Everyone's all smiles on the surface but secretly cunning, but the junior sister only wants to

In reality, even if Jiang Moqi hadn't taken any action, Jiang Shiliu wouldn't have been truly in dire straits. This was because the seven-colored lotus hidden within her possessed a mysterious and powerful force, enough to protect her and at least keep her alive.

Back then, when Jiang Shiliu was breaking through to the Core Formation stage, she faced a total of eight heavenly lightning bolts! Fortunately, her master Yun Che was by her side at the time, carefully setting up an array to help her resist, which prevented her from suffering too serious injuries.

What's even more surprising is that the heavenly lightning Jiang Shiliu encountered seemed to be quite different from that of ordinary people due to her special identity. Not only was the lightning much thicker than what ordinary cultivators endured, but its power was also multiplied.

Therefore, for Jiang Moqi, who had spent thousands of years searching for Jiang Shiliu, how could he bear to see her suffer again? Although Jiang Moqi knew he should give Jiang Shiliu some room to grow, this did not mean he could allow others to harm her at will. After all, Jiang Moqi did not hope to protect Jiang Shiliu as a delicate hothouse flower, but rather that she would grow strong and resilient like a towering tree standing tall against the wind, capable of standing on her own.

After Jiang Moqi's clone helped Jiang Shiliu withstand the last terrifying bolt of heavenly lightning, his tall figure instantly became illusory, as if merging with the surrounding air and quietly disappearing into nothingness. However, he was actually always by Jiang Shiliu's side, silently protecting her.

However, Jiang Shiliu was filled with doubt and confusion. Logically, there should have been eighteen heavenly lightning bolts descending in succession during the Nascent Soul stage, but the final bolt was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but look up at the sky, which had been shrouded in thick, overwhelming clouds. Surprisingly, the clouds that had blotted out the sun were now rapidly dissipating like a tide, leaving only a clear, azure sky.

Just then, Jiang Shiliu faintly heard a sobbing sound coming from afar. The sobbing was intermittent and pitiful, evoking feelings of pity. But she had no time to pay attention to that at the moment; the most important thing right now was to confirm whether she had successfully formed her nascent soul.

Jiang Shiliu took a deep breath, slowly closed her eyes, and focused her mind on her body, carefully examining the location of her golden core. As her consciousness deepened, she was surprised to find that the originally smooth and round golden core had undergone a tremendous change—it had transformed into a tiny person who looked exactly like her! This tiny person also had their eyes closed, sitting quietly cross-legged on a lotus flower that emitted seven-colored light, like a sacred and inviolable Buddha statue.

At the same time, the azure dragon that had helped Jiang Shiliu resist part of the lightning tribulation, having consumed a great deal of power, flew directly into Jiang Shiliu's dantian. It was now circling and dancing joyfully around the petite woman, seemingly celebrating the successful formation of her nascent soul.

However, Jiang Shiliu's supposedly secret escape to the hidden realm in the back mountains couldn't escape the notice of the sect members. How naive she was! Did she think Yun Che and the others were blind? The thunder roared deafeningly, and lightning flashed across the sky like dancing silver snakes. Such a tremendous commotion—who but the deaf and blind wouldn't notice? This was clearly a celestial phenomenon caused by someone forming their Nascent Soul!

Looking at the entire sect, there are very few people qualified and capable of forming a Nascent Soul. Jiang Shiliu is one of them, and moreover, the central location of that small secret realm is a forbidden area that the sect explicitly prohibits its disciples from entering.

At this critical moment, thanks to Song Shiyue's quick reaction, he immediately ran towards his master, Yun Che, to report the matter. Yun Che then hastily gathered Yun Ting, Yun Yu, Feng Yichen, and others, and the group hurriedly headed towards the small secret realm behind the mountain.

When they arrived, they were astonished to find Jiang Shiliu sitting motionless on the ground. Her eyes were closed, and it was unclear whether she was resting or had fainted from the pressure of forming her Nascent Soul. Even more shocking was that the ground within a hundred meters of Jiang Shiliu's location was scorched black by heavenly lightning, as if a terrible catastrophe had occurred. The air was filled with the smell of burning and intense spiritual energy fluctuations, sending chills down one's spine.

"Little Shiliu? Are you alright?" Yun Yu asked softly with a worried expression, her tone filled with concern and unease. She leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to get closer to make sure the person in front of her was safe and sound.

"Master? Senior Uncle? Junior Uncle? You...you're all here?" Jiang Shiliu suddenly opened her eyes, instantly returning from her inner vision state to normal. When she saw the people standing in front of her, she was so surprised that her mouth dropped open. Then, as if realizing something, she hurriedly waved her hands and said, "Ah, this...I can explain this." However, facing the complicated gazes of everyone, Jiang Shiliu couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

Just then, Yun Ting, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Did you form your Nascent Soul here?" His voice was deep and powerful, impossible to ignore.

Jiang Shiliu was taken aback at first, then nodded, a hint of joy on her face: "Yes! This disciple has successfully formed a Nascent Soul. But... hehe, I accidentally destroyed this place. Um... I shouldn't have to compensate, right?" After saying that, she timidly looked around, the environment severely damaged by the heavenly lightning she had attracted made her feel a little guilty.

Yun Che seemed completely unconcerned about these things. He frowned, his gaze fixed on Jiang Shiliu, and asked urgently, "These are all minor matters. Tell me first, how did you get in here? I clearly set up a maze nearby. Logically speaking, it's impossible for an ordinary person to get in." At this moment, his only concern was the safety of his little apprentice; everything else seemed unimportant.

Jiang Shiliu scratched her head blankly, then slowly said, "Um... Master, I'm so sorry, I accidentally broke through the maze you carefully set up. Originally, I thought that as long as I could break the formation, I could easily get out, but who would have thought that I would end up in such a strange place. But, it wasn't entirely without its rewards, hehe, I even saw Xiaoqing!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yichen frowned and asked with a puzzled expression, "Xiao Qing? Who is that?"

Jiang Shiliu rolled her eyes inwardly, looked at Feng Yichen as if he were an idiot, and shouted, "Oh dear, my good Uncle-Master, isn't Xiaoqing the Azure Dragon, the divine beast that dwells here? Don't you know that there are divine beasts here?"

Jiang Shiliu's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears. In an instant, everyone's expression changed drastically, staring at her with extreme panic, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"You don't believe me? Xiaoqing, come out and pay your respects to these elders right now! My master and senior uncle don't believe what I'm saying!" Jiang Shiliu's eyes revealed a trace of sadness, her face flushed red, her incredulous expression suggesting she had suffered a great injustice. Faced with the doubtful, even suicidal, gazes of the crowd, Jiang Shiliu felt a nameless anger rise within her, an uncontrollable surge of resentment.

Just then, as Jiang Shiliu finished speaking, a flash of azure light appeared, followed by an enormous azure dragon that materialized before Yun Che and the others. This dragon was covered in a layer of azure scales, shimmering with dazzling light, as if carved from jade. Its thick, powerful claws seemed capable of easily tearing through the void with a casual swing; its majestic head was raised high, spewing forth bursts of azure flames, inspiring awe and fear.

"Master, what brings you here? I am severely injured and desperately need to find a quiet place to recuperate!" The Azure Dragon lowered its head slightly, looking at Jiang Shiliu standing to the side, its tone tinged with weariness and helplessness. Despite its serious injuries, the powerful aura emanating from it was still not to be underestimated.

"Oh, it's alright then, you can come back now!" Jiang Shiliu belatedly realized that if it weren't for this divine beast helping her withstand some of the lightning tribulation, she would probably be a pile of ashes by now...