Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Upon hearing the commotion, Gou An immediately rushed forward to intercept them.

When he arrived at the main hall of the cave, he saw the Snow Demon King Xueyin slowly taking her seat on the Jade Throne of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Gou An quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said eagerly, "Your Majesty, you've finally returned!"

Xueyin raised her eyes and glanced at him indifferently, her voice cold: "Fellow Daoist, you sought me out for something?"

Suppressing a hint of impatience in his heart, Gou An spoke solemnly: "The five thousand Transformation Pills I promised Your Majesty have all been refined. As agreed, Your Majesty is requested to fulfill your promise and deliver the flying boat, as well as three thousand spirit stones as a reward for your hard work."

Upon hearing this, Xueyin nodded slightly and said, "Oh! I almost forgot about that."

Gou An's lips twitched slightly, feeling helpless inside, but he remained polite on the surface: "Knowing that Your Majesty is busy, this little demon took the initiative to come and remind you."

"The promised reward and flying boat will not be lacking." Xueyin flipped her hand and took out a storage bag. A wisp of cold air from her fingertips gently lifted the storage bag and steadily delivered it to Gou An.

Gou An raised his hand to take it, and after scanning it with his divine sense, he immediately showed surprise.

The bag was piled high with spirit stones, numbering far more than three thousand, but a full ten thousand.

"Your Majesty, are there extra rewards for me?" Gou An looked up at Xue Yin with a puzzled expression.

"Of course not!" Xueyin said calmly, "It's just that I happen to need your help with something else. The extra seven thousand spirit stones are the advance payment for this task."

Gou An frowned slightly and asked warily, "What kind of task is this? If it's still about alchemy, I'm afraid I cannot comply."

Although the rewards for alchemy here are generous, there is no freedom whatsoever; it's like being imprisoned. He no longer wants to continue.

He had initially agreed to stay because he was attracted to her beauty, but after being here for so long, he realized that he couldn't get close to her at all, so it was better to leave sooner rather than later.

"It's not about alchemy." Xueyin gently shook her head and slowly said, "I want you to come with me to a certain place."

"Where?" Gou An asked.

"Deep within the snowy region, my people discovered an unnamed snow valley," Xueyin recounted. "The spiritual energy within this snow-covered valley is exceptionally rich; it must contain what I need."

Gou An did not readily agree. Instead, he hesitated and asked, "Your Majesty has many powerful demon generals under your command. Why not take them along? Why bring me as well?"

At this moment, Gou An only wanted to get away as soon as possible, so he urged, "Please, Your Majesty, hand over the flying boat first, so that I can set off and leave as soon as possible."

Xueyin smiled faintly: "All of my demon generals will accompany me. However, the canyon is fraught with danger, and having one more person to help us will give us more confidence."

As she spoke, she carefully examined Gou An from head to toe, and said with certainty, "Moreover, fellow Daoist has already condensed a demon core, and his strength is not bad. He is exactly the kind of capable helper I need this time."

Even so, Gou An remained uninterested and full of resistance.

Previously, he was invited to venture into the secret realm with the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord, but he narrowly escaped death and almost perished, so he was wary of such places.

This unknown snow valley harbors hidden dangers, and given his cautious and prudent nature, he generally wouldn't easily venture into such a perilous place.

"Your Majesty has also frankly admitted that this place is fraught with danger, and it is not worth risking one's life for a few spirit stones," Gou An politely declined.

Xueyin sighed softly and offered to raise the price: "If you think it's too little, I can add more spirit stones."

"It's not about the amount of spirit stones," Gou An said bluntly and resolutely. "It's just that I value my life and am afraid of death. I always prioritize self-preservation in any situation. If I were to encounter a fatal crisis, I would definitely turn around and run away. I probably wouldn't be able to help Your Majesty in the slightest, and going there would be of no use."

"Then I'll add another three thousand spirit stones!" Xueyin didn't give up and continued to bid.

"Your Majesty, it's really not about the reward." Gou An shook his head again in refusal.

"Five thousand." Xueyin was stubborn and seemed determined to achieve her goal.

Gou An sighed helplessly, feigning resolve: "I truly do not wish to take any risks!"

"Ten thousand." Xueyin continued to raise the price without changing her expression.

"Your Majesty, there's really no need for this..." Gou An still shook his head with a stiff upper lip, but deep down he was already wavering and wanted to ask her to add more.

Since I was almost out of spirit stones, it wouldn't hurt to ask for a little more benefit now.

If we encounter danger in the snow valley, we will have more than enough time to escape with our life-saving treasures.

Seeing this, Xueyin decided not to delay any longer and directly took out two full spirit stone storage bags, saying in a deep voice, "Twenty thousand spirit stones!"

Upon seeing the two heavy storage bags, Gou An's eyes suddenly lit up, and his heart surged with intense emotion.

He suppressed his overwhelming joy, deliberately keeping a straight face and feigning hesitation: "This... really doesn't need to be like this, I really don't want to go!"

This time, however, Xueyin did not continue to raise the price as before. Instead, she calmly said, "Since 20,000 spirit stones cannot buy your help, I will not force you."

"Someone, bring the flying boat over and send you away, fellow Daoist."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gou An changed his mind instantly, nodding decisively in agreement: "Go! Twenty thousand it is, it's a deal!"

Seeing Gou An's change, Xueyin finally smiled on her cold face, but it was a cold smile.

"Twenty thousand is the exact price!" Xueyin simply tossed Gou An another storage bag containing ten thousand spirit stones: "Here's another ten thousand for now, the rest depends on your performance in Snow Valley."

"If we do our best, we will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Gou An took the storage bag, and the Alliance flipped its hand, placing the storage bag into its palm space.

"Alright!" Gou An had no choice but to agree: "Then I'll do Your Majesty another favor, but when shall we depart?"

"First thing tomorrow morning!" Xueyin replied, "Fellow Daoist, you may go back and rest first. Someone will inform you tomorrow."

That night, Gou An couldn't sleep in the alchemy room.

Although she had agreed to go to the nameless snow valley with the demon king Xueyin, she was also worried about what dangers might be inside.

Now that I've transformed into a demon, I can fly for extended periods without a flying boat.

Although it will consume more of your demonic energy, it is still better than being in danger.

Since I've already got 20,000 spirit stones, I might as well run away.

Once the thought arose, Gou An couldn't suppress it. The more he thought about it, the wiser he felt to take the money and run away.

So, in the middle of the night, Gou An quietly slipped out of the room, transformed back into his wild dog form, and silently made his way to the cave entrance.

At night, demon generals lead patrols and guards within the cave.

However, Gou An had been staying in the cave for over a month and had already secretly figured out their patrol patterns and schedules.

So it was easy to get around, and we were only a short distance from the gate.

However, they were surprised to find that there were two demon generals guarding the cave entrance, which was not the case usually.

Could it be that the Demon King Xueyin guessed that she would sneak away at night, so she deliberately arranged for them to be here?

But then I thought about it and it didn't make sense. If she really knew I was going to run away, she must have known I couldn't be relied on, so why would she arrange for me to go with her?

Isn't this a waste of spirit stones?

So Gou An didn't rush to leave, but hid nearby, waiting for the two of them to leave so he could find an opportunity to escape again.

Just then, the two demon generals were whispering about the Snow Valley, so Gou An pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.

However, Gou An was greatly shocked by the first sentence he heard.

"Do you think the ancient beast that Your Majesty is searching for is really inside?"