Chapter 57: Framing Someone (Requesting Monthly Tickets!)

Shao Heng was teleported out of that pure white space. She looked around, cross-referencing her surroundings with the information on the fine silk map.

She was roughly near the Flying Moon Mirror.

Just as Zhao Qingtu had said, the labyrinth actually had eight exits. Before bringing Jiang Feng and his group inside, Shao Heng had already found three of them.

The shattered moon at one location had already been taken by someone else, while the remaining two were both plagued by Yin Ghosts at the peak of the First Realm.

She was alone and lacked strength; her cultivation was still shallow. Previously, she had relied on the external force of the Vine Demon to slay Lu Yao.

Facing Yin Ghosts, even though fire-based spells had a natural suppression against them, they were not something Shao Heng could handle on her own. After much deliberation, she had led a group here, intending to use them to pin down the Yin Ghosts so she could seize the opportunity to take the spoils.

Even now, although Shao Heng could harmonize the three powers of the sun, moon, and stars—allowing her to barely contend with a peak First Realm cultivator—she could not engage in a prolonged battle, or she would surely face defeat.

Furthermore, she could not absorb sunlight within the secret realm; every bit she used was gone forever. This meant this technique could only serve as her ultimate trump card.

"The spiritual energy from that previous shattered moon hasn't been fully refined in my body yet. Adding that to the remaining three... it might be better to enter seclusion for a period to advance my cultivation."

Back in that pure white space, if not for the rules set by the master of the labyrinth, Shao Heng would have had no chance at all to compete with Zhao Qingtu for the [Great Derivation Spirit Refining Art], given his ability to easily trap Jiang Feng and the others.

However, thinking about how she had solved the math problem and obtained the immortal technique just as she caught a glimpse of that male cultivator's exasperated expression made her want to laugh.

Shao Heng headed west.

The fine silk map recorded the gathering places of the shattered moons, and she could use this information in reverse. Shattered moons appeared in areas with dense spiritual energy; therefore, unmarked locations often had lower spiritual concentrations and were less frequented by cultivators. By carefully selecting, she could still find a suitable place for seclusion.

...

A hand pushed aside layers of foliage, revealing a young girl's elegant face.

The Green Carp Demon on Jiang Yunjiang's shoulder leaped out. The carp, which had been quite well-behaved, suddenly opened its mouth to reveal a mouthful of cold, white, sharp teeth, biting fiercely into the stem of the Moon Yin Vine Demon before it.

As the demon art activated, a surge of cyan demonic energy suddenly enveloped the vine demon, rendering it immobile.

At the girl's fingertips, magic power fluctuated with a pure white hue, looking chilling and murderous to anyone who saw it.

As soon as the vine demon was wounded by that white magic power, it felt as if it were being carved by a thousand knives; it cracked inch by inch and exploded on the spot.

"Not bad. This mid-stage First Realm vine demon is no longer your match. Previously, in order to break through to the mid-stage as quickly as possible, you consumed many medicinal pills. Although your foundation remains stable, your magic power still appears somewhat superficial, and your combat strength cannot keep up. Finding demons of similar strength in this secret realm to practice on will allow you to condense your magic power and hone your spells."

Dan Hua's voice reached her ears, but Jiang Yunjiang's expression was not particularly good.

The vine demon was dead. She raised her right hand and rubbed her brow, her face cold.

"I really don't know what Master is thinking. Out of the four disciples, I am the only one with high-grade aptitude. If the [Mystic Void Jade Pivot Thunder Canon] isn't passed to me, who else would it go to? Yet, we are forced to compete for these shattered moons, pitting ourselves against each other to see who gathers more, with the winner gaining the qualification to comprehend the Extraordinary Meridians."

"Those three useless fools—even if they were given the chance to comprehend the Extraordinary Meridians, would they even receive the recognition of the [Mystic Void Jade Pivot Thunder Canon]? Would they even understand it?"

Dan Hua did not interrupt her, merely listening quietly.

Once Jiang Yunjiang had vented her pent-up frustration, she took a deep breath and said, "I apologize for making a scene before you, Senior Dan Hua."

"It matters not; you are still young. You only need to remember that you possess high-grade aptitude and innate divine abilities; all you lack is time for cultivation."

Dan Hua followed by her side and naturally knew that Jiang Yunjiang's luck was staggering. Since entering the secret realm—following the map provided by the deduction technique performed by True Monarch Tianbai—it had only been a little over ten days, yet she had already discovered shattered moons in three different locations, without a single trip being wasted due to someone else having taken them first.

However, her strength was only at the mid-stage of the First Realm. Whenever there was a conflict with other cultivators, she would inevitably fall into a disadvantage. Even with great effort and various methods, she had only managed to seize two shattered moons so far.

Jiang Yunjiang calmed her mind, telling herself not to be impatient.

She spoke to Dan Hua through her mind: "Senior Dan Hua, since I entered this secret realm, I have felt as if something has been calling to me. I thought it might be some kind of guiding illusion, but even after repeatedly checking myself with the [Heart-Confusing Pupils], I haven't found anything unusual."

"I wonder if Senior Dan Hua has any insight?"

Dan Hua pondered for a moment before answering, "With your divine abilities, you are naturally immune to most illusions. If we rule that out, it is likely that a legacy site within this secret realm has chosen you."

There were many legacies left by great experts within the Profound Moon Secret Realm; this was information they had investigated before entering.

"And for it to be able to choose you, the legacy site must have acquired a sliver of intelligence, which signifies that it is extremely extraordinary."

Hearing this, a hint of joy finally appeared on Jiang Yunjiang's face.

She lowered her head, her purple eyes shimmering.

In truth, she was still hiding part of the information: Jiang Yunjiang felt that the calling was extremely intimate. If she had to find a word to describe it, it was like being in a mother's embrace.

"That legacy site should offer benefits far beyond my imagination."

Just as she was thinking this, a group of three people suddenly approached from a distance.

One of them, a burly man, immediately showed a menacing expression upon seeing her.

"Shao Heng! Don't you run! Just you wait!"

Jiang Yunjiang immediately looked around.

Shao Heng?

Where was Shao Heng?

She saw the burly man clenching his golden fists, charging toward her to strike.

Jiang Yunjiang understood instantly. Her brows furrowed tightly as her body moved like a wandering crane, dodging rapidly while she shouted loudly

"My name is Jiang Yunjiang, the true disciple under True Monarch Tianbai of the Inner Sect!"

However, Yu Wen was naturally reckless. Seeing that this woman's appearance and magic power level matched, he assumed she was talking nonsense. His golden fists swung with ferocious force, breaking through several of Jiang Yunjiang's afterimages.

Jiang Yunjiang had only recently broken through, and her magic power was only slightly over three hundred cauldrons. Yu Wen, however, was a late-stage cultivator with over eight hundred cauldrons. The massive gap in magic power meant she could not dodge in time; a punch struck her left shoulder, causing her internal breath to surge and making her cough up blood.

"Stop!" A woman in a long dress rushed over—it was Bai Hong, who immediately blocked Yu Wen from continuing his attack.

The remaining person was, of course, Jiang Feng. He looked at Jiang Yunjiang cautiously and asked, "Are you truly not Shao Heng?"

Jiang Yunjiang wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and managed to force a smile.

"My name is Jiang Yunjiang. I have been in the sect for half a year and do not know many senior brothers or sisters."

Jiang Feng's pupils constricted, and Bai Hong, holding Yu Wen's left arm, also looked grim.

They were communicating rapidly via voice transmission: "Although this female cultivator's magic power is also at the mid-stage of the First Realm, her aura is completely different. She shouldn't be practicing the [Foundation Cultivation Qi-Nurturing Art]. In my perception, her aura is extremely sharp and extraordinary; it's likely only a mid-grade cultivation method could produce such a result."

"We must have truly mistaken her for someone else!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Yunjiang's thoughts were racing.

"Shao Heng must be framing me... Did she disguise herself to look like me?!"