Chapter 27

A burst of divine light radiated, casting a spectrum of colors. Jin Mudan's eyebrows twitched, and she gently touched the mirror's surface with her jade-like fingers, her lips parting slightly as she said, "Command, reveal the heavenly secrets!"

A point of golden light from her fingertips merged into the mirror, and the surface rippled like autumn waves. Gradually, figures began to form in the mirror.

The figure of a black-clothed youth appeared in the mirror. Inside the mirror, a handsome and extraordinary black-clothed youth was meditating, surrounded by what seemed to be a cave. The cave was damp, with moss covering the walls, and water dripped from the ceiling, the sound clearly reaching Jin Mudan's ears. The black clothing made him almost invisible in the cave.

"So, he's in a cave!" She smiled, her eyes twinkling. A cold light flashed in her eyes, and with a light command, she transformed into a golden light, darting deep into the forest, leaving a trail of fierce wind in her wake.

Speaking of the ancient mirror of heavenly secrets, one must mention the先天金榜 (Innate Golden List). The Innate Golden List was formed innately, appearing on the towering peak of the ancient era. When it emerged, myriad golden rays illuminated the ancient world, reflecting the fates of all living beings, who all felt its presence. It was a heavenly gift, a divine tool of innate origin, born with the flow of destiny.

The Innate Golden List encompasses all spirits, divided into various rankings, such as the 3,000 Dao bodies ranking, the Hundred Flowers Heavenly Maidens ranking, the Ten Thousand Gods ranking, and many others. It captures the essence of heaven and earth, revealing the secrets of the universe, with infinite uses.

The ancient mirror of heavenly secrets in Jin Mudan's possession was passed down from the Hundred Flowers Divine Palace.

The main branch of the Hundred Flowers Divine Palace is located on the Xuantai Divine Peak, encompassing over a dozen divine peaks in the Northern Abyss Domain. It has a long history, with tens of thousands of disciples and a deep foundation, making it a top-tier sect, far surpassing forces like Lianyun Fort.

At this moment, Jun Wuming was unaware that he had gotten himself into big trouble.

After Yu You defeated the black and white-striped giant python, the python, under threats and inducements, reluctantly surrendered to the black-clothed youth.

With the local guide, healing, and evading pursuit became much easier.

At this moment, he was still hidden in a secluded place, quietly recuperating and practicing his spell.

Jun Wuming, with his innate Water Essence Body, naturally harmonized with water attributes. Besides his divine water power, he had been practicing the "Water Essence Book" from Lianyun Fort.

This book is the general outline of water spells from Lianyun Fort, but Jun Wuming only had access to the beginner level. The advanced sections were off-limits to him. Lianyun Fort had strict rules, and even as a direct descendant of the fort leader, he could not overstep.

The beginner level of the Water Essence Book records fourteen spells. Besides the twelve lower-level spells like Water Ball, Water Wall, Ice Ball, Ice Wall, and Water Chain, there are only two upper-level spells: the Mystic Ice Spell, which Jun Wuming uses to encase himself in ice, and the Water Movement Spell.

Currently, Jun Wuming was practicing the Water Movement Spell. This spell is not the ordinary water escape technique of the Five Elements. It is a simplified version of the water escape technique of the Five Elements, lacking the legendary effect of becoming one with water.

This escape technique was what Jun Wuming relied on to evade the crisis!

He took a deep breath, dispersing the black water energy that had gathered around his body. Jun Wuming smiled bitterly, his injuries finally fully healed. The woman in the golden robe had truly shown no mercy, nearly shattering his internal organs with a single palm. If not for the opening of his source heart Dao point, it would have taken more than a day or two to heal.

The heart is the essence of all living beings, the master of all deities. If it were shattered, Jun Wuming, with his current Dao level, would have died instantly.

Suddenly, Jun Wuming felt a sense of danger from his spirit. He opened his eyes, a sharp light piercing the dark void like a bolt of lightning.

A sense of impending danger surged in his heart.

A thought crossed his mind: Is she catching up?

For someone with an innate Water Essence Body, favored by the Innate Golden List and blessed by heaven, a sense of danger would naturally arise when danger approached.

"Stupid snake, come out!"

A light command, and a gust of wind swept past, a large snake immediately darting to the youth's side. The snake's flat head looked at the black-clothed youth with confusion, a thought passing: "Master, what do you need?"

"Check if anyone is approaching."

The black and white-striped giant python, upon receiving the command, raised its head and let out a hiss.

Jun Wuming watched the python with surprise, observing its actions. Since its submission, the python had been quite obedient, a trait common among demons, who rarely change their allegiance once they submit, unlike other creatures that can be cunning.

A small black snake, hearing the commotion outside, lazily poked its head out of its warm nest, its ruby-red eyes opening, and it flicked its tongue, its head swaying slightly as it hissed at the large python.

The large python, seeing the small snake's ruby-red eyes staring at it, lowered its head and let out a soft hiss. Jun Wuming found the interaction between the two snakes amusing. At this moment, a thought, slightly childish and hoarse, came to him: "Ming, the big dummy just said it has summoned its snake offspring, spread around, and will soon have news."

Seeing Yu You's explanation, Jun Wuming was not surprised. Yu You had long been enlightened but lacked guidance from its kind, so it couldn't use mental energy. After being taught by the large python, using mental energy was no longer difficult.

Jun Wuming nodded slightly, calm and composed, observing the situation. The woman in the golden robe had a far higher Dao level than him, and the golden peony in her hand was extremely powerful. He could only fight and retreat, looking for an opportunity to ambush her.

Time passed like flowing water, and the cave was filled with dampness, but it had no effect on the one person and two snakes. Jun Wuming stood quietly in the shadows, his natural affinity for darkness making this environment ideal for his peak combat performance.

Snakes naturally prefer dark and damp environments, making this cave perfect for them.

The large python moved gently, hissing to attract the black-clothed youth's attention. A layer of red illusions appeared on the cave wall.

Jun Wuming turned to look, seeing a dark red image of a woman in a golden robe holding a jade-colored ancient mirror, slowly approaching from the east. The mirror showed the current image of the cave where Jun Wuming was. Seeing this, Jun Wuming smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the dark cave.

The woman in the golden robe, seeing this, her expression changed, and golden light burst from her hand.

Boom!

Ancient trees within a few meters were instantly thrown and cut. However, the dark red light in front of Jun Wuming remained. The python's Dao level was not high, but its ability to summon other snakes to lay eggs was exceptional. Over the past few hundred years, it had produced countless offspring, spread throughout the forest, far beyond the reach of these golden rays.

Seeing the black-clothed youth in the cave mock her, the woman in the golden robe stood gracefully, her jade sword in hand, and without a word, she quickened her pace, heading towards the hidden cave.

"Let's go, a guest is coming. We need to prepare and welcome them properly, so they don't feel neglected!"

Seeing the woman quickly approaching the hidden cave, Jun Wuming estimated the time and decided to "set a feast" to properly welcome her.

The cave was deep and could hide a fifty-meter-long python, so it was not small. There were many places to set up traps. The cave was deep and winding, with many passages, making it a natural hiding place.

He cast various spells, channeling his powerful mental energy to invoke the dark energy of the cave. Black light surged like a black hole, layer upon layer, forming a series of illusionary arrays.

His goal was not to kill but to trap the enemy for a while. In fact, these small traps were effective against ordinary first-stage cultivators, but trapping a second-stage palace transformation cultivator, especially one with powerful protective treasures, was impossible.

After setting the traps, he quickly retreated deeper into the cave, guided by the large python.

The cave was dark and damp, and as they moved deeper, the terrain became lower, and the dampness increased. At the entrance, there were only traces of water, but deeper in, water dripped continuously from the ceiling, and the water qi in the cave became more active.

At the same time, Jin Mudan finally found the cave, stopping to look at the deep, damp cave before her.

She stopped, her face calm, gently brushing her black hair, and suddenly smiled, saying, "Such a way to welcome a guest is truly petty!"

Dazzling golden light slowly gathered, radiating a killing aura, and sword light flashed!