Inside the cave, Mo Fan gazed at the bronze mirror in his hand. Vast divine sense surged forth, completely enveloping the mirror as he prepared to begin refining it.
Suddenly, however, an extraordinarily powerful suction force erupted from the mirror’s surface and instantly dragged his entire body inside!
Before Mo Fan could even cry out in shock, he found himself standing in a dense forest.
Everywhere he looked, butterflies and insects danced among the trees, while countless specks of starlight floated in the air, illuminating what should have been a dark forest into a dazzling, multicoloured wonderland straight out of a fairy tale, like a world hidden deep within the earth.
“Where is this place?”
Mo Fan frowned, completely baffled as to how he had ended up here.
He had examined the bronze mirror before and had never discovered that it contained its own separate world.
Everything here felt utterly alien to anything he knew.
Suddenly, a speck of starlight flew straight towards his face. He tried to dodge, only to realise his movements had become strangely sluggish. Before he could get out of the way, the light landed directly on him.
Only then did Mo Fan realise that the twinkling, softly glowing “starlight” was, in fact, a firefly!
He immediately tried to use his demonic power to brush it away, yet to his alarm he could not sense any demonic power within his body at all.
This discovery sent a jolt through him. Subconsciously, he attempted to release his divine sense to survey the surroundings more closely and see whether he had fallen into some kind of formation, but once again he failed completely.
He could sense neither demonic power nor divine sense.
At this moment, Mo Fan finally began to panic. He tried mobilising every other kind of energy within his body, yet without exception none responded.
It was as if he had suddenly been reduced to an ordinary mortal with no cultivation whatsoever.
No, to be precise, an ordinary demon!
After waiting a while and seeing no danger appear, the tension in his heart gradually eased. Just then, the faint sound of running water reached his ears.
Mo Fan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then followed the sound.
After passing through a stretch of vibrantly coloured, thick undergrowth, his field of vision suddenly opened up.
A small stream wound its way from the distance, finally flowing into a vast lake ahead.
Mo Fan looked towards the lake. Crystal-clear waves rippled across its surface. Luminous lotus flowers bloomed upon the water, while schools of multicoloured, glowing fish swam and played beneath.
His gaze was finally drawn to a vermilion pavilion at the centre of the lake.
It was clearly a man-made structure.
This also meant that someone lived here!
Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed. Was he finally about to meet the master of this place?
As he pondered, mist suddenly began rising around the pavilion. Within the mist, a pale-blue figure appeared, accompanied by the sound of a woman’s playful laughter.
Here she comes?
Mo Fan stared intently and saw a young woman wearing a pale-blue gown.
From afar, her figure was graceful, her waist slender and supple, radiating infinite charm. She laughed merrily as she walked through the mist towards the pavilion.
Upon the water’s surface, a path formed by the swimming fish appeared. Beneath her long skirt, her delicate jade feet peeked in and out, stepping lightly on the backs of the fish with perfect stability.
Those feet were small and exquisite, as though they could be held in a single grasp, pale and tender, every toe sparkling like crystal. Flawless and perfect, they made the young woman seem as noble as an immortal.
Though she wore a veil over her face, it could not conceal her beauty. She possessed an otherworldly aura, and her captivating laughter only added a mysterious, seductive charm. One glance was enough to stir a faint heat in Mo Fan’s lower abdomen.
“What a formidable enchantress!”
Mo Fan inwardly marvelled at her skill. Fortunately, beautiful women were never in short supply around him. Whether it was the ice-goddess-like Bai Tian Tian, the clever and playful Bai Shuang, the quiet and elegant Bai Feng, or even the budding-loli Hei Yi, none of them paled in comparison to this woman.
Each had her own unique beauty.
Having been surrounded by these four great beauties lately, Mo Fan had developed astonishing self-control.
Though this young woman’s charm arts were impressive, he gradually calmed himself. Anyone else in this isolated man-and-woman setting would probably have already pounced in uncontrollable lust.
“Fellow cultivator, just who are you, and why have you brought me here?”
Mo Fan spoke directly, shattering the amorous atmosphere.
Yet the young woman said nothing. Still laughing playfully, she gradually vanished into the pavilion.
By now the pavilion was completely shrouded in mist. Even Mo Fan could only make out vague shadows within.
At that moment, the clear, tranquil sound of a flute drifted from the pavilion, echoing like spring water through a mountain valley.
Unknowingly, Mo Fan found himself drawn in by the music. The distant lake seemed to ripple in response, and the water began spreading towards him as though alive. In moments it reached his feet.
As the lake expanded, schools of glowing, multicoloured fish swam over and once again formed the same kind of fish-bridge the young woman had walked upon, stretching directly from Mo Fan to the mist-shrouded pavilion.
Seeing this, Mo Fan did not hesitate. He stepped onto the fish and walked straight across.
When he reached the pavilion, he discovered the mist inside was even thicker than outside, so dense he could barely see his hand in front of his face. The beautiful flute melody had by now turned mournful and sorrowful.
“Fellow cultivator, if you wished to see me, why hide and play these games?”
“I am a demon by nature and have never been fond of all your roundabout human tricks. Why the needless mystery?”
Mo Fan spoke in a deep voice.
The moment his words rang out, the flute melody ceased, and the mist inside the pavilion rapidly receded like a retreating tide.
“As you wish, fellow cultivator!”
A calm voice sounded within the pavilion. Only now could Mo Fan clearly see everything inside.
Not far ahead sat a man and a woman. The woman was the seductive young lady from earlier, while the man wore green robes and had pure white hair that flowed smoothly down his back, revealing a face of extraordinary, almost unearthly beauty. His vermilion lips were lightly pressed together as he regarded Mo Fan with an ambiguous half-smile.
“Please, fellow cultivator, be seated!”
The white-haired youth casually gestured in invitation.
Mo Fan felt something and turned. Only then did he notice that a bamboo chair had appeared behind him at some unknown point.
He did not stand on ceremony. He sat down openly, intending to see exactly who this youth was and why he had been brought here.
His initial alarm and unease had gradually settled into calm.
Since the other party was being so courteous, they clearly had no intention of harming him.
This place was exceedingly strange. If restrictive formations truly existed here, why was the other side completely unaffected?
On this point, Mo Fan was beginning to form a faint guess.
“You have impressive methods, sir.”
Mo Fan spoke evenly, meeting the youth’s eyes directly.
“Oh? Why do you say that, fellow cultivator?”
The white-haired youth gave that same half-smiling look, then waved a hand. A tea table instantly appeared before each of them.
Once the table materialised, the blue-gowned young woman standing nearby flicked her sleeve. A complete tea set appeared from thin air. She stepped between them, arranged the utensils with graceful precision, poured the hot water, whisked the tea, and soon a layer of white froth floated atop the liquid like sparse stars and a pale moon. She then served a cup to each of them.
The entire process flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, elegant and mesmerising to watch.
“Young master, please enjoy the tea.”
The young woman spoke, her voice as sweet as an oriole’s song. She then withdrew gracefully to the side once more.
