Techniques and Dao

Chapter 116 Southern Wonderland (2)

Watching Hua Sheng proudly shake the Ruihua Treasure Mirror in his hand, Mieying remained unconvinced.

"Don't blindly trust navigation; it might lead you astray..."

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "How about this, when we ride the clouds, I'll stay close to you. We'll be closer, you take the lead, but I'll still guide the way."

Having said that, Mieying shook out the folds of his Taoist robe. As if afraid that the loose robe would get tangled together, he shook it to loosen the wrinkles.

Then, with a flick of her long sleeves, a cloud of auspiciousness rose up beneath her feet, and she ascended into the sky.

Hua Sheng watched intently as the fairy-like Mi Ying flew further and further away before remembering to follow. He then made a hand seal and quickly ascended upwards.

"I thought you'd fallen behind before you even set off," Mieying said, glancing at him sideways.

"Haha! The car won't start... haha." Hua Sheng told a joke on purpose, trying to cover up the awkward atmosphere.

Mie Ying had no time to laugh. After flying into the clouds, she pointed south and said, "Fly south, I'll follow."

Hua Sheng, with a sudden thought, urged himself on and flew forward at an accelerated pace. Mie Ying stayed close behind him, occasionally swaying to his left or right.

The wind hissed in their ears, and as they left the clouds, the sunlight shone on them, bringing a touch of warmth.

When flying into thick clouds, you will not only hear a whooshing sound, but your body will also sway slightly due to the airflow in the clouds.

Although these swaying movements were mostly very slight, they would occasionally cause Hana-sei's shoulder to gently bump into Mie-ying's shoulder, or their fingers to rub together slightly.

Aside from his occasional time with Wei Yu, Hua Sheng had never been so close to any other girl.

If it weren't for Tai Shang Xiao Jun's insistence on getting dog food and snacks for Xiao Tian Quan, Hua Sheng would never have imagined going to such a far place alone with Mie Ying.

Even when she was with Wei Yu, Tai Shang Xiao Jun was usually present, or they were in public. The time they spent alone together was extremely limited.

After all, she was in her adolescence, and every slight touch of the opposite sex would produce some strange feelings for Hanamori.

A sense of instinctive guilt welled up in Hua Sheng's heart. He clearly remembered Wei Yu's face. It wasn't just like yesterday; it felt as if Wei Yu had been standing in front of him just ten minutes ago.

Although Master Ruokong had told him to let go of the past, the thought of saying goodbye to Weiyu and immediately getting so close to Mieying did make him uneasy.

Hua Sheng secretly glanced at Mie Ying's profile; there was no doubt that Mie Ying was a beautiful girl.

Having had few opportunities to observe her up close before, it was only now that I realized Mieying truly lived up to her reputation as a lady of high birth. Her long, slightly wavy, golden-brown hair, her delicate hands, and her skin as smooth as jade. Looking at her focused gaze, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Mieying otherworldly.

I first met Mie Ying during the Tianmu Trial. At that time, I was focused on winning the game. The rules were complicated and the dangers were numerous, so I didn't take a close look at Mie Ying.

Compared to the pure and innocent Wei Yu, Mie Ying seemed more lively. No, it should be said that Mie Ying Xiao Qi's personality was like that. Of her sisters, apart from Qing Miao Xian Shi, with whom she had exchanged a few more words, she had only met the others once.

Thinking of the sisters of the Shadowless Demon, if Hua Sheng remembered correctly, he had only seen five of the nine sisters of the Shadowless Demon besides the little seven in front of him.

The eldest sister, Immortal Master Qingmiao, has long, dark blue hair. She usually wears a dark blue Taoist robe at the academy. On her wrist is the Qiankun Ring, which she is the custodian of.

The second sister has dark green eyes and short, dark green hair. She possesses immense strength and indestructible fists. In the Divine Calculation Bureau, she was once rendered unconscious by Tianjizi's magic.

Third Sister, with her dark red bob and bright red lipstick, is tall and slender, and her appearances are often accompanied by the fragrance of lotus flowers. She is the custodian of the Wind and Fire Wheels.

The sixth sister has long, straight hair that reaches her waist, and purple pupils. During the Heavenly Eye Trial, Hua Sheng saw that she could manipulate light, and apart from that, she seemed very mysterious, giving off an indescribable evil charm.

The fourth, fifth, and eighth sisters never showed their faces in front of Hua Sheng.

The only thing known is that Fourth Sister seems to have some grudge against Tianjizi, which is why she specifically involved Mieying in order to prevent Tianjizi from winning ten consecutive championships in the Tianmu Trial.

In the end, Fourth Sister achieved her goal, which also indirectly helped Hua Sheng become the first mortal disciple in the history of the Magic Academy to win the Heavenly Eye Trial.

The last one, Ninth Sister, is Mieying. She is the youngest, and the name Mieying comes from her. Hua Sheng only knows that she wears braids, has black eyes, and usually wears a pair of large glasses for nearsightedness.

Of Mieying's nine sisters, Xiao Qi left the deepest impression on Hua Sheng. Ever since the Heavenly Eye Trial, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Mieying had never approached him.

In Hua Sheng's understanding, if any of the sisters of the Shadowless Sect did not want to see anyone, they could hide themselves at any time.

But this time, Xiaoqi seemed to have taken the initiative to stand in front.

The more Hanamori thought about this, the more pronounced his guilt became.

After Wei Yu left, Mie Ying reappeared by his side.

Was this a coincidence, or did she approach him because she knew Wei Yu was no longer there?

Hua Sheng felt that Xiao Qi had a special feeling for him. It was only because of Wei Yu that Xiao Qi had always deliberately hidden behind Qing Miao Xian Shi.

With a whoosh, the two of them plunged headfirst into a thick cloud.

The gust of wind made Hua Sheng sway slightly, and his right little finger touched Mie Ying's left little finger again. Because he was thinking about Mie Ying, this sudden touch made Hua Sheng's face involuntarily flush.

He glanced at Mieying again, stealing a look.

Mie Ying was so focused that he didn't notice Hua Sheng peeking at him.

Perhaps it was because they had been flying through the clouds for too long, the dampness of the mist caused a few glistening water droplets to cling to Mieying's long, curled eyelashes. Her golden-brown curly hair, as if it had just been dried after a bath and hadn't been completely blown dry, shone with a captivating luster when the occasional sunlight shone through.

"How annoying!" Mieying suddenly pouted.

"Ah..." Hua Sheng thought he had been caught peeping at Mie Ying, and quickly turned his head away.

"The rainforest climate in the south is so changeable. The clouds ahead seem to be getting thicker. I'm afraid... there will be a thunderstorm." Mie Ying sighed.

It turns out she wasn't referring to Hua Sheng.

Hua Sheng asked, "Do you think there will be a thunderstorm?"

"You're not thinking anything bad, are you?" Mieying turned his head and gave him a meaningful look.

"Wh...what do you mean?" Hua Sheng was already feeling guilty, and her words made her even more uneasy. Mie Ying raised an eyebrow and said, "What I mean is, if you think too much about bad things, you might get struck by lightning..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of lightning shattered in front of the two of them.

There was a loud bang!
The two quickly dodged to the left and right, avoiding the thunderclap.

Mieying covered his ears and flew towards Huasheng again, shouting, "We really need to be careful!"

Hua Sheng shouted, "How about we fly slower?"

"No, no! We have to speed up! This thunderstorm doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. If we hurry and get through these thunderstorms..."

Suddenly, a huge human figure with wings sprouting from its ribs appeared in the clouds above!

Before Hanamori could get a good look, a huge, shimmering ball of lightning fell from above and struck the two of them.

A violent explosion, as if tens of thousands of tons of explosives had detonated above their heads!
Who attacked them?
In the nick of time, the Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff) flew out from the necklace on his chest.

Seeing that there was no time to dodge, Hua Sheng gripped the Ruyi Jingu Bang with both hands, and the lightning struck the Ruyi Jingu Bang instantly.

Although the golden cudgel neutralized most of the lightning's electrical power, Hua Sheng still felt pain and numbness in his hand.

Just when Hua Sheng thought everything was alright, she saw Mi Ying, who was caught off guard, be struck by the giant lightning bolt. She lost her balance and fell downwards.

They disappeared into the clouds.

"Shadowbreaker! How are you?!"

Hua Sheng shouted and quickly turned to the side, speeding down into the thick clouds.

"Shadow Destroyer! Shadow Destroyer!"

Once we passed through the clouds, we found that it was already pouring rain below.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the sky was overcast with heavy rain.

Hanamori looked down, using the occasional flashes of lightning as a guide.

Below, the ground was covered with dense trees and overgrown weeds. Looking down from mid-air, there was no trace of Mie Ying.

Although it was still Shen Shi (3-5 PM), which is considered afternoon, the weather in Chi Biao Nuzhou in the south is notoriously changeable. Coupled with the thunderstorm, the rainforest below was practically pitch black.

As the torrential rain poured down, the flowers accelerated their descent.

A flash of lightning illuminated the rainforest below, revealing dense tropical plants swaying wildly in the gale. From mid-air, the countless trees seemed to weave together a gigantic, menacing black face, inspiring fear and deterring anyone from venturing deeper.

But Hua Sheng couldn't care less about that; he knew that Mie Ying must have fallen into the forest.

He and Mieying were indeed attacked from behind thick clouds, but Hua Sheng didn't even get a clear look at the attacker's face, so he didn't have time to verify it.

All he knew was that for a moment he saw the attacker was three times larger than himself.

The sky was so dark during the day that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Another clap of thunder illuminated the world.

The ground that was just a moment ago so far away was now right in front of her! In an instant, the rainforest branches almost pierced Hana's face. At that speed, if the branches had been sharper, they might have instantly pierced a bloody hole in her face.

"not good!"

It must have been because he was too anxious and flustered just now, and the heavy rain had weakened his sense of speed, that he misjudged the speed of his fall. In a moment of panic, Hua Sheng dodged the branch that was piercing him, but the momentum of the fall was too fast. Hua Sheng couldn't stop his speed in time and fell headfirst into the dense bushes.

In this primeval forest that blocks out the sky, there are giant trees with intertwined roots everywhere, as well as fruits on strangely shaped old stems, along with various giant-leaved plants and exotic flowers and fruits.

On a normal day, this sight would be a real eye-opener. But now, there's no longer any chance to admire the flowers in full bloom.

Hua Sheng tumbled through this primeval rainforest, crashing into countless trees before finally tumbling into a rushing river with a splash!
The bottomless river made it impossible to distinguish up from down, left from right.

"Hurry... gurgle... hurry as the law commands!"

Hua Sheng struggled in the water, chanting a magical incantation. Instantly, a beam of light rose from her hand. Surrounding her were grotesque, hideous fish! Upon seeing the light, the fish scattered and disappeared.

He quickly used his Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) to protect himself, and only then did he feel relieved.

After determining the direction of the lake, Hua Sheng turned around and rushed towards the surface. As soon as her head broke the surface, she found herself being swept downstream by the surging lake water.

Just as he was about to fly out of the water, a flash of lightning revealed a figure lying on the swampy bank not far ahead, dressed in the robes of the Shudao Academy.

It must be Shadow Extinction!

The swamp was too soft to support anything heavy, and the figure was sinking down with the mud, half of its body already embedded in it.

Moreover, the figure continued to sink.

"Extinction Shadow! Extinction Shadow!" Hua Sheng shouted, hoping to awaken Extinction Shadow.

But Mieying didn't react. Hua Sheng tried to fly over by pushing off the water, but unexpectedly, his foot stepped on something hard like a "platform" in the water.

But just now, thanks to the light, there shouldn't have been anything under my feet except the river water.

Hua Sheng didn't care about any of that; with a push of his foot, he used the momentum to fly into the air.

As he flew onto the lake surface, Hanamori instinctively sensed that there seemed to be something below him.

Another flash of lightning, and Hua Sheng looked down and gasped!
A gaping maw, two zhang wide, was biting down on him from below, and half of his body was already inside that terrifying mouth!

(End of this chapter)