Before she could speak, Xiao Jietian walked into the mist.
"Keep up. If you get lost, I won't come looking for you."
The two stepped into the mist. The surrounding trees were tall and dense, completely different from the outside. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
A mysterious and oppressive aura permeated the surroundings, like a ferocious beast opening its maw, ready to devour anyone who approached.
As they ventured deeper, visibility dropped to less than ten meters. In such conditions, they could only rely on soul perception to survey their surroundings.
Xiao Jietian's powerful soul force surged out like a tide, spreading in all directions.
Xuan Qingying sensed Xiao Jietian's formidable soul power and was immediately taken aback. This level of soul strength far exceeded her own, sparking a keen interest in him. She cast a surprised glance in his direction.
"Why are you looking at me? Pay attention to your surroundings."
Unnerved by her gaze, Xiao Jietian asked doubtfully.
"Are you also an Alchemist?"
Xuan Qingying couldn't help but ask, her voice tinged with surprise.
Xiao Jietian merely smiled faintly and gave a slight nod, offering no further explanation.
"So you're an Alchemist too. No wonder I detect a faint scent of alchemy about you. It seems your rank isn't low—no wonder you weren't particularly impressed with my pills."
She scrutinized Xiao Jietian, trying to glean something from his demeanor, but his expression remained as calm as still water, like a bottomless lake, impossible to fathom.
"Don't be too curious about a man; it's easy to get yourself entangled."
A playful glint flashed in Xiao Jietian's eyes as he chuckled softly.
"Hehe, curiosity is human nature, and I know where to draw the line. My curiosity about you is limited to wanting to understand your strength and the mystery surrounding you."
"As for getting entangled, that depends on whether you have the charm. At least, I don't think I'm that easy to entangle or conquer."
As soon as Xiao Jietian finished speaking, Xuan Qingying covered her mouth and giggled, her voice carrying a hint of provocation, her smile touched with arrogance. Although Xiao Jietian was the most handsome man she had ever seen, with an enigmatic temperament, she was confident in her self-control.
Her laughter was clear and melodious, echoing in the air like a string of silver bells.
"It's good to be confident. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to incur another debt of affection."
Xiao Jietian's lips curved into a faint smile as he clasped his hands behind his back and continued walking forward.
The two chatted idly as they advanced.
As they gradually approached the depths of the forest, the mist grew thicker. Xiao Jietian and the woman had to slow their pace, carefully navigating through the dense fog.
"Jiang Feng, look over there."
As they walked, a surprised voice came from beside Xiao Jietian. He followed the direction she pointed.
Beside a large tree, within a flowerbed-like cluster, a colorful bloom stood at the center.
"Is this a Dream Soul Flower?"
Xiao Jietian examined the flower carefully. Under his gaze, the entire blossom seemed to constantly shift colors, like various hues colliding and merging on a palette—deep mysterious purples, vibrant reds, and fresh soft greens, creating a dreamlike spectacle.
It had seven petals, their edges wavy and gently undulating, each appearing as if draped in a light veil.
The entire flower rendered the surroundings into a dreamlike world, tempting one to lose themselves in it.
"Yes, it's very important to me. Combined with my secret technique, it can help me quickly recover my soul power."
With that, she prepared to step forward.
Xiao Jietian carefully observed the surroundings. Through his soul perception, he sensed something amiss. He grabbed Xuan Qingying's hand: "Something's not right here. Be careful."
Seeing Xiao Jietian's serious expression, she withdrew her foot and stood firmly beside him, asking:
"Did you discover something?"
"I didn't find anything specific, but my soul perception vaguely senses something wrong. Also, with such a large flowerbed, there might be a magical beast guarding it in the shadows. We've been walking for so long and haven't encountered any illusions yet."
Xiao Jietian's sharp eyes scanned the area, his voice serious and doubtful.
"Indeed. So what should we do now? Should we just leave?"
"Leave? Since we've found something good, how can we not take it? Stay behind me; don't wander too far."
She obediently positioned herself behind Xiao Jietian, maintaining a distance of about two body lengths.
Xiao Jietian walked slowly forward. When he was less than ten steps away from the Dream Soul Flower, he suddenly halted. Xuan Qingying, following closely behind, couldn't stop in time and bumped into his back.
Xiao Jietian felt two soft impacts against his back and took half a step forward.
"I'm sorry, you stopped so suddenly, I..."
Her face flushed slightly as she lowered her head, her tone tinged with shyness.
"It's alright. My intuition tells me it's very dangerous ahead; we can't go any further."
Xiao Jietian didn't notice her expression. His sharp eyes swept the surroundings as his soul force surged outward, sweeping over every inch of the area.
Finally, he detected an anomaly on a head-sized stone.
Xiao Jietian condensed a ball of lightning Dou Qi mixed with soul force at his fingertip and struck the stone, shattering it instantly.
As the stone broke, the surrounding scenery transformed.
Less than two meters from where they stood, a giant plant resembling a gaping maw lay on the ground.
Its blood-red mouth was wide open, waiting for Xiao Jietian and the woman to step inside.
"Thunderbird."
Xiao Jietian shaped lightning Dou Qi into a bird and blasted it toward the giant mouth.
"Boom."
The entire giant maw-flower was shattered by the explosion.
"This is a Bloodmouth Flower. The sticky liquid inside has paralyzing and Dou Qi-sealing effects. Even a Dou Emperor would find it difficult to escape once trapped, becoming its food. However, this type of magical beast specializes only in illusions and ambushes; its active offensive power is very weak."
Xuan Qingying recalled the information about this magical beast.
"You go and pick it. That thing is useless to me. Be careful—I don't know if there are other dangers. Stay alert and don't let the medicinal herb cloud your judgment."
After instructing the woman behind him, Xiao Jietian walked toward the stone he had just shattered.
Arriving beside the rubble, he picked up a fragment and examined it carefully, sensing a faint energy fluctuation within.
"Did you find anything?"
Xuan Qingying, having finished collecting the Dream Soul Flower, approached Xiao Jietian and asked, looking at the stone in his hand.
"It's just an ordinary stone, nothing special. The Bloodmouth Flower channeled its illusion-creating energy into it, forming something akin to a formation."
Xiao Jietian crushed the stone in his hand, turning it to dust that scattered on the ground.
"So that's how it is. No wonder it's called Phantom Forest. It seems this 'Phantom' refers to illusions. I wonder what 'Forest' means."
She lost interest as well, analyzing the meaning of the secret realm's name, which often held clues to its nature.
"I don't know. Maybe 'Forest' refers to ghostly shadows, coming and going without a trace, specifically following beautiful women. Perhaps there's one hidden in your shadow."
Xiao Jietian shrugged, speaking casually.
Xuan Qingying chuckled softly upon hearing this, a playful glint in her eyes: "You really have a glib tongue. We are cultivators—how could we fear such things? Maybe they're after you? I've heard many handsome men are unfaithful, and they're coming for revenge."
"Then you might be mistaken. I am not an unfaithful person."
Xiao Jietian smiled slightly, turning to look at her: "Are you going to refine that medicinal herb now?"
She gently shook her head: "No, refining it requires a quiet and safe environment, and this place is clearly not suitable."
Just then, Xiao Jietian's expression suddenly changed:
"Careful."