Chapter 197: Senior Brother Bai, Are You a Devil?
“Water Sect Sister’s reaction was pretty quick, huh!”
Bai Feng watched Shui Miao Miao riotously yell while knocking down three puppets at once. He couldn’t help but chuckle and nod in approval.
Too bad the trap segment isn’t fixed yet—otherwise, he’d have set off some concealed mechanisms, making things even more difficult. A real boss move.
Inside the Secret Realm, Shui Miao Miao gasped for air, her heart pounding with lingering terror. She gazed at the three puppets sprawled on the ground—well, their strength wasn’t anything special, but man, were they scary!
Is this all the hiding tricks they’ve got? I really don’t want to test my luck anymore; I just wanna go home.
After standing there sulking for a bit, Shui Miao Miao finally mustered her courage and pressed on. Giving up now would mean an embarrassing bride arrangement with the Monster Tribe later. No thanks!
Plus, even if these battles are a bit grim, they do boost her real combat skills. Gotta take every chance to grow stronger.
She reached out and grabbed a medicinal bottle from the shelf—this time, she didn’t rip it open immediately. Instead, she examined the bottle carefully.
Like the expired pills she found earlier, there were some words carved on the bottle.
“Advanced Gathering Spirit Pill?”
This pill boosts her internal spirit power and accelerates its circulation—pretty effective for early to mid-Golden Core stage cultivators. But for her at full Golden Core, it’s more like a fancy paperweight. Completely useless for her.
“Eh, never mind. Since I finally defeated those three guys, might as well take it,” she decided.
She stored the Gathering Spirit Pill in her storage pouch, glancing cautiously at the gloomy passage ahead. She swallowed nervously, gripping her sword tightly, tiptoeing forward.
During her continued exploration, she discovered not only enemies hiding in the shadows but also patrols wandering in and out of various rooms. Seemed like they were on patrol or maybe hunting for something.
BANG!
Suddenly, Shui Miao Miao burst out from behind a shelf corner, kicking a wandering puppet onto the ground. Then she swung her sword fiercely at the fallen puppet.
“See? I can do it too!”
There was a hint of pride on her face. After some fighting, she was starting to get the hang of these puppets.
Though, most of these puppets were only mid-Golden Core level…
“Hold on! Don’t get cocky,” she immediately reminded herself. “The people in the books only walk into traps because they’re arrogant, and—cough!”
She gave herself a quick slap on the cheek, straightening her mindset. Carefully, she resumed her cautious exploration.
“Hey, this door is still intact.”
Just then, Shui Miao Miao noticed a whole, unbroken door in front of her—pretty unusual in this dilapidated place full of broken doors.
“Huh, does this mean there’s something good inside?”
She hurried over, instinctively reaching out to push it.
Screeeech…
The door creaked loudly, making her halt her movement quickly and look behind her. Making sure no puppets were drawn by the noise, she eased a bit and pushed the heavy iron door open just enough for her to slip through.
She peeked inside; it wasn’t dark at all. Several bottles of pills were neatly placed on a shelf.
Without hesitation, she tightened her grip on her sword and stepped inside.
At that moment, the heavy iron door suddenly slammed shut behind her.
“Yikes!!!”
Shui Miao Miao’s hair stood on end instantly. She backed up hurriedly, reaching for the doorknob—no matter how hard she pulled, the door was sealed tight, refusing to budge.
“What do I do now? Break it down?” she thought, her grip on her sword tightening. Surely, she could force her way out, right?
But instead of attacking, she looked around the room.
She saw a tall puppet standing in the corner, seemingly searching for something.
When it sensed her gaze, it suddenly turned around, drawing a huge sword from behind its back.
Shui Miao Miao immediately stepped back, her back pressed against the door. She felt her life flash before her eyes.
…
A few minutes later.
Bai Feng looked at Shui Miao Miao, who was forcibly teleported out, his expression complicated. Is this East Continent princess too weak? Her performance during training was fine, but why does she fall apart the moment she faces real combat?
Both sides were about equally matched, yet she was somehow constantly pushed back by the puppets. No, scratch that—she didn’t seem to want to fight back at all, just defending the entire time.
He squatted down and pulled out a pill, offering it. “Water Sect Sister, are you okay?”
“No, I am fine…” Shui Miao Miao looked at Bai Feng, her eyes suddenly brimming with fear.
Senior Brother Bai’s secret realm was too sinister—he’s definitely got a dirty heart. Better not offend him in the future!
“Take a rest first. If you have any questions, come ask me. We’ll do another test later.”
“Another test?” Shui Miao Miao’s eyes widened in horror. She abandoned all pretenses and hurriedly asked, “Senior Brother Bai, wait! Was there a mistake with that puppet’s strength? Why did it suddenly become so much more powerful?!”
“That was an elite monster. Naturally, it’s stronger than the small ones outside,” Bai Feng explained simply. Then he suddenly remembered something and chuckled. “Those elite monsters are recorded moves from my disciples—I made them stronger on purpose. The puppet you fought earlier? You know its prototype.”
“Who?” Shui Miao Miao looked confused. She didn’t remember having any tall senior brothers or sisters.
“That was Sister Yao Yao,” Bai Feng grinned. “Oh, and don’t tell Sister Yao Yao, or I’ll get beaten up by her.”
“…Huh?”
Was that Sister Yao Yao?
She thought of delicate, adorable Yao Yao and then looked at the terrifying, monstrous giant puppet from earlier. Suddenly she felt a huge lump blocking her throat, nowhere to spit it out.
Senior Brother Bai was definitely pushing his luck!
“Alright, go rest up. We’ll keep testing later. I’ll teleport you back to the entrance, and you can fight that elite puppet again,” Bai Feng said casually.
“…Senior Brother Bai, are you a devil?” she asked with resignation.
…
Ling Feng finished his day’s work and returned home. He peeled off his shirt, revealing toned shoulders.
He reached up and touched the black markings on his shoulder, furrowing his brow.
“Why is it so hard to control the demon energy in me these days?”
Normally, after being invaded by demon energy, he wouldn’t grow those black marks on his body, right?
He thought back—wasn’t it strange when the Demon Child appeared at that small outpost?
But more than the truth, he was more concerned about how to suppress the restless demon energy within him: “I’ve heard a disciple from the Refining God Sect burned away demon energy with spiritual fire—I wonder if I could try that?”
Just as he pondered how to obtain spiritual fire, a phantom of an ancient bell appeared in his mind.
As the ancient bell was struck, the demon energy within him began to riot wildly.
