Chapter 20
"After we heard information from this demon about the ruins, what do you think, Sister Xue? Should we go explore the ruins to get the treasures, or should we stick to our original plan and leave this alternative realm?"
After successfully coercing the little dragon girl to become her master's pet, Ruan Xiaoyue asked Sister Xue what they would do next. Hearing Ruan Xiaoyue's question didn't take Xue Lanting long to answer, and she immediately stated what they would do next.
"It would be better if we chose to leave this realm, Little Ruan. This demon already told us that the gate where we entered has been taken over, and they are also targeting all humans in this alternative realm. We need to take back our gate and get out to inform all the elders guarding outside the gate to help rescue the remaining cultivators in the alternative realm."
"But, what about my promise to help you find the treasure?"
"It's alright, Miss Ruan. Senior Xue and I are already exhausted from this adventure. We can't be greedy for more treasure. Since we entered this alternative realm, we've only been a burden to you. It will be dangerous if we continue this adventure, especially since Sister Xue is still injured. Besides, we've already obtained many treasures from the rare plants and evil cultivators that attacked us."
Sister Xue and her three juniors nodded in agreement after hearing one of them express a sentiment they all shared. Ruan Xiaoyue, seeing them agree to leave the alternative realm, nodded and followed their decision, leading the way toward the gate where they entered the realm.
Long Linglu, restrained beside Ruan Xiaoyue, grinned upon hearing their decision to return to the gate, which had already been taken over by demons.
‘Heh, these humans are so arrogant, thinking they can retake the gate we’ve already seized with just the six of them. Even though the demons stationed at the gate aren’t from my group, I know they are all very powerful, at the peak stage of Golden Core cultivation. Even if their cultivation is suppressed to match mine, these humans still stand no chance against them. Hahaha! With this, I will escape from these disgusting humans who want to make me their pet.’
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"H-how... how is this possible?"
Long Linglu was stunned, seeing all the demons guarding the alternative realm gate dead from the power of that human girl's punches. She realized that during their fight, Ruan Xiaoyue hadn’t even used her full strength.
Long Linglu witnessed with her own eyes how Ruan Xiaoyue, after pinpointing all the demons' positions at the gate, unleashed her full qi. Sensing the abnormal amount of qi from the monster beside her, Long Linglu watched in shock as the girl suddenly vanished after taking a martial stance. Moments later, continuous explosions and destruction erupted from where the demons were, leaving both Long Linglu and the humans following the monster agape in disbelief.
This event made Long Linglu question the freedom she thought she would gain. Seeing the monster return effortlessly made her cry once again.
“Sniff... sniff... at this rate, I really will become a pet, and I don't want that. Sniff... why was I so unlucky to meet this monster... sniff... sniff.”
Ignoring Long Linglu's sobs as if the world was ending, Ruan Xiaoyue approached Sister Xue to speak to her.
"Sister Xue, I’m fairly certain I’ve killed all the demons guarding the gate. They were truly vile. It seems they were waiting for newly entered cultivators to ambush and kill them silently. I saw many cultivator corpses around the gate, some of them in such gruesome conditions that it looked like they were eaten."
"Such cruelty. These demons exploited the fact that the elders couldn’t enter to ambush the cultivators without any resistance. Fortunately, we made the right choice to reclaim this gate. I shudder to think of how many more new cultivators would have been killed if we had ignored the gate and gone in search of treasure. Even those trying to exit would have been slaughtered."
"Senior Xue, what about these cultivators’ corpses? Should we bury them?"
"No, it’s better for us to leave the realm and go straight to the elders outside. These bodies will serve as evidence of the demon attacks."
Deciding to leave the bodies where they lay, Ruan Xiaoyue's group headed toward the exit gate of the alternative realm. Upon reaching the gate, Xue Lanting retrieved a cloak from her storage ring and handed it to Ruan Xiaoyue.
"Why are you giving me this cloak, Sister Xue?"
"Take this cloak, Little Ruan. Give it to the little dragon girl you captured. You need to tell her to wear it to avoid being spotted by human cultivators. If not, I can't predict the reaction when we bring this little dragon girl out where many human cultivators are."
"Thank you, Sister Xue. Demon, you heard that, right? Stop crying and quickly put on this cloak. Hide your tail and horns. You don’t want to die by being discovered by human cultivators, do you?"
"Sniff... yes, I’ll put it on."
"Little Ruan, let Sister Xue and her juniors report to the White Lotus sect elders. You should go with the little dragon girl to ensure her disguise isn’t exposed. Also, take this storage ring."
"Huh? Didn’t I hear from your juniors that storage rings are very expensive? Why are you giving it to me?"
"It's alright, even though this ring is expensive, just take it. Sister Xue still has a spare ring. I can't let you carelessly carry all these rare plants without hiding them. Look, you're just putting them in the bag you're carrying. You're being very careless. Even though you're strong, I'm worried you might be attacked by a cultivator stronger than you."
Hearing Sister Xue's words touched Ruan Xiaoyue's heart. She, who was once a street child, had always been treated harshly. Never in her life had she been treated with such kindness, except by her long-deceased grandmother, her master, and now Sister Xue.
Smiling slightly at Sister Xue's kindness, Ruan Xiaoyue decided to trust her. She placed her bag down, surprising Sister Xue, and took out five fruits given to her by her master, offering them to Sister Xue as a token of appreciation.
"Since we may not meet again in the future, please take these fruits, Sister Xue."
"Hehe, thank you for this gift, Little Ruan. Hmm, what kind of fruit is this? I've never seen anything like it."
"Keep the fruit I gave you safe, Sister Xue. If possible, eat them right away. You may also share them with your juniors. However, don't let anyone else see them."
"Yes~, Sister Xue will keep these fruits safe."
Ruffling Ruan Xiaoyue's hair with affection, Sister Xue didn't think too much about the fruit given to her. She thought she would eat it once she returned to the sect.
Exiting the alternative realm and passing by the elders guarding the gate, Ruan Xiaoyue parted from Sister Xue and her juniors with a hug. After their embrace, Ruan Xiaoyue picked up Long Linglu, who screamed in surprise. Ignoring Long Linglu's squirming in her arms, Ruan Xiaoyue channeled her golden qi into her legs and used the footwork technique taught by her master, disappearing from the view of Sister Xue’s group, who waved her farewell.