Chapter Thirty: A Stinging Reversal

Sitting beside the spirit fire, eating grilled fish and listening to Shen Luo recount the events of the past days, Shen Fengling still found it somewhat unreal. It wasn’t until Luo mentioned the Twelve-Grade Serpent Saint Whip that Fengling’s eyes sharpened, his voice icy as frost: “That old scoundrel Shangguan actually dared to use us as live targets—truly despicable and shameless.”

It turned out that after the first batch of cultivators disappeared, Clan Chief Shen Xu led the other great powers deeper into the secret realm to investigate. On the way, they rescued a Shangguan clansman being pursued by demonic cultivators. That person deceived them into entering the secret realm, and then, step by step, led them into traps laid by the demon cultivators. Though everyone managed to escape by working together, the casualties were still severe.

The demon cultivators relentlessly pursued them, and after several days of bitter fighting, their luck worsened—they soon encountered a rampaging herd of fifth-tier Red-Spiked Boars. It was at that point that the party became separated.

Life after being cut off from the group was even more arduous. On one side were attacks from powerful demon cultivators; on the other, high-level ferocious beasts that emerged from the secret realm at any moment. Old wounds and new injuries left them utterly exhausted. Just as despair threatened to overwhelm them, they discovered this bizarre demon flower, its flames smoking and the aroma of grilled spirit fish wafting through the air.

That was how things stood.

Su Li’s gaze darkened slightly as she thought: The Shangguan clan was determined to make the entire Youzhou City shoulder this blame. If the secret realm was crawling with demon cultivators, then perhaps the Old Ancestor of the Shangguan clan was still here. If they could expose the truth face-to-face, maybe the crisis threatening Youzhou City could be resolved.

The real issue now was: how could they force him to show himself?

Shen Fengling let out a long sigh before asking, “Luo, I haven’t had a chance to ask—what’s the story with this demon flower?”

Shen Luo succinctly recounted the events before and after entering the secret realm.

After hearing him out, Shen Fengling’s expression turned subtly complex.

He had casually rescued someone along the way, only to discover that person was an elder from the continent’s foremost sect—a tier-eight alchemy master, no less. On this continent, there were exceedingly few tier-eight alchemists. What did that mean? No matter which sect or noble house one visited, such a figure would be revered as a living ancestor.

But that wasn’t all. Upon entering the secret realm, he effortlessly subdued a Demon Flower King—not just any mutated spirit plant, but a battle-hardened spirit flower with awakened intelligence.

His luck was simply extraordinary!

Shen Fengling gazed at him with deep, inscrutable eyes. A wild thought suddenly sprouted in his mind—perhaps this young man could lead them all out of here.

That fleeting notion was quickly dismissed. In the face of overwhelming power, such hopes were mere fantasies.

As silence settled, the other two gradually awoke. Seeing Shen Luo, smiles broke across everyone’s faces. But soon, they noticed the aura of Shen Luo’s Heart-Moving Third Realm, and were stunned speechless.

He had advanced two major realms in just half a month!

Such terrifying, almost freakish cultivation talent was unprecedented—not just on this continent, but throughout the cultivation world, there was no equal.

They moved past their shock to excitement—this might mean the Shen family could once more ascend to the pinnacle.

“By the way, Luo, where’s your beast?” Shen Hao asked, puzzled, automatically ignoring the white beast beside him. In his eyes, a zero-tier beast, no matter how it advanced, was at best a spirit pet. Only something as majestic as the Vermillion Bird could be called a true beast.

Su Li glanced sideways, catching the hint of disdain in Shen Hao’s eyes, and found it rather baffling. As Shen Luo explained, “We were separated crossing the secret realm.”

He was worried about Feng Xi, unsure of its fate, and his mood grew somewhat low.

Su Li lifted a paw to rest on his arm, wanting to say: That silly bird may lack brains, but it’s incredibly powerful—it won’t die so easily.

Shen Luo reached out to gently rub her head.

“How did you survive all alone?” Shen Hao exclaimed.

Su Li puffed out her chest in pride.

Shen Hao’s eye twitched. “Don’t tell me it was because of this cat?”

At that, the fluffy cat tail waved high in the air.

Shen Hao: …

Was this a joke?

He looked to Shen Luo, who nodded seriously, a hint of pride in his expression. Shen Hao’s worldview fractured on the spot. His gaze swept to the Nineteenth Elder, who calmly took a bite of grilled spirit fish as if nothing were amiss. Taking a deep breath, Shen Hao glanced at Shen Sinan beside him, equally bewildered, and felt somewhat comforted.

Wait, how could this possibly be?

Shen Hao thought of his own and Shen Sinan’s beasts: a seventh-tier, fifth-level Twin-Tailed Flame Lion, and an eighth-tier, eighth-level Sky-Swallowing Python, both severely injured and sealed away in their beast bags. How could this… He frowned, considering the absurdly cute spirit pet before him.

“Impossible,” he blurted out.

Su Li, her strength doubted, was displeased. Just then, she heard the fluttering sound of wings. Looking toward the source, she saw a Thunder Peng Bird charging excitedly toward them, its appearance reminiscent of a certain silly bird.

She pounced, striking down hard with a paw.

“Bang!”

The Thunder Peng Bird lay flat on the ground, its beady eyes utterly confused.

“So ferocious!” Tiger Soul exclaimed in awe.

The Demon Flower King dared not move a muscle.

The other humans were dumbfounded.

Su Li tilted her head, blinking her round cat eyes with a look that said, “I’m just a zero-tier cat beast, I know nothing at all.”

Shen Hao felt his cheeks sting.

“The furball is just a bit mischievous,” Shen Luo explained awkwardly, but he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips.

Everyone silently complained in their hearts—could he be any more obvious in defending his beast?

Shen Fengling patted Shen Hao’s shoulder, his expression grave, and relayed what Shen Luo had just told him.

“Is the Twelve-Grade Serpent Saint Whip really that formidable?” Shen Sinan asked.

Shen Hao replied, “What do you think? That canyon was created by this very sacred artifact.”

A hush fell over the group.

Speaking of the Serpent Saint Whip, Su Li suddenly asked Tiger Soul, “If you met the Shangguan Ancestor, how confident would you be?”

Tiger Soul shook its head. “Perhaps thirty… no, more like twenty percent chance of victory.”

Su Li was surprised.

“That old ancestor is a Divided Spirit realm powerhouse. With the Twelve-Grade sacred weapon in hand, it’s as if he has a mighty Shapeshifting realm beast as a helper,” Tiger Soul replied coldly. “But that day in the canyon, my shadow sensed the aura of a Beast Emperor. I suspect the Serpent Whip’s spirit has already advanced two major realms.”

A powerful artifact spirit could continue to cultivate, and what’s more, that serpent likely possessed the pure blood of ancient savage beasts.

If they had to face only one, Tiger Soul might have some chance, but to contend with two fearsome powers at once—the odds were slim. After all, it could only exert a third of its strength at present.

Su Li’s expression shifted slightly. “If battle becomes inevitable, and the circumstances change, I want you to do everything in your power to ensure his safety.”

There was no need to clarify who “he” was; Tiger Soul understood at once. It thought: No wonder its master always cared for Sister Tuan—she, too, always put him first. It nodded solemnly, “I understand. If the situation changes, I will immediately take the master away.”

Tiger Soul had full confidence in Su Li. After all, this formidable figure was a legendary existence. A Divided Spirit realm cultivator paired with a Beast Emperor? That was nothing to fear.