"Sheng Yi, where have you gotten to? Why do I sense a familiar aura?"
The faint voice of the Samsara Brush suddenly echoed, as if jolted from its slumber by this presence.
Bai Sheng Yi steadied her mind, "I don't know where this is, Little Samsara, are you alright?"
To Bai Sheng Yi's surprise, the Samsara Brush was quite lucid and even said, "I'm doing great, so comfortable… Shifang You Huo?"
The Samsara Brush was filled with disbelief. Its main body "whooshed" and broke free from Bai Sheng Yi's hand, swiftly flying forward.
"Little Samsara!"
Bai Sheng Yi called out, but the Samsara Brush paid no heed. She knitted her brows and followed into the depths.
The place she was in resembled a cave entrance. The closer she got to the outside, the more vibrant the colors became, shifting from brilliant azure to pitch-black profundity. A single glance made one's entire body tremble with cold.
Yet, the leaping colors and the scorching heat waves clearly indicated that this was fire, an unusual fire at that.
The stark contrast between touch and sight made Bai Sheng Yi feel as if she were walking between two extremes.
She hadn't managed to walk far.
Her singed hair warned her that any further advance would turn her into a human torch.
Bai Sheng Yi cautiously surveyed her surroundings. Typically, such a place would be guarded by heavenly spiritual beings. However, all was silent around her, save for the flames that silently clawed and raged, like hunters patiently awaiting their prey.
"Master! My dear Master! We've struck it rich! This is one of the Divine Fires! To hell with the Nine Nether Desolate Fire, it's a mere underling before this Shifang You Huo!"
The Samsara Brush was incredibly excited, showing no trace of its previous exhaustion, brimming with exhilaration. Bai Sheng Yi could imagine its agile movements, swaying left and right.
She forced a smile, having to douse the Samsara Brush's enthusiasm. "Little Samsara, do you have the ability to subdue this fire now?"
"Of course not!" the Samsara Brush stated matter-of-factly, "But you do."
Bai Sheng Yi almost spat blood, "I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a wood spirit root."
Please don't put too much pressure on me, thank you.
The Samsara Brush snorted, "Then are you willing to let this prize slip through your fingers? Besides, we can't get out now. If you don't subdue this fire, both of us will perish here!"
The Samsara Brush's words jolted Bai Sheng Yi awake.
She suddenly realized that the temperature inside the cave was gradually increasing! It wasn't obvious, like a frog being slowly boiled in warm water. Little by little, it was not only draining her stamina but also her willpower, making her desperately want to lie down and rest.
Just to stop here, to not move anymore.
Bai Sheng Yi furrowed her brows tightly, pulled out the only hairpin from her hair, and fiercely sliced her hand.
"Mmm…" The sharp pain made her even more alert, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
She turned to look. The path she had come from was a complete darkness, an endless void.
The Samsara Brush returned to Bai Sheng Yi's side. "What's wrong?"
"Your mental state is this good?" Bai Sheng Yi eyed the Samsara Brush suspiciously.
The Samsara Brush, filled with joy and no sense of caution, replied, "Of course! This is one of my beloved fires! With it, my brush tip should recover a little! Dear Master, just give it a try, it won't hurt you with me here…"
Bai Sheng Yi wouldn't believe its nonsense!
"And don't you want to awaken your fire spirit root? Although Shifang You Huo is an dark fire, it's also a Divine Fire. It has the effect of purifying and nurturing spirits. If you subdue it, you will not only have a fire spirit root but also be bestowed with a Divine Fire. Whether it's for alchemy, medicine refining, artifact forging, or even roasting meat, it'll be perfect!"
Bai Sheng Yi was shamelessly tempted.
"Why don't you go?" She remembered that the last time, the Samsara Brush had acted on its own, and it had also said that its fire was her fire.
The Samsara Brush wore a pained expression. "Divine Fires require a heart to refine them. Brush Brush has no heart, Brush Brush cannot…"
Fires also have levels. The Nine Nether Desolate Fire was merely a spiritual fire, equivalent to a secondary fire subordinate to the Shifang You Huo. The Samsara Brush could entirely rely on the material of its brush body to suppress and control it.
But the Shifang You Huo was different. Not only was it more overbearing, but it was also more autonomous, very likely having developed its own consciousness. If the Samsara Brush dared to force it, it might just blow up this entire space in a mutual destruction.
With the Samsara Brush's explanation, Bai Sheng Yi had a general understanding and confirmed that there were no other spiritual beings guarding this area for the time being.
It's just…
She was in a state of utter despair, "I can't even get close…"
"That's not a problem! Brush Brush will help you!" The Samsara Brush muttered, its body giving a jolt in the air, shaking out a mass of blue-black flames, which was precisely the wisp of Nine Nether Desolate Fire it had absorbed previously.
"Lead the way!" The Samsara Brush acted like a ruthless foreman, herding the trembling Nine Nether Desolate Fire.
The Nine Nether Desolate Fire, swaying precariously in the air and nearly extinguished: …
Bai Sheng Yi twitched her lips, but to her surprise, the waves of heat in front of her seemed to have vanished.
The Samsara Brush explained, "They originate from the same source. Although Little Desolate is less potent, it's not entirely useless. It can be used to block the heat for now."
Bai Sheng Yi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the Nine Nether Desolate Fire.
However, this way, she could continue to venture deeper.
…
"Bai Sheng Yi!"
Qin Si's face was ashen, emanating a chilling aura.
He had searched this entire area, even the bottom of the cliff, but still couldn't find a trace of her.
"Where did you take her!" Qin Si grabbed Sun Li Xing by the collar, staring at him coldly.
Sun Li Xing, half-dead and sprawled on the ground, laughed hysterically, spitting blood as he did, "She's dead! Torn to shreds!"
Seeing that he could get no information, Qin Si, enraged, threw him to the ground. His gaze turned icy, spiritual energy gathering in his palm, preparing to use forbidden soul-searching techniques on Sun Li Xing.
"Vice Dean, why are you here? Have you seen Sheng Yi?"
Chu Tian Le, Luo Fei Hua, and their group had tracked them down, but they couldn't even see a shadow of Bai Sheng Yi, which had already made them extremely worried.
"Bai Sheng Yi is dead! I killed her, hahahaha!" Sun Li Xing threw his head back and laughed, "I've avenged Yu'er!"
"Yu'er? You're the father of Princess Ming Yu?" Luo Fei Hua quickly reacted and said coldly, "Shameless! Princess Ming Yu was not killed by Bai Sheng Yi at all! We have proof!"
Sun Li Xing didn't believe them, but then Luo Fei Hua produced a shadow stone. It contained a recording of Princess Ming Yu's "death" in the illusion within Qian Lian City, something that neither Sun Li Xing nor the Princess Royal had investigated.
Sun Li Xing stared at his once lively daughter lying lifelessly on the ground, and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
But it seemed as if the blow was not enough.
Qin Si said coldly, "After Princess Ming Yu died in the illusion, she was eliminated. The academy sent her back. During this time, Bai Sheng Yi was with me the entire time. Bai Mu Rong and Qin Zhao successively contacted Princess Ming Yu's guards. The academy just discovered this the day before yesterday. The so-called jade pendant was given by Qin Zhao to your daughter's guard."
Sun Li Xing stared in shock at the illusion, trying to get a clearer look at Princess Ming Yu's face.
So, the person who killed his daughter was never Bai Sheng Yi, but Bai Mu Rong and his own nephew, the guards they had placed beside his daughter?
He had been deceived by his nephew and the academy teachers!
"Pfft!"
Sun Li Xing couldn't catch his breath and fainted.
"You all watch him. I'm going to find Bai Sheng Yi." Qin Si gave the order, then leaped down the cliff again. He felt that Bai Sheng Yi was still at the bottom of the cliff.
"I'll go too!" Chu Tian Le summoned his long sword and also rushed down.
Seeing this, Luo Fei Hua instructed Feng Wu Ya, Chen Qi Yang, and Zhu Wu to continue searching in other directions.
The wind howled fiercely. Qin Si glanced at Chu Tian Le following behind him and frowned deeply, "Why are you following me?"
"Vice Dean, was Sheng Yi treating your illness before?" Chu Tian Le retorted.
Qin Si chuckled.
Even though he was below and Chu Tian Le was above, he still exuded an imposing and powerful aura, "What business is it of yours, a child?"
The atmosphere instantly became tense, like a drawn bow.