142: Chapter 142 A lamb enters the tiger's den.

...

The sky gradually darkened.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the entire secret realm wasteland a tragic crimson red.

The broken walls and ruins of the Spider Wolf Tribe turned into a deathly silent graveyard in the twilight.

The air was filled with a thick scent of blood and the pungent smell of dissipating spiritual energy.

The Yaoguang God, Li Zhaoyao, and the Tianzhao God, Meng Qingzhao, one after the other, slowly stepped out of this tribal land that they had completely ground into ruins.

Wet bloodstains still clung to their robes—marks of the "spoils of war" they had plundered.

The hearty slaughter and looting just now had made the spiritual energy around them even more thick and full, and a satisfied yet cruel smile rippled across both their faces simultaneously.

In this eerie secret realm, those so-called natives and Lost One were simply there for the trial-takers to harvest at will!

They were the most precious treasures here!

Shortly after entering the secret realm, the two of them discovered that slaughtering tribes and plundering everything was the fastest shortcut to increasing their strength!

Plundering and hunting were tricks they could pull off with ease.

Originally densely populated tribes would become barren lands where not even a blade of grass grew after the two of them passed through...

Precisely because of this ruthless and heartless plundering, their cultivation levels soared at an inconceivable speed!

Outside the secret realm, their cultivation had barely reached the Mid-level Starlight Realm, placing them only at a medium level among the trial-takers; but now, in just a few short days, the two had broken through their shackles and firmly stepped into the Star Radiance Late Stage!

Such a terrifying speed of improvement was absolutely a rare occurrence among all the trial-takers in the entire secret realm!

This surge in strength caused the arrogance and killing intent in their hearts to grow wildly like a forest fire.

And this time, while looting the Spider Wolf Tribe, they had even obtained a huge, unexpected surprise—traces of other trial-takers!

"Of the two people that kid mentioned just now, the woman ate spiritual rice laced with anesthetic, and the other is a young man with a snow-white fox on his shoulder."

Li Zhaoyao said indifferently, a hint of surprise at the corner of his mouth.

Among the many continents of the Kaiyang Divine Territory, there were hundreds of Star Radiance Realm Experts, including the Attendant God Envoys. With only these few clues, it was impossible to predict who it was...

"Who cares who it is? As long as we can beat them, we're done!" Meng Qingzhao said, his face full of arrogance and indifference.

"What's more, that woman has already been drugged, her combat power is less than ten percent. The remaining one is just a green boy plus a little fox. Could they really turn the world upside down and defeat two Star Radiance Late Stage experts like us?"

For them, hunting native tribes could no longer satisfy their ballooning appetites...

Opponents who were fellow trial-takers were the fattest prey!

Killing them would not only allow them to devour the massive amount of spiritual energy on their bodies and further their own cultivation, but it would also directly eliminate a potential competitor for the final battle. It killed two birds with one stone, so why not?

At the thought of an even more exciting hunt ahead, the indifference in Li Zhaoyao's eyes was instantly replaced by intense excitement and greed. A bloodthirsty sneer curled his lips, and his tone was decisive:

"That kid from the Spider Wolf Tribe said they are just ahead. Catch up and kill them!"

As the words fell, the two figures no longer hesitated. The Star Radiance Realm spiritual energy around them erupted, turning into two streaks of light that tore through the heavy twilight, racing madly toward the depths of the secret realm ahead!

...

"You're finally awake."

A clear, gentle voice, like a mountain spring flowing over green stones, softly reached Lin Yuhen's ears.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she groggily pried open her heavy eyelids. Her vision was still covered by a layer of drowsy, hazy shadows, and her consciousness felt like it was bobbing in warm water. Her whole body was limp and weak, with barely any strength left even to lift a hand.

After a brief moment of confusion, the fear of being drugged suddenly surged up. Lin Yuhen's heart tightened, her face instantly paled, and her whole body tensed. She instinctively tried to struggle to her feet!

But at the moment she fully woke up and her vision focused, all her panic abruptly stopped.

What met her eyes was not a vicious trial-taker, but a handsome and transcendent face.

The young man's posture was as straight as a pine, his eyes were gentle and calm, and his aura was clean and clear. It was Chu Ran.

He stood quietly to the side, looking at her with a gentle gaze devoid of any malice, instantly soothing the alarm in her heart.

Only then did Lin Yuhen realize that her palm, clenched tight from fear, wasn't touching the hard, cold ground, but a mass of soft, fluffy, warm, and smooth fur. The touch was as delicate as falling snow on a cloud, or like fine silk; her hand sank into the softness with a light squeeze...

She instinctively looked down, and in the next instant, she was stunned.

A pure white Tai Chu Ice Fox was quietly lying on the ground, steadily supporting her body.

Its fur was untainted by any other color, as white as the ten-thousand-year-old ice of the far north, or like condensed moonlight. It shimmered with a moist, translucent luster under the dim light, and every strand of fur was clearly visible, as smooth as if it had been meticulously nourished by spiritual energy. The tips of the fox's ears were slightly pricked, their lines delicate and pretty. The inner side of the ears was covered with a layer of very faint silver-blue fluff, which shimmered with light whenever they moved, beautiful enough to take one's breath away.

The fox's eyes were a clear and transparent ice-blue, like a frozen lake stretching for ten thousand miles—clean and ethereal. The corners of the eyes were slightly upturned, adding a bit of lively and demonic beauty, yet without any ferocity, appearing only docile and elegant.

The nose was small and pink, the limbs slender and graceful, and the tip of the tail rested beside it. The fluffy, large fox tail lightly swept the ground, the fur like clouds and snow, rippling with soft curves at the slightest quiver.

This was clearly a spiritual creature born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was so beautiful it seemed untainted by the mortal world, cold and holy, making it impossible to look away.

Lin Yuhen was startled to realize that she had been sitting steadily on the back of this beautiful Tai Chu Ice Fox all along, supported by it, away from the cold of the ground and the previous danger...

"Thank you."

Lin Yuhen finally came to her senses. Realizing that she had been clutching the fur and looking panicked just now, her behavior was quite unseemly. Her cheeks were instantly dyed with a shallow crimson, and a touching shyness appeared in her clear eyes as she lowered her gaze, not daring to look directly into Chu Ran's gentle eyes.

Chu Ran only gave her a faint glance, his tone calm and rippleless, devoid of any emotion, yet carrying a merciless clarity: "If you had slept a little longer, you might never have woken up again."

These words sounded cold, but Lin Yuhen felt no anger. Instead, her heart warmed. She shook her head gently and looked up at the tall, clear young man before her, her eyes full of complete trust and reliance.

"I don't believe you would do such a thing."

Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.

From her fainting to her waking up, if Chu Ran really had any ill intentions during this time, he had plenty of opportunities to make a move on her. He didn't need to wait until she woke up to waste words...

But not only did he not harm her in the slightest, he even let her rest steadily on the warm and soft back of the Tai Chu Ice Fox, avoiding the dangers and cold of the secret realm.

These actions were already enough to prove the character and integrity of the young man before her.

Lin Yuhen looked at his handsome, calm profile, and the panic in her eyes completely dissipated, leaving only peace and trust. Even the weakness left over from the drug seemed to be mostly smoothed over by this sudden sense of security.

"But they would," Chu Ran said irritably.

He turned his head to look not far away, his brow suddenly furrowing.

All the slightness and playfulness in his originally clear eyes faded away, replaced by a heavy solemnity and cold seriousness. His aura also tensed in an instant.

"Hmm?"

Lin Yuhen was slightly startled. Before she could react to the meaning of his words, she instinctively followed the direction of Chu Ran's gaze.

In the next second, her face suddenly turned pale.

At the foot of the continuous mountains in the distance, two figures as sharp as knives were breaking through the twilight, charging toward them aggressively!

The spiritual energy around those two surged like a wild tide, and the pressure of the Star Radiance Late Stage crushed down overwhelmingly. Unconcealed greed and bloodthirsty killing intent burned in their eyes.

Like two beasts that had caught the scent of blood, their gazes were locked tightly onto Chu Ran and the others, as if they would completely devour them, skin and bone, in the next second...

It was the Yaoguang God, Li Zhaoyao, and the Tianzhao God, Meng Qingzhao!

...