Chapter Forty-Four: An Unfathomable Restlessness

After a moment, Ke Rongzi recalled the dozen or so supreme elixirs he had just stuffed into his own mouth—perhaps out of desperation, utterly without restraint. His face darkened at once as he scolded, “These pills are for saving your life; don’t take them out so carelessly again.”

Yet no sooner had he finished speaking than he fished out another large handful and stuffed them into the youth’s arms with a flourish, as if he were a local tycoon squandering his riches with abandon.

The others looked on, faces filled with envy.

Astonishing!

Fine, you’re an alchemist—reckless enough, and certainly impressive!

Shen Luo looked a bit bewildered.

Seeing his dazed expression, Ke Rongzi felt a pang of worry, let out a barely audible sigh, and secretly resolved: From now on, I must keep him by my side and teach him personally. Otherwise, with his utterly defenseless and extravagant ways, he’s bound to be taken advantage of until there’s nothing left.

“Uncle Ke, why did you all come down here?” Shen Luo suddenly asked.

Su Li, intrigued, perked up and looked over.

Ke Rongzi’s expression turned grim. “After we realized you’d disappeared, I joined Brother Shen in searching for you. That group of cultivators, cowardly and greedy for life, were easily swayed by a few words and banded together against us. By the way, you know the one who sowed discord—it’s the same cultivator who made trouble at the entrance to the secret realm.”

Shen Luo’s face changed in shock. “He’s the one who pushed me down as well.”

“Despicable wretch,” Ke Rongzi clenched his fists, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. “I won’t rest until he’s gone.”

Gu Hongshang’s elegant brows knitted in worry. “Mo Lin is the nephew of the Sect Master of Hengyue Sect, and the young master of the Mo family in Liao City.”

Su Li’s gaze deepened as she struggled to recall the plot. Hengyue Sect was the second largest sect in the Southern Continents, and the Mo family of Liao City was also a renowned clan. No wonder he was so arrogant; his powerful backers explained it all. She remembered so clearly because the male lead’s second romantic entanglement was with someone from the Mo family.

At this thought, Su Li inexplicably felt a wave of irritation, unable to understand this sudden mood and forced herself to suppress it for now.

As silence fell among the group, the spirit beasts gathered together to chat.

The bluebird fluttered its wings angrily. “Boss, are we really going to let him off so easily?”

A sinister chill flickered in those feline eyes. Su Li sneered, “Is killing a little worm not easy? This secret realm is full of dangers—who can guarantee there won’t be any accidents?”

The bluebird, struggling to follow her train of thought, asked dejectedly, “What do you mean?”

Su Li sighed and patted his head. “Don’t worry, it’s fine if you’re not smart—your fighting power is what matters.”

There was thick disdain in her tone, and this time the bluebird understood. Hurt, he flew to perch atop Tiger Soul’s head and complained, “Brother Tiger, is it because Boss keeps calling me a dumb bird that I’m not smart enough?”

Tiger Soul: Heh.

Unexpectedly, the silly bird began hopping around on Tiger Soul’s head. At his limit, Tiger Soul shook himself, sending the bird tumbling onto his back.

The sudden jolt startled everyone else.

Shen Luo asked, “What happened?”

Tiger Soul replied, “Nothing, my scalp was itchy, so I scratched it.”

Everyone: …

If only they were strong enough, they’d love to deal with him!

All around was pitch black, and they seemed almost melted into the darkness. Gradually, everyone instinctively settled into meditation. Sure enough, once they entered this state, the outside world faded away and their minds grew calm.

Bored, Su Li took out the Blue Yu Flood Dragon from her spirit beast pouch. She had many questions and now was the perfect time to ask them.

Blue Yu Flood Dragon showed no sign of emotion—perhaps knowing resistance was useless, he remained calm. “Boss, what do you need from me?”

Su Li asked, “How did you end up there?”

Blue Yu Flood Dragon hesitated, unsure if he should tell the truth.

Su Li, seeing through him, said, “It has something to do with the Soaring Serpent’s Sacred Whip, doesn’t it?”

Blue Yu Flood Dragon’s composure cracked at once, and he exclaimed in shock, “You know about the Soaring Serpent’s Sacred Whip?” His gaze grew complicated as he looked at her. After a moment’s struggle, he finally spoke. “I was captured by that Soaring Serpent and made its… servant.” That admission was hard to utter, but once begun, the rest followed.

“I was once a lord of the Trial Realm. By chance, I heard rumors of the Sacred Whip and, after much investigation, finally found it. But the owner of the golden coffin had set a restriction—I was poisoned by the fumes and trapped. As if that weren’t enough, the Sacred Whip’s spirit had already reached beast emperor level; I was no match and was beaten and enslaved day and night, until a cultivator broke the taboo and I managed to escape the serpent’s clutches.”

His voice was heavy with suppressed anger, but he didn’t want to say more, glossing over the details.

The bluebird snorted, “Brother Yu Jiao, it’s just a stupid snake—let’s kill it and avenge you!”

Blue Yu Flood Dragon glanced at him indifferently, not bothering to reply.

A mere chubby thing at the Bone Tempering stage wanting to kill a beast emperor level monster—what a joke!

Sensing the disdain, the bluebird was hurt and drooped his wings. “Boss, am I right?”

Su Li flicked her long tail and nodded. “Indeed, that demon serpent is far too arrogant. Who knows, we might run into it once we’re out of here—a fierce battle is probably unavoidable.”

Her reasoning wasn’t baseless. If Old Rogue Shangguan wanted to keep the news secret, everyone would be buried in the secret realm. When the time came, either both sides would be destroyed, or only one would survive.

“But,” she changed tack, “no matter what happens, if you can’t win, just run. Above all, keep A’Luo safe.”

Su Li quietly thought: Once the male lead grows, let alone a little snake demon at beast emperor level—even gods could be destroyed.

Blue Yu Flood Dragon’s face twitched. Clearly, he should never have tried to understand the boss with normal logic.

Cultivation always made time fly.

Before the group realized it, the ground suddenly shook violently. They opened their eyes in alarm, only to find they’d emerged from underground. Yet the sight before them left them dumbfounded.

Devastation stretched as far as the eye could see—a hundred-zhang-wide gorge cutting from west to east, the entire land shrouded in deathly stillness.

Tiger Soul stopped atop a mountain peak. The group dismounted, faces grave.

What on earth had happened here?

Suddenly, a powerful, domineering aura spread, pressing down on their hearts like a towering mountain.

This terrifying presence belonged to a cultivator well above the Nascent Soul stage!

With a deafening boom, the entire secret realm shook as surging energy waves swept outward, crashing against the protective barrier on all sides. Yet the aura shield merely trembled and then easily neutralized the overwhelming force.

One by one, their expressions changed to awe, and when they looked at Tiger Soul, they did so with a new wariness.

“It’s the chieftain!” Shen Hao exclaimed.

Everyone looked up.

Above them, two figures—one gray, one blue—stood facing each other in the sky. Nearby, a snow-white, Nine-Tailed, Three-Eyed Silver Wolf at the Soul Condensation stage was locked in fierce battle with a golden, beast emperor level Soaring Serpent phantom. The very air seemed to twist from the force.