Mao Zimiao actually hadn't been unconscious for too long. The Heavenly Calculation Atlas had endowed her with a strong vitality. Setting aside the anomaly that was Ai Qinglan, she could be considered outstanding among her peers in terms of mana and vitality. In terms of the amount of mana alone, she even surpassed Ai Changyuan. In such an area-of-effect damage scenario, as long as she didn't die on the spot, her survival rate was no less than anyone else's.

When she woke up, she sniffed and sneezed due to the dense moisture in the air. Fearing an encounter with an Ancient Method Practitioner in her imperfect state, Wang Qi hadn't ventured too deep. The stone cave was actually near the seaside. Wang Qi hadn't sealed the crevices between the rocks. Cold wind carrying the tidal air of the sea rushed in, along with some faint pale sunlight. Mao Zimiao guessed that it was still before sunrise.

In her dazed state, Mao Zimiao looked up and saw a pale, terrifying face. Startled, she "meowed" and quickly retreated, crouching down into a fighting stance.

However, after landing, Mao Zimiao realized it was Wang Qi.

Wang Qi was sitting on the ground, a ray of light just so happened to shine through a crack onto his face, while most of his body remained in darkness.

However, his complexion was terribly pale.

Wang Qi looked as if he were ill, his face entirely bloodless and his expression twisted as if he was suffering immense pain.

Mao Zimiao cautiously approached Wang Qi, yet she sensed an extremely strong aura of disaster brewing within him. This presence, similar to Martial Arts Fist Intent, dominated the immediate vicinity. One couldn't feel anything without coming within a certain distance, but once stepping within three feet of Wang Qi, even just one step, Mao Zimiao couldn't help but have a premonition of an "imminent disaster."

"Now, what exactly is going on, meow…" Mao Zimiao stroked her ears on her head and thought carefully. At that moment, she recalled the strength of the Giant Dragon that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth, and a warm, strong embrace.

"It was you who saved me again, meow." Mao Zimiao, suppressing the discomfort throughout her body, approached Wang Qi. She didn't know that at this moment, Wang Qi was contemplating the Divine Calamity Dao, his consciousness lost in the cosmic calamity that occurred two billion years ago. She just knew that Wang Qi was injured, and that it was to protect her, taking on the power of that Giant Dragon that caused his current state.

Both Divine Calamity Dao and True Sun Dao are inheritances of the Dragon Clan, both dealing with the universe and civilization, hence there was a faint connection between them. Mao Zimiao didn't understand Dragon Clan Martial Arts, so she couldn't discern the differences between the two.

But anyway, it was good that he wasn't dead.

Mao Zimiao knew that Wang Qi actually possessed the Life Flame by his side. The nature of the Life Flame was such. As long as the cultivator didn't die on the spot, no matter how severe the sustained damage, it was not enough to extinguish him.

Once reassured, Mao Zimiao sat next to Wang Qi. Although the aura of Divine Calamity made him feel very uncomfortable, being near Wang Qi gave her a sense of peace.

"Back then too, meow, you held me and rushed towards the Qi Storage Stage Demon Beast. At that time, we were both only at the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation." Mao Zimiao rested her chin on her hand, just watching Wang Qi's face. Gradually, she felt a tickling in her heart as if a little cat was scratching it. She reached out and gently touched Wang Qi's face. Seeing that Wang Qi had no reaction, she grew bolder, her hands kneading his face.

Gradually, a daring thought emerged.

"Kissing him here, no one would know, right…"

This thought uncontrollably spread. She gently leaned toward Wang Qi's face, inching closer...

Just at that moment, the aura of disaster swiftly receded. Wang Qi's eyelids trembled and then he simply opened his eyes.

Mao Zimiao nearly screamed out loud. She hastily asked, "Xiao Qi… are you awake, meow?"

"Azimiao?" Wang Qi looked puzzled, "When did you wake up?"

The two seemed to have an exceptional tacit understanding and asked similar questions, which made Mao Zimiao feel even more embarrassed. She tried hard to control her blood flow, trying not to blush, her eyeballs aimlessly drifting, looking for a reason to explain the current situation. Wang Qi also seemed troubled. He frowned and thought for a moment, then flicked Mao Zimiao on the forehead.

"Meow! That hurts!"

Wang Qi calmly stood up: "I can't stand up if you're this close."

Ow… it feels like my actions just now were all in vain, meow…

Wang Qi took a quick glance at Mao Zimiao, then asked, "How have you recovered now?"

"Basically, I'm already fine." Mao Zimiao was very clear about her own physical condition.

"Well then, the situation now is a bit dire. Old Ai and Shiqin seem to have gotten into some danger." Wang Qi didn't beat around the bush, briefly explaining the situation to Mao Zimiao.

Mao Zimiao's face immediately turned pale: "How can this be… Shiqin, she won't be harmed, will she?"

"That, I really can't say." Wang Qi sighed, "So, let's get ready. We are lucky those guys haven't found us yet. Now, it's our turn to move."

"What are we doing, meow?"

"Going to find them."

Wang Qi waved his ring-bedecked hand through the air, and an illusion overlaid the original stone cave. Mao Zimiao's field of vision was split into several screens, each displaying a few people searching.

"Is this the situation on the island, meow?" Mao Zimiao was shocked, "Xiao Qi, when did you get this?"

"Miniature Mechanical Beasts." Wang Qi said, "I've told you, my mana can carry Spirit Sense, which allows me to directly command the mechanics. In this respect, I even do better than the disciples of Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. While you were unconscious, I dispatched dozens of miniature Mechanical Beasts to search the entire island. However, Jarvis was the controller."

"My goodness..." Mao Zimiao pointed to the screen and asked, "What's this then?"

Where Mao Zimiao pointed showed the heads of those Ancient Method Disciples. They had rows of red letters above their heads, marking their respective Sect and Cultivation.

"The miniature Mechanical Beasts are specially customized, equipped with Spiritual Pressure Plates, capable of sensing the mana in their bodies, and naturally, they can roughly discern their identity and strength," Wang Qi explained while mentally noting; the reason for the red text is just red name monsters.

Honestly, I'm even considering creating a system "Kill ** red named cultivators and unlock new Divine Skills."

Mao Zimiao was unaware of these intricacies. She looked at the "Golden Core" and "Foundation Establishment" hovering above the heads of the red name monsters and felt terrified, "Xiao Qi, aren't there too many Golden Core Cultivators here..."

"There are only a few," Wang Qi didn't think so, "Last night, a Nascent Soul Cultivator approached too. He was only about ten meters away. I was so frightened that I almost ran out desperately."

"Nascent Soul..."

"There are more than five Nascent Souls on this island, I speculate there might even be Divinity Transformation Cultivators," said Wang Qi. "Now most of the Nascent Souls are gone. It could be that there's still some task and they felt it shouldn't be wasted on searching. It could also be possible they got some information from Old Ai, knowing we are all at the Foundation Establishment stage. Not even one at Core Formation."

Mao Zimiao's expression changed, "Senior Brother Ai... shouldn't be that kind of person."

Wang Qi patted Mao Zimiao's head, "Think more, you silly cat. Ai Changyuan definitely concealed the existence of Brother Changguang. Now, Changguang is seriously injured and unconscious. If those Ancient Method Practitioners knew we had such prey among us, the hunting force wouldn't be just a dozen Golden Cores."

Mao Zimiao clutched her head, "Xiao Qi, it hurts!"

Wang Qi pressed down on Mao Zimiao's head and told her, "In any case, following me this time is the right choice. Got it?"

"Got it!" Mao Zimiao tried to swat away Wang Qi's hand, "Don't press on my head, meow!"

Wang Qi placed both hands on the ground, and dozens of magic swords flew up, forming the Yin Yang Baihe Sword Formation. The protective array of Ghost Valley lineage now exhibited a new change; the Heart Demon Curse Light replaced the Spirit Light, and the formation no longer depicted natural scenic beauty, but the duplicitous human heart. Hypocrisy and vanity holding up a pale and powerless pride, killing invisibly from a moral high ground, breaking up families and leading to ultimate despair in the deepest... Ostensibly specializing in manipulating human hearts, the Heart Demon Curse undoubtedly enhanced this power.

This move startled Mao Zimiao, "Xiao Qi, this is... going to attract a lot of people!"

"Don't mind these details."

The Sword Array grew stronger and finally triggered spatial changes, condensing into a small circle of light. Wang Qi caught the light circle with his left hand, wore it on his own hand, and then said to Mao Zimiao, "Shall we go?"

"But... Xiao Qi, you are also at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment! Facing so many Golden Cores is too dangerous!"

"Let's go!"

Seeing Wang Qi was serious, Mao Zimiao gritted her teeth and followed.

——————————

Mao Zimiao was right. The changes induced by the Sword Array drew a significant variation in the nature's spiritual energy. Although the nature of the Heart Demon Curse was special and difficult to detect when in a state of Divine Power, the activation of the Sword Array was different.

At the moment when the Yin Yang Biaihe Sword Formation evolved to its limit, countless gazes focused here.

"Someone has activated an Array, go quickly!"

Gao Ming from Heavenly Book Tower and Fu Yunzi from the Unrivaled Sword Sect, both Golden Core Cultivators from Ancient Method Sects, were patrolling near where Wang Qi rested. The moment Wang Qi triggered the Sword Array, they were alerted.

"Sword Array..." Fu Yunzi, from Unrivaled Sword Sect—a premier swordsmanship family—managed to discern a hint of "sword" intent amidst the mixed deceptive aura.

However, as a pure Swordman, he disdainfully remarked, "Incorporating human hearts into the sword? Petty tricks."

"The aura isn't strong, it looks like that young master of the Ai Family was right, it really is just Foundation Establishment," Gao Ming observed for a moment, then spoke softly, "But incorporating human hearts into swordsmanship can be formidable. Several swordsmanship techniques of Ghost Valley lineage, Nightmare Abandoned Heart Sword of Heart Demon Sect, and Heart Light Wisdom Sword of Zen Sect are all extraordinary Secret Techniques."

"That's only because their skills are underdeveloped. Once swordsmanship is refined deeply enough, it can naturally break through all other techniques," Fu Yunzi scoffed, "If Sword Intent is trained to purity, even Martial Arts True Intent can easily cut through."

"Stop bluffing, let's hurry. The enemy is a Heterodox Foundation Establishment, their Combat Power is comparable to Golden Core, do not underestimate them," urged Gao Ming. Just then, two figures came walking towards them.

Wang Qi saw them and smiled, "There they are."

Then, he raised his hand and shot out a faintly blue light circle. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)