Chapter 234: Cai Yao Awakens! Destined Meeting!

"No!"

A loud cry echoed within a small room. Cai Yao abruptly sat upright.

Her breathing was rapid, and cold sweat covered her forehead.

Scenes of what had happened before she fell unconscious flashed through her mind.

The attack on the island. The deaths of dozens of experts. Her decision to sacrifice herself.

The moment she remembered everything, Cai Yao was shocked.

"How... How did I survive?"

She lowered her head and stared at her current body.

She fully expected to see a shriveled-up corpse.

After all, she clearly remembered burning through her vitality and lifespan to activate that terrifying weapon.

Even if she had survived, she should have been left with severe injuries, on the verge of death.

Yet when she looked at herself, Cai Yao found absolutely no injuries. Her body was completely normal.

Her Spiritual Energy was flowing smoothly, and there wasn’t even the slightest pain.

It was as though the previous scene had merely been an illusion.

Cai Yao frowned.

She carefully circulated her Spiritual Energy throughout her body, checking every inch of her meridians and foundation. There was nothing wrong.

In fact, she vaguely felt that her condition was even better than before.

"What’s going on?"

Just when Cai Yao was about to investigate further, footsteps echoed from outside.

The door suddenly swung open.

A woman entered while holding several bottles filled with medicinal pills. Originally, she was about to approach Cai Yao and feed her the healing pills.

But the moment she saw Cai Yao sitting upright, her pupils shrank.

First came astonishment. Then excitement.

Finally—

"Everyone! The Sect Leader has woken up! The Sect Leader has woken up!"

Her excited cry soon echoed throughout the pavilion. The originally quiet building instantly became noisy.

Footsteps could be heard rushing over from every direction.

--

Several minutes later, Cai Yao had finally understood what had happened from her subordinates.

It had been half a month since the battle against the Nascent Soul turtle.

Since then, she had remained unconscious, only surviving because of the medicinal pills her subordinates constantly fed her.

However, that wasn’t the only reason she had managed to survive.

Or rather...

There was another reason.

A person.

"You mean to tell me that a mysterious Senior carried me back and ordered you to take care of me?"

Cai Yao stared at her subordinate.

The woman immediately nodded.

"Yes, Leader."

"That Senior appeared shortly after the battle ended. He carried you back and left you in our care. Before leaving, he only gave us a few instructions."

Originally, Cai Yao was surprised.

However, when she recalled the final scene before she fell unconscious, as well as that unmistakable aura, her eyes suddenly widened.

That figure...

Could it be him?

"Did... Did that Senior say anything before leaving?"

Cai Yao hurriedly grabbed her subordinate by the shoulders.

The woman was startled by her reaction.

"Lea—Leader, there is indeed something!"

She quickly recalled the events from that day.

"Before leaving, that Senior left behind a message. He asked us to tell you that he had left something in the underground room."

"He also said..." The woman hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Only you can open it."

Cai Yao’s breathing immediately became heavier. Due to her many experiences, she had long since shed the youthful recklessness she once possessed.

Yet the moment she heard those words, all of her composure vanished.

"Take me there!"

--

It didn’t take long.

Only a few minutes later, Cai Yao had dismissed her subordinates and reached the entrance of the underground room.

Her face was full of expectation. However, there was also a trace of hesitation hidden within her eyes.

Was she finally going to see the mysterious Senior again? Or, at the very least, was she finally going to see what he had left behind?

Thinking about this, Cai Yao stood outside the door for several long seconds.

In the end, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

She stepped inside. She originally expected to find some precious treasure.

Yet what greeted her was an unfathomable aura crashing toward her face.

It was ancient and formidable, seemingly stretching back through the depths of the river of time.

Even Cai Yao’s breathing became slightly sluggish under its pressure.

But surprisingly, she showed no fear.

Instead, a look of disgust flashed across her face. There was even a hint of annoyance.

"Squeebly!"

She spoke through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at the enormous white rabbit munching on several blades of grass.

The moment her words fell, the creature that looked like some primordial beast abruptly stopped chewing.

It slowly turned around. Its crimson eyes met Cai Yao’s furious gaze.

The atmosphere froze.

The white rabbit’s aura had progressed even further while Cai Yao was asleep.

Perhaps stimulated by the turtle’s attack, it had reached the Peak of Core Formation.

With its current strength, even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators might not dare to underestimate it.

Yet upon meeting Cai Yao’s eyes, the terrifying beast was instantly terrified. The grass in its mouth dropped to the ground.

"Woo! Woo!"

It immediately cried out.

Its enormous body rapidly shrank, transforming into its familiar appearance before it jumped toward Cai Yao with tears in its eyes.

Its expression of longing, combined with its pristine white fur, made it look incredibly pitiful.

Master! Master! A naive voice could almost be heard.

Unfortunately for Squeebly, Cai Yao would not be fooled by its act.

"Squeebly! Where did you find those Spiritual Plants?!"

She grabbed it by the ear and pulled.

"Woo!"

Squeebly immediately cried out in grievance.

Cai Yao ignored it and dragged the rabbit toward the place where it had just been standing.

She soon noticed something on the ground. A spatial ring.

The moment she saw it, Cai Yao’s anger toward Squeebly became even more apparent.

She seemed to have already guessed where those precious Spiritual Plants had come from.

"You..."

Cai Yao’s expression changed.

With a complicated look on her face, she picked up the Spatial Ring and poured her Divine Sense into it.

A pocket space immediately appeared within her perception. Cai Yao quickly examined its contents.

Soon—

"Squeebly!"

A heart-wrenching cry echoed throughout the underground room.

It was filled with grief and undisguised resentment.

Cai Yao stared at the few remaining items within the Spatial Ring.

A few pills. A few Magic Weapons. A few cultivation techniques.

All of them were at the Nascent Soul level.

Their value was astonishing.

Any Core Formation cultivator who saw these treasures would probably turn red with greed.

For Cai Yao, someone at the Foundation Establishment realm, this was even more true.

These resources were enough to greatly accelerate her cultivation and provide her with a powerful foundation for the future.

Yet Cai Yao could not feel happy at all.

She reached into the Spatial Ring and took out the remaining items.

Immediately, she noticed several bite marks on all of them.

Some were still dripping with saliva.

Squeebly... had tried to eat them all!

Although these items had managed to survive, every material below the Nascent Soul realm had clearly stood no chance against its ferocious fangs.

Cai Yao almost burst into tears.

These were the resources left to her by the mysterious Senior. They represented the Senior’s goodwill and were enough for her to reach Nascent Soul.

But now...

They had been eaten by an ordinary rabbit!

The more Cai Yao thought about it, the angrier she became.

For a moment, her gaze drifted toward Squeebly. Her expression gradually became dangerous.

She actually began wondering whether she should stew this rabbit now, while the medicinal properties of those Spiritual Plants had yet to completely fuse with it.

If she ate it, there was a chance she could break through to the Core Formation realm!

Squeebly’s body trembled. It seemed to sense the danger in Cai Yao’s gaze and hurriedly hid behind her legs.

Fortunately for the little rabbit, Cai Yao ultimately restrained that impulse.

Squeebly had followed her since she was young. Although it had obviously acted recklessly, she had no real murderous intent toward it.

After all, this rabbit had accompanied her through countless difficult moments. She couldn’t really bring herself to kill it.

With a sigh, Cai Yao turned her attention back toward the treasures.

She continued searching through the spatial ring, hoping to find something that could tell her why the mysterious Senior had left these things behind.

Soon, her eyes lit up.

Within the spatial ring, she found an ordinary-looking talisman.

At first, she didn’t think much of it.

Compared to the precious pills and Magic Weapons, the talisman looked extremely ordinary. There was nothing particularly special about it.

Yet when Cai Yao retrieved it, something unexpected happened.

The talisman suddenly burst into flames.

Cai Yao’s expression changed.

She instinctively took a step back. However, the flames did not burn her.

Instead, they rapidly fused together, transforming into a familiar figure.

The moment she saw that figure, Cai Yao’s eyes widened.

Her heart began beating rapidly.

"Senior!"