Massive vines shot out from the sandy bottom, instantly ensnaring the monstrous creature. In the next moment, golden light from the Tai’a Technique rained down, piercing it like a punctured balloon.
The deep ocean depths were dark and silent. Monsters either hid in coral forests or buried themselves in the sand. Each was bizarrely shaped and enormous. This place was truly somewhere one wouldn’t want to linger for even a moment.
Bai Ligelin looked back. Behind her, the taciturn Senior Brother Lu Li was following along as if on a sightseeing tour, not even putting up any defenses. She couldn’t help but sigh, “Senior Brother Lu, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
After being pushed into the barrier by their master, they happened to meet and decided to travel together. She wasn’t very familiar with this Senior Brother Lu in normal times. Although he looked extraordinarily handsome and valiant, he was a man of few words and didn’t seem to have much goodwill toward her. She usually couldn’t be bothered to provoke him. Last time at the tavern, she only approached him because she was desperately bored, and sure enough, she was rebuffed. He didn’t give her any face at all.
However, since they were teamed up now, he couldn’t remain silent the whole time, could he? How could he let her take the lead in killing monsters while he stood idly by? If she remembered correctly, this Senior Brother Lu Li seemed to have a golden spiritual root. Shouldn’t he be the one taking action?
Lu Li said flatly, “I’m searching for the aura of the Demon Cinnabar Fruit. There are none in this seabed.”
“Oh, then let’s head up.”
Seeing that he remained cold and aloof, not even sparing her a glance, Bai Ligelin found it both amusing and somewhat frustrating. When she saw him summon a crab monster, she suddenly took a light leap onto its back. She leaned softly against Lu Li, as if boneless, and said in a coquettish voice, “Senior Brother Lu, why are you always so cold? Do you dislike me that much?”
Lu Li moved several steps away and said coldly, “Junior Sister Bai, please have some self-respect.”
Bai Ligelin laughed as she hooked her arm through his, “I can’t respect myself. Why don’t you teach me how?”
Lu Li turned his head away, his expression icy and his eyes filled with disgust. “Let go.”
Bai Ligelin released him with a smile and said softly, “All the other senior and junior brothers chat and laugh with me. Only you ignore me. We’ve rarely run into each other today, yet you still act so indifferently. I’ve never bullied you, so why are you unwilling to even look at me?”
Lu Li lowered his head and gazed at her silently, ignoring the coquettish and lovely smile on her face. After a long while, he finally spoke, “My Nine Phoenix Clan has a rule: we must not associate with frivolous and wanton people.”
He suddenly summoned another giant toad monster, leaped onto its back, and left the crab monster for her without another word.
His words were quite harsh. Even though the Eastern Sea had open and unrestrained customs, to describe a woman as wanton and frivolous, especially coming from a man’s mouth, was extremely hurtful and excessive.
Bai Ligelin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She tilted her head and studied him, “Senior Brother Lu, how am I wanton or frivolous? Since you’ve judged me this way, you should at least list out some reasons so I can reflect and feel ashamed, right?”
He still didn’t speak. The toad monster beneath his feet was leaping and flying, looking somewhat comical. The deep blue seawater was close above their heads. Lu Li spread his hands, and a translucent bubble-like thing enveloped his head. The toad monster suddenly plunged into the seawater. Once in the water, it leaped even faster, shooting upward like an arrow released from a bow.
Bai Ligelin urged the crab monster to chase after him, still asking, “Senior Brother Lu, what is the Nine Phoenix Clan? I’ve never heard of it before.”
He continued to ignore her as if she didn’t exist at all. Seeing that he seemed to be truly annoyed, Bai Ligelin finally fell silent. This Senior Brother Lu really couldn’t take a joke. Unromantic, acerbic, and taciturn – he was completely different from the bold and uninhibited men of the Eastern Sea.
As the crab monster leaped out of the water, Bai Ligelin sensed the rampant demonic energy on the sea’s surface. She immediately put up two layers of earth-based defenses. She saw a small island floating on the azure sea surface, shrouded in dense, purple-black miasma. Within the thick fog crouched an enormous octopus monster, its soft tentacles thicker than three people could encircle.
Given the special circumstances, Lu Li immediately spoke up, “There’s the aura of a Demon Cinnabar Fruit on the island.”
The miasma on the island was too dense to use immortal techniques inside. Just as Bai Ligelin was about to command the crab monster to land on the island and force the octopus monster away from the miasma, they suddenly heard incessant roars from within the thick fog. The next moment, the octopus monster occupying the island unexpectedly leaped up and plunged into the sea with a splash, diving into the seabed as if fleeing for its life.
The two were utterly baffled and exchanged a confused glance. Bai Ligelin said softly, “The aura of the Demon Cinnabar Fruit is still there.”
Lu Li took out a completely black talisman paper from his robes. He channeled his spiritual energy and waved it in the wind. The talisman paper immediately transformed into a palm-sized little monkey, which chirped and darted into the island’s thick miasma like lightning. After a moment, they suddenly heard a girl’s voice cry out urgently, “A monkey demon? Ah, it’s come to steal the Demon Cinnabar Fruit!”
The fog suddenly parted, and the little monkey demon scurried back clutching a fist-sized, purple-black fruit. It knelt on Lu Li’s arm and reverently offered up the fruit with both hands. Soon after, a young man and woman – both Mountain Sect disciples – emerged from the island in pursuit. As soon as they left the miasma, they took to the clouds. The four people faced each other, all stunned.
Bai Ligelin cried out happily, “Li Fei! Lei Xiuyuan! So it was you two getting the Demon Cinnabar Fruit! Heavens! This is great! Let’s team up!”
“Gelin!” Li Fei also smiled broadly and waved at her. Seeing the monkey demon crouching on Lu Li’s arm, baring its teeth – half-afraid and half-trying to look threatening – she couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lu Li guided his toad monster closer and handed the Demon Cinnabar Fruit to her, “I apologize, this should be yours.”
Li Fei smiled, “Since we’re teaming up, it doesn’t matter who has it.”
The Demon Cinnabar Fruit could only grow in places dense with miasma. Now that it had left the miasma, it immediately began to wither. Lu Li quickly took out a blank talisman paper, bit his finger to draw blood, and hastily wrote a line of mystical text. He wrapped the Demon Cinnabar Fruit and still handed it to her, “I’m sorry, I don’t plan to join the team.”
Bai Ligelin clicked her tongue and frowned, “Senior Brother Lu, this is unnecessary, isn’t it?”
There was no need to put on such airs. It was too much to be so inconsiderate.
Li Fei suddenly gave a dry laugh and said softly, “If you can preserve the Demon Cinnabar Fruit, that would be even better. Here, we have…”
She took four Demon Cinnabar Fruits from her sleeve, all of which were nearly withered. Bai Ligelin’s eyes nearly popped out, “You got so many?!”
“Friends from the Mountain Sect, may I ask how you obtained so many Demon Cinnabar Fruits?”
Lu Li was also shocked and hurriedly bowed as he inquired.
“Uh… well…” Li Fei wracked her brains trying to come up with a perfect excuse. Beside her, Lei Xiuyuan said flatly, “I obtained them, but the method is not convenient to disclose. Please understand.”
“There you go again, being all mysterious!” Bai Ligelin disliked Lei Xiuyuan’s attitude the most. She wrapped up the four Demon Cinnabar Fruits and handed them back to Li Fei, smiling, “Now we have five Demon Cinnabar Fruits. We’re all set! Who would have thought we’d get them all on the first day!”
Li Fei could only laugh dryly. She didn’t know how to explain the origin of these Demon Cinnabar Fruits.
This trial had been incredibly easy for her and Lei Xiuyuan. Everywhere they went, monsters fled in droves. It seemed that because of the burst of original spiritual energy in Chestnut Valley last time, the monsters were even more afraid of her now. On the previous island occupied by monsters, a creature immediately brought them Demon Cinnabar Fruits. It made her feel as if she were some kind of bandit king.
Was she taking unfair advantage like this?
Seeing that they had actually collected all the Demon Cinnabar Fruits and even had two extra, Lu Li couldn’t help but hesitate. If he left the team to search on his own, it would certainly take a lot of effort. Moreover, there had to be Mountain Sect disciples in the team. There were only thirty Demon Cinnabar Fruits in total, and they would become increasingly scarce. The later it got, the slimmer the chances of obtaining them. Although they could fight to snatch them, the Mountain Sect disciples had exquisite immortal techniques, and it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to steal from them.
He despised Bai Ligelin in his heart and was even more unwilling to fail the trial because of her. Seeing that Li Fei had shared a Demon Cinnabar Fruit, he couldn’t help but smile, “You’re very thoughtful, Miss. Keeping the Demon Cinnabar Fruits separate ensures they won’t all be stolen at once.”
Bai Ligelin glared at him, “You’re so polite with others, but you treat your junior sister like an enemy with that cold face of yours.”
Li Fei remembered this male disciple. That night, he had rejected Gelin without mercy. His name was Lu Li, wasn’t it? Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to truly despise Gelin. Here was another man who didn’t understand her.
Lu Li ignored her coquettish provocation and simply said, “There’s still a month until the end of the trial. We can’t let our guard down. People might come to snatch the Demon Cinnabar Fruits at any time, and the closer we get to the end, the more people will try to steal them. With the Demon Cinnabar Fruits on us, we can’t stay in one place for too long, or others will track us down. Let’s go now.”
Bai Ligelin summoned her centipede spirit and jumped onto it with a smile, pulling Li Fei along. She was extremely pleased with herself, “How about it? This is the centipede spirit! Isn’t it beautiful?”
Li Fei examined its enormous, hard shell, the unsettling bright green color, the dense array of legs, and the hideously ugly head. She felt she really couldn’t lie and say it was beautiful, so she could only nod vaguely, “You’re… you’re impressive.”
“There’s more!” Bai Ligelin pulled out a jet-black talisman paper. Earlier in the city, they weren’t allowed to use immortal techniques or mystic arts, and even mounts weren’t permitted. She had been dying to show off, and now she finally had the chance. She eagerly displayed all the strange and wonderful things she had.
That black talisman paper suddenly transformed into a small, tender yellow oriole spirit. It was only the size of a thumb, with a round beak of bright red and eyes of the demonic red unique to monsters, making it quite lovely and striking.
Bai Ligelin extended her finger, and it immediately flew over, flapping its wings and opening its beak to chirp melodiously.
“This is my demon beast,” Gelin said, stroking its head with her finger. “I tamed it myself.”
Li Fei also stroked its head, feeling how ice-cold it was to the touch. Indeed, one couldn’t judge demons by their appearance. It looked like an oriole, but it was still a demon.
“How do you tame so many demon beasts?” Li Fei was extremely curious. In the Mountain Sect’s view, demons and immortals were natural enemies, always plundering and killing each other. When they met, it was kill or be killed. Yet here in the Sea Sect, they could coexist with demons. It was truly mind-boggling.