Chapter 133: The Hermit Families

"That won't be necessary; there is only one thing I need you to do." Even though Qu Yiqiu sympathized with her plight, the man-eating beast Taotie in this secret realm had yet to be dealt with. Now was not the time to relax.

Yan Xi raised her tear-streaked face, realization dawning on her. "Is the Immortal Fairy doing this for the disciples of the Tianyan Sect who entered with you?"

"You certainly know quite a bit. However, the ones I require you to release are everyone who entered with me." Qu Yiqiu had no particular memories of the Profound Origin Sect disciples, nor did she hold any grudge against them. Aside from Huo Tangsheng, whom she was extremely reluctant to let leave, it would be no trouble to bring the others along.

Yan Xi was slightly taken aback, a sense of reverence welling up within her. She said gravely, "Immortal Fairy, do you possess a Space Spirit Root?"

Qu Yiqiu was stunned, puzzled. "What is a Space Spirit Root?"

"Master, you must have a Space Spirit Root. Just answer her that you do!" Xiao Yan spoke up anxiously, but it was too late; the words had already left Qu Yiqiu's lips.

Yan Xi looked dumbfounded. "The Immortal Fairy doesn't know what a Space Spirit Root is? Then, just now..."

"What about just now?" Qu Yiqiu remained hazy about what had happened to her. She felt as if she had commanded a power that did not belong to this realm, yet at the same time, it felt as though she had never possessed anything at all.

Watching Qu Yiqiu’s bewildered expression, Yan Xi suppressed her shock and said, "Immortal Fairy, the divine power you used to slay the nine-headed giant python just now was the manifestation of a Space Spirit Root. But it does not matter if you are unaware of it. The Space Spirit Root has been lost for tens of thousands of years. I imagine that in the outside world, apart from a few reclusive families, only the elders and sect leaders of the great sects would know of it."

"Reclusive families? There are such things in this world?" Qu Yiqiu was even more curious; these were things she had never heard of.

Yan Xi spoke with solemnity. "I have not left this secret realm for a long time, but the reclusive families possess profound foundations. Even as the Five Elements Realm changes unpredictably, it is not difficult for them to survive."

"Do you mean to say that there are still reclusive families in this Five Elements Realm?" Qu Yiqiu could not help but confirm once more.

Yan Xi nodded with certainty. "They must still be living somewhere, continuing their heritage."

"Reclusive families... I once saw one, ten thousand years ago," Xiao Yan recalled the events of the past.

Qu Yiqiu seized upon this information and questioned Xiao Yan in her mind: "Do you know where that reclusive family lived?"

Xiao Yan shook his head. "I have never seen their dwelling place. The strength of a reclusive family is not something a common cultivator can compare to."

What kind of existence could a reclusive family be, if even Xiao Yan would speak of them in such a way? Qu Yiqiu felt a flicker of anticipation. However, the most important thing right now was to leave this place and survive.

"Yan Xi, can you take me to find my companions now?"

Yan Xi nodded, but suddenly her face changed dramatically. "A dragon! A true dragon has appeared!"

...

In the small forest of the Feiling Secret Realm, Huo Tangsheng’s wicked figure flickered incessantly. Behind him came the furious roar of the Taotie. The beast's massive body was covered in gashes and wounds, all bleeding, but these were merely flesh wounds to it. What truly enraged the creature was this cunning human who had fed it unknown, strange things that made it feel as if it were plummeting into an icy abyss one moment and being scorched by a volcano the next, causing it immense agony.

Huo Tangsheng moved through the dense forest with ease, his expression elegant and leisurely, a smile lingering at the corners of his phoenix eyes, looking for all the world like a wealthy young nobleman teasing a pet.

"Father... Mother..." In the pitch-black cave, the exquisite youth clutched his burning chest, his handsome face flushed crimson.

"Roar—roar—roar—" The Taotie’s voice surged like waves, vibrating in circles toward the retreating Huo Tangsheng. The cave was just below and to the right of Huo Tangsheng. Mu Yunjin was instantly struck by the sudden sonic wave, causing his ears to ring and bleed as he grew dizzy. His starry eyes closed, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A mighty, fiery red true dragon burst from the cave, roaring toward the heavens and spitting out balls of intense flame, incinerating a vast expanse of the forest. Wherever Huo Tangsheng looked, there was only desolation; the lush greenery had been burned into a volcanic wasteland.

"What on earth is happening? Why has a true dragon appeared here?" The smile on Huo Tangsheng’s face vanished instantly, his thin lips pressed tightly together. He stared at the spot where the fire dragon had emerged, his gaze cold.

The dragon's mighty roar was a provocation to the Taotie. Its copper-bell-sized eyes turned toward the hole in the rock wall, where it saw the dazzling fire dragon spiraling and dancing amidst the scorched, glowing stone.

Huo Tangsheng remained calmly hidden in the shadows, his eyes locked on the divine beast, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman wins."

...

"Where is it? Hurry and take me there!" Qu Yiqiu rushed in the direction Yan Xi pointed, frantic. Yan Xi didn't understand why, but she obeyed the order.

Xiao Yan frowned, knowing what Qu Yiqiu was thinking. He had heard long ago that Mu Yunjin was a dragon. So, if a dragon had suddenly appeared in the Feiling Secret Realm, it was undoubtedly her junior fellow apprentice. It was hard to imagine that in this world, a human and a divine dragon could be fellow apprentices. Xiao Yan’s intelligent eyes grew deep; he sat cross-legged on his rounded eyeball, lost in thought.

Qu Yiqiu’s anxiety was plain on her face. Her junior apprentice would never reveal his true dragon form without a reason; he must be in grave danger. Her speed as she sprinted was no less than when she was being chased by the Taotie. Yan Xi was completely stunned by her supernatural speed. She had already been suspicious of Qu Yiqiu's cultivation, and now, seeing her speed like lightning, she was even more awestruck. She concluded in her heart that Qu Yiqiu’s cultivation could not be lower than the late Foundation Establishment stage, and might even be above the Golden Core stage.

Qu Yiqiu had no time to worry about what Yan Xi was thinking; she was entirely focused on what to do once she caught up to Mu Yunjin. According to Yan Xi, the fierce beast Taotie was also in that direction. The dragon and the beast were likely already fighting. How was she to stop this chaotic situation? Mu Yunjin would be no match for the Taotie.

Qu Yiqiu’s beautiful brows were knitted together. As she pondered, a wave of heat suddenly washed over her. She stopped abruptly, looking at the sea of fire ahead, utterly astonished. The hillside had been crushed into a massive crater by some strange force, and the lush forest was being swallowed by continuous tongues of flame, turning into scorched black wood.

Qu Yiqiu said quickly, "Can you find the location of the true dragon inside?"

Yan Xi set aside her surprise and nodded solemnly. "No problem, but, Immortal Fairy, are you sure you want to go in?" The battle between a divine beast and a fierce beast was not something ordinary people could participate in. Even the ripples of their power would likely crush a person to dust.

Qu Yiqiu’s expression was firm. "Give me directions, then hide in my sleeve and don't come out."