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Gu Xiaoxi grew increasingly nervous as she approached the blue Barrier.

Quan Shaoqing gripped her hand tightly and gave her an encouraging look, "What’s bound to come, will come. Xiao Xi, I actually felt it."

"Felt what?" Ya asked, puzzled.

Quan Shaoqing took a deep breath, looked at Ya, and started to talk about the Nascent Soul.

"Once, it lurked in our country, endeavoring to vie for the presidential seat.

Its identity was exposed, and I battled it.

At the time, I sealed it with a space seal, and then my Special Ability disappeared.

Later, when my ability returned, it also escaped.

After two years of recuperation, the Nascent Soul must be very formidable now," Quan Shaoqing explained.

At this moment, he felt uncertain.

Two years, for a cultivator, might mean he’s become several times stronger than before.

Ya knew that in this world, there were still many Exotic Beasts passed down from ancient times, even some Divine Beasts that lay dormant upon the earth.

He had not expected that this Nine-tailed Fox would dare to wreak such havoc brazenly.

Ya took a look at the Barrier and then said sternly, "According to you, this place must be extremely dangerous."

"Once we’re inside, we may encounter many unforeseen situations. Everyone just needs to react accordingly when the time comes," Gu Xiaoxi said gravely, advancing with big strides.

Even if it was dangerous, they had to have a look; to shrink back was not an option.

Subsequently, the three of them slowly walked toward the inside of the Barrier.

As they stepped into the blue Barrier, everyone’s view suddenly changed.

An idyllic paradise, filled with the twittering of birds and the lush greenery of plants and trees, appeared before their eyes.

Not far away, mountains connected to mountains, and the blue waters of the lakes flowed slowly.

On the ground, the Fresh Grass spread like a carpet for miles and miles!

The sun shone high, the spring breeze was gentle, presenting a stark contrast to the icy snowy lands outside.

A Barrier one could enter!

This?

Could they get out?

Gu Xiaoxi stepped into the Barrier, moving only a step’s distance. She then stepped back, thinking she could still leave.

But no matter how many steps she took back, behind her was only the lawn, with lakes not far off.

The entrance to the Snow Mountain they had entered was nowhere to be seen.

"There’s no use trying. The entrances to Barriers select their streams of space. The moment you stepped in, it was no longer in the same place as when we came in," Ya said, looking up, his deep eyes filled with seriousness.

"The Barrier here is much more advanced than any we’ve encountered before. At least, from inside you can’t see the outside!"

It was evident, this place constituted a world of its own, not just a simple matter of isolating a location.

...

While Gu Xiaoxi explored inside with questions.

In the Barrier, within a very exquisitely built ancient palace.

A black Nine-tailed Fox transformed into a man with a bewitching appearance.

Around him were many people.

These included Huo Jin from the International Alliance who had come on a mission, Bai Yi, and some of Gu Xiaoxi’s senior allies she recognized from the International Alliance.

Outside the palace, there were streets and buildings.

It was home to villagers from the Snow Country who had been brought in from outside.

"Master! People have entered our territory today, should we bring them here?" Huo Jin stood in front of the Nascent Soul with respectful obeisance, his eyes lowered.

The man sitting on the luxurious Gold-cast chair, twirling his dark hair, flashed a smile filled with ill intent, "Let them wander around here first."

"Yes!" Huo Jin was about to leave.

Suddenly, the Nascent Soul raised his hand, stopping him, then instructed, "Remember, send people to intercept them. First, test their abilities."

"Yes!"

After two years of recovery, Quan Shaoqing no longer frightened him.

As for the other two people, the Nascent Soul thought it necessary to test their abilities.

After pondering for a while.

With a wave of the Nascent Soul’s hand, a screen of light immediately appeared in the air, displaying the scene of Gu Xiaoxi and the others exploring the secrets of this space.

The Nascent Soul watched the screen carefully for a while, then, with a crooked smile, he laughed with malice. "Send a team to probe them first. I want to know their abilities."

"Yes!" At this point, Huo Jin was completely controlled by the Nascent Soul, with no memory of his past.

He would obey any command from the Nascent Soul.

Anyone who entered this Barrier, all ordinary people, were all the same, now enslaved to the Nascent Soul.

Gu Xiaoxi, Quan Shaoqing, and Ya crossed over a mountain and then followed the Green Grasslands, walking towards the distance.

"Not a single person?" Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t believe it.

"It’s not that there’s no one around, but rather that this place is too vast," Ya explained.

Quan Shaoqing frowned and turned his head to look at Gu Xiaoxi, his expression serious as he said, "Don’t move from here. I’ll go have a look around."

"Don’t! It’s so dangerous here, and you’ll be unsafe on your own," Gu Xiaoxi immediately objected. She didn’t want him to encounter any danger.

Upon hearing this, Quan Shaoqing felt warmth in his heart. Knowing that she was worried about him was enough.

He reached out and ruffled her hair with a gentle laugh, "Don’t worry, I’m just going to look around nearby. It’s better than us walking aimlessly."

After thinking it over, Gu Xiaoxi could only agree, "Then be careful!"

"It’s fine!" Quan Shaoqing patted her head and vanished in a blink of an eye.

Gu Xiaoxi looked up into the distance.

The sun hung overhead, at mid-sky, as though it had never moved an inch.

This place was filled with eeriness everywhere.

The only thing that felt real to her was the richness of the Spiritual Energy in the flowers, plants, and trees around her.

After Quan Shaoqing left, Gu Xiaoxi and Ya sat down on the spot.

After a brief silence, Gu Xiaoxi turned to look at him, puzzled, "Where have you been all this time?"

"Wandering the four corners of the world," Ya responded nonchalantly, idly fiddling with a jade flute in his hand.

His profile, set against this earthly paradise, looked even more extraordinarily handsome. His demeanor was detached and elegant, and every move he made exuded the free-spirited and casual nature unique to a wanderer.

"I still haven’t mastered the Chopping Wind technique you taught me last time. Shouldn’t you continue teaching me?" Gu Xiaoxi plucked a blade of Fresh Grass, putting it in her mouth and chewed it aimlessly, her eyes brimming with playful laughter.

"If you’re willing to learn, you can study properly here. We have plenty of time right now!"

"Really?" Gu Xiaoxi immediately brought out her dagger and quickly formed a killing array.

Ya hadn’t expected that she would have come to understand the incomplete technique she had learned last time on her own.

"I still don’t know how to turn the dagger into a sword," said Gu Xiaoxi as daggers revolved around her, ensuring nothing dared to approach her.

She looked at Ya with a continuing smile, "Will you teach me now?"

Ya’s lips curled slightly, and he nodded in agreement.

He liked to see her candid demeanor, especially when she smiled—it gave off an especially sweet feeling.

Gu Xiaoxi felt that if she deemed someone worthy of friendship, she would treat them as a friend without any overthinking.

As for Ya, he was a good friend to her.

Since they had met, he had helped her a lot.

With the abundant Spiritual Energy of this area, Gu Xiaoxi naturally wouldn’t miss such an excellent opportunity.

Even if this was enemy territory, she needed to become stronger.

Moreover, Quan Shaoqing had gone to scout.

She too had to seize the moment to improve herself.

She didn’t know if the people here were Nascent Souls. In any case, they gave off a very bad vibe.

Quan Shaoqing had circled around in the space, eventually arriving at a place with buildings that resembled a palace.

This could be said to be a secluded haven.

There were flowers blooming over the mountains, pavilions, and watchtowers with streams flowing under bridges. Although the palaces weren’t very densely packed and the markets and streets weren’t long, there were quite a few people coming and going.

There were also many people doing construction work.

After observing, Quan Shaoqing noticed that the architecture here was filled with an ancient atmosphere, with very exquisite carvings on the buildings.

Such a scale couldn’t be built overnight. It must have been created through long-term accumulation!

He wondered how long this Barrier had been in place.

Among the bustling crowd of laborers, Quan Shaoqing unexpectedly saw people from the International Alliance.

These people had completely lost the air of superiority they had on the outside; instead, each one worked like a farmer. They were tilling the land and constructing buildings!

Quan Shaoqing narrowed his eyes, looking at the busy scene before him and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

What was the master of this Barrier trying to do?

Build a nation? Rule over this place?

As Quan Shaoqing pondered this, a figure suddenly appeared before him.

The man was dressed in a black robe, his long hair casually tied up, and his good looks exuded such an otherworldly charm that he almost seemed demonic.

Quan Shaoqing instinctively retreated a distance, staring at the man coldly, "I didn’t expect you to really be here? And your appearance..."

He remembered the Nascent Soul used to look old, and when it transformed into a human, it resembled a middle-aged uncle.

But now, the Nascent Soul looked youthful—gone was his former appearance, replaced by that of an extraordinarily handsome young man.

If it weren’t for the unchanged aura, he might have almost failed to recognize him.