My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Just as the group was exchanging pleasantries, Xiange quickly offered her advice: "You now have two paths. One is for Ruan Chayan to immediately sit down and meditate to form her Nascent Soul. The heavenly lightning can make them leave temporarily, but they will inevitably come back, and you may not be able to form your Nascent Soul successfully."

Secondly, Ruan Chayan, you will share the spiritual energy in your dantian with Jingyao Shrew to help it break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, but your cultivation level will drop.

"With the Shrew King in charge, I can guide you to the nearest inheritance cave, which offers a chance to avoid these three."

Luo Hanying glanced at Ruan Chayan, who was listening attentively to Xian Ge's words, and wiped her eyes: "Seniors, please don't mind, my sister can't speak. Please feel free to ask me any questions."

Ruan Chayan wore an awkward, shy, and sad expression as she considered what Xiange had said.

Zhou Shuxiang gave a slightly apologetic smile: "I'm sorry, I brought up your sisters' sad stories."

"How did you two young ladies come to live in this secret realm? How did you two get in?"

Luo Hanying felt something was off, and she thought to herself, "I haven't even asked you yet."

"It's not that sad. We've gotten used to it over the years." Luo Hanying said, stalling for time with nonsense. "You're asking how we ended up living here, right?"

Oh, don’t mention it.

Nine years ago, when my sister and I were still at a low level of cultivation, the Invitation Fragrance Secret Realm opened. We heard that this secret realm was vast, filled with countless spirit beasts, demon beasts, and spiritual herbs, and even some inheritances of dubious authenticity.

Luo Hanying touched her earlobe and slowly made up a lie, "So we came together to search for treasure, but because we were rogue cultivators, no one reminded us that the one-month period had ended, and the two of us were trapped in the secret realm."

"I've lived here for nine years!"

Luo Hanying exclaimed excitedly, "I never expected to meet so many seniors today!"

Seniors, has the Incense-Inviting Secret Realm opened yet?

The three exchanged knowing glances.

"Why does this little girl talk so much nonsense?" Zhou Mingqin transmitted his voice to the two of them, his tone impatient.

Zhou Shuxiang transmitted her voice, saying, "Let's test the waters again."

Zhou Mingqin's performance was slightly exaggerated: "Sigh! To be honest, the three of us have been trapped in this secret realm for nine years!"

Zhang Bohui said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask if you can open this defense? Let's go inside and sit down to talk?"

Luo Hanying plopped down on the ground, and Ruan Chayan followed suit, sitting cross-legged a beat later.

Luo Hanying tilted her head back and said nonchalantly, "What are you talking about? There's no room in this small place."

"Why don't we just sit here and talk? What's the point of this deep in the mountains? I really want to talk to you guys a bit more right now, but I'll be gone for a while to activate the defenses!"

Zhou Shuxiang, having reached her limit, shouted, "Ignore her nonsense! Attack! Break this lousy formation!"

"Oh, you guys don't know, my sister can't talk, so for nine years I've been stuck talking to myself all day long..."

Before Luo Hanying's eyes flashed, she saw Zhou Shuxiang and the other two displaying their unique abilities and launching an attack on the formation.

Ruan Chayan pulled Luo Hanying up and backed away.

"You son of a bitch, you talk too much nonsense!" Zhou Mingqin roared angrily. "Do you really think we're idiots?! You've lived here for nine years and it took us so long to find out?!"

"Pah! I'm the one who's been stuck here for a real nine years!"

Zhang Bohui's face was also gloomy: "You only broke through to the Golden Core Realm yesterday. Even if you made up a lie and said you were in seclusion in this secret realm, I would believe you! Do you want to hear what you have to say?"

Zhou Shuxiang said coldly, "Speak! Who exactly are you?!"

Or rather, whose people are you on?!

Cultivators are sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, and even secret communication between lower-level cultivators can be intercepted by higher-level cultivators. However, Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying use the system's encrypted communication, so they are not worried about their conversations being overheard.

Ruan Chayan supported Luo Hanying's shoulder: "There's no time! Xiaoxue, you and Jingyao Shrew run as far as you can!"

"I'm now forming my Nascent Soul! I'll use Heavenly Tribulation to force them back!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Luo Hanying found it hard to believe that Ruan Chayan would make such a decision. "You can regain your cultivation if it's gone! Let Jingyao Shrew cover our retreat, and we'll run together!"

What if you fail to form your Nascent Soul?! What if you get struck dead by heavenly lightning?!

Come with me!

As Luo Hanying spoke, she pulled Ruan Chayan and ran towards the back of the courtyard.

Ruan Chayan summoned Jingyao Shrew and told it to protect Luo Hanying. She then cleaved Luo Hanying's hand that was tightly gripping hers, sat down in meditation, and accelerated the flow of spiritual energy in her dantian to cleanse her golden core, preparing to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Jingyao Shrew leaped onto Luo Hanying's shoulder, causing Luo Hanying to stumble.

Xian Ge urged Luo Hanying, who was watching Ruan Chayan wipe away her tears: "Hurry up! Ruan Chayan has a 40% chance of failing to form her Nascent Soul, a 60% chance of safely surviving the Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens, and an 82% chance of surviving the Tribulation with serious injuries!"

"You're only making her tribulation more difficult by being here! If you get struck by heavenly lightning, you'll die!"

Luo Hanying took out the array plates from her storage ring, activated them one by one, and placed them around Ruan Chayan, creating a protective umbrella-shaped magic artifact for her. She then stuffed four high-grade spirit stones into Ruan Chayan's arms.

Luo Hanying slapped a speed talisman on her body, picked up her sword, and rushed out with Jingyao Shrew in her arms.

Ruan Chayan focused on maintaining her inner peace, shutting off her hearing to avoid external disturbances. She gritted her teeth and broke through her golden core, determined to break free from the impermanence of her previous life.

String Song had once taught them the mental cultivation method of the Demon Blade Sect. She didn't know if it would be useful, but absorbing spiritual energy and circulating it through the body was always the right thing to do.

Ruan Chayan was unaware of the details of the infant formation process, so she could only rely on her intuition and act rashly.

As Zhang Bohui unleashed a Heavenly Thunder Talisman, the defensive formation shattered, and Zhou Shuxiang's Nascent Soul Realm aura spread out, causing cracks to appear in the defensive magic artifact that had been erected in front of Ruan Chayan.

Zhou Mingqin asked in surprise, "What is that little girl doing?"

Zhou Shuxiang sensed something was wrong. She looked up at the gathering tribulation clouds and exclaimed in shock and anger, "Oh no! She's undergoing tribulation! Interrupt her! It's too late! There are too many people! The tribulation clouds are about to strike! Get out of there!"

The three hurriedly flew away from the tribulation clouds of the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation on their swords, during which they were hit by the residual force of two heavenly lightning bolts and all suffered some injuries.

Zhou Mingqin looked at the purple-gold lightning pillar striking down from afar and spat, "What the hell? Trying to undergo tribulation at a time like this? What a crazy woman!"

Normal people would first find a secluded mountain forest, prepare the pills and spirit stones needed to form a Nascent Soul, set up an array, concentrate on breaking through, and then face the Heavenly Tribulation.

This woman actually sat down on the ground and was about to undergo tribulation? What else could she be but a madwoman!

Judging from the robes, array plates, and defensive magical artifacts used by these two, they are not high-level items. It is likely that they are either rogue cultivators or disciples who are not valued and are very likely to fail to survive this tribulation.

If it were merely a failure to form a nascent soul, resulting in broken meridians and damaged dantian, that would be considered mild. Countless cultivators would lose their lives under the heavenly lightning.

This "Yan Ming" probably won't even require them to put in any effort; she will die from her own foolish arrogance.