After Wangcai finished devouring the Two-winged White Tiger, Chu Mu stored its wings in his Storage Talisman, patted the beast on the head, and was about to continue northwest.

Just then, a sudden disturbance came from the horizon.

Chu Mu froze, whipping his head around to look.

Then, he saw three streaks of light—one red and two white—soaring toward him from across the sky, high above the vast sea of clouds.

Chu Mu’s gaze hardened, and the hand resting on Wangcai’s head pressed down slightly, calming the restless beast.

"WHIMPER..."

Wangcai whimpered softly, the wariness in its voice perfectly clear.

As they drew closer, the figures became clearer to the naked eye.

A slender figure could be seen within the red light at the front, while the two white lights behind were clearly sword gleams, streaking through the air with palpable killing intent.

The woman within the red light was clearly cornered and fleeing for her life. Behind her, bolts of light occasionally shot out from the two pursuing sword gleams, seemingly in an attempt to cut her off and force her to stop.

’It’s her?’

Chu Mu narrowed his eyes. As the distance between them shrank, the face of the woman within the red light became startlingly clear.

The woman had delicate features and a rather cute, playful look. Although she wasn’t wearing her signature red clothes, she was still easy to recognize...

She was none other than the woman from Jade Emperor Valley who used to resell mortal food. ’Her name was... Chang Hongyi, wasn’t it?’

’She disappeared after that, and I thought she’d long since become a pile of bones in the wilderness. To think I’d run into her again today, of all places, in this Secret Realm!’

’And what’s more...’

Chu Mu’s gaze fixed on Chang Hongyi’s Magic Robe, and his eyes flickered.

’He was very familiar with that Magic Robe.’

’It was the Standardized Robe of a Longevity Sect disciple. In the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, few Cultivators would fail to recognize it.’

’And he... was an Evil Cultivator wanted by the Longevity Sect!’

Chu Mu hesitated, unsure if he should intervene.

’Compared to the vastness of this Secret Realm, the information Zhao Shuang gave me was incredibly limited.’

’I desperately need a source of information to learn more about this place.’

’Otherwise, with only a month here, if I keep wandering around aimlessly, this will turn into nothing more than a month-long vacation in a Secret Realm.’

’But Chang Hongyi is a disciple of the Longevity Sect now.’

’And I don’t know what kind of person she really is...’

"Chang Hongyi, you can’t escape!"

"Considering we’re from the same sect, hand over the item, and we two brothers will spare your life!"

Just as Chu Mu was internally debating, a sudden change occurred above the sea of clouds, accompanied by a thunderous shout.

One of the pursuing men suddenly shot forward. His white light transformed into a thick black mist, and in the blink of an eye, he was right on top of the fleeing Chang Hongyi.

At that moment, Chang Hongyi seemed to sense the danger. Her face paled in panic, but she still managed to throw out a Talisman. The red light around her flared, and her speed increased slightly.

However, the surging black mist behind her let out a piercing shriek.

Immediately after, the roiling black mist formed into the shadow of a monstrous head. Faster than the eye could follow, the head lunged forward and bit down on Chang Hongyi’s arm.

With a muffled grunt, Chang Hongyi’s arm began to visibly wither. The severe injury seemed to cause the red light enveloping her to abruptly vanish, and she plummeted from the sky.

Seeing this, Chu Mu could no longer afford to hesitate. With a wave of his hand, the Formless Needle shot out, forcing the man in close pursuit to retreat.

He then raised his hand, and an invisible force caught the falling Chang Hongyi. Immediately, with his Qi Blood circulating, he threw a punch straight at the monstrous head.

Qi Blood—a great tonic and a deadly poison to ghostly creatures!

A "great tonic" if they could handle devouring it.

But a "deadly poison" if it surpassed what they could endure!

And with this punch...

A bloodcurdling scream, originating from its Divine Soul, tore through the air. Under the force of the punch, the once-monstrous ghostly head instantly shrank by a full size.

The thick black mist faded until it was faint and nearly illusory.

The ghostly head fled in a panic. Chang Hongyi’s face was pale, as if she still hadn’t processed the rapid turn of events. But when she saw Chu Mu’s face, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s you?"

Chu Mu ignored her, his gaze already fixed on the two menacing figures hurtling toward them from the sky.

"I saved your life. What can you offer as payment?"

Chu Mu gently stroked the increasingly agitated Wangcai, only then turning to look at Chang Hongyi by his side.

Asked such a question at a critical moment like this, Chang Hongyi was stunned, seemingly unable to process it.

Then, with a complicated expression, Chang Hongyi looked at Chu Mu. "Fellow Daoist Chu, what payment do you require?"

"Tell me everything you know about this Secret Realm, without leaving a single detail out."

"And you will never speak of meeting Chu today."

"Agree to these two conditions, and Chu will take care of these two for you."

Chu Mu’s words were direct. He made no explicit threats, but his implication was perfectly clear.

’If he could, he would have preferred to act out of goodwill.’

’This Chang Hongyi... she was, after all, one of the few people he knew from his past.’

’But their connection wasn’t deep, and he didn’t know her well.’

’Most importantly, she was now a disciple of the Longevity Sect.’

’One must always be wary of the farmer and the snake.’

"Fine."

Chang Hongyi pouted. Though she looked reluctant, faced with powerful pursuers and a threat to her life, she agreed without hesitation.

She even went so far as to make a Dao Heart Oath on the spot, and then she immediately began to explain.