After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

Wait!

Xiao Yu clapped his hands, suddenly realizing why the Taoist nun had deliberately approached him.

she……

They must have their eyes on my sword-nurturing gourd.

Otherwise, why would he have inquired about the original owner of the gourd after finding out its origins? It's clear he was being roundabout, considering whether she could withstand the revenge of the person behind her after she took the gourd from him and ran away.

Just now, he seemed to be thinking about drinking from the gourd, but actually he wanted to use it as a starting point to assess the value of the sword-nurturing gourd.

Otherwise, what would she be after if he didn't have anything of value to offer?

Did he drink the strong liquor that was already mixed with his saliva? Or was he thinking of an indirect kiss?

None of those are true... There is only one truth.

She came to steal the gourd.

Xiao Yu's concerns were not unfounded. The sword-nurturing gourd was rare and worth a fortune. For a natal sword cultivator, obtaining it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Given the limitation of being formed innately, it was even more coveted.

As expected... it's best not to flaunt your wealth. Before breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, it's best to avoid showing off the Sword Nurturing Gourd, even though the gourd itself is protected by a restriction.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yu clutched the sword-nurturing gourd that Long Wanyan had given him tightly and looked at the Daoist nun with a wary gaze.

In response, Long Wanyan returned a gentle look with a smile.

???

As expected... Ye Ba values ​​the gift I gave him so much, his words must be true.

Just as Xiao Yu was puzzled by Long Wanyan's peculiar gaze.

Several sounds rang out ahead, accompanied by the loud noises of fighting, causing the two to temporarily halt their advance. They took cover in the nearby ruins, listening intently and gathering information for a while:

"It really came without any effort at all. Li Yunshang, the precious daughter of the Xuanling Sect Master."

Hmph... If I capture her, even if I don't gain anything from this secret realm, I'll at least have something to report back to the sect, and I can finally avenge my deepest grudge..."

Xiao Yu: !!!

Chapter Eight, Dragon

Beneath the broken ruins, piles of burning ashes lay scattered on the ground.

The flickering firelight illuminated the girl's disheveled face, her messy hair and the sweat dripping from her forehead intertwined and clung tightly to her dusty cheeks.

The once dazzling dress, like a burst of flames, paled in comparison to the white flames, revealing the girl's delicate skin beneath the tattered fabric.

The broken blade was slanted into the dark, damp soil, and the hand, despite the excruciating pain, clung to the hilt.

The stark black contrasted with the sorrowful white, and the gleaming blade of the sword reflected a brown figure on the opposite side.

Flames of red and white mingled and scattered around him, revealing a brown, desiccated corpse clad in tattered leather armor and wielding a bronze spear.

This early-stage Golden Core Realm monster is significantly stronger than the previous mummies who only relied on instinct to pounce and bite; it retains some of its physical instincts and martial arts skills.

But only relatively speaking. The raging flames almost swallowed most of its body. The spear, though powerful and heavy, was ultimately less agile and more rigid than a living person.

When Li Yunshang killed it for the second time, the spirit sword was pierced by the spearhead and shattered into two pieces on the spot, unable to be rebuilt.

As it turns out, although the monsters in the secret realm are weak, their unreasonable and repeated resurrections can drive people crazy.

You can make multiple mistakes, but you can only make one.

Li Yunshang failed. After being besieged by so many monsters, it was already difficult enough that she could barely hold on, let alone having to drag her tired body to fight a small elite monster later.

She was dying. More importantly, this monster was different from the other mummies; its orange flames were mixed with a dazzling snowy hue.

White flames.

It was like a striking black stain on a pristine white bed sheet.

More importantly, being touched by this special flame will damage the soul, causing the body to lose control.

Seeing the monster slowly approaching, Li Yunshang gritted her teeth and finally released the sword hilt that was supporting her body.

Large and small beads of blood dripped down the broken tiger's mouth. She reached into her bosom, but found nothing.

She forgot that the skirt-pressing knife she kept close to her body had already been borrowed by Xiao Yu.

A wave of despair washed over the girl. Her last hope had vanished, and she resignedly lowered her head.

As expected... without the knight's protection, a princess is nothing; without the knight who has always protected her, it's questionable whether she can even be considered a princess.

Senior Brother Yu...

Peng!

A deafening, all-or-nothing sound suddenly exploded in my ears.

A petite golden figure suddenly rushed over, wielding a giant axe and cleaving fiercely at the gun-wielding monster.

The spear twisted and barely managed to block the attack. The immense force forced the monster back several steps, and the wind from the swinging giant axe even suppressed some of the flames burning on its body.

"Not bad! This thing looks much tougher than those monsters on the road, hahaha... I've finally found something that can loosen up my muscles, this secret realm is getting interesting."

Golden hair fluttered as a petite figure braced herself against a falling giant axe with one hand. A smile of excitement, as if she had spotted her prey, spread across her soft, fair face.

Two rows of sharp, serrated teeth were exposed, a testament to the owner's excitement.

"Again...again! Yahoo!"

The golden figure twisted her neck, let out a strange cry, and swung her giant axe, which was as long as her entire body, at the monster holding a gun opposite her.

Seeing this approach, the monster, its entire body engulfed in flames, adopted an ancient gun-holding stance based on its deeply ingrained instincts. It then casually deflected the incoming giant axe, subtly altering its trajectory.

There was a bang.

The giant axe crashed to the ground, and the ground trembled for a moment.

The force was so great that most of the axe blade was embedded in the soil.

"it is good!"

Seeing this, the golden figure was not annoyed. On the contrary, it was impressed by the brilliant counterattack made by this seemingly unintelligent monster.

She shouted "Good!" and without stopping, she used the axe handle, which was stuck in the ground, to flip over, like a graceful high jumper, and slid through a beautiful arc before kicking the monster hard in the chest.

Peng!

The monster collapsed to the ground, a small footprint dented into its shrunken chest.

"Not bad, not bad, those who have weapons are definitely different from those who are unarmed, whew~ my feet..."

The golden figure stood on one leg, shook the foot that had just kicked someone, and then forcefully pulled the giant axe out of the ground.

He took a step forward and swung his arm in a wide arc, chopping down again.

The monster fell to the ground, and although he was still holding the spear, there was no room for him to use the same technique of deflecting force as before.

Ding!

A crisp sound...

The giant axe was deflected, and the golden figure, gripping the handle with both hands, took a small step back.

His eyes, narrowed to needles with excitement, fell on the bronze-colored spear opposite him.

At this moment, the flames on the monster's body spread to the gun, making it look like a red-hot stick from a distance.

The gun spun, assuming that special stance once again, the raised tip flashing with a sharp light.

"Interesting...really interesting. Coming to this secret realm was definitely the right decision. It's a good thing I didn't stay at the inn."

The golden figure smirked and charged forward again, dragging its giant axe, to begin another fierce fight.

A brown and a gold suit were locked in a fierce battle.

"Sigh! Here we go again. Does this new elder really love fighting that much?! I really don't know why the vice sect leader values ​​her so much..."

"It's a good thing, isn't it? At least we haven't had to fight much along the way. It's much easier than in the sect."

"That's true..."

In the distance, two or three disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect with beast ears on their heads strolled over leisurely, chatting as they walked, looking extremely relaxed.

The giant axe fell, cleanly and decisively severing the monster's head.

The flames raged and intensified, but the body showed no signs of recovery.

Seeing this, the golden figure pouted in disappointment: "I thought we could fight a little longer..."

Ultimately, the golden figure, with its rich combat experience and high spirits, prevailed.

By the time several disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect arrived, the battle had already come to an end.

Several disciples came up behind her and greeted her in unison:

"Greetings, Elder Ulala!"

Because of his heroic act at the restaurant, the disciples had developed a good impression of the new elder.

"Oh...you've arrived."

Ulala turned around and saw that it was a disciple of her own sect. She didn't think much of it, put away the giant axe in her hand and carried it on her back. Then she turned around and walked towards the person she had just rescued to see if there was anyone else she could save.

However, he had only taken a few steps when a disciple behind him stopped him:

"Wait... Elder Ulala, that person is... is it Li Yunshang?!"

The disciple seemed to recognize Li Yunshang. He peeked over and looked closely, and after confirming it was her, he beamed with joy:

"That's right, it's that difficult young lady from the Xuanling Sect. It looks like she wasted some energy fighting those monsters earlier. Heaven is on our side, Ten Thousand Beasts Sect!"

"Oh, I see. Well then... do with it as you see fit!"

Upon hearing that the person she had saved was Li Yunshang, the eldest daughter of the Xuanling Sect, Wulala yawned uninterestedly, stopped walking, and went to the side.

"Thank you, Elder Ulala. Finally... finally, I've had this opportunity..."

The disciple who spoke had a flushed face and jumped up with joy, clearly very excited, and even shed tears.

A companion asked, puzzled: