Luo Xiu glanced at Master Ping, then turned his gaze to Hua Muyan, momentarily surprised.

For a powerful being like Master Ping to use the word "frightening," it was clear that Hua Muyan's background was truly no simple matter.

Luo Xiu asked, "How frightening?"

Master Ping chuckled. "I'm just guessing for now and I'm not confident enough to say for sure. I'll keep it to myself for now; I need to observe her a bit more."

Luo Xiu muttered under his breath, "Then you might as well have said nothing, making it all so mysterious."

Master Ping snapped, "That's enough out of you, kid! If you have time, hurry up and help me refine that jade pillar. It would be a great tonic for me."

Luo Xiu rolled his eyes. "Can't you see I'm busy right now? Where would I find the time?"

Master Ping snorted. "You spend all day indulging in women. Isn't there a human saying... lust is a bone-scraping blade!"

Luo Xiu shrugged nonchalantly. "I've had strong bones since I was a kid. I'm not afraid of a little scraping."

Master Ping said, "I just hope you die because of a woman one day. When you do, I'll host a feast to celebrate."

Luo Xiu replied with an unconcerned attitude, "We humans have another saying... To die in a bed of peonies makes one a romantic even in death."

"Besides, we men struggle and strive our whole lives. Isn't it all for the sake of beautiful women?"

"If I don't indulge in women, what should I indulge in?"

"You're utterly hopeless," Master Ping said.

Luo Xiu retorted, "So what? I'm just an ordinary man. I don't have any lofty ideals. I'm greedy and lustful, and I just want to surround myself with women. What's it to you? Are you jealous?"

Master Ping sighed, filled with the frustration of wasted potential. "Truly, a student who cannot be taught, a piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved!"

"Having a dao partner like you is my greatest misfortune!"

Listening to the man and the bottle bicker, Hua Muyan couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Master Ping suddenly changed the subject. "Speaking of this Flower Demon, what I can say for certain is that she is definitely not a creature from the Lower Realm."

Luo Xiu frowned, immediately grasping the key point. "If she's not from the Lower Realm, then she must be from the Upper Realm. That means Chu Yiguan must have visited the Upper Realm, otherwise he couldn't have brought Yan'er to Earth."

"So the question is, how did Chu Yiguan get to the Upper Realm from Earth?"

At that moment, Hua Muyan spoke up. "Yan'er thinks the Holy Boi Religion must have control of some kind of transfer array. Chu Yiguan must have used it to reach the Upper Realm."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly. "We'll have to investigate that when we return to Earth."

...

「Earth. Hua Country.」

Somewhere in the vast Secret Realm of Ghost Valley Mountain.

Lu Nianjiao stood quietly on a stone platform spanning several tens of square meters.

This platform was actually a transfer array, not what a young Lu Nianjiao had imagined—a place where Guijian Chou dried his peanuts and corn.

The stone platform was covered with moss, and the mysterious runes carved upon it were mostly weathered, exuding an ancient and mystical aura.

In the very center of the platform stood a wooden spear.

The spear was exquisitely crafted, seemingly formed from several intertwined flower vines. Green buds sprouted from it, emitting a faint green glow, and it bore no trace of human workmanship, as if created by nature itself.

Lu Nianjiao faced the wooden spear, silently reciting an incantation while her fingers rapidly formed a series of complex and profound Taoist seals.

She seemed highly practiced, the entire sequence flowing as smoothly as water.

As the spear's light flared, four figures materialized out of thin air on the platform.

It was Xu Qianqing, Su Shanyue, Ye Ningxue, and Zhang Yi!

The four women were disheveled and covered in wounds. Their clothes were tattered, their faces pale, and their lips cracked.

Likely from having gone so long without bathing, the four beautiful young women gave off an unpleasant odor, tinged with the metallic scent of blood.

Looking at them, Lu Nianjiao's heart ached, but more than that, she felt a sense of relief.

...

"Well done," Lu Nianjiao said. "I didn't expect you to escape the Bleak Basin Realm in such a short time."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi was on the verge of tears. "Medic Immortal, what do you mean, 'a short time'?" she said, her voice choked with grievance. "The four of us were in that ghastly place for almost five years!"

"Five years!"

"Do you have any idea what we went through in those five years?"

"Medic Immortal, let me tell you, right now, if I saw a mouse, I'd want to eat it raw and would still think it was a delicacy!"

"No way, you absolutely must treat us to a grand feast!"

...

Recalling the countless cruelties they had endured, the four women felt it was all a terrible nightmare.

They never wanted to return to that horrifying place ever again.

However, they hadn't realized that the flow of time in that bizarre place was different from the outside world.

They had been there for five years, but only a few months had passed outside.

Lu Nianjiao's expression turned serious. "Report your cultivation achievements."

As the captain of the Valkyrie team, Xu Qianqing was the first to speak. "Xu Qianqing, late-stage Mahayana Realm!"

"Su Shanyue, mid-stage Mahayana Realm!"

"Ye Ningxue, Mahayana Realm - Perfect Completion."

"Zhang Yi, mid-stage Mahayana Realm!"

Hearing their reports, Lu Nianjiao nodded with satisfaction. "To have survived the Bleak Basin Realm and reached the Mahayana Realm is about what I expected."

Ye Ningxue asked curiously, "Third Martial Aunt, has my master ever been to the Bleak Basin Realm?"

Lu Nianjiao shook her head gently. "He doesn't even know that place exists. Besides, he has no need to go there to cultivate."

Ye Ningxue nodded. "That makes sense. With Master's strength, even the Blood Prison King would be no threat to him."

Su Shanyue's face was filled with disbelief. "It took us two years to kill the Blood Prison King, and an existence like that is still no threat? Just how strong is Luo Xiu?"

Lu Nianjiao coughed lightly twice. "Alright, let's get down to business."

"You've managed to leave the Bleak Basin Realm, successfully passing the first round of training. Now, it's time for the second."

Zhang Yi's face fell. Looking at the wooden spear, she said, "Don't tell me this transfer array is going to send us to another place like the Bleak Basin Realm, is it?"

"Medic Immortal, could you please choose a gentler training method?"

Lu Nianjiao stated sternly, "For the second round, you won't be going to any minor worlds. You will train on Earth. Your mission is to kill."

Hearing this, the four women breathed a collective sigh of relief.

No matter what, as long as they were on Earth, it was fine.

They truly never wanted to return to those terrifying minor worlds.

As for killing, after spending five years in a place like the Bleak Basin Realm, it had already become second nature to them.

But this can't be that simple, Xu Qianqing thought. The first round of training was already so terrifying; the second can only be worse. The training should only get harder, not easier. If it got easier, what kind of training would that even be?

So, she asked, "Kill whom?"

Lu Nianjiao produced a stack of files. "Thanks to the recent efforts of elites from various nations, we have now essentially mastered the information regarding the members of the Holy Boi Religion's Protectorate Group."

"Your second training mission is to assassinate the Lower Nine Heros of the Protectorate Group."

At these words, all four women's eyes widened in shock.

Lu Nianjiao continued, "You are a team. You can operate together or separately. To pass the second round of training, you must kill at least five of the Lower Nine Heros within three months."

"I must warn you in advance, each of the Lower Nine Heros possesses strength equivalent to a Sky List Strong One."

"If you succeed in killing them, that's good. If you are killed, that is also good. But if you are defeated but not killed, and instead fall into the hands of the Holy Boi Religion... well, you should know what fate awaits you."

A heavy mood fell over the four women.

With a light wave of her hand, Lu Nianjiao summoned a pile of bottles and jars out of the void before her.

"Take these elixirs. They will cleanse the filth and impurities accumulated within you, purify your bloodthirsty aura, and heal your hidden injuries."

"Rest for half a month. Then, you will officially set out!"

...

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