Chapter 114
As the sun rises in the east, the morning light gradually tears through the darkness, winding down through layers of branches and leaves, illuminating the faces of everyone in the woods.

Ning Ning couldn’t bear to look directly at the scene in front of her, and with a complex expression, she turned her head away.

Pei Ji remained expressionless, furrowing his brow as he said, “Senior Brother He,  Senior Brother Xu, what are you doing?”

When Xu Ye saw them, he was sobbing and struggling for help. He kicked the monster behind him and shouted, “Help! Eat me; it wants to eat me!”

Who knows what he was imagining in his mind, his head full of thoughts of being eaten. Learning swordsmanship couldn’t save the precious sister’s boy; this child should just give up the sword and turn to literature, writing a cultivation version of “Diary of a Lunatic.”

Fortunately, Xu Ye still retained a bit of remaining sanity. Upon hearing the words ” Senior Brother He,” he felt something in his heart and turned his pale face back.

The two looked at each other, knowing each other’s thoughts. Everything was no longer the same as it used to be.

When he saw this mud figure in the darkness, coupled with the thick fog on the surface of the lake, everything within sight was not very clear.

Now that the thick fog in the forest had dissipated and the sunlight was gently falling, Xu Ye finally saw the true appearance of the black mud in front of him.

“He… He Zhi Zhou?”

Xu Ye was scared out of his wits. Even if he reluctantly guessed He Zhi Zhou’s identity, he still felt a bit of fear in his heart, holding his breath to endure the stench in the air. “Did you kill someone in the cesspool?”

There was no need for such extremes.

Ning Ning stepped forward, explaining softly, “There are secrets hidden within the secret realm, and under the lake is nothing but blood and monsters called ‘Mirror Ghosts’. Mirror Ghosts lurk in the lake, waiting for the opportune moment to drag passersby underwater. He Zhizhou was probably attacked by it.”

Xu Ye listened without words, remembering He Zhizhou using both hands and feet, clinging to him, and shouting for help.

He even kicked his head a few times, like kicking a football.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I really couldn’t help it.”

Xu Ye’s thoughts were pure. He had never done such a thing before, so he immediately turned into a repeating machine for apologies, taking out some valuable healing pills from his storage bag. “These are healing pills; you take them first!”

Although the two of them screamed terribly, like ghosts and wolves howling, fortunately, nothing too serious happened. Ning Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked gently, “Have you been injured anywhere?”

Xu Ye shook his head somewhat embarrassedly, while He Zhi Zhou looked very aggrieved, his mouth sometimes forming a round shape, sometimes a triangular shape, and finally settling on a trapezoid shape, with black water bubbles occasionally gurgling out. “The most hurt is in my heart.”

He looked quite unsightly, covered in blood and mud. Ning Ning silently recited the Dust Removal Spell several times, but its effects were like a drop in the ocean.

Unfortunately, there were no places for washing in the secret realm, as all the water sources were trapped in formations. She was thinking about how to deal with the stench all over his body when suddenly she heard the voice of the fox girl beside her saying in a deep voice, “There is still a pristine land here that has not been invaded by Mirror Ghosts. I can lead everyone there.”

From initially helping to pull out arrows to now searching for water sources, this unknown fox clan member had been particularly attentive, seemingly intending to make friends with them.

Ning Ning didn’t understand her intentions, unsure if there was any deception. She raised her gaze, intending to roughly assess the young fox demon, but in the instant she looked up, their eyes met.

“The reason I helped is because I have something to ask for.”

She looked very young, but her eyes revealed a seriousness and determination beyond her years. A gentle breeze lightly lifted a strand of hair beside her temple, brushing past the corner of the girl’s mouth and bringing a faint smile. “My name is Qiao Yan, a member of the Fox Spirit clan in the secret realm. As my family has lived here for generations, we rarely have contact with outsiders. If there have been any offenses, please forgive us.”

“Something to ask for?”

Ning Ning quickly reacted, “Is it related to the Mirror Ghosts in the lake?”

Qiao Yan nodded solemnly and said, “Exactly.”

She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, and then furrowed her brows slightly, speaking slowly, “You may not know, but those malicious Mirror Ghosts in the lake are actually all transformed demons.”

Demons.

This word had been hidden in the cultivation world for many years, causing a slight tremor in Ning Ning’s heart.

This was also a plot that was not mentioned in the original work.

“A few years ago, demons invaded the secret realm, intending to seize the sacred artifacts of our Fox Spirit clan. Naturally, our clan refused, leading to a great battle. However, due to the vast difference in strength, the casualties were heavy.”

As she spoke these words, Qiao Yan’s gaze became much more serious, unconsciously tightening her grip on her longbow. “My father, as the clan leader, exhausted all his cultivation to set up formations and then used the essence of all the Fox Spirits in the clan as a lure, which severely injured the demons and trapped them in the lake.”

Ning Ning hesitated. “And what about your people now…”

“Most of them fell at the hands of the demons, and the few who survived are heavily injured, their spiritual power depleted, only able to lie in bed for recovery.”

Qiao Yan continued, “At that time, I happened to have caught a cold, or perhaps it was due to my parents’ selfishness, I never knew about the formation they set up, intending to perish with the demons. When I woke up, the secret realm was already in its current state.”

Most of the time, the secret realm was sealed off, making it inconvenient for outsiders to enter, and the spiritual beasts and monsters inside found it difficult to escape.

During the battle with the demons years ago, the Fox Spirits could not possibly seek help from the outside world, relying only on the strength of their own people. Now, the Water Mirror Illusion Realm was calm and vibrant on all sides; aside from the terrifying Mirror Ghosts and Blood Mud in the lake, there was no trace of the rivers of blood from the great battle.

Xu Ye finally calmed his mind and curiously asked her, “How can we help you?”