My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Ruan Chayan and the others exchanged glances, harboring bad thoughts, but their hands continued to move.

The two groups of people will meet soon.

The female cultivator exclaimed in delight, "There really is someone!"

Luo Hanying, without bothering with pleasantries, hurriedly said, "Let's talk outside! There are demonic beasts chasing us!"

The group crawled out of the collapsed hole in a disheveled state, their bodies covered in mud.

Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying had bloodstains on their clothes and looked very miserable.

Before they could even get their footing, a reddish-brown figure darted out of the cave.

Ruan Chayan happened to be standing in front of Luo Hanying. She quickly pulled Yu Sheng aside and used her magic weapon to block. At the same time, Luo Hanying also set up a defensive formation.

The demonic beast headed straight for Yu Sheng, who was tainted by the aura of the White Jade Technique. When its attack failed, it leaped into the water and vanished without a trace.

The two cultivators, male and female, were startled. The male cultivator drew his sword and held it horizontally in front of his chest, while the female cultivator stared in disbelief, then said a beat late, "It's...it's a Golden Water Lion! The ones chasing you are high-level Golden Water Lions?! Run! Run!"

The sword cultivator's cultivation level was unstable; he was currently at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. If someone familiar with the area were present, they would be able to tell that he had failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. The alchemy cultivator, on the other hand, was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The three looked surprised and delighted. Luo Hanying asked, "You know this monster? Do you know its weakness?"

She thought to herself, "This is like a pillow delivered to someone who's just fallen asleep; the problem of how to deal with this monster is now easily solved."

Pan Zuomei pulled Cao Minqing away from the water's edge, her expression terrified: "I know them, but I can't beat them! Why did you have to provoke the Golden Water Lion?! It's no exaggeration to say that the Golden Water Lion is one of the most dangerous monsters in the Lanxi Secret Realm!"

Ruan Chayan interrupted her: "Get to the point! What's the weakness?!"

Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying dared not relax for a moment, for fear that the Jinshui Li would suddenly appear and catch them off guard.

What you fear most is what happens. At this moment, the Golden Water Lion emerged from the water and spewed a powerful jet of water towards the group. After unleashing this attack, it kept changing its landing point to conceal its form.

Pan Zuomei immediately summoned a flower-shaped magical artifact to block the two of them, absorbing the water rushing towards them.

"Its weakness is its head, especially the tuft of hair on its ears, but how can we possibly get close to it?!"

With lightning speed, Luo Hanying wrote: "A whip could fill a river, and a single sweep is not worth mentioning!"

The words transformed into a whip, lashing at the hiding place of the golden lizard and then wrapping around its hind legs, interrupting its movements.

Ruan Chayan pinched a handful of talismans, made hand seals, chanted incantations, and threw them out to block the movement of the Golden Water Lion.

The Golden Water Lion spewed water towards its weakest point, and it wouldn't be long before it broke through Luo Hanying's restraints and the talisman's blockade!

Sichuan peppercorns weave illusions with their calls to disrupt the Golden Water Lily's senses, but the Golden Water Lily is naturally less affected by such sounds, so Sichuan peppercorns can't hold out against the Golden Water Lily for long.

Ruan Chayan gritted her teeth and leaped forward, using the Chaotic Steps of the Moonlit Night to slash at the ear of the Golden Water Lion!

The golden water lion reacted quickly, slapping Ruan Chayan in the chest with its claw. Although she was hit and sent flying, the golden water lion also lost an ear.

Seeing this, Cao Minqing was eager to try, and brandished her spirit sword as she charged towards the Golden Water Lion.

The golden water lion roared, glanced at the humans, turned and jumped into the water, drifting downstream to escape the place.

Luo Hanying glared at Yu Sheng in exasperation: "Useless trash! You can't help at all!"

Yu Sheng looked helpless as he watched Luo Hanying rush to Ruan Chayan's side, feeding her spiritual medicine and helping her circulate her internal energy to heal her injuries.

Cao Minqing and Pan Zuomei exchanged a glance. Seeing that Luo Hanying was angry and didn't have time to pay attention to them, they turned to Yu Sheng to inquire about information.

The three exchanged pleasantries and names. Pan Zuomei, taking advantage of being a female cultivator, spoke first: "Fellow Daoist Yu, I wonder why you went to that cave?"

What caused you to engage in such a fierce battle with the Jinshui Li?

Yu Sheng was in a bad mood after being scolded by Luo Hanying and felt he had lost face, but he could tell what was more important, so he said vaguely, "When you come to explore the secret realm, you definitely want to go into the caves and see if you can find any rare and precious materials."

"I just never expected the three of us to be so unlucky, ending up in the lair of the Golden Water Lions, which is why we're in this state now."

Pan Zuomei smiled, indicating her understanding: "So that's what happened. I was wondering why you guys would go and provoke a monster."

But why didn't you just run away?

"The Golden Water Lizards are very strong in combat; it's difficult for us cultivators to handle them. But if we run away after just one encounter, it should be easy, right?"

Yu Sheng said, half-jokingly, "Isn't it because Jinshui Li only has the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm?"

We didn't know it was a Jinshui lion at first.

"Fellow Daoist Ruan has the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm, so the three of us just wanted to give it a try. We thought that if we killed the demon beast, we could get its inner core, hide, flesh, and bones—all those good things. But we didn't expect to run into such a tough opponent."

Huajiao lay on Ruan Chayan's lap, very worried that her long-term meal ticket might be malfunctioning. Luo Hanying asked Ruan Chayan how she was feeling and if there was anything else that was uncomfortable.

Cao Minqing gently nudged Pan Zuomei, gesturing for her to look at Ruan Luo and the other woman. Pan Zuomei immediately put on a smile and stepped forward, saying, "You two look quite badly injured. I am a pill cultivator from Xinglin Peak. Let me take a look at you."

Although my cultivation level is not high, and I don't have any elixirs that you can use, it wouldn't hurt to have an examination."

Luo Hanying gestured to Pan Zuomei to examine Ruan Chayan first: "My injuries are not as severe as hers, so please take a good look at her, fellow Daoist."

Cao Minqing looked at Luo Hanying's anxious expression and said, "You must be the recently famous Snow Fairy Luo Hanying."

"Your ability to transform words into forms is truly masterful. No wonder you're a cultivator who achieved enlightenment in Cloud Bell Square and caused such a stir."

Luo Hanying had no insincere manner and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist flatters me."

Remembering her rude attitude, she turned to apologize to the silent Yu Sheng: "I'm sorry, I was out of my mind to say that to you. I hope you can forgive me."

"Your cultivation level isn't high, so it's normal that you're helpless against the pressure from demonic beasts. I shouldn't have been so harsh; my attitude was poor just now."

Yu Sheng was slightly taken aback, but then regained his composure: "It's alright. I know that you spoke without thinking because your friend was injured."

"I was able to travel with you two fairies thanks to your trust and protection. It was just a thoughtless remark; I am magnanimous and won't hold a grudge against a young girl like you."

Looking at Yu Sheng's exaggerated smile, Luo Hanying felt even more apologetic, but she didn't know how to start the conversation.

Cao Minqing clicked her tongue in amazement and said, "As expected of Elder Tong's disciple, most cultivators are arrogant, and it's rare to see someone apologize so frankly."

Luo Hanying had mixed feelings: "My master and fellow disciples taught me propriety, integrity, and a clear conscience, and I should naturally keep these in mind."

However, she lost control of herself just now, and the words slipped out, and there was no going back.