Upon hearing this, Xiyou shivered three times in the wind.
Good grief, ever since Xiao Li’er recovered from her serious illness, her temperament had completely changed. The old her was soft, adorable, and endearingly naive—so sweet and silly that she evoked an overwhelming urge to protect her every time you saw her.
But now?
To sum up the new Xiao Li’er in one word: Fierce!
Two words: Damn fierce!
Three words: Absolutely fierce!
Four words: Fierce as hell!
(Forgive Xiyou for his limited vocabulary…)
Compared to her former delicate, clinging-vine demeanor, she was now a thorny rose!
But…
Xiyou studied Zhao Li carefully. Though she had thorns, he much preferred this rose to the old clinging vine.
“Right, right! Anyone cozying up to humans should be ground to dust!” Xiyou snapped his fingers excitedly, echoing Zhao Li’s sentiment.
Zhao Li shot him a silent glare before sighing and correcting him, “Hey, don’t paint everyone with the same brush. Not all humans are greedy, scheming, or deceitful. Humans are the most widespread race across the continent, with the largest population. If you want to curse someone, focus on those scum in Wugou City. The humans living in other territories are mostly innocent.”
Among the subordinate clans of the Asura race were some human aristocratic families. Xiyou’s sweeping condemnation would include people like Yelan and that just wouldn’t do. Zhao Li was fiercely protective of her own.
Moreover, humans in other regions, though of the same race, had not aligned themselves with Wugou City. They were neutral factions. However, because Wugou City’s influence was so dominant and these humans refused to submit, their situation was even more precarious than that of small clans like Qingqiu.
Among them was a master Zhao Li hoped to recruit and collaborate with in the future.
“…Since when did you become so knowledgeable about humans?” Xiyou frowned.
Zhao Li wagged a finger, looking smug. “Praise this young lady for her vast wisdom and profound learning.”
Xiyou squinted his beady eyes and just… “…”
Zhao Li rolled her eyes at him again before turning serious. “Let’s set the Flower Clan aside for now. Which other races have arrived?”
Xiyou counted on his fingers. “The Spirit Cat Clan’s crown prince and a few Spirit Lord-level guards…”
Zhao Li immediately scowled and huffed, “Ugh, you dumb monkey, why do you always mention the ones I hate first?”
Xiyou scratched his head. Well, he hated them too, so he’d instinctively listed them first.
“Just giving you a heads-up,” he said. “That damn cat loves picking fights with you. At the banquet, with our Ape Clan and Uncle Zhao Wu around, he won’t dare do anything. But once the banquet’s over and the secret realm challenge begins, who knows? I can’t go in with you, so if you run into that idiot, steer clear. Don’t let him mess with you!”
Among the myriad races, some ancient clans possessed secret realms within their territories. These realms often contained rare treasures that could enhance spiritual power, aiding cultivators in their training.
The more precious the secret realm, the more extraordinary its treasures.
The Ape Clan’s secret realm housed the Peach of Immortality trees, symbols of their race. These peaches could help Spirit Masters below level 29 boost their spiritual power and ascend in rank. But once a Spirit Master reached level 30 or higher, they became useless.
The secret realm could be opened once a year, each time lasting for five days. After five days, the realm would automatically close, ejecting anyone still inside. The Monkey Clan’s chieftain could choose the opening time at their discretion, so they scheduled it to coincide with the day of the Immortal Elder’s birthday banquet.
Among the myriad clans, there were many such secret realms that aided low-level spirit masters in their cultivation, and most clans did not hoard them. There was no need. These weren’t ultra-rare realms, so sharing them with outsiders was no issue. Most clans adopted the mindset of “joy shared is joy doubled,” refusing to monopolize resources. As long as the visitors weren’t hostile clans, they were welcome to enter.
Within the Flower-Fruit Mountain secret realm grew peach trees of varying ages—some a hundred years old, others a thousand, and even some ten thousand years old. The older the tree, the more beneficial its peaches were to a spirit master’s cultivation.
According to Xiyou, there was even a hundred-thousand-year-old peach tree in the realm. Unfortunately, not even Xiyou knew where this ancient tree king grew. If one could eat a peach from this tree, even an ordinary person whose spirit roots had not awakened would instantly ascend, awaken their spirit roots, and leap straight to level 29, becoming a peak Transcendent Spirit Master!
“Speaking of which, why didn’t Uncle Zhao Wu assign you any guards? It’s just the two of you here. By the rules, the host of the secret realm must avoid any appearance of favoritism and can’t accompany you inside. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t.”
Zhao Li had not released her spiritual energy, so Xiyou had no idea she was already at level 40 and had no need to consume the peaches to boost her power or level.
Secret realms were perilous places, inhabited by fierce magical beasts, and the Flower-Fruit Mountain realm was no exception.
Generally, the spirit masters who sought the peaches of Flower-Fruit Mountain were between levels 1 and 25. However, the beasts dwelling in the realm far surpassed the levels of those seeking its treasures. In other words, even the weakest beasts in the Flower-Fruit Mountain secret realm were around level 30. Moreover, these beasts lived in packs, making it nearly impossible for a lone spirit master to hunt them down. Thus, teams were necessary for survival.
The Flower-Fruit Mountain secret realm only permitted entry to spirit masters below level 50. Those above would be barred by the realm’s barrier. Zhao Wu, a peak Spirit Venerable at level 69, couldn’t possibly escort his daughter inside.
To ensure fairness in peach harvesting, members of the Monkey Clan were strictly forbidden from entering. If Xiyou, a level 48 spirit master, accompanied Zhao Li into the realm, other clans who failed to gather peaches might accuse him of favoritism and Zhao Li of cheating.
After all, the secret realm had existed for over a hundred thousand years, and the peaches near the entrance had long been picked clean. The deeper one ventured, the more beasts there were—and the greater the danger. Every clan hoped for a bountiful harvest, and on the day of the Immortal Elder’s banquet, they would present lavish gifts. Essentially, these gifts were exchanged for the realm’s fruits. To avoid offending anyone, the Monkey Clan had established the rule that they would not guide any clan within the realm.
Zhao Li chuckled and patted Xiyou’s shoulder. “You fool.”
After all his fretting over her, not only did he receive no gratitude, but he was also inexplicably insulted. Xiyou frowned in frustration, about to retort until he saw the spiritual energy Zhao Li released. He froze in shock.
Zhao Li withdrew her energy and grinned. “Now do you understand why my father didn’t assign me a single guard?”
Xiyou exclaimed in shock, “You’re already level 40?!”
At level 40, the Peaches of Immortality had no effect on her, which was why Zhao Wu had only brought his daughter along simply to celebrate the Old Man of Eternal Youth’s birthday.
Zhao Li placed a finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh, keep it down. Be careful someone might overhear. For now, we can’t let anyone know I’ve already reached Spirit Lord.”
That damned cat prince was only level 25. If he found out Zhao Li was already level 40, how could she possibly bait him into attacking her?
Even if he were stupid, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge a Spirit Lord—two whole realms above his measly Spirit Master level—with just level 25 strength.
“Does the Monkey Head Mushroom really have that kind of effect?” Xiyou blinked.
If the Monkey Head Mushroom could boost Xiao Li’er’s cultivation, then he could help her search for it in the Flower-Fruit Mountain. Even if it meant enduring that uncomfortable feeling, he’d find it for her.
Zhao Li couldn’t help but laugh. “You dummy. My rapid progress is thanks to a noble benefactor! As for who this benefactor is, you’ll find out later. Tell me, among the clans attending the Old Man’s birthday banquet, are there any that have good relations with your people but are relatively weak in strength? Preferably guests who want to enter your Flower-Fruit Mountain’s secret realm but lack strong fighters to accompany them.”
“Sure, like the Rabbit Clan and the Butterfly Clan. They both rely on our Flower-Fruit Mountain for survival. Today, the young masters of both clans came with their leaders to offer congratulations. I remember the Rabbit Clan’s young lady, Yu Tu—Chu Rou, and the Dream Butterfly Clan’s young lady, Zhi Die, are level 15 and level 17 respectively. Hmm, both much stronger than you… Ow—!”
Zhao Li couldn’t resist kicking him in the groin again.
“Stop kicking me!” Xiyou howled, hopping on one foot while clutching his crotch. “If you break it, will you marry me to make up for it?”
Zhao Li glanced at his groin and said bluntly, “If it really breaks, marrying you wouldn’t fix it, would it? Even we Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes, with all our divine powers, can’t regrow that thing for you. Besides, there’s always the Matrimony Tree. Even without that thing, you can still have children with your future wife. Unless you’re the type who prioritizes ‘pleasure’? Tsk tsk tsk, too much indulgence is bad for your health! At your tender age, you should practice moderation, moderation.”
“You—you—you—!”Xiyou was fuming. What terrible luck in friends.
“Also, this young lady is already spoken for, so even as a joke, don’t go saying things like ‘marry me to make up for it,’ got it? Unless you want to end up as charcoal-grilled monkey ribs?”
If Lan Lan lost his temper, there probably wouldn’t even be ashes left.
“You’re engaged?” Xiyou was stunned, momentarily forgetting the pain in his groin.
“‘Secretly pledged to each other’ would be more accurate.”
“Who is it?”
“Not telling. You’ve got a big mouth. If I told you, you’d definitely go blabbering to my dad.”
“Guh—!”Xiyou choked.
Zhao Li grinned. “Well, it’s definitely not that lousy Tyrant Flower, at least. He’s very reliable, so don’t worry! Now stop clutching yourself. I didn’t even kick you that hard. Who are you putting on a show for?”
Xiyou rubbed his forehead, now starting to miss the days when she was more like a delicate dodder vine. This rose had way too many thorns!!!
A real man doesn’t fight with women!!!
Hmph!!!
Zhao Li continued, “So, the Chu Rou girl and Zhi Die girl you mentioned—their clans don’t have the means to assign them escorts, right?”
The Qingqiu clan wasn’t very familiar with the Rabbit and Dream Butterfly tribes, and ten thousand years later, they were long gone, so Zhao Li didn’t know much about these two clans either.
“Indeed. The leader of the Jade Rabbit tribe is only a Spirit Ancestor at level 55. The Dream Butterfly tribe has it even worse—Madame Yu Die, their leader, isn’t even as high-level as I am. You can imagine what levels their clansmen must be at. If Chu Rou and Zhi Die could consume the Peaches of Immortality, they could at least reach level 25. But alas, rules are rules. Our Monkey tribe can’t assign guards to protect those two. They do want to enter this secret realm, but what can they do? Other clans are barely managing themselves. How could they spare extra guards for them? Sigh…”
“There is someone,” Zhao Li said with a grin, pointing at herself. “Isn’t there a ready-made guard right here?”