Exquisite ancient tree, phoenix riding a yellow horse

Shortly after.

Linglong Holy Land, by the side of the Spirit Pool.

Bang!

The scene before her eyes shattered with a boom, and Shao Xuanji's consciousness returned to reality. The experiences in the illusion flashed by like fleeting shadows, leaving her in a momentary stupor.

A moment later, realizing what had happened, Shao Xuanji was instantly enraged and cursed through gritted teeth:

"Damned beast, how dare you make this Sect Head fall into an illusion!"

Thinking that she had actually become someone's "Empress" in the illusion and had been taken advantage of quite a bit, even with her resilient Dao Heart, she couldn't help but feel a mix of shame and anger, wishing she could tear the culprit to pieces.

Her gaze swept coldly around, but she did not find the figure of the Dao Child of Tai Xuan. Instead, she saw her beloved Disciple, the Linglong Saintess, who was still trapped in the illusion.

Swoosh!

Shao Xuanji forcibly calmed her agitated emotions, then lightly flicked her skirt sleeves, sending out a gentle ray of spiritual light that quietly entered the Linglong Saintess's Purple Mansion between her eyebrows.

The next moment, Xiao Yueni's delicate body trembled, she let out a soft moan as if dreaming, and then slowly regained consciousness.

"Th-this, what is going on?"

She was confused for a moment, then her face instantly turned pale, and she murmured in a daze:

"Just now... just now it was actually an illusion, I... how could I have done such things..."

Her beautiful eyes widened, her face still wearing an expression of disbelief, her mind filled with all the outrageous behaviors she had committed in the illusion...

As a Saintess, she had not only actively thrown herself into a man's arms and fawned over him, but even attempted to compete with her own Revered Master for his affection; she had completely lost all face.

If such a thing were to spread, it would only bring shame upon the entire Linglong Holy Land, and she would never forgive herself, even in death.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yueni was overwhelmed with shame, knelt on the ground with a flushed face, and said through gritted teeth:

"Revered Master! This Disciple no longer has the face to live in this world! Please grant this Disciple death!"

"Yueni, have you gone mad?!" Shao Xuanji's expression changed abruptly, and she hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, saying sternly, "This is not your fault. The effect of the illusion star fruit is simply too overbearing; even I could not resist it, let alone you."

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a faint cold glint, and she continued:

"The illusion star fruit he produced very likely came from a phantom star grass that is over ten thousand years old. Because I was negligent for a moment, I almost caused a major mistake."

"Fortunately, it seems that the little thief Qi Yuan did not do anything irreparable in the illusion. Otherwise, even if I had to risk a war with the Taixuan Holy Land, I would extract his soul, refine hissoul, and tear him into ten thousand pieces!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yueni's expression relaxed slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions, and she said in a resentful tone:

"Revered Master, perhaps he did it unintentionally. Crushing that illusion star fruit might have just been an attempt to prove his innocence in a moment of desperation. How should we handle this matter?"

"Yueni, you are still young and inevitably too trusting of others."

At this moment, Shao Xuanji's face was solemn as she said decisively, "Even if that little thief was truly unintentional, there is no guarantee he won't go out and spout nonsense later, or even use this as an excuse to blackmail our Linglong Holy Land."

"Therefore, even for the sake of the Linglong Holy Land's reputation, we must deal with that brat properly. Even if we don't kill him, we must erase this memory from him to completely eliminate the hidden danger."

"That little thief also absorbed the medicinal properties of the ten-thousand-year illusion star fruit. It is unlikely he recovered faster than me. The reason he is not here might be because he lost his way in the illusion."

As she spoke, she turned into a streak of light and shot into the sky:

"Let's go, we will go and capture him right now. No matter how he tries to quibble later, he must be severely punished, with no leniency, otherwise, I won't be able to quell the hatred in my heart!"

"Revered Master..."

Remaining in place, Xiao Yueni opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing. She simply unfolded her figure and chased after her.

...

On the other side.

Qi Yuan flew at full speed and soon saw a towering giant tree ahead, blotting out the sky and sun.

Looking from afar, this giant tree was like a pillar supporting the heavens, its roots thick like coiling dragons, its canopy covering a thousand miles, its branches and leaves dense as clouds, almost covering half the firmament.

"This is... the Exquisite Ancient Tree!"

Qi Yuan's pupils shrank sharply. This ancient tree, which grew from the Primordial Era, was extremely famous in the Cultivation World and was also the source of the word "Linglong" in Linglong Holy Land.

Sure enough, that Mythical Beast was resting on the Exquisite Ancient Tree, which also fit the nature of an Innate Divine Beast.

Cheng Feihuang... Mythical Beast...

Having verified his conjecture once again, Qi Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

If his guess was correct, the number one Mahayana Ancestors in the Linglong Holy Land, Cheng Feihuang, was that Innate Divine Beast, the Mythical Beast!

This was a high-stakes gamble. If he won, he would naturally make a fortune. Even if he lost, he had already thought of a way to escape, at least his life would be safe; why not give it a try?

Whether he succeeds or fails, it all depends on this move!

When Qi Yuan arrived under the tree, two guard Disciples dressed in colorful skirts immediately stepped through the air and quickly blocked his path, shouting with vigilance:

"Who are you? This is the place where Ancestor Fei Huang is in seclusion and cultivation; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to trespass!"

The two female Disciples looked at Qi Yuan with some surprise. It had been unknown how long since a man had appeared here, and now that one had suddenly popped up, they found it very strange.

"Greetings, Senior Sisters."

Qi Yuan smiled faintly, raised his hand to hand over a jade token, and said, "I am the Dao Child of Tai Xuan, Qi Yuan, here specially to visit your sect's Grandmaster. This matter has already been approved by the Linglong Saintess. This is the token she gave me; please, Senior Sisters, report on my behalf."

"Dao Child of Tai Xuan?"

The two guard Disciples were stunned upon hearing this. They took the jade token and examined it carefully, discovering it was indeed the personal token of the Linglong Saintess, and their expressions relaxed slightly.

"Dao Child Qi, please wait a moment, I will go and report to the Grandmaster right away."

"Wait a moment!"

Qi Yuan suddenly reached out to stop them, and took out his own token as the Dao Child of Tai Xuan from his storage bracelet, saying with a smile:

"This is the Dao Child seal of our Taixuan Holy Land. As long as your Grandmaster sees this, she will be able to confirm my identity."

As he spoke, he imperceptibly attached a trace of the Heavenly Dao aura to the small seal, believing that with Cheng Feihuang's discernment, she would be able to recognize it at a glance.

For an Innate Divine Beast, encountering the Heavenly Dao aura would generate an instinctive sense of intimacy...

The two guard Disciples looked at each other and both relaxed. One of the female Disciples nodded and said:

"In that case, I will take it over and let the Grandmaster see it."

A short while later, a crisp and melodious young girl's voice came from within the Exquisite Ancient Tree:

"Let him in."