What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

Hearing Ji Yuebai’s words, Xu Nian’s mind gradually calmed down.

She reflected on everything that had happened since waking up from her unconscious state the day before. Xu Nian realized that the Seven Passages Exquisite Lock was the most suspicious element. Perhaps everything she saw before encountering the lock was real. However, following the invasion of her mind by that red light emanating from the lock, her consciousness began to deviate.

Xu Nian shared every detail of what had happened since she awoke with Ji Yuebai, even showing her the Seven Passages Exquisite Lock from her storage bag, which she had already opened.

Watching Ji Yuebai apply several high-level identification talismans to it, the lock remained inert. Regardless of whether it was Xu Nian’s spiritual energy or Ji Yuebai’s spiritual energy, there was no response, as if the unlocking and the burst of red light were just illusions in Xu Nian’s mind.

Xu Nian was so infuriated she wanted to smash the lock, initially thinking it was some extraordinary item with the power to see through illusions. Her fantasies had been ignited, only to find out that it was a deceiving trinket. The dramatic disparity in her expectations left her wanting to shatter the lock to pieces in her frustration.

Just as she was about to give in to her impulse to smash it, Ji Yuebai interrupted her.

“Wait, you mentioned encountering ghost vines attacking one of the rabbit demons in the forest?”

After thinking for a moment, Xu Nian grew even more exasperated: “Exactly. At that time, apart from me and the attacked rabbit demon, none of the other rabbit demons seemed to notice what was happening. That rabbit demon, a ninth-rank demon beast, couldn’t break free from the ghost vines. It took a sword I found earlier to cut through them.”

This incident had bolstered her belief that she had activated some sort of “Evil Eye” ability.

It never crossed her mind that this was a trap specifically designed for her. She was puzzled as to why the lock immersed her in strange hallucinations without directly harming her. What was the purpose of this?

Ji Yuebai thought for a moment before analyzing, “This might not be a simple hallucination. The Seven Passages Exquisite Lock showed no activity when you bought it, but it suddenly awakened and invaded your consciousness after entering the Eastern Sea Secret Realm. Even I couldn’t detect it, let alone help you completely escape from this illusion.”

“It seems less like a magical artifact and more like a demonic cultivator’s legacy mentioned in secret legends.”

Xu Nian, puzzled, asked, “Demonic cultivator’s legacy?”

Ji Yuebai explained, “Just like some human cultivators create secret realms and opportunities before they ascend, high-ranking demonic cultivators also leave behind their legacies for future generations of demonic cultivators to discover and learn from. This acts as a means for them to showcase their accomplishments.”

A spark of excitement lit up Xu Nian’s face: “Are you saying, I might have received the legacy of an ascended great demon?”

This sounded like a straight upgrade.

However, Ji Yuebai’s expression wasn’t happy but rather solemn: “Demonic cultivators differ from human cultivators. The legacies they leave behind are not necessarily true inheritances.”

Xu Nian’s excitement cooled off instantly under this sobering thought.

Ji Yuebai had a point. Things like ancient masters bestowing unparalleled techniques via rings belonged in fanciful tales. If she put herself in the shoes of the ascended great demon:

After overcoming countless challenges and hardships to master divine techniques, would it willingly share this hard-won knowledge with a demon beast that has no relation to it?

The answer was unlikely.

Even humans are not so selfless, let alone demonic beasts known for their lack of altruism.

If it were Xu Nian, she would certainly make the acquisition of such a legacy challenging, setting numerous obstacles and traps. At the very least, she would want others to experience the hardships and pain she went through. If someone could overcome her challenges, showed strong willpower, and was a promising cultivator, she might consider sharing her legacy. Otherwise, it was out of the question. She most despised (jealous of) those demons who gained it without effort.

After this realization, Xu Nian snapped back to reality: “I understand now. To think about leaving, we must first resolve this issue with the hallucination.”

After all, this legacy was activated in the demonic domain of the Eastern Sea Secret Realm. If the issue with the legacy is not resolved before leaving the Eastern Sea Secret Realm, who knows what terrible consequences might be triggered. It’s possible that the powerful demonic cultivator, aiming to prevent the leakage of demonic cultivation secrets, set it up so that the red light in her consciousness would self-destruct should she step out of the demonic territory.

In any case, Xu Nian did not dare to take a risk at the moment.

She continued to question Ji Yuebai for a long time, mainly wanting to know what differences there were between what she saw and what Ji Yuebai saw.

When Xu Nian learned that the cute rabbit demon she had fondly patted was actually a mutated rabbit demon with skin but no fur, six eyes, and two rows of teeth, she was utterly horrified. She immediately jumped up and washed her hands repeatedly, almost unable to cope.

As Ji Yuebai had predicted, once Xu Nian’s perception changed, the hallucination she was experiencing started to show flaws.

In the afternoon, Ji Yuebai took Xu Nian back to the territory of the Rabbit Demon High Priest.

Perhaps due to the effect of the black jade ring, they reached the boundary of the rabbit demons’ territory undetected. It wasn’t until they ventured deeper into the territory that they were surrounded by a group of rabbit demons.

Leading them was none other than third rabbit brother, whom Xu Nian had saved. On seeing Xu Nian, its six red eyes lit up, and it enthusiastically leapt towards her with its three-part mouth, exposing two rings of sharp teeth: “My lady, have you come to see me?”

Confronted with the rabbit’s true appearance, Xu Nian’s whole body went rigid, her scales standing on end. Before it could get any closer, she turned and ran: “No, stay back, don’t come any closer, ah ah ah…”

Seeing Xu Nian so terrified, Ji Yuebai swiftly scooped her up onto a flying sword, speeding towards the heart of the rabbit demons’ territory.

Poor third rabbit brother was left behind, its six red eyes blinking woefully: “But yesterday, my lady patted my head and comforted me kindly.”

One of its underlings timidly suggested, “Maybe it’s because you’re too ugly, third brother, and you scared her.”

Third rabbit brother turned and slapped it on the head, snarling, “Nonsense, my lady clearly said I was cute yesterday.”

“Third brother, cute?”

Did the Qingxuan King Snake have some issue with its eyesight, or perhaps, did it find the idea of delicious food cute?

The younger brother miserably clutched its head, not daring to make another peep.

The flying sword arrived near the rabbit hole by the altar, where the Rabbit Demon High Priest had been waiting with a cane for quite some time.

Upon seeing Ji Yuebai, its six eyes widened in surprise: “You’re a demon beast too.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? If we had known, we wouldn’t have dared to attack you,” it said, wiping tears from each of its eyes with its grey, fluffy paws.

After encountering third rabbit brother, Xu Nian’s tolerance for shock had significantly improved. While she still found the High Priest somewhat hideous and frightening, she could now manage to look at it directly.

At this moment, she felt oddly thankful for her hallucination. If she had faced these rabbit demons in their true form in the forest yesterday, it would have been difficult to maintain her composure.

Ji Yuebai, as ever, remained unfazed. She ignored the High Priest’s ramblings and got straight to the point: “Is the shaman here?”