She never expected Min Ning would make a move to snatch it.
Her hair suddenly loosened and fell, Yin Weiyin's eyes filled with fury and shock. Under her gaze, Min Ning leisurely placed the hairpin into his hair.
Min Ning already wore a simple ponytail, but once the misty cloud-patterned hairpin was secured, it beca the finishing touch—its faint silvery gleam flickering among the shifting shadows of leaves. What made Yin Weiyin even more uneasy was how... surprisingly fitting the hairpin looked on Min Ning.
How could this be allowed?
The female crown was inwardly livid and instinctively reached out her hand but imdiately withdrew it. Thoughts churned wildly in her mind before she composed herself and said coolly:
"Since you want it that badly, I'll lend it to you."
Min Ning rely smiled faintly, not caring about her thoughts, and turned to leave.
Staring at his smug retreating figure, Yin Weiyin quietly clenched her fists.
Chen Yi and she had struggled through so many hardships together to finally deliver this token of affection to her, only for it to be snatched away like this. She bit down hard on her silver-white teeth. Regardless of whether Chen Yi would notice anything amiss afterward, things would already be terrible for her. Even if he didn't figure it out, Yin Weiyin couldn't bear the thought of this keepsake being taken by anyone else.
Yet, if she exposed her own inner turmoil, Min Ning might notice a flaw. Besides, in front of soone with the surna Min, Yin Weiyin absolutely refused to show any weakness.
If Chen Yi were here, perhaps she could whisper so pillow talk to him, subtly take hold of his sentints. Although she couldn't make him hate Min Ning outright, at least she could sway him toward her side, adding trouble for Min Ning.
Yin Weiyin took a deep breath and saw that the sky had fully brightened. Refusing to linger on these thoughts, she turned back toward the camp.
Lu Ying was awake now. When she saw the female crown approaching, a vivid scene from her dream imdiately surfaced in her mind.
Was that really just a dream?
Upon waking, the imagery remained remarkably vivid. Lu Ying couldn't help but speculate—if it were truly just a dream, that would be fine. But if it wasn't... Facing the Earthly Hell King and the ghost ssengers without flinching, how astonishingly resolute must the Taichua Goddess's Daoist heart be?
Small wonder she could compel him to willingly serve as her sacrificial furnace.
Lu Ying silently sighed, unsure of what to say. She could only feign casual indifference, fiddling with the already long-extinguished campfire.
The fire had died out ages ago.
Soon afterward, the three won resud their journey.
One couldn't help but wonder—was it just an illusion? Today's skies seed clearer than usual, and a gentle wind wafted through the forest.
The mountain trail was smooth and unobstructed. Lush trees lined both sides. As they ascended a particular stretch of the path, Min Ning nearly stumbled stepping forward—the ground before him split into an abrupt ravine.
Steep cliffs rose on either side. Sharp Sword Intent radiated from the depths of the valley, leaving behind hundreds of intersecting scars. The group glanced to either side and saw rows of caves carved into the sheer cliff faces. On ditation cushions in those caves sat countless skeletons—silent yet eerily imposing.
Only a narrow path clung precariously to the cliffs, leading onward into the distance.
Min Ning advanced ahead, stepping onto this trail. The two female Daoists followed shortly after. The biting wind whistled in the air, sending shivers through their spines; beneath their feet lay an endless abyss.
Yin Weiyin fixed her gaze on Min Ning's back. The misty cloud-patterned hairpin shimred softly in the light, catching her eye again and again. She suppressed multiple impulses to push him off the edge.
Following the cliffside trail deeper, a sudden crack of thunder echoed through the valley, and ominous clouds shrouded the sky. Min Ning proceeded cautiously with his blade in hand, the Alerting Heart Skill faintly pulsing. Her sharp gaze swept the surroundings; the tension left her breath tight, almost on edge.
Rounding a corner, the cliffside trail delved straight into the mountains. The passageway was clearly not naturally ford—marks of iron tools etched the stone walls. As the trio ventured further inside, an inexplicable sense of gloom settled around them.
It was pitch-dark to the extent where even outstretched hands disappeared. The vague sense of dread deepened.
A soft plop broke the silence, and Yin Weiyin flinched, spinning around. She realized it was rely Min Ning lighting a firestarter.
The hissing wind surged intermittently, sending chills down their spines. The cavern was unnervingly still, save for the faint scuffling of footsteps echoing—an impression as if soone else was present. Yet listening intently, they determined it was only their own steps reverberating. Yin Weiyin's breath quickened.
Coldness seeped through the walls into the air.
The further they walked, the narrower the passage beca—just wide enough for one person to squeeze through. The darkness intensified; a feeble draft from deeper within caused the firelight to shrink visibly.
The chill word its way into their hearts.
The trio slowed down instinctively, discreetly applying the divination thod.
Without exception, the signs indicated no forthcoming danger.
It appeared safe inside…
The three won exchanged brief glances—each catching the hand signals for divination—and simultaneously felt an uncanny crawl down their spines, the hair on their arms standing straight.
Inside, all was empty and silent as before. The blackness deeper ahead swallowed every trace of light.
Gradually, they ventured into the cavern, the faint flicker of the firelight sketching indistinct outlines. The space opened up slightly. Amid the shadows, a structure vaguely resembling a Magic Platform lood.
The three won pressed forward cautiously.
A powerful stench of blood suddenly surged into their nostrils!
Not a single voice broke the suffocating silence. Even the winds seed to have stilled, frozen alongside the splattered bloodstains on the walls. Yin Weiyin suddenly felt her foot step on sothing. She froze in place, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Her pupils contracted sharply, revealing beneath her feet the corpse of a Taoist priest with its head eerily tilted askew. Clearly lifeless, yet his robe bore no traces of blood.
The Taoist's face was pale and lifeless—like a body devoid of its soul.
The other two won gasped involuntarily, drawing in their breaths sharply. Min Ning raised the firestarter and took several steps forward.
Then, the cavern unveiled an unholy scene akin to hell itself.
One body, two bodies, three bodies...
Dozens of corpses were strewn across the space around the Magic Platform, above and beneath—young, old, contorted in countless forms. Without exception, their faces were ghostly pale with darkened foreheads, as though their souls had been forcibly shredded.
Yin Weiyin, who once narrowly escaped from the underworld, felt her heart climb into her throat.
Click...
A faint sound erged from the center of the Magic Platform. Subtle yet unmistakable, the trio turned their heads sharply in unison. A Taoist clothed in imperial yellow robes that marked him as a master slowly began to move—his head rising inch by inch. Those hollow, lifeless eyes settled directly on Yin Weiyin.
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