"Eldest Senior Brother, watch out for the quicksand in this desert," Ning Xiaoxiao said, holding the Sand Rat. "And don't let an ungrateful little beast like this trick you!"
The Sand Rat squeaked. "I'm not ungrateful! I was trying to lead you out of that thing's territory!"
"What thing?" Lou Yunxiao couldn't help asking.
But the Sand Rat took one look at him and hid behind Ning Xiaoxiao's neck in fright. "Squeak, squeak, squeak! You have the same aura as that thing!"
Lou Yunxiao pressed his lips together, his heart tightening.
He went straight to the heart of the matter. "There's a demon in this Secret Realm."
Ning Xiaoxiao froze as well, recalling what she had learned in the Sword Sect's history lessons.
Demons were utterly depraved killing machines that slaughtered anyone they saw.
If there was a demon in the Secret Realm, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Then we have to find my brother right away!"
"Yes." Lou Yunxiao nodded.
Ning Xiaoxiao poked the little Sand Rat. "Can you lead us out of this desert?"
Seeing that Lou Yunxiao didn't seem like a bad person, the little Sand Rat relaxed. He folded his tiny forepaws across his chest and said haughtily, "Hmph! I want you to apologize for accusing me!"
"All right, all right, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Satisfied with her attitude, the little Sand Rat settled his bottom on Ning Xiaoxiao's shoulder. "This Secret Realm is essentially a Small World, with forests, mountains, rivers, a desert, and volcanoes. The desert we're in is the largest area, and the most dangerous. It'll take at least half a month to get out. If you run into that thing along the way, you might not even survive."
Lou Yunxiao asked, "Could you tell us more about this thing?"
Their younger generation had never seen a real demon.
Everything they knew came from books.
So they needed to get the details this time.
"So you call that thing a demon." A trace of fear showed in the little Sand Rat's eyes. "That thing has so many forms. At first, he just looked like a sand snake. Then he devoured the entire Sand Snake Clan, along with many of my clansmen, and grew to thirty feet tall."
"Over the years, he ate plenty of cultivators from your Human Clan, too. Then, poof! That thirty-foot body turned into a person about your size."
"Even after eating humans, he didn't stop eating other species. Sand wolves, yellow rabbits, horned sheep... Whenever he eats a kind of demonic beast, he gains their abilities and can take on their forms."
"So we live in fear every day, hoping only to avoid his hunting hours. Every extra moment we survive is a blessing from heaven!"
As they listened to his account, Ning Xiaoxiao's and Lou Yunxiao's expressions darkened.
From the sound of it, this demon had probably already gained strength far beyond theirs.
They absolutely had to avoid a direct confrontation.
They also needed to find a way to warn the disciples of the other sects.
With that thought, Ning Xiaoxiao looked up, only to discover that day had turned to night in the blink of an eye.
The little Sand Rat squeaked. "Oh no! Do you have fire? Light a fire, quick! That thing hates light. You'll be safer with a fire!"
Lou Yunxiao moved swiftly.
Little Flame flew from his fingertip and grew larger, illuminating their surroundings.
The little Sand Rat added, "Find a big rock to shelter behind! Dust storms are very likely in the desert at night. Finding shelter from the wind will spare you some suffering!"
The two found a large rock and took shelter.
Only then did the little Sand Rat breathe a sigh of relief.
Ning Xiaoxiao poked his little belly. "Thank you!"
"Hmph! If you weren't so cute, I wouldn't have bothered helping you!"
Then he glanced at the flame Lou Yunxiao had summoned and gave a soft sound of surprise.
"Human boy, where did you get that fire?"
Lou Yunxiao paused. "An older sister gave me this otherworldly flame to save my life."
The little Sand Rat smacked his lips. "Then is that older sister of yours a demon beast?"
Lou Yunxiao's eyes widened beneath his silk ribbon.
Only after a long while did he ask hoarsely, "Why would you ask that?"
"Because I can sense a very, very faint trace of demonic beast aura in this fire," the little Sand Rat said. "Though I might be mistaken."
"But if she really is a demon beast, giving you such a powerful fire means she must care about you a great deal. Losing part of one's origin flame has a tremendous effect on oneself, after all."
Listening to their conversation, Ning Xiaoxiao pondered the older sister Lou Yunxiao had mentioned.
The orange-red flame flickered.
At last, Ning Xiaoxiao couldn't hold back her question. "Eldest Senior Brother, would you mind telling me about that older sister?"
Lou Yunxiao told her everything truthfully.
Ning Xiaoxiao asked again, "Does my brother know about her?"
She saw Lou Yunxiao nod.
Realization dawned on Ning Xiaoxiao's face.
She suddenly seemed to understand why her brother never openly expressed his feelings, even though he clearly liked Eldest Senior Brother.
It was all because Lou Yunxiao already had someone else in his heart!
That was why her brother wouldn't say anything outright, no matter how much he liked him!
He could only endure in silence and give without a word!
Fuck!
How could it be this heartbreaking?!
Ning Xiaoxiao bit the hem of her skirt, so tormented by the story she had imagined that she wanted to roll around on the ground.
Her poor brother!
Why did he have to fall for Eldest Senior Brother?!
Meanwhile, Lou Yunxiao was also distracted.
If the little Sand Rat's senses were right...
Was that older sister really a demon beast?
She had prolonged his life even at the cost of her own cultivation...
Demon beasts had slaughtered his entire family, yet ironically, a demon beast had saved him, too...
And what kind of demon beast possessed both an origin flame and such an extraordinarily high cultivation?
Lou Yunxiao's thoughts were in turmoil.
A terrifying answer hovered on the verge of surfacing, but he immediately rejected it.
He would rather believe the little Sand Rat had been mistaken than accept that his older sister was one of the demon beasts he hated most.
"Achoo!"
Reclining in a tree with one leg crossed over the other, Ning Ke sneezed and muttered to himself, "Who's thinking about me?"
"Lord Nine-Tailed Fox, I found them! I found them!" A birdcall rang out in the distance as a little sparrow flew over, calling all the way.
Ning Ke held out a finger, and the little sparrow landed on it.
A huge python's head emerged behind Ning Ke's shoulder, its tongue flicking. "What do you think you're doing, making such a fuss in His Lordship's presence?"
The little sparrow immediately hunched his shoulders, so frightened he nearly pooped on the spot.
Fortunately, he held it in.
"Don't be afraid. Tell me, what did you find?" Ning Ke glanced at the python, who instantly became meek and obedient, losing every trace of ferocity.
As a Nine-Tailed Fox, Ning Ke exerted an overwhelming bloodline suppression.
The powerful presences in this forest all belonged to demonic beasts. Upon seeing him, they had rushed to pledge their loyalty and shown him great affection.
So Ning Ke had sent them to find Lou Yunxiao and Ning Xiaoxiao.
"I heard from the Sand Rat Clan that the people you're looking for are over in the desert," the little sparrow said. "They're safe for now."
"The desert... That's that thing's territory," the python said. "Lord Nine-Tailed Fox, that thing is probably the demon from ten thousand years ago. My great-grandfather told me that ten thousand years ago, Heaven's Way sealed a Great Demon inside this Secret Realm, right where the desert is. A hundred years ago, part of him seemed to escape from beneath the stone stele suppressing him, and he ravaged the entire desert. The demonic beasts there can do nothing against him, and we don't dare confront him either."
"If your friends are in the desert, then... I'm afraid they'll have a hard time getting out."
Before you continue