Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Entering Butterfly Valley

Dian Dian swished its tail. “Master, if your guess is right, then lots of cultivators will be willing to explore the back valley. Isn’t that just sending themselves to the evil cultivators?”

Yun Xi nodded. “Maybe. We’ll only know for sure once we enter Xia Fei Valley. But I think they should have a clear target.”

Dian Dian’s black-bean eyes rolled. “Master, are they using those distribution-map jade slips to mark lone female cultivators, like you?”

Yun Xi thought about it and felt Dian Dian might be right. Before, those evil cultivators had chased Yu Qing Cheng and Liu Hao Tian from Hundred Flowers Pavilion, all to capture them alive and use them as cultivation furnaces. That was one of the most common ways evil cultivators raised their cultivation.

“Master, what do we do next? Are we still going to Xia Fei Valley?” Dian Dian asked through a voice transmission.

“Of course we’re going,” Yun Xi replied. “Completing the mission is one thing, but I also want to see what those evil cultivators are up to.”

Yun Xi never claimed to be a savior, but since she had run into this, she had to figure it out.

She was also the type to hold grudges. Last time, they had used a formation to bluff and scare the evil cultivators off, but the evil cultivators had still escaped with their tails between their legs. This time, she was a real direct disciple of a Nascent Soul True Lord. Her backing was strong enough, and her cultivation was barely enough to fight. What she lacked was real combat experience, so she wasn’t about to miss such a rare opportunity.

After finishing her spirit tea and resting a bit, Yun Xi went to the “Hundred Goods Pavilion” and spent spirit stones to buy a map of Xia Fei Valley. This map included both the front valley and the back valley, and it also marked the distribution of Fei Xia butterflies.

The shopkeeper even explained with a smile, “Immortal Lady, don’t think my map is expensive just because it costs more. There’s a reason it’s pricey. Our Hundred Goods Pavilion once sent Golden Core cultivators to survey the terrain inside this valley. Other than the Fei Xia butterflies’ resting places, the terrain won’t change much. It’s absolutely worth it.”

Yun Xi had come here to buy a full map of Xia Fei Valley because it was more comprehensive. While she was at it, she also wanted to ask about that Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly, so she paid without hesitation and asked casually, “When your Golden Core Master surveyed the valley, did they run into that Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly?”

“Uh… they really didn’t,” the shopkeeper admitted.

“So the rumored Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly doesn’t exist at all?” Yun Xi pressed.

The shopkeeper waved his hands quickly. “Fellow Daoist, just because our people didn’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Fei Xia butterflies are too weak. Against a cultivator of the same rank, they almost have no chance of winning, so of course they wouldn’t dare show themselves.

“But a Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly definitely exists. Otherwise, no cultivator could have brought its eggs out of the valley. That can’t be faked. I’ve seen those eggs myself. They’re different from a Second Rank butterfly egg. They’re orange with a reddish tint, only about the size of a baby’s pinky fingernail. They’re easy to recognize.”

Only then did Yun Xi nod in understanding.

The shopkeeper immediately recommended, “It looks like fellow Daoist is also going to the back valley. It’s dangerous there. You can buy some defensive treasures and pills from our shop, just in case.”

Yun Xi smiled and declined. She put the new map into her storage pouch and left the Hundred Goods Pavilion.

Then she followed the flow of people into Xia Fei Valley.

The spiritual energy inside Xia Fei Valley was clearly richer than outside. Trees and shrubs of varying heights filled her view, but even more striking were the colorful flowers competing to bloom. Nourished by spiritual energy, they looked even more gorgeous, and just seeing them lifted the mood.

Once inside the valley, everyone split off in different directions. Some cultivators acted alone, and some formed teams. Yun Xi had a clear goal and headed straight toward the back valley.

Some cultivators saw her and spoke to the people beside them. “Look, another cultivator is going to the back valley to gamble with their life. Do they really think those Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly eggs are that easy to take?”

“Just because you don’t dare go doesn’t mean others don’t dare. What if they succeed?” someone replied.

“Tsk, tsk. All I know is that so far, only two cultivators have brought butterfly eggs out. The rest went in and never came back,” the first cultivator shot back.

“Let’s go, let’s go. We should just look for a Second Rank Fei Xia butterfly,” someone said, and the group left.

On her way to the back valley, Yun Xi also ran into Second Rank Fei Xia butterflies. Even while alone, she didn’t let them go. She casually threw out a wind-type spell and trapped a butterfly inside a ring of wind, carefully scraped the powder from its wings, then released it without harming these beautiful butterfly demons.

As she got closer to the back valley’s entrance, Yun Xi encountered more and more Fei Xia butterflies. As they fanned their wings, they formed a beautiful band of colors, nearly surrounding Yun Xi.

“Master, these Fei Xia butterflies are a little too enthusiastic,” Dian Dian said through a voice transmission.

Yun Xi noticed it too. Based on the map she remembered, the area near the back valley entrance shouldn’t have been a place where Fei Xia butterflies gathered. If something was abnormal, there had to be a reason. Still, she wasn’t going to refuse mission targets that came right to her.

In the end, she simply took out a formation plate and trapped all the Fei Xia butterflies that flew toward her inside it. Then she used spells to gather the powder from their wings. The only regret was that she didn’t get any eggs.

Yun Xi split her harvested butterfly powder into two portions: one to turn in for the mission, and one to keep for herself. She was already a Second Rank high-grade alchemist, and when refining some pills with fierce medicinal effects, she also needed a neutralizing agent.

After that, she put away the formation plate, released all the Fei Xia butterflies, and continued toward the back valley.

Just then, a small pearly Fei Xia butterfly broke away from the swarm and followed behind Yun Xi, cautiously moving closer to her.

When Yun Xi entered Xia Fei Valley, she had already spread out her spiritual sense and stayed alert. She had also heard every word of the earlier conversation between those cultivators. That made her even more certain that the news about Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly eggs was a trap.

And the Fei Xia butterfly sneaking up behind her also caught her attention. But since it didn’t act, she pretended not to notice. Just as she was about to step into the back valley, the Fei Xia butterfly flapped its wings and landed on her shoulder in an instant.

Yun Xi instinctively activated Frost Profound Ice Needles, aiming at the Fei Xia butterfly. Dian Dian immediately stopped her with a voice transmission: “Master, it says it has something to say.”

The Profound Ice Needle rested against the butterfly’s belly. With just a look, Yun Xi could pierce straight through this little thing, but she could also sense it had no malice. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let it land on her shoulder in the first place.

At that moment, Dian Dian crawled out of Yun Xi’s arms and climbed onto her shoulder as well. Two different species began to communicate in a friendly way.

Yun Xi couldn’t help marveling at the strangeness of the Cultivation World. A lepidopteran insect and a rodent (nie) order mammal were chatting back and forth. It gave her the bizarre feeling of a chicken and a duck somehow communicating smoothly.

Before Yun Xi could finish marveling, Dian Dian sent a voice transmission: “Master, this is the Third Rank Fei Xia butterfly.”

“Hm?” Yun Xi let out a surprised sound, then asked instinctively, “Isn’t it supposed to be in the back valley? Why is it in the front valley?”

“This is why it stopped you,” Dian Dian replied. “A bad guy took over its nest and seized all the butterfly eggs it laid, then used its eggs to lure cultivators into the back valley.”