"Move!"
Bai Shengyi broke free from the encirclement of the Thousand Soul Insect Silk, shouting at Li Shiqing and Chu Tianle, and the three of them quickly swam towards the sea surface.
With Li Shiqing's help, although the Thousand Soul Insect Silk pursued them relentlessly, it did not dare to get too close.
"Splash!"
The three of them broke out of the water.
"Finally out!" Chu Tianle gasped for breath, and after getting out of the water, he sat on his flying sword and took a few swigs of wine before he finally recovered.
Bai Shengyi, however, was deep in thought.
She had discovered that the Thousand Soul Insect Silk was specifically targeting her. Even now, it was still watching her from the seabed, but fortunately, the black mist on the sea surface still appeared as normal fog, showing no particular reaction to her.
Before she could ponder further, Luo Feihua, Feng Wuya, and the others, full of worry, surrounded her, bombarding her with questions.
"What exactly happened? Why did that Sun-Devouring Corpse suddenly self-destruct?"
"Sister Li, Chu Tianle, Fellow Daoist Bai, are you alright?"
"Are there any other Sun-Devouring Corpses in this sea?"
...
Bai Shengyi had not expected that the cultivators who had offered help earlier, along with Luo Feihua and the others, had not left yet.
She, Li Shiqing, and Chu Tianle quickly assured them they were fine, then explained the situation with the black mist in the seabed, stating that they were also unsure of the reason for the Sun-Devouring Corpse's self-destruction.
"Fellow Daoists, thank you all for your help this time! Although the threat of the Sun-Devouring Corpse is gone for now, our assessment must continue. Let's seize this time and proceed with the assessment!" Bai Shengyi said sternly.
No one objected. However, after this incident, they had all become more familiar with each other and were reluctant to act separately, with many expressing their desire to travel together.
"Shengyi, what do you think?" Feng Wuya waved his small handkerchief, clearly eager and excited.
The people who had come to help were all of good character and capability, and they represented valuable connections!
Although they were not bad themselves, the Great Dao was like a smooth, long, and arduous road; having more friends was always better.
The others also looked at Bai Shengyi. Unknowingly, Bai Shengyi had become the backbone of these people.
Whether it was Bai Shengyi's initiative to investigate underwater earlier, or her later decision to leave the dangerous situation to herself, it had earned the genuine admiration of everyone.
Moreover, the strength Bai Shengyi displayed was also awe-inspiring. After all, she was rumored to only be at the sixth level of Qi Refining, yet her performance was comparable to that of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Bai Shengyi was unaware of everyone's thoughts, but she naturally had no objections. Not only was there strength in numbers, but it was also safer.
"Then I'll tell everyone what I know." Feng Wuya quickly said, "I have a Yuqing Compass. I just tested it, and it pointed in three different directions. If we eliminate them one by one, we should be able to find Qianlian City."
"No need, I know the direction of Qianlian City." Luo Feihua turned around and said, "My contracted beast and I have been to Qianlian City before, and we also came to Qianlian Sea at that time. I still have an impression of this area, so everyone just follow me."
This was an unexpected joy!
They had wasted too much time here. Having someone familiar to lead the way was naturally the best option. They immediately decided to let Luo Feihua lead.
After the group discussed and settled on a plan, they set off in a grand procession towards the direction of Qianlian City.
Bai Shengyi was surrounded by everyone, who were all curious about how she could use fire as Chu Tianle had mentioned. Everyone was very enthusiastic towards her...
Bai Murong, led by Li Shiqing, also followed in the team. Seeing this scene, Bai Murong was so jealous that she felt like she had drunk all the sour water from Qianlian Sea and wanted to vomit.
Once upon a time, Bai Shengyi was the one who was showered with attention, but now, it had been reversed.
She truly refused to accept it! How could Bai Shengyi be worthy!
"Sister Li, if we just follow them, will it affect our scores?" Bai Murong bit her lip and whispered to Li Shiqing.
Li Shiqing was actually quite surprised by Bai Shengyi's actions in the seabed and was contemplating how to mend her relationship with Bai Shengyi, as she genuinely found Bai Shengyi to be quite outstanding.
Hearing Bai Murong's words, she frowned.
Bai Murong thought she agreed with her, felt a surge of joy, and continued to persuade, "Why don't we act alone? Sister Li, with your skills and abilities, we'll definitely find Qianlian City faster than them."
With Li Shiqing's support, how could she not surpass Bai Shengyi!
"No."
To Bai Murong's surprise, Li Shiqing directly refused her.
"Murong, it's not safe this way. I don't know what other spirit beasts are still in this sea. If we act alone, I might not be able to protect you, and I also don't know the direction."
Li Shiqing advised, "Moreover, according to the academy's rules, we only need to reach Qianlian City within an hour. The exact time doesn't matter."
What Li Shiqing didn't say was that her spiritual energy was already depleted by more than half. Flying with Bai Murong on her sword was already strenuous, and she couldn't afford to take risks.
Li Shiqing genuinely meant to look out for Bai Murong's well-being, but Bai Murong felt that what Li Shiqing said were merely excuses, just pretexts for her to continue fostering a good relationship with Bai Shengyi.
She gloomily lowered her eyes and said gently, "Alright, then I'll listen to you, Sister Li."
As for Bai Shengyi.
Just as she was racking her brains to explain to everyone, she heard the voice of the Samsara Brush.
"Master, Bíbí suddenly remembered something."
"What is it?" Bai Shengyi asked, puzzled.
"Were you injured in the seabed earlier?" the Samsara Brush teased before revealing the answer.
Bai Shengyi hummed in response.
"Then do you remember what you asked Bíbí about your brain earlier? Did Bíbí tell you about the Xingjin in your body?"
The Samsara Brush continued, "The Thousand Soul Insect Silk actually likes to feed on Xingjin. It can be said that wherever there is Xingjin, it will attract and provoke the Thousand Soul Insect Silk. And this thing, most people mistake it for ordinary black mist and don't pay attention to it at all. So, think about it, have you ever encountered this thing before?"
"Xingjin, does it affect memory?" Bai Shengyi frowned tightly, her voice chilling.
She didn't need to think; recalling that dream was enough to know that she must have encountered the Thousand Soul Insect Silk before. It was just that at that time, she also encountered the Soul-Devouring Beast, which also spewed black mist, so perhaps no one suspected it was the Thousand Soul Insect Silk.
"Yes! It can suppress memories. But how much it affects them, I don't remember," the Samsara Brush confirmed. "Those who are affected by Xingjin will not recall their lost memories unless all the Xingjin in their bodies is removed. Therefore, many cultivators don't even realize they have amnesia."
Bai Shengyi pieced it together. According to the Samsara Brush, this time it was because she was injured and had bled, and the Thousand Soul Insect Silk detected the Xingjin in her body, which was why it pursued her relentlessly.
So the question arose: who had placed the Xingjin in her body?
Based on her memories, she had it at least before the age of ten. Could it be that no one in the Bai family had discovered it?
With various clues intertwining, Bai Shengyi's mind was in utter chaos. She frowned deeply in thought, only to hear startled exclamations suddenly erupt around her.
"Fellow Daoist Chu has fainted!"
"Chu Tianle!"
"Heavens! The black mist on Fellow Daoist Chu's body is writhing!"
Bai Shengyi quickly snapped back to reality and flew towards Chu Tianle. Fortunately, the distance was not far, and soon she saw Chu Tianle leaning on Zhu Wu's shoulder.
The team, still led by Luo Feihua's contracted beast, continued to move forward. Feng Wuya, Li Shiqing, and Luo Feihua had all come over and were standing nearby, but they were all helpless.
"He's not injured; it feels like severe blood loss, but there's no bleeding wound on his body." Feng Wuya's family was renowned for their medicinal pills. Despite his extreme distaste for the stench emanating from Chu Tianle, he still pinched his nose and examined him.
Li Shiqing tried to dispel the black mist from Chu Tianle's body, only to find that it was completely useless at this moment. "Could it be because of this black mist?"
The Thousand Soul Insect Silk on Chu Tianle's body writhed, like a web woven from black threads, gradually encroaching upon Chu Tianle's normal skin. At a glance, it was simply horrifying.
Bai Shengyi frowned tightly and stepped forward, saying, "Let me see."