Chapter 96: The Early-Death White Moonlight in a Cultivation Novel (Part 27)

The moment her figure vanished, Zhou Yanxi caught a glimpse of a fierce-looking Nascent Soul-stage demonic cultivator in the distance. Inwardly, she couldn't help but think: Thank goodness Bi'er reacted quickly and warned me—otherwise, I'd have been dead for sure.

The teleportation talisman transported her to another island, and upon spotting the distinctive Blue Moonflower growing there, she immediately recognized it as Blue Moon Island of the Endless Sea.

Luckily, there were no other cultivators nearby. Otherwise, her sudden appearance would've made her an easy target for looting.

Although she had narrowly escaped pursuit, she figured that her appearance and spiritual aura had likely already been locked onto by the enemy.

This realization made Zhou Yanxi's expression cloud over. Her appearance could be changed with a Thousand Illusions Mask, but her spiritual aura was another story—and a serious concern.

"Big Sis, Bi'er can help you change your aura! Don't worry about it—I've got you covered!"

"Bi'er, you can do that? That's amazing. But… wait… you're not reading my mind right now, are you?"

"Mhm, for now, yes. Only once your cultivation surpasses mine will you be able to block your thoughts from me. But don't worry! I'm not trying to eavesdrop—I'll always ask for permission first!"

Good grief, there was that kind of restriction too. Cultivation, huh? She'd definitely double down on her training—she had to surpass this little creature sooner rather than later.

Afterward, Zhou Yanxi found a secluded area and set up the isolation formation her father had given her. The first thing she did was: change her clothing and facial features, while Bi'er altered her spiritual aura.

Her caution wasn't unfounded. Zhou Yanxi had openly fled with a Heavenly Flame in front of demonic cultivator Chen Yuan—leaving him utterly humiliated.

As a result, Chen Yuan mobilized disciples from Blood Fiend Sect, instructing them to covertly track Zhou Yanxi's whereabouts.

At the same time, Zhou Yanxi's spiritual energy was violently surging, and she had to desperately suppress the spike in power caused by forming a soul contract with Bi'er.

Her cultivation had already been on the verge of breaking through, and now, infused with Bi'er's pure elemental energy, it was skyrocketing at an alarming speed—threatening to push her into the next major realm at any moment.

But if she broke through now, it would ruin her plans to enter the Langhuan Secret Realm, which prohibited cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage.

So she had no choice but to repeatedly suppress the overwhelming spiritual energy.

Eventually, Zhou Yanxi managed to stabilize her cultivation at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

This intense internal battle lasted three full days and nights. What she didn't know was that, in the meantime, after Chen Yuan's disciples failed to track her down, he recorded her appearance and aura onto jade slips—and distributed them to many cultivators across the Endless Sea.

His goal was to make her a public enemy.

At the same time, True Lord Chongyuan, currently in Endless City, also received the news. At first, he was relieved that the male image on the jade slip wasn't his daughter's real face.

But the moment he saw that Chen Yuan, that old bastard, had also included her aura, he could no longer sit still.

After all, Heavenly Flames are rare, and in the cultivation world, within the first three months of bonding, if someone could kill the flame's current master, they would then have a chance to recontract the flame for themselves.

So once news spread that a previously unknown Foundation Establishment cultivator had formed a contract with the newly emerged Heavenly Flame in the Endless Sea, cultivators swarmed to seize the opportunity.

Especially those with fire spiritual roots—how could they resist? This was a once-in-a-thousand-years chance. Many joined the hunt, but all came back empty-handed.

Meanwhile, Chongyuan could only watch the traffic at Endless City's port, hoping to catch even a glimpse of his daughter.

He didn't dare leave by boat to search—the Endless Sea was simply too vast. He feared that if he went out, he might miss her coming in.

Over time, a rumor began circulating in Endless City: a Gold Core-stage fool stood at the docks all day doing nothing but staring at the ocean.

People guessed that Chongyuan had lost someone to the sea, and had since become a hopeless wreck.

—

Back on Blue Moon Island, after stabilizing her cultivation, Zhou Yanxi didn't set out immediately. Instead, she foraged the island while waiting for the bi-monthly merchant ship to pass through—so she could catch a ride.

Mainly because flight was restricted in the Endless Sea—only Nascent Soul and above were allowed to fly.

Weaker cultivators who used flying tools were often swatted down by sea beasts like flies.

So the majority of people traveled by spiritual sea vessels, which were cheap and relatively safe—unless one encountered a rare storm like last time.

During her wait, several rogue cultivators noticed her decent strength and tried to recruit her into their teams.

Zhou Yanxi politely declined all of them. Isn't hoarding all the loot for yourself better than sharing?

Due to the high population and prying eyes on Blue Moon Island, she didn't go all-out like she did in the Shuangzi Secret Realm. Instead, she focused on collecting higher-grade spiritual herbs.

A few fools tried to ambush her—and ended up being robbed in return. Occasionally, Bi'er wanted to step in to help.

This dangerous notion was something Zhou Yanxi talked her out of with great effort. She couldn't afford to blow her cover again and be hunted—especially since she only had one escape talisman left.

If Bi'er weren't still mentally immature, Zhou Yanxi would've suspected it was trying to get her killed.

Time flew by, and soon the day came when cultivators could board the merchant ship. Zhou Yanxi chose a mid-range cabin—not too flashy, but private enough.

Looking out through the window at the vast, undulating Endless Sea, Zhou Yanxi fell into deep thought:She had been in this world for almost five years, and so many things remained vivid in her memory. This was without a doubt her most thrilling mission yet...

—

Five days later, the merchant ship docked at the port. At the same time, many cultivators were inspecting arrivals under orders to search for a fugitive.

Zhou Yanxi scoffed inwardly: Go ahead and search. Even if you flip the Endless Sea upside down, you'll find nothing.

Sure enough, she walked straight past the inspection team, and not a single person associated her with the person who had contracted the Heavenly Flame.

Once she stepped onto the Endless City dock, Zhou Yanxi immediately sent a message to her father and senior brother, arranging to meet at Guest Cloud Inn.

In fact, she had already spotted her father at the port, but since her appearance and aura had been altered, it wouldn't be appropriate to reunite in public.

Eventually, she and her father successfully met in a private room at the inn. Unfortunately, even after waiting half a month, there was still no sign of her senior brother.

So the two decided to return to the sect first—one, to check on whether her senior brother's soul lamp had changed; and two, because the Langhuan Secret Realm trial was about to open soon.