Chapter 223: Prelude to War

“Mistress…” Sesame looked straight at her, its expression however began to sink, and not longer after, it turned into an infatuated look. “You’re such a peerless beauty… Sesame wishes to hug your thigh at every possible moment, and raise a nest of monkeys with you. Ouu…”

With a resounding boom, before Sesame could even finish his words, it suddenly let out a scream.

A lightning bolt flashed past its body, and it instantly turned charred black from the electrocution. Sesame resentfully puked out a mouthful of black smoke. It then waved around the pearl that was still flashing with lightning sparks in its hands, and said. “Mn… That’s it for now!”

It’s not that it did not want to continue, it’s just that there was someone watching them.

After saying that, it returned to her divine sense with a grey, defeated look.

That pearl was… her master!

Sesame had been enduring its infatuation because of her master? In other words…

The effect of World Favourable Impression was continuous!

……

…

This world is really scary. Master, hurry and bring me back to Mars!

Zhu Yao dreamt in her sleep. In her dream, she saw a large crowd of demonic beasts chasing after her, crying out their desires to bear monkeys for her. She desperately ran, but the more she ran, the more demonic beasts there were chasing her. At the very end, she was forced to a dead corner. Fortunately, a divine being descended from the sky and saved her. Just as she was planning to show gratitude to that person, when that person turned around, what she saw was Yi Ling’s face. She was smiling with overflowing gentleness, and with an affectionate tone, she said. “They are all males, only I can bear monkeys for you.”

Zhu Yao woke up from fright! Even if she was beaten to death, she wouldn’t turn yuri.

With a body drenched in cold sweat, she silently went to add a formation. Confirming that even a Nascent Soul practitioner wouldn’t be able to barge his way in, Zhu Yao then let out a sigh of relief.

She did not know how long would the World Favourable Impression ability last, but Yi Ling was after all a bug that had yet to be dealt with. Though she did not want to see her, she would still occasionally release her divine sense to understand the matters of the sect. Then, she would peacefully hole up in her own courtyard.

This holing up lasted five years.

Yue Ying had already turned into his human form, but was still staying in the hole, as though he was in deep slumber.

The two trees at the side had long been flourishing as well.

In these few years, Yi Ling was not involved in any cases that would trigger her bug. It looked as though her entire being had changed. There were already no longer a crowd of harem members next to her. She even seemed to have suddenly lost interest with her skilled ability of acting like a white lotus flower, and had instead become serious in her cultivation.

As five years went by, the number of her harem members did not rise, but had instead decreased. Even Lan Qi and Qi Ping no longer followed her by her hips like before.

It was as though the Mary Sue cheat had been dispelled, and she was becoming more of a decent woman.

This drastic change was something even Zhu Yao was unable to believe with her own eyes, except for the word ‘bug’ that was still present on her face. She was even beginning to suspect if she had taken the wrong script.

At the start of the first year, Yi Ling would often fly on her sword and circle around her courtyard, trying to break through her formation. In her hands, she would often bring along various items such as embroidered handkerchiefs, waist amulets, and bracelets. It looked as though she was intending to send her engagement gifts.

This frightened Zhu Yao, causing her to reinforce the place with several more layers of formations.

After that, gradually, the number of times she visited decreased. Probably because she knew that Zhu Yao was on guard against her, she stopped trying to break the formations. She would simply stop in mid-air, quietly stand on her sword for over an hour before returning.

Zhu Yao treated this phenomenon as an effect brought about her World Favourable Impression ability, and it was presently subsiding at a gradual pace. Just a little while longer, and Yi Ling would revert back to the Mary Sue she was familiar with… right?

Mn… Should be!

Zhu Yao was actually unable to figure out why the word ‘bug’ on Yi Ling’s face had yet to disappear. Theoretically speaking, the reason why she was a bug was completely because of Lin Qi. Lin Qi was already dealt with, so the cause behind the world’s destruction no longer existed. So why was she still a bug?

Unless… her bug was completely unrelated to Lin Qi.

She had countlessly recalled the scenario and faintly felt that something was wrong, but she simply couldn’t find out what was wrong. Though, she had a feeling that a storm was brewing.

And then, the barrier separating them from the demonic beasts’ continent suddenly collapsed.

A faint red glow flashed past the sky. Not even a moment later, as though a huge hole was dug open, a layer of transparent barrier began to shatter and then completely disappeared. The spiritual energy in the sky suddenly grew a lot denser than before.

Lin Yu transmitted a voice message to her in a fluster, telling her about the disappearance of the barrier. Zhu Yao removed the formations, and immediately headed for the main hall, intending to seek out further details. However, no one knew why the barrier had suddenly disappeared.

“According to the report of the disciples at the frontlines, though the barrier had suddenly disappeared, a beast wave did not occur. There hasn’t been any demonic beasts entering our human practitioners’ territory either.”

“Demonic beasts are usually scattered and free-willed, so it’s natural that they aren’t coming over.” Back then, she had told those demonic beasts not to come over to the human practitioners’ territory for no reason. What she was worried about was not the demonic beasts, but the Devil that was controlling them. “Whatever it is, I shall first head over to the boundaries to take a look.”

Theoretically speaking, the formation core of the barrier had been completely fixed when she was lecturing Lin Qi. So why did it still end up collapsing?

“With Great Ancestral Master personally making a trip, this junior feels at ease.” Lin Qi was evidently waiting for her to say these words, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief a moment later. He was just a step away from waving his hands and urging her to be on her way.

The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched, and felt a squeeze in her heart. Though she carried the title of ‘Ancestral Master’, there was no need to use her this thoroughly, right?

“Do you require some disciples to accompany you?” Lin Yu still had some conscience, it seemed.

“No need.” Zhu Yao immediately rejected his offer. “With you people around, it will instead become more troublesome.”

Presently, she was the only one who was familiar with that formation. If she didn’t go, who could? Just as she was about to turn around and fly off, Yi Ling suddenly walked out.

“Grand Ancestral Master!”

Zhu Yao paused her steps. When she recalled that vile World Favourable Impression ability of hers, she took a step back from reflex. This Mary Sue couldn’t possibly want to act all crazy again, right?

Seeing her actions, Yi Ling’s initial hopeful expression paled in an instant. Clenching her fists, the corner of her lips wriggled, and unexpectedly, she merely said a single sentence. “Please be careful.” Then, she obediently retreated behind Xuan Xu with her head lowered.

Zhu Yao was confused, and felt that there were something strange with her. However, she did not mind it too much and flew off straight away.

Before she went off, she released Sesame and had him rush back to the courtyard.

Yue Ying had yet to wake up, and she did not wish for the courtyard to catch fire again like before.

Just as she was about to reach her destination, her master’s voice suddenly rang in her mind.

“Yu… Yao. Make a trip to my place.”

“Ah?” Zhu Yao was startled, and suddenly, she felt a little worried. “Master, what happened?”

“Underneath this place…” Yu Yan stopped his words halfway through, and sighed. “You will know once you arrive.”

Not dallying in the slightest, Zhu Yao immediately turned around and flew to where her master was residing in.

A few kilometers away from the ruins her master was in, she felt a burning sensation in the air. As though the ground itself had caught on fire, the temperature suddenly rose. When she arrived, she realized that the ground had indeed caught on fire. Someone seemed to have started a fire in the forest, and the place was filled with the smell of ash and soot.

There was something yellowish red flowing on the surface of the ground. After taking a closer look, she realized it was actually lava. The cracks in the earth were like erupting volcanoes, constantly pouring out hot molten lava. When Zhu Yao inspected it more attentively, she saw that the place the lava was coming from, was exactly right below the floating ruins.

After the ruins rose into the air that day, a huge crater was left underneath it. Presently, the crater was filled with magma pouring onto the surface. The heat was so intense, it was even causing the floating ruins right above to drop earth and soil.

Before long, the entire ruins would crumble and disappear due to the heat.

What was going on? It was clearly a forest, so why did it suddenly turn into a volcano?

“Master!” Zhu Yao immediately entered the mustard seed dimensional space, only to see the space that was still clear with a blue sky before, had suddenly turned entirely blood red. In the position right above, a gigantic teleportation formation was currently flashing.

Yu Yan stood beneath that formation, and turned his head over. “You’re here.”

“What is this?” Zhu Yao pointed to the formation up above. If it was a teleportation formation, it was a little too big, wasn’t it?

“Earlier, when the demonic beasts’ barrier disappeared, this formation appeared.” Yu Yan frowned. “There must be a connection between these two formations. As long as one of the formations is broken, the other one would activate.”

“Then the lava outside is?”

“It should be a result brought about by this formation as well.”

This formation sent lava straight towards the surface? The other side of the teleportation formation couldn’t possibly be the crater of a volcano, right?

“This formation was established long ago, and it was concealed in an extremely secretive manner. As long as it stayed inactive, one wouldn’t be able to sense it.” Yu Yan said in a sunken voice. “Perhaps these ruins, and even the God’s artifact that was placed here, were just to protect what’s on the other side of this formation.”

“Just what’s there on the other side?” To actually spend so much effort to conceal it.

“I do not know.” Yu Yan shook his head, and sighed. “When this formation appeared, this place began to collapse right after. Before long, these ruins would cease to exist. If this formation doesn’t stop, I’m afraid even the entire cultivation world would be implicated as well.”

“Ah!” So serious!? “Can’t we stop this formation?”

“Unless we know the destination on the other side?”

“Then let’s head in to find out just where it would teleport us to.”

“This formation is able to sense a person’s level of cultivation. Your master was immediately deflected back after attempting to cross it.”

“In other words, the higher one’s cultivation level, the harder it is to cross it?”

Yu Yan nodded.

“Then I shall try!”

“Yu Yao.” Yu Yan pulled his disciple, tapped his forehead against hers. In an instant, a clear, spiritual aura had entered her divine sense, seeping into that white pearl from before.”It’s most likely very dangerous on the other side, half of your master’s divine sense will accompany you. Remember, after crossing through the formation, retrieve that pearl out of your divine sense.”

Zhu Yao nodded. Flying on her sword, she headed towards the formation. She turned her head and glanced at Yu Yan for a moment, before crossing through that formation right after.

With a flash of red light, a different scenery immediately filled her vision. The entire place was covered in darkness, and though there faint red glows in the surroundings, it was still impossible to clearly distinguish the place. However, this place was even hotter than earlier.

“Master!” She lightly called out.

A white illusory figure appeared next to her.

“Master, where do you think this place is?”

Yu Yan did not reply. Instead, he summoned a ball of light at the top of his fingertips, and instantly brightened up the surroundings.

The place they were standing in was actually a mountain cave. It was not very broad, with merely enough space to have two people walk side by side. On the surrounding walls, there were faint traces of lava that had yet to condense completely, and the red glows she saw earlier were emitted out by those lava.

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