When Chu Mingwei arrived at the crow demon swarm, in another direction, Xiao Hei was concealing his aura as he thoughtfully observed the scene ahead.
Not far away, countless strange birds were circling in dense layers, blotting out the sky in a mass of darkness. Xiao Hei glanced at his timepiece; these birds had been lingering here for half a day without any sign of dispersing. The flock remained tightly gathered, as if something at the center was drawing them in.
After observing for a while, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Hei’s lips. The Chu Heavenly Secret Realm was filled with spiritual treasures everywhere. Whatever could make these birds refuse to leave must be something extremely precious.
Thinking of this, Xiao Hei felt his heart heat up. No matter what these birds were guarding, he intended to take it for himself. However, he frowned as he looked at the swarm again. These creatures were clearly fierce, and with his current strength, he absolutely could not contend with them head-on. He would need to think of a way to force them away.
Just as he was deep in thought, a sudden “crack” echoed through the heavens.
A thunderous explosion rang out without warning, as though the world itself had been struck. Xiao Hei froze, and in the next instant countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, all striking directly into the crow demon swarm ahead.
“Chu Mingwei.”
Xiao Hei murmured under his breath. Only Chu Mingwei in the entire cultivation world could wield such domineering lightning techniques.
He had not expected to encounter Chu Mingwei here. Thinking of Xiao Lingyu, whom he had not seen since the Wu City ruins incident, a faint trace of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes.
A few months ago, news that Chu Mingwei and Xiao Lingyu had formed a Dao partner bond had spread throughout the cultivation world. Xiao Hei had already anticipated their relationship back in the ruins, but he had not expected things to progress so quickly—they had officially become Dao partners not long after returning to the Yun Tian Sect.
At that time, Xiao Hei had felt happy for Xiao Lingyu, though a trace of bitterness inevitably lingered in his heart. Still, thinking of his master’s reaction, he could not help but smile faintly.
This time entering the Chu Heavenly Secret Realm, he had come not only for treasure, but also hoping to meet Xiao Lingyu again.
Thinking of the recent undercurrents within the sect that his master had mentioned, the smile faded from Xiao Hei’s face, replaced by a shadow in his eyes.
After a moment, he refocused on the crow demons. Whether or not he had encountered Xiao Lingyu, the information he carried—should he share it with Chu Mingwei or not—was something to consider later. For now, securing treasure came first. As for that matter, he would discuss it after obtaining what he wanted.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Hei concealed himself once more and watched quietly as the lightning-struck crow demons descended into chaos.
Since Chu Mingwei was already acting, he would not intervene rashly. He intended to wait until both Chu Mingwei and the crow demons were weakened, then reap the benefits as the fisherman who profits from both sides.
Imagining Chu Mingwei’s distressed expression after losing the treasure, Xiao Hei felt a surge of satisfaction.
Serves you right for taking Xiao Lao Da away.
Just as he was enjoying this thought, a flash of light flickered at the center of the swarm. A crescent-shaped phantom blade struck one of the crow demons.
Xiao Hei’s expression changed drastically.
“Xiao Lao Da?!”
Almost instantly, he swept his left hand forward. A folding fan glowing with faint light shot out from his sleeve and flew toward the direction of the crow demons under his command.
—
Inside the swarm, Xiao Lingyu was still slashing through crow demons with the Water Moon Wheel, when he suddenly pressed a hand onto the bamboo house. With a flash of green light, it shrank back to its original size and returned to his grasp.
Zhu Xier looked at the bamboo house in his hand with obvious reluctance. This was a rare spatial defensive artifact—but now that it had been bound by blood, there was no way to reclaim it.
Xiao Lingyu ignored her gaze. He had long since become accustomed to such looks—Zhu Yurun always looked at snacks the same way.
Outside, thunder continued to rain down. Compared to Chu Mingwei’s earlier strength in the Dan realm, his current cultivation after advancing to the Nascent Soul realm allowed him far greater control over lightning techniques.
Although the secret realm suppressed his power to the Void realm, he still refined every bit of spiritual energy to its limit. Each bolt of lightning struck a crow demon with near-perfect precision.
Strangely, the normally artifact-resistant crow demons were now heavily injured under the lightning, as though the thunder itself resonated with the laws of heaven and earth. Their cries filled the sky, yet they still refused to retreat.
Through the swarm, Chu Mingwei finally caught sight of Xiao Lingyu’s figure. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, ignoring the surrounding attacks.
Xiao Lingyu, still fighting, also noticed the familiar figure approaching. Even in such danger, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Zhu Xier, meanwhile, glanced between them and muttered inwardly that their relationship truly was unusually close. Still, with another powerful cultivator joining them, their chances of escape had clearly improved. She redoubled her efforts in spewing demon fire.
Chu Mingwei arrived at Xiao Lingyu’s side in a single breath and immediately asked, “Lingyu, are you hurt?”
Xiao Lingyu shook his head. “I’m fine, Senior Brother.”
Only then did Chu Mingwei fully relax.
His gaze briefly shifted to Zhu Xier, who was beside Xiao Lingyu. Another pig-shaped spirit beast? He frowned slightly, then noticed the extraordinary effect of her demon fire against the crow demons.
His expression softened. With such a spirit beast protecting his junior brother in the future, he could worry less.
Just as the three of them began to push the crow demons back together, the swarm suddenly changed tactics. Letting out shrill cries, the crow demons no longer dodged the lightning and instead charged forward recklessly.
The pressure instantly increased.
At that critical moment, a white folding fan cut through the air and blocked in front of them.
As it opened, a vast and overwhelming aura surged outward. A roaring sound like a great ocean filled the space, and a tidal wave of water erupted from the fan, sweeping toward the sky.
Water surged endlessly, wave after wave. Xiao Lingyu felt the moisture in the air thicken, his spiritual energy becoming unusually active.
“Ten Thousand Arrows, Release!”
Countless water arrows rose within the waves, accompanied by streaks of lightning interwoven like serpents.
Chu Mingwei activated his Thunder Mirror, sending electric arcs into the flood.
Under this combined assault, the crow demons finally began to fall in droves. More than a fifth of their number was destroyed in a single strike.
The remaining crow demons retreated in alarm, circling at a distance but still refusing to leave.
Relief washed over Xiao Lingyu.
However, Chu Mingwei’s expression was not relaxed. Instead, he stared at the folding fan with deep seriousness.
“This artifact…” Xiao Lingyu noticed his expression. “Is there a problem?”
Chu Mingwei shook his head slightly.
“No. It’s just that the owner of this artifact is someone you’ve met before.”
“I have?” Xiao Lingyu raised an eyebrow.
Chu Mingwei nodded.
“This is Ying Jiuhua’s personal artifact—the Vast Sea Fan.”
At the name, Xiao Lingyu paused, then immediately thought of Xiao Hei. He had not contacted him in a long time and wondered how he was doing.
As the fan’s light gradually faded, Xiao Lingyu looked toward the remaining crow demons and frowned. Even after such heavy losses, they still refused to retreat.
Old Ghost Head spoke solemnly in his mind:
“The Ascension Fruit is an ancient treasure of heaven-defying value. Whether human cultivators, demons, or spirit beasts consume it, they will gain immense benefit. It grows extremely slowly. These crow demons must have guarded it for countless years—they will not give it up easily.”
Xiao Lingyu’s eyes turned cold.
“Then we destroy them all if we want to leave?”
Before he could continue, Chu Mingwei suddenly narrowed his eyes, looking toward the fading glow of the Vast Sea Fan.
A thought flashed through his mind.
Could it be Xiao Hei who came, not Ying Jiuhua?
Otherwise, the fan could not have been used for only a single strike.
But why would Ying Jiuhua lend his personal artifact to Xiao Hei?
As Chu Mingwei was still thinking, a figure suddenly broke through the crow demon swarm and rushed toward them.
When Chu Mingwei saw the figure clearly, his body instinctively tensed.
But Xiao Lingyu’s expression instantly lit up with joy.