Chu Tianshu immediately cowered, no longer daring to shout at her as before. He shamefully hid behind Zhan Li, not daring to say another word, which made everyone burst into laughter.
Su Luo couldn't help but laugh, "Second Senior Brother has finally admitted defeat. It seems he's deeply in love with Sister Wen."
Lu Jixing shook his head and pouted, "Pathetic. I thought he could be stubborn his whole life, but he surrendered so quickly."
Tang Xiaoguo teased him, "Third Senior Brother, don't talk about Second Senior Brother. When you find someone you like, I'm sure you'll be even more timid than Second Senior Brother. Hahahaha…"
Su Luo covered her mouth and smiled, "Exactly! Don't be stubborn now, or you'll regret it too late."
After a period of playful banter, everyone finally quieted down. The Haotian Emperor had expended his essence and spirit to perform the灌顶 (guàn dǐng - a ritualistic bestowing of power) for Su Luo, and had gone to rest temporarily. He could only continue the process for the next person the following day. The control of his body was returned to Shang Xie Shaoqing.
Shang Xie Shaoqing looked bewildered. Listening to everyone's laughter, he didn't know what had happened. His mind was a blank slate.
Lately, the Great Emperor had frequently occupied his body, causing his memories to be intermittent, which was extremely painful. However, Shang Xie Shaoqing dared not complain. His master occupying his body was a sign of favor; others wouldn't even have this privilege.
"Master, oh Master, please revive quickly. Then I won't have to keep losing my memory," he prayed silently in his heart.
The night passed uneventfully.
In the early morning, everyone woke up feeling refreshed.
Li Tianjue had stood guard all night. Although he hadn't slept, he was still full of energy.
After a simple meal, everyone prepared to continue their journey. The visit to the ancient ruins was just an interlude; their ultimate destination was the Life and Death Chasm to find their sect leader, which was still a considerable distance away.
Su Luo took out the map to examine it, pointing at the winding lines. "We are at this position now, slightly off our planned route. The Life and Death Chasm is here, and there are three paths to reach it. Everyone, let's decide which one to take?"
Everyone leaned in to look at the routes on the map.
Li Tianjue was the most familiar with the area. Years ago, he had traversed this rugged and desolate land, and he was well aware of the conditions everywhere.
He pointed at the first route, "About fifty li forward from here is a place called Blackwater Ravine. There's a lot of water, and many venomous insects. It would be fine to pass through from above on a spirit ship, but the noise would easily attract attention. Traveling on foot would be quite inconvenient."
Chu Tianshu immediately said, "Then we won't choose this one."
Li Tianjue nodded and continued, "The second path leads to Crow Mountain. Ten years ago, this area was the territory of the White Bone Heavenly Demon. Tens of thousands of demon followers were stationed here, establishing White Bone City. However, five years ago, the Longevity Hall sent people to eliminate them…"
Upon hearing this, Shang Xie Shaoqing remembered something and said with a hint of pride, "So this is White Bone City. I remember this. At that time, my father dispatched five thousand men to launch a major attack on White Bone City. There were many casualties, but we managed to burn White Bone City to the ground and kill all the demon followers inside."
Du Wei immediately chimed in, "Indeed, this incident had a significant impact at the time! Later, the Sect Master even received a challenge from Moloch, but there's been no news of it since, hehe… proving it was just a scare tactic!"
Bai Qi asked, "Then Senior Brother, are we taking this path?"
Li Tianjue shook his head. "Although White Bone City is now deserted, it is said to be occupied by a group of demonic beasts. There are many man-eating flowers and trees. The most powerful among them are two ninth-tier dual-headed flood dragons, a male and a female. If we were to hunt demonic beasts, this path would be suitable, but to save time, it's not ideal."
Su Luo pointed at the last path, "Then only this one is left."
"About a hundred li forward from here is a small town, mostly inhabited by ordinary people, but it was also controlled by demonic sects. However, I don't know if it still is. After passing the town and going this way, crossing the Ling Shui River, you'll reach Da Yuan City ahead, which is quite prosperous. If we don't go to Da Yuan City, we can detour through the adjacent Dragon Soul Forest, and then after three to five days, we'll be near the Life and Death Chasm."
Li Tianjue's explanation was very detailed, and only the third route was the most suitable. If all went smoothly, they could reach their destination in about ten days.
"Let's take this route. Let's go, let's go, we need to hurry." The group finally made up their minds, packed their belongings, and set off again.
A hundred li was neither too far nor too short. The group traveled as usual and reached their destination by evening.
Seeing the small town in the distance, with wisps of cooking smoke rising, it looked full of life. Although everyone knew that demonic sect members might be lurking in the town, they still wanted to stop and rest. As long as they were careful and didn't reveal their identities, there shouldn't be any danger.
There were a moderate number of people in the town, men, women, old, and young, coming and going.
"Let's find a place to eat first and stay for the night before continuing our journey tomorrow."
After traveling all day, everyone was a bit hungry. Chu Tianshu casually asked a passerby nearby, who looked to be in his thirties, "Excuse me, we're looking for an inn. Which way should we go?"
"An inn? No, no! I don't know anything."
The person seemed startled. He didn't say anything, pushed Chu Tianshu aside, and quickly walked away as if he had seen a ghost.
Chu Tianshu then tried to ask a woman, but before he could get close, the woman panicked and ran away.
"Am I that ugly?" He couldn't understand.
Tang Xiaoguo also found it very strange, "What's wrong with these people? They run from us as if we have the plague. What happened?"
At this moment, everyone realized that all the people in the town were staring at them. Some had shifty eyes, some were whispering, some immediately went inside and closed their doors, not daring to look at them, while others ran away from a distance as soon as they saw them. This made everyone feel that something was definitely wrong.
Finally, an old woman couldn't help it. Standing under the eaves of her house, she beckoned to them.
Su Luo walked over in a couple of steps and asked, "Grandmother, what is it?"
The old woman looked left and right, her heart flustered and uneasy. She lowered her voice and said, "Little girl, I see you don't know. I'll kindly advise you to leave quickly. Our town does not welcome strangers…"
Before she could finish, an old man's scolding came from inside the house, "You old hag, do you want to get us all killed? Why aren't you coming in quickly? Close the door immediately! Hurry up and get in!"
The old woman trembled all over, pushed Su Luo away, and quickly went inside.
Su Luo hadn't finished asking and was confused. What exactly was going on? There must be a reason why they didn't welcome strangers, right?
"I originally wanted to eat and leave, but now I can't. I refuse to believe I can't find out!"
Lu Jixing lost his patience. His gaze swept over, and he directly chased after someone who was running away, forcibly dragging him back by his collar. With a stern face, he questioned, "Are you all crazy? Why are you dodging us when you see us? Speak! If you don't, I'll break your legs!"
This person couldn't run away and couldn't fight them. Seeing their panicked and frightened appearance, he begged for mercy, "My lords, please let me go! We don't want to either. Who told you to be strangers? If I talk to you, I'll die…"
Su Luo frowned and asked, "Are outsiders not allowed in your town? Who wants to kill you?"