Yu Mi replied, “No need to rush.” She then slowed down and followed the little Celestial Fox into the forest below.
Bao Gu felt heartbroken. Her senior sister had taken the Monkey Wine from her and left her behind to chase after Nan Yi. Now, for the sake of a treasure, she was willing to abandon Nan Yi. In her senior sister’s heart, she was less important than both Nan Yi and the treasure. Unwilling to accept this, Bao Gu shouted, “Senior sister, aren’t you afraid I’ll be in danger if you leave me behind?”
Yu Mi scoffed without looking back, “Han Yu, the chief disciple of the Immortal Sect, charged at you with a precious treasure and was blasted to death by your random attacks with Nascent Soul talismans and artifacts. Who would dare to mess with you?”
Bao Gu retorted angrily, “That’s hard to say. As the saying goes, ‘Men die for wealth, birds die for food.’ Didn’t you see how those people rushed at me to rob me?”
Yu Mi understood the implication behind Bao Gu’s words and replied irritably, “Don’t I know if you have the ability to protect yourself?” Seeing Bao Gu rendered speechless, she continued, “Entering the Ancient Ruins this time, we are almost everyone’s target. In just a few days, we’ve suffered heavy losses. If we don’t recover these losses, wouldn’t it be a waste to take such a big risk to enter the Ancient Ruins? Chasing Nan Yi is just a side task; treasure hunting is the main goal!”
Bao Gu and Yu Mi followed the little Celestial Fox until nightfall, returning to the place where Bao Gu had encountered the giant white snake during her training.
The little Celestial Fox landed in front of the snake hole, turned its head to call out to Yu Mi, then lowered its body and squeezed into the snake hole, which was about a foot in diameter.
After probing the snake hole with her divine sense, Yu Mi used the “Move Mountains and Seas” technique taught by the Duobao Spirit Monkey to widen the entrance enough for a person to pass through. Holding the Lihuo Sword, she walked inside. She warned Bao Gu, “Be careful, the demonic aura here is strong. If I’m not mistaken, there should be a snake-type demon beast inside.”
Bao Gu hadn’t told Yu Mi about her encounter with the giant white snake and asked, “Senior sister, how did you know there’s a giant white snake here?”
Yu Mi glanced back at Bao Gu and continued walking. “Didn’t you see the traces of a snake on the ground? Didn’t you smell the stench in the cave?” She kept releasing her divine sense to explore the surroundings and said, “This cave is very deep, probably connected to the earth veins.”
Bao Gu asked, “How can you tell?” She knew there was water flowing through the canyon, but that didn’t necessarily mean there would be an underground water vein. The water flowed on the surface, so how could there be an underground water vein?
Yu Mi explained, “Haven’t you explored the canyon outside? From the water marks outside, you can see that the rainwater in the area eventually flows into this canyon, and the waterline is very high, indicating a large volume of water. A few feet down the canyon, there’s dense grass and sieve-like water holes. There are no rivers, lakes, or even ponds on the surface, so where does all this water go? It can only flow through the sieve-like water holes into the underground. With such a large volume of water, there must be a considerable underground river. The demonic aura in the cave indicates two things: first, there’s enough spiritual energy underground for the demon beast to cultivate; second, the underground is damp and spacious, otherwise, the demon beast’s lair would be washed clean by floods every few days.”
Bao Gu agreed, “Makes sense!” She also took out her sword, holding it cautiously and staying alert to her surroundings.
Yu Mi asked Bao Gu how she had come to this place and encountered the giant white snake. “As far as I know, during the month the Ancient Ruins have been open, all the demon beasts have been hiding in their lairs. How did the giant white snake come out?”
Bao Gu replied, “Maybe it was attracted by the Spirit Gathering Array I set up outside for cultivation. When I saw it, it was absorbing the spiritual energy from the array.”
Yu Mi was speechless. She turned to Bao Gu and exclaimed, “You were cultivating and breaking through a major realm at the entrance of a demon beast’s lair? Are you tired of living? If the demon beast had swallowed you at the critical moment of your breakthrough, you’d be dead or crippled!”
Bao Gu muttered softly, “I didn’t know there was a demon beast here. I checked and found no danger.”
Yu Mi shouted, “No danger? Didn’t you notice there weren’t even ants on the ground outside?”
Bao Gu replied, “Isn’t that because of the floods? Small animals can’t settle here!”
Yu Mi felt like slapping Bao Gu. She shouted, “How can there be no small animals in a damp, grassy place? Do you think frogs and toads aren’t animals?” She was deeply worried about Bao Gu’s safety. If Bao Gu were left alone in the wilderness with demon beasts, she probably wouldn’t survive a night.
Suddenly, Bao Gu warned, “Senior sister, watch your step.” She also noticed that the little Celestial Fox had disappeared and called out, “Ling’er!”
Yu Mi looked down at the deep, three-to-four-foot-wide pool beneath her feet, summoned her flying sword, and said to Bao Gu, “Fly low and be careful.”
Bao Gu used her divine sense to probe the bottom of the pit and was immediately frightened. The bottom of the small pool was filled with white bones, many of which were human. She exclaimed, “Senior sister, why are there so many bones at the bottom of the pit?”
Yu Mi frowned and said, “I don’t know. The aura in this cave seems strange.” When she was outside, if the little Celestial Fox hadn’t been at the entrance, she would have overlooked the inconspicuous hole. From outside the canyon, she couldn’t sense the aura inside the cave. Only after probing with her divine sense did she see the snake tracks and smell the residual demonic aura. She called out again, “Ling’er!”
Bao Gu responded, “Where there’s treasure, there’s always a guardian. Otherwise, it would have been taken long ago. Senior sister, do you think someone has been in this cave before?”
Yu Mi replied, “Probably.” She flew steadily over the pool. As she passed over it, she felt a cold aura rising from the bottom. This kind of cold aura easily breeds evil. She looked back at Bao Gu and warned again, “Be very careful. This cave is likely very dangerous.” Just as she finished speaking, she noticed that the entrance she had widened had disappeared, leaving only a small hole barely big enough for a small animal. Yu Mi gasped, her brows furrowing. Such a significant change had occurred at such a close distance, yet she hadn’t sensed any energy or aura fluctuations. Was it the power of a formation or something else?
Bao Gu rushed to Yu Mi’s side and, seeing her unusual expression, asked, “Senior sister, what’s wrong?”
Yu Mi stared intently at the now-narrow entrance. They had only ventured a few feet in, and with her eyesight, she could clearly see the entrance. However, she now realized they were moving further away from it, and the light from the entrance was getting dimmer. Yu Mi told Bao Gu, “Stay close to me!” She stepped on her flying sword and moved towards the entrance. As soon as she moved, she noticed bubbles rising from the pool below, with green mist emerging from them.
Bao Gu saw this and shouted, “Senior sister!”
Yu Mi retreated and said to Bao Gu, “Find Ling’er and follow her.”
Bao Gu quickly took out the Blood Oath Token and used it to summon the little Celestial Fox.
Yu Mi grabbed Bao Gu and flew deeper into the cave. The cave was winding with many branches, and the bottom was filled with water. In shallow areas, the water barely reached the ankles, but in deeper areas, it was unknown where the waterway led. If they weren’t cultivators who could fly on their swords, they would have risked sinking into the waterway with no way to retrieve them.
After about ten breaths, a white light rushed along the cave wall.
Bao Gu called out, “Ling’er!” Seeing the little Celestial Fox return, she felt slightly relieved. With the little Celestial Fox, at least they could get an early warning and find a way out.
The little Celestial Fox landed on Bao Gu’s flying sword, looked up at her with questioning eyes, and had a plant that looked like a dragon or grass in its mouth.
As soon as Bao Gu recognized it, the little Celestial Fox rolled its tongue and swallowed the small dragon grass. Bao Gu exclaimed, “Little Dragon Grass!” A ninth-grade spiritual herb that helps demon beasts transform and cleanse their demonic aura! When the Duobao Spirit Monkey had taken out one, Little Martial Aunt had treasured it and taken it away immediately. She sighed, “This place indeed has treasures.”
After consuming the Little Dragon Grass, the little Celestial Fox lay on the flying sword, emitting a faint spiritual light, and its demonic aura gradually dissipated until none remained.
Bao Gu found it amusing and said to Yu Mi, “Senior sister, no wonder Ling’er was so anxious to speak. There was Little Dragon Grass here!”
Yu Mi remained vigilant, watching her surroundings, and said in a low voice, “Prepare for battle!” Her flowing fairy dress instantly turned fiery red, and flames surged around her. Even the Lihuo Sword in her hand emitted a scorching fire, as if ready to burn everything in its path.
Bao Gu immediately thought that this cave must be a demon beast’s lair. The little Celestial Fox had taken a ninth-grade spiritual herb from the lair, and the demon beast would surely be furious. Although the Little Dragon Grass wasn’t as good as the one the Duobao Spirit Monkey had given, it hadn’t yet borne fruit. But taking it before it matured would still provoke the demon beast. Bao Gu, fearing she might be swallowed by the demon beast, didn’t hesitate to hold a Nascent Soul talisman in her hand, infusing it with a trace of true energy to activate its power, ready to strike the demon beast as soon as it appeared.
Bao Gu waited for a while but sensed no movement. She asked, “Senior sister, why is there no movement?” She saw Yu Mi’s tense expression, as if she was constantly on guard for an attack.
Yu Mi warned, “Be very careful!” and then disappeared from sight.
Bao Gu, holding the Nascent Soul talisman in one hand and her sword in the other, cautiously looked around.
Suddenly, she felt a strong energy fluctuation from the little Celestial Fox lying motionless on the flying sword. She then saw the little Celestial Fox transform into a seven or eight-year-old girl lying on the sword.
The little girl, who was the transformed Celestial Fox, slowly got up, exhaled deeply, and said, “Finally, I can transform again!”
Bao Gu was shocked and asked, “What do you mean by ‘again’?”
The little Celestial Fox, now a girl much shorter than Bao Gu, rolled her eyes at her and looked around. “Follow me,” she said, leaping towards the nearby rock wall. As soon as her forearm touched the wall, she exclaimed, “Ah—catch me!” Her front paws quickly turned into fox claws, scratching the air.
Bao Gu thought the little Celestial Fox was under attack and rushed over on her flying sword to catch her, while raising her sword to strike the rock wall.
The sword struck the rock wall, leaving a long gash that oozed foul-smelling blood.
Bao Gu asked, “What’s going on?” She was asking the little Celestial Fox but kept her eyes fixed on the bleeding rock wall. If it were cinnabar inside the rock, she could believe it would ooze red liquid when damp, but cinnabar didn’t smell like blood!
The little Celestial Fox, Ling’er, didn’t answer Bao Gu. She transformed back into a snow-white fox and darted along the rock wall.
As Bao Gu stared at the rock wall, it began to inch closer to her.
Feeling a chill down her spine, Bao Gu quickly followed the little Celestial Fox. A thought crossed her mind: Could this mountain be alive? Had it become a spirit?
Yu Mi reappeared beside Bao Gu, swinging the Lihuo Sword in mid-air! The sword energy, accompanied by roaring flames, surged out, turning the area behind Bao Gu into a sea of fire. The crisscrossing sword energy formed a dense net, slashing through everything.
A foul-smelling blood mist suddenly exploded in the air not far behind Bao Gu, accompanied by countless shrill screams.
Bao Gu turned to look and saw many human-like heads writhing in agony in the sea of fire, being burned into wisps of blue smoke by the Lihuo Sword’s flames. She felt a chill and asked, “Senior sister, what are those things?”
Yu Mi grabbed Bao Gu’s arm and said, “Stay close to the little Celestial Fox.” She gritted her teeth and shouted, “Ling’er, if you brought us to this cursed place just for a barely-formed Little Dragon Grass, I will…” She swallowed the words “skin you alive” as she couldn’t bring herself to say something so harsh to a little fox.
The little Celestial Fox darted ahead, leaping left and right along the rock wall, its sharp claws constantly slashing the air. With each swipe, blue smoke would rise, and occasionally, a foul-smelling blood mist would burst out.
With the little Celestial Fox leading the way and Yu Mi covering the rear, Bao Gu, though terrified and drenched in cold sweat, was the safest. She followed the little Celestial Fox up and down through the winding cave. After seeing Yu Mi and the little Celestial Fox kill those strange creatures multiple times, she began to understand and asked, “Senior sister, are these spirit bodies… are they ghosts?”
