The Fourth Volume Chapter 2 (Part 1) When Mountains and Rivers Come to an End, One Suspects There is No Road

  The wind whizzed past my side, and the great city below looked as small as a wooden box. I was in high spirits, driving the blowing wind, gesturing and talking nonsense in front of Hai Ji, making her laugh non-stop.

  "Where are we going? Shouldn't we find Ji Danmei and Gan Ningzhen first?" I took a deep breath, my lotus-patterned clothes fluttering in the wind with a soft rustling sound. The air after the rain was damp and refreshing, the sky a misty purple color, with morning clouds floating around, casting a reddish glow on everything.

  Hai Ji said: "You made such a scene at the Fragrant Gathering, it won't be long before the whole Red Dust Heaven knows that you're Lin Fei. By then, Gan Ningzhen and Ju Danmei will definitely come to meet up with you. If you go looking for them, you'll miss each other instead. Why not first find a place to temporarily stay near Da Qian City and wait for them to arrive?"

  I nodded in agreement, and Haiji said: "You say that Yundalang's black package is very powerful. Have you thought of a countermeasure? Don't forget that you boasted that you would compete with him again in a month."

  I cried out in distress: "I'm having a headache over this matter, damn it, I don't have any confidence at all. Moon Soul, you little devil, you must protect my life when the time comes."

  "Don't count on me, rely on yourself."

  I was taken aback: "Didn't you say at that time that I had you with me, so I could rest assured and fight against Yun Dalang?"

  Yuehunyi said: "I'm saying this just to boost your morale, otherwise you'll be intimidated and have no will to fight, and you'll definitely lose to Yundalang."

  "My goodness! After all this, that guy was just coaxing me! I wanted to cry but had no tears. I said to Haiji: 'This is terrible, you're going to be a widow before you even get married.'"

  "Hush, don't spout nonsense. You still have a month to practice your magic. If you really can't handle it, I'll take your place in battle."

  I nodded: "You're right, let's find a quiet place to settle down and practice our skills, and at the same time, we can be together, just like mandarin ducks, not envying the immortals."

  Haiji was both angry and amused: "I've never seen anyone as shameless as you. I don't know what kind of magic spell you cast on me, but somehow I'm actually... actually..."

  "What about me?" I asked, drooling, and saw that the base of her snow-white neck was illuminated by the dawn light to a golden yellow, and couldn't help but lean in again, wanting to kiss her.

  "Stop! You've already done it once today, no more cheating!" Hai Ji smiled and dodged me, then said seriously: "In the southern suburbs of Dacheng City, there is a place called Orange Island. The scenery is beautiful and quiet, with no outsiders to disturb us. Why don't we go there for now? It's close to the city anyway, so if you feel stifled while practicing your skills, you can always go into town to clear your head."

  "Yes, sir!" I immediately flew south on the windy air, crossing the Fragrant River that spanned east and west, and then continued forward through a vast plain. Following Haiji's directions, I landed at a three-way intersection. Since it was still early in the day, there were few people around, and to the left, the main road occasionally had travelers hurrying along, while the small path to the right was quiet and secluded, submerged in dense bamboo forests.

  Haiji led me to the small path on the right, the surroundings were quiet, the bamboo was washed by the rain and became emerald green, the white morning mist floated gently. After a long time of winding through the bamboo forest, the road suddenly came to an end, and at the end was a cliff with a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.

  Looking down at the clouds rising in the valley, I asked: "Is that Tangerine Island below? These clouds are even more colorful than brocade."

  Haixi laughed and said: "This is not a cloud, but the miasma produced by the rotten flowers and fruits at the bottom of the valley. It's extremely toxic, and taking a few breaths will surely take your life. As for Juzhou, even if you break your head, you won't be able to guess where it is." She took out a golden snail from her ear, which suddenly grew to the size of a house. We crawled into the golden snail, and the entrance immediately closed, rapidly sinking towards the bottom of the valley.

  Standing inside the Golden Shell, I suddenly thought of my first kiss with Haiji, and my heart couldn't help but flutter. Haiji glanced at me, her face suddenly flushing red, she lowered her head to rub the hem of her clothes, and a joyful light flashed in her beautiful eyes. I stared blankly at her, even if you gave me an emperor, I wouldn't trade being able to spend a few years happily with Haiji.

  With a loud crash, the Golden Snail landed at the bottom of the valley. As we emerged from the Golden Snail, we saw that the miasma was suspended in mid-air, like a natural screen shrouding the valley. I exclaimed in surprise: "Strange, why is there no miasma at the bottom of the valley?"

  She pointed to the grayish-white insects flying all over the mountain, saying: "They've been eaten away by them. These insects are called aphids, and they love to feed on colorful miasma. Aphids are probably the shortest-lived creatures in the North, with a lifespan of only one day, born at sunrise and dead at sunset."

  A few aphids flew past my eyes, lightly flying towards the miasma. Their eyes were bright yellow, like small round grains of sand, and their transparent wings fluttered to reveal ugly grey-white markings on their backs. I smiled: "What's the point of only living for a day? But then again, spending one day with you is better than many years."

  The sea of clouds was delighted, leading me to walk into the valley. Passing through a colorful forest, a stone platform appeared in front, with a winding stream beside it, and red and white fallen flowers floating on the clear water. Behind us was a precipitous cliff that pierced the clouds, at least a hundred feet high. I wondered: "Is this Tangerine Island?"

  The sea girl smiled mysteriously and went upstream along the small stream, which flowed out of a crack in the mountain wall. The crack was half a foot wide and extended deep into the mountain wall. The sea girl took a deep breath, her body became as thin as paper, winked at me: "Follow me." Suddenly she drilled into the mountain crevice.

  "Who would have thought there was a hidden passage here!" I exclaimed in surprise, using a soft-boned demon technique to shrink my body like a snake and squeeze into the crevice. Inside, it was pitch black, like a very narrow tunnel. After walking for half an incense stick's worth of time, suddenly it became bright ahead, and I found myself at the other side of the mountain wall.

  "This is Tangerine Island!" Haiji beckoned ahead, I walked out of the mountain seam, and saw outside the emerald waves rippling, suddenly it was a lake, in the center of the lake there was an island, from afar it looked red like a ball of fire, on the island everywhere were tangerine trees, the tangerines big and round, like one by one ignited red lanterns.

  "I also accidentally discovered this place many years ago. Every time I come to Datian City, I will stay here and avoid those fly-like people who flatter me." Haili pulled me around to watch, excited like a little girl.

  I jumped onto an orange tree, picked a bright red orange and stuffed it into my mouth. I lay down on the branches, raised my legs, and hummed a little tune in a carefree manner.

  "Stop fooling around, little rascal. It's time to get serious." Hai Ji stood under the tree, looking up and saying: "Let me take a look at your magical powers first, so I can help you think of ways to improve. Fighting against the demons under the Demon Lord's seat is no child's play, you need to prepare seriously."

  I threw away the tangerine peel and said proudly: "Why don't I accompany you for a few tricks, and we'll see who's better."

  She smiled slightly, jumped up, and her palm turned into a golden light, slashing over like lightning. Ah, her quick temper hasn't changed one bit, she's still so impulsive! I gathered my spirits, transformed my left palm into a steel shield, and solidly collided with Haixi's Meridian Knife. "Bang", the sound of metal clashing echoed loudly, I stood on the tree unmoving, while Haixi floated back down to the ground. With a triumphant smile, I beckoned her: "Beautiful maiden, continue!"

  "You've indeed become much stronger, no wonder even Liu Cuifei is no match for you. However, be careful, I won't show any mercy now." Hai Ji praised, still standing under the tree, instantly unleashing dozens of swift hand chops, each one faster than the last, the golden knife shadows shrilly ringing out as they slashed towards me from all directions.

  "You think you can show off your little tricks in front of me?" I said with a slick tongue, my hands transforming into giant shields that swung to block the pulse knife. "Bang bang bang", my body shook violently, the power of the pulse knife increased by more than tenfold, numbing my shield-hands and almost knocking me out of the orange tree. I silently cursed myself for being too arrogant, Hai Ji's skills were far deeper than mine, how could I possibly match her in a straight fight?

  "Be careful!" Hai Ji shouted, and before I could react, the knife lights around me suddenly changed direction, from horizontal to vertical, from left to right, weaving into a dense and menacing network of blades. I hastily employed my Concealment Technique, dodging under the orange tree just as the knife lights were about to strike. "Rustle rustle", the oranges on the tree fell down one after another, their juice splashing everywhere, each one split neatly in half by the blade energy. Looking up, Hai Ji was already standing elegantly on the tree, a smile spreading across her face, her golden hand knife shining brightly as it pointed at me from afar.

  "You want to murder your husband!" I was still in shock, not daring to relax even a little, my left hand slapped the trunk of the orange tree, and the orange tree immediately turned into a puppet tree man. The branches shook violently, holding Haidi around the waist. Haidi let out a clear whistle, her pulse-cutting knife cut off the branches, and the entire large tree was crushed into powder by the knife energy. Before she could attack me again, I had already pounced on her, the Xuanji secret path technique produced an air circle, wrapping around Haidi's hands, charming dance fluttering unpredictably, attacking her vital points repeatedly.

  Hai Ji suddenly leaped into the air, forcibly breaking free from Xuan Qi's aura circle, and shouted: "You little scoundrel, you've actually become so powerful!"

  I burst into loud laughter, unleashing a bewitching dance with all my might while coordinating with an endless array of spells. For a moment, the mermaid was beaten back by me, falling into a disadvantageous position.

  "Bang!" I suddenly punched the ground, splashing six strange and bizarre fist shadows that revolved around Haixi in a dizzying manner. This was the Six Ding Jia Yu technique that I had never used before. Haixi dodged five of the fist shadows, but the sixth one grazed her forehead, sending her golden hair flying backward. My fists transformed into iron hammers and swept horizontally, forcing Haixi to the lake's edge. With a charming dance-like pose, I slapped her buttocks with my long sleeves. Haixi stumbled back, her left foot stepping into the lake water and getting her boots wet. I raised an eyebrow and said with a sly smile: "Why don't we wash our swan feathers together?"

  "Hmph, don't be too happy yet." Haixi took out the golden conch from her ear and blew it lightly, a large golden net floated out of the conch's mouth.

  My heart skipped a beat, knowing this was Hai Ji's ultimate technique, Mai Jing Web. I quickly deployed the Feather Path Technique and flew back, while my hands drew circles around me, laying down a series of crystal orbs.

  "Want to escape? The Meridian Web is called the Heavenly Net, even gods can't escape." Hai Ji's beautiful eyes were filled with tears as the Meridian Web covered her head, its radiant lines sharper than knives. The surrounding orange trees shattered one after another, and even Xuan Qi's aura was cut into pieces by the web lines.

  I secretly called it bad, and I continuously cast dozens of spells to try to break through the meridian web, but they had no effect. The meridian web was not only indestructible, but also suddenly soft and hard, suddenly large and small. As soon as several tens of feet around me were enveloped in golden light, the meridian web continued to shrink, condensing into a grid-like space, and I was like a fish trapped in a net, unable to escape again.

  "Are you convinced?" Hai Ji appeared in the net, then suddenly flashed out of the net, smiling at me. I spat out my tongue: "Until the last moment, I will never surrender." With a punch, I used the Dragon Tiger Secret Path technique, and transformed it into the Chaotic Armor Technique to strike the Pulse Net. The Pulse Net shook slightly, but instead of loosening, it tightened even more. My heart was bitter, knowing that all was lost.

  "If you don't surrender, you'll have to suffer the consequences!" Haiji snapped her fingers and a cold, sharp energy shot out from the meridian network, piercing my skin and making me shudder.

  "Listen! Listen to my melody." The moon soul on the middle finger suddenly exclaimed: "Breaking through the meridian network is not a difficult task, as long as you can hear my melody."

  I was stunned, what music? Where did this damn music come from? Dammit, why is Yue Hun this stupid bird making me listen to music at a time like this?

  "Listen with your heart, the melody's messenger." The Moon Soul's voice was like a gentle stream: "Not with your ears. The music is outside of magic, inside the soul."

  I seem to understand yet not understand, the network of veins is getting denser and denser, the air around me bursts open fiercely, and the golden aura completely submerges my field of vision.

  "Your people are on the web, have your heart also been trapped?" Moon Soul said calmly: "Look at me, focus all your attention on me."

  I gritted my teeth and decided to try anything, maybe Yuehun could really help me turn the tables. I stared straight at Yuehun, clearing all distractions from my mind.

  With a loud "boom", the scene in front of me suddenly lit up, and I found myself standing on a curved moon. The surroundings were bright and sparkling, with an endless depth, and the clear moonlight flowed like icy water.