Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 52: Mind-Bewitching Insect

The Wasteland Secret Realm was about to open. Countless cultivators from all across the Mortal World Continent were rushing in, all hoping to enter and search for rare treasures, magical artifacts, and secret manuals.

"Did you hear? The Bingyang Secret Realm suddenly opened early—just yesterday!"

"Bingyang Secret Realm? Ugh, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have come here."

"I actually think the Wasteland Secret Realm is better. Sure, it’s deadly—nine out of ten who enter die—but there’s a cultivation-level restriction. Only Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators can enter."

"Exactly. The Bingyang Secret Realm doesn’t have any restrictions. Even those at the Fusion Stage can go in. It’s already become a training ground for disciples of the Kunlun Sect and the Wanfo Sect. For us from small sects, we might not even get a scrap."

From early morning, the area downstairs was bustling. Even from the guest rooms in the back, you could clearly hear the chatter of cultivators.

Ye Su went downstairs, ordered a cup of tea, and sat in a corner, listening to their conversations.

Bingyang Secret Realm… It had indeed become the training ground for disciples of the major sects. In the original novel, Ning Qianyao and Lu Chenhan had met again inside that secret realm.

Ye Su had always known when the Bingyang Secret Realm would open, but she never told anyone.

First, its opening this time had been sudden. Even the Kunlun Sect had been caught off guard. The elders had to hastily set up a teleportation array to send Lu Chenhan and the other inner disciples inside.

Second, Ye Su didn’t want to enter the same secret realm as them. Both Bingyang and the Wasteland were secret realms, and the Wasteland actually had more heavenly materials and rare treasures—just far more danger.

She didn’t care. In the cultivation world, if you don’t take risks, you don’t get anything good.

And there were plenty of cultivators like her who didn’t fear danger. They were all drawn to the Wasteland Secret Realm’s greater potential.

After listening on the first floor for a while, Ye Su finally returned to her room. These past few days, she had been either drawing talismans or refining the Mistflower Fang.

To upgrade a magic artifact, an artificer had to add new materials into it—but without damaging its original form or functions.

It was a painstaking process, which was why many artificers preferred to forge a new artifact from scratch.

But Ye Su wasn’t one to fear trouble. She spent a great deal of effort selecting the right material—Redgold Stone.

She planned to refine it and merge it into the Mistflower Fang to upgrade it.

In this regard, her little junior brother’s Xuan Yin Blood | Read more at: https://sugookie.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-52-mind-bewitching-insect.html really was one of the cultivation world’s rarest treasures. It ignored material compatibility—just adding it in and refining it could boost a magic artifact’s grade. It was basically a cheat code.

Ye Su used spiritual fire to refine the Redgold Stone with one hand, while controlling the Mistflower Fang with the other, gradually fusing the refined material into it.

After being refined by the spiritual fire, the Redgold Stone turned into a clear mist. Nothing overflowed; Ye Su used her spiritual power to guide it all into the Mistflower Fang.

Just getting through that step left a fine layer of sweat on her forehead, but her hands remained steady—no hesitation, no pause.

When the Mistflower Fang flashed with a strong burst of light, Ye Su knew the upgrade had succeeded. With a flick of her hand, she recalled it.

This was only the first upgrade. It would get harder each time. Most magic artifacts only reached the Great Ascension stage—beyond that, it was not just difficult, but often not worth it.

"Ye Su." Xu Chengyu knocked on the door from outside. "It’s time to go."

Ye Su waved a hand to undo the barrier, then gathered the talisman papers on the table and stored them in her qiankun bag. Only then did she open the door. "The Wasteland Secret Realm is open?"

Xu Chengyu nodded. "Most of the cultivators in the inn have already rushed over."

Ye Su glanced past him. Zhou Yun, Ma Congqiu, and Lu Jiu had already come out.

"Wait a second." Ye Su quickly walked to You Fushi’s room, pushed the door open, and dragged the still-sleeping junior brother out of bed. "We’re going."

Before he could say a word, she took the Mistflower Fang and fastened it around his wrist.

The junior brother, completely distracted by the newly upgraded artifact, didn’t complain at all.

With You Fushi in tow, Ye Su followed behind Xu Chengyu and the others, heading together toward the Wasteland Secret Realm.

……

At the entrance to the Desolate City Secret Realm, cultivators crowded the area, with people constantly flying in.

Xu Chengyu sheathed his sword and turned to the group. "Let’s go in together."

The entrance was wide, more than enough for several people to walk in side by side.

Ye Su took out a stack of talisman papers from her storage qiankun bag and distributed them to the others. Only then did the group enter the Desolate City Secret Realm together.

The moment she stepped inside, Ye Su immediately felt a tearing sensation throughout her body. It was a completely different feeling from the smaller secret realms she’d entered before.

Her feet had just touched the ground when a roar rang out by her ear.

Ye Su stepped back and grabbed You Fushi beside her. At the same time, she threw out her Flying Mirror Armor.

At that moment, Xu Chengyu’s sword unsheathed. With one swing, he beheaded the demonic beast waiting at the entrance, his sharp sword aura slicing cleanly through.

The beast’s head rolled to the ground, spinning a few times before coming to a stop right by Ye Su’s feet.

She looked down and recognized what kind of beast it was.

—An Eight-Eyed Hound. | Read more at: https://sugookie.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-52-mind-bewitching-insect.html

It had eight eyes, and each time its strength advanced, one eye would open.

This one had three fully open eyes already, which meant it was about as strong as a late-stage Foundation Core cultivator.

For a beast of this level to be guarding the entrance, it was clear how dangerous the rest of the Desolate City Secret Realm would be.

"Everyone, be careful," Xu Chengyu said, taking the beast's inner core and leaving the rest of the materials to Ye Su.

This had been agreed upon before they entered: whoever killed the beast would get the core, and the rest of the parts would go to Ye Su.

After that, Xu Chengyu took the lead, with Zhou Yun and Ma Congqiu guarding the sides, and Lu Jiu bringing up the rear.

The four of them instinctively protected Ye Su and You Fushi in the center.

As the name implied, the Desolate City Secret Realm was filled with abandoned cities and countless hidden dangers. Most cultivators who entered never made it out, but those who did usually walked away with great rewards.

"The city ahead was explored by some of our sect members before," Xu Chengyu said. "There’s nothing much left there. If we want to find good stuff, we have to head west. Not many people go that way."

In long-standing secret realms like this one, disciples from major sects would record what they found and pass that knowledge down to future generations.

"Why don’t people go west?" Ye Su asked from behind him.

"Originally, someone found a powerful artifact in the south and brought it out, causing a huge stir. So, when the realm opened again, most cultivators rushed to the southern area. Later, others explored the east and north and also made good gains," Xu Chengyu explained. "Only the west has a city that’s extremely hard to get through. The saying ‘nine out of ten die’ comes from there."

"We’re going that way," Ye Su said without hesitation.

Xu Chengyu smiled. "I was thinking the same."

Even with the high risk, there were still plenty of cultivators willing to try the west.

Along the way, there were no shortage of demonic beasts and triggered traps, which knocked out another group of cultivators. By the time they reached the city in the west, fewer than half of the original entrants remained.

Lu Jiu and Ma Congqiu were both injured. The two had aggressive and ruthless fighting styles, and after working together, had clearly hit it off. They were practically ready to swear siblinghood on the spot.

They had hacked their way forward, fighting to their heart’s content.

"Desolate City," Ye Su read aloud as she looked up at the two massive characters carved into the five-zhang-tall (about 16 feet) ruined city gate.

Even after years of weathering, just standing in front of the gate gave off a strong sense of ancient weight and grandeur. Through that gate, one could almost imagine the city’s peak glory.

No one knew what kind of powerful being had created this place, managing to include so many cities. The most shocking part was that, despite its massive scale, it was only classified as a secret realm—not a cave residence or a legacy site.

"There are two reasons why this place is called the Desolate City Secret Realm," Zhou Yun eagerly chimed in. "First, because of the many ruined cities inside the realm. Second, because this particular city is named Desolate City. It also has another name—Slaughter City."

Just then, a mocking voice came from behind.

"Are you here on a field trip?"

Everyone turned around to see Lian Lian in a red robe standing next to Cheng Huaian, who wore the dark green robe of the Wuxing Sect.

Zhou Yun immediately frowned. "What’s it to you?"

"It’s nothing to do with us," Lian Lian said, twirling a strand of her hair. "But this place… is full of talismans and formation traps. Are you sure you’ll make it out alive?"

Talismans and formations? | Read more at: https://sugookie.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-52-mind-bewitching-insect.html

Ye Su lowered her gaze to hide her interest. That just made her want to go in even more.

"One sword breaks all things," Xu Chengyu replied. "You two are welcome to tag along—if you can keep up."

Cheng Huaian was more composed. "This realm is dangerous. I’m sure none of us want to be stuck here forever. If there’s a chance to cooperate, our Wuxing Sect would be willing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lian Lian’s face turned even darker. She bit back her response and turned away from him.

The city gates were open. Ye Su followed Xu Chengyu forward, with You Fushi at her side. He seemed to be in good spirits today and didn’t look tired at all.

As soon as they stepped through the gate, Ye Su caught a whiff of muddy, earthy air. Before she could take in the surroundings, a thick white mist rose up in front of her. When it cleared, she found herself face-to-face with someone who looked exactly like her.

Ye Su raised her eyebrow. The doppelgänger did the same. But the words it spoke were not the same.

"The Qianji Sect is about to be wiped out," the fake ‘Ye Su’ said. "Don’t you want to kill Yi Xuan and stop what’s coming? If you want to kill him—"

Ye Su had no patience to listen. She pulled a handful of disguise talismans from her qiankun bag, slapped one on herself, and instantly transformed into Xu Chengyu’s appearance.

The other ‘Ye Su’ turned into ‘Xu Chengyu’ too.

Then Ye Su slapped on another talisman and became Lu Jiu.

That wasn’t enough. If there was one thing Ye Su didn’t lack, it was talismans. She stayed silent and kept pasting them—one after another—turning into familiar people, passing strangers, anyone she’d ever seen.

The doppelgänger could only copy each transformation.

"There’s no rule saying I can only turn into a person," Ye Su mused. She picked up another talisman and slapped it on her forehead.

Instantly, she turned into a pillar.

The newly appeared ‘pillar’ on the other side: "…"

Ye Su looked at it and said admiringly, "Wow, it really can change into anything."

She seemed to get more interested. Out of talismans, she just sat down on the spot and started drawing new ones.

Her transformations got more and more ridiculous—turning into things she’d never seen but had always wanted to, like rare beast materials.

The illusions were too realistic. Every time she transformed, she would reach over and poke at the fake, just to enjoy the feel of those valuable materials.

Eventually, the doppelgänger broke.

—Literally broke.

Ye Su watched as it split in half and revealed its true form: a Mind-Bewitching Insect | Read more at: https://sugookie.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-52-mind-bewitching-insect.html.

It had tried to keep up with too many wild transformations, got overwhelmed, and had a complete mental breakdown.

It self-destructed.