Scarlet Blood Grass
The Spring-Heralding Bird moved quickly, but Sang Ying and her companion were not slow either.
The two people and the bird quickly reached their destination.
It was an extremely secluded cave. If the Spring-Heralding Bird hadn't led the way, Sang Ying probably wouldn't have noticed it even if she had passed by.
Of course, Sang Ying hadn't missed the Spring-Heralding Bird's excited expression earlier.
The lush foliage at the cave entrance was quickly cut open by the wind blades of the Spring-Heralding Bird. The beautiful blue bird pointed into the cave towards Sang Ying, seemingly indicating that there was something important inside.
Having spent so much time with the Spring-Heralding Bird, Sang Ying had come to understand Spring-Heralding Bird meaning to some extent.
She gazed at the dark cave and asked, "Is what I'm looking for inside?"
The Spring-Heralding Bird nodded eagerly, confirming Sang Ying's statement.
"Then let's go in and take a look." Sang Ying trusted the Spring-Heralding Bird; that little Demon Beast was greedy and wanted to take a bite of anything it saw.
They've encountered other cultivators these days, and if Sang Ying and the other two hadn't stopped them in time each time, the Spring-Heralding Bird would probably have gone straight for a taste of those cultivators.
Sang Ying punished it severely many times for this, finally making it understand that cultivators could not eat it.
However, at the same time, she also prepared many delicious dishes for the Spring-Heralding Bird. The Spring-Heralding Bird, who had never tasted cooked food before, were immediately captivated by the wonderful flavors. They stopped talking about escaping and obediently stayed by Sang Ying's side all day long, living like a demon pet.
Jiang Zhuoxue had previously mocked it for this, but the Spring-Heralding Bird didn't seem to care at all, and in the end, it just quietly sprinkled some ash on Jiang Zhuoxue's meal.
However, thanks to Sang Ying's protection, the Spring-Heralding Bird was ultimately not harmed by Jiang Zhuoxue.
So now, the Spring-Heralding Bird has become more like a companion to Sang Ying.
"I'll go first, you follow me. The Spring-Heralding Bird are too big, they should stay outside and keep watch for us." Sang Ying glanced at the narrow opening in front of her and quickly made a decision.
The Spring-Heralding Bird initially tried to struggle and squeeze in with the two of them.
But the cave was only so big; it couldn't even fit a single wing, let alone the whole bird, and it almost collapsed the cave entrance.
The Spring-Heralding Bird had no choice but to abandon the idea.
"Forget about it, just stay here and wait for us to come back." Jiang Zhuoxue's tone was tinged with schadenfreude.
He didn't particularly like the bird, or rather, he disliked anything that might compete with Sang Ying for her attention.
He had originally thought that without Gu Wangchuan in the secret realm, he could keep Sang Ying's attention focused solely on him. But then the Spring-Heralding Bird barged in, causing him to be ignored by Sang Ying several more times. How could he possibly like this stupid bird?
Upon hearing Jiang Zhuoxue's words, the Spring-Heralding Bird cried out to Sang Ying with a wronged expression.
Previously, it had also used the trick of pretending to be well-behaved to win over Sang Ying and get her to side with it.
This time, Sang Ying didn't speak up for it. Instead, she said, "The situation inside the cave is unclear, and you can't go in now. It's safer to stay outside. By the way, if any powerful people or Demon Beast try to break in, don't fight them head-on. Either run away or hide."
Sang Ying gave a few more instructions to make sure the Spring-Heralding Bird understood her meaning before leading Jiang Zhuoxue into the darkness of the cave.
The poor Spring-Heralding Bird was left outside. It landed lightly on a towering tree in front of the cave, where the dense foliage concealed its form.
Let it wait here in peace.
However, it didn't have to wait long before footsteps reached its ears.
"Were they just coming this way?" Wuyue Qing's voice rang out in front of the cave, immediately startling the Spring-Heralding Bird hidden in the trees.
Following behind her, Wuyue Wenren looked at the series of footprints on the ground and said with certainty, "They definitely came here, and may have even entered the cave in front of us."
The cave was originally very well hidden, but after Sang Ying and her companion found it, some of the grass and leaves that had been covering the entrance were cleared away, so it was no longer as well hidden as before.
"What a wonderful place. I wonder what treasures are inside that those two fellow Daoists are so interested in." Even though she didn't know what Sang Ying and her companions were looking for, Sang Ying Wuyue Qing discerned from her observations over the past few days that they were traveling through this secret realm with a specific purpose in mind.
Wuyue Wenren also said, "No matter what good things there are, they will eventually belong to our Moonless Household."
Wuyue Qing liked hearing this, and the two didn't waste any more words. They immediately found a good place to hide. Once they used their concealment talismans, even the Spring-Heralding Bird, which were perched in the trees watching them hide, couldn't detect their presence.
The Spring-Heralding Bird tilted its head, its large, beady eyes seeming to be deep in thought.
The cave was damp and cold. Sang Ying walked ahead, holding a luminous pearl. Almost before the Demon Beast hiding in the shadows could even launch their attack, they had already perished under Sang Ying's sword.
Jiang Zhuoxue nestled comfortably behind her, and looking at the blurry figure blocking his way, a sudden warmth welled up in his heart.
He tried to reach out and grab Sang Ying's clothes, but failed repeatedly because her movements were too large.
Is it really impossible to keep this person? Jiang Zhuoxue asked herself. If only she could keep her forever.
They hadn't walked far when Sang Ying suddenly stopped. "Watch out, there looks like a big guy ahead."
Jiang Zhuoxue's Divine Sense instantly fell upon the distant cave, a place so dark that even a luminous pearl couldn't illuminate it, as if some terrifying being was brewing within.
Sang Ying raised her hand and twirled her sword, releasing a burst of Ice Spiritual Qi that froze the entire section of the cave they had passed through.
A loud "click" sound, as if something had been crushed, completely shattered the tranquility inside the cave.
Sang Ying subconsciously stopped moving, and a foul, fishy smell blew onto Sang Ying face at that moment.
She held her breath and, before the shattering sound could be heard again, tossed the luminous pearl in her hand into the darkness before her.
The luminous pearl crashed violently into something, briefly illuminating a gigantic mouth with sharp fangs. At the same time, a low growl echoed through the cave.
Sang Ying quickly pushed Jiang Zhuoxue back until she was sure he was out of the Demon Beast's attack range before she could fully unleash her power against Demon Beast.
The Demon Beast had lived in the secret realm for many years, and its abilities were considerable.
It lurked in the darkness, rarely revealing itself. If it weren't for the formidable power of Sang Ying's Sword Qi energy, which froze everything in its path, she probably wouldn't have been able to find the Demon Beast.
The battle between the two nearly collapsed the cave, but fortunately, the strangely shaped Demon Beast finally died under Sang Ying's sword.
The darkness within the cave, which could almost devour everything, gradually receded after the Demon Beast died.
As the light of the luminous pearl enveloped the cave, clusters of beautiful, blood-red flowers bloomed where the blood of the Demon Beast within had flowed.
Having searched for this for a long time, Sang Ying naturally recognized it at a glance— Scarlet Blood Grass.