Wait a minute, where is my master?

A new spatial passage appeared over the martial arts field.

Jin Xu saw this and sent his Spiritual Sense into it, briefly sensing the atmosphere on the other end. He discovered that it was indeed as described in the documents he had seen before, pervaded by a breath of death.

He then nodded slightly and waved to Xia Yunzhao, who stood by his side looking forward with anticipation.

"Miss Yunzhao, we can set off now,"

As Taoist Chi observed the entrance to the spatial passage for a moment, he sensed the death energy emanating from the other end and couldn't help but offer a word of caution.

"Jin Taoist, the Spirit Realm is unlike the Demon Realm. Although the Demon Realm may have a harsh environment and extremely scarce cultivation resources, living creatures can still survive as long as they avoid certain dangerous places.

But this Spirit Realm... it was once ravaged by the Demon Lord and later became the main battlefield for our clashes. Therefore, some unassuming places may harbor unexpected threats."

"Of course, the residual techniques and magic aftershocks left by both the righteous and the Demon Sect wouldn't be of any concern to you. However, your companions must be very careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Chi. I will be extra cautious,"

Jin Xu politely bowed to the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace.

He had read the materials given to him.

It was said that this Spirit Realm was originally Ling State within the Nine Provinces Realm.

This place used to be a land overflowing with spiritual energy and a gathering place for mythical creatures. Its thirty-six fabled mountains and seventy-two Spirit Springs were well-known throughout the Nine Provinces, and even the rocks and trees here were more likely to develop spiritual intelligence and embark on the path of cultivation compared to other realms.

Regrettably, due to this land's spiritual energy and the fact that among the top cultivators of the vast Ling State, there was only one in the Tribulation Crossing Realm, the Demon Lord had initially set its sights on this place.

"Mr. Jin, I'm ready. By the way, where is Little White?"

During the brief exchange between the Taoist and Chi, Xia Yunzhao stepped up to his side and asked with curiosity.

It was only at this moment that the Empress, wrapped up in her unrequited love, noticed the absence of the husky.

"Little White stayed in the Demon Realm to help her clan move. Senior Chi, we're departing now."

After answering Xia Yunzhao's question, Jin Xu also spoke to Chi beside him.

Golden spiritual power flashed instantly, and in the sound of a whoosh, the group charged into the spatial passage.

A moment later.

The Taoist, well-acquainted with the process, crossed the turbulent spatial layer and arrived in what used to be the Spirit Realm, from within the courtyard of Shangjing City.

The entrance to this spatial passage opened high above the ground.

After Jin Xu controlled the golden light sphere to reach this point, he slowly descended toward the ground.

However, just as the golden light sphere barely touched the ground, some mechanism was triggered, and several stone spikes unexpectedly shot up from the ground, aiming directly at the Spiritual Power Shield.

"It seems this place is indeed as Senior Chi said, full of hidden..."

The Taoist saw the stone spikes coming and his expression remained calm, but his tone was somewhat pensive.

Yet before he could finish, the triggered stone spikes dissipated in midair on their own.

Jin Xu watched this happen, opened his mouth in surprise, and then spread his Spiritual Sense around.

Meanwhile, Xia Yunzhao, having witnessed this, spoke with a hint of emotion.

"It seems that after a thousand years, most of these leftover techniques and devices have decayed, leading to situations like this."

As she spoke, her Spiritual Sense also spread over the desolate and ruined land surrounding them. After ensuring there were no other dangers nearby,

Xia Yunzhao wanted to step out of the golden light sphere enclosing them and examine the crushed stone spikes on the ground.

In her view, being at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm, common dangers of this realm wouldn't pose much of a threat to her. Moreover, due to the dangers present within the Spirit Realm,

Perhaps...

"With Mr. Jin's help, our relationship can now proceed to the next level."

However, as soon as Xia Yunzhao stepped forward, she felt a distinct palm suddenly land on her shoulder.

"Mr. Jin?"

She turned around with a puzzled tone but thought to herself, could our relationship be progressing this quickly?

"There is danger outside."

The young Taoist spoke calmly.

Xia Yunzhao then said,

"Mr. Jin, I am at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm, and I have already scanned the surroundings with my Spiritual Sense. There are indeed some minor prohibitions, but nothing that could pose a danger to me..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw the young Taoist who had grabbed her take a sudden leap forward.

And then!!!

The previously stony spikes, which had turned to powder, seemed to rise from the ground, transforming into a storm of dust clouds, rapidly swirling around Jin Xu in the center!

"Mr. Jin!"

Xia Yunzhao, facing such an unexpected change, was taken aback for a moment and then cried out in alarm. Just as she instinctively thought to intervene, she heard Yu Yaoer's relaxed tone at her side.

"Yunzhao, you can rest easy, the young master is invincible."

As Little Fish Demon finished speaking,

A red light emerged from inside the dust cloud storm.

A moment later.

A fiery brilliance burst out from within, and the false powder was reduced to real ash in the blink of an eye.

The young Taoist swiftly dealt with these minor nuisances and flashed back inside the golden light shield.

"Mr. Jin, are you alright, what was that just now?"

Xia Yunzhao's voice carried a thick sense of puzzlement; she had clearly already used her Spiritual Sense to survey the area. Yet, she had no idea what the powder, which had formed from the spikes, was; it unexpectedly managed to evade the detection of someone at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm.

And it was known that her Xia family excelled in the use of Spiritual Sense.

"That thing... it should be the Mountain Rock Hidden Spirit Gu mentioned before in the information Senior Chi gave me."

"The Mountain Rock Hidden Spirit Gu? The one from legends that, when dormant, looks just like dust and rocks, making it hard for even those in the Tribulation Crossing Realm to detect, and with an incredibly hard body capable of even piercing through the flesh of Divinity Transformation Magic Cultivators?"

Xia Yunzhao, obviously well-informed, instantly listed most characteristics of the creature upon hearing Jin Xu name it.

"Precisely that one."

The young Taoist said, raising his right hand.

In his palm, a tiny Gu worm the size of a speck of dust was frantically fluttering about within the orb of light like a headless fly.

"According to the records, this should be a method left by the Demon Sect, and the one who set it up... should be Shen Zhi, whom I burned to death back in Qingmu City."

As Jin Xu spoke, a flash of red light appeared on his right hand, and the isolated Mountain Rock Hidden Spirit Gu went off to join its fellow companions.

And hearing these words, Xia Yunzhao,

Looking at the young Taoist's right hand and imagining the consequences if she had rashly moved forward just now, she couldn't help but feel a hint of fear.

"Mr. Jin, thank you for what you did just now. If you hadn't stopped me there... I fear I might have..."

Even though she had narrowly escaped danger,

for some reason, Xia Yunzhao found herself looking forward to the prospect of this journey to the small world, which was likely to take about a day, even more.