Chapter 11: Me? I’m just a dog

Forget it, I’ll keep it for now and wait for a more critical situation.

Ling Xiyue sheathed the Green Scale Sword and scanned her surroundings.

“Let’s scout the path ahead first and get a feel for the Secret Realm’s layout before making a plan.”

She pushed off the ground, channeling spiritual power into the soles of her feet, and leaped less than 2 feet into the air.

*Boom.*

An invisible force slammed down from above.

Ling Xiyue’s body plummeted, her heels slamming into the ground so hard her knees buckled.

Luo Qingchen quickly reached out to steady her arm.

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Is the injury too serious?”

Ling Xiyue brushed her hand away and rolled her eyes.

“There’s a flight restriction here.”

“A flight restriction? So we can’t fly?”

“Powerful cultivators have placed restrictions over the entire Secret Realm. Anyone who tries to fly will be struck down. The higher your cultivation, the stronger the backlash.”

Luo Qingchen glanced up at the sky.

Beneath the layer of azure firmament, she could vaguely see faint, intricate patterns flowing.

This was just great.

They couldn’t fly, so they were stuck traveling on foot, wandering blindly.

Without another word, Ling Xiyue set off.

Luo Qingchen followed, and Xiao Bai trailed behind them, tail wagging.

The three of them—or more accurately, the two people and one dog—stepped over thick layers of fallen leaves as they ventured deeper into the forest.

They walked for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Suddenly, Xiao Bai stopped and twitched its nose.

“There’s the scent of water ahead, and…”

It sniffed harder.

“Blood. It’s very strong.”

Luo Qingchen and Ling Xiyue stopped at the same time.

Ling Xiyue placed her right hand on her sword hilt.

“How far?”

“About 300 paces,” Xiao Bai whispered.

“There’s more than one living creature; their auras are mixed. There’s a big one.”

Luo Qingchen touched her chest, feeling the Five Elements Blade within the jade slip in her Dantian.

She had just obtained the Five Elements Blade and hadn’t had time to familiarize herself with it.

Even the techniques of “Wailing Ghosts and Howling Gods” had only played through her mind once.

She had no idea how effective she would be in actual combat.

Ling Xiyue turned her head and lowered her voice.

“Stay close to me and don’t wander off. If we run into something we can’t handle, take the dog and retreat first.”

Luo Qingchen nodded.

“What about you?”

Ling Xiyue didn’t answer and drew her sword, heading forward.

Luo Qingchen followed, cursing inwardly.

‘This Eldest Senior Sister always speaks in riddles. She’s just like those bosses from my past life who made grand promises but never gave raises.’

The three of them broke through the last line of dense forest.

A broad vista opened up before them.

A river, over 100 feet wide, lay ahead.

The water glowed with a faint green light, flowing slowly.

On the muddy riverbank, a large number of white bones were scattered—mostly animal bones.

Luo Qingchen froze in her tracks.

Crouched over the bones were several creatures gnawing away.

They were about the size of wolves, covered in dark red scales, with two curved short horns on their heads.

One was happily crunching on a leg bone.

*Crunch, crunch.*

Xiao Bai shrunk back behind Luo Qingchen’s heels, trembling all over.

“Scale… Scaled Horned Beasts.”

Its voice shook.

“An adult Scaled Horned Beast is equivalent to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.”

It sniffed again.

“Seven. No, eight. There’s another one on the other side of the river.”

Luo Qingchen stared at the Scaled Horned Beasts gnawing on bones across the river and swallowed hard.

Eight Foundation Establishment middle-stage demonic beasts.

If she were alone, she would have slipped away long ago.

But things were different now.

With a thought, a strangely shaped dagger appeared in her palm out of thin air.

The Five Elements Blade.

This dagger didn’t have the metallic luster of an ordinary weapon; it looked as if it were carved from the bones of some unknown exotic beast.

The handle was rough, fitting the lines of her palm perfectly.

At the guard, a beast core the size of a longan fruit was embedded.

The core was rotating slowly, with five distinct energy ripples flowing within it.

At that moment, the beast core stopped in the gold section.

The entire blade was instantly dyed a dazzling dark gold, emitting an aura of indestructible sharpness.

Luo Qingchen gave the dagger a casual flourish.

It sliced through the air with a faint *hiss*.

‘What a great blade.’

Ling Xiyue stood beside her, her gaze falling on the Five Elements Blade.

As a sword cultivator, she was extremely sensitive to weapons.

The moment the dagger appeared, the Green Scale Sword in her hand let out a faint hum.

This was a reaction that only occurred when encountering a spiritual tool of the same or higher grade.

“This spiritual tool is extraordinary,” Ling Xiyue praised, which was a rare occurrence.

Luo Qingchen gripped the handle tightly, her eyes fixed on the distant Scaled Horned Beasts.

“Let’s deal with them before we start with the mutual flattery.”

Ling Xiyue blinked.

She obviously didn’t understand what “mutual flattery” meant, but she could guess the general sentiment.

“They haven’t noticed us yet.”

Ling Xiyue pressed her hand onto the hilt of the Green Scale Sword.

“I’m injured, so it’s not wise to fight them head-on. Let’s retreat and go around.”

Luo Qingchen nodded, thinking it made sense.

Survival was the priority.

Just as she was about to turn around, her Dantian jolted.

The Deception Jade Slip lit up.

A line of blood-red script was etched directly onto the jade.

**[New task triggered]**

**[Task Objective: Kill the Scaled Horned Beast pack, occupy the cave behind them, and obtain the hidden opportunity within.]**

**[Task Reward: One mystery prize]**

Luo Qingchen froze.

A mystery prize?

This stingy jade slip usually held back—it would give a cultivation technique but not a weapon—yet now it was offering a mystery prize.

Luo Qingchen calculated her options rapidly.

She was still burdened by that deadly curse from the Heaven-Stealing Sect.

Relying on her own cultivation and research to break it would take forever, and she only had three years.

She had to rely on the Deception Jade Slip.

Even though it loved to issue twisted tasks that often pitted her against Ling Xiyue, if the rewards were good enough, it was worth the risk.

Fortune favors the bold.

Luo Qingchen turned back toward the river. “I’m not leaving.”

Ling Xiyue frowned.

“There’s no need to take risks. It won’t be too late to come back once I’ve recovered.”

Luo Qingchen pointed at Xiao Bai on the ground.

“Xiao Bai just said they’re only at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.”

“Even if you’re injured, you’re still a powerful expert at the middle stage of Core Formation. Isn’t fighting above your level as easy as eating or drinking for you? And this isn’t even that—it’s practically bullying them!”

Ling Xiyue remained silent, looking at her coldly.

Luo Qingchen continued her sales pitch.

“Look at those Scaled Horned Beasts. They’ve been guarding that riverbank without leaving. What does that tell you?”

“It means there’s definitely a treasure behind them!”

“We’ve just arrived in this Secret Realm and are stumbling around blindly. We need to find a safe place to settle down, don’t we?”

“If we clear them out, we get the treasure and a base of operations. We’ll be able to attack or retreat as needed.”

The more Luo Qingchen spoke, the more sense she made—she even convinced herself.

She looked down at Xiao Bai. “Xiao Bai, am I right?”

Xiao Bai had been playing dead on the ground, but hearing this, it quickly raised its head.

It glanced at the Five Elements Blade in Luo Qingchen’s hand and then at the Green Scale Sword in Ling Xiyue’s.

Both of these female demons were ruthless.

It didn’t dare say no.

Xiao Bai nodded like a chicken pecking for grain.

“Yes, yes, yes! This girl is absolutely right!”

“Lord Dog already smelled it—there’s an incredibly pure fragrance of spiritual energy coming from that cave across the river!”

“It’s definitely something good!”

Ling Xiyue watched the person and dog work in tandem, her brow furrowing even deeper.

She might be innocent, but she wasn’t stupid.

This little thief was terrified a moment ago; how did she suddenly become so bellicose after taking out a dagger?

However, Luo Qingchen did have a point.

The Secret Realm was full of dangers, and she was injured.

If she couldn’t find a safe place to recover, meeting a stronger demonic beast would only be more perilous.

The cave across the river was indeed a good option.

“Fine,” Ling Xiyue conceded.

“But we must end this quickly. The noise might attract other things.”

Luo Qingchen’s eyes lit up.

“Got it!”

She immediately began arranging tactics.

“Let’s do this: we’ll split three ways.”

Luo Qingchen used the Five Elements Blade to sketch a plan on the ground.

“My cultivation is the lowest, so I’ll take charge of distracting one.”

“Eldest Senior Sister, your cultivation is the highest and you’re the main damage dealer, so you’ll handle three.”

Luo Qingchen turned her head toward Xiao Bai on the ground.

“Xiao Bai, you handle the remaining four.”

Silence suddenly filled the air, broken only by the sound of the flowing river and the distant crunching of bones.

The flattering smile on Xiao Bai’s face instantly froze.

It slowly sat up and raised a furry front paw, pointing at its own nose.

“Me?” Its voice cracked in extreme terror.

“You want me to take on four?!”