Bai Ke instantly felt uncomfortable all over: "…Why is it licking me?

Junxiao gave Lin Jie and Bai Zixu each a talisman made of a thin, light wooden piece, about two fingers wide and half a finger long. Carved on them were ancient and simple patterns, and despite their thinness, they were quite hard in texture.

As they took them over, they noticed a faint golden line winding down the wooden plaques, as if an invisible hand was drawing something on them. It appeared somewhat like the head of a dragon breaking through the clouds, but before they could make it out clearly, the pattern outlined by the golden thread disappeared into the wood.

However, what Bai Ke received was something special—a string of dark brown wooden beads that formed a bracelet. Unlike the talismans, these beads were small yet substantial in weight. After wrapping around his wrist twice, they hung delicately over his wrist bone.

This partiality was so obvious that it practically dazzled Lin Jie's eyes. From the moment Junxiao took out that string of beads, Bai Ke had a nagging feeling of familiarity with the bracelet.

Soon enough, he recalled seeing a similar one on Junxiao's wrist before, though he had only glimpsed one or two beads peeking out from under his sleeve.

"These beads..." Junxiao paused, as if recalling something, and after a moment of silence, continued, "They also bear inscribed charms. Take them."

Bai Ke nodded and lightly fingered the bracelet wound around his left wrist. Each of the small, smooth wooden beads had long lost the roughness of wood, feeling pleasantly cool to the touch. They didn't bother him, so he let them be.

Junxiao distributed these items to them and then proceeded to walk to the edge of that cloud bamboo area.

They didn't notice any particular action from him, but soon realized that he was enveloped in golden runes shimmering around his body, and his black robe fluttered without wind, its sleeves swelling.

With slightly squinted eyes, from the side, his high and distinct brow and straight nose looked remarkable.

Legend has it that cultivators can extend their lifespan and preserve their youth indefinitely upon reaching a certain level of attainment. Coupled with an otherworldly demeanor, even if one's appearance was ordinary, they would still exude a certain charm.

Watching him, Bai Ke couldn't help but feel that this person not only had an extraordinary aura but also impeccable looks. These spells that dumbfounded Lin Jie seemed effortless when cast by him, as if he could freely move between heaven and earth with a wave of his sleeve.

The golden light around Junxiao intensified, and the runes spun faster and faster. When he reopened his eyes, the runes that had wrapped around him were now flowing like a golden dragon, entwining and moving among the cloud bamboo branches.

Until all the runes were entwined among the cloud bamboo, Junxiao tightened his fingers, and the runes vanished into the branches and leaves of the bamboo.

"Is it done?" Lin Jie blinked, glancing at Junxiao and then back at the cloud bamboo, which looked no different from before.

Junxiao uttered a soft "Hmm."

"Um... my eyesight isn't great," Lin Jie blinked vigorously a couple of times, "Where's the hidden door?"

"...," Bai Ke deadpanned, "If you can see it, can it still be called a hidden door?"

"Alright, then my brain isn't great. Where's the hidden door?" Lin Jie persisted.

"...," Bai Ke sighed inwardly.

Junxiao glanced at him, saying, "It's within the entire patch of cloud bamboo," and without looking back, he grasped Bai Ke's slender wrist and stepped into the cloud bamboo.

So the crowd watched helplessly as he, when encountering that patch of cloud bamboo, vanished as if plunging into a swamp. Only the hand grasping Bai Ke behind remained.

Before Bai Ke could fully recover from the peculiar experience of seeing someone disappear right in front of his eyes, the hand clutching his wrist moved, pulling him into the bamboo as well.

Seeing Bai Ke disappear into the cloud bamboo, Lin Jie finally gasped and, fearing being left behind, pushed Bai Zixu and followed after in haste.

When Junxiao opened the hidden door, Bai Ke had imagined what the secret realm beyond might look like.

Although his world, seen through his eyes, was vastly different from that of ordinary people—colorless, with only light, shadow, and black-and-white, much more monotonous—he still had his own understanding of the things he saw.

He believed that someone like Junxiao must reside in a place filled with spiritual energy, with beautiful and varied scenery. Such descriptions could be summarized in his world as one word—clear.

Having long grown weary of blurry and dim landscapes, Bai Ke's conception of beauty was simply the word "clear."

He had imagined that upon entering the hidden door, he might see mountains and rivers clearer and more elegant than those at Hengtian Gate, or a more expansive sky and flowing clouds, or dense forests that could completely obscure the sky and block the sun...

In any case, Bai Ke had never imagined that upon entering the secret realm through the hidden door, the first thing to meet his eyes would be an utterly grotesque and terrifying beast face, accompanied by a deafening roar that echoed through the skies.

Considering himself not particularly coward, Bai Ke could usually remain calm even in perilous situations, at least on the surface. However, this time, the sudden change in scenery shocked him so much that he gasped for a cold breath, feeling a heavy beast claw pressing against his chest, causing him to collapse to the ground.

At the same time, Lin Jie's timely howl erupted from behind, "Holy crap!!!"

And White Zixu, finally awakened from his daze, exclaimed in astonishment, "Holy shit!!!"

The beast's paw alone was half the size of Bai Ke, and he could even see the long, sharp claws that were about to reach his face, curved and hooked, as if one swipe could tear off his entire skin.

The giant beast roared to the sky again, then suddenly lowered its head, its open jaws large enough to swallow Bai K’s entire person, with plenty of room to spare.

Struggling to move, Bai Ke instinctively turned his head aside. He felt a gust of wind rush past his face, and the previously heavy beast claw suddenly shifted away, the pressure on his chest disappearing abruptly.

Turning his head, he saw a figure leap into the air, lifting the front leg of the giant beast and swinging it upwards. Then, the person's hand suddenly shone brightly, forming into a long sword. With a slash in the air, the giant beast was split in half.

Another earth-shattering roar sounded, and Bai Ke instinctively rolled aside and then propped himself up, just in time to see another giant beast with its gaping jaws close to Lin Jie's face, roaring again.

The wind brought by the roar directly hit Lin Jie's face, scaring him so pale that he almost peed himself.

The beast's eyes widened, its face fierce as it stared at Lin Jie, who was on the verge of tears. Just as the beast leaned forward a few more centimeters, its damp nose almost touching Lin Jie's, it bared its teeth. When it opened its mouth again, Lin Jie, feeling certain of his impending death, instinctively closed his eyes.

But then he heard another deafening roar.

The wind stirred up by the roar splattered Lin Jie's face: "..."

Bai Ke: "..." Thunder without rain, only roaring to scare people. Is this beast stupid?

Lin Jie probably also felt that something was wrong there, so he opened his eyes tearfully and stared at the giant beast still baring its teeth and intimidating them.

But before he could react, Bai Ke felt someone dropping from mid-air beside him.

He swiftly turned his head and saw Huo Junxiao landing steadily with a sword in hand. Around him, a strong wind surged and sword energy burst forth, precisely avoiding Bai Ke and his companions, rushing directly towards the encircled giant beasts.

In an instant, those beasts were torn into pieces and disappeared in the raging wind.

It was only then that Bai Ke realized what was truly amiss—

When these beasts opened their mouths to them, there was no scent of the typical animal musk. When split by Junxiao and shredded by sword energy, not a drop of blood fell from these beasts.

Moreover, the most bizarre thing was that these beasts, like paper tigers, were terrifying but harmless.

So much so that Bai Ke, Bai Zixu, and Lin Jie were left in disarray, yet not a scratch was left on them.

Could it be that Junxiao had arranged these as watchdogs to guard against intruders?

Thinking this, Bai Ke felt it wasn't entirely impossible. Cultivators, using such terrifying beasts as guard dogs, indeed seemed like something unreliable people like them would do.

Turning his head again to see Lin Jie and Bai Zixu clutching their chests in shock, judging from their expressions, they probably thought much the same as Bai Ke.

Little did they know, the next moment, they would find themselves mistaken.

They saw Junxiao just as he calmed the raging winds, a figure suddenly appearing diagonally, elusive like a ghost, heading straight towards Junxiao.

This person clearly wasn't someone easy to deal with, as he kept Junxiao entangled, leaving him no energy to deal with the three stumbling figures below.

As they say, when immortals fight, ordinary folks like Bai Ke and his companions could only watch. Even just watching wasn't easy for them.

Not to mention the indistinct figures moving so fast that they were barely visible, their graceful movements, the flying sand and rocks formed by their clash, the enormous whirlwinds, the radiant runes swirling around, and the erratic qi energy—all of which gave Bai Ke and the others splitting headaches below.

To avoid being swept up by the swirling winds, Bai Ke and his companions dodged to find shelter behind the largest tree, pressing their bodies tightly against its terrifyingly thick trunk, using it to block the inadvertent flying stone blades.

Frowning, Bai Ke was somewhat worried about Junxiao's situation. Although this tall man in black clothes had shown profound cultivation and strength from the moment he appeared, making him seem exceptionally reliable, this sudden appearance of the other person who fought with Junxiao for so long without falling behind indicated that he too was an unfathomable figure.

As a complete outsider, Bai Ke couldn't discern at all who had the upper hand between Junxiao and that person.

He leaned against the tree trunk, steadying himself, then turned his head to glance at the sky not far away. Yet, even an ordinary person would find it difficult to distinguish between the two figures, let alone his abnormal vision.

Because of their speed, to him, those two were just two blurred spots merging together, with no difference in brightness between them.

Could it be because his eyes were closed? Would opening them make things clearer, with a more noticeable difference in brightness?

Thinking this, Bai Ke hesitated for a moment, then decided to open his eyes. Unexpectedly, he heard Lin Jie beside him suddenly wail, "Oh damn!!!"

And Bai Zixu squeezed out from his throat, "What a coincidence, meeting again..."

"What's wrong?" Bai Ke was somewhat speechless at their sobbing and exclaiming state, turning back to see what had happened, only to come face-to-face with the giant beast head.

Bai Ke: "..."

And in his peripheral vision, several other giant beasts had already surrounded the three people hiding behind the tree.

Previously, they suspected that these beasts were placed by Junxiao himself as watchdogs, so despite the scare, they didn't think it was all that terrifying afterwards. But now they discovered that someone else was lurking in this realm. It made it more likely that these beasts were brought in by that person. Thinking this, they couldn't remain calm anymore.

Bai Ke only felt besides the ceaseless sound of wind and the distant struggle between Junxiao and the stranger, there were only the heavy breaths of the giant beasts around him and the increasingly loud beating of his own heart.

Junxiao clearly couldn't break free, and they were powerless against these giant beasts, as weak as ants awaiting to be crushed.

At this moment, Bai Ke felt that in his eighteen years of life, due to the limitations of his eyes, his exposure and understanding of things were still too limited. Those things sufficient to deal with everyday life—now his days were clearly rushing headlong down a twisted and insane path, and with what he knew, he could hardly control it at all.

As for Lin Jie, who could struggle a little, he probably had never truly encountered such danger. He stood stiffly, and Bai Ke could even feel his slight trembling.

As for Bai Zixu, there was even less hope.

What should he do?

What could be done?

Bai Ke anxiously and swiftly operated his brain, but found it was already too late. The group of giant beasts surrounded them in a circle, successfully creating a psychological pressure and intimidation. They bent their massive bodies, bared their sharp teeth, widened their eyes, assumed attacking postures, and then suddenly lunged towards them.

At the peak of terror, Bai Ke instinctively opened his eyes. Two pools of dark, deep pools calmly flowed, and just as the giant beast was about to swallow him up, a layer of floating gold suddenly appeared. In the instant his eyes changed, Bai Zixu, who had been leaning against the tree trunk with closed eyes, suddenly trembled and opened his eyes abruptly.

At that moment, Bai Ke seemed to hear a long whistle, seemingly from someone's mouth, somewhat eerie and demon-like. Accompanying that whistle were countless eerie voices—some crying, some laughing, some sharp, some ethereal... like a chorus of a thousand ghosts, tearing through his mind like a blunt saw, causing him unbearable headaches, almost wanting to scream out.

Fortunately, this state only lasted for a moment. Those mixed voices suddenly disappeared as if they had appeared out of nowhere.

Bai Ke relaxed his furrowed brows and clenched teeth. His hazy vision gradually refocused and returned to normal.

But what fell into his eyes was indeed a bizarre scene—

The giant beasts that had nearly swallowed his head were now squatting about two meters away from them, posing like domesticated dogs. Two of them even squinted their eyes and licked their own paws. Behind them, their fox-like fluffy tails swung leisurely back and forth...

"Am I dead..." Bai Ke heard Lin Jie's astonished question amidst his shock.

Bai Ke paused for a moment, not directly ridiculing his stupid question for the first time, but hoarsely answered, "I think not."

"Oh—" Lin Jie muttered weakly after finishing his sentence, suddenly coming to his senses, "Huh? Not dead?! Still alive?!"

Bai Ke looked at the group of beasts in front of him, whose strange behavior was as if they were drugged, then glanced at Lin Jie and found that he was still closing his eyes. Helplessly, he said, "Yes, you can open your eyes now."

Following the instructions, Lin Jie opened his eyes and was stunned by the scene in front of him.

He stared dumbfoundedly at the group of beasts pretending to be obedient dogs, then with a face struck by lightning, asked Bai Ke, "What's going on? How did these beasts turn from ferocious to obedient faster than Second Master?!"

"Controlled by someone?" Bai Ke could only think of this possibility. He turned around with some confusion, looking towards the nearby sky, hoping to see if Junxiao had diverted his attention to help them out of danger. Before he could locate the intertwined figures, he felt something brush against his face—soft and somewhat coarse.

Bai Ke: "..." Something didn't seem right!

"Oh my god, it's licking you! Help, it's licking you! Damn it, it's actually licking you!" Lin Jie screamed as if he had witnessed the end of the world.

"Shut up," Bai Ke stiffly turned his neck back, only to see the giant beast closest to him had somehow moved next to him, extending its large, pink, coarse tongue to lick him all over his face.

Bai Ke suddenly felt completely awkward: "Why is it licking me?"

"Because it's seen its master." A leisurely voice suddenly sounded, answering his question.

 

Translator : DarNan