My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

As for why he left without looking back, it was mainly because these demonic beasts didn't have anything of value. Lin Ran had killed quite a few demonic beasts along the way, and apart from the rock behemoth which had that mysterious light gray bead inside its body, the rest of the demonic beasts had practically nothing inside them, not even demonic crystals.

This makes people even more curious: what powers these monsters, why do they only appear at night, and why are they so numerous and frequent? Each monster becomes extremely violent and frenzied, with a scarlet light in its eyes. Is this related to the bright red moon? This secret realm still holds too many unsolved mysteries.

After some effort, Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing finally arrived at the sunken basin. The two lay on the edge of the basin, looking into it through binoculars. The blood-red moon cast its light on the lake's surface, which was calm and still. The entire lake was as still as water, and the darkness of night added to its eeriness.

"It is indeed a lake, but this place... it's a pity I can't use my soul perception... otherwise I would know what's in the lake..."

For safety's sake, Lin Ran didn't speak, but instead communicated with Shangguan Mengqing through telepathy.

This secret realm is very strange. Upon entering, everyone is given a debuff. The soul perception cannot even extend beyond half a meter around the person, which has a huge impact. Even with the help of related magical artifacts, it is impossible to break through this limitation. Some members of their team have already tried it.

Without the ability to sense souls, everyone can only rely on their eyes or other strange skills to avoid being ambushed or to discover others. Therefore, each family's token is extremely important. If it falls into the hands of other forces, then everyone's family will be exposed to their sight.

“This is the only lake in this area, so the people from the Lingjing Holy Land must be eyeing this one. And with this strange night scene, they must have found a place to hide…” Shangguan Mengqing analyzed.

Upon hearing Shangguan Mengqing's words, Lin Ran thought of something and excitedly said to Shangguan Mengqing, "We can sneak over in the dark and see what their encampment and personnel configuration are like. Anyway, none of us can use our soul perception."

They shouldn't be able to spot us from a distance. Once they've gone treasure hunting, we'll raid them all after they find the treasure—that'll be a fortune!

"You're so excited to go find the Holy Land of Spiritual Purity, is it because you want to find that Holy Maiden Gao Tianwen? She really doesn't wear shoes. If you capture her, you can do whatever you want and prolong your life, right?"

Shangguan Mengqing said calmly.

"Mengqing, Sister Qing, I beg you, please stop whipping me. I know I was wrong."

I will definitely be more careful with my words in the future. Besides, those words about prolonging life were not my words, but those words from the book. The only thing I wrote was that comment about you. And I knew you were Shangguan Mengqing at the time. I was just being reckless. Sister Qing, I'm sorry!" Lin Ran was really speechless. She put her hands together and sincerely begged for forgiveness.

Upon hearing Lin Ran's words, Shangguan Mengqing glanced at Lin Ran a few more times and said softly, "I wonder if you still remember what I said before... Never mind... Let's go and take a look around. The people from Lingjing Holy Land should be stationed near the lake."

Without saying much, Shangguan Mengqing got up and left first. Lin Ran was stunned and quickly followed. At the same time, she wondered if she had forgotten something. What had Shangguan Mengqing said before?

"I'll have to check my spatial ring when I have time; I'm sure I've forgotten something..."

After leaving the edge of the basin, the two began searching for a safe place nearby suitable for setting up camp.

Such places are not hard to find, because only caves can meet the requirements of avoiding large-scale monster attacks under such eerie night conditions.

There happened to be several small hills near the lake, which made it easy to carve out a cave.

After spending some time, the two finally found the cave where the sacred Lingjing was located on a mountainside not far from the lake. The vines and leaves used to cover the cave did not seem to be natural, but rather man-made.

Moreover, after looking around, this place was the strangest. There was also powder nearby that was specially used to repel demonic beasts, which made the two even more certain that this was the cave where the Lingjing Holy Land was stationed.

The two hid in a tree, using binoculars to keep an eye on the cave. They were lucky; just then, someone from the Holy Land of Spiritual Purity emerged from the cave, replenished their supplies of various medicinal powders nearby, checked the surroundings, and went back into the cave.

"The pale white Taoist robe, and the badge with a furnace on the chest, it must be the Lingjing Holy Land, right?" Lin Ran asked.

“Hmm, it seems the Spirit Purification Holy Land hasn’t taken any action yet, otherwise they wouldn’t be stationed here. Let’s make a mark and then go back. We’ll come back tomorrow to see if the Spirit Purification Holy Land has made any moves!” Shangguan Mengqing said.

"Okay!" Lin Ran nodded.

After leaving some inconspicuous marks in the vicinity, the two returned the way they came…

……

Chapter 136 Operation (4K4)

Wen Qianyi sat not far from the entrance of the cave, her eyes glancing towards the entrance from time to time, filled with worry. But this worry was quickly replaced by the roars of fighting beasts coming from outside the cave, which replaced her with vigilance.

Everyone inside the cave was alarmed. They quickly drew their weapons and stood up, not daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the cave entrance. If anyone rushed in, they were sure that a fierce attack would be launched to give that person a hard time.

The noise outside gradually subsided. Those who were closer could vaguely see a figure moving around at the cave entrance. Just as Wen Qianyi was preparing to fight, a familiar voice rang out: "It's me, Lin Ran. I just dealt with the monsters that followed us outside!"

When Wen Qianyi heard the voice, she rushed to the entrance, lifted the vines, and saw Lin Ran's smile. The weight in her heart finally lifted. She rolled her eyes at Lin Ran and said resentfully, "Senior, you made too much noise outside and startled everyone. If you hadn't said that, we probably would have all started fighting!"

"There's nothing we can do, these monsters are too frenzied. Let's go, let's go inside!" Lin Ran shook her head helplessly and was about to go in when Wen Qianyi grabbed her and asked curiously, "Senior, where's Meng Qing?"

"She!"

Lin Ran pointed to the dark, unseen grove of trees in the distance and said, "She's over there in the grove. She said she wants to check if the medicinal powder and the small array around here are ready."

"Then I'll wait here for Mengqing. Senior, why don't you go in and rest for a bit? You must be tired from the journey!" Wen Qianyi said softly.

She noticed the bloodstains on Lin Ran's cloak and knew that Lin Ran must have been attacked by many monsters while exploring the surrounding area. Even though she had not experienced it herself, the incessant roars outside made it clear how dangerous this secret realm was.

"Alright then, Qianyi, you also need to be careful. Come back and tell me immediately if anything happens!" Lin Ran nodded, and he didn't refuse.

He did want to take a short rest and think carefully about how to snatch the spoils from the Spirit Pure Holy Land. Was the treasure the Spirit Pure Holy Land mentioned the same as what they thought?

After Lin Ran went inside, Wen Qianyi also took a few steps out, wanting to see what had happened outside, but all she could see were traces of a fight and a faint smell of blood in the air.

"The seniors must have cleaned it up!" Wen Qianyi thought to herself.

"Qianyi, come here for a second!"

Suddenly, Wen Qianyi heard a voice beside her and looked around. She saw that Shangguan Mengqing had emerged from the grove of trees and was waving at her. She added, "It's me, Mengqing. I have something I'd like to ask you!"

Wen Qianyi glanced subconsciously at the cave, then jogged over to Shangguan Mengqing's side. Seeing that it was indeed Shangguan Mengqing, she asked curiously, "Mengqing, is something the matter?"

"Well, I'd like to ask you to refine some pills."

Shangguan Mengqing handed a sheepskin scroll and a low-grade spatial ring to Wen Qianyi.

Wen Qianyi recognized the parchment very well.

Because many of the prescriptions are written on these special parchment scrolls, these scrolls become very tough after being soaked in the medicinal liquid, and they also have a faint medicinal fragrance.

Taking the parchment, Wen Qianyi opened it and examined it carefully, muttering to herself, "Heart-Clearing Grass, Ice Spirit Liquid, XX Fruit..."

After looking through them, Wen Qianyi was taken aback. Looking at Shangguan Mengqing, she tentatively asked, "These medicinal herbs seem to be used to stabilize one's state of mind and calm the spirit..."

“Hmm, these are the pills I need for my cultivation. I’ve almost run out recently. I remember you’re a sixth-level alchemist, Qianyi, so you should be able to refine these, right?” Shangguan Mengqing said.

“Of course I can refine it. I’ll refine it tonight, and it should be ready for you tomorrow!” Wen Qianyi nodded.

The prescription looks quite simple, and it includes many key points such as the heat, the time for the pill to condense, etc. If she can't even refine this, she won't be able to show her face to anyone.

Wen Qianyi also has her own pride in alchemy.

"Qianyi, thank you!"

Shangguan Mengqing nodded and even took Wen Qianyi's hand, saying, "Let's go back into the cave. I've sprinkled medicinal powder around here, so it should be a little quieter tonight."

Inside the cave, Lin Ran was chatting with a group of young people when she saw Shangguan Mengqing and Wen Qianyi walk in hand in hand, seemingly whispering something. She felt a little strange and a question that had been lingering in her mind for ages.

How exactly do women's feelings develop?

.....

After a night of frenzy, as the scorching sun once again hung in the sky, the monsters of this mountain range began to rest and lie in wait. If it weren't for the mess that could be seen everywhere in the forest, one would probably think it was an exceptionally quiet and serene green mountain.

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing brought along some of the strongest fighters in the team. In fact, even though they were the strongest, they were only at the peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm, still one step away from the Spirit Core Realm. That one step was enough to limit many people for a lifetime.

They quietly left the cave, while Wen Qianyi stayed behind to protect the rest of the group.

Lin Ran is going to do something big today; he thinks the Spirit Pure Holy Land will definitely choose to make its move today.

He understood the principle that "the longer the night drags on, the more likely things will go wrong," and the Holy Maiden must have understood it too. The longer it dragged on, the more likely those who hadn't been killed by her would return with their large forces, and then it would be their turn to suffer.

Lin Ran and the others moved through the woods like ghosts, their figures barely moving as a gust of wind rustled the leaves.

As Lin Ran walked, he glanced at the rather handsome young man on his right. This was the young man who had been chased by the women from the Spirit Pure Holy Land. He couldn't help but tease him, "Chang Wei, if you see people from the Spirit Pure Holy Land later, don't get too excited and want to beat them up!"

"Mr. Lin, I'll do whatever you say!" Chang Wei smiled and said very seriously.

He vividly remembered how he was kicked out by those people from the Holy Land of Spiritual Purity. Although he was furious, he knew that the more things were like this, the less he should rush things.

"Young man, you have a good character!"

Lin Ran smiled. He was actually trying to give Chang Wei a heads-up, in case he suddenly got angry and learned martial arts and started beating people up everywhere, haha~ (mistakenly entered the film set)

The group made their way to the vicinity of the Lingjing Holy Land's encampment. Lin Ran and the others lay in ambush in the dense grass, an excellent vantage point where they could observe carefully while remaining undetected by the Lingjing Holy Land's people.

Lin Ran took out a telescope and observed the area near the entrance of the Lingjing Holy Land from a distance. She noticed that the people of the Lingjing Holy Land were coming out of the cave one by one, seemingly laughing and talking, but they were quickly stopped by someone who came out of the cave.

Lin Ran shifted her gaze slightly in that direction and saw a blonde woman radiating a faint glow. Her face had a somewhat exotic feel, and she was dressed in a magnificent dress. Surprisingly, this woman was barefoot, walking in the air without stockings.

This distinctive feature immediately reminded Lin Ran of Gao Tianwen, the holy maiden of the Lingjing Holy Land, described in that miscellaneous book.

"Don't look too much, don't look too much..."

Lin Ran silently recited a phrase in her mind and continued to observe what the people from the Spirit Pure Holy Land were planning to do. It was a pity that she didn't have any listening devices or anything like that, otherwise she could have listened to what they were saying.

The others watched as Lin Ran conjured up a strange object, then lay down in the grass, holding it to his eyes, seemingly doing something they didn't understand. They were curious but dared not disturb Lin Ran. Finally, one of the women boldly spoke up, quietly asking Shangguan Mengqing, "Senior Sister, what is Mr. Lin doing?"

"He's observing the Spirit Pure Holy Land. The thing in his hand is a little gadget he made himself. It allows him to see things in the distance without relying on spiritual power or other techniques," Shangguan Mengqing explained.

"Oh, so awesome!"

Everyone felt a sense of awe and wonder, and they felt even more fortunate that their elders had invited Mr. Lin.

Shangguan Mengqing glanced at Lin Ran, but considering the presence of Sword Sect disciples, she finally spoke via telepathy: "Did you enjoy watching? If you did, then let me see!"

Lin Ran scratched her head awkwardly, handed over the binoculars, and explained telepathically, "I wasn't looking around randomly, I was really observing!"

"Well, I believe you!"

Shangguan Mengqing casually replied and then took the binoculars to look towards the Lingjing Holy Land.

Judging from the current observations, the people of Lingjing Holy Land seem to be preparing to take action. After briefly surveying the situation, Shangguan Mengqing couldn't help but glance at Gao Tianwen a few more times, secretly thinking, "This Holy Maiden seems to be nothing special..."

Perhaps sensing something, Gao Tianwen stopped giving instructions and suddenly looked around. Upon seeing this, Shangguan Mengqing immediately stopped observing, bent down, and whispered, "That Holy Maiden seems to have sensed something. Quiet!"

Lin Ran and the others immediately understood and adjusted their breathing, becoming extremely quiet. If someone were to pass by casually, they probably wouldn't even notice that there were several living people hiding here.

Before the sacred Lingjing Land, under the watchful eyes of a group of disciples, Saintess Gao Tianwen suddenly wandered around the area near the cave. When she found no one, she couldn't help but look at the others and ask, "Did any of you feel like you were being watched?"

"The feeling of being spied on?"

The disciples of Lingjing Holy Land shook their heads in surprise. Some of them couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister Wen, we've searched this area several times, but there's no one here. Besides, many detection methods are unusable in this secret realm. You must be imagining things, Sister Wen!"

"Sister Wen, have you been under too much stress for too long and are you a little tired, so you're imagining things?"

"Is that true?"

Gao Tianwen noticed that everyone was starting to doubt their own judgment. Was it really just a misperception? But she really did feel that someone was watching her from the shadows.

Gao Tianwen couldn't help but pinch her brow. Maybe it really was just her imagination. She didn't want things to get complicated.

So she quickly urged her disciples, "Let's get everything ready quickly, we must kill that monster today!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Back with Lin Ran and the others, after a period of quiet lying in wait, Shangguan Mengqing once again picked up her binoculars to observe and discovered that the people from Lingjing Holy Land had already packed up and were about to set off.