Chapter 89: The Peach Blossom Paradise Inside the Cave

The four rescued heavenly masters stared blankly, their gazes fixed once again on a certain someone—whose steady crunch, crunch echoed throughout the small stone chamber as he calmly ate his biscuits.

The four of them: “…”

This counts as ‘nothing’? Are you kidding me?

“Ahem…” Yun Jiao cleared her throat, realizing even she didn’t sound convincing. After a moment’s thought, she managed to come up with the perfect explanation, putting on her most professional expression. “You haven’t eaten for days. If you eat something too hard right now, it could damage your stomach. When we return, it’s best to have only thin porridge or something light. Don’t eat too much, or you’ll make yourselves sick.”

“…”

Really? They still looked doubtful—but her expression was so serious that they couldn’t bring themselves to question her.

“The girl’s right!” Bai Yu immediately jumped in, nodding vigorously. “She’s a spiritual healer—you’d better listen to her.”

At that, their eyes lit up in understanding. The confusion on their faces vanished, replaced with gratitude. Though still weak, they struggled to lift their hands in salute. “Many thanks… to our fellow cultivators… for saving us. Might we ask… what happened to the serpent demon?”

“No need to worry. The serpent demon has already been subdued,” Bai Yu said, glancing subconsciously toward their Grandmaster before looking back at the four battered men. His heart softened. He fished out his water flask and handed it over. “Here, drink some. You’ll feel better.”

The four sighed in relief, taking turns gulping down the water before color finally returned to their faces.

“By the way—where are the children?” Yun Jiao asked, glancing around. The chamber held only the four men; not a single child in sight. “Why aren’t they here with you?”

The heavenly masters exchanged uneasy glances. Their expressions grew grim before one of them spoke. “We are ashamed to admit it. That day, we went up the mountain to capture the demon, but were no match for it. We were caught and imprisoned here ever since. We haven’t seen the children at all.”

“Then maybe this cave has other chambers?” Bai Yu guessed. “Could they be trapped elsewhere?” But there had only been one path into the mountain—no forks, no side tunnels.

All of them frowned, anxiety written on their faces. Yun Jiao stepped forward, examining every inch of the stone chamber carefully, but found nothing unusual. Finally, she turned and went back outside—to where the barrier had been.

There, she pressed her palm against the stone wall. A faint pulse of energy rippled under her fingertips. Her eyes narrowed.

“What is it, girl?” Bai Yu asked. “Found something?”

“There’s another formation here,” Yun Jiao murmured. “A demon capable of building a secret realm wouldn’t just set up a simple isolation barrier.”

“What?” Bai Yu stepped up beside her, squinting at the stone. He couldn’t see a thing. “Let me try!” He slapped a talisman onto the wall.

A sharp bang! rang out—stone dust flew everywhere. A crimson formation lit up on the wall’s surface.

“There really is one!” he exclaimed. But as he examined the glowing runes, his head started to spin. This formation was far more intricate than the previous one. He quickly backed away. “Girl, this one’s yours.”

Yun Jiao didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and began dismantling the array. The four heavenly masters, now steady enough to stand, watched nervously from the doorway. They considered offering their help, but before they could draw their artifacts, Yun Jiao spoke again.

“All done.”

“…Already?”

They blinked, stunned. She gestured to them to move aside.

“Back up a little.”

They obeyed, shuffling several steps away—just in time to see the crimson light fade. The stone wall rumbled and collapsed like a crumbling cliff face, revealing a narrow passageway beyond.

At the same time, a surge of dense demonic energy poured out from within—thicker, stronger, far more potent than before. Everyone froze.

“How… how can this be?”

The serpent demon outside had clearly been obliterated—if not dead, then half-dead at least. Its aura should’ve dissipated. So why was this much demonic energy still here?

“Could it be… that serpent isn’t dead?” Bai Yu muttered nervously. “Was it just pretending?”

“Not necessarily.” Yun Jiao frowned. “Think back—what did that young master Qi say? The demon that haunted him was a woman.”

“Right,” Bai Yu nodded. “He said she was obsessed with him, and because of love turned to hatred—so she stole the village children.”

“Exactly,” Yun Jiao said grimly. “But the serpent we saw just now…”

Bai Yu froze, then his eyes widened. “Crap—that serpent was male! If Qi said he encountered a female demon… then that means…” His face paled. “There’s another one!”

The four heavenly masters gasped. One demon had nearly killed them—now there were two?

“What do we do now?” Bai Yu asked instinctively, turning to Yun Jiao.

“We go in and see for ourselves,” she said after a moment. “We came here to save those children, didn’t we? Stay close and don’t fall behind. Keep an eye on them.”

Bai Yu nodded quickly, supporting the four weakened men as they shuffled forward. Yun Jiao took the lead, breathing steadily, while Night Abyss—still nibbling his biscuit—brought up the rear at a leisurely pace, as if strolling through a garden.

The deeper they went, the brighter it became. Light spilled ahead from a large opening, not the flicker of firelight but the radiance of daylight. It didn’t feel like another chamber—it felt like an exit.

Within five minutes, they stepped through the end of the passage—and froze.

This wasn’t the back mountain of Lian Village at all.

Before them spread a landscape of lush greenery and brilliant blossoms. Birds sang in the branches, butterflies drifted through the air, and a crystal-clear stream wound its way between vibrant flowers. Beside the water stood a delicate two-story pavilion draped in vines and flowering plants, breathtakingly beautiful—like a hidden paradise.

The group stared, speechless. None of them had expected to find a place like this hidden within a mountain cave.

Before they could even speak, a sharp, indignant female voice rang out from the pavilion.

“You can come as many times as you like, but my answer will never change! I told you already—I will not change my mind!”

The door of the pavilion creaked open. A young woman in a pink gown stepped out, her face vaguely familiar. She continued, “If you try to stop me again, I’ll—”

Her words halted abruptly when she saw the strangers standing at the entrance of the glade. Her expression shifted from irritation to shock—and then to wary hostility.

“Who are you?!”

The air around her rippled as a wave of demonic energy burst from her body, fierce and unrestrained.

(End of Chapter)