Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 109

A moment later, Liu Fenyun discovered a light dot representing a living being appearing nearby. It moved rapidly toward Mu Qingzhong, who was trailing closely behind them. She hastily directed Lian Yi to dodge in another direction, planning to circle around for a while before entering the underground palace.

“Host, it is detected that the Snake Demon has engaged Mu Qingzhong. You may proceed to the underground palace,” the system reminded her shortly after.

Seeing the Lotus Platform about to land on the surface of the palace, Liu Fenyun recalled the Snake Demon’s warning. She had Lian Yi stop nearby and proceeded on foot.

“That Snake Demon told me this palace is her master’s final resting place. She asked us not to disturb her,” Liu Fenyun whispered. “We will rest briefly and then leave.”

“No treasure hunting?” Lian Yi asked, adjusting her breathing, half-joking and half-serious.

Liu Fenyun shook her head. Finding the entrance on her map, she took Lian Yi’s hand and ran toward it.

The priority was leaving the Forbidden Area. Although Lian Yi could fight, she specialized in dealing with human demon slayers. Against a suddenly maddened Mu Qingzhong or the subterranean Hook blind Snakes, her chances of winning were slim.

Liu Fenyun had relied on the system to find the palace. The system had sent her spiritual sense deep inside so quickly that she hadn’t seen the surroundings clearly. Now, standing close, she saw the entrance nestled among seven or eight ancient trees, appearing as if they were sealing something down.

When the Hook blind Snake Demon left, she had intentionally left a gap just wide enough for one person. Liu Fenyun squeezed through first, landing in the pitch-black palace. Once steady, she quickly deployed several barriers before calling Lian Yi down.

Lian Yi dived into the darkness without hesitation. Her body fell rapidly, cushioned by the barriers before landing safely in Liu Fenyun’s arms, her cat tail instinctively curling around Liu Fenyun.

“It’s so dark here. Can we light a fire?” Lian Yi asked as she stood up.

Unsure if open flames were allowed, Liu Fenyun consulted the system. She then took out the Wuyuan Fan, condensed a glowing orb of Lightning Spiritual Qi, and let it float ahead to lead the way.

The air was thin, yet the spiritual energy was exceptionally dense, strange, considering it was located within an ancient Demon Clan ruin. However, this was good news for both of them. They followed the lightning orb through a long tunnel into the depths.

Lian Yi could feel the dense energy adhering to her skin. With a mere thought, the energy entered her body, merging her demonic aura with the spiritual qi. By the time they finished the tunnel, she felt her meridians were completely filled.

Liu Fenyun felt the same, but the moment the energy entered her, the system presented her with data. She realized the energy they were absorbing served a specific purpose.

Coincidentally, the master of this palace was the “scumbag Daoist partner” of Valley Master Mu Qingzhong, the founding ancestor of the Qingmu Immortal Mountain.

As a god, Liu Fenyun could sense the lingering obsessions within the spiritual energy. The system pieced these fragments together to convey a single message: If you wish to leave, head to the depths of the palace, where a natural teleportation array to the outside world remains.

The energy they had been absorbing was intended to power this array.

After hearing the system’s interpretation, Liu Fenyun asked in disbelief, “Did this ancestor leave no words at all for Mu Qingzhong?”

“The fragments make no mention of Mu Qingzhong,” the system replied. “Host, you should focus on leaving.”

Liu Fenyun agreed. Since the ancestor had provided a path to survival, there was no reason to waste time.

The palace wasn’t eerie it was empty, without even a stray soul. Knowing that Demons vanished completely upon death, Liu Fenyun understood why.

“I’ve scouted with my spiritual sense. There is only one treasure in the depths, but its form is unique…” Liu Fenyun explained to Lian Yi while checking the system data. “It’s a pool called the ‘Reincarnation Tianchi’ (Heavenly Pool). It’s used to store souls, but it can also function as a teleportation array.”

Lian Yi frowned. “Doesn’t that mean the pool is full of ghosts?”

“Not necessarily,” Liu Fenyun shook her head. “A Demon’s soul cannot persist. Even if stored in the Tianchi, it’s only temporary. Eventually, they dissipate.”

“Are you heading toward it?” Lian Yi asked, seeing her keep walking. “I thought we weren’t treasure hunting?”

“We need it to leave the Forbidden Area,” Liu Fenyun said. “Besides, this isn’t really treasure hunting. Since when is treasure hunting this smooth…”

Before she could finish, the ground shook. The flat brick floor suddenly arched upward. Within seconds, under the light of the lightning orb, five massive black snakes blocked their path, their bodies covered in slime and wet mud.

“You and your big mouth!” Lian Yi glared at her, annoyed. She gripped her Five Thunder Token, coating it in crackling lightning, ready to blast the giant Hook-blind Snakes.

Liu Fenyun’s expression darkened. While these snakes had low combat power, they lacked the intelligence of the snake woman she had traded with. Their sudden appearance was likely a trial left by the ancestor, a pre-set program that could only be resolved through force.

She didn’t want to fight. As two snakes lunged, she quickly pulled a bottle of pest repellent spray from her herbal garden and sprayed it wildly at their heads.

To her horror, the irritating mist didn’t repel the snakes but instead stung Lian Yi’s eyes. With red eyes, Lian Yi pinched the culprit’s face, grabbed Liu Fenyun, and dodged. She periodically used lightning spells to strike the pursuing snakes.

A cat’s intuition was terrifyingly accurate. Even with teary eyes and blurred vision, she led Liu Fenyun away from the snakes. She smashed a pillar with one claw, dragging it across the path so that falling debris would pack it tight, temporarily blocking the snakes.

Diving into a small passage above the palace, Lian Yi squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed Liu Fenyun’s face: “What did you spray?! Was that chili water? I’m going blind!”

Having just achieved the “Friendly Fire” achievement, Liu Fenyun felt incredibly awkward. She consulted the system, learned the remedy, and immediately pricked her finger. She pinned Lian Yi down and dropped her healing spiritual blood into her eyes.

Lian Yi was in pain, but as the drops entered, a cool sensation washed over her. The stinging vanished instantly.

“Better?” Liu Fenyun asked, frowning. The cat had gripped her arm so hard in pain that it hurt her too.

“Much better.” Lian Yi rubbed against her, pressing her cat ears under Liu Fenyun’s chin. “Just follow me when I run. I don’t need your ‘protection’.”

She truly believed her lover was terrible at fighting. If those hadn’t been five dim-witted snakes, but Mu Qingzhong instead, they would have been captured.

After resting, Lian Yi opened her eyes. Her vision was clear, albeit with a slight red tint, which didn’t hinder her. She perked up her ears, hearing the snakes battering the barrier. Realizing it would soon break, she transformed into her demon form, took Liu Fenyun on her back, and sprinted toward the depths.

“Whose tomb is this?” Lian Yi asked, not even winded. “The spiritual energy is too dense to be a Demon’s.”

“It’s the founding ancestor’s tomb,” Liu Fenyun replied.

Lian Yi was surprised. “How do you know? What if it isn’t?”

“Her lingering thoughts are in the air,” Liu Fenyun said, gripping the cat fur. “But she didn’t mention Mu Qingzhong. Her thoughts only speak of the teleportation array in the depths.”

Lian Yi was confused. “Mu Qingzhong said she never saw the ancestor again. Why is the tomb inside the Forbidden Area she guards?”

“She either lied or forgot,” Liu Fenyun mused. Only Mu Qingzhong and the ancestor knew what happened back then. Unfortunately, one was dead and the other was a madwoman consumed by hatred.

The latter half of the palace was clear of snakes. Lian Yi didn’t even need directions; she followed the scent of spiritual energy until they reached a crystal-clear pool.

“This is the Reincarnation Tianchi?” Lian Yi pawed the ground, tilting her body so Liu Fenyun could climb down. “How do we leave? Do we just jump in?”

“Let me check.” Liu Fenyun walked to the edge, ordering the system to scan the pool.

A cold wind brushed her face. When she saw the scan results, her skin crawled, the pool was filled with lingering souls.

Lian Yi peered into the pool. Through a faint “blood mist,” she saw dense, transparent humanoid figures floating. Her fur stood on end. She instinctively grabbed Liu Fenyun by the collar with her teeth and dragged her twenty paces back.

“Can we find another way?” Lian Yi felt sick. “You said we came here to rest. I’m recovered, and Mu Qingzhong is distracted. Should we go back to the surface and use the original plan?”

Liu Fenyun hesitated. The system gave the teleportation only a 50% success rate. With so many souls in the pool, jumping in as living beings might trap them in illusions forever.

But they had come this far. Turning back would mean everything was for nothing.

“…Turn the Green Ghost Lotus into its platform form and activate defense mode,” Liu Fenyun said after careful thought. “We’ll use the lotus and take a gamble.”

Lian Yi clearly didn’t want to gamble. She paced anxiously, pawing the ground, but eventually followed instructions. She set the Green Ghost Lotus to defense mode, shifted into her human form, and sat with Liu Fenyun in the center. With pressed lips, she steered the platform toward the Reincarnation Tianchi.