Chapter 5

She said “they,” but her gaze swept over everyone gathered there.

I blinked.

“How much could you possibly eat? You’ll leave something for the others. Don’t worry.”

Yin Hai turned back and studied me with an ambiguous smile.

“All right. You said it.”

For some reason, a chill ran through me.

* * *

The moment the entrance opened, countless cultivators streaked into the secret realm on flying swords like falling stars.

In a blink, they were gone.

I was about to enter when Yin Hai seized my hand.

I looked back, baffled by her hesitation.

“The entrance only stays open for a short time. Hurry, or we’ll miss it.”

She watched me.

“That’s a teleportation gate.”

“Yes. So?”

“Even if I hold your hand, grab you, or tie you to me, the moment we pass through, we could still be separated.”

I had no answer.

“The realm is enormous. If we lose each other, where am I supposed to find you? Do you want me to starve?”

“Forget it. We’re going home.”

She tugged me away. I pulled her back.

“There are tremendous opportunities in there. We can’t miss them! Put up with being hungry for a little while. We may not even be separated!”

“I don’t care about opportunities. They mean nothing to me.”

“Then what does mean something to you?”

“A full stomach.”

I rubbed my throbbing temples.

“Yin Hai, with the energy I have now, you don’t really get enough to eat on any day.”

“It’s better than starving.”

“So if there’s something inside that helps me advance quickly, wouldn’t you get more food?”

She began to consider it.

Seeing a chance, I pressed on. “Besides, we may stay together. Even if we don’t, we have the Heart-Bond Contract. We can sense each other. I’ll look for you, and you’ll look for me. We’re bound to meet again.”

Her lashes lowered. She was still hesitating.

The gate began to ripple—a sign it was about to vanish.

There was no time left.

I pulled her toward it.

“Yin Hai, if you want to eat your fill, you have to take a risk. We’re going in. Be a little braver!”

Just before we entered, I felt her arms tighten around my waist.

Someone whispered something beside my ear.

The wind was too loud for me to hear.

Then we passed through.

Heaven and earth turned upside down.

I quickly lost consciousness.

12

When I woke, I was inside the secret realm.

Yin Hai wasn’t beside me.

The worst had happened. She had feared the gate would separate us, and it had.

I got up and looked around.

A barren stretch of land. Not a soul in sight.

No people, no animals, not even plants.

The Lingtai Secret Realm was full of opportunities, yet I had landed in a wasteland.

What luck.

And how long had I been unconscious?

Yin Hai must be mad with hunger already.

I had to find her quickly.

Flying swords couldn’t be used inside the realm. Everyone’s cultivation was forcibly suppressed to Golden Core.

Following memories from my three previous lives, I ran along the routes where precious herbs and treasures appeared.

When Yin Hai was hungry, she wanted food. And surely she would choose the best things to eat.

I knew every place in the Lingtai Secret Realm that held valuable herbs and treasures.

With luck, they would attract her first. If she ate along those routes while I searched, we would meet.

Wait.

I suddenly remembered: high-level demon beasts guarded all those treasures!

If Yin Hai wanted their herbs, she would have to face them.

She had only just taken human form. How could she fight high-level demon beasts?

Now I really panicked.

I had never raised anything like her. I had no experience!

For all my planning, I had missed something crucial.

Gritting my teeth, I ran on as fast as the wind.

Suddenly, countless vines burst from the ground. Within moments, a dense forest had grown around me, shutting me in.

I stopped in shock.

Looking closer, I saw that every vine ended in a snake’s head.

Damn it!

I had run into a nest of serpent vines!

Serpent vines were cunning, vicious, and bloodthirsty. No living thing survived within a hundred miles of their home.

No wonder the land was so eerily barren.

More vines kept emerging. The forest spread rapidly.

Those already above ground turned toward me together.

Countless pairs of cold snake eyes fixed on me.

They filled the sky, blocking out the last of the light.

13

“Cang Han, you’re useless! You can’t even cast the simplest wind-and-thunder spell?”

My junior sister’s voice carried from a distance.

Then came the Black Dragon’s aggrieved reply. “I have an old injury. It interferes with my spells.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

He said nothing.

“Forget it. Luckily I still have Qing Lan and Yu Zhao. If I had to depend on you alone, I’d be dead.”

The Azure Phoenix sounded little happier. “Zhiyue, we’ve only just taken human form. The Lingtai Secret Realm is too dangerous. We should be cautious and find a stronger fellow disciple to follow. Otherwise, we may die here.”

The White Qilin agreed. “Yes, Zhiyue. Don’t think having the three of us means you can relax. Against the high-level beasts here, we can barely protect ourselves. We may not be able to keep you safe too. Find someone with stronger cultivation. There’s safety in numbers.”

“Why are you giving up before we’ve fought? I have three spirit beasts! How can we be worse off than someone with only one?”

“Zhiyue, don’t be stubborn. We only want to protect you…”

“Fine. Even if we find a strong disciple, who says she’ll take us along? Everyone fends for themselves in a secret realm. No one wants someone else stealing their opportunities.”

“All the more reason to find one.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have the numbers. If the other person finds a treasure, we can take it.”

“That… makes sense.”

The words had barely left her mouth when the earth shook.

Countless serpent vines erupted from underground, weaving into an enormous net that hemmed them in.

All four froze.

My junior sister drew her sword and hacked wildly at the approaching vines, screaming.

“What are these disgusting things? Get away! Don’t touch me!”

The other three fought desperately too.

But more vines kept growing.

Realizing their danger, they fled.

The beasts shielded my junior sister as they fought and retreated.

Wherever they ran, there were serpent vines.