My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

That evening, in a secluded pool surrounded by low bushes, Cui Ying stood by the pool, holding the Yao Guang sword, facing off against three small beasts with single horns on their heads and covered in blue scales.

These three small beasts stood firmly on the water's surface as if walking on flat ground, their watery eyes gleaming with a pale blue light. They stood in a triangular formation facing Cui Ying, showing no fear whatsoever, clearly indicating that they were also powerful demonic beasts.

Behind the three small beasts, in the center of the pool, floated a translucent pale blue lotus flower, surrounded by a dense aura of water-attribute spiritual energy.

Half an hour later, after a deafening roar by the pool, a huge ball of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, unleashing an astonishing shockwave.

After the shockwave subsided, Cui Ying involuntarily took several steps back.

The three small beasts opposite let out a mournful cry, and their bodies flew backwards into the pool, where they did not resurface for a long time.

After uprooting the pale blue lotus, Cui Ying moved and disappeared into the dense forest behind her.

For her, discovering this water lotus, which would be of great use to her, in the secret realm was an unexpected delight.

The next morning, when Cui Ying opened her eyes again in a secluded valley, her spirit and magic power had been restored to their peak.

Just as she and Lei Yi finished exchanging information and were preparing to continue their search up the mountain, she suddenly sensed magical fluctuations in the distance. After hesitating for a moment, she flew up to a nearby tree and looked at the battle unfolding in a pile of rocks ahead, a hint of surprise on her face.

It turned out to be there

"boom"

A grayish-white stone spike, about ten feet long, suddenly rose from the ground without warning, piercing through the lower body of a short, stout male cultivator who couldn't dodge in time. The protective aura around his body shattered and dissipated instantly, proving to be of little use.

But surprisingly, the short, stout male cultivator did not die immediately; instead, he screamed for help.

But at this moment, a gigantic stone figure, three zhang tall and covered in moss, suddenly appeared in the pile of rocks.

This stone figure closely resembles a human, but its entire body is covered by a thick layer of stone armor. In addition, seven or eight other blue boulders the size of heads hover and fly around its body, forcing the cultivators in the vicinity to retreat step by step.

At the same time, although the stone figure seemed to move slowly, as soon as a layer of yellow light appeared in its eyes, a thick stone spike would inevitably emerge from the ground nearby. Around the spike, at least three or four more would grow densely, greatly restricting the movement of the cultivators in the valley, and their dodging speed became slower and slower.

Even more bizarrely, whenever someone tries to turn and run away, they are bound to crash into an invisible wall at the edge of the valley and bounce back.

The surroundings of this pile of rubble are now completely different from what they were before.

The various stones that were originally piled up haphazardly in the Western Zhou Dynasty have somehow started to move quietly, one by one, centered around those few cultivators, and have vaguely formed an ancient and natural stone array.

Cui Ying, who had intended to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, also had a slight glint in her eyes. The Stone Spirit could be considered a monster that was half spirit and half demon, and could barely be considered a type of demon beast. However, from the day it was born, it was born with the ability to control multiple red earth attribute spells, and its skin was extremely thick. It could also use any kind of earth and stone to form its outer shell, so ordinary means could not harm it in the slightest.

Cui Ying watched quietly, when suddenly she heard a deafening roar behind her, and the ground beneath her feet began to shake.

Cui Ying flew out of her hiding place on a cloud, looked up at the source of the noise, and her face was extremely solemn.

Because in the distance, a towering mountain peak was collapsing and shaking with a rumbling sound, and layer upon layer of mud and rocks rolled down from the surface of the mountain.

In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain peak was much smaller than before, and countless spiritual trees and herbs were buried in the soil. The waste was so great that Cui Ying couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

As countless rocks tumbled down, a golden light flashed inside the mountain, attracting cultivators from all over to fly over.

Logically, when a treasure is born, the celestial phenomena should begin with golden light followed by colorful clouds. However, the current sign is rather strange, with only golden light scattering everywhere but no clouds in sight.

Cui Ying understood this principle, her brows furrowing slightly, wondering what had happened to that mountain peak.

But as she looked at the mountain peaks where boulders kept collapsing, she felt as if something was calling to her from somewhere.

After a moment's consideration, she still urged Ta Xue to move the cloud formation and quickly approached the place of golden light.

She arrived a little late, and many people were already standing near the mountain peak, all exuding an imposing aura and a look of certainty.

The golden light shone from the mountain, turning the entire peak into a gilded hue. The cultivators who were secretly observing it were all filled with excitement, wondering what kind of treasure this was that could produce such a strange phenomenon.

There were still some hours before the treasure was truly revealed, but more and more cultivators were gathering outside the mountain, creating a scene reminiscent of a sea of ​​people.

Cui Ying glanced around and quickly spotted Lei Yi.

Just as she walked over to meet it, the golden light grew even brighter, while black smoke began to emanate from within the mountain. Even Cui Ying felt a sense of unease and doubt, and upon seeing this strange phenomenon, she felt a sudden urge to retreat.

In the distance, they could vaguely hear people talking: "We've only ever heard our elders say that when a treasure is born, there are only colorful clouds and mist. Why is there black smoke today?"

"This eerie black smoke looks rather sinister. I think we should leave this place first, lest we encounter great danger!"

"Leave? We don't even know if there are any treasures inside. If we leave now, we might regret it for the rest of our lives. If you're scared, you can leave first. This is the first time I've seen such a strange sight. I'll wait no matter what. If we really encounter danger, it's not too late to escape."

This hushed discussion wasn't limited to one place; many people were whispering among themselves in the crowd, but very few dared to step forward and investigate.

Cui Ying also sensed something was wrong, and her unease grew stronger.

Just as she was about to say something to Lei Yi, the world suddenly changed. The majestic mountain in front of her collapsed in an instant, smoke and dust filled the air, and boulders flew everywhere. Some cultivators with lower cultivation levels were unable to dodge in time and were even injured on the spot.

In the chaos, a sharp boulder flew towards Cui Ying and Ta Xue. The two quickly scattered to avoid it. After Cui Ying stood still in the crowd, she could not see Ta Xue's figure.

Her expression turned solemn as she conjured a protective shield.

The mountain had completely collapsed, and the world was pitch black, making it impossible to see inside. Just as she was about to turn around to look for Ta Xue, a strong attraction emanated from the dark mountain, pulling Cui Ying up and drawing her inward!

The suction force was so strong that no matter how she used her magic, she could not resist it. Her eyes gradually filled with fear, but she was still slowly sucked into the black mountain belly.

Cui Ying felt short of breath, as if her chest was being squeezed, and sharp screams came from her side from time to time, but she couldn't make a sound. A feeling of frustration and suffocation filled her chest.

Gradually, my mind went blank, and I slowly lost consciousness.

A familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance wafted into her nose, and Cui Ying winced in pain as she felt something pressing against her back.

She struggled to open her eyes, and what she saw was a gray-brown rock wall. Opposite her was an antique shelf filled with jade slips.

"This...this is the Golden Light Secret Realm!?"

How could it be the Golden Light Secret Realm?!

Although her memories were somewhat confused, she could still recall that she was in the Thousand Maple Secret Realm, sucked into a mountain, and woke up here after regaining consciousness.

As she felt the powerful magic within her body, she glanced around the secret room again, finally finding a burnt-out incense stick in a corner.

She held the ashes in her hand, examined them for a while, and then, with a gloomy expression, took out the Taiyi Golden Spirit Gourd from her waist. After a change in her eyes, she seemed to have made up her mind and tried to communicate with the little golden scorpion in her sea of ​​consciousness. When she found that there was no response, she seemed to have confirmed her thoughts, and two lines of clear tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

It turns out that what she wanted most was just a pipe dream.