"Yichuan, is that Demon Lord by the woman's side now?"
Mo Ze turned back, staring directly at the subservient man behind him, a smile curling his lips.
Zhong Yichuan shook his head and reported truthfully, "Reporting to Your Highness, the Demon Lord has returned to the Demon Realm."
The dignified Demon Lord, to fall for the daughter of a demoness, to protect her at all costs.
"Truly laughable..."
Mo Ze's eyes narrowed slightly. The Demon Lord, such a cold and ruthless person, now had a weakness, a soft spot. Heaven truly was fair.
Mo Ze reached out, caressing Zhong Yichuan's handsome face, his eyes filled with triumph. "Who would have thought you would betray the Demon Lord and defect to me?"
Zhong Yichuan gritted his teeth, hatred blazing in his eyes. "The Demon Lord murdered my mother. This enmity is irreconcilable!"
Mo Ze lowered his hand, immensely satisfied. "Zhong Yichuan, your first mission from me is to monitor the Demon Lord's whereabouts and report them at all times."
He lowered his head and bowed submissively. "Yes, Your Highness."
Watching the man's retreating figure, Mo Ze's eyes sparkled, his face alight with excitement.
"Sister, Ze'er will not let anyone interfere with our reunion, not even the Demon Lord..."
"Hahahaha—"
...
"Hoo—"
In a forest somewhere, Bai Ran sat on the ground, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, and opened her eyes.
Zhong Zi and Dong Ling stood not far away, practicing their swordplay against each other, aiming to improve their respective weaknesses.
At the sixth stage of Tribulation Transcendence, only three minor realms remained before she could ascend to the Upper Realm.
Bai Ran extended her hand, looking at her palm as she slowly clenched her fist. For a full half month, the three of them had been training tirelessly since leaving Black Crow City.
After advancing to the Tribulation Transcendence stage, each subsequent realm became more difficult, requiring more time.
Three minor realms, it sounded easy, but in practice, it would likely take a month and a half of non-stop cultivation.
And then there was the Three-Pattern Pure Spirit Pill, which could only be refined by an Emperor-tier third-grade alchemist.
She had been stuck at the bottleneck of a seventh-grade alchemist for a long time and didn't know how to break through.
"Bottleneck..." Bai Ran stood up and sighed softly.
Zhong Zi and Dong Ling stopped their movements and looked over in unison.
"King, when do we set off to return to Black Crow City?"
The spirit beasts and mystic beasts in this forest had been almost wiped out under their relentless onslaught.
Dong Ling rested his chin on his hand and said gravely, "I heard that deep within this forest, there is a high-tier mystic beast, powerful and unrivaled."
"Wouldn't it be a pity not to witness it?"
Bai Ran nodded. "Dong Ling is right. It's not too late to return after we've witnessed that high-tier mystic beast."
Her mother and her corpse were well-guarded within the Demon Clan.
Black Crow City was also becoming more prosperous under the management of the Su family head, so there was no need for them to rush back.
The three of them set off, heading towards the innermost part of the forest.
The further they went, the sparser the vegetation became, even desolate. A faint stench also wafted into the air.
"What is that smell? Why is it so pungent?" Zhong Zi's senses were sharp, and he frowned, covering his nose tightly.
Dong Ling looked around, his expression also becoming serious. "Perhaps it's the scent emitted by that high-tier mystic beast. We are not far from it."
A swamp? The three of them stopped, looking at the endless swamp before them with dismay.
"Beyond this swamp lies the deepest part," Bai Ran extended her hand, tentatively holding it above the swamp.
"As expected." Bai Ran's brows furrowed, her expression turning grave.
"I wonder what lies hidden within this swamp. The gathered spiritual energy is absorbed into the swamp."
In other words, spiritual energy could not be used, and flight was impossible.
Once spiritual energy was used to cross the swamp, it would be instantly absorbed, causing one to fall mid-air and sink into its depths.
Dong Ling and Zhong Zi exchanged glances, and Bai Ran also anticipated the situation.
"That high-tier mystic beast is in this swamp and can also absorb the spiritual energy of living creatures."
Bai Ran's tone was heavy. It meant they would have to fight this mystic beast bare-handed, unable to use spiritual energy.
"No wonder those people never returned. This mystic beast is indeed extremely difficult to deal with."
Zhong Zi stroked his chin, pondering a countermeasure. "Bare-handed is not a problem, but how do we lure this mystic beast out?"
Presumably, the mystic beast had already sensed their presence and was hiding, refusing to come out.
Furthermore, if they managed to injure it, and it retreated back into the swamp, how would they deal with it?
Bai Ran smiled and took out beast-luring powder from her spatial storage. "Not a problem. We can use beast-luring powder to lure it out."
If it retreated into the swamp again, they would deal with it using the same method they used for Ting Lan.
Dong Ling and Zhong Zi nodded, ready for battle.
Bai Ran stepped forward, removed the stopper from the porcelain bottle, and sprinkled a little powder along the bank.
Within moments, the swamp churned, as if a colossal, terrifying creature was hidden within.
"Bang—"
A massive shadow suddenly shot out, startling Bai Ran, who immediately leaped away from the bank.
"It's an Ying Sheng Chong!" Dong Ling instantly recognized the high-tier mystic beast.
Ying Sheng Chong, which fed on the spiritual energy of all things, often hid in mud pits or swamps.
They were extremely cunning and would even set traps to lure living beings, then drag them into the mud.
Ying Sheng Chong? Bai Ran was somewhat surprised. Ying Sheng Chong was one of the ingredients in the formula for the Three-Pattern Pure Spirit Pill.
Ying Sheng Chong absorbed the spiritual energy of all things, possessing highly nourishing properties, making it a suitable ingredient for Emperor-tier elixirs.
They were actually so lucky to encounter one?
This meant that their original goal of merely defeating it had now changed to capturing it whole.
"Do not use spiritual energy!" Bai Ran's words fell, and the two immediately charged towards the giant serpentine creature.
Holding the Phoenix Cry Sword tightly, Bai Ran exerted her strength and also attacked the creature.
The main purpose of this training was to allow Bai Ran to stabilize her strength and improve her combat skills.
Therefore, Zhong Zi and Dong Ling would occasionally hold back, letting her be the main force and fight freely.
"Clang—"
The sword struck the creature's body, as hard as armor, sending a numbing shock up Bai Ran's arm.
"How can it be so tough..."
She didn't rush, nimbly dodging the Ying Sheng Chong's attacks, constantly observing its movements and searching for its weakness.
The Ying Sheng Chong had a ring of terrifying teeth around its mouth. If bitten, one would likely lose limbs to survive.
It swung its body, lashing its tail towards Dong Ling, who dodged it steadily.
The next moment, the Ying Sheng Chong suddenly changed direction and lunged at Bai Ran with its mouth wide open.
"Pfft—"
Bai Ran blocked with her sword, but it was merely a feigned attack. In reality, it spat out wet mud.
Damn it! Bai Ran knitted her brows. Caught off guard, mud splashed into her eyes.
Its massive body charged forward, suddenly opening its cavernous maw towards Bai Ran.
"King!" Zhong Zi's cry of alarm rang out.