The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

He spent two more days wandering around the secret realm.

I haven't seen a single demonic beast in the past two days. I wonder if it's because I've broken through to a higher level, and all the demonic beasts are avoiding me.

Tired from wandering around, Shen Yifei leaned against a large tree and ate some dry rations. He chewed listlessly, thinking to himself, "No, no, after eating that demoness's flesh, nothing tastes good anymore!"

His consciousness entered the cauldron, where he saw the female demon already sitting cross-legged, still completely naked; she must have been awake for a long time.

As soon as Shen Yifei entered, the succubus, though unable to see him, chuckled in his direction, "Little thing, keeping your sister here, are you plotting something?"

Her voice was still soft and sweet, not at all like that of a prisoner locked up, but more like she was flirting with someone.

"Sister is joking. I'm just a nobody in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. I don't have any bad intentions."

"No ill intentions?" The succubus stretched inside the cauldron, a movement clearly visible to Shen Yifei's consciousness, her white skin dazzlingly bright. "Then why did you lock me up here? To keep a mistress?"

"Sister, you're overthinking it. I'm just afraid you'll take advantage of me outside, so I'm striking first."

"You ate half my life, and you still say I ate you?" The succubus chuckled. "Little one, you've got a good mouth for twisting the truth."

Shen Yifei ignored the conversation, withdrew his consciousness from the cauldron, and focused on eating his dry rations.

The female demon didn't make a fuss in the cauldron. She sat quietly, occasionally humming a little tune, the same soft and gentle melody she had hummed while bathing in the river that day.

For some reason, even though he had regained consciousness, Shen Yifei could still hear everything clearly.

Shen Yifei was annoyed by her humming. This demoness was still not quiet even though she was locked in the cauldron. Her seductive humming made people's bones itch.

He finished his dry rations, clapped his hands, stood up, and continued deeper into the secret realm.

Not long after they had gone, the succubus's voice rang in their minds again.

"Little one, where are you going?"

Shen Yifei was taken aback: "You can see outside?"

"Sure," the succubus said cheerfully, "but it's so frustrating not being able to get out. Little one, let me out, and I'll go with you, okay?"

"I wouldn't dare! Let you out, I can't beat you!"

"You can't beat me, but you dare to peep at me while I'm showering?"

"I didn't peek, I was just passing by."

"Just passing by? You squatted there for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and you call that just passing by?"

Shen Yifei was speechless. This female demon knew everything; it meant that his every move was under her watchful eye.

"Alright, alright, I'm not arguing with you about this." He quickened his pace. "Anyway, you can't get out now, so just stay inside obediently."

The succubus stopped talking and started humming a little tune again. Her humming made Shen Yifei feel like cat claws were scratching at his heart.

"Can you please stop humming?" he couldn't help but say.

"What? You don't like it?"

"It sounds nice, but..." Shen Yifei didn't know how to put it. He couldn't very well tell her what he wanted to do!

"What is it? Little one, did you feel unwell somewhere after listening to this music? I can help you!"

"Shut up, or I'll turn you into a pill!"

Upon hearing this, the succubus immediately shut her mouth and stopped singing her little tune.

Shen Yifei walked forward a little further.

Suddenly, several muffled sounds came from afar, like a string of thunderclaps.

Startled, Shen Yifei hesitated for a moment, then groped his way towards the direction the sound came from. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a wide valley.

Several people were standing in the valley, fighting something.

Shen Yifei peered out from behind a large rock. There were five people, three men and two women, dressed differently, indicating they were not from the same sect. Two were wearing blue robes from the Qingyun Sect, one was wearing a red robe from the Liehuo Sect, and the other two were dressed as rogue cultivators.

They frantically unleashed spells at a stone wall, fireballs, ice blades, and flying swords raining down on it, sending shards of stone flying and billowing dust.

Shen Yifei looked in the direction of their attack and saw a small hole in the stone wall, only about the height of a person. Outside the hole was a light blue barrier; when spells hit it, ripples spread out, blocking all the attacks.

"Damn it, how come this restriction is so tough?" a red-faced man from the Blazing Fire Sect cursed. "We've been trying to break it for an incense stick's time, and we haven't even created a crack."

"Enough nonsense, continue." A tall male cultivator from the Qingyun Sect said coldly, unleashing another sword aura from his flying sword.

The light screen swung around a few more times, but still didn't break.

Shen Yifei shrank back behind the rock, pondering to himself. There must be something good inside this cave, otherwise these people wouldn't be working so hard.

He was wondering whether he should sneak in while things were in disarray when he suddenly heard soft footsteps behind him.

Shen Yifei tensed up, his hand already touching the Cauldron of Myriad Things.

"Don't move." A woman's voice was very low.

He slowly turned his head and saw a familiar face—it was Sun Yiran!

Sun Yiran squatted down three steps behind him, put her index finger to her lips, and gestured for him to be quiet.

She was covered in dirt and blood, and her left arm was wrapped in several strips of cloth, indicating that she was injured.

Shen Yifei breathed a sigh of relief and moved aside to make room for her.

Sun Yiran crouched down and came over, lying down next to him behind the rock.

"Senior Sister Sun, what are you doing here?" Shen Yifei asked in a low voice.

"Don't even mention it," Sun Yiran said with a bitter face. "On my second day here, I ran into a third-tier demonic beast that chased me for two days and two nights. I finally managed to shake it off."

She gestured towards the valley with her chin: "These people have discovered an ancient cultivation cave. There must be a lot of good stuff inside. But the restrictions are really tough; they've been trying to break through them for ages."

"An ancient cultivation cave?" Shen Yifei's eyes lit up.

"Yes, it should be the cave dwelling of one of Tian Yuanzi's disciples. The main secret realm is deep inside, so these outlying cave dwellings are mostly the residences of his disciples."

Shen Yifei peeked out again and saw that the five people were still attacking the barrier, and the light screen was starting to shake.

"Senior Sister Sun, is the injury on your arm alright?"

"It's just a superficial injury, nothing serious." Sun Yiran moved her left arm, frowned, and said, "I just can't seem to get any strength out of it."

Shen Yifei took out the last healing pill and handed it over: "Take it."

Sun Yiran glanced at him, and without any hesitation, took it and put it in her mouth.

The five people were still attacking the barrier, and the light screen was shaking more and more violently.

"It'll be soon. The restriction will be broken in no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"Senior Sister Sun, what are you planning to do? Should we follow them in and sneak in?"

Sun Yiran shook her head: "Those five people are all stronger than the two of us. Following behind them is just suicide."

"So we're just going to stand here and watch?"

"Watch." Sun Yiran lay down, resting her chin on her arm. "Once the barrier is broken, they'll definitely go in. Nobody knows what's inside the cave. If there are traps or mechanisms, they'll be the ones scouting. Once they've scouted it out enough, we'll find a chance to sneak in."

Hearing her say that, Shen Yifei held this Senior Sister Sun in even higher regard. She seemed like a very amiable person, but she was also quite shrewd.

The two lay behind a rock, talking quietly to each other.

"Senior Sister Sun, what good stuff have you gotten your hands on these past few days?"

"Don't even mention it," Sun Yiran said with a wry smile. "I only managed to dig up two hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms, and I was chased by that third-tier demonic beast for two days. What about you?"

"I killed a few demonic beasts and dug up a few demon cores. Nothing else."

"That's not bad either. For someone at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to survive this long in the secret realm is already quite an achievement."

Sun Yiran glanced at him. "But how did you break through? Weren't you in the early Foundation Establishment stage before you came in?"

Shen Yifei casually made up a lie: "I ate a Ganoderma lucidum, I don't know how old it was, and I broke through after eating it."

Sun Yiran didn't ask any further questions and nodded: "Opportunities are hard to explain. It's not surprising that you could reach the Foundation Establishment stage by eating medicinal dregs in the alchemy room for three years, and break through to the mid-stage by eating a Ganoderma lucidum."

Shen Yifei thought to himself, "I didn't just eat Ganoderma lucidum, I ate half the life of a female demon."

Just then, the female demon inside the cauldron started humming a little tune again.