xiǎo dié yě bù qì něi ， huàn le yí gè fāng xiàng jì xù sōu suǒ ， rán ér bù zhī wèi hé ， tā de xīn zhōng què yǒu bù hǎo de yù gǎn fú xiàn ér chū 。
小蝶也不气馁，换了一个方向继续搜索，然而不知为何，她的心中却有不好的预感浮现而出。
Xiao Die was not discouraged. She changed direction and continued her search, but for some reason, a bad feeling began to surface in her heart.
shí lì dào le tā zhè ge děng jí ， duì yú xīn tóu líng zhào zì rán bù néng shì ruò wú dǔ 。
实力到了她这个等级，对于心头灵兆自然不能视若无睹。
At her current level of power, she couldn't ignore the spiritual omens that appeared in her mind.
jiū jìng shì zì jǐ jiē xià lái huì yù jiàn wēi xiǎn ， hái shì lín xuān nà biān ？
究竟是自己接下来会遇见危险，还是林轩那边？
Was it danger ahead or something happening with Lin Xuan?
xiǎo dié bìng bù qīng chǔ ， dàn dāng rán bù néng yīn wèi yì diǎn yù gǎn jiù chóu chú bù qián le 。
小蝶并不清楚，但当然不能因为一点预感就踌躇不前了。
She wasn’t sure, but she certainly wouldn’t let a hunch hold her back.
lüè yī chí yí ， tā jì xù xiàng qián fēi qù 。
略一迟疑，她继续向前飞去。
After a moment’s hesitation, she continued flying forward.
hěn kuài ， yī duǒ xiān huā chū xiàn zài le shì xiàn lǐ 。
很快，一朵鲜花出现在了视线里。
Soon, a flower came into view. It was blooming on a patch of grassland.
tā shèng kāi de dì diǎn ， shì yī piàn cǎo dì 。
它盛开的地点，是一片草地。
This scene would have been ordinary, and Xiao Die naturally wouldn't pay much attention to it. However, the surface of the flower emitted a faint trace of demonic energy.
zhè jǐng xiàng ， píng cháng yǐ jí ， xiǎo dié zì rán bú huì duō jiā liú yì 。
这景象，平常以极，小蝶自然不会多加留意。
Just as Huan Yue Mo had flown by, the flower became blurry, and dark demonic energy seemed to flash across its surface. Then, tiny skulls appeared on the petals.
rán ér nà xiān huā de biǎo miàn ， què liú lù chū wēi bù kě chá de mó qì 。
然而那鲜花的表面，却流露出微不可查的魔气。
It looked extremely eerie.
huàn yuè é gāng gāng fēi guò ， nà xiān huā yī zhèn mó hú ， biǎo miàn sì hū yǒu huì àn de mó qì shǎn guò ， suí hòu huā bàn zhī shàng ， jìng rán fú xiàn chū yí gè gè xiǎo xiǎo de kū lóu 。
幻月蛾刚刚飞过，那鲜花一阵模糊，表面似乎有晦暗的魔气闪过，随后花瓣之上，竟然浮现出一个个小小的骷髅。
But this was only the beginning. The flower bloomed further, and an abnormally fierce demon snake emerged from it. It opened its mouth wide and bit down on Huan Yue Mo, swallowing her whole. With a satisfied burp, the demon snake seemed content.
kàn shàng qù guǐ yì yǐ jí 。
看上去诡异以极。
However, something incredible happened next. A second Huan Yue Mo appeared in mid-air. The demon snake's face showed a human-like expression of surprise. Was he hallucinating? He had just eaten this small butterfly, hadn't he?
dàn zhè biàn huà ， jǐn jǐn shì kāi shǐ ér yǐ 。
但这变化，仅仅是开始而已。
Then, without any warning, another Huan Yue Mo emerged. Then a third, fourth... Soon, thousands upon thousands of Huan Yue Mo butterflies filled the void, buzzing and flying down in overwhelming numbers.
suí hòu xiān huā shèng kāi ， yī tiáo zhēng níng yì cháng de mó shé què cóng lǐ miàn cuàn le chū lái 。
随后鲜花盛开，一条狰狞异常的魔蛇却从里面窜了出来。
They buried the demon flower completely.
zhāng kāi dà kǒu ， xiàng zhe huàn yuè é yǎo luò 。
张开大口，向着幻月蛾咬落。
After a moment, the Huan Yue Mo butterflies dispersed and vanished, leaving only one suspended in mid-air.
jìng yī kǒu jiāng tā tūn luò dào dǔ zi lǐ le 。
竟一口将她吞落到肚子里了。
The demon flower had lost all its power and withered away.
dǎ le yí gè bǎo gé ， yī liǎn mǎn zú zhī sè 。
打了一个饱嗝，一脸满足之色。
"Hmph. Such puny powers, daring to ambush me. You really know no fear."
dàn hěn kuài ， bù kě sī yì de yí mù chū xiàn le 。
但很快，不可思议的一幕出现了。
A look of disdain appeared on Xiao Die's face. A mere demon flower dared to tamper with her territory—such a fate was entirely justified.
xū kōng zhī zhōng ， yòu fú xiàn chū yī zhī huàn yuè é 。
虚空之中，又浮现出一只幻月蛾。
But before she could fully process this thought, an angry roar echoed in her ears: "Who dares to kill my pet? If you must die, then so be it."
mó shé de liǎn shàng hěn nǐ rén huà de lù chū chī jīng zhī sè ， nán dào shì zì jǐ yǎn huā le ， jiù zài qián yī kè ， zì jǐ míng míng jiāng zhè zhǐ xiǎo xiǎo de yāo dié gěi chī diào le 。
魔蛇的脸上很拟人化的露出吃惊之色，难道是自己眼花了，就在前一刻，自己明明将这只小小的妖蝶给吃掉了。
Before the words were finished, ripples of energy appeared in the void, but no monster emerged. Instead, a visible demonic aura materialized over a hundred feet away.
jiē zhe sī háo zhēng zhào yě wú ， dì èr zhǐ huàn yuè é fú xiàn ér chū 。
接着丝毫征兆也无，第二只幻月蛾浮现而出。
"Exterior Realm Demonic Aura!"
jiē zhe shì dì sān zhǐ ， dì sì zhǐ ……
接着是第三只，第四只……
Xiao Die's pupils constricted, and a trace of alertness appeared on her face.
hěn kuài ， zhěng gè xū kōng jiù fú xiàn chū le chéng qiān shàng wàn zhǐ de huàn yuè é ， wēng míng shēng dà zuò ， pū tiān gài dì de fēi le xià lái 。
很快，整个虚空就浮现出了成千上万只的幻月蛾，嗡鸣声大做，铺天盖地的飞了下来。
The cultivation world was full of wonders, and exterior realm demons were unpredictable. But the most bizarre of all was the demonic aura, an intangible entity that excelled in possession.
yī xià zi jiāng nà duǒ mó huā gěi yǎn mái diào le 。
一下子将那朵魔花给掩埋掉了。
With its ability to possess, it was a formidable opponent for any cultivator.
shǎo qǐng ， huàn yuè é sàn kāi ， suí hòu xiāo shī bú jiàn ， zhǐ shèng xià wéi yī de yī zhī hái xuán fú zài xū kōng de lǐ miàn 。
少顷，幻月蛾散开，随后消失不见，只剩下唯一的一只还悬浮在虚空的里面。
Fortunately, Xiao Die was a Huan Yue Mo. Her innate abilities allowed her to counter such creatures effectively.
ér gāng cái nà duǒ mó huā 。 yǐ qì shì quán wú ， zhěng gè diāo líng diào le 。
而刚才那朵魔花。已气势全无，整个凋零掉了。
Of course, while the five elements interacted with each other, this was relative. So she couldn't afford to be careless.
“ hēng ， jiù zhè diǎn shén tōng ， yě gǎn tōu xí yú wǒ ， jiǎn zhí bù zhī sǐ huó 。”
“哼，就这点神通，也敢偷袭于我，简直不知死活。”
With these thoughts in mind, Xiao Die flapped her wings and transformed into human form. Her body also grew larger.
xiǎo dié de liǎn shàng ， liú lù chū bù xiè zhī sè ， qū qū yī duǒ mó huā ， yě gǎn dào tài suì tóu shàng lái dòng tǔ ， luò de zhè yàng de xià chǎng ， nà shì zài zhèng cháng bù guò 。
小蝶的脸上，流露出不屑之色，区区一朵魔花，也敢到太岁头上来动土，落得这样的下场，那是再正常不过。
Transforming into a humanoid form to face a powerful enemy, but the wings at her back remained, enhancing the effectiveness of her illusions.
rán ér zhè ge niàn tou shàng wèi zhuǎn guò 。 yī fèn nù de páo xiāo shēng ， jiù chuán rù ěr duǒ ：“ nǎ ge jiā huo ， dǎn dà bāo tiān ， jū rán gǎn miè shā wǒ yǎng de chǒng wù ， jì rú cǐ ， jiù ná mìng lái péi hǎo le 。”
然而这个念头尚未转过。一愤怒的咆哮声，就传入耳朵：“哪个家伙，胆大包天，居然敢灭杀我养的宠物，既如此，就拿命来赔好了。”
Xiao Die pointed her finger at her forehead.
huà yīn wèi luò ， xū kōng bō dòng zhòu qǐ ， què bìng méi yǒu chū xiàn shén me guài wù ， ér shì yī ròu yǎn kě jiàn de mó niàn 。 zài bǎi yú zhàng wài fú xiàn ér chū 。
话音未落，虚空波动骤起，却并没有出现什么怪物，而是一肉眼可见的魔念。在百余丈外浮现而出。
A crystalline light appeared in her eyes.
“ yù wài mó niàn ！”
“域外魔念！”
Who was stronger between possession and illusion?
xiǎo dié tóng kǒng wēi suō ， qiào liǎn shàng fú xiàn chū yī sī jǐng tì zhī sè 。
小蝶瞳孔微缩，俏脸上浮现出一丝警惕之色。
No法宝 flew or dazzling lights shone. However, the space within a few acres around them suddenly boiled like boiling water. Spatial ripples surged, and powerful gusts of wind formed, oscillating between Huan Yue Mo and the exterior realm demon aura.
xiū xiān jiè guāng guài lù lí ， yù wài tiān mó zhè yàng de cún zài ， gèng shì qiān biàn wàn huà dì 。 dàn zuì gǔ guài de ， hái yào suàn mó niàn le ， nǎi shì yǒu zhì wú xíng zhī wù 。
修仙界光怪陆离，域外天魔这样的存在，更是千变万化地。但最古怪的，还要算魔念了，乃是有质无形之物。
Illusions were essentially mental attacks using divine consciousness. Possession had different attributes but followed similar principles. Success depended on the strength of one's divine awareness.
zuì shàn cháng de ， biàn shì duó shě ！
最擅长的，便是夺舍！
Thus, ordinary cultivators feared exterior realm demons, but Xiao Die was unconcerned. She trusted her divine consciousness fully; otherwise, how could she perform such world-shaking illusions?
ruò shì bié de xiū xiān zhě yǔ tā yì dì ér chǔ 。 fēi dà gǎn jì dàn bù kě 。
若是别的修仙者与她易地而处。非大感忌惮不可。
However, exterior realm demons were not easily provoked. Their divine awareness far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.
hǎo zài zì jǐ shì huàn yuè é ， tiān fù shén tōng de huàn shù ， duì yú cǐ lèi yāo mó 。 zhèng hǎo yǒu kè zhì de xiào guǒ 。
好在自己是幻月蛾，天赋神通的幻术，对于此类妖魔。正好有克制的效果。
In this moment, both sides were evenly matched, unable to determine a clear winner or loser.
dāng rán ， wǔ xíng xiāng shēng xiāng kè ， yuán běn jiù zhǐ shì xiāng duì de ， suǒ yǐ zì jǐ yī jiù shì sī háo dà yì bù dé 。
当然，五行相生相克，原本就只是相对的，所以自己依旧是丝毫大意不得。
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan finally made it through the troublesome swamp. He was now close to his destination.
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， xiǎo dié chì bǎng yī shàn ， dùn shí lù chū le rén lèi de xíng tài 。
脑海中念头转过，小蝶翅膀一扇，顿时露出了人类的形态。
Along the way, he encountered many demonized beasts, but fortunately, no true exterior realm demons appeared. So his form had not been exposed yet.
tóng shí shēn xíng yě zài zhòu rán jiān ， biàn dà le qǐ lái 。
同时身形也在骤然间，变大了起来。
Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with an odd light. Such a good opportunity must be seized without delay.
yǐ huà xíng hòu de xíng tài yìng duì qiáng dí ， bù guò bèi hòu de chì bǎng què bìng wèi xiāo qù ， zhè duì yú huàn shù ， yǒu jiā chéng de xiào guǒ 。
以化形后的形态应对强敌，不过背后的翅膀却并未消去，这对于幻术，有加成的效果。
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of lightning and continued flying forward.
xiǎo dié shēn zhǐ zài méi xīn yì diǎn 。
小蝶伸指在眉心一点。
The journey was uneventful, and after half an hour, Lin Xuan landed his遁光.
yī dào jīng máng zài tā de yǎn zhōng fú xiàn 。
一道晶芒在她的眼中浮现。
This was a desolate area, but it was vastly different from the previous one.
huàn shù duì duó shě ， jiū jìng shuí qiáng shuí ruò ？
幻术对夺舍，究竟谁强谁弱？
While both were deserts, this place had no visible soil; the surface was entirely composed of hard rock. The rocks were grayish in color.
bú jiàn fǎ bǎo fēi wǔ ， yě méi yǒu tài guò xuàn mù dì líng guāng shǎn shuò ， rán ér fāng yuán shù mǔ de xū kōng ， què rú tóng zhǔ fèi de kāi shuǐ ， sà rán fèi téng qǐ lái le 。
不见法宝飞舞，也没有太过炫目的灵光闪烁，然而方圆数亩的虚空，却如同煮沸的开水，飒然沸腾起来了。
Looking around, there wasn't a single plant in sight, far more barren than expected.
kōng jiān bō dòng zhòu qǐ ， yī dào dào gāng fēng gèng shì píng kōng ér shēng ， zài huàn yuè é yǔ yù wài mó niàn zhī jiān jī dàng bù yǐ 。
空间波动骤起，一道道罡风更是凭空而生，在幻月蛾与域外魔念之间激荡不已。
The demonic energy here was also much denser than elsewhere.
huàn shù ， guī gēn jié dǐ ， shì lì yòng shén niàn suǒ zuò de jīng shén gōng jī 。
幻术，归根结底，是利用神念所做的精神攻击。
Lin Xuan's face showed a hint of contemplation before he released his divine awareness. After a moment, he raised his head with a smile: "Good, this is the place."
duó shě suī shǔ xìng jiǒng yì ， dàn jī běn de dào lǐ què shì yī yàng dì ， néng fǒu chéng gōng ， yì yǔ shén shí qiáng dù ， yǒu zhe qiān sī wàn lǚ de qiān chě 。
夺舍虽属性迥异，但基本的道理却是一样地，能否成功，亦与神识强度，有着千丝万缕的牵扯。
"Finding it after so much effort, and without any trouble. The girls are truly imprisoned here."
gù ér pǔ tōng xiū shì duì yù wài mó niàn tán hǔ biàn sè ， xiǎo dié què bìng bù zài hū 。
故而普通修士对域外魔念谈虎变色，小蝶却并不在乎。
Lin Xuan was indeed elated. He had identified several suspicious locations through his divine awareness, but luck seemed to be on his side; he found the right one on his first try.
duì zì jǐ de shén niàn ， tā xìn xīn shí zú ， fǒu zé ， rú hé shī zhǎn nà jīng shì hài sú de huàn shù ？
对自己的神念，她信心十足，否则，如何施展那惊世骇俗的幻术？
This made things much easier than he had anticipated. Now, with a surprise attack, he should have a good chance of rescuing the girls safely.
dàn yù wài tiān mó yì bù hǎo rě ， shén niàn qiáng dù yuǎn yuǎn chāo guò pǔ tōng xiū shì xǔ duō 。
但域外天魔亦不好惹，神念强度远远超过普通修士许多。
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xuan no longer hesitated. He raised his right hand and shot out a sword energy from his sleeve.
yī shí jiān ， shuāng fāng dǎo shì qí féng duì shǒu ， nán yǐ fēn chū yí gè shèng fù qiáng ruò 。
一时间，双方倒是棋逢对手，难以分出一个胜负强弱。
Boom!
……
……
A loud noise echoed as the ground split open into a large crack that seemed bottomless. But without hesitation, Lin Xuan leaped down.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， lín xuān zhōng yú chuǎng guò le nà piàn lìng rén tóu téng de zhǎo zé 。
与此同时，林轩终于闯过了那片令人头疼的沼泽。
Soon, he reached the stone pit where he found himself in an enormous natural cave. The view was expansive, covering several thousand acres, with scattered rocks. There was nothing else.
cǐ kè ， tā jù lí zì jǐ de mù dì dì yǐ jīng bù yuǎn le 。
此刻，他距离自己的目的地已经不远了。
The girls were nowhere to be seen, but Xiao Die didn't show any disappointment. Instead, she moved swiftly and landed on the left side of the cavern.
zhè yī lù shàng zì jǐ yù jiàn le bù shǎo bèi mó huà de yāo wù ， hǎo zài méi yǒu yù jiàn zhēn zhèng de yù wài tiān mó ， zhè me shuō ， zì jǐ de shēn xíng hái wèi bào lù 。
这一路上自己遇见了不少被魔化的妖物，好在没有遇见真正的域外天魔，这么说，自己的身形还未暴露。
Soon, a thick rock wall appeared before her. Lin Xuan raised his right hand and pressed it against the stone. The rock was much harder than steel, but it wouldn't stand a chance against a cultivator at the Transcendence stage. With a slight effort, countless cracks appeared on the surface of the rock wall.
Xiao Die was not discouraged. She changed direction and continued her search, but for some reason, a bad feeling began to surface in her heart.
At her current level of power, she couldn't ignore the spiritual omens that appeared in her mind.
Was it danger ahead or something happening with Lin Xuan?
She wasn’t sure, but she certainly wouldn’t let a hunch hold her back.
After a moment’s hesitation, she continued flying forward.
Soon, a flower came into view. It was blooming on a patch of grassland.
This scene would have been ordinary, and Xiao Die naturally wouldn't pay much attention to it. However, the surface of the flower emitted a faint trace of demonic energy.
Just as Huan Yue Mo had flown by, the flower became blurry, and dark demonic energy seemed to flash across its surface. Then, tiny skulls appeared on the petals.
It looked extremely eerie.
But this was only the beginning. The flower bloomed further, and an abnormally fierce demon snake emerged from it. It opened its mouth wide and bit down on Huan Yue Mo, swallowing her whole. With a satisfied burp, the demon snake seemed content.
However, something incredible happened next. A second Huan Yue Mo appeared in mid-air. The demon snake's face showed a human-like expression of surprise. Was he hallucinating? He had just eaten this small butterfly, hadn't he?
Then, without any warning, another Huan Yue Mo emerged. Then a third, fourth... Soon, thousands upon thousands of Huan Yue Mo butterflies filled the void, buzzing and flying down in overwhelming numbers.
They buried the demon flower completely.
After a moment, the Huan Yue Mo butterflies dispersed and vanished, leaving only one suspended in mid-air.
The demon flower had lost all its power and withered away.
"Hmph. Such puny powers, daring to ambush me. You really know no fear."
A look of disdain appeared on Xiao Die's face. A mere demon flower dared to tamper with her territory—such a fate was entirely justified.
But before she could fully process this thought, an angry roar echoed in her ears: "Who dares to kill my pet? If you must die, then so be it."
Before the words were finished, ripples of energy appeared in the void, but no monster emerged. Instead, a visible demonic aura materialized over a hundred feet away.
"Exterior Realm Demonic Aura!"
Xiao Die's pupils constricted, and a trace of alertness appeared on her face.
The cultivation world was full of wonders, and exterior realm demons were unpredictable. But the most bizarre of all was the demonic aura, an intangible entity that excelled in possession.
With its ability to possess, it was a formidable opponent for any cultivator.
Fortunately, Xiao Die was a Huan Yue Mo. Her innate abilities allowed her to counter such creatures effectively.
Of course, while the five elements interacted with each other, this was relative. So she couldn't afford to be careless.
With these thoughts in mind, Xiao Die flapped her wings and transformed into human form. Her body also grew larger.
Transforming into a humanoid form to face a powerful enemy, but the wings at her back remained, enhancing the effectiveness of her illusions.
Xiao Die pointed her finger at her forehead.
A crystalline light appeared in her eyes.
Who was stronger between possession and illusion?
No法宝 flew or dazzling lights shone. However, the space within a few acres around them suddenly boiled like boiling water. Spatial ripples surged, and powerful gusts of wind formed, oscillating between Huan Yue Mo and the exterior realm demon aura.
Illusions were essentially mental attacks using divine consciousness. Possession had different attributes but followed similar principles. Success depended on the strength of one's divine awareness.
Thus, ordinary cultivators feared exterior realm demons, but Xiao Die was unconcerned. She trusted her divine consciousness fully; otherwise, how could she perform such world-shaking illusions?
However, exterior realm demons were not easily provoked. Their divine awareness far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.
In this moment, both sides were evenly matched, unable to determine a clear winner or loser.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan finally made it through the troublesome swamp. He was now close to his destination.
Along the way, he encountered many demonized beasts, but fortunately, no true exterior realm demons appeared. So his form had not been exposed yet.
Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with an odd light. Such a good opportunity must be seized without delay.
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of lightning and continued flying forward.
The journey was uneventful, and after half an hour, Lin Xuan landed his遁光.
This was a desolate area, but it was vastly different from the previous one.
While both were deserts, this place had no visible soil; the surface was entirely composed of hard rock. The rocks were grayish in color.
Looking around, there wasn't a single plant in sight, far more barren than expected.
The demonic energy here was also much denser than elsewhere.
Lin Xuan's face showed a hint of contemplation before he released his divine awareness. After a moment, he raised his head with a smile: "Good, this is the place."
"Finding it after so much effort, and without any trouble. The girls are truly imprisoned here."
Lin Xuan was indeed elated. He had identified several suspicious locations through his divine awareness, but luck seemed to be on his side; he found the right one on his first try.
This made things much easier than he had anticipated. Now, with a surprise attack, he should have a good chance of rescuing the girls safely.
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xuan no longer hesitated. He raised his right hand and shot out a sword energy from his sleeve.
Boom!
A loud noise echoed as the ground split open into a large crack that seemed bottomless. But without hesitation, Lin Xuan leaped down.
Soon, he reached the stone pit where he found himself in an enormous natural cave. The view was expansive, covering several thousand acres, with scattered rocks. There was nothing else.
The girls were nowhere to be seen, but Xiao Die didn't show any disappointment. Instead, she moved swiftly and landed on the left side of the cavern.
Soon, a thick rock wall appeared before her. Lin Xuan raised his right hand and pressed it against the stone. The rock was much harder than steel, but it wouldn't stand a chance against a cultivator at the Transcendence stage. With a slight effort, countless cracks appeared on the surface of the rock wall.