"Another fake!"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang forcefully stomped on the scattered fragments beneath his feet, his expression ashen.
Just moments ago, they had encountered Bei Xinghan.
However, this Bei Xinghan was also a fake.
His flaw was that he wielded his sword with his left hand.
And Bei Xinghan had never used a left-handed sword before.
Although they had easily recognized the impostor this time, no one wore a smile.
The fact that they had encountered a fake Bei Xinghan meant that this mirror had targeted others, and they wondered about the current situation of those individuals.
"Don't be discouraged. Even if they were tricked, it doesn't necessarily mean they are in danger," Xu Yi consoled.
After all, they were all chosen elites who had fought their way through the Sect Grand Competition. Each of them possessed hidden trump cards that they hadn't yet revealed, and it was unlikely they would perish without a fight.
"Mm, we'll keep searching. We'll definitely find them," Yu Xiaoyu said, clenching her fist for encouragement.
They used their spiritual energy to further crush the fragments, ensuring nothing but dust remained before they departed.
After taking only a couple of steps forward, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from the sky, causing the ground to tremble. The thick fog churned and coalesced, forming a vast grey river that stretched across the heavens, surging towards them.
The ear-splitting sound reverberated across the desolate land. Xu Yi and the other two exchanged glances and immediately turned to flee.
Although they had no idea what had caused this sudden upheaval, they were in no mood to investigate. All they wanted was to escape the colossal grey river that exuded an immense oppressive aura.
However, despite their full-speed sprint, the trio couldn't outrun the river.
As the distance between them rapidly closed, Xu Yi felt a sharp, stinging pain on her back.
Just as Xu Yi sensed impending doom, she suddenly noticed a bottomless pit appearing not too far ahead.
She glanced back at the rapidly approaching grey river, gritted her teeth, and shouted, "Jump!"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu had also seen the pit. Upon hearing Xu Yi's words, they didn't hesitate. The three of them leaped into the pit simultaneously.
Whoosh—
Their bodies plummeted rapidly, surrounded by oppressive darkness.
Xu Yi's divine sense was completely useless here, and she couldn't even utter a sound.
In this unknown place, Xu Yi couldn't even perceive the passage of time.
After an indeterminate period, Xu Yi felt as if her body had broken through a barrier. Suddenly, her vision cleared, and her body regained its senses.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three heavy thuds echoed.
Xu Yi grimaced in pain.
Although she had erected a defensive spiritual shield at the last moment, the immense impact had still surged into her body, albeit weakened.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu were in a similar state.
Enduring the piercing pain in her feet, Yu Xiaoyu looked around, her mouth slowly falling open.
"Xu, Xu Yi..."
Hearing her name, Xu Yi looked up. Her face contorted in shock, and she stared, dumbfounded, at a mountain peak shimmering with a cold, metallic glint ahead.
She wasn't surprised that a mountain peak existed beneath this secret realm, but rather by the fact that the mountain was covered in long swords, their tips pointing upwards, stained with dark crimson blood.
"This mountain, it, it..."
Even Xiong Zhuangzhuang, who was usually the most carefree, was speechless.
For some reason, he felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He even had a faint illusion that he could hear the weeping of spirits from the mountain of swords.
Xu Yi also felt a prickle of unease. She rubbed her arms, feigning composure, and said, "Let's skirt around it and keep moving forward. We shouldn't linger here."
"Okay," Yu Xiaoyu agreed tremulously, instinctively moving closer to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi glanced at Yu Xiaoyu beside her, then subtly drew closer to Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
Sticking together for warmth was the wisest course of action at this moment.
The three of them walked for a full day and night before the sword mountain finally disappeared from their sight. However, before they could breathe a sigh of relief, an ice mountain, crystal clear and translucent, appeared before them, immediately raising their alertness.
Even before they approached, the trio felt as if their bodies were encased in frost, their blood seemingly frozen in its flow.
Their hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes began to accumulate fine ice crystals.
"So, so, so cold," Yu Xiaoyu shivered, her voice trembling, and she instinctively linked her arm through Xu Yi's.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang, despite his robust physique, couldn't withstand the chilling cold that penetrated his very bones.
He sneezed several times, his teeth chattering audibly.
Xu Yi, however, was in an even worse state.
Her fire spiritual root was completely suppressed, and even the circulation of her spiritual energy was significantly slower than usual.
In this extreme cold, her strength would be reduced by at least twenty percent.
"Quick, quick, let's go," Xu Yi said, her voice accompanied by puffs of white mist.
Huddled together, they moved with haste, their speed even greater than before.
Due to the intense cold, they were solely focused on their urgent progress. It was only when they sensed someone ahead that they barely managed to stop before colliding directly.
"What's going on with you three? Didn't you see me?" Feng Qingyang exclaimed indignantly while dodging backward.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been knocked to the ground by these three.
"Feng, Qing, Yang?" Xu Yi squinted, her speech slightly slurred.
"It's me," Feng Qingyang replied curtly. He then glanced around with a hint of confusion, asking, "Why does it feel so cold here? Where exactly is this place?"
Only then did Xu Yi and the other two belatedly realize that they had encountered another companion.
However, they weren't sure if this companion was genuine or a fake...
Exchanging a look, Xu Yi was the one to ask, "How did you end up here?"
Upon hearing this question, Feng Qingyang's expression immediately soured.
"Don't even mention it. You have no idea what I just went through, it's infuriating!"
Xu Yi said, "What happened? Tell us in detail."
Feng Qingyang was in dire need of someone to listen to his grievances. The moment Xu Yi finished speaking, he began to talk incessantly.
It turned out that he had met Xiao Qi on the road, and they had traveled together. Halfway through, Xiao Qi had inexplicably gone mad and suddenly attacked him.
Fortunately, with his mutated wind spiritual root and quick reflexes, he had immediately dodged backward when Xiao Qi made his move, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, though he still sustained minor injuries.
Enraged, he had fought back against Xiao Qi. As their battle progressed, the weather had suddenly changed, forcing him to temporarily set aside their animosity and flee. Then, he had apparently bumped into something and fallen here.
"Don't you think Xiao Qi was out of line!"
To this day, Feng Qingyang couldn't understand why Xiao Qi had suddenly attacked him. He hadn't offended him at all.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi and the other two silently nodded.
It seemed Feng Qingyang had also encountered a fake.
Watching Feng Qingyang continue to grumble about Xiao Qi, the trio couldn't help but sigh at the saying "fools have all the luck."