"By sparring with Wei Yu, my cultivation technique and martial arts replication have reached 9/10. If I face another cultivator at the Qi Sea Realm or higher, I could..."
"Ascend to the Zongshi Realm!"
Qin Yang's eyes sparkled with divine light. Once he reached the Zongshi Realm, he would be invincible within this secret realm. What could he fear from some old Qin Family servant?
With this final breakthrough, he could now safely approach the Qin Family.
The Treasure Rat clung desperately to Qin Yang's pant leg, its face a mask of pleading.
This place held the most coveted treasure - the Demon Spirit Fruit!
"Chirp! Chirp!"
The rat whimpered like a child denied a toy, its cries growing desperate.
Qin Yang frowned in contemplation. "That panda idiot must have released countless demonic beasts. If those creatures find the Qin Family, Lou Mengyu and Jin Wanshan will be in grave danger!"
Unlike humans, demonic beasts were bloodthirsty and brutal. To them, humans were nothing more than prey.
This meant the secret realm had been plunged into crisis the moment the panda made that fatal mistake!
As for the Qin Family elders... Qin Yang didn't need to look down on them - their weakness was self-evident.
The secret realm's limit was Zongshi, so one could imagine their cultivation fatigue and narrow perspectives. Their combat strength paled in comparison to Celestial Continent's Zongshi. How could they possibly contend against these once-unknowable demonic beasts?
"I've got urgent business right now," Qin Yang said, kicking his leg to dislodge the Treasure Rat. But the creature clung stubbornly, as if glued to his leg.
"If you keep this up, I'll skin you alive!" Qin Yang roared in fury.
The Treasure Rat released his pant leg with a pitiful squeak, took a few tentative steps, then suddenly leaped as if discovering hidden treasure.
Qin Yang stared in exasperation. What's the meaning of this?
The Treasure Rat repeated its performance—three steps followed by a leap.
"You're saying the treasure's right here? Just two steps away?" Qin Yang asked.
The Treasure Rat nodded vigorously.
"Absolutely not!" Qin Yang declared firmly.
The Treasure Rat blocked his path, puffing its chest and waving its tiny fists in a series of gestures.
"You're suggesting the panda should beat up those demonic beasts?" Qin Yang inquired.
The Treasure Rat nodded again.
Qin Yang considered for a moment. "We'll come back after dealing with them."
The Treasure Rat shook its head violently, its paws flailing in a frenzy of incomprehensible signals.
"What's going on? Explosion? Gone? What's gone?" Qin Yang guessed, "Are you saying if we don't take it now, it'll disappear soon?"
The Treasure Rat sighed in relief, staring at Qin Yang with a human-like expression, as if saying: Finally, this idiot master gets it...
"Fine, I'll give you two hours! Not a moment more!" This was Qin Yang's limit.
Lou Mengyu must be worried about him right now. He didn't want to make her wait any longer.
Hearing Qin Yang's words, the Treasure Rat vanished in a flash.
Qin Yang reacted immediately, chasing after it using the Dragon Soaring Steps.
He flew across rooftops and walls, leaping onto the second floor along the inner wall of the arena.
The formation on the inner wall of the arena had already failed; otherwise, Qin Yang wouldn't have been able to climb up like this.
What impressed Qin Yang was that the Treasure Rat could also climb walls. High-level demonic beasts are truly different...
The surveillance artifact now served as the best light source, moving automatically to follow the Treasure Rat wherever it went, saving Qin Yang considerable effort.
The second floor consisted of private rooms. After sprinting down the corridor, they quickly stopped in front of a special door.
Creak!
The heavy door yielded to Qin Yang's forceful push. The room reeked of decay, devoid of any other features.
Mysterious patterns etched the floor, resembling a magical array that made Qin Yang hesitate to step on it.
The Treasure Rat, however, showed no such caution. It leaped into the center of the formation and began straining to pry a circular plate from the ground.
"What's this thing? Some kind of magical artifact?" Qin Yang's ignorance shone through his words.
The Treasure Rat panted heavily from exertion. Qin Yang rolled up his sleeves. "Let me handle this!"
The surveillance artifact suddenly darted forward, colliding with Qin Yang's arm as if to prevent him from removing the plate.
"Hey! You feathered nuisance, what's with the interference?" Qin Yang growled, still baffled by the artifact's behavior. Did it possess some form of sentience?
A sentient magical artifact would be of high-grade quality...
"Buzz off! Annoy me again, and I'll smash you into the wall. You won't fly again after that!" Qin Yang waved dismissively, as if swatting a fly.
The surveillance artifact circled him once before obediently settling down.
Approaching the plate, Qin Yang gripped its edge and strained with all his might.
"Hey, it's pretty sturdy. Is this the thing?" Qin Yang asked.
The Treasure Rat nodded.
"Pull it out!" Qin Yang roared, straining with all his might. The circular plate came free, shattering the surrounding ground as it emerged.
A strange glow traced along the bizarre patterns, extending far into the distance.
Qin Yang hefted the object, uncertain whether it was stone or metal. "What the hell is this thing?" he muttered.
No sooner had the words left his lips than the entire Demon Hunter's Field shook violently.
Dust rained down from the ceiling, filling the air with a smoky haze.
Simultaneously, a distant explosion echoed, followed by the joyful roar of a freed demonic beast.
The first cry set off a chain reaction - one after another, the roars of demonic beasts rose and fell in succession.
"Fuck you! Treasure Rat, what the fuck did you make me do?!" Qin Yang ground his teeth in fury, the earth trembling beneath him as explosions and bestial cries continued unabated in the distance.
One by one, the demonic beasts regained their freedom, shattering their cages and charging out of the Demon Hunter's Field.
Qin Yang sprinted to the edge of the room, witnessing the scene through the window.
In the central arena, the demonic beasts were smashing through the walls, bursting forth. They faced each other in a standoff but didn't engage in combat, quickly dispersing in different directions.
"This is exactly what I fucking feared..." Qin Yang erupted in frustration, the circular magical artifact in his hand feeling impossibly heavy.
The crux of the problem was that Qin Yang still had no damn idea what this circular artifact actually was.
Judging by the situation, it seemed to be connected to the formation arrays.
What Qin Yang didn't realize was that all the formation arrays in the Demon Hunter's Field had completely failed due to his actions!
Chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp! The Treasure Rat grew more excited, its calls carrying a sense of urgency as if racing against time.
"You fucking..." Qin Yang had no choice but to follow.
What came next would make Qin Yang's teeth itch with fury.
The Treasure Rat led Qin Yang into the underground beast cage, its eyes fixed on the Demon Spirit Fruit!
Instead of devouring it, the rat handed the fruit to Qin Yang.
Qin Yang, still trembling with fear, immediately stored the fruit away.
It became clear - the Treasure Rat had found the formation's core. Its plan was to have Qin Yang destroy it, release the beasts, and then steal the Demon Spirit Fruit itself.
Qin Yang finally understood everything. This sly rat had even made him store the fruit for it...
Who's the master here?
If not for the high-grade spirit medicines they'd found, he'd never have let this wretched rodent off the hook!
Soon, the Qiankun Ring overflowed with treasures - fourth and fifth-order spirit medicines, and even a sixth-order specimen!
"I'm rich!" Qin Yang nearly drooled.
"Damn it! Qin Yang released the beasts!" The Qin Family elder seethed with fury and fear. Those creatures could bring utter destruction to the Qin Family!
"Find Qin Yang immediately! Kill him! The family's defenses are down without us!"
"He was on the second floor when the formation screen vanished. Check the stairs - now!"