CHAPTER 368
An Unexpected Beginning
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Dongfang Jue wore a tiger-head hat identical to Li Shiyao's. Ye Qinghan, being a snow fox, felt no chill, but the two beside him were already shivering uncontrollably.
"Sis… Sis… Sis… Sis… Sis…"
"Master, Master, what are we supposed to find? It's freezing out here in the middle of the night!"
Li Shiyao wore her tiger-head hat, bundled in a wool coat with thermal lining.her lower body layered with cotton pants under fleece pants, fleece pants under thermal pants, thermal pants under knit pants, knit pants under long underwear, topped off with cowhide wool gloves and sturdy snow boots. Bundled up from head to toe, she’d become a little chubby ball—looked like she couldn’t even squat down!
"Huuu… Haaah…" Li Shiyao rubbed her small hands together. She really didn't know either: "Just follow along, senior sister knows best."
Dongfang Jue tightened her coat with a resigned expression and simply followed forward.
They hadn't taken a few steps when a familiar voice called out: "Where are the three senior sisters headed?"
Ye Qinghan turned with a cold expression. Sure enough, it was none other than Su Muchan.
"Junior Sister Muchan, Senior Sister Qinghan is here on Master's orders. You understand what I mean, right?"
Su Muchan froze in shock. She'd hoped Ye Qinghan's attitude toward her would improve after she became her disciple, but that look… it seemed to despise her even more!
Why was this happening?
This shouldn't be happening!
Ye Qinghan said no more, simply continuing on toward Mùjīn Mountain.
However, the two junior sisters behind Ye Qinghan seemed considerably more approachable.
"Little Mu Chan, aren't you cold?"
Li Shiyao glanced at Su Muchan, who was even exposing her thighs and lower abdomen at the moment—looking every bit as bold as their eldest senior sister!
Su Muchan smiled faintly. "Cold, but I won't say so."
Dongfang Jue paid it no mind, merely issuing a warning.
"Su Muchan, since you've taken me as your master, Jue'er won't treat you as an outsider. But don't say I didn't warn you—don't mess with your senior sister tonight. She might just kill someone for real."
Su Muchan: ?
Starting with the peak competition?
But seeing the serious expressions on both senior sisters' faces, Su Muchan swallowed hard and nodded.
"Alright, I understand. But why did all three of you come all the way to the Northern Realm so late?"
Li Shiyao pouted. "Master sent us to find something. Senior Sister even signed a military pledge with Master, saying that if we don't find it, the three of us won't be allowed back…"
Shiyao thought to herself, she only learned about this pledge after arriving in the North!
Still, Su Muchan understood this was Su Cheng's order.
Though she found it hard to believe such an order came from Su Cheng himself, she decided to follow along regardless.
"But Su Muchan, what are you doing tagging along?" Dongfang Jue wondered silently, when had this person caught up?
Su Muchan casually made up an excuse, figuring her two senior sisters would understand anyway.
"Hehe, I was just out taking a leak when I saw the three senior sisters flying out on your swords. Thought I'd tag along and see the world~"
Su Muchan had assumed her two senior sisters wouldn't mind her tagging along, but unexpectedly, Li Shiyao spoke up.
"Muchen, this isn't a leisure trip. Just look at Senior Sister's expression—this is no joke."
"Also, you'd better not say things like that to Senior Sister. She's a straight shooter. If you claim to be fasting, she'll beat you until you shit yourself. If you say you haven't peed, she'll beat you until you wet yourself~"
Su Muchan nodded awkwardly, promising to behave and not trouble the three senior sisters. Only then did Li Shiyao agree to bring her along.
Ye Qinghan remained silent. Li Shiyao was a woman of her word. Since she'd agreed to bring Su Muchan along, Dongfang Jue wouldn't dare contradict his second senior sister or court trouble for himself.
Besides, Dongfang Jue suspected that at this rate, Su Muchan would inevitably become her junior sister sooner or later…
As the four drew closer to Mùjīn Mountain, Ye Qinghan unfurled her sword formation. Clearing the blizzard, she simultaneously charted a path for the group.
"Shiyao, lead the way!"
Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyu's coordination grew increasingly seamless. Once Ye Qinghan mapped out the path forward, she dispatched Li Shiyu as the frontline tank to scout ahead.
"Got it, Senior Sister!"
Though Li Shiyu wore an expression of annoyance at the hassle, she didn't hesitate for a moment upon hearing her senior sister's call. Instantly, she summoned the Chaos Bell, its golden light enveloping the group in an instant.
"Jue'er, follow Shiyu and protect your second senior sister. I'll cover the rear."
"Got it."
Ye Qinghan didn't know if this place was as dangerous as their master had described, but no necessary preparations could be overlooked.
Ye Qinghan's divine sense detected no unusual disturbances in the surroundings. However, if Xu Zhanfeng's words held true, the three of them clearly hadn't entered the area with spatial anomalies yet.
"We can proceed, Senior Sister."
The Godslayer Spear appeared, the jet-black lance slung across her back. She followed behind Li Shiyuo, extending her divine sense to probe the surrounding situation.
Su Muchan, anticipating this outcome, could only trail behind Ye Qinghan, who brought up the rear. There was simply no place for her in this trio.
As they slowly approached the Golden Sunset Mountain, it unfolded exactly as Xu Zhanfeng had described—as if space itself had been replaced. Just moments ago, it had been night, yet with a single step forward, it transformed into a vast, cloudless sky.
The towering snow-capped mountains instantly flattened into a plain.
Yet calling it a plain was inaccurate—the scent of death hung heavy here.
"Senior Sister, up ahead…"
"Keep moving forward. Stay close. Jue'er, watch the flanks."
The trio advanced cautiously. Yet neither Ye Qinghan nor Su Cheng could have imagined that this journey would nearly cost them all three disciples.
What awaited the three direct disciples ahead was not a powerful enemy, but one lie after another—a reality they were powerless to resist.
Advancing with utmost caution, they soon realized this was neither an illusion nor a secret realm.
The plants beneath their feet, the sunlight upon their skin, and the very air they breathed were all tangibly real.
This was not another world projected onto this one; rather, the three disciples had entered another realm from that very instant.
It was like drawing two circles of similar size on opposite sides of a blank sheet of paper.
Left as they were, the two circles would never touch.
But if the paper were folded in half, the circles would have a high probability of meeting.
Think of the paper as space, the circles as two distinct worlds. By folding the space, the two worlds gain overlapping regions.
This concept is not difficult to grasp. Ye Qinghan could also achieve small-scale spatial folding using magical artifacts, much like Yu Lan's Earth-grade lower-tier Instantaneous Movement Mirror.
However, the current situation was caused by the influence of the positioning anchor point, resulting in such a large-scale anomalous phenomenon.
Yet the three direct disciples clearly hadn't grasped this point—or rather, it lay beyond their comprehension.
Ye Qinghan had pieced together a rough guess: if this wasn't deliberate, then the positioning anchor point their master sought was most likely nearby.
It resembled a collapsed, abandoned palace, its crumbling walls adorned with multicolored murals. Yet, weathered beyond recognition, their original depictions were now indistinguishable.
"Senior Sister, Shiyu has a bad feeling about this place…"
Li Shiyu slowed to a halt as the "little train" approached the ruins shrouded in black mist, coming to a gentle stop.
Su Muchan remained silent, but she hadn't expected Ye Qinghan to not scold Li Shiyu for her timidity. Instead, he earnestly asked both junior sisters for their opinions.
"Shiyao, Juer, what do you think?"
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