Chapter 2028: Oolong?

A pale-faced girl in a purple dress sped rapidly across the sky over a vast, endless black desert.

Suddenly, a massive crimson fire cloud, hundreds of yards wide, appeared high above, descending with immense heat waves and striking the girl.

An agonizing scream pierced the air as the girl plummeted from the sky, engulfed by raging flames.

A thunderous roar followed as countless purple electric arcs surged within the flames. The purple lightning intertwined with the crimson fire, which gradually dissipated.

The void rippled, and numerous crimson lights materialized out of thin air. After a blur, they coalesced into the form of Mi Yan.

"Hand over your belongings and lead the way," Mi Yan stated, her voice devoid of emotion and filled with an undeniable authority. "I might spare your life."

There was no need for a Void Refinement cultivator to be polite to a Soul Transformation cultivator. The three tribes were allies, having occupied the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven, yet they were also rivals.

"Others have intruded," the girl quickly explained, enduring the severe pain. "Their strength is considerable."

"Other tribes? Which ones?" Mi Yan frowned, knowing that any intruders should be swiftly eliminated.

"It seems to be humans, and the Profound Eagle tribe, possibly others too." The girl truthfully recounted the events, knowing that redirecting the conflict to other tribes was her only chance to survive.

"Humans? The Profound Eagle tribe? If that's truly the case, I can spare your life. But if you don't want to end up a fool, cooperate and let me search your soul."

Mi Yan swayed slightly, and a dazzling red light emanated from her right hand as she pressed it against the girl's head.

The girl dared not resist. The gap between a Soul Transformation cultivator and a Void Refinement cultivator was immense; there were very few ways a Soul Transformation cultivator could threaten a Void Refinement cultivator.

After a moment, Mi Yan withdrew her hand, her expression turning solemn.

"What you said is true; other tribes have indeed intruded into the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven. Business comes first. Lead the way! Your Thunder Crane tribe has a special way to communicate, right? Use a secret technique to contact your tribesmen. I need to cooperate with that fellow Qing Yu to retrieve the treasure." Mi Yan commanded. Compared to a few foreign Soul Transformation cultivators, the natural treasures within the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven held more appeal for her. In her view, three foreign Soul Transformation cultivators couldn't cause much trouble.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she might live. She took out a pigeon-egg-sized purple orb, cast a spell, and a loud crane cry echoed through the sky. The purple orb suddenly glowed brightly, transforming into a purple thunder crane with a wingspan of over ten yards, its body enveloped in countless purple electric arcs.

The purple thunder crane flapped its wings, soaring high and transforming into a streak of purple light that flew towards the sky.

Mi Yan and the purple-dressed girl turned into two streaks of light and followed.

In a narrow, small valley with steep cliffs on both sides, vegetation was sparse, and shattered rocks covered the ground. At the end of the valley was a dark cave, several yards wide, its interior obscured from view.

Inside the cave, Wang Changsheng, Wang Ruyan, Feng Yao, and Yu Xin gathered, their expressions varied.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, I hope your companions haven't run into trouble! Why haven't they arrived yet?" Wang Changsheng asked with a frown. The Thunder Crane tribe already knew of their presence, and if the three tribes sent a large number of cultivators into the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven, it would be problematic.

"They must have been delayed. Let's wait a bit longer," Yu Xin said, steeling himself. Ordinarily, he wouldn't back down and would argue his point, but Feng Yao and the others had already been exposed. The longer they delayed, the more dangerous it became as the three tribes might send experts.

"We've already waited a day; do we need to wait more? Do you think this is outside? The entrance is controlled by the three tribes, and they can send experts in at any time," Wang Ruyan said, sounding somewhat displeased. She urged Feng Yao to leave for two reasons: firstly, they had indeed been exposed, and further delay increased the danger; secondly, the beastmen had five Soul Transformation cultivators, and if Yu Xin's companions joined them, any conflict would put significant pressure on Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. If they were to harvest the Azure Luan Divine Fruit now, even if a conflict broke out, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan wouldn't fear Yu Xin.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao and Madame Jiao have a point. We've waited a day already. If we wait any longer, we might just wait for experts from the three tribes. Let's move," Feng Yao said gravely. He had made extensive preparations for this day and couldn't afford any mistakes.

Wang Changsheng looked out of the cave and said softly, "Someone's coming. It's Fellow Daoist Yu's companion."

Feng Yao and Yu Xin extended their divine sense but found nothing. After a long while, they finally sensed the aura of a Soul Transformation cultivator.

"It's Yuan Shu. That guy is finally here!" Yu Xin exclaimed with delight.

Soon after, a beastman with the head of an ape and the body of a human entered.

"What took you so long?" Yu Xin asked casually.

"I encountered a few fifth-rank demonic birds and spent a lot of time shaking them off," Yuan Shu replied truthfully.

Wang Changsheng frowned. When Yuan Shu appeared, his Soul Devouring Golden Cicada became restless, which was extremely rare. Previously, this only happened when it encountered powerful ghostly enemies.

"Who are you really? You're not Yuan Shu!" Wang Changsheng's face hardened as he shouted.

"If I'm not Yuan Shu, then who are you?" Yuan Shu rolled his eyes, responding irritably.

Feng Yao scrutinized Yuan Shu but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hmph, we've grown up together; I haven't noticed anything different about him. Fellow Daoist Jiao, if you want to ostracize him, at least come up with a better excuse." Yu Xin said with a cold, displeased expression.

"He's either possessed by a demon or already dead," Wang Changsheng retorted bluntly. Knowing that something was wrong with Yuan Shu, he had no intention of going treasure hunting with him.

"What a joke, demon possession? Only you saw it?" Yu Xin sneered.

Feng Yao hesitated briefly, then flipped his hand to reveal a shimmering silver talisman. Its spiritual energy was astonishing, and its surface was covered with profound runes.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, this is a serious matter. This is a Demon Crossing Talisman, which restrains demons and evil corpses. If you're fine, the talisman won't show any abnormalities," Feng Yao said politely.

Yuan Shu directly snatched the Demon Crossing Talisman and slapped it onto himself. There was no abnormality.

"Hmph, what do you have to say now?" Yu Xin said with a cold face.

"Perhaps I sensed incorrectly. It's better to be careful," Wang Changsheng said dismissively. Despite his words, he remained wary of Yuan Shu.

"Alright, since it was a misunderstanding, let's drop it. The Azure Luan Divine Fruit is important," Feng Yao said, playing mediator, and strode out of the cave. Yu Xin and Yuan Shu followed, with Yuan Shu positioning himself behind Yu Xin.

Yuan Shu opened his mouth, revealing a long purple worm—it was a Purple Soul Corpse Control Worm.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed.