25: Dad, I was wrong

"Is living not good?"

When that indifferent yet endlessly chilling Divine Thought exploded in the minds of the five Loose Cultivators like a cold wind from the Nine Netherworlds, time seemed to be pressed on pause at that moment.

The five men, who a second ago were arrogant and sneering, had their facial expressions freeze completely, like a tide instantly locked in ice.

They stood there blankly, eyes wide as saucers, mouths hanging open wide enough to fit a fist, and their brains completely shut down in that instant, turning into a blank slate.

"Spea... Speaking Human Words?!"

"No! That's not right! It's Divine Thought transmission!"

A chill, colder and more biting than the winter wind, surged from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns!

As Loose Cultivators who licked blood off the edge of blades, they might not have much experience, but one piece of common knowledge was branded deeply into the Soul of every Cultivator!

—Yao Beasts that wish to refine their throat bones, Speaking Human Words, or condense Divine Thought to communicate with humans must reach a minimum Realm of...

"Second Order!"

"Second Order Demon Beast!"

These four words struck their crowns like a bolt of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, shattering all their greed, all their wishful thinking, and all their arrogance to pieces!

"They... what did they just do?"

"They actually threatened a genuine Second Order Demon Beast?! And they were clamoring to skin it and pull out its tendons?!"

"Gulp."

Someone swallowed hard, the sound appearing exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent fruit forest.

The next second, the burly man in the lead, at the 7th Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, performed an action that caught all his companions off guard.

His legs went weak, and with a "thump," he knelt cleanly on the ground!

Immediately after, he raised both hands and, without hesitation, began slapping his own face, which was filled with terror and confusion, in a violent storm of blows!

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The crisp sound of slapping echoed through the mountain forest.

"Daddy! I was wrong! I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! I am not a human! I am a beast! You are a magnanimous Senior, please just treat me like a fart and let me go!"

The burly man wailed with tears and snot while slapping himself; his posture was as humble as it could get, and the way he addressed the beast had upgraded directly from "Little Snake" to "Daddy."

After a brief moment of shock, his four companions reacted instantly!

"Thump! Thump!"

Four figures knelt down in unison, imitating their boss, and began kowtowing to Mysterious Ink like they were pounding garlic.

"Senior, please spare our lives!"

"We were blind and offended you, Senior. Please give us a chance to turn over a new leaf!"

For a time, the sounds of begging for mercy, kowtowing, and slapping oneself rose and fell, creating quite the scene.

Looking at the comical scene filled with such a strong desire to survive, a trace of imperceptible amusement flashed through Mysterious Ink's cold snake pupils.

The killing intent he had originally raised also slowly receded.

Killing these few ants would be a matter of a snap of his fingers.

But upon second thought, keeping them seemed... to have more use.

Searching for those three Heaven And Earth Treasures in this vast Secret Realm alone would be no different than looking for a needle in a haystack.

But what if... he could turn these Loose Cultivators into his eyes, ears, and laborers?

Wouldn't it be better to let them search for Spirit Medicine for him?

Thinking of this, Mysterious Ink already had a plan in mind.

His cold Divine Thought sounded again: "Want to live?"

"Yes! Yes! We want to even in our dreams!" The burly man nodded frantically like a chick pecking at rice.

"Very well." Mysterious Ink's Divine Thought carried no emotion. "From now on, your lives are mine."

"Yes, yes, yes! Our lives are yours, Senior! If you tell us to go east, we will never go west!" The burly man hurriedly pledged his loyalty.

"Very good." Mysterious Ink was quite satisfied with his ability to read the situation.

He stopped wasting words and directly used his Divine Thought to imprint the images of the three Heaven And Earth Treasures that Ye Feiyan needed—flawless spirit liquid, phoenix seed, and white spirit crystal—into the minds of the five men.

"Your task is to mobilize all your connections to search this Secret Realm with all your might for the whereabouts of these three things. Once you have any clues, report to me immediately."

Feeling the extraordinary aura emanating from those three things in their minds—an aura that was enough to shake one's Soul even just from an image—the five men shuddered and hurriedly agreed respectfully.

Immediately after, Mysterious Ink's cold Divine Thought sounded again, this time carrying a hint of unquestionable, chilling killing intent.

"In addition, I will give you an extra task."

"In this Secret Realm, whenever you encounter people from the Liu Family or Wang Family, you do not need to hold back. If you can kill them, kill them to death!"

"As for the people from the Ye Family, do not touch a single hair on them. As for the Spirit Medicine they set their eyes on, as long as it is not the three things I need, you must not compete with them for it. Do you understand?"

"Especially Ye Feiyan of the Ye Family."

These words caused a massive shock in the hearts of the five men!

Although they did not know why this terrifying Yao Beast Senior would issue such an order, they knew very clearly that this was their only chance to survive!

"Rest assured, Senior! We guarantee we will complete the mission!" The burly man patted his chest and vowed solemnly.

Mysterious Ink nodded slightly to signal.

There was a very high possibility that Ye Feiyan would become the next head of the Ye Family, so it decided to help her out and clear some obstacles for her in advance.

This was also to add some bargaining chips for its own future "investment."

Looking at the small team of Loose Cultivators who had been thoroughly terrified by him, he sneered in his heart.

A perfect plan had already taken shape.

...

In the next two days, Mysterious Ink followed the same method.

Relying on his Divine Sense, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, he was like someone with a full map hack in this Secret Realm, accurately finding one team of Loose Cultivators after another who were fighting to the death for petty gains.

Then, with thunderous momentum, he revealed the terrifying pressure of his Second Order Demon Beast status and, with absolute strength, subdued these usually unruly Loose Cultivators one by one.

In just two short days, he had gathered nearly a hundred Loose Cultivators under his command, forming a massive force capable of stirring up trouble in this Secret Realm where Qi Refining Realm Cultivators ran rampant!

And he was the king behind the scenes of this force!

After finishing all this, Mysterious Ink no longer showed himself in person.

He found a valley that was rich in Spiritual Qi and extremely secluded, coiled his massive python body comfortably on a giant rock warmed by the sun, and began his favorite "AFK sunbathing" Cultivate.

He immersed his mind completely into the System panel in his mind.

【host: Mysterious Ink】

【Race: Black Water Profound Python (profound grade)】

【Realm: Second Stage Middle Stage】

【experience points needed to Breakthrough to Second Stage Late-Phase: 0 / 200000】

【experience points automatically gained per second: 1 point】

【Current experience points: 78540】

Looking at the full 200,000 experience points needed to Breakthrough to Second Stage Late-Phase, Mysterious Ink couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.

He calculated silently.

According to the current acquisition speed of one point per second, 200,000 experience points would take about two-plus days, nearly three days.

"The Secret Realm trial lasts for five days. The time is just right."

Mysterious Ink calculated in his heart, "By the time the Secret Realm ends, I will be able to Breakthrough to Second Stage Late-Phase."

However, he also knew that this was far from enough.

"Cultivate at the Second Stage is already this difficult. In the future, when I want to Breakthrough to the Third Stage, Fourth Stage, or even undergo the next Bloodline Evolution, the experience points required will surely be an unimaginably astronomical figure."

"It seems I still need to find a way to let that Empress Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm as soon as possible."

Mysterious Ink raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of space, looking toward a certain direction in the Secret Realm, and a hint of anticipation flashed through those deep snake pupils.

Only when Ye Feiyan becomes stronger can his "AFK gains" as the big boss behind the scenes rise accordingly.

This investment is a long and arduous journey!