Piao said, "You truly have the leisure for this. Be careful they don't burrow up from beneath."
Mu Anxiao crossed her hands behind her head and propped her legs up, replying, "Impossible. There's a demonic barrier below. For you to be a demon, you can't even see that. Shameful."
Piao: "..."
As the wind stirred, Feng Qishi sighed at Mu Anxiao's indifferent attitude, then turned to her, saying, "Mu Shazi, I advise you..."
A gust of wind blew.
Piao widened his eyes in response, interrupting, "They're here."
Swiftly, Mu Anxiao opened her eyes, sat up, and tilted her head towards Feng Qishi, "Protect me."
Feng Qishi said, "Why should I protect you?" As he spoke, he turned his back and surveyed their surroundings.
Mu Anxiao stood and walked behind Feng Qishi, saying, "I believe in you." She then glanced to either side.
Piao thought Mu Anxiao was confident, but seeing her current cowardly posture, he didn't know what to say.
"..."
In the air.
The monster leader hovered in front of a group of monsters. He then looked down at Mu Anxiao and the other two below, a smirk playing on his lips. "It seems that vine spirit was quite reliable." Just as he was about to dive down, Monster Number One stopped him.
Monster Number One sniffed the air and said, "Boss, I smell the Soul Sword."
"Soul Sword?" The monster leader repeated, turning his head to Monster Number One. "How is that possible? Isn't the Soul Sword already in the underworld?"
"I don't know, but the scent is very familiar."
"..."
"Boss," Monster Number One said with conviction, "Let us go down. You can wait here with some of our brothers."
"I'm already itching for a fight." The monster leader tried to shake off Monster Number One.
Monster Number One held the monster leader's arm tightly. "Just listen to me. I'll take nine brothers down. There's a demonic barrier here."
"Ten in total," the monster leader said. He looked down and saw the game rules imprinted by the pavilion owner. "You're quite calculative. Only ten can enter."
Monster Number One: "I'm not being calculative. I'm genuinely worried about your safety. You are our... sky." He pointed to the sky.
The monster leader was pleased by Monster Number One's words. "Very well, I'll wait here for you. You go ahead."
"Yes." Monster Number One nodded slightly and, leading nine monsters, they charged into the demonic barrier one by one, approaching Mu Anxiao and the others.
The monster leader hovered in the air, glancing at the remaining monster brothers to his left and right. "Next time, you'll follow me."
The monster leader's abilities were naturally stronger than Monster Number One's. Hearing his words, and then looking at Monster Number One who had taken nine monsters down, the rest of the monsters replied in unison, "Good."
The monster leader smiled. "I know you must be glad to follow me."
Upon hearing this, the monsters chuckled foolishly.
The monster leader immediately shushed them.
They fell silent.
Below.
Mu Anxiao conjured a silver rope with one hand and tightly gripped Feng Qishi's arm with the other, tilting her head up to count the monsters.
"Ten in total."
Piao said, "One too many."
"Damn it, why is that extra one joining the fun?" Mu Anxiao said, then turned to Piao and asked, "By the way, what about their inner cores?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know? You're a demon too."
"We don't do things that way where I come from."
"Even though you're both demons, you're still different?"
"Yes." Piao nodded and charged forward, engaging the monsters in combat.
Mu Anxiao frowned.
Feng Qishi said, "Fighting now will boost the spiritual energy."
Spiritual energy?
Besides money, what Mu Anxiao wanted most at this moment was spiritual energy. The instant Feng Qishi spoke, she said, "I'll take four, you take three."
"No problem."
"Then..." Mu Anxiao uttered the word, then suddenly remembered Feng Qishi's injury. She quickly pulled him back. "Are you alright with your injury?"
"I'm fine. My constitution is different from humans."
"That's good then." Mu Anxiao released her grip.
Feng Qishi charged out.
Mu Anxiao stood her ground, her eyes flicking sideways. As she quickly bent down, a monster leaped over her back.
The monster landed, turned, and looked at Mu Anxiao with a sinister expression, laughing twice. "So you've discovered me."
"..." Mu Anxiao scanned the monsters, her gaze finally locking onto their two glowing red eyes.
The monster asked, "You dare to stare at me?"
"It's the eyes," Mu Anxiao muttered, then quickly shouted, "Shen Fengzi, Piao, their inner cores are in their right eyes." After speaking, she retreated a few steps and smoothly drew out the silver rope.
Seeing this, the monster swiftly dodged, then spread its hands and conjured a wooden staff, swinging it at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes, quickly retreating a few steps before stopping, and rapidly pulling out the silver rope. She silently chanted, "Bind the artifact." As if understanding her command, the silver rope directly bound the wooden staff in the monster's hand.
Then, Mu Anxiao grinned and forcefully tugged the silver rope backward. The monster instantly let go, the wooden staff flew up, formed an arc in the air, and then fell to the ground, disappearing into black smoke.
The monster stared in disbelief, eyes wide. "That's an item from the underworld."
Mu Anxiao hadn't expected the silver rope to be so obedient in this place.
A surge of excitement rippled through her. "Next, it's you." Saying this, she whipped the silver rope towards the monster again.
The monster's eyes widened. As it turned swiftly, the silver rope struck its back. Its large foot stumbled, and its body pitched forward.
The next second, dust flew as the monster landed face down on the ground.
"Come on," she said. As she took a step forward, her shoulder was suddenly pressed down.
Not good. Mu Anxiao had forgotten that besides the one she had knocked down, there were other monsters here.
Swallowing, she glanced sideways and immediately grabbed the monster's claw pressing on her shoulder. Then, she spun around abruptly, stomped on the monster's foot, and said, "Let's start with you then."
This monster looked utterly disgusting. Since it was late yesterday, she hadn't gotten a good look. Now, seeing its two protruding red eyes, its pitted nose, and its exposed sharp teeth, she felt like vomiting.
Therefore, she raised two fingers and with all her might, poked at its right eye.
The monster said, "Naive." Then, just as her fingers neared it, it dissolved into black smoke and disappeared.
Mu Anxiao's poke went into empty air.
In the air.
The monster leader watched Mu Anxiao looking around frantically below and chuckled. "You think we're all pushovers? Such simple minds."
"Exactly."
The monster leader glanced at the monster who spoke. "..."
The monster chuckled foolishly.
Below.
Mu Anxiao turned around quickly. The monster she had knocked down was gone.
"Damn it." She clenched her fist and glanced at Feng Qishi and Piao, who were still fighting.