Chapter 34: The Fairy of Yaotai Gate
After a moment, Sofia finally changed clothes and, in a small voice, said, "Alright."
Leo turned around to find the girl-size fitted outfit he had prepared for Reina now on Sofia, fitting snugly.
Sofia's beauty was a stark contrast to Reina's beauty.
While Reina was the embodiment of pure and delicate youth, Sofia was the beauty of a girl just beginning to bloom, ripe for picking.
There was a hint of regal quality akin to Reina, but somehow her figure fell short, lacking the same aura. Leo thought to himself.
"Brother, what are you looking at?" Reina queried, looking perplexed.
"Nothing, nothing," Leo quickly averted his gaze, pretending to see nothing.
"The most terrifying first wave of the 'Beast Tide' has already passed; it shouldn't be as dangerous now. We can try moving forward to find Zhong Haoran."
"Sofia, are you coming along?" Leo asked her.
She calmed down and nodded slightly.
The three started to move deeper into the forest, slaying several beasts along the way.
With the pressure of escape lifted, Sofia consumed a few restorative pills; her presence significantly eased Leo's burden of dealing with the beasts.
They encountered a few other cultivators along the way; while Leo wasn't inclined to help, Sofia independently saved them, leaving Leo without a say.
"Thank you, fairy! Thank you, young hero… Isn't that the 'Peach Blossom Fairy'? Thank you so much!"
"Thanks, little fairy! When we return, I'll definitely buy more of your works for my dad, mom, grandparents, uncles, and aunts!"
The two male cultivators rescued from peril bowed multiple times to Leo, completely ignoring the blackening look on his face.
They hurriedly ran away into the wilderness. The opportunity presented by the auspicious beast Baize was terrifying, nearly costing them their lives. As they moved a few meters away, Leo caught snippets of their conversation:
"Isn't it just like the 'Peach Blossom Fairy' to bring two stunning ladies when attempting to seize the opportunity!"
"Yeah, one pure, one mature; they are both exceptional! What a jackpot!"
"Do you think they might be scouting locations for filming…?"
Leo felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth and regretted helping those two.
Reina, of course, heard it too.
She remained wide-eyed, somewhat confused.
She didn't understand what 'Peach Blossom' meant or what a reflective ball was, but it seemed these people recognized her brother.
He really is famous; how impressive!
Reina admired Leo and leaned closer to him, receiving a gentle head pat in response.
Casting a sideways glance at Sofia, he noticed her face was now flushed, her head lowered, and she couldn't speak.
Leo found it amusing, just as he expected...
---
As the trio moved along, they often came across the bodies of cultivators.
None were left intact, all viciously torn apart by the 'Beast Tide.'
Some corpses were even being devoured by ferocious beasts, prompting Sofia to step forward to slay those desecrating the bodies and even arrange the remains to give them an incineration incantation.
Leo chose to ignore the gruesome scenes, quietly leading Reina onward.
The path of cultivation is indeed cruel; vying for opportunities often feels like walking a tightrope where a single mistake could mean death.
Reina took in the gruesome sights around her without any signs of fear, maintaining her calm demeanor throughout.
Perhaps it was the innate strength bestowed upon her by her fairy spirit.
"Sofia, what level of disciple are you in the Yaotai Sect?" Leo asked casually from behind.
Sofia had just slain a beast when she blurted, "I'm currently…" Her crisp voice faltered, abruptly turning her head. "How did you know I was a Yaotai disciple?!" Her elegant brows knitted, her eyes wide with surprise.
"With a lotus throne, a veil covering your face, and a mastery of the Jade Maiden Sword Technique; who wouldn't guess you're a fairy from Yaotai?" Leo shrugged innocently.
Sofia's expression changed, quickly retracting her flying sword, her demeanor tense.
Indeed, she was a disciple of the Yaotai Sect, with a respectable status within!
But due to internal faction struggles, she had been sent by the elders to investigate the Baize's grand opportunity.
Who doesn't know that massive opportunities often accompany great dangers?
The Yaotai Sect mostly has female cultivators; they don't emphasize physical training but rather focus on spirit cultivation, and their teachings are unrelated to beast taming, Hence, she had no relation to this 'Baize' at all.
It was clear that one of the elders wanted to take advantage of her master's downfall to have her eliminated by Mo Xiang!
However, Sofia's pride compelled her not to back down; she had indeed come and was determined to return alive!
At this moment, hearing Leo unearth her true identity made her feel a rush of panic.
As a female cultivator of the Yaotai Sect who had been chosen to ascend the mountain since childhood, she had grown up within the sect and had never seen a man.
The principles demanded her to keep her heart pure like jade. Consequently, the sect's atmosphere was inherently dismissive of men.
That was also why they all wore veils, not wanting their beauty exposed to draw men's unwanted attention!
Yet Leo thought this was a bit self-centered.
Sofia, feeling flustered, didn't know how to respond. To lie would contradict the trust a teammate should embody, but telling the truth might cause unnecessary trouble.
"Just knowing I am a disciple of the Yaotai Sect is enough," Sofia summarized.
"After all, we won't meet again; this may be our only encounter."
Leo smiled and nodded.
"Right."
The trio continued toward the Baize embryo, but Leo found himself drifting back into reflections from a past life.
Little did Sofia know that by the previous life's standards, she and Leo were far more than just passing acquaintances.
In fact, they had nearly become each other's soulmates!
In his previous life, Leo had successfully joined the Justice Alliance and begun cultivating his reputation in the martial world.
Sofia had also carved out her own path!
In the past, she had rapidly improved her cultivation after avenging her persecutors and fellow disciples, ultimately becoming the master of the Yaotai Sect!
As the leader of the sect, she maintained connections with the Justice Alliance, leading to the Deputy Leader of the Justice Alliance and the Master of the Yaotai Sect developing an understanding.
They had secretly met a few times; of course, both were rather reserved since Sofia was still the Master of the Yaotai Sect and could not have a partner.
Their relationship wasn't based on deep feelings or bonds of life and death but focused more on companionship, alleviating their loneliness.
Yet they both found their secret romance quite thrilling and enjoyable.
Watching Sofia stride forward with determined steps, Leo couldn't help but chuckle silently.
To outsiders, Sofia was a true disciple of the Yaotai Sect (a candidate successor), revered and aloof, rarely mixing with the earthly realm.
But Leo knew exactly how secretly wild she could be beneath that cold veneer!
Under that frigid appearance, there lay much desire! Even the previous Leo had found it hard to resist!
"Don't think I don't know who you are!" Leo frowned inwardly; "You definitely watched my reflective ball!"
You mentioned in your previous life that your favorite types were boys around sixteen or seventeen! You even had a storage ring filled with such materials at home!
Sofia had no idea her inner world was entirely laid bare, while she strutted forward with confidence.
---
Beyond the forest, the top experts from the three sects were gathered.
Bai Fang's consciousness swept through the entire mountain but still couldn't find Zhong Haoran's trace!
Even his teammates had already been located; that big guy was dead. The beast tamer was fleeing toward the edge of the mountain. Just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy led another little girl, trailing behind a woman, still heading deeper towards the Baize. Were they also looking for Zhong Haoran?
Bai Fang's thoughts immediately focused on these few people. They were his only hope!
However, among these three, two appeared as teenagers, leaving only one adult; could they be reliable?
One was Golden Core level, one Spirit Attunement level, and one could not be detected; it seemed they were using some sort of formation to hide themselves.
Bai Fang couldn't help but worry whether this trio could successfully locate Zhong Haoran.
Now that the 'Beast Tide' had cleared out the luckless and ineffective cultivators, those passing through to Wuzhifeng were undoubtedly those truly aiming for the Baize embryo!
Therefore, their enemies were not just Mo Xiang and his cadre but each other too!
This is going to be a tricky situation… Bai Fang felt anxious, wishing he could dive in to help.
Less than five miles from them, a man and woman were also approaching this direction.
Even though the man was merely at the Golden Core level, the woman had 'Transcendence level' cultivation!
If they teamed up, they could instantly defeat them!
He thought to himself: 'Don't let them cross paths!'