"It seems this lake is not a good place."
Long Ziqian's eyes flashed with ferocity. He never believed in things that could easily help cultivators improve their cultivation.
"Who's there!"
Suddenly, a strange aura flickered past ahead, and Chu Lingwei's Ice Jade Frost Sword flew out.
Long Ziqian quickly stepped in front of Chu Lingwei, staring ahead.
"Who are you people?" The Ice Jade Frost Sword, having missed its target, flew back to Chu Lingwei's side, and a low voice echoed around her.
"And who are you?"
Long Ziqian answered first, his spiritual energy already circulating. He couldn't discern the direction of the voice. The person they faced was more powerful than them.
"Hahaha, you come to my territory, don't report your names, and yet you dare to ask mine."
Chu Lingwei and Long Ziqian exchanged glances. His territory?
"I am Chu Lingwei." Chu Lingwei's thoughts raced. Senior Brother had said that a Sovereign Realm Great Power resided here, so she should report her true name.
Seeing Chu Lingwei report her name, Long Ziqian was about to speak, but Chu Lingwei stopped him.
Chu Lingwei wanted to test if the person before them had any connection to them.
"Chu Lingwei?"
"The Chu Lingwei who slayed a thousand Snow Spirit Beasts?"
The other party's voice held a hint of a smile. A gust of wind blew, and a young cultivator in his early twenties emerged. Neither Chu Lingwei nor Long Ziqian could discern his cultivation level.
Chu Lingwei immediately became vigilant. This person's cultivation was unfathomable, and he was likely a Sovereign Realm Great Power.
"I was framed and had no choice."
Chu Lingwei sent a telepathic message to the Phantom Cat, instructing it to help Long Ziqian leave first if the person before them made any hostile moves.
"Well said, 'had no choice'." The male cultivator's lips curled into a smile, and his eyes, like a dream, looked at Chu Lingwei. Chu Lingwei was momentarily dazed.
Soul manipulation.
The word flashed in Chu Lingwei's mind, immediately clearing her senses.
"Fellow Daoist Chu." Long Ziqian, seeing Chu Lingwei's brief daze, knew the cultivator ahead had attacked her. His eyes flashed with anger. "Who are you, and why are you blocking our path?"
A look of sarcasm flickered in the male cultivator's eyes, and he exuded the aura of a powerful expert. "You are standing on my land, and you ask what I am doing?"
Before he could finish speaking, a burst of spiritual energy surged towards Long Ziqian.
"Be careful!"
Chu Lingwei's Ice Jade Frost Sword flew out, blocking the attack for him.
"If you insist on blocking our path, then forgive me." This person wouldn't stop them for no reason. This battle was unavoidable, so why waste time here.
"Let me also test the abilities of the disciples of the Spiritual Cultivation Academy."
The male cultivator channeled his spiritual energy and met the blow. Soon, the two began to fight.
"Fellow Daoist Chu." Long Ziqian was about to intervene when he was stopped by the Phantom Cat, which was preparing to escort him away.
"Meow meow, what are you doing?" Long Ziqian was confused. The most important thing now was to help Chu Lingwei, not to engage in internal strife.
"You staying here will only hold Weiwei back. You must leave quickly."
Feng Ming's body grew larger, and he flew into the sky towards Chu Lingwei. The spiritual energy of the cultivator before them was rapidly strengthening.
Long Ziqian's heart sank. Chu Lingwei had never intended to stay here. While evading the Phantom Cat's restraint, he kept an eye on Chu Lingwei.
"Meow meow, Fellow Daoist Chu is in danger. We must help."
Hearing that Weiwei was in danger, the Phantom Cat instinctively turned its head. Long Ziqian seized the opportunity, leaped to Chu Lingwei's side, and took out his natal weapon, the Spirit Gathering Spear. "Fellow Daoist Chu, I'm here to help you."
"Very well, I can send you all to your deaths."
The male cultivator, being surrounded, showed anger on his face. He unleashed all his spiritual power and fought them.
"You shouldn't have stayed here."
Chu Lingwei unleashed the Profound Sky Burning Fire, pushing the male cultivator back.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, there is no 'should' or 'should not'." Long Ziqian's expression was solemn. His Long family had a ban on entering the Jingliang Forest. As the young master of the Long family, Long Ziqian wanted to understand the reason.
Chu Lingwei glanced at him but said nothing.
"Who exactly are you, and why are you blocking our path?"
The Phantom Cat had already set up a formation, trapping the cultivator before them. Chu Lingwei seized the opportunity to unleash her Nine Heavens Nine Forms, closing the distance with the male cultivator. Just as her sword was about to pierce the man's brow, he suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Hahaha, this path will be your path to the underworld..."
"He's gone."
Long Ziqian stepped forward. The male cultivator was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were filled with strangeness. The male cultivator's behavior was extremely peculiar.
"Weiwei, this person..." Feng Ming retracted the Netherworld Fire he had spewed and sent a telepathic message to Weiwei, telling her that his Netherworld Fire had no effect on the cultivator from earlier.
Few cultivators in the world could be immune to Feng Ming's Netherworld Fire.
What was this person's identity?
"Let's continue on our way. Perhaps reaching that lake sooner will provide answers."
Since encountering the young male cultivator, they had not encountered any high-level spirit beasts, nor had they encountered any danger.
In less than half a day, they finally arrived at their destination.
"There really is a standing lake in this world?"
Feng Ming blinked his eyes, looking at the lake that was like a mirror, truly standing before them. The lake water rippled, and spirit fish swam within it.
The standing lake was tens of feet high. Looking up, one's view was blocked by the sky-blue lake water.
The sky could not be seen, nor could any sunlight.
"This lake..." Long Ziqian, standing on his flying sword, flew towards the side of the lake, intending to fly behind it, but was repelled by a spiritual force. "This lake doesn't want me to go behind it."
"Weiwei, this lake seems to have sentience." Feng Ming's eyes showed a look of fear, and he stood behind Chu Lingwei, whispering, "It's asking me to enter the lake."
"Don't be afraid. I want to see what this thing is."
Chu Lingwei approached the lake surface and inserted her spiritual sword into it. A spiritual force flicked her sword out.
"What's inside?"
Long Ziqian's face darkened, his eyes flashing. "How about I go in and take a look?"
"You go in?"
"Yes. This lake can only help spirit beasts and demon cultivators improve their cultivation. Even if human cultivators enter, there will be no change." Long Ziqian had heard about this lake long ago. Those cultivators who entered here were not in danger.
"Are you really so sure?"
Chu Lingwei countered. If it could help spirit beasts and demon cultivators improve their cultivation, why couldn't it affect human cultivators? There must be a reason they didn't know.
There was also another possibility: it wasn't that there was no danger, but that those who entered had no idea.
"However, if we don't go in, we'll never know what's inside." Long Ziqian understood Chu Lingwei's concerns, but since they had come this far, if they didn't go in, the question in their hearts would never be answered.
"You stay here. I'll go in and take a look." Chu Lingwei proposed her idea.