I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

They couldn't eat, but fortunately, their senior brother Mu Chongxi was reliable. He had found out in advance that there were strange signs of monsters being agitated in the Monster Forest. Usually, monster agitation is accompanied by the appearance of some secret treasure. The two of them immediately decided to go to the Monster Forest to take a look.

Ye Qiao didn't remember if the original novel mentioned any opportunities in the Demon Beast Forest. After all, all the great opportunities belonged to the female lead. Yun Que wasn't there, which only proved that it wasn't anything special.

However, this did not stop the two restless senior and junior students from going to join in the fun.

In fact, they weren't the only ones who thought they had some great opportunity. Many independent cultivators also came. In the cultivation world, independent cultivators are people who don't belong to any sect, fight alone, have no background, and no master. This means that if they die outside, no one will care. They are usually the easiest type of people to bully.

Knowing there wasn't much of a chance to succeed, Ye Qiao and her senior brother took their time, occasionally glancing at the scenery along the way. The outer perimeter of the Monster Forest was relatively safe, and it became quieter the further they went in.

She would occasionally pass by a few low-level demonic beasts, and she would take the opportunity to practice her skills and eliminate them as well.

Having gained experience from her first encounter, Ye Qiao found it much easier to kill demonic beasts.

"It doesn't seem too difficult."

Mu Chongxi was somewhat uninterested.

Sword cultivators are generally warmongers, except for Ye Qiao, who fights whenever she can and runs away when she can't win.

Apart from his senior brother, the others in Changming Sect were either less powerful than him or were a group of weak and helpless craftsmen, alchemists, and talisman cultivators. There was no one who could fight him. Mu Chongxi deeply felt that the life of a master was as lonely as snow.

"Aaaaaahh ...

After walking slowly for about half an hour, they gradually reached the center of the area when they suddenly heard a mournful braying sound like a donkey.

Ye Qiao watched as a boy stumbled and ran forward in a panic, followed by a large bird.

Yes, a big bird.

It was about three feet long, with fiery red feathers, somewhat resembling a phoenix. Its golden eyes were cold, radiating a cruel, predatory gaze like that of a ferocious beast. Its slender beak could peck a person right through the heart in one swift motion.

Although the boy looked a bit disheveled, he didn't seem to be seriously injured, which clearly showed he had some skill.

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw the people, but the light dimmed again when he realized their cultivation levels. He yelled, "Run, brothers!!"

"This thing pecks people!!"

Ye Qiao hadn't expected him to be so kind-hearted.

Even after losing one of his shoes while being chased, he still remembered to warn others.

When the red bird spotted two more prey, it became visibly excited, letting out a piercing cry as it swooped down and charged towards the two men.

Mu Chongxi drew his sword first, its cold light gleaming with a chilling aura. It collided with the sharp beak of the red bird, producing a piercing sound. His arm went numb for a moment, and he took half a step back, his expression slightly serious: "Mid-stage Golden Core."

In the world of cultivation, a difference of even one realm is like heaven and earth.

Ye Qiao was also slightly surprised.

Mu Chongxi is only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

It is no exaggeration to say that a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator can defeat two early-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Perhaps realizing that Mu Chongxi was rather difficult to deal with, Chi Niao turned its attention to the young man.

The other person was on the verge of tears, crying out, "Help!!"

"Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me!!"

The best solution would be for the two to tear up the teleportation talisman and escape, but if they didn't help now, the boy would be pecked right through by the bird.

In a flash, without thinking, Ye Qiao gathered her spiritual power, picked up a stone, and hurled it hard at its head.

She used great force, and the red bird's head was knocked to the side for a moment, instantly enraging it.

The lower the cultivation level, the lower the intelligence. A cultivator at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm has an intelligence roughly equivalent to a seven or eight-year-old child. Moreover, birds are easily angered and prone to outbursts. Just as she expected, the stone she threw earlier successfully enraged the red bird.

It turned around and charged towards Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao didn't fight it; she turned and ran.

It's almost obvious how a Foundation Establishment cultivator will end up racing against a Golden Core cultivator.

"Watch out!" Duan Hengdao warned in a sharp voice, seeing that they were about to be caught.

Mu Chongxi reacted the fastest, quickly drawing his sword and slashing a wisp of sword energy behind the red bird.

He was ruthless; with a single sword strike, he sliced ​​off half of the long, flowing feather that the red bird had raised.

The boy: "..." Why are they cutting people's hair?

He stared blankly as the red bird angrily turned around and chased after Mu Chongxi. After only a few steps, Ye Qiao threw a stone at it from behind.

The red bird turned around and chased after Ye Qiao again, but Mu Chongxi drew his sword and attacked it once more.

The two went back and forth, and the not-so-intelligent Red Bird was completely fooled.

It cracked.

Those two despicable humans!

The boy was dumbfounded and gradually began to question the meaning of life.

Um, is it possible to do it like this?

While the two were holding back the Red Bird, the boy below seized the opportunity and threw the golden rope in his hand toward Ye Qiao, raising his voice: "Brother, catch!"

Ye Qiao caught the bundle of golden rope, and almost the instant she got her hands on it, she knew how to use it. This was probably the legendary, expensive demon-binding rope. Without hesitation, she quickly grabbed the rope and threw it at the red bird.

It nodded angrily, instinctively stretching its neck to bite the rope.

Ye Qiao's lips curled into a slight smile as she reached out and tugged at the handle.

The red bird became even more certain that the human wanted to take back the rope, so it bit down even harder.

Ye Qiao was overjoyed. She was just wondering how to trap a mid-stage Golden Core demon beast, but it had walked right into her trap.

She reached out and quickly wrapped the rope around its slender beak; the demon-binding rope tightened almost instantly upon attaching to something.

It was too late when the red bird realized its mouth was tied.

It angrily tried to make a piercing sound, but because its mouth was tied, it could only jump around wildly in place, caught in a helpless rage of resentment.

"This kind of monster is basically useless once its mouth is ruined."

Seeing that the battle had stabilized, the boy tried his best to control his trembling legs and put on the appearance of a calm and skilled expert.

Ye Qiao glanced at him: "Straighten your legs before you speak."

juvenile:"……"

He looked awkwardly at his trembling legs and stubbornly said, "I'm just a weapon cultivator. Shouldn't fighting be the job of you sword cultivators?"

"I used to be protected in the sect; even when I went out, I had a group of people protecting me..."

He had just finished rambling on and on when he turned around and found that the two of them had squatted down and were curiously examining the red bird.

"Ah, so this is the legendary Red Bird." Mu Chongxi kicked it curiously.

What I got in return was a furious glare from the red bird with its beady green eyes.

Ye Qiao reached out and plucked its feathers, saying with satisfaction, "I heard its feathers can be used to make defensive magical artifacts."

"Most artifact crafters use this material when making defensive robes."

How did you know?

Ye Qiao: "I read it in a book." It turns out that reading more books is indeed useful.

Mu Chongxi's eyes lit up immediately. "Then we should be able to get a lot of money selling them to the Chengfeng Sect, right?"

Ye Qiao grabbed the frantically struggling bird, thought for a moment, and then shook her head: "I won't sell it for now."

"We can pluck it bare first, and then pluck it again after its feathers grow back. This is called sustainable development. We can't just sit around and do nothing; we need to learn to look at things from a developmental perspective."

Mu Chongxi gave her a thumbs up, "Junior sister, you truly live up to your reputation."

Wow, that's brilliant!

Red Bird: "..." Ugh, those wretched humans.

The boy was stunned: "..." Why didn't he think of that?

As a direct disciple of the Chengfeng Sect, Duan Hengdao always used whatever he caught and never thought of raising demonic beasts to harvest them after their feathers and horns grew out.

So, it can also be used for sustainable development?

"Shall we tie it up for now?" That's what they said, but how to bring this red bird back to the sect was still a problem. Besides, the rope didn't belong to them; it belonged to that little brother from before.

The boy was taken aback for a moment, then generously said, "Then this demon-binding rope is yours."

"I have no shortage of magical artifacts." He met their gazes and smiled slightly shyly. "I'm an artifact cultivator. I originally came to the Demon Beast Forest to find materials for refining artifacts, but who knew I'd run into something like this."

"Generally speaking, a demonic beast of the Red Bird's level would only appear in the innermost area." He scratched the back of his head, puzzled. "Today is strange, it actually came out."

Actually, he could have escaped even without Mu Chongxi and the other man's help, though it would have wasted some of his magical artifacts. Regardless, the young man was quite grateful to the two of them. "Did you also hear that a secret treasure might have descended upon the Demon Beast Forest, and you're planning to go investigate?"

Ye Qiao nodded.

Seeing this, he asked, "Want to come together? My name is Duan Hengdao."

"Okay." Ye Qiao immediately smiled at him and said, "My name is Ye Qiao."

"Mu Chongxi".

And so, the three-person temporary team was formed.

"We can come up with a name," Mu Chongxi said, stroking his chin. "After all, this is the first time we've teamed up with someone."

"How about we call them the Three Musketeers?"

Ye Qiao: "..." Speechless.

Duan Hengdao: "This name..." Just as Ye Qiao thought he was about to say something, the boy's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "This name is great!"

Ye Qiao: "...Okay."

The Three Musketeers it is, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this fake team will disband soon.

The number of monsters in the inner area has visibly decreased. We haven't encountered any danger along the way. It's estimated that many cultivators are guarding the inner area, hoping to find some secret treasure that might have caused the monsters in the monster forest to make unusual movements.

When the three of them arrived, the situation was still somewhat intense. Currently, the scene was divided into two groups: one led by a rogue Golden Core cultivator, and the other…

"Song Hansheng...?"

Isn't this an old acquaintance?

"Hmm, it's those cattle and horses from the Yueqing Sect." Ye Qiao was too lazy to think about what their names were.

Let's just call them the "Ox and Horse Army" for now.

It has to be said that Ye Qiao has a knack for hurting people.

Song Hansheng was already impatiently confronting the group of filthy rogue cultivators when he suddenly heard Ye Qiao's voice. His expression turned sinister, and he looked in Ye Qiao's direction with a very cold expression.

He came to check the situation on his master's orders, and as expected, the strange occurrence in the Demon Beast Forest was due to the appearance of a spiritual artifact.

However, the appearance of a magical artifact is always accompanied by a powerful demon beast at the Golden Core stage or above.

Song Hansheng immediately chose to use a treacherous method, setting up an array to trap these rogue cultivators and the great demon beast together, intending to use them as bait to restrain the demon beast, while he led his fellow disciples to retrieve the spiritual artifact.

This was supposed to be a foolproof plan, but who would have thought that the people from the Changming Sect would actually come?

"Ye Qiao." Song Hansheng narrowed his eyes. "Did you all come here to die together?"

"Perfect timing." He smiled slightly. "I need you bunch of good-for-nothings to pave the way."

More would be good; they could help keep the monsters occupied for a while longer. As for whether they would die? What did that have to do with him?

The cultivation world is inherently a dog-eat-dog world.

Duan Hengdao shuddered, leaned close to Ye Qiao's ear, and whispered, "They are direct disciples of the Yueqing Sect."

How did you meet him?

As far as Duan Hengdao knew, Song Hansheng was an extremely petty person.

"I tricked him once before."

Many of the independent cultivators were injured, and many chose not to go any further. It was obvious to everyone that the disciples of the Yueqing Sect were using them as bait to pave the way.

But perhaps the noise from the previous fight was too loud, the ground trembled slightly, and then a roar came, and a pitch-black monster charged out, its powerful aura causing discomfort to many.

Mu Zhongxi frowned; he was in the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Are you crazy?

A demonic beast in the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

This isn't even the innermost part yet.

Upon seeing the demonic beast, Song Hansheng's eyes narrowed, and he immediately and without hesitation slapped the talisman in his hand towards the rhinoceros beast, clearly choosing to provoke the beast in order to stop Ye Qiao and the others.

He was determined to have this magical artifact.

Song Hansheng was a complete schemer. He used a demonization talisman. Generally speaking, the higher the cultivation level, the higher the intelligence. This kind of talisman can make intelligent monsters lose their minds and indiscriminately attack the person closest to them.

After finishing, he set up a defensive formation and chose to retreat.

Ye Qiao and her companions became the first to be targeted by the demonic beast.

She couldn't dodge in time and was struck by the rhinoceros's long, barbed tail, throwing her to the ground.

The sharp thorn pierced her flesh, and Ye Qiao rolled over and stood up. The next second, her vision went black, and she saw that the rhinoceros beast had opened its abyssal maw and was swallowing her whole.

Mu Chongxi tried to rush in and grab her, but they both fell in.

"……"damn it.

It was as big as a hippo's mouth. Luckily, this thing doesn't chew its food, otherwise they might have died the moment they fell in.

Ye Qiao didn't know what it felt like to fall into the belly of a whale, but she knew that falling into the belly of a monster would definitely be unpleasant. The smell inside was extremely foul, with a pungent, putrid odor. She adjusted her position when she fell, so she didn't fall flat on her face.

Mu Chongxi vomited from the smell after falling.

He suddenly realized...

Even my junior sister's shit-like pills don't taste so bad anymore.

Happiness is indeed something that can be found through comparison.

Mu Chongxi pinched his nose and said in a muffled voice, "That demonic beast is at least in the late stage of the Golden Core realm."

"Aren't powerful demonic beasts at the late Golden Core stage usually only found in the deepest parts of secret realms? How come they're here?"

The two looked at each other from inside the stomach.

Just when everyone was at a loss in the face of this situation.

Another person descended from the sky.

She looked up and saw that it was Duan Hengdao, that idiot.

"..." Okay.

Another member of the suicide squad came in.

"Who do you think will be the next one to fall in?"

Since there was no immediate danger, the three of them started placing bets.

Ye Qiao clasped her hands together, her face sincere: "I hope it's Song Hansheng."

Mu Chongxi imitated her, clasped her hands together, and began to curse as well: "I hope something bad happens to him."

Duan Hengdao: "..." What a vicious pair of people.

But to be honest, he also hoped it was Song Hansheng.

Perhaps the three of them had such a strong sense of conviction that when they heard the noise a few minutes later, Ye Qiao and the others quickly dodged away, and just watched helplessly as Song Hansheng fell and landed mouth-to-mouth with the monster's belly.

Song Hansheng's face contorted for a moment from the stench, his skin turning pale, looking like he was on the verge of death.

Before he could even catch his breath, he looked up and saw that damned Ye Qiao waving at him in a friendly manner, "Hi."

Song Hansheng: "..." Your mother.