Croak croak croak!

Howl howl howl!

After this communication, the Mud Frog looked at Ye Jiuge with some irritation before submerging gloomily into the swamp. There was another plop sound; then, a lake blue stone was spat out. The alpha Wolf Beast caught the stone with one of its claws and rolled it close to Ye Jiuge's mouth, howling twice. It was clear that it wanted her to swallow the stone.

Ye Jiuge glanced at the stone out of the corner of her eye. Could this be the Demon Clan's divine medicine?

Howl Howl! The alpha impatiently urged her.

Ye Jiuge made up her mind and swallowed the stone in a single gulp. However, it did nothing to help the pain. The burning in her five viscera and six bowels worsened. Her lungs, especially, felt as though they were on fire. It was incredibly painful to breathe.

Then, the alpha again took Ye Jiuge onto its back and carried her. It ran so fast that it was almost flying as it brought her across more than half of the Demonic Beasts Forest. Finally, the alpha reached the edge of a precipice. The chilly mountain wind caused the alpha Wolf Beast's fur to dance in the breeze. Suddenly, Ye Jiuge had a bad feeling.

It can't be thinking that, can it?

Before Ye Jiuge could react, the alpha crouched and threw her over the edge.

F*ck! It's a lie that demonic beasts know how to repay a kindness.

Ye Jiuge's body fell. With a loud bang, she landed heavily in the vast lake below. The water's intense pressure crushed her chest. Her entire body was in so much pain that her survival instincts finally kicked in.

In the serene but icy lake, Ye Jiuge waved her hands desperately, trying to swim to the surface. To her horror, her body continued to sink as if something were dragging her legs down. After momentarily panicking, Ye Jiuge realized with surprise that the lake water had not gushed into her nose and mouth. She was able to breathe freely underwater. She thought of the lake blue stone that the alpha had made her swallow.

Can it be that the beast doesn't want to kill her? Maybe it's trying to save her instead?

Ye Jiuge steadied herself and swam downwards, following the force from the center of the lake. The small fish looked curiously at the foreign visitor. They started to swim alongside her in little schools, but soon lost their patience and left.

Ye Jiuge descended until she reached a cave at the bottom of the lake. Something inside that dark, serene place attracted her. Ye Jiuge hesitated for a moment before following her instincts and swimming into the cave. She pa.s.sed a dark, narrow tunnel, which brightened before her eyes.

On the cave walls, light blue water plants grew plentifully. They emitted a crystalline glow and were very beautiful. Ye Jiuge's eyes brightened. She tore off a handful of the water plants, placed them in her mouth, and began to chew. A bitter and astringent taste with a hint of sweetness diffused in her mouth. Then, a cooling spiritual power rose from her elixir field. The agonizing pain in her body and face was immediately soothed.

"I've just made a bundle of money!" Ye Jiuge exclaimed. Her eyes turned the shape of gold ingots as she realized that these plants were second-grade Indigo Jade Water Plants.

An Indigo Jade Water Plant was a healing treasure that contained extremely pure water spiritual power. If it were sold to a medicinal store, a single plant could fetch a thousand silver taels. In that patch, there were at least ten thousand plants. Undoubtedly, she would become impossibly wealthy overnight if she brought them back! Besides monetary value, this spiritual herb had another important use: it was a natural painkiller. With such spiritual medicine, Imperial Consort Xi would not only avoid the physical pain of Lingering Death, but she would also recover faster. This discovery was a most unexpected blessing.

Joyfully, Ye Jiuge cut away the Indigo Jade Water Plants and squeezed them into her animal skin bag. She was broken-hearted at having to leave when she had filled her bag to the brim. Nevertheless, Ye Jiuge continued forward. After pa.s.sing a tunnel under the bottom of the lake, deep waters spread above her. Ye Jiuge rose and emerged from the water before realizing that she had reached the inside of a cave.

The tall and wide cave was desolate. Ye Jiuge became apprehensive, and alarm rose in her heart. Such a place was either the lair of a giant demonic beast or the b.o.o.bytrapped location of a buried treasure. No matter what it was, it was dangerous. Ye Jiuge stayed close to the walls and slowly walked deeper into the cave. Suddenly, a rolling sound came from somewhere far away. Something was heading toward her.

Ye Jiuge tightly gripped the Lightning Snake Magical Whip in her hands. Although the demonic weapon was a pitfall, it was powerful. In a critical moment, it would give her a sense of security. The rolling sound came closer, and Ye Jiuge's nerves were on edge. Just as she raised the Lightning Snake Magical Whip, a round black figure pus.h.i.+ng a dirty pill production furnace with all its might appeared in front of her.

"Pipi!" The small, fat figure raised its head, revealing a pair of large, dark grape-like eyes.

The eyes were bright and intelligent, making it look adorable. Although it resembled a rat, it was different from the rats with pointed mouths and apes' cheeks that lived in the sewers. Its ears were round and its eyes large, and it had a small nose and a fat body. It appeared to be soft, cute, and harmless. Ye Jiuge, however, did not completely let down her guard. She did not know if the cute and cuddly appearance was a disguise. For all she knew, it could turn into a giant monster at any moment and swallow her up.

The creature rolled the pill production furnace closer to Ye Jiuge before it again cried out tenderly, "Pipi!"

Indescribably, Ye Jiuge understood what it was trying to convey.

"Is this for me?" Ye Jiuge pointed to herself.

The Black Fat Rat nodded its head eagerly. "Pipi!"

Ye Jiuge did not rashly pick up the pill production furnace. Instead, she opened her Spiritual Eye and scrutinized it. There was nothing unusual about this furnace, nor did it look like a concealed weapon, so she picked it up from the ground. When she blew the dust off it, she realized that it was a three-legged bronze cauldron. An intricate flower pattern was engraved on its surface, giving it an ancient feel. Ye Jiuge strangely felt that it was a treasure. Her greed took over, and she kept it without any hesitation.

"Pipi!" exclaimed the creature happily before it turned and retreated into the cave's depths.

Ye Jiuge kindled a fire with her fire starter and carefully followed the Black Fat Rat. Soon, they arrived at an even more extensive cave. When her light illumined the walls around her, Ye Jiuge gasped in astonishment. Scar-like gouges covered the cave walls, emitting an incomparable bleakness. Pale blue paint was mixed into the middle of the scars. When Ye Jiuge examined them, she observed that the blue pigments were traces of murals. Unfortunately, the crisscrossed scars had destroyed them, and she could not learn anything further.

She touched the paint remnants with her fingers and realized that the pigments were made from a kind of ore that contained spiritual power. Ordinarily, murals produced from such paint were extremely durable. They could easily be preserved for at least a thousand years. However, these cave paintings had been badly damaged. The person who had destroyed them must have been incredibly powerful.