Boom! The pure white orb of spiritual energy nearly obliterated everything in the forest.
When all the commotion finally settled, Linglong’s vision was left with only a semicircular crater and a dying pitch-black fierce tiger.
Considering the lethal radius of this spiritual technique, the distance between Hua Jian and the Black Tiger was practically zero.
The Black Tiger, having taken the brunt of the damage, was naturally in a terrible state.
Once again, Hua Jian had anticipated this… Linglong suppressed the strange thoughts in her heart, drew her Ling Sword from her waist, and charged straight toward the Black Tiger.
Hua Jian had already created such a perfect opportunity for her; how could she disappoint her expectations!
Rolling thunder rumbled as bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking the severely wounded Black Tiger repeatedly, forcing it to retreat step by step.
It tried to resist, but after suffering such a powerful attack without any defense, it had no strength left to fight back.
Linglong was even less likely to give it a chance to catch its breath.
The thunderlight crashed down like a tide, relentless and continuous, soon beating the Spirit Beast down until it could only lie on the ground, gasping.
Howl!
The fierce beast’s eyes reflected Linglong’s approaching figure step by step. For the first time, a pleading emotion flickered in its gaze.
But with things having come to this point, how could Linglong let it go? At this moment, the Saintess would not show mercy.
Raising her Ling Sword high, Linglong shouted loudly, and with the sword moving in sync with the thunder, she struck directly at the beast’s head.
Boom!
The moment the Ling Sword touched the Spirit Beast’s skull, a layer of white light surged from within the creature’s body and, right before Linglong’s eyes, teleported the beast away.
So the Spirit Beast also had a Space Stone on it? Linglong was startled, then noticed the golden token left behind where the beast had vanished.
She reached out and took the token into her hand, her expression turning strange.
This token was not a Dragon Scale, but a “Dragon Scale Redemption Token.” Holding this token allowed one to exchange it for a True Dragon Scale at Linlang Pavilion after leaving the Secret Realm.
She tried to place the token into her Storage Pouch, but, as expected, it couldn’t be stored.
She would have to carry this token and fly to the Exit Point to successfully evacuate.
“Hah… what a hassle, but the Dragon Scale is definitely worth all this trouble.” Linglong cast a subtle glance at the cultivators drawn here by the massive disturbance. Tonight would likely be far from peaceful.
……
“Alright, sisters, don’t look at me like that. She ran in here all on her own; it’s got nothing to do with me…”
Hugging her knees and sitting in Linlang Pavilion’s lounge, Hua Jian nervously nibbled on the spiritual fruits on the table while trembling as she spoke to the two fairies in the room.
She felt she was being unfairly blamed. Who was Linglong? The Saintess of the Yaochi Holy Sect. If this woman wanted to do something, was it something she could influence or stop?
Before encountering Linglong in the Secret Realm, she had only known her from the sketchbook — a one-sided acquaintance.
No matter how she thought about it, this time she wasn’t the problem, right?
“Linglong Shimei has always been a cold and aloof personality within the sect. It’s rare to see her get along well with anyone…”
The speaker was a Linghuang Fairy from Yaochi, named Ziwan. She had come with an urgent matter to find Linglong.
The fairy managing this Secret Realm, the Penglai Fairy surnamed Ma, wore a bitter expression as she faced Ziwan’s request.
“I really can’t drag your Saintess out of the Secret Realm. These are the rules of Linlang Pavilion, and violations are punished. Zi Sister, please have mercy on me.”
If anyone could randomly pull out cultivators exploring inside the Secret Realm, how could Linlang Pavilion conduct its business?
Therefore, there are clear regulations: only when all Five Great Sacred Sects unanimously decide that someone should no longer explore inside the Secret Realm can that person be forcibly extracted.
But obviously, this matter hasn’t escalated to that level yet.
Hearing the back-and-forth between the two, Hua Jian stealthily grabbed another fruit and started munching on it.
She usually couldn’t afford such treats, so of course, she was going to enjoy it.
After all, it’s free — why not eat? These things are just placed here for people to eat, right? Hua Jian thought to herself.
“But this really is important. Is there any way to get her out of the Secret Realm quickly?” Ziwan was anxious.
“Unless she comes out on her own, or you get a Ling Master inside to deliver a message,” suggested Sister Ma.
As soon as she said that, both their eyes landed on Hua Jian, who was still secretly eating the fruits.
Yes, the messenger had to be someone Linglong knew, someone with decent relations, so she wouldn’t just strike them dead on sight.
In that case, it seemed there was only one choice.
Swish!
Hua Jian’s eyes had barely widened when Sister Ma suddenly appeared before her, pressing her hands on Hua Jian’s shoulders. “Little Flower Sister, I have a favor to ask!”
What favor? It was hard to guess. Could it be asking her to go into the Secret Realm and call Linglong out?
Hua Jian didn’t mind running errands for these kind sisters, but surely she wasn’t expected to pay for the ticket herself.
“I don’t have a hundred Spirit Stones for the ticket,” she patted her empty pockets and said helplessly, “I’m completely broke right now.”
All her savings were still inside the Secret Realm, waiting for Linglong to bring them out.
“No problem. I’ll pay for you!” Sister Ma almost laughed at her. It’s just a ticket — she paid it for Hua Jian directly.
Ziwan agreed with this compromise and took out a pale green Yuye from her waist, handing it to Hua Jian. “Take this first. When Linglong Shimei sees it, she’ll know you’re not just making things up.”
Hua Jian took the leaf and immediately recognized its importance. It was probably worth more than selling herself. She carefully tucked it into her bosom.
Then, she truly experienced how fast it was for someone with connections to enter the Secret Realm.
The previous entry procedure that took almost half an hour was cut down to just a few minutes, and before she could react, she had already been dropped into the Secret Realm.
After sending Hua Jian back into the Secret Realm, Sister Ma turned her gaze to Ziwan. “That token isn’t ordinary. Aren’t you afraid that little girl will misuse it?”
“Anyone Linglong Shimei recognizes must have a decent character. I trust she won’t do such a thing.”
“Hmph, I’m not so sure…”
Before Sister Ma could finish, her junior apprentice suddenly came running over, shouting loudly.
“Sister, it’s bad! Our Spirit Beast was forced out of the Secret Realm! The Dragon Scale is really going to be given away!”
“Pfft… truly worthy of the Yaochi Saintess,” Sister Ma sighed. Her hopes had ultimately been dashed.
“Moreover, suddenly many cultivators have been expelled from the Secret Realm, and all by the same person. They say there’s a madman inside, killing anyone he sees!”
“&*￥(Penglai curse)!”