Chapter 684: Qin Shili’s Tight Spot

Chapter 684: Qin Shili’s Tight Spot

In the snow-covered, icy expanse of Ziyuan Mountain, Liu Shuqin trudged through the blinding white snow, her eyes obscured by the frost.

The snowy ground was indeed treacherous, each step a struggle.

With a little help from Spirit Technique, she managed to keep moving, avoiding being buried under collapsing snowballs or sinking into the depths of the snow.

Though it was bright and sunny outside, this place felt like a bizarre winter wonderland.

It was as if there was a Barrier separating the inside from the outside; upon entering, she had stepped into a new world filled with dark skies and swirling snowflakes, resembling a true winter realm.

“What on earth is happening here?”

As she walked, Liu Shuqin pondered. Using the methods taught by her master, she reasoned that since this weather wasn’t natural, someone must have caused it intentionally, and she needed to trace the source through the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

However, the spiritual energy in this snowy field was chaotic and hard to pinpoint, leaving her aimlessly wandering, unsure of her path.

“If it were Junior Martial Brother, what would he do?”

Liu Shuqin kept thinking about Lin Nuo. If only he were here—he would have found the source in no time, instead of being lost like her.

After a long search and no sign of anything, not even traces of mountain beasts, she started to feel a bit cold. She stumbled upon a cave and decided to rest briefly before figuring out another plan.

At that moment, Han Fairy was also using her Spirit Detection Technique to trace the source. Her method was much more refined than Liu Shuqin’s; she followed her instincts and raced in one direction.

At first, everything went smoothly. The more she walked, the more confident she felt about finding the source, and an idea began to form. This must be related to her missing junior disciple.

If the raging snowstorm were indeed triggered by the potential burst of her junior disciple’s Ice Spiritual Root, it would not be out of the question.

If that were the case, and outsiders believed it was the work of her junior disciple disrupting the people, then her reputation would take a massive hit.

Quickly, she had to find the source before it was too late.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the valley, Qin Shili knew that her master Han Fairy had arrived at Ziyuan Mountain and was rushing in her direction.

Her master coming here was serious business. If discovered, she’d be facing a world of embarrassment.

It’s better to relocate; Ziyuan Mountain was vast with plenty of places to hide.

But this was hardly a foolproof plan, as her master was searching for the source through spiritual energy fluctuations, so she would eventually be detected while moving, and Han Fairy would catch up.

What—was she really going to fight her?

Leaving was better than sitting still.

Qin Shili moved away from her original spot, only to stumble into another problem.

Master Cong was on his way.

This was another big headache. Getting caught by him would be far worse than being discovered by Han Fairy. If revealed, she’d gain a reputation as a Demon, causing her a serious public relations crisis. Being hunted by righteous cultivators would be terrible.

Stuck between two threats, how on earth could she escape? Surely one of them would discover her!

Was she really going to fight them?

Facing her master was daunting. Yet, if pushed, she would have to break through.

Her techniques were known to Han Fairy; if it came to a fight, she wouldn’t stand a chance. But perhaps, confronting Master Cong might allow her to slip away.

Qin Shili pulled on her hood and took out a silver face mask to conceal her identity, preparing to go toe-to-toe with Master Cong.

Just then, she noticed the spiritual energy field had shifted, its vibrations wildly disturbed.

What was going on?

She couldn’t grasp the reason, but the sudden disruption caused Master Cong to change course and not head in her direction.

Relieved, she seized the moment to relocate.

Time to go.

Qin Shili quickly made her escape, distancing herself from the previous location to avoid being caught by Han Fairy.

Meanwhile, Master Cong found a moment’s pause but didn’t locate the source, filled with confusion.

“What’s happening? This shouldn’t be, by rights it should be here. But it’s not.”

Master Cong stroked his long beard, deep in thought.

“Mm? Is someone meddling? Han Fairy?”

He immediately suspected Han Fairy, believing she intentionally obstructed him.

“It must be her.”

Maybe she was nearby.

He scanned the surroundings, trying to sense the spiritual energy. If it was Han Fairy, he should have detected her.

But it was hidden; he didn’t catch anything.

Maybe she had left.

“Ah, Han Fairy, clever of you. If I find your junior disciple causing trouble, I won’t be giving you any face.”

Master Cong was a bit irritated. He needed to search quickly, determined to find the source before Han Fairy did.

Meanwhile, a young man was observing from the shadows, retracting the spiritual tool in his hand.

Finding it wouldn’t be so easy.

……

Qin Shili had retreated for the moment, yet her situation wasn’t looking good either. More and more cultivators were arriving at Ziyuan Mountain, all claiming to be there to relieve the people’s suffering and eager to uncover the source.

She made her way to the back of the mountain, where she found a cave with a long passage. She decided to enter and hide for a bit. There was another path heading outside, allowing for an escape route if needed.

But this was not a long-term solution; eventually, she’d be exposed.

She hurriedly found a spot to meditate. Now was her last hope—she needed to concentrate and suppress her demonic power.

As she sat cross-legged, eyes closed in deep cultivation, her mind was more chaotic than before, making focus nearly impossible.

Someone was coming?

Due to her intense meditation and the weakness of the visitors’ aura, her sensitivity dropped, and she only sensed the approaching presence at the last moment.

No, it looked like there were already cultivators inside the cave.

This time, luck wasn’t on her side; as she prepared to leave, she encountered two cultivators.

From the looks of their Taoist robes, they were disciples of Master Cong. The spiritual energy fluctuations caused by Qin Shili had disturbed them, prompting their investigation.

Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon a cloaked girl.

She was emanating a chilling aura, a powerful presence mixed with demonic energy.

With long swords drawn, they instinctively took her for the source.

Master Cong had warned them to avoid unnecessary fights and to save what they could before retreating.

They quickly saved the moment and dashed for the exit, moving as fast as they could.

Their movements were swift, making a beeline for the cave entrance.

Qin Shili planned to use her technique to freeze the cave, ensuring they couldn’t escape.

But at that moment, she hesitated. She couldn’t control her demonic power entirely—if she froze the cave, the cultivators would perish within.

In doing so, she’d be committing murder against her own sect, no different from a demon cultivator.

Just as she hesitated, the two cultivators were almost out of the cave.

They were ready to report back to their master with significant findings!

But they didn’t expect dark projectiles to fly in from the side, hitting them and rendering their bodies numb.

In an instant, a Black Shadow swooped in, blades glimmering.

With a slash, blood splattered.

It was swift and decisive, with not a hint of hesitation.