Chapter Eleven: Yuan Yibai, the Little Tagalong

"Xiaoyun?" Yuan Yibai pressed his lips together and smiled faintly. "No, I wasn't coveting it. I have simply never seen such a formidable magical artifact, so I looked at it a little longer. Please forgive me, senior."

Junyang snorted, glancing at the Night-chasing Sword in Yuan Yibai's hand. "You possess a dark attribute spiritual root?"

You Xiyue also looked up, casting her gaze at him.

Yuan Yibai nodded. "Yes."

"Tsk, since ancient times, only one person with a light attribute and one with a dark attribute spiritual root have existed at any given time. You are truly an extraordinary talent." Junyang couldn't help but circle Yuan Yibai twice. "I imagine many people have their eyes on you?"

"I'm used to it."

The monsters had already been cleared away. You Xiyue placed the Dreamshade Mushrooms into her spatial bag, preparing to return to Misty Cloud Mountain.

"Where are you going?" Yuan Yibai stepped in front of You Xiyue and asked.

She met his gaze, furrowing her brows slightly. Though somewhat annoyed, she answered truthfully, "Misty Cloud Mountain."

"Very well, I'll go with you."

You Xiyue averted her gaze, grabbed Junyang by his wings, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance of the Hidden Cloud Secret Realm.

Leaders from all the sects were still waiting for their disciples to emerge. When the little girl appeared suddenly, all eyes turned to her.

Feng Qinghe, recognizing his own master, hurried forward to bow.

"Master."

You Xiyue nodded slightly and walked towards the place where Feng Qinghe had been seated before.

"Master?" Lord Yun Zhao and the others looked at You Xiyue, each showing incredulous expressions.

Just as Feng Qinghe was about to sit beside You Xiyue, Lord Yun Zhao quietly pulled him away.

Lord Yun Zhao drew Feng Qinghe to a spot farther from You Xiyue and furtively glanced at her.

He whispered like a thief, "Is that truly your master?"

Feng Qinghe nodded. "Indeed."

"Your master... looks rather young..."

"Indeed."

Lord Yun Zhao: "..."

"What level is her cultivation?"

Feng Qinghe glanced in You Xiyue's direction. "I don't know—it's unfathomable."

"!!!" Lord Yun Zhao followed Feng Qinghe's gaze and sighed, "The Upper Realm truly breeds remarkable talents."

---

Meanwhile, as Lord Yun Zhao was gossiping with Feng Qinghe, Yuan Yibai finally arrived, standing before You Xiyue.

"You move so fast—chasing after you is no easy feat."

You Xiyue remained with her eyes closed, resting, ignoring Yuan Yibai.

He was undeterred, sitting right beside her.

Junyang flicked his tongue at Yuan Yibai to show hostility, but Yuan Yibai merely responded with a smile.

Yuan Yibai's arrival stirred even more discussion among those present.

To these people, You Xiyue was a stranger, but Yuan Yibai was not.

He was the prodigious young master of the Yuan family from the thirty-three layers of the Upper Realm, a rare possessor of the dark attribute, renowned across all lands.

"Your master and the Yuan family’s young master... seem quite familiar?" Lord Yun Zhao's curiosity was piqued again.

Feng Qinghe looked toward You Xiyue for a long moment. He had only met her that day, and during the descent of the artifact, Junyang had seemed unfamiliar with Yuan Yibai, so Feng Qinghe believed You Xiyue likely didn't know him either.

"Probably not."

"Is that so?" Lord Yun Zhao craned his neck for a better look.

Feng Qinghe pursed his lips, sidestepped Lord Yun Zhao, and walked toward You Xiyue.

Seeing her resting with closed eyes, he dared not disturb her, merely crouched down closer to Junyang.

"Senior Junyang, why is Yuan Chen the Earth Immortal following Master?"

Junyang cast a disdainful glance at Yuan Yibai. "Who knows what scheme he's plotting, clinging like a shadow."

These words naturally reached Yuan Yibai's ears. He stood, politely cupped his hands to Feng Qinghe. "I never expected the third son of the Feng clan to be apprenticed to such a powerful master."

Feng Qinghe quickly stood and returned the gesture. "Earth Immortal Yuan Chen, your reputation precedes you."

Yuan Yibai smiled. "May I ask your master's name?"

Feng Qinghe was momentarily taken aback, glancing at You Xiyue and then at Junyang. He replied hesitantly, "I dare not address my master directly by name any longer. You’d best ask her yourself."

"Very well." Though refused, Yuan Yibai kept his gentle smile.

Feng Qinghe nodded and took a seat beside Yuan Yibai.

"Did you obtain the artifact, Earth Immortal Yuan Chen?"

At the question, Yuan Yibai glanced at You Xiyue before turning back with a smile. "With your master present, the artifact would hardly choose to follow anyone else."

Feng Qinghe leaned forward in surprise to look at You Xiyue. "So it’s with Master? Do you know what kind of artifact it is?"

"A divine-grade item: the Jade of Duality, encompassing both celestial and demonic forces."

---

"A divine-grade, indeed?"

"Yes." With nothing else to do, Yuan Yibai decided to chat with Feng Qinghe. "Are you waiting for the Feng clan disciples to exit the Hidden Cloud Secret Realm?"

"Exactly. Today is the first day; there are still two days to go."

Yuan Yibai nodded in understanding, then asked, "Are you familiar with the Illusory Labyrinth in the thirty-three layers of the Upper Realm?"

"Of course." Secret realms are where cultivators most often encounter opportunity—acquiring artifacts, advancing cultivation, even contracting spirit beasts.

The Lower Realm has only two secret realms: Hidden Cloud and Greenfire. But these are only suitable for cultivators below the Golden Core level.

The Upper Realm, however, boasts six: the Spirit Moon Palace on the fifth layer, the Storm Altar on the eleventh, the Red Flame Sea on the seventeenth, the Withered Blood Mountains on the twenty-third, the Illusory Labyrinth on the thirty-third, and the Masterless Hell on the thirty-seventh.

The hardest to enter are the Illusory Labyrinth and the Masterless Hell.

Though entry requires cultivation below the True Immortal level, danger lurks at every turn, and not everyone is eligible. Only those with an invitation from the city lord of that layer may enter.

"In two months, the Illusory Labyrinth will open. Would you be interested, Brother Qinghe?"

"Me?" Feng Qinghe clearly hadn't expected Yuan Yibai to invite him. He replied awkwardly, "Interested, yes, but I doubt I have the qualifications to reach the thirty-third layer. Even if I could, I lack an invitation. And with my cultivation, I fear I’d be helpless inside the Illusory Labyrinth."

The continents below the twentieth layer and those above are worlds apart. The continents of the five great families and those beneath the thirty-third layer are yet another barrier.

Low-level cultivators cannot set foot there.

"No matter. I can take you in and protect you."

Feng Qinghe smiled politely. "I cannot sway any of Master's decisions, so Earth Immortal Yuan Chen need not trouble himself."

"It has nothing to do with your master."

"Nothing?"

"Indeed."

"I must still consult Master. If she allows, then I’ll go."

"If he takes you, you may go," You Xiyue said, so near that she heard every word spoken between them.

"Yes, Master," Feng Qinghe replied at once, then turned to Yuan Yibai. "Thank you, Earth Immortal Yuan Chen."

Yuan Yibai turned to look at You Xiyue, his voice gentle. "Will you go, then?"