Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Looking down from the peak of the mountain earlier, the surrounding terrain was clear at a glance, and planning a route was no more than simple.

With Chen Lingyun's exceptionally strong memory, Yan Yu simply let her lead the way, trying as much as possible to avoid areas dense with trees.

As the group passed through a flat meadow, moving forward with their Shifting Technique, suddenly Lin Ning let out a sharp cry as her figure was abruptly flung into the air.

It was a vine concealed within the underbrush that had now firmly entangled her ankle and whipped her into the air with force.

Her balance lost, Lin Ning gritted her teeth, curled her body with all her might, and within her rapidly spinning and swaying vision, she tried to reach the thing binding her ankle to cut it with a Metal-Element Impact Curse.

Before she could act, the force on her foot dissipated. She hurriedly applied the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her body came to an abrupt stop in midair, only to find only half a vine remaining on her foot—it was Yan Yu who had reacted immediately, freeing her from the clutches of the monster.

"Everyone, gather close to me," Yan Yu said casually, yet his hands did not cease to shoot Impact Curses in all directions around him.

The frequency of his shots was not rapid, but with every Impact Curse that hit the ground, a section of vine would bounce out of the underbrush, like a pained snake attempting to flee.

The group quickly huddled next to Yan Yu, with the girls in the inner circle and the three military cultivators on the outside. Lin Ning moved through the air with her Cloud Ascension Technique toward Yan Yu, when she heard him speak again:

"Alright, disperse, the monster has fled."

The underbrush around them rustled once more, seemingly something rapidly crawling away, but indeed the shaking was moving farther away.

"How did you notice it?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

Princess Jiang Hai was very confident in her observational skills, yet even with her concentrated efforts, she could only sense movements within the grass in all directions.

But to, like Yan Yu, accurately discern the position of the vine monster within the underbrush and precisely deploy Impact Curses to sever the foe, she was not capable of doing so.

The rest also perked up their ears. The girls familiar with his ways thought for sure he would make light of it, probably saying "This is very simple."

"Oh, you're asking about that," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Watch the swaying of the underbrush. First, locate the position where the swaying is most pronounced, then see which direction it moves, and finally, calculate a lead based on the direction of motion—that's where the actual body is."

"Isn't that very complicated!" Lin Ning, who had just landed, immediately retorted.

"Otherwise?" Yan Yu asked, confused, "Did you think cultivator battles are simple? Too naive, little Lin Ning!"

"Don't call me little Lin Ning..." Lin Ning said, deflated.

Yeah, what was I thinking? Real combat situations are inherently complex and ever-changing; why am I surprised?

"Have they all gone?" Su Yunjin asked uneasily.

"I suppose so," Yan Yu said, "Staying wouldn't make sense; as many as come would be cut down by me. Even without spiritual intelligence, these creatures have the ability to gauge the disparity in strength."

The three military cultivators also sighed with relief and exchanged glances once more.

This Yan Yu, though his attitude and words were brash, his skills indeed matched his tone... and on second thought, for a young man with such abilities, a bit of arrogance seemed quite normal.

So one must remember the lesson: Don't judge a book by its cover, nor measure the sea with a bushel.

"Shall we continue on our way?" Wei Yun asked, eager to proceed.

"Or do you want to take a rest?" Yan Yu asked in return.

"No, no need to rest," Wei Yun promptly replied in a firm voice, "The mission is paramount; we must persevere."

"Then let's go," Yan Yu nodded.

Having crossed the vine-laden meadow, the group's spirits were finally lifted.

They had arrived!

In front of them was the vast plain they had observed from the mountaintop.

Now, at a closer look, one could notice the artificially cultivated ridges on the plain, with crops planted at equal distances in neat rows.

The crops were of an unknown variety, unrecognizable in shape, but evidently cultivated by humans. Some were still growing, while others seemed ripe, bearing full fruits of various colors.

Beyond the furrows and the unfamiliar crops, a thatched cottage could be seen in the distance.

Before the group could make their next move, a figure suddenly flew toward them at high speed from afar, arriving above their heads in an instant and deftly landing.

It was a life-sized wooden puppet, its cylindrical head carved with curved brows, a straight nose, and a flat mouth.

Unlike its crudely carved head and body, its limbs and joints were exquisitely made, with elbows, wrists, and fingers of the right size and very flexible.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In the puppet's right hand was a green bamboo sword.

Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't that the Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword?"

The Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword, also known as the "Green Bamboo Sword," was the sword's formal name, whereas Lin Ning had given it that latter nickname.

Why did Lin Ning name it? Because in her previous life, once she had confirmed her path as a Sword Immortal, this was the sword assigned to her… So it was originally discovered in this Mysterious Realm?

Well, since my current limit of Spiritual Energy isn't enough for long-term Sword Control Technique, I might not be able to get the sword back for a while after handing it over.

I'll talk to Elder Li when I return, tell him to keep the sword for me.

Yan Yu pondered silently for a moment and then saw the puppet clack its wrists, not attacking the group but rather pointing its bamboo sword at them. The tip of the sword raised slightly, and an aged laugh followed,

"Ho ho ho~ A few Qi Refinement scatterbrains managed to find their way here, it seems the vine monsters and tree spirits nurtured by the lord are still a bit too weak."

The group looked at each other and then unanimously turned towards Yan Yu.

If anyone was qualified to represent the Cultivators and communicate with the puppet, it had to be their leader, Yan Yu.

After pondering for a while, Yan Yu looked at the puppet seriously and asked,

"We had a group of Cultivators come here to explore before, but they lost contact. Have you seen them?"

"I do not recall," replied the puppet. "But the lord is kind-hearted and has long since taught those creatures not to kill indiscriminately, so your friends who intruded here are certainly alive. They must be trapped somewhere, and you may search for them yourselves."

"I see, then I'll cut to the chase," Yan Yu nodded and then commanded sternly, "Old wooden head, hand over the core of the Mysterious Realm!"

The group: ............

The puppet was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing,

"Very well! The lord said that if someone wants the old abode of this place, it's quite simple."

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He flicked the green Immortal Sword in his hand, flourished it, and declared loudly,

"A one-on-one duel for practice. Defeat me, and it's yours. Who wants to go first?"

Yan Yu sneered upon hearing this and turned to give an order,

"You all heard it, right? Lin Ning, you go ahead and test its strength."