357: Be a human being

The eastern part of the Secluded Heaven.

The Goat Demon scrambled out of a dilapidated hut in a sorry state.

He turned to look at the ruined hut behind him, his heart still pounding.

If he hadn't run fast enough just now, the remnant spirit guard inside would have beheaded him on the spot!

Fortunately, the remnant spirit guard seemed unable to leave the hut and could only move within it, which allowed him to escape.

He looked at a crystal in his arms that emitted a purple light—this was a Rank three xuan grade source crystal, one of which was equivalent to a year's worth of cultivation.

"Good thing this old goat was quick-witted and incredibly intelligent; when that remnant spirit guard discovered him, he quickly took off," he thought, a hint of pride in his eyes.

However, recalling the terrifying remnant spirit guard still made his heart tremble with fear.

Just a single xuan grade source crystal was guarded by a remnant spirit at the Peak of the First Realm.

What terrifying existences would guard the earth grade source crystals and Heaven-Grade Source Crystals that came after?

He dared not think about it, but he knew that with his own strength, he certainly couldn't lay claim to source crystals of that Rank.

His goal was simple: during this trip to the Secluded Heaven, he wanted to advance to the Peak of the First Realm, and then next time, he would attempt to break through to the Second Realm.

Just then, he sensed a familiar aura coming from ahead.

"Someone's coming..."

The Goat Demon quickly put the source crystal into his pocket and looked cautiously into the clouds ahead.

There, the figures of a man and a woman slowly appeared—no, to be precise, one Yao Race and one Human Race.

"Chameleon?"

The Goat Demon's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the approaching Yao Race member.

Chameleon was Yuan Ji's true form; among the Yao Race, except for Yao Kings with titles, other Yao Race members were usually referred to by their true forms, which was simple and direct.

The Goat Demon cautiously tightened his grip on the xuan grade source crystal he had just painstakingly acquired. Although both were Yao Race, here, anyone could be an opponent.

"Oh, isn't this Old Goat? What a coincidence, you're here too?" Yuan Ji walked over with a smile.

The Goat Demon didn't answer but looked at the Human Race woman he was leading by a rope behind him.

Then his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"She... she's Su Xiaobai's Revered Master!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh? You know her?" Yuan Ji laughed, "When I caught her, she resisted fiercely and indeed said that her most handsome and dashing Disciple would definitely avenge her."

Bing Ling: "..."

"Chameleon, we can't easily kill this woman. We can use her to lure out Su Xiaobai and then nip him in the bud!" the Goat Demon said with a serious expression.

Yuan Ji was indifferent, "Is that Su Xiaobai really as terrifying as you say? I guarantee that under my assassination techniques, he wouldn't survive ten breaths."

The Goat Demon looked disappointed, "You're being foolish! This Su Xiaobai is not only terrifyingly powerful in battle, but what's even more frightening is his astonishing talent!

He's not even thirty years old and has already reached the First Realm. Even His Majesty the Yao Emperor was far inferior in his youth."

"And it's not just him; the people around him are all Prodigies. This woman you captured is only two hundred years old in real age!" the Goat Demon explained earnestly.

Yuan Ji's face showed an expression of defiance and disdain, but inwardly, he was already beaming, thinking, 'Good, say more!'

"Alright, to be safe, I'll believe you for now." He rolled his eyes, a cunning smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "I have a plan here, do you want to hear it?"

"Oh? Tell me." The Goat Demon immediately became interested.

Yuan Ji beckoned, signaling him to come closer, wary of eavesdroppers.

The Goat Demon, intent on dealing with Su Xiaobai, didn't think much of it and leaned his goat head close to him.

"Wait, can't we transmit our voices? Why are we talking so furtively?" The Goat Demon suddenly realized.

He turned his head in confusion, and then his pupils suddenly constricted.

He saw Yuan Ji's face looking down at him, a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth, revealing a chilling and eerie smile.

"Yes, but you realized too late."

The Xuanyuan Sword appeared behind the Goat Demon without warning, and then its blade swung down hard towards the back of his head!

Bang!!!!!

With a crisp sound, the Goat Demon's head shook violently, his eyes rolled back, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

It was fortunate that the Xuanyuan Sword used its flat side, not its edge, otherwise the Goat Demon's head would have been severed on the spot.

Su Xiaobai quickly bent down, rummaging through the Goat Demon's body.

His movements were skilled and steady, without any wasted motion, yet he didn't miss a single corner.

Soon, all the large and small items on the Goat Demon's body were pulled out by Su Xiaobai.

"Tsk! So poor!" Su Xiaobai pouted.

The Yao Race members were generally poor, with few Spirit Pills or Magic Treasures; their most valuable asset was their own bodies, which could fetch a good price.

The Goat Demon's only useful item, the Knowledge Codex, was not easy to take; that was his Lifebound Treasure, which could be located, and thus would be detrimental to his actions.

Su Xiaobai confiscated all the source crystals the Goat Demon had obtained, totaling five yellow-grade source crystals and one xuan grade source crystal.

Compared to his and Bing Ling's haul, it was so meager that he couldn't even afford underwear.

However, not everyone had a Physique that allowed them to cheat like his Revered Master and find so many source crystals; the Goat Demon's luck was actually quite good already.

Bing Ling looked at her Disciple's skilled movements, which resembled those of a seasoned criminal, and for a moment felt that he was so unfamiliar.

"Alright, Revered Master, let's continue to the next area," Su Xiaobai said, standing up.

Bing Ling looked at the unconscious Goat Demon lying on the ground, a hint of killing intent in her eyes, "Xiaobai, why don't we take this opportunity to kill him and eliminate future troubles?"

"Don't rush, Revered Master, now is not the time to kill him."

"Why?"

"If we kill him now, we won't get much benefit. It's better to let him grow fat, and once he accumulates enough source crystals, we can come back and harvest another wave," Su Xiaobai said with a sinister smile.

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, then smiled, "We call this sustainable development."

Bing Ling's small mouth was slightly agape, clearly not having thought of this layer.

After being shocked for a long time, she finally couldn't help but speak, "Xiaobai..."

"Hm?"

"...Be a Human Race."

"What are you talking about, Revered Master? I've always been a Human Race," Su Xiaobai said with an innocent smile.

...

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

During these five days, the outer regions of the Secluded Heaven were not peaceful.

The cause was a Yao Race member named Yuan Ji, who committed many evils and frantically plundered source crystals from other factions.

For the strong, he used cunning tricks to swindle them.

For the weak, he didn't even bother to pretend and just robbed them directly.

For a time, all factions were hunting Yuan Ji.

Even the Yao Race hated him to the bone.

Because they discovered that this Yuan Ji was somewhat restrained towards other factions, but when it came to exploiting his own Yao Race brethren, he was absolutely merciless!

Especially the Goat Demon, who was robbed three times in five days. By the end, there was nothing left to steal, and even a tuft of his goat horns was sawed off.

Even people from other factions couldn't help but cast sympathetic glances at him.

It was too tragic!