An eldest senior brother who protected his own

The group left the Golden-Winged Cloud Eagle's habitat.

Feng Xiaohan and Wen Maimai led the way, with the other seven female cultivators following behind.

Ning Xiang and Su Lang lagged behind the group. Zhou Ruoxue also wanted to follow Su Lang; she felt safe around Senior Brother Su, and the other female cultivators clearly felt the same.

Watching the women surround Su Lang and seeing a rare trace of embarrassment on his handsome face, Ning Xiang could not help taking pleasure in his predicament.

[If only I were Eldest Senior Brother! What luck he has! I'm so jealous!]

Su Lang: ... Would you like this good fortune, then?

"Junior Sisters, don't forget what we're here for. Finding Demon Beasts comes first." Ning Xiang gave a light cough. She still cared about their fellowship, after all.

Only then did they disperse.

Ning Xiang held back her laughter.

Su Lang shook out his sleeves. Seeing how painfully she seemed to be suppressing her amusement, he simply said, "Laugh if you want."

"How could I? I have great respect for Eldest Senior Brother." Ning Xiang pressed her lips together, but she could no longer hold it in. "All right, Eldest Senior Brother, I've never seen you look so helpless! Hahahahaha! When we get back, I'm definitely telling Second Senior Brother so he can laugh at you too."

"Look on the bright side. With all these girls liking you, at least you won't have to worry about finding a cultivation partner."

Su Lang did not answer. He simply walked ahead.

Plants grew thickly here, towering taller than people. These were no ordinary shrubs, but low-ranking Woodland Spirits that had yet to awaken their intelligence. Catching the scent of strangers, they grew excited instead, rustling and swaying without any wind. Many even extended tendrils and branches to block their path.

Su Lang walked so quickly that Ning Xiang could not have kept up without using the Wind-Riding Art.

Although Su Lang kept walking ahead, his spiritual sense remained on Ning Xiang behind him, and his steps unconsciously slowed.

Ning Xiang finally caught up with him and sighed. "Who knows where Little Junior Brother ended up? If we run into their team, we definitely won't stand a chance."

Yu Tingchao's team had ten members, all male cultivators, including five sword cultivators from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Their group would probably take first place among the five teams.

Over the next half day, Feng Xiaohan, Wen Maimai, and the female cultivator surnamed Luo from the Beast Taming Sect fought at the front, subduing quite a few first-tier Demon Beasts. The six female cultivators from the Luo River Sect and the Pill Sect... mainly stood to one side as background scenery.

"You've been fighting for half a day, fellow Daoists. How have you only collected three Demon Cores? And all from first-tier Demon Beasts?" The woman in yellow's very first words dripped with sarcasm.

Zhou Ruoxue added, "Exactly. I heard that when Senior Brother Su entered Thousand Calamities Valley ten years ago, he obtained three Demon Cores from second-tier Demon Beasts on the very first day. Fellow Daoist Wen, you certainly can't compare to Senior Brother Su, but surely you shouldn't fall this far short?"

The woman surnamed Luo did not feel comfortable speaking up. After all, this team had four Luo River Sect disciples, while she was alone. Caution was the wiser course.

Feng Xiaohan's expression remained indifferent; she had no desire to waste words.

Wen Maimai, however, was furious. But she had never been good at arguing, leaving her thoroughly stifled.

Ning Xiang gave Wen Maimai a reassuring look before saying, "Junior Sister Zhou, my senior brother is exceptionally capable. What a pity you don't have such a skilled senior brother yourself."

Now it was Zhou Ruoxue's turn to grow angry. She sneered, "Senior Sister Ning, are you trying to stand up for your own sect's junior sister?"

The implication was a jibe at Ning Xiang for favoring her own people.

Ning Xiang smiled. "Yes, indeed. I'm very protective of my own."

Zhou Ruoxue: "..."

Sure enough, these women from the Profound Heaven Sect were the most annoying!

She looked at Su Lang with reddened eyes. "Senior Brother Su, Senior Sister Ning doesn't seem to like me." Afterward, she glanced timidly at Ning Xiang, as though Ning Xiang might eat her.

Su Lang said casually, "I'm just as protective of my own as my junior sister."

"Huh?" Zhou Ruoxue froze.

"So if my junior sister dislikes someone, I won't like them either."

[Goodness, how did I never notice how good Eldest Senior Brother is at infuriating people?]

Ning Xiang silently spared Zhou Ruoxue a little sympathy.

The girl let out a sob, then burst into tears...

She cried so pitifully, without any concern for appearances, her face covered in snot and tears, that even Wen Maimai, whom she had just mocked, could not bear to watch.

Ning Xiang poked Su Lang and whispered, "Look what you've done."

Zhou Ruoxue did not even get to finish crying before fierce winds suddenly rose around them, sending sand and stones flying. A towering figure swept overhead, blotting out the sky and sun.

It was actually a third-tier demonic beast!

A third-tier demonic beast was equivalent to a human cultivator in the late Core Formation Realm.

The woman in yellow went pale with fright. Zhou Ruoxue hiccupped through her tears and no longer dared to wail, only letting out faint sobs.

The strange feeling in Ning Xiang's heart grew stronger.

By rights, the strongest Demon Beasts in Thousand Calamities Valley should only have been at the peak of the second tier. Demon Beasts that could cultivate to the third tier were exceedingly rare.

The Demon Beast unleashed a deafening roar that swept through the Maze Forest, leaving everything around them dark and lightless.

The Demon Beast revealed its true form.

It resembled a lion, yet tiger stripes covered its body. It had scarlet eyes, fangs, a red mane, and a black tail, with a horn growing from the center of its forehead and two pairs of dark red wings on its back.

Su Lang summoned the Langhua Sword and stepped forward twice, shielding the women behind him.

The Demon Beast threw back its head and roared. Its voice thundered, making their scalps prickle.

Su Lang sent Ning Xiang a voice transmission. "Take them away in a moment. I'll handle this Third-Tier Demonic Beast."

Wow! Eldest Senior Brother really comes through! When a Demon Beast shows up, he takes it on himself!

Ning Xiang said, "I'll fight it with you."

Su Lang paused. "All right."

Ning Xiang took out a talisman and tossed it toward the women in the Foundation Establishment Realm, then infused it with a strand of spiritual power. The talisman burst in midair.

A golden ring appeared beneath the women's feet, enclosing them.

The Demon Beast licked its lips. The foul, bloody stench from its mouth made Ning Xiang's head throb.

"You human cultivators are utterly helpless! Just wait until you become a meal in my belly!" the Demon Beast said.

Ning Xiang tilted her little head as she studied it. Hmm, this big fellow somehow looked familiar, as though she had seen it somewhere before.

Seeing that the human cultivator before it not only showed no fear but even dared to stare straight at it, the Demon Beast flew into a rage. With a lash of its long tail, it smashed the towering tree behind it to pieces.

Ning Xiang brought out her Shattered Moon whip. Excellent. I haven't used a whip in ages. Time to see whether I've gotten rusty.

The moment the Demon Beast saw that shimmering, radiant whip, its eyes widened like lanterns.

It's her!

It's that woman!

The Demon Beast still remembered how, ten years ago, a female cultivator in red had invaded its territory. With a long whip in hand, she had bound it, hung it from a tree, and beaten it savagely, then dug out its Demon Core...

Half a year later, a strange demonic energy had suddenly spread through the Maze Forest. It absorbed that energy and, astonishingly, slowly cultivated another Demon Core.

For the past ten years, the Demon Beast had diligently cultivated, all because it feared being humiliated again.

The whip before it awakened the Demon Beast's painful memories.

Ten years. I've waited ten whole years!

I won't wait any longer. Today, I'll kill this woman, strip off her skin, tear out her sinews, and swallow her alive!

At that thought, the Demon Beast's eyes burned. It could hardly wait!

Sensing that the Demon Beast was targeting Ning Xiang, Su Lang stood in front of her with his sword in hand. The Langhua Sword shone with glittering radiance, blocking the Demon Beast's view.

Wen Maimai was frantic, ready to rush out and fight alongside Ning Xiang.

Ning Xiang, however, had let her mind wander far afield.

She was remembering.

She had definitely seen this ugly creature before.

But where had she seen it?

"Ah!" Ning Xiang slapped her forehead. Wasn't this the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion from ten years ago?

This was practically a reunion between old friends.

Ning Xiang happily greeted the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion. "So it's you! Long time no see. How have these past ten years treated you?"

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion was enraged. This damned human cultivator showed it no respect whatsoever!

It pushed off the ground with its forelegs. Heaven and earth lost their color as sand, boulders, towering trees, birds, and beasts were swept skyward by the wind, then hurtled toward Ning Xiang like a landslide, blanketing the sky.

Let her witness my power!

Tremble, foolish human!