The daily life of a genius who enjoys gossip and cultivates immortality

Chapter 228 The Human-Faced Fox

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several sounds of spells colliding and exploding could be heard, and the smell of burning flames seemed to waft from afar.

"It seems like a fight broke out over there with Senior Sister?" Cheng Jiu looked towards the site of the explosion.

"We've run into this! Let's go take a look!" Yingyue said excitedly.

Cheng Jiu readily agreed, and the two of them secretly flew towards the direction of the magical explosion.

Soon, a clear dividing line appeared on the plain; the grass was short on Cheng Jiu's side, but taller than a person on the other side.

A more secluded and lush environment also means more dangers and more opportunities.

In the center of the battle, almost all the grass within range had been wiped out by magic, and no new grass had grown.

Cheng Jiu and his companion stood not far away and saw three groups of people performing a battle without any real equipment.

"This sixth-grade Lianzhu Grass was first discovered by Qiao Song. According to the rules of the martial arts world, it naturally belongs to the first person who discovered it! Don't be so shameless!"

Sister Hua glared angrily at the two groups. One group was the Shang family team that had been following them since they entered the secret realm, while the other group, dressed differently, was obviously also a rogue cultivator.

Moreover, the leader of this squad seemed to know Qiao Song, repeatedly calling him a traitor.

Qiao Song naturally denied it, saying that according to the other party, this squad was Qiao Song's former squad.

Although they had previously been part of the independent cultivators, they were quite inconspicuous.

This squad has fallen on hard times.

This is not surprising. What kind of magnanimous person would take charge of the team and oust the Golden Core stage experts after his brother's death?

The reason this team came together was because they trusted each other's older brothers.

Since he took over, he first ousted Qiao Song, then intensified his efforts to exclude those in the team who did not submit to him, and more importantly, he also distributed resources unevenly.

Why form a team? It's not because we think that more people mean more power and more resources than an individual.

His actions angered the other Golden Core cultivators in the group, who were already unhappy that he had secretly ostracized Qiao Song.

They were quite dissatisfied with him, since he only rightfully inherited the team because his brother was the captain before, so how could he win over the team?

A group of independent cultivators is not a family business.

They all took away those who were willing to follow them and left the group.

Currently, the only Golden Core cultivator in the team is the team leader himself, and his Golden Core cultivation is quite inflated, entirely achieved through resource accumulation.

Even if he wanted to be a key figure, no one would pay any attention to him.

The current situation is a three-way battle. Although his team went in headfirst, they were basically being overwhelmed by the aftermath of the other two sides.

Even in such a sorry state, he stood behind another group of aristocratic families who looked down on him, cheering and waving flags for Sister Hua.

Six-grade String of Pearls Grass?

Cheng Jiu and Ying Yue looked at the place the three teams were talking about with suspicion. Where was the sixth-grade Lianzhu Grass?

Apart from the tall, green grass surrounding them, there was nothing else.

Cheng Jiu carefully searched the surrounding area and finally found the culprit.

Not far away in the grass, a creature with a human face and two short claws covering its mouth watched the direction of the three teams' battle, occasionally letting out a strange, shrill laugh.

The narrow, fox-like shape of the fox exuded the ruthlessness and bloodlust of a demon beast.

It turned out to be a human-faced fox with considerable intelligence!

The human-faced fox is a rare type of bewitching demon beast among demon beasts. It is highly intelligent and especially enjoys bewitching its prey. Watching them kill each other gives the human-faced fox a great deal of pleasure.

Once both prey are severely injured, the human-faced fox will openly emerge to reap its harvest.

It belongs to a rather notorious monster.

Those of the same or lower rank, whether cultivators or demonic beasts, find it difficult to escape the bewitching charm of the human-faced fox.

These three teams may have had grudges against each other, but all of them were bewitched by the human-faced fox.

Yingyue also spotted the human-faced fox hiding in the bushes, chuckling to itself, and pointed in its direction.

Cheng Jiu nodded to her, then silently walked towards her, sword in hand.

Meanwhile, old grudges and new hatreds, coupled with the bewitching of the human-faced fox, escalated the battle further, with every move aimed at killing.

What's even more exciting is that as the battle escalates, nearly half of Qiao Song's former employer's team members betray him, begging Qiao Song to take them in and become his subordinates again.

This made matters worse for Qiao Song's former employer's already small team.

Qiao Song still has a strong attachment to her former employer's team, after all, it witnessed her transformation from a low-level Qi Refining cultivator to a Golden Core expert.

Moreover, the reason why those who joined her stayed in the team instead of leaving with the Golden Core cultivators was because, in their hearts, Qiao Song was their leader.

These guys were slacking off during the previous battle, wanting to defect to the boss, but they didn't want to say it directly, fearing that Qiao Song wouldn't accept them.

As soon as the battle escalated, they immediately found an opportunity: Qiao Song's team was definitely short of people to help.

As expected, Qiao Song and Sister Hua readily agreed when they mentioned it, and happily joined the new team.

The previously weak and feeble attacks suddenly became incredibly powerful, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, determined to show Boss Qiao Song and their new employer their resolve.

With them gone, the others became restless, and the attacks gradually weakened.

Given the current situation, these guys no longer want to stick with that idiot, and they haven't even considered joining forces with Qiao Song again.

This is a rare opportunity, and it only comes once. Moreover, not just anyone can join Sister Hua's team. Even among independent cultivators, Sister Hua's team is known for its excellent treatment, and correspondingly, the entry requirements are extremely strict.

They were self-aware; they hadn't firmly chosen Qiao Song as their first choice before, and their own abilities were only average, so it would be pointless to go and humiliate themselves.

So, before the former squad leader could even react, he turned around and found himself all alone.

He wanted those who betrayed him to come back, but they ran faster than rabbits, not giving him a chance to speak.

Meanwhile, Cheng Jiu reached out and patted the shoulder of the human-faced fox who was secretly laughing.

The other party turned its head and saw a strange human looking at it with a smile.

"what!"

A sharp, piercing, and extremely unpleasant sound, almost like a broken voice, rang out, revealing the terror the human-faced fox had suffered.

Before it could react, a sword light pierced through its head.

"boom!"

The human-faced fox is very fragile; if someone stronger than it can catch it, it's easy to deal with.

Cheng Jiu picked up the fluffy tail from the ground and walked towards Yingyue.

With the bewitching power of the human-faced fox dispelled, the cultivators, who had initially intended to flee, ran even faster.

Shang Xiao looked at the bare ground and recalled the abnormality from before; his face turned dark instantly.

"unlucky!"

They launched an attack, but not only did they fail to get revenge, they gained nothing and were tricked.

"Since there's nothing here, there's no point in continuing the fight. Shall we part ways here?" Shang Qi's expression was also rather unpleasant.

"Wait a moment!"

Sister Hua stopped Shang Qi and his group from leaving, as they had been following them ever since they arrived in the secret realm.

Upon seeing the Rank 6 String of Pearls Grass, he jumped out on his own initiative, only to discover it was a misunderstanding. He thought he could just leave so easily, but it wasn't that simple.

They still had to undergo trials and tribulations, and they didn't want to risk their lives to gain an opportunity only to be betrayed by this group of people.

"My brother has given you so much face, what more do you want?" Shang Xiao glared at Sister Hua, his tone extremely contemptuous and impatient.

Sister Hua sneered, "Young Master Shang, do you need to explain why you've been following behind our group?"

"What's there to explain! It's just on the way. This secret realm isn't yours to open, and besides." Shang Xiao glanced at Sister Hua's group with a contemptuous and unsettling look, as if they were some lowly fish or shrimp, and his tone was effusive.

"It is your honor to travel with us!"

Upon hearing such shameless words, the members of Sister Hua's team turned red with anger, while the polite and mild-mannered members of the opposing team remained silent and did not utter a word to stop or refute them.

They appear virtuous and respectable, but they are all birds of a feather!

"I think this matter needs to be resolved here."

Sister Hua looked at Shang Qi, her tone filled with hostility: "Young Master Shang, what do you think?"

"What? You want to attack us?" Shang Xiao retorted disdainfully, sensing the hostility in the other party's tone.

He didn't believe that this group of helpless, weak, and worthless people would dare to lay a hand on their aristocratic families, or that they wouldn't be afraid of retaliation from their elders.

"The secret realm is fraught with danger, and many opportunities are surrounded by peril." Sister Hua stated a fact calmly: "Rather than let you take advantage of us, let's settle things here once and for all! It's normal for people to die in the secret realm, isn't it?"

"You dare?" Seeing that Sister Hua was really determined to take action, Shang Xiao's tone was sharp and rebuking, "Aren't you afraid that our elders will avenge us?"

"Who knows in the secret realm? The dead don't tell anyone." Sister Hua looked at this naive and foolish young master, her eyes flashing with murderous intent: "So what if they find out? It's better than dying in the worst situation without knowing why. Even before I die, I'll take you down with me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sister Hua's team took a step forward in unison. It was clear that as long as Sister Hua gave the order, they would act without hesitation.

"Master Hua!" Just as the tension in the group reached its peak, the true leader of the Shang family spoke up: "You can't kill us!"

As he spoke, a green jade pendant appeared in his hand. It was actually a seventh-grade defensive magic artifact, capable of withstanding attacks from cultivators at or below the Nascent Soul stage.

Sister Hua looked at the jade pendant but remained unmoved. So what if she had a magical artifact?

If they can't kill their opponent, are they sure they can't trap them to death? Once the secret realm ends, they'll be stuck here forever, which is no different from being dead.

Who knows how many years it will be before this newly discovered secret realm reopens?

The cultivation resources outside are far superior to those in secret realms. More importantly, secret realms have limitations on cultivation level.

If they are delayed for hundreds or thousands of years, will the other family still value them?

A new generation replaces the old, and time is the most precious thing for this family to cherish.

Seeing that Sister Hua remained unmoved, Shang Qi was not surprised. He knew from the first meeting that this person was not a kind person. If the other party was so easy to back down, he could not have raised such a large team.

"This was our mistake, this is our compensation!" Shang Qi produced a storage bag and tossed it to Sister Hua.

"Brother!" Shang Xiao looked at his brother with complete confusion. Why should they compensate these bumpkins?

Do they deserve it?

"Shut up!" Shang Qi snapped at his brainless younger brother, taking a deep breath. "Do you want to be trapped here with these guys for the rest of your life?"

"They dare?"

Looking at Sister Hua's ambiguous smile and into his eyes, Shang Qi whispered, "What do you think they wouldn't dare to do?"

Shang Xiao wasn't completely brainless; he was just used to looking down on rogue cultivators, thinking they were all ants, helpless and not worth fearing.

Now, facing Sister Hua, he suddenly had a strange belief that if they didn't give a proper explanation, Sister Hua would really do it!

"I'm sorry, Master Hua, my younger brother has been a bit dim-witted since childhood. Please don't take offense!"

Sister Hua tossed the storage bag in her hand: "I don't want to hear you scolding your brother! This is your family matter!"

"Alright! From now on, we won't follow you around during your training, nor will we harm anyone in secret! And we certainly won't complain to our elders! What do you think?"

Shang Qi made all the demands in one go, then looked at Sister Hua. He was truly at the mercy of this woman.

"Speaking without thinking? Does Young Master Shang think I'm a child?"

Hua Jie didn't even flinch at the conditions Shang Qi promised. Was that all? Did he think she was some greenhorn fresh out of school? Did he look down on all her years of hard work and struggle?

"I can sign a written agreement!" Shang Qi had someone bring out paper and pen, quickly wrote down the conditions he promised, and handed them to Sister Hua: "Is that alright?"

Sister Hua took the document he handed her, tore it into pieces without even looking at it, and said, "Kid, you shouldn't bring this kind of trick to the table. Isn't breach of contract what your aristocratic family is best at?"

We independent cultivators are more accustomed to this here, making vows to the Heavenly Dao! Do you understand?

"You!" Shang Xiao glared at Sister Hua: "Don't go too far!"

"Heh! Since you're so unsincere, then let's not talk anymore. Of course, you can stay here and defend, and we'll keep an eye on you. Once the secret realm closes, we'll naturally let you out!"

As she spoke, Sister Hua clapped her hands, and a beautiful woman in purple gauze stepped out from her group: "Beauty Yu, I'm leaving this to you. Set up a trapping formation, and I'll trap them to death!"

"Okay, boss, don't worry about it, leave it to me!" With that, Yu Meiren summoned her squad and began to set up an array around Shang Qi and the others.

Judging from his posture, he's definitely not just faking it.

Seeing that Sister Hua was willing to starve them even without seeking resources, Shang Qi gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I'll make it! I'll make it!"

“It’s not just you, everyone else must also receive this, and swear by the path of the Dao that you are not allowed to complain to your elders through any means!”

"you!"

Shang Xiao was completely taken aback by her words, but his brother held him back tightly: "Okay!"

"Brother, how could you agree to such a condition!"

"Shut up! What good ideas do you have? Circumstances dictate our actions!"

As he said this, Shang Qi's face fell. After so many years of smooth sailing, he suffered a major setback in his first experience!

Shang Qi and Shang Xiao are the young masters of the Shang family and also the leaders of this team. Shang Qi promised that even if the others had objections, they all acquiesced.

One by one, the oaths of Heaven were issued. Sister Hua carefully checked to make sure that everyone had made one before she mercifully let them leave.

I'll remember you!

As Shang Qi and his men left, he gave Sister Hua a deep look.

"Hey! Even after all this, you're still so arrogant!" Yu Meiren said angrily, watching the other person leave.

"Alright!" Sister Hua patted Yu Meiren.

I didn't want any more trouble, so I let them go, simply because I didn't want to provoke a mortal enemy.

As the team leader, she always had to consider the team's needs.

As the commotion subsided, two figures silently left the bushes.

No one knows that two people have ever been here.