Chapter 319: Lonely Woman

They stopped, and the forces from various factions that had been following also halted, some landing, some hovering, still keeping a watchful eye from a moderate distance.

Shi Chun and the others from Shu Daoshan had grown accustomed to being followed. There was little they could do about the group of artifact-forging sects; if they pursued, the sects would flee, and if they moved, the sects would follow.

Their purpose in coming here was to shake off those annoying pursuers.

Having located the invisible safe boundary, Gu Lianni and a few other leaders huddled together and whispered for a while. Then, they reformed their formation, temporarily breached the dangerous boundary, and continued their advance.

As soon as they left, Wu Shanshan and her group from Forgetfulness Valley, who had been following, immediately landed where Shu Daoshan and the others had just gathered. Not only them, but also some other sects did the same. All had noticed the unusual behavior of Shu Daoshan's group and wanted to see what Shi Chun and his companions had been looking at or observing there.

However, these individuals couldn't discern anything. The lighting wasn't the reason; primarily, they were baffled because they didn't know the cause.

The ancestors of Shu Daoshan discovered the secret of this boundary due to a coincidental factor; it was only by chance they saw it, which led to verification and confirmation, thus revealing the secret of the so-called safe boundary.

Jin Hao, with a scar on his face, glanced at people from other sects also searching the area. He quietly asked his fellow disciple, "Were Shi Chun and his group looking at something here earlier?"

Lin Yuefang, whose nose had an unsightly hole, hesitated. "I didn't see anything special here. Shi Chun's group might have just stopped here to gather and discuss."

Wu Shanshan interrupted, "Alright, whatever it is, let's catch up first. If we delay any longer, we won't even see their shadows."

The group from Forgetfulness Valley quickly took off again, and some other sects followed suit.

No one scrutinized the area closely, nor did they have time to; they were eager to keep up with the Shu Daoshan party.

Although they had been anxious throughout the journey, they had followed for a considerable distance without encountering any danger. While still nervous, personnel from various factions grew curious, thinking this so-called forbidden land might not be as perilous as legends claimed.

Legends spoke of numerous divine flames within the forbidden land, causing some to feel a slight warmth in their hearts. Faced with such temptation, they couldn't help but fantasize, even as the dark, cold wind whipped against them during flight.

The Shu Daoshan party, now aware they had entered a truly dangerous zone, dared not proceed further after a slight penetration. The experiences summarized by their ancestors were bloody. They began to adjust their flight direction, estimating the position of the invisible boundary, and flew around it.

Their plan was to immediately fly out of the boundary if they encountered danger.

What puzzled them, however, was that they flew along the invisible boundary for quite some time without encountering any danger.

Their idea was that if they encountered danger, the various factions entangled around them would naturally scatter in chaos, allowing them to seize the opportunity to escape.

They dared not go deeper, so they could only estimate the boundary's location and continue flying along its approximate path.

To facilitate triggering danger, they even lowered their flight altitude.

As a result, they soon discovered something unusual.

"We found a woman."

On the right side of the extended flying formation, towards the invisible outer boundary, messages were passed along, reaching the ears of Gu Lianni and her central group.

What did they mean by "found a woman"? With so many sectarian members entangled, wasn't finding a woman normal? Why would they specifically send a message about it?

The message sounded unusual, but in such a flying formation, messages could only be this brief.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances, also sensing something was amiss.

"Stop for a moment, ask what they mean."

Gu Lianni raised her hand and called a halt to the team. Those nearby relayed her words.

After they halted mid-air, the forces from various factions following behind and to their sides also stopped.

Soon, a Shu Daoshan disciple from the right flank flew over to report the situation; it was the one who had discovered the anomaly.

"What's wrong with finding a woman?" Yuan Yao asked.

The disciple explained, "That woman was standing alone on the mountaintop. She was there before we even arrived, and she seemed quite beautiful."

As soon as he said this, everyone understood his meaning.

This was the exceptionally perilous 'Wuming Forbidden Land.' If any sect dared to venture here, it was already unusual, let alone penetrating this deeply, and even more so if it was just one woman.

So, before they arrived, a woman had already ventured alone this deep into the 'Wuming Forbidden Land'?

The several people present exchanged bewildered glances.

Gu Lianni instinctively turned to look at Shi Chun, her expression asking, "What do you think?"

Shi Chun shrugged. "I'm not familiar with this place. I'm just sticking close to you all."

He had no interest in the so-called beautiful woman, nor did he care if any bold members from artifact-forging sects had ventured here first.

Wu Jinliang nodded repeatedly in agreement.

However, Gu Lianni was very curious: which sect's disciple could be so daring, and was there some hidden meaning to her presence?

The dynamics among peers were sometimes that subtle.

After a moment's thought, knowing it wasn't far, she decisively declared, "Let's go, let's take a look." Yuan Yao immediately signaled the reporting disciple to lead the way, and the group turned and followed.

They had already flown past, and now they were heading back. The sects trailing behind immediately retreated in a hurry. After all, Shu Daoshan had previously made threats of violence, and if they didn't avoid them, would they truly believe Shu Daoshan wouldn't act?

The mountain was a high one, at least the highest in its immediate area.

The so-called woman was still on the mountain. She was looking up at the retreating forces of various factions above her head. Their departure seemed to stir something within her. Suddenly, she turned back and looked at Gu Lianni and the others flying towards her.

A group of seven or eight people swiftly landed on the mountaintop, right in front of the woman. Gu Lianni and her companions scrutinized her from head to toe.

The woman had waist-length, hip-grazing black hair, with occasional strands brushing her face in the wind. Her features were delicate and clean. Her eyes, like cold stars, held a deep, tranquil gaze when she looked at people, occasionally flickering with a sense of anticipation as she observed the group.

She was beautiful and exuded a unique aura—a combination of enchanting, pure, and clean. It was hard to describe, but that aura was captivating, perhaps even alluring.

Her skin was fair, her figure slender, and she wasn't short. It was hard to discern her female physique as she wore a man's outer garment. The deep blue robe appeared somewhat oversized and had a vintage feel.

Although the clothing was ill-fitting, its material seemed to convey a sense of nobility.

The black boots on her feet were also clearly men's style. Slits on both sides of her garment revealed her snow-white legs.

This detail not only caught the eyes of the men but also Gu Lianni, a woman herself. It seemed the woman was wearing no pants beneath her outer garment. What was going on?

Most people were primarily trying to figure out which artifact-forging sect this disciple belonged to, based on the style of her clothing.

Only Shi Chun's flickering gaze revealed a hint of horror.

After entering the 'Wuming Forbidden Land,' he would activate his right eye's special ability to observe whenever he noticed anything unusual. Regarding this so-called woman on the mountaintop, and why she was alone here, he certainly had to check for ambushes or similar dangers around her.

However, his right eye ability didn't detect any ambushes nearby. Instead, it was the lone woman herself who caused his pupils to contract sharply.

In his right eye, this woman did not appear as the usual white mist. Instead, she was black, with no visible dantian or magical source. Underneath the black mist, there seemed to be shimmering light.

What was this? She was neither human nor demon. He didn't know what she was. He had seen demons, devils, and ghosts, but never anything with this internal form.

Shi Chun quickly scanned his surroundings again. Logically, such a being couldn't enter from the outside. Could she be someone from the Divine Fire Domain?

The so-called safe boundary should be not far away. Shi Chun's gaze, scanning the surroundings, suddenly shifted. He looked down at the mountain peak beneath them, then at the so-called safe boundary. The mountain peak's location seemed to be just inside the boundary.

Could it be? A chilling conjecture surfaced in his mind.

To some, the uniquely elegant woman's snow-white legs were quite attractive.

Especially when a strong gust of wind dramatically lifted a section of her garment's hem, revealing glimpses of skin under the starlight, which was dazzling even to cultivators, Wu Jinliang immediately showed a peculiar, mischievous smirk. He turned and winked at Shi Chun beside him.

As if sensing something, Shi Chun glanced back at him, raised a hand to rub his lips, and gave a meaningful look.

Seeing this gesture, Wu Jinliang paused, then quickly looked back at the woman, assessing her. Shi Chun's gesture was telling him there was a problem!

Was something wrong with this woman?

At present, there seemed to be no one else but her.

But what could be wrong with this woman?

After another look, Wu Jinliang turned to Shi Chun again. Shi Chun seemed to anticipate his confusion; his hand was already on his right eye, rubbing it.

This time, Wu Jinliang understood. Shi Chun's right eye had perceived something significant. He immediately grew secretly vigilant. Seeing Shi Chun nonchalantly retreat, leaving Gu Lianni and the others standing in front, he promptly followed suit and pulled back.

He knew this wasn't about setting up Gu Lianni and the others; if something was genuinely wrong, Shi Chun would definitely warn them.

However, according to the style of action they had honed during their time in the place of exile, before giving a warning, someone definitely had to be in front to block. Was it a choice between Shu Daoshan's people blocking or their own people blocking? Of course not.

Shi Chun glanced at Chu Jingting and the others who were still hovering in the air.

After observing the woman intently for a while, Gu Lianni racked her brain but couldn't figure out which sect the solitary woman's attire belonged to.

However, with thousands of sects and diverse styles of clothing, no one could memorize the attire of every single artifact-forging sect.

She looked at Yuan Yao and, seeing him also shaking his head slightly, immediately realized. It must be a disciple from some minor sect; she couldn't possibly not recognize the attire of a prestigious major sect.

Given the woman's appearance and unique aura, she would surely have remembered if she had seen her before.

This made her even more curious about which minor sect's disciple dared to venture into this forbidden land. After a thorough assessment, she finally spoke up and asked, "Which sect do you belong to?"

A chorus of curious gazes also fixed upon the woman.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, however, watched with wary intensity, eager to hear her reply. Her answer would allow them to gauge the level of risk.

The solitary woman delayed her answer, tilting her head slightly, as if deep in thought, her expression very serious.