Chapter 39: “Hey, Need Some Help?”

Cloud Abyss Secret Realm

In the depths of the dense forest, several flying swords darted out, followed by a series of sharp, piercing screeches.

Chu Sang had no time to look back. She hastily slapped a few Speed Talismans onto herself, leading her senior brothers and sisters as they leapt through the forest, desperately fleeing for their lives.

Hundreds of third-rank demonic beasts – the Scarlet Poison Bees – were in relentless pursuit of these damned thieves! The air was filled with deafening buzzing as they angrily spewed highly toxic flames, incinerating everything in their path and leaving behind a trail of scorched earth and chaos.

“The poison of these demon beasts seems incredibly potent. I wonder if we could bring some back…” Mu Chihuai, a weak alchemist with no combat skills except his expertise in pill refining and poison-making, was quickly running out of energy.

“Have these bees mutated? They’re even taller than me!” Tantai Ming, who was carrying Mu Chihuai as they fled, wailed, “For heaven’s sake, stop pulling my hair—ahhh!”

“Slow down, I’m dizzy. I’m about to fall off.”

“Any slower and we’ll both end up in a demon beast’s stomach! Ow, stop grabbing my belt, you perverted bastard Mu Chihuai!!!” The heavy sword swayed left and right due to their antics.

Exasperated, Chu Sang grabbed Mu Chihuai onto her own sword to prevent the two from crashing. “Stop messing around and run!”

“These demon beasts can even breathe fire. I-I can’t run anymore!”

Sikou Qiu, with her low cultivation, was flying more slowly. A spark accidentally caught her skirt and quickly spread like a venomous snake climbing up. She turned pale with fright. Chu Sang, sensing this with her spiritual sense, shouted sternly, “There’s a river ahead, jump into the water!”

Cheng Ying hugged Sikou Qiu and leapt into the river. The others quickly followed, taking out the Concealment and Underwater Talismans Chu Sang had prepared in advance. They stuck them on their bodies and held their breath.

The water surface returned to calm, with the overlapping shadows of the enormous and terrifying demon beasts rippling across it. The Scarlet Poison Bees circled the river several times, but unable to find any trace of the group, they gradually flew away after about half an hour.

“Phew…”

Once they were certain the danger had completely passed, the group let out a collective sigh of relief. They emerged from the water, tore off the talismans on their bodies, and used spiritual energy to dry their clothes.

“That was too close. I’m never coming out with you guys again.” Mu Chihuai collapsed on the ground, utterly defeated. He just wanted to stay at home and practice alchemy in peace, not constantly escape death.

“Sixth Senior Brother, catch.” Chu Sang tossed him a spatial bag.

Mu Chihuai opened it and perked up – it was full of Scarlet Poison Bee stingers, dozens of them. How did Little Junior Sister manage to collect so many while fleeing for her life?

“Sixth Senior Brother, help me refine some poison,” Chu Sang said.

“No problem, I’ll keep some for myself too.” Mu Chihuai took out his alchemy furnace and started refining poison on the spot.

“What are you two making poison for?!” Tantai Ming looked wary.

Mu Chihuai replied innocently, “What bad intentions could a weak alchemist like me have? I’m just making more poison for self-defence.”

“That’s right, self-defence!” Chu Sang chimed in righteously.

Tantai Ming: “…” Are you sure it’s for self-defence and not for others to defend against you two schemers?

“The secret realm is really as dangerous as the rumours say. But wow, it’s so exciting!” As the pampered young lady of the Sikou family, Sikou Qiu had never been allowed to enter secret realms by her father due to her poor aptitude and low cultivation. This was her first time experiencing a secret realm, and she found it thrilling and fun beyond expectation!

This wasn’t Tantai Ming’s first time in a secret realm, but every time he came with Little Junior Sister, it was always hectic. He could never predict what she would do next.

Who would have thought that while they were walking through the secret realm just fine, Little Junior Sister would suddenly decide to raid a Scarlet Poison Bee hive, angering the entire colony into chasing them?

“Fortune favors the bold. This is royal jelly, which can greatly restore spiritual energy, even better than top-grade Spirit Restoration Pills.” Chu Sang took out a porcelain bottle and shook it, distributing it to them to restore their spiritual energy.

It was risky, but worth it.

Secret realms naturally contain both opportunities and dangers. While everyone wants to seek opportunities, dangers are equally important for tempering one’s abilities.

After consuming the royal jelly, they immediately felt a surge of rich spiritual energy flowing through their bodies. They furrowed their brows and quickly guided the spiritual energy into their dantian and meridians. Not only did they instantly feel refreshed and full of energy, even their cultivation bottlenecks seemed to loosen a bit.

Mu Chihuai opened his eyes and stood up. He looked around and reminded them, “…This is still the outer area, yet we’ve already encountered large groups of third-rank demon beasts with strength comparable to human Golden Core cultivators. The inner area will be even more dangerous.”

“As expected of a hundred years old secret realm.” Tantai Ming also spoke solemnly for once, “Everyone be careful. Don’t touch anything carelessly, and absolutely do not get separated, or it will be very dangerous.”

“Ancient secret realms are full of crises. If one’s strength is not at the Nascent Soul stage or above, it’s best to find other teams to travel together. This can improve our ability to deal with risks,” Cheng Ying, who usually followed Sikou Qiu silently like a shadow, spoke up to remind them.

Just as he finished speaking, a large group of people swaggered into view from not far away. Their bright yellow robes were particularly eye-catching, making Chu Sang look twice.

The young man leading the group looked extremely arrogant. Chu Sang observed him… and felt her hands itching.

“They’re disciples of the Alchemy Sect,” Mu Chihuai explained.

“The man in front is called Zhao Xun. He’s from the Zhao family, a famous artifact refining clan. He joined the Alchemy Sect over a decade ago, and his family owns the Treasure Forging Tower.” As the eldest son of an alchemy family, Mu Chihuai had been in contact with various major clans and prestigious cultivators in the cultivation world since childhood, so he knew most people in this circle. “A few days ago, those Golden Core cultivators who came to make trouble accidentally dropped their identity tokens before leaving.”

The token bore the Zhao family’s emblem. Zhao Xun had always been known for his vicious and overbearing nature, so those people were most likely sent by him.”

Tantai Ming also leaned in, narrowed his eyes, and exclaimed, “These people have maps in their hands. They seem to be looking for something. Why don’t we secretly follow them?”

Chu Sang reached out to stop the eager seventh senior brother. “Zhao Xun has several powerful Golden Core cultivators behind him. If we follow them rashly, we might be discovered.”

She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “I’ve got it!”

The group: “…” Got what?

Whenever Little Junior Sister had that smile, someone was bound to be in trouble.

…

Zhao Xun and his group were hurrying along the route shown on their map scroll.

Along the way, they had avoided the dangers marked on the map and everything had been peaceful. Zhao Xun only felt something brush against the leaves above his head and fall onto his body.

His back was wet. Thinking it might be a demon beast, he looked up in fear but saw nothing.

“…Is it raining?”

“Young Master, what’s wrong?” The people in front stopped and asked.

Zhao Xun came to his senses and said in a deep voice, “It’s nothing. Keep moving forward. We must find the Chaotic Green Lotus Seed before others do!”

The group rested briefly before continuing on their way, but a sudden change occurred. The sky suddenly darkened, and a fierce wind swept through the forest, leaves rustling down as birds and beasts scattered.

A loud buzzing came from behind them, deafening to the ears.

It was the third-rank demon beast Scarlet Poison Bees, and not just one –

There were over a thousand of them!

“Not good, it’s demon beasts, run!”

Everyone’s faces changed dramatically. They immediately summoned various magical treasures and fled while fighting.

But how could those on foot outrun those who could fly? Not to mention that the demon beasts’ stamina and speed far exceeded cultivators of the same level. Despite using all their strength, they could hardly shake off the persistent Scarlet Poison Bees behind them.

Instead, the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer…

Closer and closer.

If they didn’t think of something soon, they would likely lose their lives here!

“We clearly avoided the Scarlet Poison Bee hive on our way here. How did we still run into them?”

“It’s strange. Although these demon beasts have a violent temperament, they don’t usually attack cultivators without reason. We didn’t provoke them, so why are they chasing us so relentlessly, as if they’ve gone mad?”

Zhao Xun was cursing in his heart. How could he be so unlucky? He had barely entered the secret realm for half a day and inexplicably provoked such troublesome creatures.

Someone shouted, “Young Master, look at your back! There seems to be the scent of Scarlet Poison Bees on it!”

“Could this be why these demon beasts are chasing us so relentlessly?”

Zhao Xun’s face paled in panic. He quickly took off his shirt and coat, but once the scent of royal jelly stuck, even cleaning spells couldn’t remove it. The smell lingered persistently.

As the enraged Scarlet Poison Bees were about to catch up, a voice rang out, “Fellow Daoist, don’t be afraid. We’re here to save you!”

“???”

Before they could react to what was happening, they saw a young woman descend like a celestial being, blocking their way. She threw out several Explosive Talismans, catching the group of Scarlet Poison Bees off guard with a blast.

Another young man wielding a sword followed, his golden sword light as dazzling as the sun, directly cutting down dozens of poison bees and carving out an escape route.

“Run!”

Chu Sang threw out a concealment talisman. Thick white fog spread like an impenetrable net, covering the entire forest. It became impossible to see one’s own hand, and the Scarlet Poison Bees were also disoriented.

Chu Sang seized the opportunity to give Zhao Yun and his group several speed talismans, leading everyone to safety.

Once they reached a safe area, everyone collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. They looked at Chu Sang and her companions who had arrived just in time. “Thank you for your help, fellow Daoists!”

Chu Sang waved her hand, “It’s nothing, just a small favor. After all, as a good person, I always enjoy helping others.”

“This secret realm is full of dangers. Why don’t we travel together? We can look out for each other,” she suggested.

“That would be excellent,” Zhao Yun changed into new clothes, stood up, and bowed with a smile. “Meeting you and receiving your help is truly my great fortune. When we leave here in the future, our Zhao family will not treat you poorly!”

While his words sounded nice, Zhao Yun was already calculating in his heart. These people seemed to have decent strength, quite suitable to be used as pawns and bait.

Moreover, they appeared to be unaffiliated cultivators. If they encountered danger, he could easily push them out as shields if necessary.

A dark gleam flashed in his eyes as he inwardly sneered, thinking how these naive fools had voluntarily presented themselves.

These unaffiliated cultivators were clearly in a secret realm for the first time, ignorant and inexperienced. As repayment, he would teach them the lesson that human hearts can be treacherous.

Zhao Yun’s group walked in front, scouting the path. Tantai Ming slowed his pace to fall back to his teammates, walking side by side with Chu Sang. He whispered in her ear, “Little Junior Sister, saving them earlier was unnecessary. Didn’t you see the calculation in Zhao Yun’s eyes? Teaming up with them is worse than exploring on our own.”

“Such a petty person will surely betray us after using us. Who knows when he might set us up!”

Chu Sang was indifferent, “It’s fine, I’m not a good person either.”

Let’s see who’s quicker – him in betraying us, or me in dismantling his plans.

“…” Tantai Ming couldn’t help but shudder violently, silently lighting a candle in his heart for Zhao Yun.

It’s better to offend anyone but Little Junior Sister.

The reason Chu Sang didn’t team up with other sects at the beginning was because… there would be a burden when deceiving them.

But deceiving someone like Zhao Yun? That’s no problem at all.

She’d leave him without even his underwear.

In the following journey, Zhao Yun found himself incredibly unlucky. Walking along the path, he was inexplicably chased by demon beasts, fell into pits, got trapped in illusions, and encountered guardian beasts while picking herbs.

Just now, they had mistakenly entered a Ghost Thorn Briar patch, leaving him half-dead and nearly losing his life.

And all of this was because—

“Can’t you stop touching things everywhere?!” Zhao Yun looked at the group behind him, his anger boiling over as he gritted his teeth, “This thing is a Devouring Vine. They usually disguise themselves as ordinary vines, motionless, and emit a strange, alluring fragrance to lure prey. Once touched, they attack, wrapping the prey inside. Even Golden Core cultivators would barely survive!”

He was almost shouting.

The young woman looked terrified and quickly withdrew her hand.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. It won’t happen again…” She apologised profusely.

Zhao Yun was at a loss for words to scold them.

“You go to the front,” he commanded with a gloomy face.

“We don’t have a map scroll. We don’t know where to go,” Chu Sang shrugged, looking innocent.

Zhao Yun was speechless for a moment, his expression changing several times. He took a deep breath and continued to lead the way at the front.

In his heart, he truly regretted his decision. If he had known these people would cause more harm than good, he would have been better off giving them some spirit stones to send them away… But it didn’t matter. Soon it would be time for them to “contribute” themselves and pave the way for him.

“Are you looking for something?” Chu Sang moved closer, asking questions.

Zhao Yun showed impatience, thinking that since they were just a bunch of fools, there was no harm in telling her. “It’s said that there’s a Chaotic Green Lotus Seed in the Cloud Abyss Secret Realm. This is a treasure left from the primordial chaos. All the major sects and families have secretly received news and want to obtain the lotus seed in advance.”

Chaotic Green Lotus Seed…

Chu Sang nodded in confusion, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. This item was mentioned in the original story. It seemed to be a treasure that could wash one’s spirit root and turn it into a chaos spirit root.

The chaos spirit root not only possessed the abilities of the five elemental spirit roots, allowing one to learn anything, but its cultivation speed was comparable to that of a heavenly spirit root.

In the original story, although the female lead had a rare fire spirit root that appeared only once in a hundred years, she seemed extremely interested in the Chaotic Green Lotus Seed. She successfully used it to transform her spirit root into a chaos spirit root, elevating her strength to a new level.

Three days later, they arrived at a cave.

The cave looked small from the outside, but it contained its own world within.

Chu Sang had already thoroughly examined it inside and out with her spiritual sense and hadn’t detected the presence of the Chaotic Green Lotus Seed.

“Is the legendary Chaotic Green Lotus Seed really here?” she asked.

“There’s another realm within this secret realm. The Chaotic Green Lotus Seed is in that inner realm. To open the entrance, we need…” Zhao Yun slowly retreated, his gaze suddenly turning fierce as he reached out to push Chu Sang.