Transmigrating to become Hua Qiangu

As the night passed, the first rays of dawn struggled to pierce the thick fog and illuminate the cave. The people of Changliu Mountain awoke one after another, having recovered much of their energy after a night's rest. Lingyue had already risen and stood at the cave entrance, gazing at the pervasive mist outside, seemingly lost in thought.

Hua Qiangu walked to Lingyue's side and asked, "Miss Lingyue, when shall we set off to find the jade pendant?"

Lingyue turned around and said with a smile, "Let's set off after we've eaten some dry rations. The place where the jade pendant was lost is quite far away, so we need to hurry."

After a quick meal of dry rations, the group emerged from the cave, led by Lingyue. The fog remained thick, and the surrounding trees appeared indistinct in the mist, like silent behemoths. Lingyue walked ahead, her steps light and familiar, constantly observing her surroundings as if searching for some kind of marker.

"Miss Lingyue, do you remember roughly where the jade pendant was lost?" Bai Zihua asked.

Lingyue frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It was probably deep in the Misty Forest, near a valley with strange flowers and plants. I encountered some danger in that area, and in the chaos, I lost the jade pendant."

"Encountering danger? What kind of danger?" Sha Qianmo asked curiously, his arms crossed, a hint of disdain in his eyes, as if he didn't care about any danger.

Lingyue sighed softly, "It was a powerful guardian beast, guarding something in the valley. I accidentally wandered into its territory and was attacked."

"Hmph, just a guardian beast, what's so scary about it? If I encounter it again, I'll definitely beat it to a pulp." Sha Qianmo said confidently, his demonic power surging slightly, demonstrating his strength.

The group continued their journey, and along the way, Lingyue explained some of the dangers of the Misty Forest. "In addition to various ferocious beasts, there are also some strange mist traps in this Misty Forest. Once you fall into one, you will lose your way and may even be trapped inside forever."

"How can we avoid falling into these traps?" a disciple asked worriedly.

Lingyue smiled slightly, "Mist traps usually emit a special aura, which you can detect if you pay close attention. Besides, stay close to me; I'm quite familiar with this place and can avoid most of the traps."

As they walked, a patch of strange flowers and plants suddenly appeared ahead. These flowers and plants were brightly colored and shimmered faintly in the mist, emitting a captivating fragrance.

“It’s around here,” Lingyue said, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Everyone immediately became alert and began searching for the jade pendant. Hua Qiangu activated the perception ability of her divine artifact, trying to find traces of the pendant in the surrounding aura. Bai Zihua carefully observed the ground, not missing any detail. Sha Qianmo and the other disciples also dispersed, searching among the flowers and plants.

"Everyone be careful, that guardian beast might be nearby," Lingyue whispered a reminder.

Just then, a disciple suddenly cried out, "Ah!" Everyone rushed over and saw that the disciple was pale-faced, pointing to the ground in front of him. There was a huge claw mark on the ground, deeply embedded in the soil, and the surrounding land had been cracked.

"It seems that the guardian beast just left not long ago," Bai Zihua said, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"Hmph, just in time. I want to see what's so powerful about this guardian beast." Sha Qianmo rubbed his hands together, eager to try his luck.

"Don't act rashly yet. Our primary task is to find the jade pendant," Hua Qiangu said, continuing to use her divine artifact to sense the surrounding atmosphere.

Suddenly, Hua Qiangu's eyes lit up. "I think I can sense the aura of the jade pendant, not far ahead."

Following the direction Hua Qiangu pointed, the group indeed found a jade pendant emitting a faint blue light beneath a clump of strange flowers and plants. Lingyue's eyes lit up with surprise upon seeing the pendant, and she quickly picked it up.

"Finally found it!" Lingyue gripped the jade pendant tightly, a relieved smile on her face.

"Miss Lingyue, can you tell us the location of the 'Heart of Chaos' now?" Hua Qiangu asked.

Lingyue nodded slightly. "Alright. Actually, the 'Heart of Chaos' is sealed in a mysterious place deeper within this Misty Forest. It is protected by a powerful array, and only by breaking the array can one enter."

"Then why don't you go and find the 'Heart of Chaos' yourself?" Sha Qianmo asked.

Lingyue sighed softly, "I tried to enter that mysterious place before, but I failed every time. The formation was too powerful, and I couldn't break it at all. Moreover, the power guarding the 'Heart of Chaos' was extremely strong, and I didn't have enough strength to deal with it."

"Then how do you know so much about the 'Heart of Chaos'?" Bai Zihua asked.

Lingyue was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "My family once had a connection with the 'Heart of Chaos'. My ancestors participated in the sealing of the 'Heart of Chaos', and since then, our family has been guarding the secret about the 'Heart of Chaos'. Later, the family declined, and I came to this Misty Forest to continue guarding this secret."

"I see. Then why don't you tell this secret to the other sects and protect the 'Heart of Chaos' together?" Hua Qiangu asked.

Lingyue smiled wryly and said, "I had thought about it before, but I found that many sects were greedy for the power of the 'Heart of Chaos'. I was worried that if the news leaked, it would cause even greater conflict. So, I chose to protect it alone."

“The Shadow Cult is also searching for the ‘Heart of Chaos,’ and we must stop them. Can you tell us more about that mysterious place and the formation?” Bai Zihua asked.

Lingyue nodded. "That mysterious place is shrouded in a black mist, which hides all sorts of dangers. The formation is composed of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. To break the formation, we need to find the balance point of the five elements and find the corresponding method to break it."

“It sounds complicated,” one of the disciples said.

“It is indeed very complicated. But in order to stop the Shadow Cult, we must give it a try,” Hua Qiangu said firmly.

“Alright, I will help you. I am quite familiar with this Misty Forest and can guide you,” Lingyue said.

"Thank you, Miss Lingyue. With your help, our chances of success on this trip have increased even more," Bai Zihua said.

Led by Lingyue, the group continued deeper into the Misty Forest. The fog grew thicker, and the surrounding environment became increasingly eerie. A chilling aura wafted through the air, sending shivers down their spines.

"Everyone be careful, there might be more dangers ahead," Lingyue whispered.

Just then, a deep roar suddenly came from ahead. The sound was deeper and more terrifying than the monsters they had encountered before, like a roar from hell.

"It seems we're about to face a new challenge," Sha Qianmo said, his eyes filled with excitement, showing no fear whatsoever.

"No matter what the challenge, we will face it together," Hua Qiangu said, gripping the divine artifact tightly, her eyes revealing unwavering determination.

The group from Changliu Mountain and Lingyue continue their journey. How will they cope with the unknown dangers? Will they be able to successfully break the formation, find the "Heart of Chaos," and thwart the Shadow Cult's conspiracy? Everything remains to be seen…