Into The Sea

No matter which way she looked, there was nothing but endless desert.

Ji Lingyue frowned, spread her palm, and a tiny paper crane emerged. With a gentle flick of her finger, the crane took flight, circling several times before choosing a direction.

Ji Lingyue stepped onto her sword and followed it into the sky.

The others were bewildered, but because of Ji Lingyue’s renowned reputation, they hesitated only briefly before stepping onto their swords and following her. One cultivator, bolder than the rest, flew closer and asked, “Immortal Ji, do you know the way?”

“No,” Ji Lingyue replied simply.

“Then why—?”

“I’m looking for my companion.” she cut in, brows drawing tighter as her frustration grew.

They had specifically used a connecting spell before entering, yet this secret realm had still managed to separate them.

According to records left by those who came before, this realm was divided into four equal sections: a desolate desert, a frozen wasteland, a dead sea, and an endless forest. At the center of the secret realm, the temple housed countless treasures and a teleportation formation for escape, making it the main destination for most. While the four surrounding areas each held their own secrets, they were fraught with unpredictable dangers. Therefore, no one wished to linger outside the temple for too long.

The immediate priority was reuniting with Yu Shanye.

She glanced at the group behind her and said, “If you choose to follow me, I won’t stop you. But if danger comes, don’t expect my help.”

“Of course, of course,” The cultivator quickly agreed.

With that, Ji Lingyue turned back, continuing her flight without another word.

They traveled for hours. By midday, even after channeling her spiritual energy to ward off the heat wasn’t enough. The air shimmered, mirages danced before their eyes, and just as they endured the worst of the sun’s fury, the wind began to rise. Soon, relentless gusts of sand howled through the air, obscuring their path ahead.

The paper crane could no longer fly and drooped back listlessly into Ji Lingyue’s hand. Flying on her sword demanded too much energy now, so Ji Lingyue dropped to the ground. Leaning into the wind, she trudged forward step by step, guessing at her route.

As dusk settled and the sky turned a fiery orange, even those closest to Ji Lingyue could only make out her silhouette through the swirling sand. An invisible barrier shielded Ji Lingyue from the wind and sand, which flowed around her like water before closing back up behind her. After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped and looked back.

The path they had just taken was already swallowed by the swirling yellow sand. A figure emerged from the swirling sand, stumbling forward. The cultivator, startled by Ji Lingyue’s sudden stop, called out, his voice barely audible above the wind, “Immortal Ji, why did you stop?”

Ji Lingyue remained silent.

Slowly, one by one, the cultivators emerged from the swirling sand. Seeing Ji Lingyue standing motionless, they too came to a confused stop. Ji Lingyue waited, her eyes scanning the group before finally speaking, “We’re missing one.”

Confusion rippled through the group. They turned, looking back at the swirling sand, but there was no one there, only the endless expanse of the desert. A female cultivator suddenly remembered something and exclaimed. “You’re right. There was a young boy behind me earlier…”

She started to move back, but Ji Lingyue stood still, her white robe flapping in the wind, and her words were almost carried away by the breeze. “Don’t.”

The woman hesitated. “But what if he’s lost…?”

“It’s too late,” Ji Lingyue murmured.

“What?”

“Can’t you smell it?”

Despite the strong wind, there was a faint but unmistakable scent of blood wafting through the air, occasionally reaching their noses.

Ji Lingyue said calmly, “Creatures in this desert hunt at night. They favor human hearts and flesh. If you value your life, move faster.”

“How… how do you know that?”

Ji Lingyue gave them a cold look. “I read books.”

She had no desire to encounter beasts that had been starving for sixty years.

Having made up her mind, she spoke no more and quickened her pace. The others exchanged nervous glances before scrambling after her, staying as close as they could.

As the last bit of sunlight dipped below the horizon, the vast desert seemed to swallow up their tiny figures in the growing darkness.

Silence descended upon the group, broken only by the sound of their ragged breathing.

Suddenly, a series of strange sounds sliced through the howling wind, like the cackling of a deranged beast. At the same moment, the ground trembled beneath their feet, and a rustling sound, growing ever louder, reached their ears. Ji Lingyue picked up her pace, using a spell to cover ground in great leaps, rushing far ahead.

She was about to leave them all behind when a scream pierced the night. Her steps faltered. She hesitated for a heartbeat, then sighed, turning back towards the source of the sound.

A thin, long sword appeared in her hand, still glimmering even in the dim light.

With graceful movements, Ji Lingyue cut through the wind and sand like a white crane, slashing down at the dark figure. She severed its head in one swift motion and pulled the screaming cultivator up from the ground.

The severed head rolled away, snatched by the wind before she could even make out its features. But as she looked up, her eyes widened. In the distance, countless pairs of crimson eyes glowed menacingly in the darkness, a sea of red closing in on them.

The cultivator she had saved was still in shock, his voice trembling as he stammered, “Th-thank you…”

Ji Lingyue frowned, shoving him forward. “Move!”

“R-right,” he scrambled back, trying to explain himself. “I just… I panicked, didn’t have time to react…”

Ji Lingyue ignored him, choosing a direction at random and sprinting into the darkness. The group that had been following her had scattered like frightened birds, nowhere to be seen. Soon, even the cultivator she had just saved had vanished.

Without hesitation, she stepped onto her sword. Even though it consumed more spiritual energy, she needed to fly away from there. But as she soared through the air, a sudden movement from within her sleeve caught her attention.

She had almost forgotten about Danqing, the gyrfalcon that had been quietly nestled there for a long time.

But if it was stirring, that meant…

Ji Lingyue blinked and released Danqing. The gyrfalcon shot out from her sleeve, wings beating furiously as it dove towards the ground. Ji Lingyue followed closely, her gaze locked on the shadowy dunes below.

A group of people was scrambling across the sand, pursued by dozens of the creatures. Screams ripped through the night, and amidst the chaos, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Ah Li!”

Ji Lingyue’s lips tightened. Zeroing in on the source of the voice, she leaped from her sword without hesitation.

She soon spied a tall, slim figure. Wasting no time, Ji Lingyue pulled out a rope and, without hesitation, threw it toward her. The figure reacted swiftly, stepping back just as the rope was about to wrap around her waist. She countered with her sword, twirling the rope around it and securing it on her blade.

Once the rope was secure, she instinctively pulled on it but couldn’t budge it. Frowning at the other end of the rope, she recoiled in shock upon seeing who held it. In a panic, she turned to flee, forgetting she could fly and running like a frightened mortal.

Ji Lingyue caught up to her effortlessly, landing a palm strike on her back. The woman stumbled, her feet sinking into the shifting sand as she crashed to the ground.

Before she could even attempt to get up, Ji Lingyue was on her, pinning her down with a knee in her back, her hands clasping around the woman’s throat.

The sudden suffocation made her face flush red. She grabbed Ji Lingyue’s wrists and rolled forward forcefully, switching their positions. She coughed a few times but before she could recover, Ji Lingyue lifted her leg and kicked her hard in the stomach.

The woman gasped, scrambling back to her feet. But Ji Lingyue pounced like a furious panther, tackling her back to the ground. A groan escaped Lan Wu’s lips as she looked up. The woman straddled her waist, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Lan Wu!” Ji Lingyue snapped.

As Ji Lingyue’s hands went for her throat again, Lan Wu’s mind finally clicked. She frowned, suddenly remembering she had powers. Her lips moved, forming a silent word, and vines erupted from the sand, wrapping around Ji Lingyue’s waist.

With Ji Lingyue’s movements now restricted, Lan Wu flipped her over, pinning her down and securing her wrists in the sand.

Their faces were inches apart now. Lan Wu, her chest heaving, stared into Ji Lingyue’s furious eyes, her voice strained. “You… you’ve got the wrong person.”

Ji Lingyue froze, a humorless laugh escaping her lips. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, her voice raw with emotion. “Wrong person? Lan Wu, I could recognize you even if you were burnt to ashes!”