Chi Muyao could only slip from one room to another through the gap in the wall that formed when the formation shifted.

Although he knew where he wanted to go, that room could currently be a death room, which meant he was in for a world of hurt when he walked in.

Chi Muyao could only calculate which door was the least dangerous. He even needed to take detours at times for his own sake. 

By the time the spiritual spring finally materialised, Chi Muyao was at his limit. He had used most of the supplies stored in the Thousand Treasure Bell. 

Leaving him both exhausted mentally and physically.

He relaxed when entering the spiritual spring area. He was safe for now since this place would not change. 

Surprisingly, he was in no mood to familiarise with his surroundings or hurry off to fish for those seniors' treasures. Instead, the first thing he did upon arriving was take out his beloved little blanket, tuck himself in, and rest. 

He was finally able to soundly sleep his fill.

On their way here, Chi Muyao and the others ran into three more Green Underworld Streamfires. The old friends were reunited at last. 

Now eight Green Underworld Streamfires flew out of the lamp towards the spiritual spring. Sure enough, more of their friends were there. 

Now there were over two dozen Green Underworld Streamfires buzzing about in the air. They all flew towards Chi Muyao, circling around him as he slept like they were talking about him.

Chi Muyao was sleeping so soundly their chatter did not wake him. 

Two days had passed before he woke up again. He sat up clasping the blanket and went to look around sleepily.

He couldn't help but be stunned at the spiritual spring. He thought it might resemble a clear spring surrounded by moss, or an unobtrusive stream flowing quietly in the dark. 

But what he saw was more aptly described as a burning mass of water-blue flame. 

Not only was this spiritual spring glowing, there were flame-like sparks coming off it. It reminded Chi Muyao of gas stoves from before he transmigrated. 

The spiritual spring was like a river flowing from the Underworld, surrounded by a flourishing bloom of flowers. They were as red as blood with a haze of pink, beautiful but not overly so, elegant and unpretentious. 

The light shining within was like a broken mirror, casting complex patterns of light and darkness on the walls.

The spring was also surrounded by huge boulders which resembled the jagged teeth of a dog but were softened by the light of the water. 

Chi Muyao only discovered upon venturing closer that the spring wasn't technically luminescent. The spiritual energy it gave off was just potent to the extent that it became visible to the naked eye.

So this was the result of spiritual energy and water merging.

He turned and asked the Green Underworld Streamfires, "Can I touch this water?"

Kong Qing hesitated for a moment. "You can touch, but do not drink." 

He looked at the water again. "Is it contaminated?"

"En. There’s been dead bodies in it before."

The answer made Chi Muyao take a few steps back.

Kong Qing soon explained, "This place was originally just a normal spring before Su You and the others modified it. They killed many cultivators above the Demigod stage, us that is, to condense the spiritual energy in this spring. That is why our belongings in life may be submerged here..." 

Fu Ru added, "There aren't any bodies inside anymore. They were transported away long ago. Our belongings and artefacts have also been scavenged by them, but a few probably slipped through the cracks. Go in and take a look." 

Chi Muyao was shocked. He glanced at this powerful spiritual spring, and then at the Green Underworld Streamfires in front of him. He angrily asked, "How can Su You be so evil?" 

Who could've known the cruel truth behind the formation of this picturesque location? 

Kong Qing replied with a sigh, "He has always been like this. He wants to live, to achieve immortality. He is willing to sacrifice any number of lives to realise his goal. As cultivators without a family name back then, even if we really reached the apex of cultivation eventually, that wouldn't have been enough to be free of the oppression of the five major clans. Sigh." 

"Won't Su You come here too?" Chi Muyao was suddenly a little uneasy.

"He wouldn't dare to!" Kong Qing coldly snorted. "According to what you said, he came back to this place because he wants to revive the one in the coffin, probably borrowing the power of the spiritual spring. This means the soul of the one in the coffin has become very fragile. He wouldn't dare to come here, or the souls of those who died wrongfully would tear that person's soul apart. Even he isn't…” 

"There are more souls here?" Chi Muyao was surprised.

"There are, but don't worry. Souls that want to possess others wouldn't stay here. They don't even want to bother with you. You can safely go into seclusion here, and the spiritual spring will help you quickly form a golden core." 

Chi Muyao immediately bowed towards the Green Underworld Streamfires. "If not for the urgency of the situation, this disciple would never dare to disturb seniors. I am afraid that I will have to stay here for a while in seclusion. There is a possibility that I will have to siphon the spiritual energy that you have accumulated throughout your lives as well. If—" 

Fu Ru interrupted before he could finish. "What nonsense is that? If you hadn't come, we would still be circling around that room. Hurry up and go into seclusion. You talk too much." 

Chi Muyao nodded emphatically before turning back to the spring. Peering inside, he then took off his shoes, rolled up his pants and waded in. 

He was wearing the enchanted vestments given to him by Xi Huai. They were pure white with some blue floral embellishments. Surprisingly, they could perfectly meld into the beauty of the spiritual spring.

However, Chi Muyao's inner clothing was still made of ordinary fabric. The enchanted vestments may be waterproof, but nothing else was. He had to be careful. 

After entering the spiritual spring, he carefully combed the area. Unfortunately his search only turned up some accessories. 

These accessories should have been attached to the seniors' enchanted vestments at one point or worn on their body. There were some bracelets and jewels. Many Green Underworld Streamfires gathered for a look when they were placed on the shore. 

Some items of good quality were still intact while others displayed traces of corrosion after being submerged for so long. Still, nothing a good polishing couldn't fix.

Most surprising was how strong the spiritual energy in these treasures were. Probably thanks to the extended dive they took in the spring. 

It's been a millennium since Su You came back to life. After so many years of nourishment, these treasures were on par or better than Xi Huai's Soul Renewal Lamp. 

Chi Muyao stared at these things, dumbfounded. He could probably buy half the cultivation world with these seemingly unremarkable accessories, right? 

Kong Qing reminded him, "This bracelet is a storage artefact. There might be something inside." 

Chi Muyao picked up the bracelet and tried putting in spiritual power, but it failed to open. 

Kong Qing sighed, "Your current cultivation level is too low to open it. I estimate that a Nascent Soul stage or greater cultivator is required." 

Chi Muyao didn't mind. He put the bracelet into his Thousand Treasure Bell and straightened his clothes. "Senior Kong Qing, please teach me your meditation technique." 

"All right."

They soon found that although Chi Muyao's qualifications were very poor, he was pretty quick on the uptake. Many things he got after a basic explanation. 

These cultivators wouldn't have bothered with disciples of this quality in life, but they really had no choice now. After all, Chi Muyao was the only person they could communicate with. The good thing was that he was a good student. They were willing to impart a bit of knowledge to him. 

There wasn't much Chi Muyao could learn right now, so he only learned things that would help quickly improve his cultivation.

After the lesson, he settled down to form his core. 

Chi Muyao did all this sitting in the spiritual spring. The abundant spiritual energy within surrounded him. Even if he didn't focus on circulating energy, spiritual energy still drove into his body strand by strand.

After using the mediation techniques the seniors taught him, his absorption became even faster.

His grasp on time and what was happening around him faded as he focused on cultivation. 

Thanks to the spiritual spring, the treasures found in it, as well as the Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf's devil core that Chi Muyao had been saving, his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds. 

He even forwent sleep to cultivate. When his cultivation level reached the peak of the Foundation Building stage, Chi Muyao took pills that would aid in core formation and went for it. 

* * *

Xi Huai was wandering around in the formation when he was suddenly sucked into an unknown space.

After a careful look around, he found that this was actually the He Huan Sect...

How did he suddenly get here? Whose illusion had he been brought into? He was sure that he was definitely still in the formation.

Since this was the He Huan Sect... 

Was this Chi Muyao's illusionary realm?! 

He thought he was close to finding Chi Muyao after discovering the mark he left in that room, but the mark disappeared in the next room. Without a trace at that.

Xi Huai suspected that either Chi Muyao realised this could expose his whereabouts to the wrong person and stopped leaving marks, or the mark was deliberately erased. 

Both of these possibilities could only be due to one person—Su You.

The bodies of the deceased cultivators in the rooms he had been to before were all there, and he hadn't seen Chi Muyao's body yet. This meant that Chi Muyao might still be alive. 

He could only continue to search like a chicken with its head cut off, growing more and more agitated as they spent more time apart.

It wasn't until he was brought into this bizarre illusionary realm that things changed.

"Chi Muyao!" Xi Huai called out. He walked briskly towards the gate of the He Huan Sect.

If he could find Chi Muyao in his illusionary realm, he could ask him about his current location so it would be easier to find him. 

However, the blood stains on the gate immediately gave him a bad vibe. Using the Control Object Technique to push the gate open and walking in with great strides, Xi Huai saw the multitude of corpses strewn about the Sect grounds. The buildings inside were still burning.

Those flames were Hui Dragon Flames.

Hui Dragon Flames blazed amidst the bloodbath. The entire He Huan Sect was in a pitiful state. 

Xi Huai realised that this was not an ordinary illusionary realm, but one crafted by Chi Muyao's internal demon. 

Chi Muyao had always had an internal demon. It appeared when he advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, but he shockingly succeeded in breaking through nonetheless. Since the internal demon had appeared again, could it be that Chi Muyao was breaking through to the Golden Core stage?

Xi Huai hurried inside and recalled the Hui Dragon Flames. He was surprised in a good way that he was able to control the things in the illusionary realm. As he walked, he called out Chi Muyao's name.

After searching for a long time without success, he tried to use the Cultivation Partner Knot. Unfortunately it didn't work. 

Chi Muyao had never known about the Cultivation Partner Knot, so it wouldn't have appeared in the illusionary realm his internal demon conjured up.

Xi Huai could only search aimlessly within the He Huan Sect. He leapt onto the roof of a pavilion for a better vantage point, only to find that nothing existed beyond the boundaries of the Sect. The closer you got to the middle, the clearer things were. 

He suspected Chi Muyao was in the very centre.

After arriving and confirming the location, Xi Huai entered the He Huan Sect's ritual hall. 

Xi Huai paused at the sight of the disciples' soul-bound lamps. 

Only one lamp was still lit. The name written underneath? Chi Muyao.

The He Huan Sect had been slaughtered, Chi Muyao the sole survivor. He was still hiding here at the moment, probably having seen the soul-bound lamps.

Xi Huai's heart ached at how Chi Muyao must be feeling right now. 

Chi Muyao was the kind of person who would rather suffer in place of his fellow Sect members. If the He Huan Sect was slaughtered before his eyes...

Xi Huai couldn't bear to think anymore. 

Xi Huai called out once again, "Chi Muyao, where are you? It's me."

There was still no response.

Xi Huai looked around and found a potential hiding spot. He walked over to lift the curtain on the altar. The moment he did, the person hiding inside jolted and looked at him in horror.

Chi Muyao was badly wounded. His Sect garments were in tatters, and his sleeves were soaked red with blood.

Chi Muyao's whole body trembled after seeing him. His eyes were fully dilated from shock. His swollen eyes suggested he had been crying for a long time. The whites of his eyes were threaded with blood vessels.

"Chi Muyao..." Xi Huai called out as he reached over to help Chi Muyao up. But Chi Muyao dodged his grasp.

"Kill me..." Chi Muyao moaned in despair. His voice was raspy as if he had cried and begged many times before. "Don't make me hide anymore. Just kill me. Kill me and spare the others. " 

"What's wrong with you, Chi Muyao? It's me, Xi Huai. Why aren't you healing yourself from such a serious injury? Is this your internal demon? What happened?” 

Chi Muyao finally noticed something was off with the Xi Huai in front of him. He asked tremulously, "Xi Huai?" 

"En, it's me." 

Chi Muyao immediately pounced and cried against his chest, "He told me to hide. He said he would kill another disciple every time he found me. I tried to hide, I tried! But why was I always found?! Why did he kill them in front of me? They did nothing wrong... They died because of me, because I didn't hide well enough, because of what I did in the past. It's all because of me..." 

Xi Huai hugged Chi Muyao tightly with an aching heart. The person he always wanted to cherish with all his might actually went through so much pain and suffering. Xi Huai couldn't stand it.

Yet he couldn't just leave this moment. All he could do was hold the frightened Chi Muyao and comfort him, "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here."