Hunting Demonic Beasts with Junior Sister

Regardless of the dynasty, the working environment in mines has always been quite harsh.

Even at the Kunlun Taiqing Sect, one of the orthodox sects, their affiliated spirit stone mines weren't much better.

The surrounding rock walls were excavated without any pattern, presenting a dark blue hue in the frozen soil environment.

Every so often, wooden structures supported the walls, and oil lamps hung from above, emitting a faint glow in the dim mountain interior.

Hu Haozhi walked at the very front. As an old disciple of the Qi Refining Stage, he had been at Kunlun for thirty years and had hunted countless demonic beasts.

Before entering the cave, he had distributed Silence Talismans to everyone, instructing them to affix them to the back of their heels to avoid making sounds that might startle demonic beasts.

As for Miss Xu Yinglian, Hu Haozhi naturally paid special attention to her. Not only did he give her two extra Silence Talismans, but he also had her walk behind him for better protection.

"These people are so annoying!" Xu Yinglian coldly refused, turning to quietly complain to Qiu Changtian, "Do they really think I'm a delicate young lady who can't even lift a chicken?"

Qiu Changtian smiled slightly and offered a cryptic remark:

"A Fenghuang flies in the Northern Sea; why bother with a Kites' screech?"

Xu Yinglian: ...

She naturally understood the meaning of this cryptic remark:

"Kites" refer to carrion-eating birds whose calls sound like a harsh, unpleasant screech.

While "Fenghuang" is a type of five-colored phoenix, noble by nature, it only perches on the Wutong tree and drinks from sweet springs.

The meaning of this sentence was, "A gentleman need not concern himself with the clamor of petty individuals."

However, Senior Brother knew that the outside world praised me as the "Phoenix Fairy," yet he just compared himself to a "Fenghuang." What did he mean by that?

Was it an indirect confession?

Xu Yinglian felt a bit flustered. Her Senior Brother's words seemed like a confession, yet not quite, leaving her unsure how to respond.

Qiu Changtian waited for a long time, but didn't receive the prompt for the Kunlun Mirror's successful display of power. Puzzled, he continued speaking:

"You need to be careful. Demonic beasts don't just rely on sound to identify prey; they also sense light, scent, wind direction, and even ground vibrations..."

"I naturally won't be careless," Xu Yinglian said coolly.

Thanks to her Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart constitution, she quickly calmed down.

It was too far-fetched to interpret it as a confession; it was merely a double entendre.

On the surface, he compared himself to a phoenix, but the implied subject was me, reminding me not to pay too much attention to others' opinions.

Hmph, as expected of Senior Brother, he's quite skilled at wordplay, but I still figured it out.

[Invincible Persona, Synchronization Value +1.]

Qiu Changtian:?

Hearing the delayed prompt from the Kunlun Mirror, he became even more confused.

What was wrong with Junior Sister? Was her brain lagging?

As the group ventured dozens of meters deeper, they sensed a cold wind blowing out, carrying a rotten stench.

It was clear that a demonic beast was ahead, so everyone drew their Flying Swords, ready for battle.

A moment later, a strange beast indeed lunged out from the darkness, stirring up a strong, foul wind.

The crowd was intimidated by its ferocious aura, and the stench that assailed them made them dizzy, causing them to freeze for a moment.

Hu Haozhi, at the front, was an experienced senior. He instinctively bit his tongue, snapping awake from the sharp pain. Just as he was about to force his Flying Sword at the critical moment, he saw two streams of light shoot out from behind him!

One jade-colored and the other crimson, they were only slightly apart. However, as they reached the demonic beast, the faster crimson Flying Sword struck first, slashing into the beast's neck and circling around. The beast's head then rolled off, its severed neck gushing blood like a fountain.

In the blink of an eye, the demonic beast was slain, and the remaining disciples hadn't even reacted.

Xu Yinglian retracted her Yujia Sword and flicked it to remove the blood droplets, saying coldly, "A mere demonic beast, nothing more."

Qiu Changtian:?

Junior Sister's display of bravado had about seventy percent of my flair, but you don't need to maintain a Mirror Flower Water Moon persona, so why are you showing off?

He also retracted his Yuyan Flying Sword and happened to see Xu Yinglian glance over, the corner of her mouth curving almost imperceptibly.

Hmph, Senior Brother, I won this time.

The other disciples were still in shock, but Hu Haozhi was the first to recognize it. His eyes widened, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief as he exclaimed:

"Such a fast sword! A crimson stream of light, a fleeting glimpse, the hilt has a phoenix carving... could this be the Yujia, the heirloom Immortal Sword of the Xu Family of Tiannan?"

Xu Yinglian didn't even look at him, continuing to gaze at the demonic beast's corpse with a cool expression.

"I didn't expect you to be Senior Sister Xu Yinglian!" Hu Haozhi's face broke into an eager smile as he asked flatteringly, "What brings Senior Sister to a mission?"

Xu Yinglian then let out a cold laugh, "A sect mission, why can't I be here?"

"Cough, indeed, it was this junior's oversight; I didn't recognize you at first." Hu Haozhi made a gesture as if to slap himself, then apologized with a smile, "Senior Sister, please be careful. I'll go check on that demonic beast."

Beside them, Lu Zheng, Liu Daoran, Wen Qin, and Liu Yiyi were stunned.

They all knew that Senior Brother Hu Haozhi had put on an arrogant front from the beginning, either remaining silent or urging them to hurry.

She recognized the true identity of Xu Yinglian. Not only did she completely discard her airs, but she even wished to abandon her seniority, willingly regarding herself as a junior!

Her previous arrogance replaced by deference, she was like a different person, truly eye-opening.

Wen Qin's face turned green and white. After all, she had previously mocked Xu Yinglian in a low voice. Now, thinking of the possible retaliation, her legs felt weak with fear.

Liu Daoran's expression was similar. Knowing that if this was Xu Yinglian, then the handsome young man beside her who was familiar with her, must truly be...

Thinking further, everyone dared not. It was too terrifying.

"This is an immortal descending to the mortal realm, accompanying us mortals in our cultivation!"

However, none of them possessed Hu Haozhi's "flexibility" and "resilience." Thus, they could only force a smile, pretending that nothing had happened before.

After Hu Haozhi finished examining the corpse, he returned and respectfully said:

"Senior Sister Xu, Senior Brother Qiu, that Tu Lou is thoroughly dead."

"Take the corpse if you want it," Qiu Changtian said gently. "However, the steward just mentioned that a blood-red light appeared deep in the mine. There might be more than just this Tu Lou here, so everyone must investigate carefully and confirm it's safe."

"Indeed, indeed." The outer disciples immediately nodded vigorously. Even Liu Daoran, who had been most hostile towards Qiu Changtian before, now respectfully chimed in, "Senior Brother Qiu has great insight. We will definitely proceed with caution."

"Heh." A mocking voice suddenly came from within the cave. "Fickle and opportunistic, arrogant then subservient, is this the true face of disciples from renowned righteous sects?"

Hu Haozhi's eyes sharpened, and he quickly raised his hand to send his Flying Sword flying. However, it disappeared into the darkness without a sound.

The next second, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out in shock:

"I've lost contact with my Flying Sword!"

As everyone watched with changing expressions, a gaunt figure emerged from the darkness ahead. His hair was disheveled, and his face was withered. One could only vaguely discern that he was a young man.

Of course, in the cultivation world, one couldn't judge age by appearance, nor could one easily determine the opponent's cultivation level. However, seeing that the entire person was enveloped in a dark green Daoist robe, and his aura was sinister and malevolent, it was clear that he was a disciple from the Demonic Dao.

Xu Yinglian narrowed her eyes slightly. The Yujia Sword trembled in the air as she subtly observed Qiu Changtian's reaction out of the corner of her eye, ready to cooperate in an attack.

Fighting a Demonic Cultivator and hunting a demonic beast were entirely different matters. Although she was competitive, she wasn't foolish enough to gamble with her life.

With Xu Yinglian not making a move and Hu Haozhi's precedent, the other Kunlun disciples naturally dared not attack. They merely summoned their Flying Swords to hover before them, their expressions tense as they stood ready.

The Demonic Cultivator walked into the light of the oil lamp and dropped something onto the ground.

Qiu Changtian saw clearly that it was Hu Haozhi's Flying Sword.

However, for some reason, the Flying Sword's surface had dimmed, its spiritual energy completely gone, making it look like scrap metal.

"The current Chief Disciple of the Kunlun Sect, Dao Heart Clear Qiu Changtian?" The Demonic Cultivator's withered eyeballs rolled slightly as he looked at Qiu Changtian's face, then turned to Xu Yinglian, his gaze lingering on her crimson Flying Sword.

"North Mang Mountain, Yin Ghost Dao?" Qiu Changtian asked expressionlessly.

They paused for a moment, then suddenly shot out their Flying Swords almost simultaneously!