13-22

Chapter 13

"Look! There's a cultivator flying. How is he able to do that?"

"Typical village folk who have never seen a high-level cultivator! Of course, a cultivator can fly if they've reached the Nascent Soul level!"

"Nascent Soul! Doesn't that cultivator seem incredibly powerful? Even among the elders in my sect, only a few have reached the Golden Core level! And this person is already at the Nascent Soul level!"

"Fool! Not all sect elders are as weak as yours. Look at his attire; it's clear he's an elder from the Great Thunder Sect!"

Listening to the conversation of the cultivators around her, Ruan Xiaoyue realized the level of the middle-aged cultivator floating above. She was also curious about how strong a Nascent Soul cultivator really was. Driven by curiosity, she tried asking Senior Xue.

"Senior Xue—"

"It's Sister Xue."

"Senior Xue, I—"

"It's Sister Xue. You won't be able to ask unless you call me Sister Xue."

"Sigh… Sen-urgh, Sis-Sister Xue, I'd like to know just how strong a Nascent Soul cultivator is?"

"Hehehe, alright. Sister Xue will tell you. Actually, you're quite fortunate to ask Sister Xue, who has directly witnessed the only Nascent Soul cultivator from your sect, which is my master. Although Sister Xue hasn't seen my master's full strength, as the sect leader of the Immortal Grass Sect, at least my master has informed me that if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to seriously exert their full power, the destructive impact could easily destroy a small mountain."

"Besides such immense power, Nascent Soul cultivators can also fly thousands of li without using any tools. Unlike Golden Core cultivators who need tools like swords to fly, even if it's just for a few hundred li. Well, it also depends on how much qi the cultivator has. Even a Building Foundation cultivator like you can fly if they have enough qi to use the technique." Senior Xue explained at length while patting Ruan Xiaoyue's head.

"By the way, Little Ruan, what level are you currently in your cultivation, if Sister Xue may ask?"

"Little Ruan… sigh, I'm currently at the Early stage of the Golden Core level."

"As I suspected from the aura you're emitting."

"You can tell from the aura around me? How can I conceal it?"

"You can hide it if you learn techniques to conceal a cultivator's qi. Unfortunately, Sister Xue doesn't possess such techniques. Since you're already at the Golden Core level, you should be able to fly, right?"

"Fly? I can't. My master didn't teach me how to fly."

After saying this, Senior Xue patted Ruan Xiaoyue's head and looked at her with pity, whispering, 'Such a pitiful child. Even though you're extremely talented, you haven't been pampered at all. Either your master is a weak cultivator lucky to have you as a disciple, or your master despises you so much that they haven't provided you with proper clothing, weapons, or techniques.' Unfortunately, Ruan Xiaoyue couldn't hear the whisper due to the noisy surroundings.

As they were talking, the floating cultivator, or the elder from the Great Thunder Sect who had been silent until now, suddenly emitted a threatening aura and spoke in a low yet audible voice to all the cultivators watching him.

"Quiet!"

Just with his voice and aura, all the standing cultivators knelt down, and some even fell prostrate and spat blood because their weak cultivation couldn't withstand the aura released by the elder from the Great Thunder Sect.

Seeing all the cultivators groaning in pain from his aura made the elder from the Great Thunder Sect smile arrogantly. However, he was surprised to see one young cultivator who caught his attention because of her very young age and Golden Core level, managing to withstand his aura without kneeling at all.

The elder from the Great Thunder Sect felt fortunate to have noticed the young cultivator in tattered robes. The fact that the child wasn't wearing clothing resembling any known sect made him want to recruit the child as his disciple.

As he was about to fly toward the child, his movement was halted by the sound of someone angrily confronting him.

"Huh! As expected of the Great Thunder Sect, their elder even dares to oppress cultivators below their level."

Hearing this, the elder from the Great Thunder Sect became enraged and wanted to see who dared to scold him. Seeing a middle-aged man with comparable cultivation level protecting some cultivators wearing sect uniforms from his aura made him realize who was daring to oppose him.

"Heh! I didn't expect the voice daring to challenge me would come from a mere fly."

"You! Just because your sect is now stronger than ours doesn't mean you can act so arrogantly!"

"Oh? Do you want to try fighting me here?"

With a challenging tone and the threatening aura from the elder of the Great Thunder Sect, the elder from the Immortal Sword Sect also became enraged and released a threatening aura that matched his own.

"I've been patient enough with the arrogance of your sect. Seeing you truly challenge me has exhausted my patience. You've made the mistake of trying to go against our sect, which excels in sword techniques."

"Do you think I'm afraid of your sect's famous sword techniques? You should be the one afraid of the lightning techniques exclusive to our sect."

The two elders from both sects, equally strong, faced off, ready to fight to determine who was the strongest. However, just as they were about to engage in combat, their movements stopped when they heard a flirtatious and threatening voice from a female cultivator who halted their fight.

"Have you had enough of your childish behavior? It's truly disrespectful of you to ignore me, the host of this alternate realm."

The two elders saw a beautiful adult woman who concealed her mouth with a folding fan, revealing only her seductive eyes. She turned out to be the elder from the White Lotus Sect.

Upon realizing that the woman was the elder from the White Lotus Sect, the elder from the Immortal Sword Sect withdrew his threatening aura and bowed, apologizing for the mistake. Unlike him, the elder from the Great Thunder Sect continued to emit a threatening aura and smiled arrogantly at the elder from the White Lotus Sect.

"We have been generous enough to share this alternate realm with everyone. Elder from the Great Thunder Sect, you should show us some respect if you want your disciple to enter this marked realm."

"Huh! How dare you threaten me! Just because you are a woman doesn't mean I don't dare to hit you!"

"I'm not threatening you. At least respect us for opening this realm to everyone. Unlike you, who came here hurting all cultivators weaker than yourself. Do you still want to further tarnish your sect's reputation? Look around you; everyone is upset because you've threatened them with your aura."

"Hmph!"

After the elder from the White Lotus Sect said this, the elder from the Great Thunder Sect only snorted in anger, then fell silent while retracting his threatening aura. Seeing this, the elder from the White Lotus Sect sighed in relief at having resolved the problem caused by the troublesome sect.

All the cultivators there were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, having been freed from the painful threatening aura. Once all the cultivators had stood up and healed themselves, the elder from the White Lotus Sect flew into the sky and floated, gazing at all the cultivators to begin the opening of the alternate realm.

Chapter 14

Floating above the sky and observed by many cultivators, Elder Zhao Zhilan of the White Lotus Sect announced to all cultivators about the opening of the alternate realm with a soft, enticing tone, reaching out to all the cultivators gathered.

"Everyone listen, I am Elder Zhao Zhilan, a representative of the White Lotus Sect who discovered this alternate realm. This realm was initially discovered by one of our disciples while exploring the Death Forest. Out of curiosity, our disciple entered this realm, which turned out to be very dangerous. Out of the twenty disciples who entered, only one managed to return and provide information to the sect."

"After receiving this information, our sect sent three Nascent Soul experts to explore it. However, unfortunately, the alternate realm cannot be accessed by cultivators above the Golden Core stage. Although Golden Core cultivators can enter, their cultivation will be suppressed to the Building Foundation stage based on the observations made by our sect's elders."

"This alternate realm is also quite special because time inside it differs from time outside. From our trials, it seems that one day in the alternate realm equals three days outside."

"The reason we invite all of you, cultivators from Fellow Sun Continent, to explore it is that our sect is not capable of exploring this realm alone. We do not have the courage to risk sending our disciples below the Nascent Soul stage into a realm that could potentially lead to their deaths."

"That is why we are opening this alternate realm to the public. As for the treasures inside, you need not worry because we have not explored the realm extensively, so many treasures remain untouched."

After Elder Zhao Zhilan made this announcement, many cultivators below cheered with joy, realizing that their long journey to the Death Forest for the opening conference of the alternate realm was not in vain. Most of these cultivators had only heard rumors about the public opening of the alternate realm, so they were somewhat skeptical. Fortunately, the information was confirmed when they arrived.

Without further delay, Elder Zhao Zhilan directed all the cultivators to a cave heavily guarded by many White Lotus Sect elders. Most of these elders guarding the cave were at the Nascent Soul stage. They protected the cave with protective talismans and markings indicating that the cave belonged to the White Lotus Sect.

In front of the cave, Elder Zhao Zhilan instructed all the cultivators to line up when entering, whether alone or in groups, to prevent chaos. Then, one of the White Lotus Sect elders led the cultivators at the front of the line to enter a black crack, said to be the gateway to the alternate realm.

Far from the cave guarded by the White Lotus Sect, there was a hidden cave inhabited by a race of half-humans, or demons as they are commonly known, gathering to enter the alternate realm unnoticed by the White Lotus Sect.

_______

"Wow, huh? Is this what the inside of the alternate realm looks like? It's no different from the Death Forest. There are just a lot of tall trees like in the Death Forest. Senior Xue, now that we're here, where do you think we should go?"

"Hmm, I don't know either, this is my first time here as well. Since we have no information, we shouldn't split up. It's better to leave from this entrance. I'm afraid if we stay here, we might attract evil cultivators greedy for the items we carry."

In response to her junior, Senior Xue immediately went in the direction she thought was best, followed by her junior and Ruan Xiaoyue, who had been silent. After running for a while, they finally stopped to rest and replenish their qi. While they were replenishing their qi, they heard a considerable number of footsteps. It turned out to be a pack of wolves that had been lurking to prey on them.

"Se-Senior Xue, isn't that a Fire Fur Wolf? They should be at the mid Building Foundation stage, right? W-what should we do, Senior Xue? There are so many of them. How can we escape?"

"J-just stay calm. If things get really bad, I, Senior Xue, will sacrifice myself so that you all can escape!"

"Hey! I heard that the wolves surrounding us are called Fire Fur Wolves, right? Even though they are monsters, they are still animals, aren't they? Are they rare beasts that can be eaten?"

"Li-little Ruan, even if you ask that, look around you first! We're surrounded! Ouch! Don't pinch me! Okay, okay, I'll answer! Fire Fur Wolves can be eaten, but they are not very rare. There are quite a few of them in the Death Forest, though they are not as strong as the ones in this alternate realm. I've answered, okay! Now we need to find a way to escape from th-"

Thump, thump.

"Ha-haaaah!"

'Just as the elder from the sect said, it's true. I feel my qi has dropped to the peak of the Building Foundation stage. Well, although my qi has decreased, my strength remains the same as usual.'

Ignoring Xue Lanting and her junior who were shocked by the aftermath of Ruan Xiaoyue's attack, she focused more on sensing the suppressed qi within her body. Fortunately, her strength was not suppressed, which made her somewhat pleased.

"Li-little Ruan! Isn't your cultivation suppressed in this alternate realm? How can you still exert such great strength?"

"Only my qi is suppressed, while my strength remains unchanged."

"W-why is your strength so great? You're still a child. What's the use of my cultivation if I see your power? This is really abnormal."

"Se-Senior Xue, look at the damage. All the Fire Fur Wolves have even vanished without leaving behind any monster crystals. What kind of power is this we're seeing? Isn't Miss Ruan's cultivation currently suppressed?"

Seeing Xue Lanting and her junior bewildered and talking to themselves, Ruan Xiaoyue felt quite proud as her immense strength left them puzzled and questioning their own lives.

Coming out of their daze, Xue Lanting was now truly curious about who Little Ruan really was to possess such extraordinary strength for someone her age.

"Little Ruan, now Sister Xue really wants to know who you are. You said you're not from a hidden sect. But it's still very strange for Sister Xue to see your extraordinary strength. So, if you don't mind, could you tell me who you really are?"

"Since you're not a bad person and we will be together in this alternate realm for quite a while, I will tell you who I really am. Well, actually, I'm nobody, because it's my master who made me this strong."

"It's impossible that you're nobody if your strength is this great. I-if it's because of your master, could you tell me who your master is?"

"I can't tell you who my master is, but if you want to know, my master is the strongest cultivator in this world," Ruan Xiaoyue said proudly.

"Enough questions, we need to leave here. I have to quickly find rare plants and beasts for my master. Since you know more, please show me if we come across rare plants and beasts. In return, I will help you find treasures in this alternate realm."

After saying this with an unwillingness to talk further, Ruan Xiaoyue moved forward, followed by Xue Lanting and her junior who were still curious about her.

The group, now led by Ruan Xiaoyue, explored all the areas they could reach every day. Any monsters and plants they saw would be collected and captured by Ruan Xiaoyue to ask Xue Lanting whether they were rare or not. If the plant was rare, it would be taken; if not, it would be left behind. Rare monsters encountered would be captured, while non-rare ones would be released or killed if they were dangerous.

Chapter 15

"Sixteen days! We've been waiting in this border town for sixteen days! I can't stand it any longer!"

"C-calm down, Princess. It's possible we're just unlucky and haven't seen the Immortal in this town yet."

"Unlucky? We've dispatched all the knights to every location in this town. Even the merchant himself hasn't appeared! I'm tired of waiting in this boring town!"

"Please be patient, Princess. I'm sure the Immortal knows we are waiting for her. She might be testing us to see if we will be patient enough to meet her or if we will give up. I believe that's the reason."

"Reason? Marquis, don't be foolish! I've said it's impossible that the merchant is an Immortal. Perhaps she's already aware she's being sought, having heard from people around her, so she dares not come to this town anymore!"

"Princess, please believe me. That person must be—"

Knock… knock.

"Who is it?"

"Princess and Marquis, I apologize for the intrusion. I knocked because I have information to provide."

"Then come in."

Allowing the knight to enter, a servant at the inn immediately came to open the door and let the knight with the information inside.

Bowing deeply to the Princess and Marquis, the knight promptly delivered the information he had gathered.

"Princess and Marquis, I am one of the spies you sent to observe if a merchant woman wearing a tattered cloak appeared in the market. My information concerns this merchant woman. Today, as usual, while I was checking the quiet area in the market you mentioned, I saw the merchant woman in a tattered cloak setting up her goods in a quiet spot, somewhat far from the main market you referred to. However, the appearance of the merchant woman you described was somewhat different."

"Differently how?"

"I mean, the merchant woman I saw setting up her stall appeared different. You mentioned she wore a tattered black cloak that covered her face, but the merchant woman I saw, although also wearing a black cloak, had a rather strange cloak. The cloak was in poor condition, with holes and tears here and there, as if it had been hastily made. Because I wasn't sure if she was indeed the merchant woman you were looking for, I didn't dare approach her, fearing it might arouse suspicion. That's why I'm providing only partial information, as I feared the merchant you're looking for might leave."

"Forget about the cloak. Did she have any fruits like the ones I'm holding?" Luo Xianxiu asked, pulling out a red fruit from her storage ring.

"Y-yes, that's correct, Princess. I saw that the goods she had did include that fruit, as well as some vegetables I've never seen before."

"Marquis! I'm certain this merchant woman is the one I've encountered. We must go to her location quickly and buy the fruit before it's sold. I also want to show you that this merchant woman is merely an ordinary person."

"Haah… Princess, if the merchant woman does indeed have the fruit you have, isn't it clear that she is an Immortal? Please don't create trouble when we meet her."

"Yes, yes, as you wish."

After receiving the information, the Princess and Marquis set off to meet the merchant woman they had been searching for. Upon arriving at the quiet street where the merchant had set up her goods, the Marquis finally got to see the merchant or Immortal the Princess had mentioned. Even though the Immortal's face was covered by a cloak, the Marquis was very certain.

Taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart and to prepare his words for the Immortal he was about to meet, the Marquis didn't notice that the Princess had already advanced to approach the Immortal. Too late to stop the Princess, the Marquis became very anxious, fearing that if the Princess unintentionally offended the Immortal, it could have consequences they could not bear.

"Miss Merchant, you still recognize me, don't you?"

"You… oh, you're the young lady who bought the fruit I was selling, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I've come again to buy all the fruits and vegetables you have. Could you tell me the total price?"

"You want to buy everything? Very well, since there are 25 fruits and 15 vegetables, the total price is 19 silver coins and 25 bronze coins. Since you are buying everything, I will make it 19 silver coins. I've wrapped it up. How will you be carrying the items, miss?"

"It's no problem; I have a storage ring. Here's the money."

"W-wow, thank you for the payment. T-the items are gone in an instant. Could they have been sucked into the ring?"

"Huh? You don't know about storage rings?"

'Then it's clear, isn't it? This merchant woman is just an ordinary person; she doesn't even know about storage rings. It's impossible for a cultivator or Immortal not to know about storage rings. Since I'm quite sure she's an ordinary person, I might as well ask her to show her face so I can be more certain of my intuition,' thought Luo Xianxiu, convinced that the merchant woman was not an Immortal.

"Y-you… tell me, Miss Merchant, could you show your face to me?"

"Eh?"

Hearing the Princess boldly request the Immortal to reveal her face, the Marquis, unable to bear it any longer, stepped forward to restrain the Princess's hand and apologized to the merchant.

"Princes—Miss is being rude! Apologies, Miss Merchant, for my lady's rude behavior towards you."

"I-it's alright."

"Marquis! That's enough! I told you this woman is—eh…"

Luo Xianxiu was extremely frustrated seeing the Marquis still foolishly thinking the merchant was an Immortal. Due to the pain caused by the Marquis holding her hand, Luo Xianxiu became angry and unintentionally released some of her power to break free from the Marquis. Her careless release of Golden Core level power caused a strong wind around her, which ripped the merchant's tattered cloak from her body and made it fall to the ground, as the threads holding the cloak couldn't withstand the strong wind.

Luo Xianxiu was stunned by the merchant's beautiful appearance and the inexplicable aura around her. The Marquis, also astonished, quickly regained his composure and felt his heart nearly drop upon seeing the Immortal looking at the cloak she had let fall to the ground.

He was utterly terrified that the Immortal would be enraged and destroy their kingdom. Trembling, he forcefully held the Princess's head and pressed it to the ground in a bow, also hitting his head to the ground and bowing to apologize to the Immortal.

"I-I-Immortal, both my lady and I are truly sorry! P-please forgive us for being disrespectful and for damaging your clothes. We've made a grave mistake! With your anger, p-please just punish us both!"

Hearing the Marquis's trembling and terrified voice, Luo Xianxiu felt deeply regretful. She knew her actions were very dangerous, and not knowing how to survive the situation made her shake with fear over what would happen to her and the Marquis. She was also very frightened that the kingdom she lived in would be destroyed due to the Immortal's anger at being offended.

"Sigh… both of you, stand up. There's no need to be so afraid. I can't speak if you're still bowing in fear like that."

Chapter 16

Author note:

Lol, this chapter is really hard to translate. I don't know if it's because I made it convoluted or if the text is too complex.

ChatGPT gave up on translating the chapter, so I had to translate it sentence by sentence.

Sorry if the grammar is poor; I don't know why, but when I tried to fix it, many sentences got lost. So I'll just translate it directly.

______

"Ugh, this cloak feels like a rag, with so many holes and tears. Ugh, this hastily sewn cloak is really terrible."

"Should I sew it again? Well, whatever, I might as well just wear it since I'm only using it to cover my face. Hmm, it's fine when I wear it, my face is covered, even though the holes on my body show my clothes and the stitching looks like it might come apart. At least my face isn't visible. I should be able to sell in the city again now."

Wearing a tattered cloak that could easily be mistaken for a beggar's attire, Vheena went straight to the backyard to pick fruits and vegetables to take to the city. After gathering enough fruits and vegetables, she placed everything into a basket she could carry on her back and left her house for the border town.

"Ever since I started living with RuanRuan, I've found it easy to feel lonely after ten days of her being gone because I told her to train in the Forest of Death. Although it's nice to be lazy without worrying too much about training, it still feels lonely being at home alone. I didn't expect that, even though we've only lived together for a short time, she has made me less fond of being alone."

"Because I was bored at home, I decided to go to the city to sell some things. Is that a problem? I had to sew this cloak first, which made me quite late in heading to the city. Well, it doesn't matter; even if the things I brought don't sell, the important thing is that I won't feel as lonely as I do at home."

"Ugh, Ruan-chan, hurry back! I miss your body—I mean, I miss you. It was wrong of me to send you off to train; I hope you aren't hurt out there. I really feel bad; it's only after ten days of RuanRuan being gone that I start to regret it."

As she walked toward the border town, Vheena, feeling lonely and regretful for sending her student to adventure in the Forest of Death, grew anxious about her well-being. Lost in her troubling thoughts about what could happen to her student, she didn't realize how much time had passed and was surprised to find herself at the border town.

'Damn, did I just teleport? For some reason, I suddenly found myself in front of the city gate. This is great if it keeps happening every time I go to the city. I won't feel bored just looking at the endless forest views leading to the border town.'

As she walked toward the line for the inspection, Vheena thought about random things while scanning her surroundings and eavesdropping on the conversations of the people waiting. She overheard strange things from the townsfolk, such as the mysterious disappearance of city prostitutes, a group of armored knights searching for a mysterious merchant woman for unknown reasons, and a conference about an alternative realm mentioned by a cultivator speaking near ordinary people, among other things.

Vheena yawned, feeling a bit drowsy from all the stories that weren't particularly useful to her. After waiting for a while, it was finally her turn to enter the city once her inspection was complete. As usual, she saw the bustling and crowded market and made her way to the spot where she usually set up her stall.

"Yawn… just like always, I'll lay down the cloth I brought to sit on, and now I just have to wait until the afternoon for customers. Come to think of it, what's the difference between waiting here alone in this quiet market and just lounging in the backyard of my house?"

Thinking about random things while waiting for customers, after half an hour, she saw a girl around her age who looked familiar approaching her stall. When the girl reached her, she immediately spoke up, wanting to buy the items Vheena was selling.

"Miss Merchant, you remember me, right?"

'This beautiful girl is the cultivator who bought my fruits before, isn't she? W-why is she coming back here? Is she going to kill me because my fruits didn't taste good to her? I-i hope not,' Vheena thought anxiously, wondering why the cultivator had returned to her stall.

"You… oh, you're the girl who bought the fruits I was selling, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm here again to buy all the fruits you have and also your vegetables. Can you tell me the prices?"

"You want to buy everything? Alright, since there are 25 fruits and 15 vegetables, the total price is 19 silver coins and 25 bronze coins. Since you're buying everything, I'll make it 19 silver coins. I've wrapped it up; how will you carry it, miss?"

'Phew, thank goodness she just wants to buy my stuff, not to kill me. But this is really strange—why does she want to buy my fruits again? Especially since she bought everything I had last time. Could it be that the fruits and vegetables I grow are very delicious to people in this world, or is there some effect I don't know about in the produce I brought?'

Vheena was suspicious and curious about why the cultivator was buying all her goods. She wanted to know if the fruits and vegetables were exceptionally tasty or had some special effects. However, her curiosity faded as she listened to the cultivator speak.

"It's okay, I brought the storage ring; here's the money."

"W-wow, t-thank you for the money. The items just disappeared; did they get sucked into the ring?"

"Huh? You don't know about storage rings?"

'Huh? Does everyone in this world know about storage rings? Is it strange for me to react like this? Even though I know about storage rings from Xianxia novels, this is the first time I've seen one with my own eyes. Why is this girl so happy and confident about it?'

"You… tell me, Miss Merchant, can you show me your face?"

"Eh?"

"That princ-lady is rude! I apologize, Miss Immor-Merchant, for my lady's behavior toward you."

"It's fine."

'W-who is this muscular middle-aged man? He just appeared out of nowhere; he must be a cultivator, right? W-why is he apologizing to me because of his rude lady? How strange.' Vheena was confused about why the muscular man was apologizing.

"Marquis! That's enough! I told you this woman- eh..."

'W-what was that strong wind earlier? Was it from that cultivator girl's hand? It would have been terrifying if I had been hit by it; even the thread of my cloak came loose, causing it to fall to the ground. Cultivators are definitely very stro-'

"I-im-immo-immortal, my lady and I, we are both truly sorry! P-please forgive us for rudely ruining the clothes you are wearing. We have both committed a huge mistake! With your anger, p-please punish us both!"

'Haha… I am very sure it must be because he saw my face that made him act so extreme, to the point that he hit her lady's head on the ground to prostrate and he himself also hit his head on the ground while prostrating just to apologize to me. Truly, my face is truly very deceiving. Even cultivators can be deceived by my face, d-don't tell me that cheat is an appearance that can deceive anyone? N-no! I don't want to! What's the use of this deception skill if I can't cultivate myself? I can't even protect myself, if I get caught I might be killed, or worse I might be raped because of my very alluring appearance. N-no!!'

Vheena hugged herself, trembling to calm her fears about her uncertain future, which, unfortunately, was unknown to the two people who were kneeling and shaking. Taking slow breaths to steady herself, Vheena tried to clear her mind, thinking, 'I'm sure this isn't the cheat I received in this world; it must be because of my unusual appearance. As long as I don't get caught for lacking power, that should be enough.' Once calm, Vheena pretended to be an expert to navigate what she felt was a dire situation.

"Haah… both of you, please stand up. There's no need to be so afraid; I can't speak if you're still kneeling in fear like that."

Chapter 17

"Haah… both of you, please stand up. There's no need to be so scared; I can't speak if you're still bowing in fear like that."

"B-but, Miss Immortal! We've ruined the cloak you were wearing, please! Forgive us and our kingdom!"

"Stand up! I forgive you; besides, the cloak I was wearing was just trash. If you want to replace it, just give me the cloak you have."

"I-I have a cloak for the Miss Immortal! It's just that this cloak doesn't compare to the level of treasure you were wearing."

"Level of treasure? What level is your cloak? Just give it to me."

"T-this, Miss Immortal, I'm sorry if the replacement cloak I provide is only at the Unique level."

"That's fine."

'D-damn, i was just pretending to be an expert, but they were truly deceived. What is this cloak they gave me? I-it's so beautiful, with a mix of black and purple. Doesn't it make me look amazing? I-i'm really scared of my own face that managed to fool them. But what does 'level of treasure' mean? Is it similar to the Xianxia novels I read? If so, what level is this Unique? Can this cloak protect me? Unfortunately, I don't have any information at all. If I ask, they'll definitely be suspicious, right?'

Wearing the cloak given by the miss cultivator, Vheena felt relieved to no longer be in her shabby robe. She covered her face again with the cloak to avoid being seen, contemplating what to say when she spoke to them.

'Miss cultivator asked to see my face earlier, but was stopped by her muscular subordinate. Does that mean they already know who I am and are looking for me? Could it be because of the fruits and vegetables I brought? It's pointless to guess their reasons; I should just ask them directly. Maybe I can also gather information from them.'

"Uhum, it's not pleasant for me to talk here. Is there a place where we can speak privately?"

"Y-yes, of course, Miss Immortal. Please, follow us."

Following the two who led the way, Vheena was brought to a fairly luxurious restaurant in the border city. Upon arriving in front of the restaurant, the muscular cultivator apologized for bringing her to such a modest place.

"Miss Immortal, I apologize for bringing you to this inadequate and small establishment. There's nowhere else in this border city that I deemed worthy enough to welcome you."

"It's fine, and please don't call me Immortal. Just call me Vheena."

"Understood, Miss Immort-Vheena."

Entering the restaurant, Vheena was guided by the waiter to a private room. She was invited to sit first, while the two others remained standing, watching her intently. Vheena insisted they take a seat, and after a stiff motion, they complied with her command. Once they had ordered their food and the waiter closed the door before leaving, Vheena began to interrogate them for the information she sought.

"Now that it's just the three of us, tell me, who are you two really?"

"I am the humble Feng Tuo, and the lady I accompany and protect is the princess of the Fallen Rainbow kingdom."

'Damn! I was too bold to deceive important people from a kingdom, even though I didn't know they were important before. Still, I was too careless. Will I be alright? C-calm down, I need to stay calm. As long as I haven't been found out, I should be fine. I just have to act like an expert so they don't suspect anything.'

"Then... what brings you to this remote border town? Did you receive some information about me that made you want to meet?"

"No, we have never received any information about you, Miss Vheena. Our original goal was the Death Forest to search for a legendary plant to create a potion for our ailing king. Since the Death Forest is extremely dangerous, I was afraid to take the princess there, so I asked her to wait for me in this border town. The princess accidentally found you here because of the fruit you carry. Believing this was a great opportunity, we decided to stay in the town temporarily, waiting for you to reappear. Truly, we have no intention of disturbing your peace, Miss Vheena."

'This person didn't return to the kingdom with the plants the king requested but chose to wait for me, whom they think is some immortal? W-what a reckless gamble they've made. What if their king is dying because they didn't bring back the desired plants? Won't they be executed? And they think meeting me is a great opportunity just because of the fruit they bought from me? …I suspected it! There must be some benefit to the fruits or vegetables I cultivate, even cultivators are willing to wait for me because of what I carry. Could my cheat be the ability to grow plants with numerous benefits? I need to ask them to understand the effects of that fruit.'

"I'm sorry, you mentioned you were waiting for me because of the fruit you bought from me? Is the fruit I carry really that beneficial for you? What are its effects that make you willing to wait for me? Please tell me."

"Yes, Miss Vheena, your fruit is indeed very useful because—"

'What? Why did you suddenly stop speaking, Miss Cultivator? Why are you staring at your subordinate? Have I been found out?'

"I'm sorry, Miss Vheena. What I meant to say is… y-your fruit is very delicious for us cultivators, m-making me addicted to it. T-the reason we found and waited for you is that we sensed your mysterious aura attached to the fruit I bought."

'Huh? Damn! I thought I had been discovered when you fell silent, but what do you mean by your words, Miss Cultivator? You suddenly went quiet, yet you're saying my fruit is tasty—where's the benefit you wanted to tell me about? And what do you mean by my aura being attached to the fruit? Are you saying I smell and it stuck to the fruit you bought?'

Knock.. knock…

"Excuse me, sir and ma'am, may we come in? We would like to serve the food you ordered."

"That's fine, please come in."

Interrupted by the server entering, Vheena helplessly buried her curiosity about the fruit. She was also sure they wouldn't tell the truth after hearing the miss cultivator change her words. She didn't know the reason behind the cultivator's change of heart, so Vheena could only shift her curiosity to the delicious-smelling food brought by the servers.

'Ugh... this is so delicious. I haven't tasted food this good in two years. I've only eaten fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, or fish from the river, and I didn't use any salt or spices when cooking. I don't know what spices look like in this world, and that forest is too dangerous for me to explore just to find them. So, all this time, I've only eaten bland food without any seasoning or salt. I'm so happy to finally taste delicious food like I used to in my world,' Vheena thought, maintaining a neutral expression to hide her touched face as she eagerly devoured the restaurant food.

'Marquis, did my excuse work? Is it true that the Miss immortal is pretending to be an ordinary person, as you said during our telepathic communication?'

'It seems so, Princess. The Miss immortal didn't continue our conversation and is only eating human food that is of no use to her with indifference. I'm sure she doesn't want to continue the discussion; she likely wants to show us that she just wants to live an ordinary human life, as evidenced by how eagerly she eats.'

'So you mean we should pretend that the Miss immortal doesn't have great powers, and we should also play along with her pretense of being an ordinary human?'

'I'm sure that's the case. Just look at the Miss immortal face; isn't she truly an immortal? She's likely pretending that the items she brought are useless. When you responded to her fruit, there were many significant benefits, and I didn't interrupt your words. I'm certain she will leave us, thinking we're trying to take advantage of her. It's better if we play along with her pretense. After all, we should feel lucky to meet an immortal after thousands of years of their absence. If we can stay close to her, we will surely gain many great benefits.'

Vheena, engrossed in her meal, was unaware that she was being misunderstood by the two in front of her, who were telepathically discussing what they thought was her pretense of being an ordinary person.

Chapter 18

'I have been wandering through this alternate realm for days, and as expected, my cultivation has slowed down unlike when I was with my master. Even though I carry the fruit my master gave me, unfortunately, I don't want to eat it in their presence. I'm afraid they might become greedy if they knew the effects of the fruit I carry; even though they are quite kind, I don't want them to turn malicious given the chance and betray me.'

"Little Ruan, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing. What do you have there?"

"This? It's a plant I dug up near the cliff while you were deep in thought. This plant is also very rare. Since I found quite a few, I'll give you one."

"T-thank you."

"You're welcome. Besides, you'll take care of us if we give you rare plants and animals."

Hon-hon...

"M-miss Ruan! P-please, we can't calm the goose you brought! This monster beast's cultivation is also higher than ours; we can't handle it, please!"

Approaching the junior of the senior Xue sect, who was struggling to calm the rare golden-beaked goose she had obtained during her exploration, Ruan Xiaoyue stomped her foot near the wild goose, causing the ground around it to cave in. This made the quite clever golden-beaked goose go silent.

"Ah, as expected from Miss Ruan, your strength can even make the notoriously difficult golden-beaked goose obedient after you often beat it for not staying quiet."

Ignoring the compliments from junior Xue Lanting, Ruan Xiaoyue returned to where Sister Xue wanted to discuss something with her.

"...Sister Xue, where are we heading next? I've been in this alternate realm for too long; I want to return to my master. We've searched for secret places in this realm but haven't found anything. Capturing cultivators who wanted to attack us for information has also been useless. When will we leave this alternate realm?"

"You're right, little Ruan. This realm is quite difficult to explore, especially since we aren't with you. We also shouldn't be too greedy; it's better if we head back now—Watch out, little Ruan! Ugh!"

As Xue Lanting was responding to Ruan Xiaoyue, a sudden attack from behind a tree shot toward Ruan Xiaoyue, catching her off guard. Xue Lanting quickly ran and pushed Ruan Xiaoyue, but unfortunately, she was the one who got hit.

"Huh? Ugh, what happened? Why did you push me? This blood... are you okay, Sister Xue?"

"Ugh… I'm fine. Junior, be careful! We're being ambushed! Show yourselves, attackers!"

After saying that, a group of cultivators emerged from behind the trees, led by a man who looked familiar to Xue Lanting.

"Hehehe, Xue Lanting I finally found you, how does it feel when my attack hits you? I was targeting the beggar who followed you, you are so stupid for trying to protect the beggar."

"Beggar…"

"You! Xiao Li! Why are you so vengeful towards me! I only rejected your advances, why are you so vengeful that you want to kill us!"

"You said you only refused? Bitch, don't you remember when you rejected me in front of many of my seniors and juniors in the sect. You really humiliated me at that time, you should know yourself you bastard! You are just a cultivator from a lowly sect, you would have been very lucky at that time if you accepted me, a genius from the Great Thunder Sect! But you rejected me instead, you were very lucky that your master was there at that time. If not, I would have kidnapped you and raped you for humiliating me in front of so many people!"

Feeling the crisis of the situation, Xue Lanting whispered to Little Ruan to take them away from here.

'Little Ruan, can you carry the three of us and take us away from here?'

'Why? That bastard has already insulted me by calling me a beggar, I can't let him insult me. Moreover, he is a bad person who is targeting me and also almost killed you, I can't let this bad person get away just like that. My master has taught me to be good if the person is good to me, if he is a bad person then I can also be bad to him. Like killing him, right?'

'It's not like that Little Ruan, this person is the main disciple of the Great Thunder Sect. If you kill him I'm afraid their sect will take revenge on you and will make things difficult for your master. Please just take the three of us away from here if we are too late-'

"Enough with this joke, I have you all surrounded. You idiot Xue Lanting has endangered your junior by daring to enter this alternate realm after I threatened you, since you are surrounded, I will make sure to rape you to my heart's content. I will also make sure that your junior is raped by all the subordinates I brought. You capture all these women!"

"Yes, young master!"

"Do you think I'll let you catch us? You bastard dare!"

Seeing Little Ruan angry at Xiao Li's words, Xue Lanting immediately whispered to remind her to get out of here.

'Little Ruan, please let him go, while they're off guard quickly take us away from here!'

'I can't let him go, I'll kill him here, Sister Xue. You just stay still and watch me kill him here.'

'You…'

"Hehehe, miss beggar, you are very brave to insult the young master. Since you have nothing to do here, we were actually going to kill you right away, since you have insulted the young master of course we will not let you. We will enjoy your small body when we rape you. And we will make sure with your beautiful face, you will beg to be killed for insulting the young master."

Moving quickly after threatening Ruan Xiaoyue, all of Xiao Li's subordinates who were at the early Building Foundation cultivation level immediately stepped forward to subdue Ruan Xiaoyue. Because they underestimated Ruan Xiaoyue, of course they would feel the retribution for their arrogance, by raising her hands to take a boxing position. Ruan Xiaoyue immediately coated her hands with qi and then punched forward towards all of Xiao Li's subordinates, because she was off guard. Xiao Li's subordinates who were too late to dodge were immediately hit by Ruan Xiaoyue's punch which made their entire bodies scattered by the wind pressure she released.

Feeling the crisis from Ruan Xiaoyue's punch, Xiao Li immediately used his qi in panic to avoid the punch that was directed at his subordinates and him who was behind.

Seeing the massive imprint from Ruan Xiaoyue's punch and the remnants of his subordinates who were now unrecognizable, Xiao Li, who had fallen due to the residual wind pressure, fell silent in disbelief at the situation. Hearing footsteps approaching him and seeing the person he had considered a beggar getting closer, his body trembled in fear at what he perceived as a dire situation. Terrified of the beggar, who now appeared as a death god, Xiao Li tried to negotiate for his safety.

"P-p-please forgive me, forgive me for insulting you, honorable miss. If you let me go, I will give you all the valuables I carry, honorable miss."

"Let you go? For what? I know what you are like, I have often met people like you in the slums. If I let you go now, I don't know what revenge you will take on me, it would be better if I just kill you here."

"P-p-please forgive me, honorable miss. If you let me go, I promise not to tell my sect about this incident."

"Are you trying to threaten me? My master has told me not to fear anything if I'm not guilty. So, your esteemed sect doesn't intimidate me."

"P-please, I beg you, let me go. If you don't, my master and the sect won't just stand by and watch me die like this."

Ruan Xiaoyue continued to approach him no matter what he said, seeing Ruan Xiaoyue's hand already strangling his neck, Xiao Li tried his best to threaten her to let him go.

"Y-you, argh! Our sect always places a soul technique on the body of the main disciple, i-if you kill me the sect master will definitely know who killed me they will not stay silent! Y-you better l-let me go!"

Holding the neck that felt so easy for her to break, Ruan Xiaoyue who wanted to grip her fingers to break this villain's neck, stopped after her arm was held by someone.

"Sister Xue why are you holding my arm?"

"Please let go of this person little Ruan, look at his face he is really scared. I bet he definitely won't dare to take revenge."

"It's better to just kill him, this guy won't regret it after this incident, I'm sure he'll complain to the sect after I let him go."

Seeing Sister Xue looking at her with a pleading expression, Ruan Xiaoyue helplessly released her hands from the neck of this person she hated.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Haah… you should be grateful that I let you go, get out of here!"

Hearing Ruan Xiaoyue telling him to leave, Xiao Li who was coughing immediately ran quickly to escape. However, before he had run far enough, his chest was suddenly pierced by a force.

"You…"

Chapter 19

"You…"

"Heh, this human is too weak, he didn't even notice when I aimed for his chest. Miss Long, look ahead, we found six living humans."

"Humph, just kill them, I want to get out of here quickly."

Seeing Xiao Li's dead body after being attacked by a mysterious person, Ruan Xiaoyue's group who witnessed the incident were immediately surrounded by many human-like creatures. Seeing all the besiegers made Xue Lanting know who they really were.

"You demons! Why are you in the alternate realm! Where did you come from!"

"Hehe, weak humans, you are not the only ones who found the gate to enter the alternate realm. We also found it, we also already know that you humans will gather to enter this realm from the spies we have installed in your territory. We will not let go of those of you who have entered the alternate realm, we will kill you all and we will collect the treasures you have obtained in this realm."

"S-senior Xue we are surrounded! There are too many demons! W-we must escape!"

"Little Ruan quickly take us away from here! They are demons we must get out of this alternate realm and inform all the elders who have gathered to kill them!"

"All of you hold on! Let me lift you all up right away-"

"Too late! It's no use running away, we've already taken over your alternate realm entrance. We'll kill you all here, die!"

When Ruan Xiaoyue was about to approach Sister Xue and her junior who were already holding hands to lift them up, it was too late. The demons surrounding them didn't give them time and immediately attacked them with a powerful combined attack. In panic, Ruan Xiaoyue immediately stepped forward using her body as a shield so that Sister Xue and the others wouldn't get hurt.

With all the combined attacks from the demons surrounding them, Ruan Xiaoyue's group who didn't have time to escape could only release all their qi to protect themselves, the powerful combined attack caused many trees to fall and the place where Ruan Xiaoyue's group was filled with dust that covered the view of all the demons.

After a while, the dust that covered the place gradually disappeared and revealed Ruan Xiaoyue who was standing in front protecting Xue Lanting and her juniors who were quite injured because of the remaining attacks that she could not withstand.

Although Ruan Xiaoyue who received all the attacks only suffered scratches, because of her lack of experience made her forget to use qi which caused the people she was protecting to also get hit.

'I was careless, because of my lack of experience they were also injured, even though I had told them that I would protect them. Fortunately because my strong body was able to withstand the attacks that made Sister Xue and the others not die, but this is embarrassing, if not for the training given by master, I would have died. Master was right to tell me to gain experience first, I can't be arrogant and look down on someone because I am stronger.'

"Guhuk! Guhuk!"

"Senior Xue, hold on, let us treat your wounds first! M-Miss Ruan, please protect us, Senior Xue is already very pale, we have to heal the wounds she received!"

"Y-yes, sorry for not being able to protect you all, I was too careless!"

Seeing the human they attacked still holding on, made the demons who surrounded them confused. After a while, they immediately realized that the cause must be because of the treasure the human used.

"T-they managed to hold on? That must be the treasure she used, let's attack them all again!"

"Bastards! I won't let you attack again!"

Gathering her qi into her legs and following the technique taught by her master, Ruan Xiaoyue immediately dashed forward quickly disappearing from the sight of the demons that surrounded her group. Arriving behind the demons that surrounded her one by one, Ruan Xiaoyue attacked the demons with a hand movement stabbing towards their hearts, the demons that were hit died instantly with a large hole in their chests because they did not realize that their chests had been stabbed by Ruan Xiaoyue, because she was moving so fast.

The demon who had a large and tall body and his form was like a mixture of human and wolf who had been standing next to a small girl who looked like a human who he called Miss Long. Stepped forward after seeing Ruan Xiaoyue's deadly move that seemed absurd to him.

"Hahaha, I didn't think that a very young human child would have such power, you are too dangerous, I as Miss's guard-"

"Noisy!"

Ignoring the demon's arrogant words, Ruan Xiaoyue filled her feet with qi again, then forced the qi from the soles of her feet while jumping with an explosive sound towards the demon. Arriving in front of the demon's face very quickly, Ruan Xiaoyue immediately hit its head from the front which caused the demon's face to shatter instantly.

Seeing her guard die beside her did not make the little girl with a human-like build and additional horns and tail tremble, she only looked at the little girl wearing a shabby robe and approached her face to face while speaking to her in a disdainful tone.

"Heh, it's interesting to see you being able to easily kill my guard who was at the Early Golden Core stage of cultivation. You were lucky that my guard's cultivation was suppressed which allowed you to kill him. However, unlike me, even though my cultivation is only at the Peak Building Core stage, my strength is comparable to a Middle Golden Core stage. You won't stand a chance against me."

"Noisy, you're the only one left here. All your subordinates have been wiped out, you will also follow them, since your subordinates have injured Sister Xue and her sect juniors, I will not let you off."

"Huh? How dare you act arrogantly towards me, you should be happy to die with honor because you will be killed by me Long Linglu who has the pure bloodline of the divine dragon race."

"Shut up, whether you are a dragon, a king, or whatever, I will still kill you. I deliberately did not kill you to see if there were still guards for you, because no one came out while we were talking, I have made sure that you are the only one left here."

"I admit that your strength is quite shocking to humans. However, with me as one of the dragon descendants, your strength will not be felt by me. I will make sure that you die here, feel my blow!"

________

"Sob… sob, p-please let me go, I won't dare to attack you anymore."

With a bruised face, a broken right arm, and cracked ribs from the fight against Ruan Xiaoyue. Long Linglu who was crying and no longer had the will to fight against this monster begged to let her go. Hearing her pleas only made Ruan Xiaoyue reply indifferently.

"Huh? Where was your arrogance earlier? I admit that your body is very tough because it was able to withstand my punches which I even coated with qi. But, where was your arrogance earlier? I'm still not satisfied with hitting you."

"Hiiiiiii…. P-please, let me go, sob… I'll tell you where the treasure is located in this alternate realm. Sob… please."

"I don't believe it, you could be giving me false information, or maybe you demons have already found it and even taken the treasure out of this realm."

"N-no, I didn't deceive you! The treasure is still there, we haven't entered that place yet, because we have to eradicate you humans first to rule this world. I swear the treasure is still there!"

"Then tell me quickly."

"Y-yes, it's located in the southwest not far from here, later there you will find ancient ruins that are slightly buried by the ground. The treasure is located inside those ruins, we really haven't explored it yet. Since I've told you please let me go."

"Hmm.. since you've told me that information, then I'm done with you. It's time for you to die."

"W-wait! Aren't you going to let me go! Where's your promise!"

"I never once said to let you go, you yourself voluntarily told me that information."

"You tricked me! P-please, sob.. let me go, if you kill me the clan elders waiting for me outside won't let you go."

"I'm not afraid of them."

"M-my father won't let you go either! He's a very powerful cultivator! You'll definitely be found by him and you'll die a very painful death!"

Ignoring Long Linglu who was screaming begging to be let go, Ruan Xiaoyue coated her hands with a fairly dense qi, which she thought was enough to penetrate the tough body of the crying little dragon girl. Raising her hands with the intention of ending the little girl's life, she stopped after hearing a weak voice from behind her.

"Little Ruan, cough! Don't kill her."

"Sister Xue, you're still badly injured, you better take care of your wounds first. Sister Xue doesn't need to care about this demon."

"That's not it, I heard it earlier. Didn't this little girl tell you that she has the pure bloodline of the divine dragon."

"Why, sister Xue? I don't need to be afraid of her family. Master will definitely protect me."

"Listen to my explanation first, I have heard of dragon bloodlines, although I have never heard of divine dragon bloodlines. At least I'm sure this demon girl isn't lying. It's possible that your master's intention in telling you to bring a rare beast was to bring this demon girl to your master, your master must have known that the demon race would attack and told you to bring one of these demons which has a very rare bloodline. Cough! Cough! Well, although that's just my speculation."

"Master, do you know all this? Yes, even before I left, Master told me not to be afraid. She must have known all this. Sob... Master, you are too kind, you must have prepared all this and subtly made RuanRuan also participate in this realm so that RuanRuan can gain experience without having to feel very big danger."

"Little Ruan, your master must be a very powerful cultivator, she was even able to calculate all these events and tell you to leave. It's amazing."

"Of course!"

Replying to Sister Xue's words with enthusiasm because she had praised her master, of course Ruan Xiaoyue would be happy. After being happy enough to praise her master in front of Sister Xue, Ruan Xiaoyue turned her gaze back to Long Linglu who was still crying. And said something to her.

"You heard that devil earlier, right? I won't kill you, but instead I will take you to my master to make you her pet."

"Impossible! I would rather die than be a human's pet!"

"You can't refuse, I will still take you by force to my master. You just have to choose to follow me without force and I won't do anything to you, or I will break your legs and take you to my master by force."

"Sob… sob… I will follow without force."

______

Author's note:

This chapter is quite long, I was also a bit sleepy when I checked it.

there might be some mistakes like grammar. (maybe)

Chapter 20

"After we heard information from this demon about the ruins, what do you think, Sister Xue? Should we go explore the ruins to get the treasures, or should we stick to our original plan and leave this alternative realm?"

After successfully coercing the little dragon girl to become her master's pet, Ruan Xiaoyue asked Sister Xue what they would do next. Hearing Ruan Xiaoyue's question didn't take Xue Lanting long to answer, and she immediately stated what they would do next.

"It would be better if we chose to leave this realm, Little Ruan. This demon already told us that the gate where we entered has been taken over, and they are also targeting all humans in this alternative realm. We need to take back our gate and get out to inform all the elders guarding outside the gate to help rescue the remaining cultivators in the alternative realm."

"But, what about my promise to help you find the treasure?"

"It's alright, Miss Ruan. Senior Xue and I are already exhausted from this adventure. We can't be greedy for more treasure. Since we entered this alternative realm, we've only been a burden to you. It will be dangerous if we continue this adventure, especially since Sister Xue is still injured. Besides, we've already obtained many treasures from the rare plants and evil cultivators that attacked us."

Sister Xue and her three juniors nodded in agreement after hearing one of them express a sentiment they all shared. Ruan Xiaoyue, seeing them agree to leave the alternative realm, nodded and followed their decision, leading the way toward the gate where they entered the realm.

Long Linglu, restrained beside Ruan Xiaoyue, grinned upon hearing their decision to return to the gate, which had already been taken over by demons.

'Heh, these humans are so arrogant, thinking they can retake the gate we've already seized with just the six of them. Even though the demons stationed at the gate aren't from my group, I know they are all very powerful, at the peak stage of Golden Core cultivation. Even if their cultivation is suppressed to match mine, these humans still stand no chance against them. Hahaha! With this, I will escape from these disgusting humans who want to make me their pet.'

_______

"H-how... how is this possible?"

Long Linglu was stunned, seeing all the demons guarding the alternative realm gate dead from the power of that human girl's punches. She realized that during their fight, Ruan Xiaoyue hadn't even used her full strength.

Long Linglu witnessed with her own eyes how Ruan Xiaoyue, after pinpointing all the demons' positions at the gate, unleashed her full qi. Sensing the abnormal amount of qi from the monster beside her, Long Linglu watched in shock as the girl suddenly vanished after taking a martial stance. Moments later, continuous explosions and destruction erupted from where the demons were, leaving both Long Linglu and the humans following the monster agape in disbelief.

This event made Long Linglu question the freedom she thought she would gain. Seeing the monster return effortlessly made her cry once again.

"Sniff... sniff... at this rate, I really will become a pet, and I don't want that. Sniff... why was I so unlucky to meet this monster... sniff... sniff."

Ignoring Long Linglu's sobs as if the world was ending, Ruan Xiaoyue approached Sister Xue to speak to her.

"Sister Xue, I'm fairly certain I've killed all the demons guarding the gate. They were truly vile. It seems they were waiting for newly entered cultivators to ambush and kill them silently. I saw many cultivator corpses around the gate, some of them in such gruesome conditions that it looked like they were eaten."

"Such cruelty. These demons exploited the fact that the elders couldn't enter to ambush the cultivators without any resistance. Fortunately, we made the right choice to reclaim this gate. I shudder to think of how many more new cultivators would have been killed if we had ignored the gate and gone in search of treasure. Even those trying to exit would have been slaughtered."

"Senior Xue, what about these cultivators' corpses? Should we bury them?"

"No, it's better for us to leave the realm and go straight to the elders outside. These bodies will serve as evidence of the demon attacks."

Deciding to leave the bodies where they lay, Ruan Xiaoyue's group headed toward the exit gate of the alternative realm. Upon reaching the gate, Xue Lanting retrieved a cloak from her storage ring and handed it to Ruan Xiaoyue.

"Why are you giving me this cloak, Sister Xue?"

"Take this cloak, Little Ruan. Give it to the little dragon girl you captured. You need to tell her to wear it to avoid being spotted by human cultivators. If not, I can't predict the reaction when we bring this little dragon girl out where many human cultivators are."

"Thank you, Sister Xue. Demon, you heard that, right? Stop crying and quickly put on this cloak. Hide your tail and horns. You don't want to die by being discovered by human cultivators, do you?"

"Sniff... yes, I'll put it on."

"Little Ruan, let Sister Xue and her juniors report to the White Lotus sect elders. You should go with the little dragon girl to ensure her disguise isn't exposed. Also, take this storage ring."

"Huh? Didn't I hear from your juniors that storage rings are very expensive? Why are you giving it to me?"

"It's alright, even though this ring is expensive, just take it. Sister Xue still has a spare ring. I can't let you carelessly carry all these rare plants without hiding them. Look, you're just putting them in the bag you're carrying. You're being very careless. Even though you're strong, I'm worried you might be attacked by a cultivator stronger than you."

Hearing Sister Xue's words touched Ruan Xiaoyue's heart. She, who was once a street child, had always been treated harshly. Never in her life had she been treated with such kindness, except by her long-deceased grandmother, her master, and now Sister Xue.

Smiling slightly at Sister Xue's kindness, Ruan Xiaoyue decided to trust her. She placed her bag down, surprising Sister Xue, and took out five fruits given to her by her master, offering them to Sister Xue as a token of appreciation.

"Since we may not meet again in the future, please take these fruits, Sister Xue."

"Hehe, thank you for this gift, Little Ruan. Hmm, what kind of fruit is this? I've never seen anything like it."

"Keep the fruit I gave you safe, Sister Xue. If possible, eat them right away. You may also share them with your juniors. However, don't let anyone else see them."

"Yes~, Sister Xue will keep these fruits safe."

Ruffling Ruan Xiaoyue's hair with affection, Sister Xue didn't think too much about the fruit given to her. She thought she would eat it once she returned to the sect.

Exiting the alternative realm and passing by the elders guarding the gate, Ruan Xiaoyue parted from Sister Xue and her juniors with a hug. After their embrace, Ruan Xiaoyue picked up Long Linglu, who screamed in surprise. Ignoring Long Linglu's squirming in her arms, Ruan Xiaoyue channeled her golden qi into her legs and used the footwork technique taught by her master, disappearing from the view of Sister Xue's group, who waved her farewell.

Chapter 21

After waving goodbye and watching Ruan Xiaoyue leave, one of Xue Lanting's juniors asked her about the gift given by Miss Ruan.

"Senior Xue, the fruit that Miss Ruan gave, are you going to eat it now?"

"I plan to eat this fruit after we return to the sect. As for you, my juniors, don't worry, I will also share it with all of you."

"Thank you, Senior Xue, for being willing to share it with us. But, why don't we just eat the fruit like Miss Ruan suggested? For some reason, I feel like the fruit she gave must be very valuable."

"Are you sure? Isn't this fruit just something Little Ruan brought as a snack? If this fruit is truly a treasure, why didn't she eat it herself? Wouldn't she be too careless carrying such a valuable item only by keeping it in her bag?" Xue Lanting answered skeptically.

"But Senior Xue, it could be true, especially since Miss Ruan wasn't interested when we mentioned the treasures in the alternative realm. Miss Ruan also warned us to either keep the fruit or eat it right away."

Hearing this, Xue Lanting still wasn't convinced. She thought the fruit must be just an ordinary one that Little Ruan brought to eat. If the fruit was indeed a valuable treasure and the reason Little Ruan told her to eat it immediately was because of its healing effects, then maybe that's why she suggested eating or storing it.

"Enough, we've talked for too long. It's better if we head straight to the White Lotus sect elder. As for the fruit, we'll eat it when we reach the sect."

After saying that to her juniors, Xue Lanting led them back into the cave to meet the elder guarding the alternative realm gate. Upon reaching the elder, Xue Lanting's group immediately reported the demons attacking humans in the alternative realm. The elder, after hearing their information, told them to wait while he called for all the elders of the White Lotus sect.

It didn't take long before many White Lotus sect elders arrived from the cave entrance. The female elder who led the opening ceremony of the alternative realm approached them and asked about the truth of their claims.

"Are you sure you're not lying when you say demons have entered the alternative realm and are attacking all the cultivators?"

"White Lotus sect elder, we are not lying. We swear that what we said is true. Just like we told one of your sect's elders, the demons suddenly ambushed us, and there were so many of them. We also heard one of them say there is another gate they used to enter the alternative realm. If you don't believe us, you can send one of the elders to see the demon corpses near the entrance to the alternative realm."

After hearing Xue Lanting's words, the female elder ordered one of the sect's elders, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, to enter the alternative realm to verify the group's claims.

The elder entered the alternative realm to see if Xue Lanting's group was telling the truth. After a few minutes of waiting, they saw the elder return with a pale face. The female elder immediately stepped forward to ask what had happened.

"Elder Dong, why is your face pale? Is it true that there are demon corpses inside?"

"It is true, Elder Bai. There are too many demon corpses inside. The bodies are very close to the entrance, and I also saw many human cultivator corpses in there. It seems we must gather all the remaining sect elders who haven't entered yet to help eradicate all the demons before all of our disciples and those from other sects are killed."

Realizing how dire the situation was, Elder Bai ordered all the White Lotus sect elders to gather the elders from other sects. Meanwhile, she interrogated Xue Lanting's group for more information.

As Xue Lanting's group was being interrogated, the White Lotus sect elders had gathered all the elders from other sects who were waiting in the Death Forest. They relayed the information they had received from Xue Lanting's group about the demons attacking cultivators in the alternative realm.

The other sect elders, upon hearing this, were furious. They couldn't believe demons had entered the alternative realm and were targeting all the human cultivators inside. Without further discussion, they united and entered the realm to rescue all the cultivators and wipe out the demons.

Xue Lanting's group was finally released after providing all the information they had. Fortunately, they weren't asked how they had survived inside the alternative realm. Since there was nothing more they could do, Xue Lanting suggested returning to the sect.

Ruan Xiaoyue, Xue Lanting, and their juniors were lucky to have chosen to leave the alternative realm. They didn't know that the soul of the cultivator who had created the alternative realm had awakened due to the chaotic qi caused by the battles between human cultivators and demons.

That incredibly powerful cultivator's soul used a mysterious soul technique to forcibly absorb all the souls of the cultivators inside the realm, both human and demon. The souls absorbed would be used to heal his damaged soul.

In the now quiet alternative realm, with all living beings inside dead from having their souls absorbed, the cultivator's soul sat in meditation, waiting for his damaged soul to recover, and for the next cultivator to enter the realm so he could take their body as a vessel and regain physical form.

_____________

"We've finally arrived."

Long Linglu, still wallowing in her misfortune, didn't realize they had arrived at the human's dwelling as she was being carried. Hearing Ruan Xiaoyue's voice and feeling herself released, Long Linglu regained awareness and looked up to see the place where the person who had kidnapped her lived, which she believed to be a torture chamber.

Seeing a simple yet mysterious house left her speechless. Long Linglu also sensed that not only the house was special, but the entire area around it felt extraordinary.

Still in awe, Long Linglu didn't notice that Ruan Xiaoyue had entered the house. After a while, she saw the human come out, bringing someone with them, which shocked her.

"Where is the beast you were asked to bring, RuanRuan?"

"The one in front of us is the beast I brought, Master."

"Beast? ...Isn't this a human?"

"No, look again, Master," RuanRuan replied while removing the cloak covering Long Linglu's face.

"Huh? Horns?"

"Yes, Master, as you can see, I brought a demon dragon. This demon dragon is the beast I brought for you. At first, I was confused by what you meant when you asked me to bring back a beast we could eat, especially since there are plenty of animals around the Death Forest."

"But when I entered the alternative realm and found this demon dragon, and after being informed by Sister Xue, I realized that this must be what you meant, Master. Since you are an immortal, your perspective is different from that of human cultivators. To you, a demon dragon is like a beast that could be eaten, that's the conclusion I reached. So I brought this demon dragon for you to either eat or keep as a pet. There was also a rare golden-beaked swan I wanted to bring, but it died from this demon dragon's attack."

"RuanRuan, you misundersto-uhum, I mean, you did well. As expected from my disciple, you understood my words and completed your mission perfectly. Well done."

"Hehehe… th-thank you, Master."

While stroking Ruan Xiaoyue's head, this human—no, the honorable master—shifted her gaze towards Long Linglu to say something to her.

"So, ...little dragon girl? May I know your name?"

Hearing the honorable master speak to her, Long Linglu immediately regained her senses. With lightning speed, she knelt and spoke joyfully to the person she now saw as her master.

"Honorable Master! Please make me your pet! I, Long Linglu, with pure blood from the divine dragon race, am willing to do anything for you, Honorable Master! I am even willing for you to ride me. Please, make me your pet!"

'My plea to become her pet sounded sincere, right? I must become the pet of this Honorable Master! This is such a huge opportunity, I can't miss it!'

Long Linglu was ecstatic at the great opportunity before her. Her master was truly a remarkable being. If she followed this being, becoming a true divine dragon would be easy for her.

"Honorable Master… Long Linglu, is it? You don't need to call me that. And as for making you my pet, is that really what you want?"

Chapter 22

'What have I done! Why did I do that yesterday?'

By a well located outside the back door of the bathroom, there stood a girl named Vheena, holding her head with an expression full of regret. She regretted the decision she made yesterday, having not considered its consequences.

'H-how did this happen? How could I have accepted a royal princess as my disciple yesterday? C-can I take back my words from yesterday? N-no way, right? Ahh! Why did I have to get greedy just because I saw that the princess had a lot of money!'

Yesterday, after Vheena indulged in the pleasure of eating delicious food while interrogating the princess and her subordinates at the restaurant, she made a small plan to extort the princess into buying the food she wanted. Seeing that the princess and her subordinates were not suspicious of her actions, Vheena became greedier, buying all the food, clothes, and anything that caught her interest.

Feeling how easy it was to buy things without having to work long hours to earn money, Vheena began to devise a plan to get money from the princess. She pondered what the princess wanted most from her since she had nothing valuable left after selling all her belongings. Vheena could only use her deceptive appearance to make the princess her disciple.

Hearing this, the princess, of course, immediately agreed to become her disciple. After the princess parted ways with her subordinates, who returned to the kingdom with the fruits they had purchased from her, Vheena invited the princess to her home. As it was already late when they arrived, Vheena asked the princess to rest. Seeing the princess enter one of the bedrooms, Vheena grinned with joy, having brought a rich person she could exploit. Vheena went to sleep happily, only to regret her foolish and thoughtless actions the next day.

The next morning, Vheena, who woke up at dawn, went to the well to fetch water. Upon arriving, she recalled yesterday's events, leading her to regret her foolish actions.

'How can I deceive her? C-calm down… I need to calm down, huuuf… i-if I remember correctly, yesterday I asked the princess about her cultivation level. A-as I recall, her cultivation is the same as RuanRuan's, except the princess is one level higher. I was quite surprised that the cultivation level I made up matched what the princess said. Is that a coincidence? Well, no need to overthink it. At least I don't have to cover up a lie about the cultivation level since it was right.'

'I don't need to lie about the cultivation level anymore. I should just ask the princess herself about higher levels of cultivation. So, what I need to think about is what technique I should give her. The only thing I don't know is whether the technique I come up with can fool her. M-maybe I can deceive her after I see what kind of power she unleashes. Later, I can make a technique that suits her once I know her power, right?'

After making a somewhat uncertain plan, Vheena went to the bathroom to bathe after bringing the water she fetched from the well. After bathing and putting on the new clothes she bought from town, as usual, she went to wash her clothes and prepare breakfast for herself and her new disciple.

While setting the plates on the table, she saw her new disciple approaching. Seeing her disciple wanting to help, Vheena only told her to sit and wait while she brought breakfast. Watching her disciple eat her cooking like a starving person puzzled Vheena.

'This princess is so wealthy, so why is she eating my breakfast like she's starving? Well, to be fair, my cooking has changed since I could buy salt, spices, and basic ingredients. Is it really that good? I just made rice with eggs and vegetables. Maybe I should taste it. Ugh, it's salty! Did I go overboard with the salt when I was cooking?'

Tasting her breakfast and finding it salty left Vheena confused, as her disciple devoured it heartily. Vheena could only assume that maybe her disciple liked salty food. After a quiet breakfast without any conversation, Vheena took her new disciple to the backyard to assess her power. Once there, she immediately asked her disciple to unleash her power.

"Ahem, Xianxiu, since you're my new disciple, I want to see what power you possess so I can create a suitable technique for you. Please show me any technique you have."

"Yes, master."

After replying, Vheena watched her new disciple sit down as if meditating and breathe in strange intervals. Seeing her disciple not unleash any power or movement techniques, but rather what seemed to be a cultivation technique, Vheena immediately sensed a major crisis unfolding.

'Damn! Miss pretty, why aren't you showing your elemental power or movement technique? Why are you performing a cultivation technique instead? Watching you just sit there and breathe without releasing any power is leaving me clueless about what technique to give you. Ugh, my stomach hurts. Damn it! I need to quickly come up with a cultivation technique before she opens her eyes!'

Forcing her brain to think hard about a cultivation technique, Vheena was interrupted when she saw her disciple open her eyes. Seeing her disciple stand and look at her as if asking for guidance, Vheena quickly turned around to think of the right words and then faced her disciple again, wearing an expert's expression as she gave her disciple some advice.

"Xianxiu, where did you learn this cultivation technique?"

"This cultivation technique I learned from my family's ancestor, who created it for his descendants. Is there a problem with the technique I learned, master?" Luo Xianxiu replied anxiously, seeing her master question the technique created by her ancestor.

"Hmm… yeah, this technique of yours… has many flaws. I'm sure that when your family studied this technique, those who practiced it hit a bottleneck when they reached a high enough level of cultivation, right?"

"Y-you're right, master. My family's cultivation technique can only take someone to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. According to my family, breaking through to the Body Integration stage is impossible. Only my ancestor ever surpassed it, though he had to consume many treasures. My family believes the cause is the lack of natural qi in the Fellow Sun continent. Could you possibly know how to improve my cultivation technique so it can be stronger?"

'I can't even cultivate properly for myself, let alone fix your technique. I can't tell her that! D-damn it, don't look at me like that. I don't even know what guidance to give. Y-yeah, whatever, I'll just say something random that sounds convincing.'

Having given up trying to come up with any helpful advice for the cultivation technique, Vheena could only spout random thoughts to her disciple.

"Xianxiu, you should give up on that technique. I hesitated to tell you because it might hurt you. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"It's fine, master. I can handle whatever you have to say."

"Since you've agreed, I'll tell you. Actually, the cultivation technique you've been practicing is trash. M-maybe you didn't realize it because you thought there was no problem while learning it. But this technique is truly terrible because it wastes too many resources, and it doesn't purify or condense your qi. Even though you end up with more qi than regular cultivators, your qi is just as ordinary as theirs. Y-yeah, maybe the best thing about this cultivation technique is that your family can reach the Nascent Soul stage twice as fast as other cultivators."

'I-I've said everything that sounds convincing. S-she looks shocked after processing my words. D-did it work? P-please let it work!'

Desperately hoping her new disciple was deceived by her words, Vheena saw her disciple stand still in shock. She could only continue to pray that her deception had succeeded. Moments later, her disciple snapped out of it and immediately bowed before her, speaking in a sad tone.

"You're right, master, about the harmful effects of my family's cultivation technique. Will this cause any problems for you in teaching me, master? Do you think my family's technique can't be improved? If it can't be, will you give me a new cultivation technique?"

'Yes, she's fooled! B-but even though I've saved myself, now I have to give her a new cultivation technique? D-damn it! I need to give her some convincing random answer!'

"…don't worry, the harmful effects of that cultivation technique won't affect me while I'm teaching you. As for your family's technique, even if I could improve it, at best it would only allow your family to reach twice the cultivation level when they practice it. Still, the technique would require a place rich in natural qi and many resources for your family to practice it. Since you're my disciple, of course, I won't let you continue to learn such a flawed technique. I'll give you a new cultivation technique that will help you easily become immortal."