Yun Xi studied the restless jungle, her voice echoing in the minds of her spirit beasts.
"Tonight, I'll continue fighting the giant beasts. Aside from Xiao Xian, Dian Dian and Fei Xia should stay inside the spirit beast pouch. The air here will affect you too much."
"Yes, Master," they answered in unison.
Dian Dian and Fei Xia obeyed without hesitation, slipping back into the pouch with practiced ease.
Yun Xi tightened the pouch and prepared to leap down from the massive tree. Just then, a thick, brown-black python silently slithered up along the trunk, coiling toward her without warning. But when it struck, its body wrapped around nothing but empty air.
She had already vanished. The instant she left her position, her divine sense spread outward. Yet to her dismay, the area it covered had shrunk by another mile compared to yesterday. Though she hadn't absorbed any of the spiritual energy here for cultivation, something was still suppressing her.
"It must be that "harmful substance" Xiao Xian had mentioned." Her hand brushed her cheek. The Glazed Jade Mask had filtered some of it out, but whenever her protective barrier was damaged in battle and her skin was exposed, the contamination seeped in, limiting her divine sense.
At that moment, she detected the python lunging from behind. Her figure flickered, dropping from the giant tree in a flash.
The serpent, nearly the same color as the bark, lost its target. Flicking its tongue, it followed her trail, slithering down in relentless pursuit.
Yun Xi's brow tightened. She had no interest in a drawn-out chase—who knew what other dangers lurked in the jungle at night? After dodging several times, she suddenly turned and flung a stack of talismans from her sleeve.
The python sensed danger and tried to veer aside. But its bulk was too unwieldy; it barreled straight into the center of the Explosive Talismans Yun Xi ignited.
The forest echoed with booming detonations, the shockwaves carrying far.
In the distant tribal settlement, an old woman stirred from her stone hut, her wrinkled hand tightening around her cane. She frowned toward the sound. To her, it had to be the same male cultivator who visited earlier that day making trouble again.
The stone-hammer-wielding man rushed to her side. "Azu, did something happen to him? Should we send people to check?"
The old woman pressed her lips together, silent for a long while before she finally spoke.
"No. At night the beasts are far more savage. None of us could deal with them. Go tell the tribe to behave as always: once the sun sets, stay indoors. No one leaves the settlement."
The man frowned, clearly uneasy, but bowed his head. "Yes, Azu." He turned and left.
The old woman sighed, lowered the hide curtain of her doorway, and shut herself inside, shutting out the night.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi dug out the gallbladder of the slain python, but before she could retreat, another serpent—smaller, but black-scaled—lashed out. Its thick tail coiled around her waist with shocking force.
This time, she couldn't break free immediately. The python's grip tightened, and she heard the crack of her own ribs. Lifted up before its face, she stared into its deep brown eyes and slit pupils, cold and merciless.
Yun Xi went still. Then, decisively, she summoned the Mystic Frost Needle. Splitting into two, the needles darted forward and stabbed straight into the python's eyes.
The icy technique not only pierced but froze. Frost spread instantly, sealing the serpent's entire skull in rime. In its death throes, the python crushed her tighter. She heard the crisp snap of ribs before her body slammed heavily into the ground.
The serpent was dead. Gasping for breath, Yun Xi forced herself free from its limp coils, ignoring the pain lancing through her chest. With a flick of her sleeve, she stored both python corpses into her bag of holding, then fled the area with Fufeng Step.
Only after running a good distance did she lay down a formation plate and slip inside to heal. Outside, the forest had sunk into darkness, filled with roars and howls that made the blood run cold.
Elsewhere, every cultivator in the secret realm faced their own battles. The beasts attacked more savagely than the night before. Even Wei Yunqing, usually the most cautious, was forced to draw her sword.
Her blade cleaved through a massive brown-green lizard slinking across the ground. Blood sprayed, and she recoiled with disgust before retreating into her prepared array.
"Tch! Filthy things!"
Casting a cleansing spell over herself, Wei Yunqing popped a spirit-replenishing pill. After a short rest, she strode out again to cut down the lizards clawing at her formation.
Sheng Yuhong fought a black-furred giant ape. Being a sword cultivator, he was sharp and efficient, his golden sword light slashing through the beast's hide with ease. He had already made arrangements, setting aside a defensible retreat array for when his strength waned. Alone and without reinforcements, he refused to risk being worn down to exhaustion.
All through the night, none of the cultivators slept. When the first light of dawn pierced the canopy, the savage beasts suddenly withdrew as if commanded, slinking back to their lairs. Only then did the cultivators breathe a sigh of relief.
Yun Xi had fought through the night, resting within her array twice when her spiritual power nearly ran dry. She dared not absorb the jungle's corrupted qi, so she relied on spirit stones inside the formation before returning to battle.
At sunrise, with the beasts gone, she finally sat cross-legged, restoring her reserves before putting away the formation plate. Then she made for the Wu Tribe's settlement.
On the road, she shared what she had learned with Xiao Xian.
"There are descendants of the Wu people here," she said.
Xiao Xian let out a heavy sigh. "Every extinction has its cause. Still, they will not give up their final struggle."
Yun Xi nodded slightly, then shifted the subject. "I saw a few of the beasts during the day, but they weren't nearly as frenzied as at night. Why is that?"
The Xianling Grass rustled its leaves. "Daylight in this realm suppresses the aura that agitates them. Without that suppression, they are overwhelmed by it at night, and that's why they attack you, the outsider, in groups."
Yun Xi's brows furrowed. "Xiao Xian… can you filter that aura out for me?"
The spirit grass understood her intent immediately. "I could. But such substance harms my true body. Unless it is absolutely necessary, don't make me your filter.
Had I been at my peak, this would be nothing. But now I've recognized you as my master, and your cultivation holds me back. The only reason I could absorb an entire spirit vein into your space was because your divine sense was strong enough. Without that, even that much would have been impossible."
Yun Xi's lips twitched faintly. She recognized the veiled complaint in its words and sighed.
"I understand. Stick to what you're best at—finding spirit veins."
===
I'm not sure if I already mentioned this in an earlier chapter, but just to clarify: except for Dian Dian, whose name was personally given by Yun Xi, both Fei Xia and Xiao Xian are nicknames that I came up with.
Fei Xia (飞霞) comes from the Chinese species name of the butterfly, 飞霞蝶, which I translated as Flying Mist Butterfly. As for Xiao Xian, Yun Xi originally called it "Xianling" (仙灵), from Xianling Grass (仙灵草).
If you've been following my work, you probably know I love giving nicknames to the MC's contracted companions or pets (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ). For example, in The Villainess Refuses to Repent, all of Song Wanníng's pets were given nicknames by me as well.