At the front of the giant tree in the Moonlit Domain stood two figures. The male had long silver hair flowing in the air and deep purple eyes, while the female had pure gold eyes and long, silky white hair that cascaded down her back. It was Feng Wuji and Su Mei, their faces filled with determination.
"Are you sure about this??" Su Mei asked once more, her brave expression seeming like it was about to collapse.
Feng Wuji nodded. "Yes, let's do it and prove ourselves."
Su Mei took a deep breath, her faltering eyes became chill. "Okay then, let's go."
They flew away without looking back at the pair of ruby eyes that watched them with an emotion they wouldn't understand.
"So, what're your plans after we're done with this??" Feng Wuji asked Su Mei.
"Oh, uhm uhm, I dunno," Su Mei was reading a piece of paper—a map that led to the deeper areas of the Moonlit Domain where they would find the Ever-Green Tree.
"?? Are you serious???" Feng Wuji looked at her, his eyes slightly widened.
"Speak clearly, you're confusing me," Su Mei said as she dropped the map into her spatial ring and focused on Feng Wuji.
Feng Wuji flashed to Su Mei's side and looked at her worriedly. He raised his hands and pointed back to the giant tree where the fairies resided.
Su Mei's eyes followed his hand and spotted the tree. "What about it??" she asked, confused.
"You're really clueless, aren't you??" He sighed, putting a hand on his chin.
"Just talk already," Su Mei said, her eyes wandering as she tried to think about what Feng Wuji was talking about.
"Ok then, what are you going to do about you and Mu Xiaolu's bond??" he stared into her eyes with a slight frown.
Su Mei's eyes flashed with confusion. The bond with Mu Xiaolu???? Wait!!!! The bond!!!! Her eyes widened as she remembered, and sweat began to drip from her forehead. She had formed a bond with Mu Xiaolu, and that bond had turned the fairy into her psyche companion.
That meant Mu Xiaolu would have to be with Su Mei and reside in her mental sea, or she might die. This would normally not be a problem, as Su Mei could have negotiated with Mu Xia to take the fairy with her, but Mu Xiaolu was no ordinary fairy and had a huge status in the Moira Fairy clan.
"What do you think I should do??" Su Mei bit her lips hard, losing control of her Qi for a second and almost faltering in her flight.
"I think you should break the bond!" Feng Wuji said as he grabbed her, seeing she was disoriented. He locked his hands with hers to prevent any accidents.
Su Mei's eyes looked pale and lackluster, different from their original vibrant color. "I can't!!" she muttered.
"Why?? Don't give up your life for a Moira Fairy you've known for about a week," he stated.
Su Mei turned her gaze to the endless trees on the ground. "I would leave and break the bond if I could, but I used a level seven talisman and my essence blood to create the bond."
"Are you foolish?? Why would you do that??" Feng Wuji asked, his grip on her arms tightening.
Su Mei smiled helplessly. "Well, I thought I could use the fairy's life or death to threaten the Moira Nature Spirit in case of any accidents, since I control her life now."
Feng Wuji sighed. "Forget about all this; we'll discuss it later. Right now, we have to focus on our mission."
Su Mei's eyes regained a little vigor. She nodded. "Now take your hands off me."
Feng Wuji took his hands away, and they flew into the horizon.
---
The Ever-Green Tree was located in a jungle. It stood at an impressive 309 meters, and contrary to its name, its leaves and trunk weren't green. Its trunk was white, looking pure, holy, and filled with vitality. Its stems were a mixture of rainbow colors and were dazzling. The leaves of the tree were a bright yellow, and its fruits were various colors of the rainbow. The tree's appearance was utterly flawless and beautiful, but it looked a little bit strange. There were no other trees in a thirty-meter radius, and there weren't any animals around, even with the fruits it bore.
Feng Wuji and Su Mei looked at each other and flew down. Their eyes surveyed their surroundings, checking for any danger, but they found none.
"This is suspicious!!" Su Mei muttered.
"Ohh, why do you say so??" Feng Wuji asked, his eyes blazing with curiosity.
Su Mei nodded. "Throughout our journey here, we've hardly come across any beasts, which would be impossible in a vibrant ecosystem like this. And whenever we are near any beast, they flee on sensing us, even though their aura shows they are way stronger than us."
Feng Wuji's eyes glinted with appreciation for Su Mei's knowledge and awareness. "As astute as always, I see." He walked towards the Ever-Green Tree. "And what do you notice about this tree?"
Su Mei looked at the tree, her eyes squinting a little. "Well, its colors are too conspicuous, and it should be attacked by monsters, but it hasn't, which is strange. And there are no animals around to pluck its fruits, which look incredibly appetizing."
Feng Wuji nodded. "Hmmph, you missed one thing, but forget about it. Let's get the sap and get out of here."
Su Mei called out, "Feng Wuji, don't you think this mission has been going too smoothly??"
"It has indeed. Maybe it's our luck??" Feng Wuji replied with a small smile at the edge of his lips.
Su Mei stared at Feng Wuji. Could it be that this bastard knew something she didn't?
"Come on, don't delay; let's get this over with," Feng Wuji said.
Su Mei nodded, and they walked to the front of the tree. It was wide and seemed divine. Feng Wuji brought out a giant pin from his ring and inserted it into the tree. After he removed it, a hole was left. A green liquid began to fall from the hole. Su Mei brought out a liquid container, placed it on the floor under the hole, and it collected the sap.
After a couple of days, the container was full. Su Mei retrieved it, and she and Feng Wuji decided to leave and return to the fairies' base.
Su Mei took the lead and flew, but when she approached twenty meters away from the tree, she discovered she couldn't take a step forward. She tried to take flight, but it seemed like there was a barrier blocking her, and she couldn't exit the space.
Feng Wuji sighed. "I feared this would happen." He walked to the space where Su Mei was and stretched out his hands, but he felt a barrier he couldn't pass through. The crazy thing was that they could see what was in front of them and the activities occurring there, like the trees swaying, but they couldn't approach it.
Su Mei turned to look at Feng Wuji. "What do you mean?"
Feng Wuji's eyes glinted. "Well, from about twenty-five meters away from the tree—that's five meters away from here—I saw some strings of spiritual energy connected to the tree."
Su Mei nodded, remembering something. "That's why you said I missed one piece of information about the tree?"
"Indeed. I only noticed because my eyes have gained a special quality since they got invaded by baleful Qi," Feng Wuji said, looking around.
Su Mei asked, "Well, do you know how these strings of spiritual energy are keeping us stuck here?"
Feng Wuji nodded. "Well, all the strings of spiritual energy are connected and interwoven. They converge at some spots and contain some runes of nature. They have turned into a wide web of strings that cover this area. The Ever-Green Tree has some natural runes of nature because of its age and vitality, and these strings of spiritual energy have interlocked with the runes and created a complex natur...."
"A natural array!!! Ohh, my stars!" Su Mei's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.
Su Mei's expression began to change rapidly—to sorrow, joy, shock, surprise, dejection, greed, interest, and finally, it turned into a melancholic one. She looked at Feng Wuji and asked, "Do you know how we can get out of here??"
Feng Wuji shook his head. "I'm sorry, missy. I'm aware of the array, but I don't know how to break it."
Su Mei looked dejected. "So we're stuck here, just the two of us??"
Unexpectedly, Feng Wuji replied, "Oh, there's more than just two of us."
"Ahhahahhahahahhhaa, what a smart boy!!" A voice boomed from one of the stems of the tree.
Su Mei stepped back in panic, but the barrier blocked her, so she just rested her back on it. Feng Wuji just looked at the place the voice came from with a cold and calculating look.
---
At the Malignant Orifice Profane Island, the original group of nine had been reduced to four. In the shrine, two boys and a girl were in chains on the ground. Across from them, on a throne, sat a girl—it was Xiang Ning. She watched them with a cold expression as their Qi was being drained into the skull on the altar in the shrine.
"Sister Xiang Ning, why are you doing this?" Long Xiaoqi asked in tears, the pain of having their Qi extracted never-ending.
"Cause I need your Qi, duh!!" Xiang Ning rolled her eyes as she watched them all struggle.
Wei Zhang's eyes blazed with anger. "Let me out, you bitch!!! My dad will kill you if he finds out what you're doing!!"
Xiang Ning stood up from the throne, placed her hands on Wei Zhang, and gave him a slap.
Powww!!! A sound rang in the air.
She spat on him. "You've always stared at me in a lustful and disgusting manner. Because of your position, you touched me in ways that are not appropriate. But now... Hahhaa, you're finally gonna pay for your sins."
"Sister, puh-puh-puh-lease let me go! I won't tell anyone of this matter," Long Xiaoqi cried, tears dripping out.
Xiang Ning laughed. "Oh, you're so innocent. But I need your talent, my dear Xiaoqi."
Wei Zhang was gritting his teeth with hatred. He reached for the token in his pocket and tried to activate it, but it wasn't working.
Xiang Ning stared at him. "Give it up. There's an array here that blocks spatial transmission. You're going to die here."
Meanwhile, the last boy on the ground just watched all of this with a calm expression.