Chapter 6: The Secret Realm
The “death trap” part was certainly true. The novel, in its absurdity, had also bestowed upon the secret realm a rather absurd purpose.
Despite its grand-sounding name, the “inheritance” within the Qiankun Secret Realm was nothing more than a dual cultivation manual. This manual would play a pivotal role in the male lead’s rapid ascent to power.
The male lead, in his previous life, hadn’t entered the secret realm. He had only heard rumors of those who had entered and never returned. After his rebirth, he had intended to use the secret realm to eliminate the Demon Lord, only to be dragged inside himself.
Bai Jingxue, perched on Luo Nianshang’s shoulder, flicked her tail back and forth, pondering how to use her current advantages to prevent the female lead from entering the Qiankun Secret Realm.
A small bell, strung on a red cord, hung from her neck. It remained silent as she moved.
She leaped down from Luo Nianshang’s shoulder and glanced back. The female lead sat in meditation, as still and unyielding as a stone statue.
With a flick of her tail, Bai Jingxue slipped out of the chamber and headed towards the most populated peak of the sect.
She could see the flow of spiritual energy with perfect clarity. Drawing upon this energy and channeling it into her paws, she moved with incredible speed, the scenery blurring around her. It reminded her of the thrill of racing in her past life.
She reached a cliff overlooking the grand hall where the sect leader resided. The green tiles of the roof were visible through the swirling mist.
Estimating the distance, Bai Jingxue realized she was about twenty stories above her target.
Undeterred, she took a running leap and landed gracefully on the tiled roof.
Aside from a slight tingling in her paw pads, she was unharmed. Clearly, this black cat body was no ordinary creature. But the novel, with its focus on steamy encounters, offered little insight into the world’s intricacies. Her knowledge remained limited.
Licking her paw, she calmly surveyed the sea of white-clad disciples gathered before the grand hall. After listening for a while, she realized these were the elite disciples chosen to enter the secret realm.
The Ejian Sect was primarily a sword cultivation sect, its male and female disciples evenly balanced. Within the sect lay a forbidden zone known as the Sword Pool, where countless sword spirits were sealed.
Upon reaching the Nascent Soul realm, disciples were granted the opportunity to enter the Sword Pool and choose a sword spirit to bond with. The chosen spirit would reside within their sword, gradually merging with it, enhancing its power.
The swords wielded by the disciples before her shimmered with spiritual energy, indicating that they had all surpassed the Nascent Soul realm.
Suddenly, a young woman caught Bai Jingxue’s attention. As if sensing her gaze, the woman looked up.
“What’s wrong, Senior Sister Fu?” someone asked.
Fu Yuan smiled. “Nothing,” she replied.
Bai Jingxue was surprised by her keen senses. She let out a sigh of relief, then a thought struck her.
“Why am I hiding?” she wondered. “I’m just a cat.”
Emboldened, she sat at the edge of the roof, observing the disciples below. Fu Yuan, however, didn’t look up again.
This young woman was another significant member of the male lead’s harem. She possessed a rare physique, ideal for dual cultivation, making her a prime target for those seeking to exploit her power. Unwilling to become a tool, she had fled to the Ejian Sect, collapsing at their gates.
Had the disciples found her a moment later, she would have died.
But her rescue hadn’t been her salvation. After the events of the Qiankun Secret Realm, she would still end up on the very path she had sought to avoid.
Bai Jingxue stared at her pink paw pads, a strange sense of amusement washing over her. But she wasn’t laughing at those who struggled against fate. She was laughing at fate itself.
The sect leader concluded his speech and dismissed the disciples.
As Bai Jingxue turned to leave, the sect leader suddenly appeared before her.
“Elder Bai, a moment, please.”
Bai Jingxue blinked, her ears twitching in disbelief. Elder Bai? Sure, her surname was Bai, but did they not see the black fur covering her body?
She struggled to recall the sect leader’s name from the novel, but it eluded her. He had been a minor character, poisoned by the male lead and dissolved into a puddle of goo. The epitome of a disposable extra.
The disposable sect leader held out a jade slip. “Please take this with you,” he said.
Paws weren’t exactly designed for carrying objects. To take the slip, she would have to hold it in her mouth. Bai Jingxue, too lazy to even open her eyes, turned to leave.
Then, the scent of dried fish wafted into her nostrils.
It smelled divine. She swallowed, tempted. But she turned away, her demeanor aloof.
She, Bai Jingxue, would not be swayed by such petty bribes!
Inside the chamber, Luo Nianshang frowned at the jade slip. After a moment, she set it aside and scooped up the cat, carefully wiping away the dried fish crumbs clinging to her whiskers.
“You glutton,” she chuckled.
Bai Jingxue’s face flushed, despite being covered in black fur. She let out a haughty meow, as if in protest.
Luo Nianshang patted her head, her voice soothing. “Yes, yes, you’re not a glutton.”
Looking into the female lead’s gentle eyes, Bai Jingxue thought that perhaps this peaceful existence wasn’t so bad after all. She had food, shelter, and companionship. A bit boring, perhaps, but not unpleasant.
It reminded her of her past, of the simple life she and Qingyan had longed for: a steady job, a comfortable home, and each other’s company.
She didn’t understand why, but despite her best efforts to let go, memories of their time together kept resurfacing.
She couldn’t deny it. She still missed her.
Her melancholic musings were interrupted by the female lead’s voice.
Luo Nianshang’s face was clouded with worry. “The divination revealed that I will encounter a romantic entanglement on this journey,” she sighed.
Luo Nianshang, who had been single for millennia, was stunned. Romance had never been a priority for her.
However, those memories were distant now, fading into the mists of time. She only remembered her unwavering dedication to cultivation, her relentless pursuit of power that had ultimately led her to this position.
To confirm the accuracy of the divination, she glanced at the black cat in her arms and had an idea. She performed another divination, this time focusing on the cat.
“Hmm, another romantic entanglement,” she muttered. “Perhaps I’m out of practice.”
Bai Jingxue shuddered. If the female lead was indeed going to the secret realm, then the “romantic entanglement” was most likely referring to the male lead.
That scumbag? A romantic entanglement?
Panic surged through her. She struggled in Luo Nianshang’s grasp, meowing frantically. But her efforts were futile. The female lead couldn’t understand her.
Resigned, Bai Jingxue allowed herself to be carried towards the Qiankun Secret Realm, a sense of dread settling over her.
The Ejian Sect contingent wasn’t the first to arrive. A multitude of cultivators, their robes representing various sects and factions, had gathered before the swirling mist that marked the entrance to the secret realm. They were divided into three distinct groups: demon cultivators, righteous cultivators, and rogue cultivators, the latter further split into those aligned with demonic or righteous practices.
The Ejian Sect, being the most powerful sect in the righteous realm, was granted the most advantageous position. The sect closest to the entrance hastily yielded their spot, eager to curry favor.
Bai Jingxue watched their obsequious display with a mixture of amusement and disdain.
Any other leader might have acknowledged their gesture, but this was Luo Nianshang. She would likely forget about it the moment they turned their backs.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She sensed something nearby. She tore her gaze away from the crowd and looked towards the left.
There she was. Lü Qingyan, held firmly in the Demon Lord’s grasp. And her fur had grown back.
As expected, Bai Jingxue could hear her ex-girlfriend’s thoughts loud and clear.
“Jingxue, why are you ignoring me?”
Bai Jingxue, met with those pleading eyes and the sight of that wagging tail, couldn’t bring herself to face her. She turned away, covering her ears with her paws.
Their exchange went unnoticed. The Demon Lord’s attention was focused solely on Luo Nianshang.
Their gazes locked, and the bustling crowd fell silent.
The Demon Lord, staring at Luo Nianshang’s impassive face, forced a smile. “We meet again so soon,” she purred.
Luo Nianshang merely nodded. Those who reached a certain level of cultivation developed a faint awareness of the threads of fate that bound all living things. She had once been able to sense the Demon Lord’s future, but that connection had vanished.
A sense of unease settled over her. There were only two possible explanations for this. Either the Demon Lord’s cultivation had surpassed her own, or their fates had become intertwined.
Seeing that Luo Nianshang was lost in thought, the Demon Lord, her attempt at conversation rebuffed, fell silent.
With the return of her poison pearl, her health had been fully restored, eliminating her allergy to dog fur. Today, she had opted for a more revealing outfit.
The Qiankun Secret Realm had no visible entrance. It existed as a shimmering mirage within the swirling mist, a world of lush greenery beckoning from beyond the barren wasteland they stood upon.
Those who had attempted to enter prematurely had been enveloped by the mist, their bodies dissolving into wisps of blood-red energy that vanished with a sickening gulp.
Knowing the dangers that lay ahead, Luo Nianshang had decided to accompany the disciples herself. She hadn’t expected the Demon Lord to do the same.
As if on cue, the mist began to dissipate, revealing the wonders within the secret realm. Rare beasts roamed freely, and long-extinct herbs and spirit plants flourished in abundance. The eyes of the cultivators gleamed with avarice, their breaths growing ragged. But they dared not move.
As anticipation reached fever pitch, the Demon Lord, with a playful smile, stepped towards the secret realm.
And then, her leg was yanked back.
She looked down to see her dog clinging to her robes, its teeth firmly embedded in the fabric. Thankfully, she hadn’t chosen to wear anything too revealing today.
The smile froze on her face. Even the opportunity to flaunt her power before Luo Nianshang couldn’t erase her annoyance.
Lü Qingyan, who had been desperately trying to get Bai Jingxue’s attention, felt a surge of panic as the secret realm beckoned.
Seeing the Demon Lord about to enter, she had lunged, her small body filled with an unexpected strength.
“Don’t go in there!” she shrieked in her mind. “You’ll be ravaged by the male lead!”
Bai Jingxue, her ears no longer covered, listened to the commotion with a mixture of amusement and concern.
The secret realm was a death trap for those not chosen by fate. And the chosen one, of course, was the male lead. In the original story, only the male lead and a select few female cultivators had emerged from the secret realm alive.
Their survival had been attributed to their “fated” connection with the male lead.
Bai Jingxue looked up at Luo Nianshang’s chin and let out a plaintive meow.
The crowd, their attention focused on the Demon Lord and her unruly pet, missed the flicker of concern in Luo Nianshang’s eyes.
She gently stroked the cat’s head, her voice soft as she transmitted her thoughts directly into Bai Jingxue’s mind. “Are you scared? Don’t worry, I won’t take you in there.”
Bai Jingxue shook her head and meowed again, but her efforts were futile. The female lead couldn’t understand her.
She scanned the crowd, but the male lead was nowhere to be seen.
“Jingxue, what do we do? We can’t let them go in there!” Lü Qingyan cried out in her mind.
Bai Jingxue, unable to ignore her any longer, sighed. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
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