Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 96: Bird Head, Monkey Body

Wherever the green ants went, they left only white bones behind but in the distance, a faint glimpse of a lake could be seen. Amid the endless bones, green ants, and demon beasts, the lake stood out strangely.

Ye Su stood high in the air and could clearly see that the entire lake was surrounded by clusters of green ants. She even spotted a circle of green ant “balls”, each about as tall as two people, standing closely huddled together, silently guarding the lakeshore.

There was no doubt, anyone who got close to the lake would be attacked by them.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Yan Hao had basically given up struggling. Her brain had stopped working, she planned to just rely on Ye Su.

Ye Su motioned toward the lake. "The demon beasts are desperately charging in this direction. There must be a reason."

Yan Hao looked toward the towering green ant balls at the lakeside. "That lake does seem pretty important."

Ye Su pointed up toward the sky, then down to the ground. "We're being suppressed from above and below, we can’t fly, and we can’t tunnel underground. That leaves only the ground path, and conveniently, there’s this swarm of green ants that eat everything. Clearly, they’re meant to block all access to the lake."

Yan Hao looked up. "We’re still flying, though."

"We're not using spiritual power," Ye Su replied. "And the wind’s in our favor."

Of course, what convinced Ye Su the lake was the exit wasn’t just that, it was the rank-six demon beast that had shown up outside the forbidden area. The book’s description emphasized its powerful appearance but also mentioned, damp fur.

If it hadn’t gotten wet in a lake, what else could have made its mane damp?

"Either way, we’re dead," Yan Hao said, clutching her pink feather fan. "We might as well try it."

Ye Su's gaze shifted to a part of the lake below. "Wait. A demon beast is making a charge."

It was as if the demon beasts had coordinated, one wave after another surged forward, battling the green ants. As the front wave fell, the next wave pushed further. It was brutal but effective. Some of them actually got quite close to the lake.

Yan Hao gripped the edge of the basket, looking down. "Yeah, let’s see what these demon beasts are even trying to do at the lake."

Just as she said that, the towering green ant clusters by the lake suddenly split apart like a flood, swarming toward the charging beasts in a dense wave.

The demon beasts that had stepped over piles of bones only had time to let out a few shrieks before collapsing like a stack of blocks torn to pieces, not a trace of flesh or blood left behind.

"..." Yan Hao silently closed her mouth.

Ye Su’s eyes moved to the demon beasts still alive at the back. Her hands gripped the basket tightly, tendons standing out as she searched for the demon beast that matched the one described in the book, if it could break through the line and enter the lake, then maybe they could escape too!

Bird head, giant monkey body, long tail with red stripes.

There it is!

Ye Su locked onto a giant monkey-like beast with a bird’s head, leaping across other beasts. Its long, hairy tail was still dry.

Despite its massive size, the demon beast had incredible jumping ability. With each step off another beast’s back, it launched itself far ahead.

After a few jumps, it was nearly at the edge, but the next step would land it right into the green ant swarm.

Suddenly, flames erupted from its entire body even its feet caught fire. When it landed, the flames scorched two clear footprints into the ants below.

There were just too many green ants. Ye Su saw the beast pause slightly then in the next second, it threw back its head and let out a piercing screech. Its flames flared even hotter, boosting its jump strength even more and with that, it soared straight into the lake.

"Now!"

Ye Su grabbed Yan Hao and leapt into the lake after it. Mid-air, she even flicked out a whip to latch onto the basket, yanked it hard, and pulled it into her qiankun bag.

Yan Hao, her face blank and wind whipping past her, clutched her pink feather fan tightly. At this point, nothing Ye Su did could surprise her anymore.

If they were going to die, so be it.

……

More than twenty days had passed inside the Chaos Mirror. Most disciples with decent strength had already gathered near the edge of the forbidden area, hoping to try their luck there.

During this time, the major sects had been working together near the border to hunt fifth-rank demon beasts.

"Still no sign of Ye Su?" Xu Chengyu asked Zhou Yun, who had just returned from another direction.

Zhou Yun shook his head. "I asked around the different sects and even inquired among some rogue cultivators. Only one person said they saw Ye Su."

"Where?" Xu Chengyu asked.

"Near the marshlands, during the first few days after we entered," Zhou Yun said, glancing cautiously at You Fushi, who was sitting nearby. "Could something have happened to her?"

"No way," Xu Chengyu dismissed the idea immediately. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Are there any other disciples from other sects with strong cultivation who haven’t shown up yet?"

"From the other sects..." Zhou Yun thought carefully, then remembered, "Yan Hao from the Hehuan Sect is missing."

"Yan Hao?" Xu Chengyu paused in thought. "They might have ended up together. The Chaos Mirror is so vast, the two of them are probably still in another area."

Zhou Yun sighed. "Yi Xuan is still fighting demon beasts one-on-one."

Xu Chengyu rubbed his forehead. Without Ye Su, the other members of Qianji Sect had all become increasingly unhinged.

Even though they already had enough beast cores, they were still risking their lives to hunt more beasts.

Yi Xuan repeatedly threw himself into life-threatening fights, returning to rest completely covered in blood.

The demon beasts couldn’t do much harm to You Fushi, but he had been taking action so frequently that it was unnerving.

"Young Master You, I think Ye Su might have gone off with Yan Hao from the Hehuan Sect," Xu Chengyu said as he approached. "Yan Hao is at early Nascent Soul stage. Most demon beasts inside the Chaos Mirror wouldn’t be able to hurt her. Ye Su has a lot of tricks up her sleeve too..."

Before he could finish, You Fushi suddenly stood up.

Xu Chengyu jumped, thinking he was about to be attacked, and quickly stepped back but You Fushi only turned to look in the direction of the forbidden area.

"What is it?" Xu Chengyu followed his gaze and extended his divine sense. He faintly picked up on some unusual fluctuations as well.

You Fushi had already started walking toward that direction. After a moment of hesitation, Xu Chengyu followed him and told Zhou Yun to stay behind and remain with the rest of the Sword Sect members.

Lu Jiu, seeing this, also followed.

At the edge of the forbidden area—

The direct disciples of every major sect all seemed to sense something. One after another, they turned to look in the direction of the forbidden area.

"Senior Brother Lu?"

A Kunlun disciple noticed Lu Chenhan standing up and hesitantly approached to ask.

Lu Chenhan raised a hand to signal silence, then abruptly mounted his sword and flew off, heading toward the forbidden area.

The same thing happened with Guliang Tian of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Mei Chouren of the Hehuan Sect, Lian Lian and Cheng Huaian of the Wuxing Sect, as well as the direct disciples of Shangque Sect.

……

"What is that?!"

Ning Qianyao was meditating and resting. Jian Hu was next to her. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the injury caused by the Chongming Sword.

Suddenly, one of the rogue cultivators working with them shouted in alarm.

Ning Qianyao opened her eyes and saw a demon beast wreathed in blazing flames slowly stepping out from the barrier of the forbidden area.

No one present had ever seen such a high-rank beast before. Some were so terrified they couldn’t even move.

Jian Hu instantly grabbed Ning Qianyao’s hand to flee, this was a sixth-rank demon beast!

But Ning Qianyao stopped him. "I can feel the spiritual flame from that beast… it would be beneficial to me."

She possessed the Mystic Yin Constitution, and it was impossible for her not to study the art of weapon forging, she was quite gifted at it too.

"But it’s a sixth-rank beast," Jian Hu objected.

"Help me," Ning Qianyao said firmly, pointing at the beast emerging from the forbidden area. "Its leg is injured, if we work together, we have a chance."

"...Alright."

With Jian Hu's agreement, Ning Qianyao raised her voice and addressed the other rogue cultivators: "Everyone, retreat first, we’ll stay behind to hold it off!"

Someone shouted, "Fellow Daoist Ning, that’s at least a sixth-rank beast! The two of you can’t stop it alone. Let us help!"

"If even one person escapes, that’s one life saved," Ning Qianyao said. Clad in white robes, she leapt to a higher vantage point. "Jian Hu and I are both at mid-Nascent Soul stage. We may still have a sliver of hope. But if the rest of you stay, it would only mean needless deaths. Better to live and continue the trial."

"Fellow Daoist Ning, we will never forget this favor!"

Everyone clasped their hands respectfully and gave a deep bow to Ning Qianyao and Jian Hu, then quickly withdrew.

By then, the sixth-rank demon beast had fully emerged from the forbidden area and was charging toward them.

Ning Qianyao and Jian Hu exchanged a glance, then flew forward together to meet it head-on.

"All I need is the spiritual flame from its body," Ning Qianyao told Jian Hu.

Both of them were at mid-Nascent Soul stage. If they used all their abilities, they should still be able to retreat if things went south.

Elsewhere, the fleeing rogue cultivators ran into Lu Chenhan and begged him for help.

"Ning Qianyao?" Lu Chenhan paused when he heard the name. "She’s up ahead?"

The rogue cultivators nodded urgently. "Fellow Daoist Ning stayed behind with Jian Hu to hold off a sixth-rank beast so we could escape."

"A sixth-rank beast..." Lu Chenhan muttered. Then, with a flick of his sword, he vanished before their eyes.

Outside the forbidden area, Jian Hu deliberately attracted the giant ape’s full attention so that Ning Qianyao would have a chance to extract its spiritual flame.

Just as he was knocked unconscious by a blow from the ape’s tail, Ning Qianyao had successfully collected the flame.

The furious beast turned its wrath on her. She swung her sword in defense but was struck aside by a heavy claw.

When Lu Chenhan arrived, the first thing he saw was that scene. He rushed in, caught Ning Qianyao in his arms, and gripped his Gu Cang Sword, slashing toward the ape with an overwhelming wave of sword intent.

"Brother Lu?" Ning Qianyao looked at his side profile and softly called out to him.

To reunite like this under such circumstances made Ning Qianyao’s heart race.

By now, others had also arrived. Guliang Tian of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect stopped and watched Lu Chenhan’s strike. He hadn’t yet had the chance to fight a Kunlun disciple.

"What’s going on? That really is a sixth-rank demon beast!" Lian Lian exclaimed at the sight.

"It probably came out of the forbidden area," Cheng Huaian guessed.

"Impossible. Nothing ever comes out of the Chaos Mirror’s forbidden area," a disciple of Shangque Sect said. "Even the Kunlun Sect Master doesn’t know what’s inside."

The Chaos Mirror had been left behind from the era of the gods’ fall. Cultivators above the Fusion stage couldn’t enter, which was why it was used for disciples’ trials.

In the beginning, many Kunlun elders at Nascent Soul stage had entered to search for missing disciples, none ever returned. Even their soul lamps had gone dark.

"Xu Chengyu?" Lian Lian turned and saw that Sword Sect had arrived and more surprisingly, behind them were two disciples of the Qianji Sect.

No— three.

Her gaze fell on Yi Xuan, walking slowly at the rear, covered in blood.

"A sixth-rank demon beast..." Xu Chengyu’s expression shifted when he saw the giant ape.

"Must’ve come from inside the forbidden area," Lian Lian said, glancing behind. "Ye Su’s really not here?"

You Fushi ignored them and walked straight toward the direction of the forbidden area.

"What are you doing?" Yi Xuan moved to block him. The movement tugged at his injuries, but his expression didn’t change. "Are you trying to die?"

You Fushi stepped around him and continued walking forward.

Xu Chengyu tried to grab him, but was stopped in place by the Chongming Sword’s point, he couldn’t advance.

The commotion caught the attention of disciples from other sects. The disciples of Shangque and Ten Thousand Buddha Sects didn’t know You Fushi and looked at him with curiosity.

Halfway to the edge of the forbidden area, You Fushi suddenly stopped. In full view of everyone, he removed his qiankun bag and tossed it toward a seemingly empty space.

"Ye Su. Beast cores."

To everyone’s surprise, instead of landing on the ground, the qiankun bag hit something invisible.

"Is it undone yet?" a familiar voice suddenly rang out.