I started by controlling his master, and the protagonist begged me to slow down my kicking.

Two days later, within the secret realm.

Cheng Ran slowly put away the Emperor's Jade Pendant.

It gleamed with a reddish light.

At the same time, in front of him, a grayish-blue monkey fell straight down from a tree, its body engulfed in flames.

This monster is called Shenghou.

His strength is equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage of a human, which is quite remarkable.

"Not bad... another fifty points delivered."

Cheng Ran nodded as he watched the score on the token increase.

Unlike most disciples who enter the secret realm.

In the secret realm, Cheng Ran did not focus on chasing monsters to rack up points.

After leaving the starting point.

He had been secretly following Ye Chen all along.

After all, the points earned from killing these small monsters are definitely not as many as those earned from killing the big BOSS with Ye Chen.

only......

During the two days of following him, Cheng Ran discovered some clues.

Based on his judgment, he was currently in a relatively shallow part of the dense forest and had not yet fully ventured inside.

Logically speaking, it is unlikely that a monster with the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage would appear in such a location.

Especially the sheng monkey!

These cunning monsters usually build their nests deep in the dense forest.

They would never leave their nest unless there were special circumstances.

"Hmm... Based on experience, this is most likely related to the great demon mentioned in the intelligence."

"It might also be related to the demonic pearl that Ye Chen is going to pick up."

Cheng Ran pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion:

"Damn it, it's all Ye Chen's fault!"

"That's just the protagonist's halo; trouble happens wherever he goes!"

And just then...

A voice suddenly came from afar.

"Help!!!"

His voice was still childish, but his tone was extremely hurried.

and.

After that sound came, countless shrieks followed.

"What's going on?"

Cheng Ran looked in the direction from which the sound came.

All that could be seen was a lush, dense forest.

Countless bluish-gray figures moved about.

Those were more than ten monkeys!

The monkeys were chasing a little girl who was about five feet tall.

She was running towards him, tears streaming down her face.

However, after getting a clearer look at her face...

Cheng Ran was speechless.

Isn't this... the Human Emperor's clone?

Why is she in the secret realm?

On the other side.

"Young...senior, please save me!"

The little loli emperor obviously didn't see Cheng Ran's face clearly.

She begged him for help, tears streaming down her face.

"no......"

"You're just a remnant soul; if you get caught, you'll at most get a beating from those monkeys. What's the panic...?"

Cheng Ran rolled his eyes, but then took out the jade pendant.

After all, these monsters are all points.

Why not take advantage of a free lunch?

He infused his spiritual power into the jade pendant, and the Vermilion Bird Seal shimmered.

Swah——

In the blink of an eye, flames filled the sky.

Within a few breaths, they coalesced into a vortex of flames.

Bypassing the fleeing human emperor, it charged straight at the group of pursuing monkeys.

The monkeys, however, were clearly no match for Cheng Ran, a cultivator at the Core Formation stage.

"Awoooooo!!!"

The monkeys, which had been full of energy just moments before, now let out painful howls.

The bluish-gray skin was roasted into charcoal!

It's probably beyond saving.

"Huff, huff—."

Smelling the burning smell behind him, the Emperor, supporting himself on his knees, gasped for breath.

We're finally saved; there are still many good people in this holy land...

She looked up with gratitude:

"Thank you, senior..."

But before he could finish speaking, he met a pair of mocking eyes.

Cheng Ran: (‵▽′)ψ

He slowly walked up to me and said with a wicked smile:

"Ancestor, we meet again. Please explain why you are here."

......

......

On the other side of the secret realm.

Inside a cave, the stone ceiling is shrouded in mist.

The spring water flowing through it was stained crimson with blood, and the corpses of many monsters floated on it.

Mu Yunxi wiped the blood off the frost sword, her face as cold as frost:

"One hundred and seven..."

This is the number of demons she slayed today.

After entering the secret realm, she was either slaying demons or on her way to slay demons.

With her strength, if she wants to increase her score, she just needs to enjoy the battles; she doesn't need to collect spiritual materials or encounter any fortuitous events!

That's why her score is now far ahead in the real-time rankings of tokens!

At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I become the champion of the trials.

only.

Whenever she looked at the rankings, there was always something that annoyed her.

"What is that lecherous thief doing?"

The token displays the rankings of all the top 100 disciples based on their trial scores.

However, in the past few days, Mu Yunxi flipped through the token dozens of times, but she still couldn't find Cheng Ran's name!

This remains true today.

That's very strange...

Mu Yunxi pursed her lips, her peach blossom eyes showing displeasure.

As a favored daughter of heaven, she possessed a pride unimaginable to her peers, and had already made plans to win the championship long before entering the secret realm.

Everyone was well aware of her strength.

No one has ever dared to covet the position of leader of this sacred secret realm!

Apart from......

That lecherous thief!

"Didn't he say he was going to win? Is he just messing with me?!"

"I was all prepared to go head-to-head with him, what does this mean?!"

"Could he be cheating on me?"

Mu Yunxi felt furious just thinking about it, and her chest ached with anger.

But I always felt that the lecherous thief was plotting some kind of scheme.

She was puzzled.

Lost in thought, Mu Yunxi walked deeper into the cave.

It was dark and gloomy, with no sunlight.

slam-la-

But then, she suddenly heard the sound of flowing water.

Suddenly looking back.

She was surprised to discover that there was a waterfall inside the cave.

The waterfall plunges straight down, creating a truly magnificent sight.

and......

"Why does this waterfall exude an ominous aura?"

Mu Yunxi frowned.

The person who could make her feel so uneasy was clearly not a kind soul.

"When the mind opens its third eye, it sees the true nature of reality."

She immediately formed a mudra.

Activate your spiritual vision, peering through the waterfall curtain!

But what she saw next made her peach blossom eyes narrow slightly.

Behind that waterfall, there was a hidden paradise!

It was a spacious grotto, within which countless pairs of scarlet beast eyes gleamed!

and!

A blood-red spirit pearl...

It was suspended in mid-air in the very center of the grotto.

"What is this?"

Mu Yunxi also didn't quite understand what she was seeing.

She could roughly tell that this spirit pearl was the source of that ominous spiritual energy!

However, there is no record of such a thing in the documents related to the Holy Land and Secret Realm!

but......

To say that Mu Yunxi was afraid would be untrue.

"That's enough."

"They're just some demonic beasts; they're nothing to fear."

After a moment's thought, Mu Yunxi picked up her Frost Sword and walked towards the back of the waterfall.