I long to return home!

In an unnamed valley, Lei Mengying's beautiful figure appeared on a low mountain. She gazed into the boundless distance, where the place resembled an independent grotto-heaven, just like the Three Leaf Realm, a sacred place for Foundation Establishment in the past, forming its own world.

Upon entering the crimson water droplet, in the blink of an eye, I found myself above a valley. Inside, I was also under the pressure of the restrictions, unable to fly more than twenty meters above the ground. Besides familiarizing myself with the general layout of the place, I spent most of my time meditating and regulating my breathing.

“I have been here for five days and have a general understanding of this place.” Lei Mengying blinked her beautiful eyes slightly, revealing a hint of sorrow. She looked in the direction she had come from and remained motionless for a long time. “If you do not appear in seven days, I will protect her.”

Meanwhile, in a sea of ​​flowers within this grotto-heaven, a man in a tattered, blood-red Taoist robe lay sprawled among the blossoms. His sickly white hair was disheveled, and his entire body was stained with blood. Even in his unconscious state, the man tightly clutched a golden hair ribbon embroidered with golden phoenix feathers.

On that mysterious other shore, a strange and magnificent flower blooms—the red spider lily. The red spider lily burns like flames, its petals as red as blood, delicate and soft, as if it would fall at the slightest touch. Its golden stamens, like a dazzling pearl, radiate a mesmerizing light.

The red spider lily grows in dark, damp places, often associated with death and separation. Its blooming period is short, yet it displays unparalleled beauty, as if demonstrating to the world the impermanence and preciousness of life. When a gentle breeze blows, the red spider lily sways softly, like a dancing fairy, giving one a dreamlike and ethereal feeling.

Legend has it that the red spider lily is a bridge connecting the realms of life and death, witnessing countless partings and reunions. Its existence evokes the cycle of life and endless longing, and also prompts deeper reflection on death.

The red spider lily, a mysterious and beautiful flower, interprets the meaning of life in its own unique way.

At first, the blood-red spider lilies swayed, their slender petals fluttering and landing on the man. Soon, the petals withered, and at the same time, the man's blood-stained body showed obvious improvement.

Time flew by, and a deep wound healed, restoring the man's health. Several more days passed, and the man's eyebrows twitched slightly before he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he did upon waking was to look at the golden hairband he was clutching tightly in his hand, and he uttered a weak voice: "Ling Jiao..."

This person is none other than Huai Zhen.

As for why he was there, he wasn't quite sure. He only remembered fighting with the crowd for the few remaining blood-red water droplets, and in his condition at the time, he had no chance of winning.

He was furious, angry, and desperate... The blood sword shattered, and his abdomen was pierced... The numerous wounds, large and small, were a horrifying sight.

At that moment, he felt he was really going to die there. Suddenly, an unknown voice echoed in his ears, followed by a burning sensation all over his body. Strange blood-red patterns appeared on his body, flashing with blood light.

The blood-red markings that had inexplicably appeared on Huai Zhen's body felt both strange and strangely familiar, as if they had appeared before in her chaotic memories.

Finally, just as he was on the verge of death, a crimson vortex appeared and teleported him here, where he remained unconscious until now.

After an unknown amount of time, Huai Zhen struggled to his feet, supporting himself with one hand. He carefully stuffed the golden hairband into his tattered robe.

His gaze swept across the sea of ​​blood-red flowers covering the mountains and fields, and Huai Zhen's expression froze slightly. Then he took out a slightly inferior pill and a somewhat damaged talisman from his storage bag.

These are all the magical treasures and elixirs I've accumulated over the days. I don't know where I am now. In any case, I should find Ling Jiao and His Majesty first.

Huai Zhen was somewhat heartbroken. He swallowed the pills and then affixed the talismans to his body. If the pills helped restore his spiritual power, then the talismans were what enabled his body to maintain the speed of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Walking through this sea of ​​blood-red spider lilies, for some reason these flowers, which symbolize death, seemed to be aware of their own existence and led Huaizhen toward a small path.

The red spider lilies sway in the breeze. Although they represent the flowers of death and yin energy, seeing them growing wild all over the mountains and fields here for a long time gives them a unique kind of beauty.

If Huaizhen remembered correctly, this was already his third day in this world. Although his speed was affected by his injury, he had still traveled several thousand miles. There was nothing around him except for the spider lilies.

On this day, the vast sea of ​​crimson flowers finally came to an end. Looking towards the entrance of a cave in the distance, from that point onward, the spider lilies within ten miles of the cave bloomed even more vividly red, with tiny specks of dust, each shimmering with a crimson glow, floating among their stamens.

As Huai Zhen approached, the dust rushed towards him, covering his entire body unexpectedly. Fortunately, the dust was harmless and seemed more like an extremely rare medicinal herb.

Huai Zhen adjusted his breathing slightly and could feel the resonance of the blood energy within his body. Specifically, it was a kind of evolution, with the blood energy undergoing subtle changes and becoming more refined.

In addition, a small blood-red halberd pattern flickered between his brows, which began to dim as he opened his eyes, but this went unnoticed.

"kill!"

Huai Zhen was startled. A fierce and murderous voice suddenly came to his mind. The shout was shocking, as if a vicious ghost came from the deepest hell.

Whose voice is that?! Huai Zhen muttered to himself, looking at his trembling hands. The word "kill" was extremely intimidating. With his cultivation level, he couldn't fathom it at all. It directly pierced through his mind. He dared to think that even a Nascent Soul expert or a Nascent Soul old monster would inevitably tremble under the sound of this word "kill".

The closer you get to the cave entrance, the more eerie the atmosphere becomes. This feeling cannot be perceived by sight, hearing, or smell alone, but can only be understood through the mind.

It was the will to die... an extremely strong will to die.

Less than ten feet from the cave entrance, the spider lily revealed its true form. Its slender petals were in full bloom, carrying a pungent, bloody smell. The cave was dark, but a stone path could be barely seen in the dim light of the red mist emanating from the flower's stamens.

This stone path is not naturally formed; it seems to have been deliberately carved out by someone. Clearly, the spider lilies here were most likely created by the master of this world.

However, the red spider lily is not an auspicious symbol; it carries a yin energy. In particular, this sea of ​​red spider lilies covering the mountainside should be an extremely yin place, a place of great beauty and darkness, but it is only in this cave that the characteristics of the red spider lily are beginning to show.

"Although the spider lilies inside the cave are the same species as those outside and have no outstanding features, their growing environments are very different. One grows in the sunlight, while the spider lilies here grow in a dark and damp place."

Huai Zhen frowned slightly. "Judging from the two, the spider lilies in the cave seem to be native to this world. I wonder why the master of this world cultivates so many spider lilies? But the backlash of yin energy will eventually harm others and benefit oneself, and will be detrimental to one's own foundation and cultivation. This... is really hard to figure out."

As they walked deeper into the cave, Huai Zhen didn't pay much attention, or perhaps it was due to the lack of light that he didn't notice. Under a blooming spider lily, a corner of a weathered suit of armor emerged from the soil.