Chapter 652 542: Ji Xichan, You Just Woke Up and You're Already Going Crazy Over My Master

Pei Yuhang shook his head. He knelt on one knee, bringing his eyes level with hers.

Those eyes that were always so cold toward Ji Xichan now reflected her image, filled with trust and warmth.

"No, you are our only hope of leaving the Abyssal Sea Palace."

"Yuan Tianming lured half of the elite cultivators into the Abyssal Sea Palace. He's clearly up to no good, and we can't let his plan succeed."

"After we find Yueqiu and the others, the hope of opening the Abyssal Sea Palace and saving everyone rests entirely on you, Ji Xichan."

'Hope...?'

'If I cause an irredeemable disaster, I'll become the greatest sinner in the Cultivation Realm. Even then... Sword Immortal Pei, you'd still call me your hope?'

"Ji Xichan, Elder Lu, my master, and I didn't save you just so you could wallow in self-pity."

"Pull yourself together!"

Seeing Ji Xichan's dazed and absent-minded state, Yu Xiaoyan had the urge to go over and punch her.

'Besides, everyone's cultivation is about the same now. At the same level, I'm not so sure Ji Xichan could even beat me!'

Just then, Shang Miaoyan's head snapped up. She looked behind them, her voice turning grave as she spoke:

"The numerous covert sentinels I placed a kilometer out have been destroyed.

The blood mist must be about to reach us. No more hesitation. Let's move. We can talk later!"

Ji Xichan gave a firm nod. She looked at Pei Yuhang and the others and declared solemnly, "I will get you out of the Abyssal Sea Palace. I will atone for my mistake!"

...

...

「Several days earlier, on the other side of the Abyssal Sea Palace.」

DRIP—

A cold drop of water landed on the tip of her delicate nose.

Qing Yueqiu's pale pink lashes trembled, and she snapped her crimson eyes open.

"No, Master—"

Like a drowning person, the young woman reached into the void, as if trying to grasp the hand of someone dear to her.

"Yueqiu, are you awake?"

A gentle, graceful voice spoke from nearby. Only then did Qing Yueqiu see Lin Qianyan gazing at her, her expression full of worry.

"Sister Lin? Where are we..."

Qing Yueqiu stared at the unfamiliar, gloomy corridor before her, her expression lost and confused.

Lin Qianyan handed the silver-haired young woman a bottle of Cyan Lotus Spiritual Milk, a specialty of the Jade Pool Sacred Land, to help her recover her strength. Then, she began to explain in a soft voice:

"Yueqiu, we're inside the Abyssal Sea Palace now, and we've been separated from Brother Pei...

I'm sorry. When the tidal wave hit, I only managed to grab your hand. If only I could have held on to Brother Pei as well."

Lin Qianyan said, her gaze lowered, her voice filled with self-reproach and regret.

The unique domain within the Abyssal Sea Palace prevented the use of Transmission Tokens, so she had no way of knowing if Brother Pei was even safe.

She had only just reunited with Brother Pei after so much hardship. If something were to happen to him... even the ever-resilient Lin Qianyan couldn't bear to imagine such a bleak future.

"Sister Lin, it's not your fault... My master is incredibly powerful, one of the strongest cultivators in the entire world. He'll be fine."

But the worry in Lin Qianyan's voice made Qing Yueqiu's heart ache as well.

She forced a smile and offered a few words of comfort, as much to reassure Lin Qianyan as to console herself.

Lin Qianyan nodded gently. She knew she couldn't afford to be negative in this dangerous Abyssal Sea Palace. With Brother Pei gone, she had to be a strong example for his disciple.

The two drank the Cyan Lotus Spiritual Milk and silently focused on their Qi Seas to recover their strength.

Just then, a flash of insight struck Qing Yueqiu's Sea of Consciousness as she suddenly recalled the moments before she lost consciousness.

Back then, her master had first used the Great Shifting Order to teleport his wife to safety. Then, all of them had joined hands and were pulled, inevitably, toward the gates of the Abyssal Sea Palace.

But just then, a colossal tidal wave had struck, not only smashing the towering Ancient Bronze Gate to pieces but also scattering their group.

In the chaotic ocean vortex, it seemed her master had only managed to grab Shang Miaoyan, who was closest to him.

And right before she lost consciousness, she had felt her own small hand being gripped tightly... Thinking back, it must have been Sister Lin who had pulled her to safety in that moment of crisis.

Shang Miaoyan...

Qing Yueqiu murmured her name, her brilliant crimson eyes lighting up.

"Wait, Sister Lin! I remember you came to the Endless Sea with Shang Miaoyan. To avoid getting accidentally separated, you should have a Magical Treasure that can track her aura, right?"

Lin Qianyan nodded.

"I do. And I've confirmed that Shang Miaoyan is still alive, she's just very far from us. She must have been transported to the other side of the Abyssal Sea Palace...

Wait a minute... Yueqiu, are you saying Brother Pei is with Shang Miaoyan right now?!"

'Lin Qianyan was certain. Knowing Qing Yueqiu's personality, she would never be this worked up about Shang Miaoyan's safety on its own. The only person who could excite her this much was Brother Pei!'

"You're so clever, Sister Lin! That's right! I just remembered—right before we were swept into the Ancient Bronze Gate, I saw my master grab Shang Miaoyan's hand amidst the chaos.

He also tried to grab Junior Martial Uncle Nangong, but unfortunately, I passed out right after that. I don't know if Junior Martial Uncle Nangong managed to stay with him..."

Hearing Qing Yueqiu's confirmation, the gloom in Lin Qianyan's lovely eyes vanished.

With no time to continue meditating and recovering, she and Qing Yueqiu set off on the path to reunite with Pei Yuhang.

Their luck was quite good. They encountered no mishaps and soon found a map fragment of the Abyssal Sea Palace that had appeared randomly in the corridor.

Following the map's directions, they progressed smoothly and were about to pass through the outer maze of the Abyssal Sea Palace and enter its deeper reaches.

Lin Qianyan could sense Shang Miaoyan approaching the same area. Their two groups would likely meet very soon.

But as the two Fairies rounded a bend in the corridor, they suddenly heard a frantic argument coming from the darkness ahead.

Qing Yueqiu and Lin Qianyan exchanged a glance and immediately slowed their steps.

"Senior Sister Jin, why did you kill Junior Sister Liu!"

A moment later, a hoarse female voice replied.

"That strange blood mist is about to engulf the outer palace. Our only slim hope of survival is to get into the Inner Palace.

But the Inner Palace is completely controlled by a few old Demons from the Celestial Killer Sect and the Blood Shadow Sect. To get inside, you have to present the corpse of a fellow sect member as proof that you've betrayed your Sect—a pledge of allegiance to those old Demons!"

"Since Junior Sister Liu was already gravely wounded, I might as well have finished her off myself. Her body is my ticket to survival... This is all about staying alive. I've done nothing wrong."

"Senior Sister Jin... you've overlooked one thing. If you can use Junior Sister Liu's corpse to get into the Inner Palace, then which of our sect sisters' corpses am I supposed to use to survive?"

A long silence followed. Then, the sound of clashing weapons and fierce combat erupted from the end of the corridor.

Qing Yueqiu and Lin Qianyan exchanged another glance. Qing Yueqiu whispered, "What do we do, Sister Lin? Based on what they said... the Inner Palace has been taken over by those old Demons from the Demon Dao.

To get inside, you have to do something monstrous, something beneath even an animal."

Lin Qianyan pressed her lips together. "We will never compromise with those Demons," she whispered. "If it comes to it, we'll just have to force our way in.

Everyone's cultivation is on the same level right now. When the blood mist submerges the entire outer maze, it will force all the cultivators to the gates of the Inner Palace. A violent conflict is bound to break out then.

When that happens, we can just rush in with the crowd."

As Qing Yueqiu and Lin Qianyan discussed their plan, the sounds of fighting in the distance gradually subsided, a victor apparently decided.

It was Senior Sister Jin who had survived. Lin Qianyan quietly sent out a strand of her Divine Sense, attaching it to the woman without a sound. She planned to use her to scout the Inner Palace's defenses.

But just then, as Senior Sister Jin reached a fork in the path, she unexpectedly encountered another gravely wounded Female Cultivator.

After getting a clear look at the woman's robes, Senior Sister Jin gave a self-mocking laugh.

"You're also from the Yin Yang Sacred Land?"

"Ah, my poor junior sister," she lamented. "If only I'd known I would run into another sect member here, I wouldn't have killed you. How ironic fate can be."

The Female Cultivator opposite her remained silent for a moment before raising the Demon Blade in her hand.

"You betrayed our Sacred Land. As an Attendant to the Saintess, I have the right to execute you where you stand!"

Through the eyes of her Split Soul, Lin Qianyan got a clear look at this Female Cultivator's face and pursed her lips in surprise.

'Is that... Shang Miaoyan's attendant, Fan Xuan?'