South Sea Dragon Palace, Main Hall.
The atmosphere was tense and deathly silent.
Even the flames flickering on the walls seemed frozen, as a suffocating pressure filled the air.
Qin Qingyue abruptly stood up from her guest seat, her black palace gown billowing soundlessly, rustling like a flag in the wind.
Her crimson, vertical pupils had contracted into two dangerously thin slits, locking tightly onto Chi Hong’s awkwardly embarrassed face.
“Explain?” Qin Qingyue let out a cold laugh.
“What is it you still want to explain to me?”
She stepped forward, the space around her twisting slightly, and that terrifying aura crashed toward Chi Hong like an invisible tidal wave.
“Where! Is! My! Husband?!”
“Weren’t you swearing just now that your Red Dragon Clan’s Secret Realm was absolutely safe?! Didn’t you say there was no risk at all?!”
“Bring my husband back! Now! Immediately!” Qin Qingyue’s emotions were clearly on the verge of losing control.
Why had something gone wrong again? Ever since she’d met Jiang Huai, she’d thought his special constitution could offset her cursed Misfortune, so why did trouble keep finding them, time and again?
Could it be that his Misfortune hadn’t been fully balanced after all?
That thought made her even more agitated, anger and a thread of panic surging together.
Pressed by this overwhelming Dragon Might, Chi Hong’s breath hitched; she forced a smile onto her beautiful face, quickly explaining:
“Palace Master Qin, please calm your anger and hear me out.”
“This Red Flame Heart-Refining Secret Realm has belonged to our Red Dragon Clan since ancient times, passed down for tens of thousands of years without a single mishap.”
“Perhaps today… perhaps today something truly unforeseen has occurred.”
She drew a deep breath, doing her best to keep her voice steady and convincing:
“But I can assure you, the Trial within the Secret Realm itself poses no excessive danger. As long as Young Master Jiang remains within the Secret Realm, our Red Dragon Clan will do everything in our power to bring him back safely!”
Her pretty face was all solemn sincerity, as if every word came from the depths of her heart.
Yet only she herself knew just how hollow this promise was.
The Secret Realm had been completely cut off; even she couldn’t sense a thing from inside—how could she guarantee safety?
Even their own Saintess, Chihuang, was now of unknown life or death.
But as Clan Leader, she knew she must never show weakness at this moment.
Before the situation was decided, offering hope and assurances was far more useful than presenting a brutal reality.
It was true both for soothing the enraged Qin Qingyue, and for calming her own panicked clan members.
“Heh.” Qin Qingyue sneered coldly, her laugh full of mistrust.
“No need for the Clan Leader Chi Hong to trouble yourself! I’ll find him myself!”
Before she’d finished speaking, black flames suddenly roared to life around her, transforming into a stream of black light as she prepared to charge recklessly into the Red Dragon Clan’s Secret Realm.
She couldn’t wait any longer—not for even a moment!
Just then, a faint but exceedingly familiar ripple, like a gentle stream, clearly resonated within her heart.
It was Jiang Huai’s aura: calm, steady, and carrying a note of comfort, reassuring her not to worry.
Qin Qingyue’s rushing figure came to an abrupt halt.
He was fine. He was inside the Secret Realm.
And he was so close, she could sense his signal so clearly through the Dragon Mark connecting their Essence Blood?
The heart caught in her throat instantly settled by half.
But who was Qin Qingyue? After centuries of wandering the world, enduring countless storms, she was already a consummate actress.
Though her heart had calmed, the fury on her face didn’t diminish in the slightest—instead, it grew even fiercer.
“Step aside!” she shouted sharply at Chi Hong, who stood in her way, murderous energy billowing all around.
In her hand appeared the long-unused Spear; Black Armor covered her form, her killing intent surging.
“If I can’t find my man, I’ll raze this South Sea Dragon Palace to the ground!”
She even deliberately acted half-deranged, her voice shrill and frenzied:
“If my man is gone, why would I need the Nine Heavens Palace?! Let’s all perish together!”
This thunderous declaration made Chi Hong’s delicate body tremble, her face turning even paler.
A Heavenly Immortal with sect ties and scruples still held back; but a Heavenly Immortal with nothing to lose, on the brink of madness—such a being’s destructive power was on a whole other level.
The latter truly had the power, and the resolve, to drag the entire Red Dragon Clan down with her.
“Palace Master Qin! Absolutely not! Please calm down! Calm yourself!” Chi Hong could no longer maintain the dignified bearing of a Clan Leader; her lotus steps moved urgently as she once more blocked Qin Qingyue, her tone more earnest and desperate than ever.
“I swear to you! On the ten-thousand-year reputation of the Red Dragon Clan, I swear!”
“Afterwards, regardless of the outcome, our Red Dragon Clan will bear all responsibility and give the Nine Heavens Palace compensation to your satisfaction.”
Qin Qingyue’s furious aura seemed to waver slightly at those words.
Her forward stride slowed.
Slowly, with overwhelming pressure, she turned her head to fix Chi Hong with her crimson, vertical pupils, her tone chilling:
“Really?”
A flash of calculation flickered deep within those eyes…
Hehe, after all this acting, forcing that promise from you is enough.
“Absolutely true!” Seeing Qin Qingyue’s tone soften, Chi Hong clung to this lifeline, answering resolutely without hesitation.
“Good!” The black flames around Qin Qingyue abruptly vanished.
She snorted coldly, spun around, and sat back down heavily.
“This Palace Master will give you some time. Remember your words!” “If you can’t bring my man back safe and sound, hmph!”
She closed her eyes, refusing to look at Chi Hong again, as if forcibly suppressing her anger.
Yet, the moment her eyes shut, an even subtler, gentler Spirit Sense traced along the connection of the black Dragon Mark, quietly sending a message back:
Received. Don’t worry. Be careful. Wait for me.
Chi Hong rushed to the rear of the hall, hastily summoning Elder Chi Qin. After a moment’s hesitation, she instructed:
“Go ask the Mysterious Sect—invite Wu Zhaohua here, and do it quickly!”
“Just tell the truth when you get there.”
Qin Qingyue’s emotions were far too unstable; if things went awry, she might just tear down the Dragon Palace. With Wu Zhaohua here, things would be a bit safer.
At the very least, Wu Zhaohua was always calm.
Probably.
Jiang Huai received the comforting signal Qin Qingyue had sent back, and his heart settled.
With her handling things outside, he could focus his attention on the predicament before him.
He had just opened his eyes when he saw Chihuang already changed, walking out from behind a giant boulder.
That black men’s robe on her lush, proud figure outlined a waist barely the width of a hand, and breathtaking curves below.
She tugged uncomfortably at the overly long sleeves; her former arrogance, battered by their earlier ordeal, had temporarily faded.
Still, the pride of a Saintess was deeply etched in her brow.
“Where is this place?” Chihuang frowned, glancing around at the dark red surroundings.
The ancient, heavy atmosphere in the air felt both unfamiliar and vaguely unnerving.
“The fire laws here are very strange—stale, deathly, yet filled with powerful Resentment.”
“This is definitely not any Secret Realm region known to our clan!”
“Try telling us something we don’t know,” Jiang Huai stood and dusted off his robes, gaze sweeping over the single path that led into unknown darkness ahead.
“Wherever this is, looks like we’ve only got one way to go.”
Chi Lian quietly moved to Chihuang’s side, still meek and timid, but now instinctively staying closer to Jiang Huai.
That warm, strong hand that had grabbed her during their fall had brought her an indescribable sense of security.
The three of them fell silent, moving cautiously along the path.
The surrounding temperature steadily dropped—not with a refreshing coolness, but a chill that seeped into their very bones.
Even the dark red glow seemed heavy, pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe.
After walking for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the path suddenly opened up, but the sight before them made all three hearts sink.
The outline of a small town appeared at the edge of their vision.
Every building in the town, one could faintly tell, was constructed of the red crystal stone favored by the Red Dragon Clan.
But now, these crystals were all dim and lifeless, their surfaces covered with a dull, ashen hue, as if all vitality had been sucked away.
The entire town was shrouded in an oppressive, ashen gloom—only the massive, Scarlet Moon in the sky above remained.
That moon, as if it might drip fresh blood at any moment, cast an ominous red light over all.
Even more chillingly, there were actually “people” moving about in the town.
Numerous translucent figures wandered the streets—walking, talking, working—in a numb, mechanical way.
They all retained the forms of Red Dragon Clan members; some even had faint, illusory dragon horns on their heads, but their bodies were wreathed in thick, inky-black Resentment, their eyes vacant, endlessly repeating certain actions like pre-programmed puppets.
The entire town, in the midst of deathly silence, exuded a strange, sinister vitality.