of the pathfinder team, but rather how many people had died and whether it would implicate her.

Yun Qingyao lowered her eyes, her voice as flat as if she were reporting something that had nothing to do with her.

"They are dead."

"It's very dangerous inside. Plants are everywhere in the cave, including red vines that can control corpses, and a lot of aggressive vegetation."

“There are no spiritual plants or seeds in the surrounding area, and no trace of the Thousand-Year Cicada has been found.”

Bai Lingyin's gaze sharpened, and the smile on her face froze for a moment.

All four disciples who cleared the way died, three of whom she had personally placed into the clearing team.

If the sect investigates after she returns, she, as the newly appointed Holy Maiden, will inevitably be held accountable.

Why treat fellow disciples as cannon fodder?

Why such an unreasonable staffing arrangement?

Her fingers clenched and unclenched inside her sleeve, but she still wore that polite smile on her face, and she didn't ask any more questions.

Yun Qingyao took in her reaction without saying anything, and simply retreated to the edge of the crowd.

She dared not show any more emotions, dared not let anyone be targeted because of her. Xiao Shen was already dead; she couldn't let anyone else be implicated.

On the other side, when the female disciples of the Immortal Shadow Sect saw Mu Tianmiao approaching, they immediately erupted in a flurry of questions, crowding around her with a barrage of chatter.

Mu Tianmiao responded to each question, her tone a few degrees more somber than usual.

He didn't hide anything and simply described everything he and Yun Qingyao had seen deep inside the cave.

Red vines, manipulated corpses, endless plants, and no trace of spirit plants, spirit seeds, or the thousand-year-old cicada.

And his biggest speculation: someone deliberately spreads false information to lure everyone in as nourishment.

With each word he spoke, the expressions on the faces of those present grew increasingly grim.

Mu Tianmiao glanced at the sealed barrier at the entrance and turned to ask the others.

"Can we go out now?"

Several alluring female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect huddled together to meditate. One of them, dressed in a peach-colored gauze dress, winked at him, her tone slightly flirtatious.

"You can't get out, bro. It's incredibly sturdy. Several sects of ours just joined forces to bombard it, but we couldn't even break through a crack."

"We can't get out with the sound transmission talisman, and we can't probe out with our divine sense. The entire secret realm is now like an airtight jar, and we are all fish in the jar."

After saying that, she deliberately moved closer to Mu Tianmiao, her eyes lingering on him for a few moments.

Mu Tianmiao took a step to the side expressionlessly, completely ignoring her gaze.

He didn't like the shady side of the Hehuan Sect, but then disciples from the other sects also spoke up.

Putting all the additional information together, the conclusion is clear: they can't get out, they're trapped.

He looked at Yun Qingyao, and Yun Qingyao was looking at him too.

Their eyes met, and neither of them spoke, but they both read the same solemnity in each other's eyes.

Staying here is tantamount to waiting to die.

Those blood vines were endless, and after killing one batch, another batch would come. Eventually, everyone's spiritual power would be exhausted, and then the whole group would be wiped out.

Yuantong, carrying a wooden stick, came over with his usual smiling face.

"As I've already said, rather than waiting to die here, it's better to go inside and look for an opportunity. Although it's dangerous inside, at least there's room to maneuver."

Mu Tianmiao didn't reply. He had already decided to go to the deepest part, regardless of whether anyone accompanied him or whether Yuantong had said so.

The system mission was waiting for him, and the Soul-Stealing Fragrance Flower was waiting for him; even if there were mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, he had to go.

But he couldn't guarantee that those who followed him would survive.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand to push his mask up, and his gaze swept over all the surviving cultivators present. He spoke loudly.

"Everyone, I'm going to investigate the lowest level. Anyone want to come with me? This trip might be a one-way trip to certain death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the already quiet crowd became even quieter, to the point that you could hear a pin drop.

The rogue cultivators avoided his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes; several disciples from small sects lowered their heads, pretending to inspect magical artifacts.

The alluring female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect also dropped their frivolous expressions, exchanged glances, and remained silent.

Only the female disciples of the Immortal Shadow Sect stirred, and a few of the bolder ones tried to speak, but Mu Tianmiao silenced them with a look...

He couldn't take his junior sisters to their deaths.

Yun Qingyao took a step to stand beside him, without hesitation or impassion, and simply spoke quietly.

"I believe you."

Mu Tianmiao originally wanted her to stay here, but...

Yuantong hoisted the wooden stick onto his shoulder, still sporting that same carefree expression as if he could use the sky as a blanket even if it fell down.

"This humble monk will not sit idly by and wait to die. Don't even think about leaving me behind, benefactor. You flew so fast just now that I couldn't catch up. This time, you must wait for me!"

Just then, a voice, whose gender was indistinguishable, rang out from behind the crowd.

"I'll go too, count me in."

Mu Tianmiao and the other two looked in the direction of the sound. From the Emperor Hao Royal Court's ranks, a figure with a high ponytail pushed through the crowd and stepped out.

He was tall and slender, with striking features and an undeniable sharpness between his brows.

Dressed in a black and gold outfit, with a narrow-bladed longsword hanging at his waist, his steps were swift and decisive.

It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman; the voice was also androgynous, with a slightly hoarse tone at the end, like the lingering sound of wind blowing across a blade.

As soon as she took a step, a group of servants swarmed around her, grabbing her sleeves and blocking her way while shouting incessantly.

"Your Highness, you absolutely mustn't!"

"If anything were to happen to Your Highness, how could I possibly answer to His Majesty!"

"This journey is extremely dangerous, Your Highness! How can you risk your life like this!"

A group of people were so anxious that their eyes turned red, and some servants even said on the spot that they would live and die with His Highness. The scene was very touching.

Mu Tianmiao watched this scene of deep affection between the emperor and his subject with a dark expression.

He only said it was "possibly" a death sentence, not a death sentence. Why did these people jump straight to the part about giving their last words?

These guys are so unlucky...