Chapter 84

The two sects cooperated, with Liu Yun leading the team in front. The leisurely and well-fed KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) spotted a familiar face and immediately flew over, flapping its wings a couple of times before finding a comfortable spot to curl up in Ye Qiao’s arms and fall into a deep sleep.

It can actually fly now?

Ye Qiao remembered that it used to be a ground-dwelling chicken that only played around the pillar with her.

Mu Chongxi leaned over and asked, “It must have found quite a few crystal stones, right? After eating for so long, has there been any change?”

A full day had passed according to the time spent fighting. Ye Qiao assessed the situation for a moment and said, “You’ve put on weight.”

Before, it really looked like a chicken; now, the phoenix traits had emerged. When it flew, its red feathers were bright, and its tail was slightly drooping. Overall, it was very beautiful, though a bit chubby.

Zhou Xingyun pinched the KFC chicken, lazily lifted it, and shook it a bit, estimating, “When it wakes up, its realm should improve significantly.”

Beast-type monsters and divine beasts were probably similar; beasts broke through their realms much more easily than humans did, and they could easily make breakthroughs with a good sleep.

Cultivators, on the other hand, not only had to withstand lightning tribulations but also faced bottlenecks.

The Longming Sect gathered to watch the KFC chicken, and the people from the Bishui Sect glanced at it out of habit.

“Phoenix?” Si Miaoyan caught sight of the red feathers and the beautiful tail of the little beast, instinctively guessing it might be a divine beast.

In the world of cultivation, divine beasts were almost extinct. Once discovered, they had to be reported to the Five Sects, who would then hold a meeting with the Eight Great Families to discuss their fate. If it was indeed a divine beast, it would probably stir up quite a storm.

“Don’t joke around.” Ming Xuan said loudly, “This is a chicken!! A chicken!”

As long as they insisted that it was a chicken, who would dare say that the Longming Sect was hiding a phoenix?

Si Miaoyan was taken aback by his explosive attitude, muttering in surprise. Even though she was aware of the Longming Sect’s eccentricities, their dramatic reactions still startled her at times.

“Well, your chicken is quite good-looking,” she said awkwardly.

The two sects briefly reorganized. Si Miaoyan was in charge of distributing the elixirs. Ye Qiao shook the porcelain bottle in her hand, and the elixir beads inside were round and smooth, snowy white and pleasing.

She opened it and took a sniff.

The scent also had a faint, pleasant aroma.

“No wonder it’s from a major sect,” her eyes brightened.

Ming Xuan also opened it and took a sniff, unable to resist nudging Ye Qiao’s elbow: “Learn from this. See how good the scent is.”

Mu Chongxi nodded in agreement: “This is the kind of elixir a serious alchemist would make.”

No one would have guessed that Ye Qiao was actually an alchemist.

Zhou Xingyun had never experienced Ye Qiao’s destructive power and didn’t know what her elixirs were like. Seeing his two junior brothers speak so highly of it, he mistakenly thought that Ye Qiao’s alchemy often failed.

He hesitated for a moment, trying to comfort his little sister with examples of others’ failures, and calmly said:

“It’s normal for alchemists to blow up their furnaces.”

“Third Senior Brother also blew up his furnace?” Ye Qiao looked up, vaguely remembering that Xue Yu’s last furnace explosion was caused by the scent of her snail noodles.

Zhou Xingyun had no qualms about exposing Xue Yu’s dark secrets. “Yes, when he first came to the sect, he blew up his alchemy furnace every day. His hair looked like it had been blown out by coal dust.”

Xue Yu blew up his furnace every day, causing earthquakes in the sect each time.

Ye Qiao: “…”

She had never blown up a furnace even once.

Ye Qiao reasonably speculated that serious alchemists must use different furnaces than the large cooking pots in the cafeteria, and her never blowing up a furnace might be because she was using a cooking pot for alchemy.

She secretly resolved that once the secret realm expedition was over, she would buy an alchemy furnace from the night market to try.

The Bishui Sect was quite generous with their elixirs, providing Qingxin Elixirs, Recovery Elixirs, and other healing elixirs.

Major sects were indeed generous. The four-person team exchanged glances, each seeing the message ‘naive, plenty of elixirs, easy to exploit’ in the other’s eyes.

The Flame Mountain was different from other secret realms.

Here, the monsters often appeared in groups. They were not very intelligent but had high cultivation levels. Liu Yun did not bother with any strategy or methods, directly commanding them to fight.

Ye Qiao wanted to suggest something several times but hesitated, thinking, “Actually, we could use some different methods.”

In her view, a group of low-intelligence monsters could be easily dealt with using some tricks, rather than fighting them one-on-one as Liu Yun commanded.

It was a waste of time and energy.

Liu Yun glanced at her, thinking Ye Qiao was challenging him, and replied without looking up: “Mind your own business; I know what I’m doing.”

The sect competition was not just about sect honor; at such a young age, everyone wanted to make a name for themselves.

Ye Qiao had gained a lot of attention in just a few months, even surpassing the previously most-discussed Ye Qinghan. Liu Yun found it hard not to suspect that she was deliberately showing off.

“…”

Ye Qiao lightly clicked her tongue.

Fine.

She could see that the direct disciples of the Five Sects had some rebellious tendencies and didn’t like having their decisions questioned.

Mu Chongxi followed behind, hands clasped behind his head, and said nonchalantly, “But at the rate you’re going, we’ll still be lagging behind while the monkeys evolve into humans.”

“What’s the hurry?” Liu Yun, noticing the growing dissatisfaction among his direct disciples, tried to soothe them, “It’s only the second day.”

“We have elixirs, and you have strength. First and second places are ours sooner or later.”

Ming Xuan thought, but they just wanted to get some elixirs, not be dragged down to the bottom.

If it weren’t for the fact that eating someone else’s food shortens one’s tongue, he would have wanted to end the cooperation right then and there.

“What’s happening with the Longming Sect?”

It wasn’t that they weren’t moving, but compared to previous secret realms, the progress of the Longming Sect was somewhat slow.

There was even a vague trend of them ending up at the bottom.

By the third day, the rankings were very close: Yue Qing Sect first, Wenjian Sect second, and Chengfeng Sect third.

And the Longming Sect, which they saw as the biggest threat, had actually fallen to fourth place.

Such a situation was unusual. Song Hansheng, who was more perceptive, noticed something and pondered for a moment before explaining, “I think after Yun Que was eliminated, the Bishui Sect is likely to latch onto Ye Qiao.”

Although it sounded somewhat petty, it was likely to be the case.

The Longming Sect was now in a different situation from when it was looked down upon before. If Si Miaoyan were smart, she would definitely seek to ally with Ye Qiao.

After the three sects met, each of their direct disciples appeared somewhat dispirited.

Song Hansheng was okay; they had previously collaborated with the Bishui Sect and had obtained a lot of medicinal pills. However, without a continuous supply of pills, they might not hold out past the fourth day.

“What are they playing at? Changming Sect is ranked fourth,” Chu Xingzhi clicked his tongue. Given that Ye Qiao was there, it shouldn’t be the case.

Song Hansheng said, “There’s a group of alchemists getting in the way, which must be affecting the Changming Sect.”

They had to protect the alchemists and fight the demon beasts; being fourth was to be expected.

“But Ye Qiao doesn’t seem like someone who would be affected by others, right?” In Zhu You’s impression, Ye Qiao was someone who excelled independently.

Qin Huai, who had interacted with Ye Qiao before, smiled faintly with contemplation. “She doesn’t care alone, of course.”

The principle of the Dao is simplicity; without desires, one is firm. Ye Qiao could be extraordinary on her own, but in a team, she had to consider the overall situation.

Qin Huai speculated that the problem might be on the Bishui Sect’s side.

After all, for cooperation between two sects, there had to be a leader from each sect, and both were direct disciples. They might be in a phase where no one submits to the other, which could have caused internal conflicts.

…

While they had to search for demon beasts according to the map and endure the heat within the secret realm, the key was that with Liu Yun leading, he spent the whole time wandering around aimlessly with a group, not considering other methods to deal with the demon beasts but simply engaging in combat.

Ye Qiao stated, “If we keep this up, we’ll lose sooner or later.”

It was already the third day, and she still wanted to win.

Winning would mean she would get her one million, and she could finally escape poverty and get rich.

Ye Qiao asked, “If it really doesn’t work, let me lead?”

“You’re just at the Foundation Establishment stage.” Liu Yun’s expression gradually became impatient. “How dare you lead?”

Miaomiao tugged at him. “…Third Senior Brother.”

Liu Yun had never gone on a mission with them before, so he hadn’t witnessed how Ye Qiao could turn the situation around by herself.

Miaomiao reminded him, “Ye Qiao is very capable.”

During their conversation, they unknowingly approached their destination. A group of black spots was crawling near the hot rocks.

As they got closer, they realized the black spots weren’t just spots but a dense group of demon beasts gathered together, creating a scene that would make anyone with a fear of clusters extremely uncomfortable.

Not only were there many, but each was about the size of a palm.

“Fire ants, active in extremely hot areas, like to come out in groups.” Ming Xuan’s expression tightened, and he became secretly cautious. “They are very sensitive to smells and use scent to locate people.”

“We should spread out and avoid being surrounded by them.”

One fire ant would be manageable due to its low cultivation, but a swarm would be a disaster.

“How do you know this?” Mu Chongxi was somewhat confused.

Ming Xuan mocked him, “It doesn’t hurt to read more books in the library.”

Xue Yu knew more about the secret realm than he did. Before entering the secret realm, Xue Yu had been flipping through books for reference, and Ming Xuan had inadvertently remembered it.

“You’ve been in the library for so long, but I haven’t seen you read any books.” Mu Chongxi was a bit displeased by the comment and retorted, “And the library was burned down by you guys.”

Ming Xuan snorted, “Those who skip classes all day don’t have the right to criticize me.”

Mu Chongxi: “It’s as if you weren’t part of the last group that was locked in the forbidden ground.”

“…”

The two of them exchanged insults for a while, revealing old grievances, leaving the onlookers stunned.

“Goodness, the library was burned down, and they were locked in the forbidden ground. You Changming Sect usually have such chaotic affairs?”

“No wonder the atmosphere in this sect is so good. This is the camaraderie of being locked in the forbidden ground together. Friends, I’m moved to tears.”

Si Miaoyan felt a bit anxious as the fire ants gradually surrounded them. Hearing the Changming Sect members still bickering, she couldn’t help but look towards Ye Qiao for help, “What should we do now?”

Since fire ants grew in extremely hot areas, it meant they weren’t afraid of fire.

With so many demon beasts, how should they deal with them?

It was a disaster.

“Ask your junior brother.” Zhou Xingyun, without looking up, said calmly, “We Foundation Establishment practitioners don’t dare to speak.”

They all heard Liu Yun’s words clearly.

Of course, they seized the opportunity to mock him.

Liu Yun: “…”

He pressed his lips together, and to save some face, he said, “Ming Xuan and Ye Qiao will set up the formation first. Look for any pills in the mustard seed bag that can interfere with the fire ants’ sense of smell. Sword cultivators will go out and deal with them.”

After searching the mustard seed bags, no one found any pills that could interfere with the fire ants’ sense of smell.

As the fire ants surrounded them, the formation barrier was slowly being covered in black. Ming Xuan was a bit frustrated, “They will eat the formation. Hurry up, or the formation will break soon.”

Faced with this situation, everyone seemed a bit at a loss and turned their gaze towards Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao, who was suddenly appointed in a crisis: “…Now you think of me?”

She looked down and quickly rummaged through the mustard seed bag, taking out all the grimacing pills she had refined and distributing them.

“You five, each hold one.”

“Don’t spit it out.”

She gave them the ones with the strongest odors, like snail powder and durian.

“…”

As the peculiar smell spread, everyone’s expressions became quite colorful.

They could guarantee that not only the fire ants with sensitive noses but even those within a hundred miles could smell this unforgettable odor.

Those who knew thought they were discussing countermeasures, while those who didn’t might have thought a group of direct disciples were eating something disgusting.

Si Miaoyan sniffed the durian-scented pill in her hand and paled, weakly asking, “Is it okay to hold this?”

Ye Qiao thought for a moment, “It should be fine.”

She hadn’t thought so much when distributing them; the mix of various foul smells made it even stranger.

The fire ants outside became even more agitated at the scent. Liu Yun’s face twisted as he was overwhelmed by the smell, “What are you trying to do?”

“We asked you to come up with a solution, not to anger these fire ants!”

Ye Qiao glared back, “Isn’t this a solution?”

Seeing everyone holding a pill with the smell of snail powder and durian, she took out five talismans from the mustard seed bag and asked the alchemists, “Do you all have alchemy furnaces?”

“Yes,” Miaomiao answered quickly.

If alchemists didn’t have alchemy furnaces, could they even be called alchemists?

“Good.” Ye Qiao handed the talismans to the five people and spoke rapidly, “These are sealing talismans. In a moment, take out your alchemy furnaces. Each of you will hold one pill, get inside the furnace, and then stick the sealing talisman on the furnace lid to prevent the fire ants from getting inside.”

Alchemy furnaces were quite durable; some magical tools were expensive for a reason. An alchemy furnace worth tens of thousands of spirit stones was comparable to a top-grade magical tool.

It would naturally be able to withstand the fire ants’ gnawing.

Ye Qiao only gave her unpleasant pills to the five from the Bishui Sect. Zhou Xingyun sniffed the odor and found it tolerable.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up.”

Si Miaoyan, acting on instinct, followed the instructions.

Liu Yun, stunned, had never seen such an operation before. “You want us to have a group of people crawl into the alchemy furnace? Is this appropriate?”

Ye Qiao found it quite appropriate. If she weren’t so poor as to lack an alchemy furnace, she would have liked to get inside herself to draw the fire ants’ attention. Why fight standing up if you can lie down comfortably?

Under Ye Qiao’s direction, all five crawled into their alchemy furnaces, affixed the sealing talismans, and then lay down comfortably inside, relaxing and letting things take their course.

The remaining tasks were left to the four from the Changming Sect.

After all, the alchemists only needed to lie in the furnaces to draw the fire ants’ attention; the fire ants outside were to be dealt with by the others.

Ming Xuan, Mu Chongxi, Ye Qiao, and Zhou Xingyun envied them so much that they could almost crush their back teeth.

They also wanted to get inside.

“…”

Because they were lying in the alchemy furnaces, the smell of snail powder and durian almost made a few of them faint.

Ye Qiao ignited the talismans and, focusing on using the Qingfeng Technique to deal with the fire ants, asked in between, “How’s the smell?”

Si Miaoyan said, “After smelling it for a while, it’s actually quite pleasant.”

Miaomiao also said, “It doesn’t seem too bad to eat.”

The spiritual energy was very rich, and despite the odd appearance and smell, she was quite curious to try it.

Ming Xuan: “…Do you even know what you’re saying?!!”

Saying that a pill with such a terrible appearance tastes good—are all alchemists insane?

In the end, with the joint efforts of the four, most of the fire ants were eliminated.

When Liu Yun crawled out of the alchemy furnace, he heard his little sister’s comment and gathered his courage to taste a bit. After experiencing the rich spiritual energy, he nodded in agreement, “The taste is indeed quite good.”

As long as the effect is good, it’s a good pill for alchemists.

The taste is… quite good.

Ye Qiao, pleased with the praise, popped a recovery pill into her mouth, saying, “Of course. People from my hometown really like it.”

Passing by at the right moment, Shen Ziwei was unable to control a shiver upon smelling the foul odor.

Hearing the conversation between the two sects, he was even more astonished.

“What the hell.”

This is so shocking—Bishui Sect and Changming Sect actually teamed up to eat something so disgusting?