Chapter 18: The Destined Disciple Part 3

If it was that dangerous, then why had Rong Qingqing spoken up?

“In that case, falling in means losing your life, doesn’t it? So why…”

Ming Jingqiu’s gaze was meaningful.

“It’s dangerous, truly dangerous. But… the reward is extremely high.”

Bai Xiaoxiao was confused. “What high reward?”

Ming Jingqiu said quietly, “If you’re lucky enough to find the Secret Realm Stone…”

Bai Xiaoxiao jolted, her eyes flying wide. “The Secret Realm Stone?!”

In that instant, she remembered the purpose of this trip—to seize the Female Lead’s opportunity.

So the Secret Realm Stone appeared this early?

According to the original plot, the Secret Realm Stone would definitely fall into Rong Qingqing’s hands.

But the current situation was different.

If Rong Qingqing had long known that this forming secret realm might hold a great opportunity, why would she tell everyone?

With so many people knowing, how could she still get the Secret Realm Stone? Or did she have a card up her sleeve, confident that the one who ultimately obtained it would be her?

Bai Xiaoxiao felt her thoughts tangling into a knot.

Just then, several more people vanished, and the quiet crowd erupted.

If what had hung over them before was fear, then now that fear was mixed with a touch of excitement and… greed.

No one didn’t want the Secret Realm Stone—especially from a new secret realm that was still forming.

That meant endless resources on the path of cultivation, help in cultivating the Great Dao!

Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered. A vague sense of wrongness rose in her.

But before she could think further, the cultivators had already started moving.

Bai Xiaoxiao clearly saw every cultivator watching each other warily, but behind that wariness was a hint of anticipation.

At first she was puzzled about what they were anticipating. But when one cultivator was chosen and abruptly grabbed by the cultivator beside him, dragging them both into disappearance, Bai Xiaoxiao finally understood what the anticipation in their eyes meant.

The cultivators’ wariness and anticipation were aimed at exactly that.

And that led to a fresh round of conflict.

The chosen cultivators didn’t want others horning in on their good fortune, while the unchosen were desperate to get in. So the crowd went from mutual wariness to all-out brawling, fighting over the chance.

It all happened so fast. Bai Xiaoxiao watched the chaos in shock until someone pulled at her, snapping her back to reality.

“This place isn’t safe to stay. Let’s go.”

Ming Jingqiu’s expression was composed, and her voice seemed to carry a stabilizing force. Bai Xiaoxiao slowly let out a breath, knowing the situation was beyond a few words.

Whatever Rong Qingqing was scheming aside, the current chaos could easily drag them in if they weren’t careful.

So Bai Xiaoxiao said yes and turned to grab Ye Xingtong and Jing Ying to leave together.

But when she turned, what she saw was Ye Xingtong’s anxious expression—and her figure vanishing before she could even speak.

The three of them changed color instantly.

“Xingtong!!!”

Jing Ying, terrified, tried to grab her—but it was futile.

Ye Xingtong vanished too fast. Unprepared, they’d had no chance to catch her.

Watching someone disappear before her eyes, Bai Xiaoxiao’s mind went blank.

Ming Jingqiu’s face was horrible too, but she had experienced much; she could still keep her composure.

“Leave—don’t stay here. Something’s wrong with this place!”

But Jing Ying was unwilling. She took a deep breath. “You two go. I have to go in and find Xingtong.”

Bai Xiaoxiao wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came.

From the stricken looks in Ming Jingqiu’s and Jing Ying’s eyes, she knew she’d been chosen too.

In the last moment before she vanished, Ming Jingqiu and Jing Ying reached out without hesitation and grabbed hold of her.

This time, there was no delay. The three of them dissolved into nothing together.

Bai Xiaoxiao had always known that any bad premonition meant trouble—fulfillment was just a matter of sooner or later.

When she realized she hadn’t escaped the selection, she accepted it with a laid-back resignation.

But she honestly hadn’t expected that not only would she be dragged in, Ming Jingqiu and Jing Ying would come right along with her without a second thought.

She knew Jing Ying had done it for Ye Xingtong, but Bai Xiaoxiao still felt a warmth in her heart.

When she opened her eyes, her surroundings were a blanket of gray, so thick she couldn’t see her own hand.

Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly recalled the scene when she’d first transmigrated. The Void Ruins Valley had also been shrouded in thick fog—and that fog had been poisonous.

Faced with a similar scene now, Bai Xiaoxiao was already calm.

She called into the void, one by one, “Senior Sister Ming? Xingtong? Young Pavilion Master Jing?”

No one answered.

Everything was silent, with no sign of anyone.

Bai Xiaoxiao felt a little forlorn. They’d only just reunited, and now they were separated again.

Seeing nothing clearly, Bai Xiaoxiao sighed. “System, is this secret realm the biggest gain of Rong Qingqing’s this time?”

“There’s a 90% chance that’s the case.”

Such a high probability—it must be right. Since she was here, and she hadn’t been absorbed as nourishment yet, she might as well explore.

With her decision made, Bai Xiaoxiao stopped delaying. She rose and looked around, but saw nothing at all.

She had no idea what kind of secret realm this was—so different from the Flowing Light Spirit Cave Secret Realm.

Still, it did carry a feeling of a world at its dawn.

Unable to tell directions at all, Bai Xiaoxiao gave up thinking and simply picked a direction by feel, heading forward.

But this gray stuff didn’t seem to be fog. It was vaguely viscous, and moving through it, Bai Xiaoxiao felt resistance.

In human form, she had a large surface area and thus more resistance, so Bai Xiaoxiao simply shifted back into her original form.

This form was much more comfortable, and with the changed perspective, she could see a bit more of the road ahead.

Her current location seemed to be a forest? Bai Xiaoxiao crawled forward slowly, staying alert, afraid something might suddenly leap out.

But she traveled a long time without noticing anything unusual—like an ordinary forest.

Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t forgotten, though: this secret realm had been about to form, yet for some reason had merged with the Flowing Light Spirit Cave Secret Realm and dragged them in. Something had to be off.

It seemed that even a secret realm, when lacking nourishment to be born, would instinctively prey on living things with spiritual qi around it.

And cultivators were the best choice—their flesh and blood held not only spiritual qi, but the most important thing: vitality.

At the thought, the whole snake shuddered.

But a secret realm born from devouring lives… wasn’t that some kind of evil existence?

The consequence of thinking too intently was that Bai Xiaoxiao wasn’t watching where she was going. She slithered over a stone without looking, and the stone’s composition grated painfully against her.

She hurriedly shifted off it, looked down, and found faint beads of blood seeping from her belly—her skin had been cut.

What an absurd stone.

Bai Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She wondered if the stone had something wrong with it, so she leaned in and examined it closely.

But no matter how she looked, it remained a stone, without changing as she’d half expected.

Had she been overthinking?

A cultivator’s instincts carried some weight, especially in the Cultivation World.

Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t believe an instinct was just an instinct. So she wrapped her tail around the stone, opened the Storage Ring, and unceremoniously tossed it inside.

After discarding the stone, Bai Xiaoxiao felt lighter all over, then continued forward.

Aimless wandering made one lose direction. Bai Xiaoxiao had absolutely lost all sense of direction, no longer knowing where she was going.

Just then, a faint clamor came from ahead. Bai Xiaoxiao was glad and hurried forward. But to be safe, when she got close, she climbed up a tree—both to see better and in case she encountered strangers.

And indeed, higher up gave a clearer view. Unfortunately, none of the cultivators fighting over there were people she knew.

Bai Xiaoxiao felt a little disappointed and decided not to watch. She turned to leave and try her luck elsewhere—but as she turned, she suddenly came face to face with a pair of vertical pupils identical to her own.

Bai Xiaoxiao nearly screamed. When she finally made out what the thing was, she found it absurd.

What had startled her was—another snake.

The crucial part: the snake looked exactly like her original form. If the two of them were together, no one could tell them apart.

Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t help leaning back, staring at it warily. “Who are you?”

But the little snake didn’t speak. It only stared at her, unblinking.

Bai Xiaoxiao’s hair stood on end under that gaze.

“System, did you notice when this snake appeared?”

The situation was too horrifying. Bai Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and waited for the System’s reply.

“Host, this doesn’t seem to be a living creature. I couldn’t detect any life fluctuations from it.”

“Not a living creature? Then what the hell is it?”

Bai Xiaoxiao edged away. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the two cultivators still fighting—and froze.

The two cultivators fighting weren’t contending over some Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure. They were clearly identical people, fighting themselves!

A chill shot down Bai Xiaoxiao’s spine. She looked back at the little snake that looked exactly like her and couldn’t help swallowing.

With the situation unclear, attacking blindly wasn’t wise. So Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t move. She slowly began inching down the tree.

But the moment she moved, the little snake moved too, as if it had locked onto her.

Bai Xiaoxiao stopped. Experimentally, she draped herself over a branch. Her mimic snake copied her and draped itself over a branch too.

The two of them swayed back and forth like strips of noodle.

Below, the fight raged. Above, they dwelled in perfect peace.

“Host, are you doing performance art?”

Bai Xiaoxiao: “…I’m just trying to confirm a hypothesis.”

The System said no more, but Bai Xiaoxiao heard Shen Zhiyue’s voice from the Sea of Consciousness.

“Night has fallen.”

Bai Xiaoxiao: “!”