Bone-Broken Vine Water Bell

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On Sanxian Island, Qi Yuan found a hidden landing point and moved in quietly.

As long as he didn't get too close to the nest of a sleeping level eight monster, it wouldn't be too sensitive.

But how was he supposed to find the clue for forming an infant?

He couldn't just release a puppet to plow the land...

"Little brother, come and look over here."

Zhou Yuan called softly, standing under a thousand-year-old tree. She seemed to have noticed something.

Qi Yuan took three quick steps over and immediately saw a skeleton leaning against the trunk, a mysterious paper clutched in its hand. It seemed important.

The clue to forming an infant pointed to the northern cliff of Sanxian Island.

He hadn't expected it to be related to such a key breakthrough.

Qi Yuan's expression shifted. It felt like divine intervention.

Zhou Yuan, reading the writing on the paper, was also pleased.

Once they got what they needed to form an infant, they could leave the Sanhuan Sea immediately.

Even after all these years, returning to this cursed place still felt oppressive.

Qi Yuan dug a shallow pit and buried the bones, but didn't bother with a tombstone. He didn't know the name of the deceased, so there was no point writing anything.

Besides, in this monster-infested Sanhuan Sea, a tombstone was useless.

To the north cliff.

Qi Yuan confirmed the direction and quietly made his way there with his sister-in-law Zhou Yuan.

They skirted past three or four monster nests and successfully reached the northern area.

On a steep cliff, they found a small cave.

He extended his divine sense inside—no sign of any monster's presence.

But there was a corpse inside.

It hadn't decayed after all these years. That was strange.

Qi Yuan took out a moonstone to light up the cave. He turned and looked at Zhou Yuan, her face pale and cold in the soft light.

"Sister-in-law, the corpse may be a trap. Prepare any treasures you have that protect the soul."

"I don't have anything like that..." Zhou Yuan said awkwardly.

Qi Yuan paused, then handed her his black oil-paper umbrella.

He had the Chaos Cauldron to protect his soul. Anyone wanting to possess his body would have to get through that first.

"This won't work. Let's stay under the umbrella together," Zhou Yuan suggested. She was nervous at first, but thought better of it. They had already huddled under the umbrella when passing through the white mist earlier, so doing it again was fine.

"Alright."

Qi Yuan raised the black oil-paper umbrella to shield them both. He handed the moonstone to Zhou Yuan, who used it to light their surroundings.

The cave was damp. Aside from the dripping water, only their footsteps echoed in the silence.

Soon, Qi Yuan reached the corpse, all while catching whiffs of Zhou Yuan's faint, sweet scent.

The body looked like that of a middle-aged woman. Her appearance was plain, but there was a strange orange wound on her face. She wore a light yellow robe, and there was no storage bag at her waist.

But in her arms was something green—several vine roots.

Bone-breaking vine.

Qi Yuan recognized it at once by its overwhelming medicinal scent and spiritual energy. He crouched down in delight, reaching for it...

Wait. So many years had passed, yet the bone-breaking vine still had spiritual energy despite not being rooted?

Something was wrong.

Qi Yuan shivered. His soul snapped back to alertness. He pulled Zhou Yuan back a few steps.

Suddenly, the female corpse's eyes snapped open, brimming with deathly energy. Her body flipped with inhuman speed, hands morphing into claws with long black nails that slashed toward Qi Yuan's face.

A Jindan stage ghost corpse.

She must've harbored strong resentment in life. After death, it lingered and turned her into a vengeful spirit occupying this corpse.

But the monsters on Sanxian Island didn't detect her presence?

A Yuanying-level consciousness shouldn't be this negligent.

This cave wasn't naturally shielded—anyone scanning the island should have noticed.

A trap. Set by a monster.

The skeleton's message must've been bait.

They were being fished.

Qi Yuan's palm shot out from his wide sleeve, glowing with green flames, and struck the ghost corpse's claws.

In an instant, the Burning God Green Fire surged into the corpse, incinerating the spirit.

The corpse collapsed into ash.

It lacked intelligence—it couldn't hide. Ancestors who practiced with the Qingjian flame knew this well.

Zhou Yuan blinked. "Little brother, does that mean the bone-breaking vine is gone?"

"There's still hope. No need to hide anymore—come out and talk," Qi Yuan said, staring into the darkness.

Someone else was there?

Zhou Yuan immediately raised her guard. Her magic weapon lit up with power.

Qi Yuan gently said, "Sister-in-law, put it away. We can't defeat them, not even together. We can only talk."

"Well said, human cultivator."

A figure slowly stepped from the shadows. She had wild black hair, a delicate and graceful face, cold dark eyes, and soft lips. Her body, lean and slender, was only covered by simple cloth over vital areas.

She looked like a pure wildling.

But Qi Yuan didn't dare laugh. She was clearly at least an eighth-level monster. One wrong word and he'd be dust.

Zhou Yuan looked stunned. She couldn't see through the woman's aura, and her expression froze.

Qi Yuan spoke solemnly. "What should we call you?"

"A name... I haven't really thought about it. Just call me Shui Lingdang."

She touched a small bell at her waist as she answered.

Qi Yuan bowed. "Senior Shui, we're just here to find a spiritual herb. We have no intention of disturbing your cultivation."

"You mean this?" Shui Lingdang said with a playful smile, pulling a piece of green vine from behind her. Its veins resembled human bones.

Bone-losing vine.

Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Since it belongs to you, we'll be on our way and won't bother you further."

He began to retreat slowly.

"Stop. Did I say you could leave?"

An icy pressure locked onto Qi Yuan and Zhou Yuan. If they moved, she would kill them.

Qi Yuan forced a calm smile. "Senior, if you have any request, I'll do my best to fulfill it."

He just hoped she didn't want to keep him for company.

A Yuanying-level monster could drain him dry.

Shui Lingdang smiled thoughtfully. "Take me out of here, and I'll give you the vine. I won't kill you."

She casually tossed the bone-breaking vine to Qi Yuan, as if it were a weed.

If the group of Jindan cultivators outside saw that, they'd be furious enough to cry blood.

Take her out? Weren't monsters free to leave the Three Illusionary Sea?

Qi Yuan caught the vine and thought quickly. "The three-colored aurora only affects human cultivators. It should be nothing for someone like you to leave."

"To be honest, that annoying aurora and a restriction in this world really do trap me," Shui Lingdang said coldly, her face darkening with disgust.

What? A Yuanying-stage monster trapped, yet asking for help from a mere Jindan cultivator?

Qi Yuan frowned, puzzled, hoping she would explain further.

(End of Chapter)