Chapter 388 - 394: Poor Jiang Cen

Song Wanning soon received the Golden Small Sword’s signal, letting her know Jiang Cen had arrived. A malicious glint flashed in her eyes.

She estimated the time, then abruptly retracted her "domain," pushed her speed to its limit, and flew outside as fast as she could.

Jiang Cen had just entered when a cloud of Demonic Qi flew right at her, startling her into dodging aside.

Fortunately, the cloud of Demonic Qi didn’t bother her; it simply fled.

She furrowed her brow, and just as she was pondering the situation, she suddenly heard a terrifying roar.

Lifting her head, her gaze met the bloodshot eyes of a fierce beast.

"!!!!"

Jiang Cen’s heart dropped, and her immediate instinct was to flee.

But the fierce beast had already gone berserk. The terror it had felt inside the "domain" had been infinitely amplified, and upon emerging, it discovered the box it was guarding had vanished. How could it possibly have any sanity left?

It began attacking indiscriminately as if it had gone mad, firing volleys of ice blades in every direction.

Jiang Cen had the misfortune of running into it right as she arrived. Her Defense Treasure Shield was swiftly shattered, and within moments of the encounter, several ice blades had already pierced gaping holes in her body.

Blood streamed from her wounds. Her face turned ashen from the pain, her features contorting in agony.

Fortunately, when the box was taken, the restriction on Spiritual Energy had also dissipated.

Realizing this, she hurriedly pulled out a Magical Treasure and launched a counterattack against the beast.

But with her current strength so diminished, how could she possibly be a match for the fierce beast?

Thus, it wasn’t long before she was beaten black and blue, left collapsed on the ground, groaning incessantly.

Meanwhile, the fierce beast was still on a rampage.

Jiang Cen glanced at the now-empty altar and recalled the cloud of Demonic Qi that had just fled. ’What is there not to understand?’

’Someone beat me to it again?’

’How is that possible!!’

’In the original story, not even the protagonist, Zhang Shuning, obtained a treasure of this caliber. How could someone else have possibly beaten me to it?’

’Besides, all the Cultivators who entered are elites from their respective sects. How could a Demon Cultivator have snuck in?’

Countless questions flooded her mind, but before Jiang Cen could make sense of anything, another ice blade stabbed a hole through her leg.

Blood streamed down her thigh, the wound both agonizing and cold.

She quickly swallowed some Elixir Pills and took out the Ten Thousand Demons Banner.

She had confiscated it from a Demon Cultivator she’d encountered a few days prior. People always say Demon Cultivators are wanton murderers, but are Spirit Cultivators any different?

Therefore, she had no qualms about using this Magical Treasure and had kept it for herself.

It had been a great help to her since then, and it seemed perfect for dealing with this fierce beast.

However, she had no idea that the beast had just been suppressed to the brink of collapse by that Demon Cultivator’s "domain." Now, upon suddenly sensing Demonic Qi, the last shred of its sanity vanished.

It launched itself at Jiang Cen in a suicidal frenzy.

"Ahhh—"

Jiang Cen was sent flying by a kick. In a panic, she pulled out a Magical Treasure to retaliate, only to see the beast dive straight at her, crashing down with immense force.

"SPURT—"

Blood instantly sprayed from her mouth like a fountain as her internal organs suffered a devastating impact.

But the beast wasn’t done with her. It continued to "punch and kick" her, beating Jiang Cen until she was dizzy and barely breathing.

Trembling, she fumbled in her Storage Ring for a Thousand Miles Transmission Talisman, but before she could activate it, the beast sent her flying again.

"BANG—"

She slammed hard against the wall. A dull thud echoed from her head, and for a moment, she thought she was about to die.

Nausea washed over her; she felt as if she were on the verge of death.

Fighting through the excruciating pain, she clutched the Thousand Miles Transmission Talisman and quickly activated it.

A flash of light flared, and the talisman took effect.

Jiang Cen’s figure vanished from the underground palace in an instant.

The beast, in mid-attack, realized its target was gone. It paused for a second before letting out an even more ferocious roar.

Losing all control, it charged outside in pursuit.

’One human bullying me was bad enough, but now another one comes along? Do they really think I’m some weak pushover?’

’This is infuriating!’

「Outside the valley」 Song Wanning had long since slipped away.

As she fled at top speed, she used the Three Lives Mirror to watch the unfolding events. When she saw Jiang Cen being beaten half to death by the beast and scrambling to escape, the corners of her lips curled up in a slow, satisfied smile.

’But this isn’t enough.’

Song Wanning released the red lotus aura that she had attached to Jiang Cen’s body, leaving behind a traceable wisp of energy.

’So what if she used a Teleportation Talisman?’

’The beast will still be able to pinpoint her exact location.’

"Sister, do you think the fierce beast will chase us?"

The Golden Small Sword was wary of the beast’s power; it had heard that even its sister couldn’t kill it easily.

"Not for now. If it had really wanted to chase us, it wouldn’t have bothered with Jiang Cen."

’The beast was probably terrified by my "domain," which is why it didn’t immediately chase me when I fled. Instead, it vented its rage on Jiang Cen, who had just arrived.’

’And it doesn’t seem to value the box all that much, either.’

A thoughtful glint appeared in Song Wanning’s eyes, her curiosity about the box growing.

’For now, I need to find a safe place to examine what’s inside this box.’

...

「Elsewhere」 Jiang Cen finally managed to escape using the talisman. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"Damn it! Which bastard stole the treasure and set a trap for me?!"

She was so furious she could grind her teeth to dust. She had thought she was on the verge of a complete transformation, ready to put everyone in their place.

Who knew it would all come to nothing...

At this thought, her eyes blazed with monstrous hatred, as if she wanted to devour the culprit whole.

She pulled out a handful of Elixir Pills and swallowed them. Her physical wounds began to heal rapidly, and some color returned to her face.

’For now, I have to find a way to track down that Demon Cultivator.’

’No one is getting away with stealing my treasure!’

However, no sooner had this ambitious resolve taken root than reality threw a bucket of cold water on it.

In the distance, a figure was rapidly approaching, its terrifying aura trailing it like a shadow.

A chill shot up Jiang Cen’s spine. Without a second thought, she took out her Flying Magical Treasure and jumped aboard.

She even used her top-grade spiritual stones to push its speed to the maximum.

Because her pursuer was none other than the fierce beast from the underground palace—the very one that had beaten her to a pulp.

"How can this be? A Thousand Miles Transmission Talisman teleports you to a random location. Even I don’t know where I am, so how did it pinpoint my position?"

The more Jiang Cen thought about it, the more frustrated she became, her expression turning as dark as the bottom of a wok.

The Flying Magical Treasure sped away. Sensing its target’s aura growing distant, the beast became even more incensed, roaring as it gave chase.

It was clear it would not rest until it caught her.

Soon, many others witnessed this scene.

"Hiss... isn’t that Venerable Jiang’s daughter? What did she get herself tangled up in?"

"Heavens, that beast’s Cultivation is at the Divine Separation Stage..."

Many disciples silently offered a prayer for Jiang Cen, but not a single one stepped in to help. Even her fellow disciples from the Ancient Cold Sect pretended not to see her plight.

Her reputation was so poor that everyone wanted to keep their distance.

While Jiang Cen was being hunted across the entire Secret Realm, Song Wanning had already found a safe cave.

The box sat before her.