Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Chapter 23 - Xuanyuan sect's token

Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang saw the palace transform into a cavern before their eyes. Yin Hanjiang automatically drew his sword, standing in front of Wenren È.

The completely oblivious Baili Qingmiao gathered up the silk that had been binding her and, after examining her surroundings, asked, "These seniors, where is Master Qingxue? Argh!"

She had felt something cold brush her ankle and jumped to her feet, igniting a light talisman as she did. By its illumination, she could now see that the ground by her feet was crawling with snakes, the smallest with the thickness of a rice bowl and the largest over a meter in width.

The cavern was vast, and a faint breeze blew through it. The serpents were entwined together, completely covering the ground.

Wenren È held down Yin Hanjiang's hand before he could unleash his sword, and said calmly, "Don't act yet. I feel that... they don't intend to attack."

"Ahh! I'm scared of snakes!" Baili Qingmiao's cultivation was still suppressed and she couldn't fly. She only hopped about on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes.

In the book, Wenren È slew all the snakes upon seeing them, causing the blood to attract more beasts and putting the two in a worse situation.

Now that he had seen the spiritual realm transform from a palace to a cave, Wenren È held back from striking immediately. "Don't be so frantic," he said to Baili Qingmiao. "Stand still in an empty space and the snakes will probably leave you alone. If you attack them, you'll bring trouble."

Baili Qingmiao was obedient and planted her feet on the ground, enduring her fear. The thickest snake immediately began slithering toward her. Baili Qingmiao wanted to scream and attack it, but remembering Wenren È's words, she controlled herself and stood her ground. Once she calmed, she saw the huge python rub its head lightly against her leg like a dog, even wriggling the tip of its tail a bit.

Baili Qingmiao: ...

"W-what's going on?" she said, trembling with her back pressed against a rock wall.

Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang were standing opposite to her and could clearly see the wall behind her open a huge yellow eye with a slit pupil. The eye swiveled about until it saw Baili Qingmiao, at which point it narrowed as if in a smile.

Wenren È: ...

Yin Hanjiang: ...

Now that they were calm and refrained from attacking the beasts, they could clearly see the affection they showed toward Baili Qingmiao.

"Before you entered the spiritual realm, did you have any thoughts of what it would be like?" Wenren È asked Baili Qingmiao.

"I did fantasize a little," Baili Qingmiao said, leaning against the wall and completely unaware that the large eye above her head was now shifting downward. "If it's a spiritual realm, it ought to be a grand golden palace, all the objects within the palace would be rare treasures, the ordinary animals living in the courtyard would be divine beasts spoken of in legends, like the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermillion Bird, or something like that... huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Even Yin Hanjiang, who ordinarily only paid attention to his master, couldn't help but give Baili Qingmiao an odd look.

The place they had entered was precisely Baili Qingmiao's fantasy. It also only appeared when she was unconscious, and when she woke up, all traces of it would vanish and the environment would become a terrifying hellscape. Though these beasts clearly liked Baili Qingmiao, and if no one attacked, all they would do was try to get closer to her.