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She was a medical cultivator from a small, sparsely populated sect who had arrived here without even going through the sect's selection process.

She had originally only intended to gather some rare spiritual plants in the secret realm, but she never expected to be thrown directly into this place and run into the monster hiding in the shadows.

No sooner had the young girl finished speaking than a raspy female voice drifted from the depths of the cave.

The sound was eerily strange, reminding Ning Ning of the grating noise of fingernails scratching against a chalkboard.

The hoarse yet shrill voice echoed through the dark green space like venom dripping from a viper, yet it carried a hint of frantic laughter: "Where are you, where are you? Hee, I'm going to find you soon!"

The medical cultivator's face turned increasingly pale, her voice trembling as she spoke: "That's the voice! It's been following me, getting closer and closer... It's going to kill us!"

In the brief pause while she spoke, the raspy, venom-soaked female voice sounded again, slightly louder than before, suggesting it was slowly approaching them:

"Where are you? Where are you? You must hide well, I'm coming to find you."

This was indeed a bit too terrifying.

Especially since that exceptionally chilling voice was hidden in the darkness, leaving one completely unaware of its true appearance.

However... she wanted to know the location of the Heaven Heart Grass, and the owner of the voice happened to be capable of communicating with humans. Not to mention, having lived in the Xiaochong Mountain Secret Realm for so long, it must know the area around its lair like the back of its hand.

Ning Ning's eyes suddenly lit up.

Opportunities like this were rare; was that thing playing hide-and-seek with them really a monster? It was clearly her personal GPS navigator!

It was offering help in the nick of time, and it even kept making noise to reveal its own position—

Wasn't it obviously telling her, "I'm right near you, come quickly"?

To think such a good thing existed in this world!

"You go first."

Thinking of this, Ning Ning smiled at the girl beside her: "I am a Sword Cultivator; staying here is no problem."

Only then did the other girl notice the sword at her waist, the cloud patterns on her white dress shimmering with cranes—it was unmistakably the uniform of the Xuanxu Sword Sect.

It was said that most of those who entered Xiaochong Mountain from the great sects were inner-sect disciples or direct disciples. This pretty girl, who seemed so approachable...

...was actually an elite disciple of the Xuanxu Sect.

The girl likely made a guess about her strength and, after offering her thanks, hurried away. Ning Ning touched the cold scabbard of her Star Trace Sword and heard that cold, twisted voice once again: "Where are you, where are you?"

A smile curled at the corners of her lips.

She was grateful that the Human-Faced Scorpion was so dedicated to broadcasting its location. Judging by the sound, it shouldn't be far now.

It had delivered itself to her doorstep; she couldn't be blamed for this.

The Human-Faced Scorpion is incredibly venomous and as hard as a rock. Because of its cunning and sadistic nature, it does not capture its prey directly when it encounters them. Instead, it enjoys the thrill of the chase, granting them a glimmer of hope only to crush it into despair with its own hands.

The one in this cave was no exception.

It had not seen a human in a long time and held a special fondness for this rare delicacy.

Today, it happened to be in a good mood, so it feigned letting the female cultivator escape. In reality, it had already marked her; as long as it followed the scent, it could devour her without any effort.

However, halfway through its pursuit, as it passed a corner in the cave, it unexpectedly saw another figure—

It was also a young female cultivator, looking even younger and more delicious than the previous one. She was standing in the center of the cave, watching it without moving an inch.

Her composed demeanor made it seem as if she had been waiting specifically for it.

That couldn't be.

She looked weak and pathetic; she should have been fleeing in a panic just like the last one. As for why she was still standing there, stunned, upon seeing it...

Perhaps she was scared witless?

The Human-Faced Scorpion pulled a sinister grin from the corners of its mouth. The eerie woman's face was terrifyingly pale, and with that smile, its skin rippled like swaying seaweed, emitting a demonic, raspy whisper from its mouth: "Found. You."

It never expected that the female cultivator opposite would still show no signs of fear.

Instead, she nodded, agreeing with it quite earnestly: "Mm. I finally waited for you, too. Following the sound to find you was truly exhausting."

Human-Faced Scorpion:?

Wait, hold on, what did she say? Following the sound to find it?

The thought had barely surfaced in its mind.

It felt a sword intent that chilled it to the bone.

White light erupted, and sword energy surged. Ning Ning's movement technique was so fast it was almost impossible to see clearly. The Star Trace Sword moved like a swimming dragon, tearing through the layers of silent air with a resonant hum.

The pearls embedded along the blade formed a line, leaving behind a string of cold afterimages that coalesced into a gale of sword wind, thrusting straight toward the Human-Faced Scorpion.

She did not use a killing blow, and the force of her strike was not heavy. However, the overlapping sword winds collided with the Human-Faced Scorpion, sending it flying back a distance and forcing a shrill wail from its throat.

This was a Golden Core Realm Sword Cultivator!

Among all cultivators, Sword Cultivators were the most aggressive.

A single sword could break ten thousand techniques. Even if their cultivation levels were the same, the Human-Faced Scorpion would have very little chance of winning, let alone the fact that, judging by the sword energy just now, Ning Ning was several minor realms higher than it.

—It had been chasing that healer, never expecting the mantis to be stalking the oriole.

Those intimidating threats had all turned into clues for her to pinpoint its location, waiting only for it to fall right into her trap.

The Human-Faced Scorpion was so angry it nearly coughed up blood.

Yet, it was completely helpless against her. Even though it wished it could tear her into a thousand pieces, it could only suppress its belly full of rage, grit its teeth, and immediately turn to flee.

It knew this cave like the back of its hand, and with its agile movements and rapid speed, it left Ning Ning behind before long.

The Sword Cultivator did not seem to be in any hurry to give chase; soon, even her spiritual energy became too distant to sense. The Human-Faced Scorpion let out a sigh of relief in its heart, but before its pounding heart could settle, it suddenly leaped into its throat again.

In the empty, narrow cave, a woman's voice suddenly rang out.