Chapter 23

They could travel much faster than before due to the dragon eagles . Within half a day, they had already traveled thousands of miles .

Qiu Baili did not plan to stop when they did but to continue ahead .

He needed to return to the Hidden Sword Sect soon, so he intended to bring Zhou Xuanji and Little Jiang Xue to a safe place .

This was all he could do for them . The future will be in their own hands .

They traveled for seven consecutive days .

They circled around to Gulan Forest, which was on the other side of the Southern Snow Kingdom .

Gulan Forest was the most prominent mountain range in the peripheral of the Southern Snow Kingdom . There were countless demons, and it was a training ground for many cultivators .

They landed in a valley that was covered by mountain ranges in three directions . They were covered above by a thick canopy, so no one could spy on them from above . The entrance to the valley was quite narrow and was covered with a dense fog, so no one could observe the situation within the valley .

At the entrance, there was a stele . On the stele, there were nine stone pieces in the shape of a half-moon .

Qiu Baili led Zhou Xuanji and Little Jiang Xue toward it . Standing in front of the stele, he instructed them, “I have put protections in the valley . Intruders will be attacked by miasma, and their bodies will be paralyzed . Weak cultivators will die on the spot . Therefore, you must remember the sequence of the switch . ”

Zhou Xuanji nodded and said, “Let’s begin . I can remember everything I see . ”

Qiu Baili started immediately . He moved all nine stone switches, though the direction and curves were all different . For every switch he moved, he would pause for a moment to let Zhou Xuanji and Little Jiang Xue remember .

Once the energy mechanism was opened, the miasma at the entrance of the valley dissipated quickly .

Zhou Xuanji moved over and tried the mechanism a few times, watching the miasma come back and dissipate again .

He suddenly thought of a question, a very important question .

“Will we use up the miasma?”

Qiu Baili rubbed his head and answered him with a smile, “Don’t worry, the miasma comes from within the mountain . I have planted many types of unique herbs, which will be enough for hundreds of years of usage . Based on your characters, I’m sure you will be out of here within twenty years . ”

Zhou Xuanji heard him and was relieved .

He activated the mechanism again and held Little Jiang Xue’s hand and led her inside .

After they circled the pathway at the entrance, they saw a new part of the mechanism .

Based on his calculation, the path the mechanism affected was thirty meters long . There were many demon corpses accumulated along the way .

The space on the inside of the valley was much more open . There was a building, and before the building was a lake . The lake water so clear that one could see through to the bottom . There were small fish swimming in the water, and the mountain walls were full of algae and other types of plants, which made it feel somewhat like a paradise .

“Wahh!”

Little Jiang Xue cried in surprise . She pulled Zhou Xuanji along and ran over immediately .

Ah Big and Small Er started to play catch as well .

Qiu Baili stroked his long beard, and laughed with pride, “Back then, I spent a month tidying up this place . ”

However, Zhou Xuanji and Little Jiang Xue did not hear him . They were already wandering around .

Ever cautious, he began to inspect the entire valley, just in case some powerful demons or venomous insects were hiding .

Fortunately, there wasn’t any hidden danger in the valley .

Now, they could finally settle down .

At night, they could see the moon and stars through the gaps between the tree leaves . Even though they had no oil lamp, the moonlight could light up the valley .

Zhou Xuanji constructed a swing, on which he and Little Jiang Xue sat and swung on as they looked into the night sky .

“This place is good . I hope we don’t need to be on the run again . ”

Little Jiang Xue hugged Zhou Xuanji and chuckled . Zhou Xuanji was very uncomfortable and he felt like he was being squeezed to death . However, Little Jiang Xue was not willing to let go, and naturally, he did not want to force his way out .

He was too strong, and there was no way Little Jiang Xue could withstand his strength .

This girl is overly-attached to him .

She thought he was her toy!

Zhou Xuanji twisted his upper body and changed to a comfortable position, and then said, “Wait until I’m grown up, I will bring you to human cities and we’ll live in a big house . ”

He had already become a Foundation Building cultivator, so he could have a comfortable life in any empire .

However, he had to wait for a few more years . He could venture out only after the Empress was convinced that he died .

It had only been four years, which was a very short amount of time for the Great Zhou Empire .

“This place is not bad either . ”

Little Jiang Xue mumbled in a low voice .

Ever since she met Shen Hua and the Yellow Gust Seventeen Fiends, she felt that humans were more terrifying than demons .

Zhou Xuanji comforted her, saying, “Don’t worry . Even if we go back in the future, no one will dare to bully us!”

A little further away, Qiu Baili was sitting on a tree beside the lake and cultivating . His brows slightly knitted .

He heard a glimmer of killing intent in Zhou Xuanji’s tone .

Who does this kid want to kill?

He was unsure whether it is a blessing or a misfortune for him to harbor a desire for vengeance in his heart at such a young age .

Qiu Baili was a little worried . He even had a premonition that the world would change because of Zhou Xuanji .

During the two months that followed, Zhou Xuanji brought Little Jiang Xue out for adventure every day, to allow Little Jiang Xue to try battling .

At night, Qiu Baili would teach Little Jiang Xue some simple spells, such as Fireball, Water Propelling, Wind Summoning, and so on .

Soon, Little Jiang Xue broke through to the fifth level of Qi Nurturing .

Zhou Xuanji did not have a breakthrough, but his strength had increased significantly . According to Qiu Baili’s estimation, the little monster’s strength had reached a thousand and seven hundred pounds . If he were to activate the Golden Body Incantation, his strength would increase even further .

Today, Qiu Baili was preparing to leave .

At the entrance to the valley, Zhou Xuanji asked him, “Why are you leaving earlier than you said you would?”

Qiu Baili stroked his long beard and smiled . He was dressed in a white robe, as though he was an immortal that had already attained mastery in the Way . He looked at him and said, “If I don’t leave, how can you be fully focused on your cultivation?”

Zhou Xuanji grinned and did not reply to him .

With Qiu Baili around, it was not a good idea for him to take out all his legendary swords .

One must keep their trump cards hidden .

“I have already told you all that I need to, so I will not nag anymore . Just one thing . ”

Qiu Baili rubbed Little Jiang Xue’s head, and his face appeared benevolent . He turned his gaze to Zhou Xuanji and said, “You must stay vigilant . ”

After he said that, he turned and left .

A sword flew out from his sleeves and revolved around his body until it stopped in front of him . He leaped and landed on the sword with ease .

“Zhou Xuanji, I hope that when we meet next, your name will have already shaken the world . Don’t tell others about our relationship . ”

Shwoooosh —

Qiu Baili left, flying on his sword and quickly disappearing into the deep parts of the forest .

Little Jiang Xue’s eyes were red with tears that trickled down .

Zhou Xuanji also felt like his eyes were itching . This old guy was quite a nice person .

He understood what Qiu Baili meant by his last sentence . He did not say that because he disliked Zhou Xuanji .

He was worried that he would become a barrier to Zhou him .

Zhou Xuanji had no parents, and he only had Little Jiang Xue with him . Qiu Baili knew that he will be extraordinary in the future . He did not wish to become one of his weaknesses .

Zhou Xuanji heaved a long sigh and switched the mechanism . The miasma came back again .

“Woooo–”

At a distance, Ah Big spread its wing and cried, with Small Er following behind it .

Zhou Xuanji nudged Little Jiang Xue with his shoulder and said with a smile, “Sister, let’s go . I want to eat roasted rabbit tonight!”

Little Jiang Xue tears turned into laughter . She rolled her eyes at Zhou Xuanji and replied, “Rabbits are so cute, which means roasted ones do not taste good, let’s cook rabbit soup instead . ”

“No, do what I say!”

Zhou Xuanji said with a wide grin . His hand moved, and the Frost Wave Sword appeared before him . He leaped and landed on the Frost Wave Sword, then reached out to Little Jiang Xue .

Little Jiang Xue pouted and looked reluctant, but she still reached out with her hand .

Give me your hand, and follow me to the ends of the world .