It looked up at the young girl before it. Ye Ling was covered in blood, her clothes were shredded, and her aura was weak and chaotic, clearly indicating that she was severely injured and exhausted.
Yet, even though she had barely a fraction of her combat power left, her fingers still gripped her long sword. The remaining strength of a single strike would be more than enough to end its life.
Filled with bitterness, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat let out a self-deprecating laugh.
How absurd! A proud Tongxuan Realm demon beast ruling over a territory in this secret realm was actually going to lose its life today to a human cultivator at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm.
It slowly closed its eyes, quietly waiting for death to arrive.
On the other side, Ye Ling had no time to pay attention to the defeated goat.
The moment she landed, she immediately retrieved the high-grade healing pills gifted by Peak Master Wen from her storage bag and swallowed several of them in quick succession.
Then, she sat cross-legged, circulating the True Dragon Unfettered Art to adjust her breathing and stabilize her injuries.
The brutal life-or-death battle just now had severely shaken her internal organs, depleted the spiritual energy in her meridians, and left her covered in countless wounds.
Had it not been for the robust foundation of her True Dragon physical body, she would likely have been on the brink of death.
Half an incense stick's time later, the medicinal efficacy of the pills completely dissolved, flowing through her limbs and bones to stabilize her near-collapse injuries.
Only then did Ye Ling slowly stand up. Carrying the blood-stained Qinglan Sword, she walked step by step to the front of the Giant-Horned Demon Goat.
Seeing it with its eyes tightly shut, calmly awaiting death, her expression remained calm, devoid of any murderous intent.
She spoke slowly, “Demon Goat, my intrusion into your territory and my life-or-death battle with you were not meant to kill you.”
The Giant-Horned Demon Goat abruptly opened its eyes. Its pitch-black pupils were filled with shock and confusion as it rasped, “Human junior, if you did not want to kill me, why did you fight to the death and destroy both of my horns at all costs?”
“I said from the very beginning that it was only to verify a suspicion.”
The Giant-Horned Demon Goat froze. It seemed she indeed had said so, but how could any Xiantian Realm cultivator say such a thing to a Tongxuan Realm expert? Who would have believed her?
Ye Ling gripped the Qinglan Sword, her tone carrying an unquestionable authority. “I have a few questions next. Answer them truthfully, and I will spare your life.”
“If you dare to hide even a single word, I do not mind rooting you out completely.”
Hearing this, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat dithered for a moment before nodding dejectedly.
It had already been defeated, and its life was in her hands. Having lost all bargaining power, it simply said, “Ask away.”
Ye Ling went straight to the core, voicing the greatest doubt in her heart.
“Did the Qinglan Sword Sect place restrictions on all Tongxuan Realm demon beasts in the Bailing Secret Realm, strictly forbidding you from killing sect disciples?”
As soon as she spoke, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat was visibly stunned. It clearly had not expected that she would fight a desperate battle just to verify this matter.
After a brief silence, it slowly nodded, hiding nothing.
“Indeed. The Sword Sect has long established ironclad rules to restrict us. Tongxuan Realm demon beasts are not allowed to kill the genius disciples of the Sword Sect.”
“At the very beginning, I deliberately suppressed my combat power and showed mercy precisely because I was wary of this rule.”
“Had your performance not been so utterly absurd—achieving Two and a Half Layers of Sword Force at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm while also possessing a top-tier body-tempering cultivation method, all while pressing me at every turn and refusing to leave—I would never have taken the risk of entering my demonized state.”
“Although my strength surged in my demonized state, if I had lost control and accidentally killed you, I would have violated the sect's restriction. What awaited me would have been the destruction of my body and soul.”
“I just never expected that the Qinglan Sword Sect would produce an absolute monster like you, capable of crossing realms to defeat a Tongxuan Realm expert.”
Ye Ling nodded slightly, her suspicions completely confirmed.
The Tongxuan demon beasts in the secret realm were bound by the sect's shackles and did not dare to kill her. This was her greatest opportunity!
Then, she turned her gaze toward the seemingly ordinary patch of grass in the corner of the valley, throwing out her second question.
“Before you entered your demonized state, you specifically glanced at that patch of grass.”
“I noticed that one of the green blades of grass there is different. It looks ordinary, but it actually hides a strange property. What kind of spiritual herb is it?”
This time, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat remained silent for even longer. A trace of struggle and reluctance flashed in its cloudy eyes. Clearly, this spiritual herb was extremely important to it.
Gazing affectionately at the inconspicuous weed, it spoke slowly, “This spiritual herb is called the Sorrow-Clearing Spiritual Herb.”
The moment she heard this name, Ye Ling's expression turned solemn, and her pupils contracted slightly.
The Sorrow-Clearing Spiritual Herb!
It was actually a Profound-grade high-tier spiritual herb!
There were thousands of spiritual herbs in the world. While medicinal herbs that nourished qi and blood, tempered the physical body, and increased spiritual energy were plentiful, natural treasures that could nourish the soul and calm the mind had always been the rarest.
And this Sorrow-Clearing Spiritual Herb was precisely a medicine that specifically targeted the soul. Moreover, it was the core primary material for refining Soul-Tempering Pills. It was priceless and extremely rare.
Her soul cultivation was the only area that had remained mediocre, making it her greatest weakness at this stage.
She had not expected that this life-or-death struggle would unexpectedly yield such a massive opportunity!
Ye Ling did not dare to delay in the slightest. She stepped forward cautiously and gently brushed aside the surrounding weeds.
Using her spiritual energy to protect the spiritual herb's roots, she carefully uprooted it along with the soil. She placed it securely into a specially sealed jade box and stored it away in her storage bag.
Sitting paralyzed on the ground nearby, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat watched as the spiritual medicine it had guarded for a hundred years was taken away. Its heart ached with sharp pangs of regret, and it turned its head away, unable to bear looking any longer.
This valley was a place it had stumbled upon a hundred years ago. Simply because it had discovered this unique Sorrow-Clearing Spiritual Herb, it had specifically claimed this place as its territory and guarded it day and night.
It had originally planned to refine the spiritual herb to nourish its soul and break through its realm when it was at the critical moment of pushing for the mid-stage Tongxuan Realm, using it to massively boost its combat power.
Who would have thought that after a hundred years of painstaking protection, it would ultimately benefit this human junior at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm?
Fate was indeed fickle, leaving the Demon Goat with nothing but a heart full of loneliness and helplessness.
After putting away the spiritual herb, Ye Ling did not leave immediately. She turned to look at the dejected Giant-Horned Demon Goat.
“I plan to temporarily stay in your valley to heal and adjust my breathing. You do not mind, do you?”
The Giant-Horned Demon Goat was already completely disheartened. It weakly waved its thick hoof, its voice filled with exhaustion.
“Suit yourself.”
With that, it dragged its battered, agonizing body, walking with heavy, lonely steps toward its lair deep within the valley.
After the Demon Goat left, Ye Ling found a sheltered and secluded spot in the valley, sitting cross-legged to heal her injuries.
Although she had achieved a tragic victory over the demonized Giant-Horned Demon Goat, her internal and external injuries were extremely severe.
While adjusting her breathing and healing, she reviewed the entire fierce battle, repeatedly reflecting on every flaw in the offense and defense during her struggle with the Giant-Horned Demon Goat.
The experience gained from this battle across a major realm was incredibly precious.
As she combed through the details of the fight over and over again, her combat awareness steadily climbed, and her grasp of the battle situation became increasingly clear.
During a break in her quiet recovery, Ye Ling suddenly remembered the storage bag the Miasma Demon Frog had gifted her upon their departure.
Back then, she had been in a hurry to enter the Bailing Secret Realm to cultivate, so she had simply tucked it away without examining it closely. Now, she finally had the time to take a proper look.
She raised her hand and retrieved the storage bag. Its design was ancient and worn, appearing utterly ordinary at first glance.
However, upon closer inspection, she could see dense and intricate formation runes flowing across the bag's surface. They were profound and exquisite, definitely not those of an ordinary object.
The Miasma Demon Frog had always possessed unique judgment. Since it had gone out of its way to gift her this item, there were bound to be many good things hidden inside.
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