The Sect Leader Has Taken in a New Female Disciple

Facing the pursuit of the five Venerables of Jiyuan Temple, Shen Hanyi likewise did not act rashly.

That route which went deep into the Desolate Forbidden—she had never set foot on it, even in countless simulations.

If nothing unexpected happened, these five high monks would soon return empty‑handed.

After all, this is the Desolate Forbidden!

"What do you think of this?" Zhou Qing asked.

He knew very little about the secrets of Nanhuang State; perhaps he could get some clues from Shen Hanyi.

Shen Hanyi shook her head slightly. "I also know little of Jiyuan Temple’s secrets. What we saw today truly was beyond expectation."

She shifted the topic, her gaze blazing as she looked at Zhou Qing. "Senior is well‑informed and widely traveled; you must know the inside story. Could you resolve this junior’s doubts?"

Zhou Qing gave a wry smile. "You can’t judge everything by appearances. Some things must be experienced personally. Let’s hurry on our way."

[You’re talking so vaguely that people who don’t know would think you really don’t understand either.]

Hearing this inner voice, Zhou Qing’s heart gave a guilty thump.

Right now, [Daily Reflection] still had two slots left; looks like next time he’d have to bind this godson and see what was really going on.

...

Led by Shen Hanyi, the two continued deeper along a specific route.

When they arrived at the place where the [Eightfold Sticker] had been used before, Zhou Qing couldn’t help his surprise. "You’ve actually explored this far!"

This was already close to the core area of the third stage, precisely where the second forbidden‑zone painting in his mind was located.

Back when the two had cooperated, even after multiple simulations, reaching this place still demanded overcoming layer upon layer of peril—nothing like how smooth it was today.

"Just a fluke." Shen Hanyi’s tone was flat, but Zhou Qing could hear the lingering fear hidden within.

To open up this safe route, the number of simulations she’d burned through was very likely far beyond imagination.

"By the way, Senior," Shen Hanyi suddenly asked, "do you still have that kind of sticker that lets you observe from afar?"

Zhou Qing immediately shook his head. "That thing is really hard to refine..."

[Today’s stickers are refreshing...]

[New stickers have been stored in Strange Records, please check in time.]

Before he finished speaking, a familiar chime suddenly sounded in his mind.

It stunned Zhou Qing for a moment.

Then he looked suspiciously at Shen Hanyi.

Seriously, did your mouth get blessed or something?

His Heart and Spirit immediately opened [Strange Records], and a familiar sticker came into view.

It was a pure‑white sticker, with eight nested circular rings carved upon it, each layer upon the next, emitting a faint Spiritual Light.

"Eightfold Sticker?" Zhou Qing’s pupils shrank.

Right—Talent Skills [Random Sticker] had random quantity, random content, random duration, random strength, random form, random trigger method, random regional linkage...

For it to refresh so abruptly, and it just happened to be the "Eightfold Sticker" Shen Hanyi mentioned, it was obvious that her words had triggered a regional linkage random refresh here.

"What’s wrong, Senior?" Shen Hanyi asked in puzzlement when she saw Zhou Qing suddenly fall silent.

[It’d be great if you had one. I really want to see whether that Divine Beast is still there.]

Hearing this heart‑voice, Zhou Qing pulled out the sticker without hesitation. "Here, use it as you like!"

Since this sticker was born because of her, what did it matter if he gave it to her entirely?

"Many thanks, Senior!" Shen Hanyi couldn’t hide the joy in her voice.

Though he could only see a hazy outline, Zhou Qing already imagined her brows and eyes curved in a smile—sure enough, pregnant women were the easiest to satisfy.

[If only I could refine such a sticker myself. Once I break through to the Supreme Realm, I could seek out an old senior for help, and perhaps use this sticker to enter the void and try to find him.]

When Shen Hanyi’s inner voice echoed in Zhou Qing’s mind, his entire body froze as if struck by lightning.

His hands unconsciously clenched tight, his emotions surging.

So... so this was why she was so determined to break through to the Supreme Realm!

In that instant, unspeakably complex emotions surged up in Zhou Qing’s heart.

It felt as if something in his chest was burning, sour and swollen.

So beneath all those seemingly cold surfaces, what was hidden was such a deep, heavy attachment.

"Then, Senior, I’ll start using it!" Shen Hanyi’s voice dragged him back to reality.

Zhou Qing’s eyes grew slightly hot; his throat bobbed a few times before he found his voice. "Alright, go ahead."

Just three simple words, yet containing a tremor only he himself knew.

Shen Hanyi focused her gaze on the core area; with the experience from last time, she skillfully closed her eyes and gathered herself.

The terrifying Divine Sense of Spirit Slash Great Perfection surged like a tide in her sea of consciousness, pouring entirely into the sticker.

The sticker’s surface immediately blossomed with a gentle radiance.

"Clang—"

The sound of metal colliding rang out abruptly, and a pitch‑black circular ring appeared out of thin air.

The scene within the ring gradually grew clear—it was Venerable Jue Chen and the other four, fiercely battling three skeletal creatures.

Even with the five high monks joining forces, they still looked rather battered.

And the dried corpse of Ku Di had long vanished without a trace.

The eerie thing was that despite both sides clearly having gone their separate ways, they were now appearing ahead of them.

The treacherousness of the Desolate Forbidden could be seen at a glance.

Ring after ring surfaced, the view continuously extending forward.

Each ring revealed terrifying taboos closer to the core, largely similar to what they had seen last time.

The only difference was that now Shen Hanyi had reached Spirit Slash Great Perfection; the Eightfold Sticker’s field of view was much farther than before.

When the seventh ring appeared, the scene before their eyes suddenly changed.

An endless Blood-red Grassland rolled in the wind, the crimson grass surging like waves of blood, so bizarre it shook the heart.

After the eighth ring unfurled, the view pushed forward again, yet it was still that boundless Blood-red Grassland.

As if it had no boundaries, making fear rise unbidden in one’s heart.

"Ghost Ship, mine, blood plain..." Shen Hanyi murmured softly. "These are the three stages of the Desolate Forbidden currently known. I wonder what kind of scene lies beyond the blood plain?"