Chapter 59: Twists and Turns of a Romantic Encounter

Gu Liuyun unfolded the weathered parchment map, which detailed mountains, rivers, and nine glowing points marked with cinnabar—the very shards of the Ascension Stone scattered across the realm.

Tapping his finger lightly against one of the flickering red dots, a confident curve touched the corner of his lips: "The next shard lies deep within this Misty Forest."

Beside him, Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao crowded close. Ye Manman possessed a natural allure; every glance and smile carried a soul-stirring charm. With a coy voice, she teased, "The Misty Forest? I hear it's fraught with danger. Handsome, you'll have to protect me, won't you~?" Chen Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at this—that woman was putting on her act again!

Yet, the perils of the Misty Forest were no laughing matter. She grabbed Gu Liuyun's arm, a hint of hard-to-conceal concern coloring her tone: "Be careful. Don't fall into the ditch and capsize."

Gu Liuyun chuckled softly and ruffled Chen Jiaojiao's hair: "Don't worry, I'm destined to be the strongest man! A mere Misty Forest is nothing to worry about."

The three stepped into the misty realm, and the surrounding scenery instantly blurred, reducing visibility to less than five meters. A damp, chilly breath hit them face-on, and the intertwined branches of the towering trees blotted out the sky, pressing heavily upon their chests.

After walking for about an hour, Gu Liuyun suddenly halted, sensing a powerful fluctuation of energy.

"There's a barrier," he said in a deep voice.

No sooner had the words left his lips than an invisible barrier materialized before them, shimmering with a faint blue light.

Gu Liuyun cautiously reached out to touch it. The moment his fingertips brushed the surface, a fierce rebound force drove him back several steps.

"Good grief, what is this thing?" Chen Jiaojiao exclaimed, stepping forward to try her luck as well. The result was identical to Gu Liuyun's; she was bounced right back.

Meanwhile, Ye Manman clutched her chest with a pitiful, delicate expression: "That scared the life out of me~!"

Gu Liuyun's brows knitted tightly together. The power of this barrier far exceeded his expectations.

He gathered his spiritual energy once more, attempting to force his way through. However, the barrier remained completely unmoved, instead unleashing an even more formidable surge of energy that sent his blood churning.

After several consecutive attempts ended in failure, Gu Liuyun's expression turned solemn.

This barrier seemed far trickier than he had anticipated...

"It seems I'll have to think of another way..." Gu Liuyun muttered to himself, his gaze falling upon the flickering runes etched onto the barrier, his eyes shifting uncertainly...

Gu Liuyun stared at the runes on the barrier; these ancient symbols appeared no more complex than children's doodles in his eyes.

Deep within his mind, memories of his past life as an Immortal Venerable surged forth like a rising tide. The corners of his mouth tilted upward in a dismissive smile: "Child's play."

With a single glance, he perceived the barrier's weak point, locating the crucial node with the precision of a master butcher carving an ox.

Channeling spiritual energy to his fingertips, he transformed it into a slender beam of light that struck an inconspicuous rune upon the barrier with exquisite precision.

*Crack!* With a crisp sound, the barrier shattered like fragile glass, dissolving instantly.

As the light flickered over him, a mild sense of achievement welled up in Gu Liuyun's heart. The feeling of playing it cool was truly exhilarating!

Passing through the barrier, the view before them suddenly opened up.

The air was tainted with a faint scent of sulfur, and a wave of heat washed over them.

"A hot spring?" Gu Liuyun paused slightly, following the direction of the rising vapor.

Parting the dense branches, a naturally formed hot spring pool came into view.

The water was crystal clear, with steam billowing upward, resembling a fairyland.

Even more breathtakingly, bathing within the spring was an otherworldly beauty.

Her raven-black hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders, her fair skin appeared even more translucent amidst the drifting mist, and her delicate facial features looked like a masterpiece meticulously sculpted by the heavens.

Gu Liuyun stood frozen in astonishment. This...

Wasn't this his senior martial sister from his past life?

"Ah!" A sharp shriek shattered the tranquility.

The beauty in the pool—Lin Qingshuang—discovered Gu Liuyun's presence. She hastily used her hands to cover her vital areas, a mix of shame and fury coloring her tone: "Pervert! What... what are you looking at?!"

Only then did Gu Liuyun snap back to reality, realizing his breach of etiquette. He hurried to apologize: "Apologies, apologies, I didn't mean to... uh, I... I'll leave right now!"

"Stop right there!" Lin Qingshuang barked angrily. Leaping up from the water with spiritual energy surging around her, she delivered a palm strike straight toward Gu Liuyun.

Gu Liuyun easily sidestepped the attack. In his eyes, this young woman's moves were utter child's play.

He offered no counterattack, merely dodging with a playful grin while tossing out teasing remarks from time to time. An ambiguous atmosphere began to spread between them.

"Oh, Miss Qingshuang, don't be angry. I was just passing by by accident..."

"Shut up, you pervert!"

"Hehe, Miss, your figure is truly stunning..."

"You... you shameless wretch!"

After exchanging blows and playful banter for a while, Lin Qingshuang gradually fell behind. Panting heavily, she glared at Gu Liuyun: "Who... who on earth are you?"

Gu Liuyun put aside his flippant attitude...

Suddenly, Gu Liuyun's expression shifted as he caught a trace of an unusual fragrance in the air.

He grabbed Lin Qingshuang's hand and pulled her behind him: "Watch out!"

"What is it?" Before Lin Qingshuang could react, she saw Gu Liuyun staring with a gloomy expression at an unremarkable wild flower blooming by the edge of the hot spring pool.

"This flower... is poisonous."

Bai Bai. A name as pure and flawless as snow, yet possessing a heart as venomous as a serpent's.

She always seemed to appear whenever Gu Liuyun least expected it, sweetly offering a cup of tea, a plate of pastries, or seemingly harmless wildflowers.

Yet Gu Liuyun was no ordinary, naive fool. As an august Immortal Venerable, what kind of poison had he never witnessed?

Every time Bai Bai made a move, he detected it in advance, either quietly neutralizing or redirecting the toxin, or even returning a small "surprise" to Bai Bai, such as giving her a stomachache for three days and three nights.

True to form, Bai Bai had arrived once again. This time, carrying a steaming bowl of nourishing soup with shifting, seductive eyes, she chimed in sweetly, "Brother Liuyun, I brewed this soup especially for you. It's wonderful for vitality and complexion~"

Inwardly, Gu Liuyun sneered while outwardly feigning touched gratitude. He accepted the bowl and pretended to sniff it offhandedly: "It smells wonderful! What kind of soup is this?"

"This is made with Tianshan snow lotus, millennium ginseng..." Bai Bai rattled off a long list of precious medicinal herbs, making Gu Liuyun want to roll his eyes. This woman loved playing dramatics!

A sweep of his spiritual energy confirmed it—chronic poison had indeed been mixed into the broth.

Gu Liuyun smiled faintly and poured the soup onto an unassuming little flower by the roadside. The bloom withered instantly and turned to ash before their eyes.

Upon seeing this, Bai Bai...

"Looking at her with a half-smile, he sent a chill straight down her spine."

Despite failing to poison him time and time again, Bai Bai felt no discouragement; instead, she grew even more intrigued by Gu Liuyun.

What on earth was the origin of this man?

Nearby, Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao had long since found Bai Bai an eyesore. Sensing Gu Liuyun's distinct treatment of Lin Qingshuang, combined with Bai Bai as a shared potential threat, the two women miraculously reached a consensus—unite against the outsider!

"Oh, if it isn't Miss Bai? What's this, coming to curry favor again?" Ye Manman said with a sour, sarcastic tone.

Chen Jiaojiao added a sharp follow-up: "Exactly! Look at your own status, a toad lusting after a swan's meat!"

Their rapid-fire banter left Bai Bai's face turning pale with fury.

Watching their interaction, Gu Liuyun felt a surge of secret delight. This battlefield of affections was truly spectacular!

Just as Gu Liuyun was enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, an abrupt change occurred.

A powerful wave of energy surged from ahead, and a curtain of golden light materialized out of thin air, blocking their path.

"Another barrier?" Gu Liuyun narrowed his eyes, gazing at the glittering golden barrier as an inexplicable excitement stirred within him.

A new challenge had arrived!

He reached out to touch the luminous screen, and a mighty counter-force rebounded against him, forcing him to take a step back.

"This is getting interesting..." A confident arc formed on Gu Liuyun's lips. "It seems this shard won't be so easy to claim after all."