Draven tossed his sword into the air. It vanished in a shimmer of light, reappearing as a sleek black ring on his left thumb.
"So, what's your answer? Are you coming with me or not?" he asked the four women once more.
"Not coming. We are perfectly capable of looking after ourselves," the young lady replied frostily, gently stroking the head of the little phoenix chick in her hand.
The three middle-aged women seemed on the verge of speaking, but after a glance at their young mistress, they held their tongues and simply offered Draven a sincere bow.
Draven shrugged. If they refused his help, that was their choice. With a lazy expression, he turned and continued his journey north, toward the Ghost Valley.
Once he was out of sight, the young lady's stern expression melted into a huge smile as she gazed at the little fire phoenix. "From today, I will call you 'Little co'," she cooed, rubbing her cheek against the soft, downy chick.
The warrior woman sighed. "Princess, you should have accepted his offer. In this place, our cultivation is suppressed to the mortal realm. A single misstep could cost us our lives."
The young lady shook her head with unwavering confidence. "I don't care. I just didn't want to go with him. Besides, I have my bloodline spirit with me now. No one will be able to harm us."
The three women exchanged a look, their mouths twitching as they observed the palm-sized chick in the young lady's hand. The little phoenix blinked back at them with round, innocent eyes.
The warrior woman sighed again. "Very well. Just… everyone, be careful. We will rest for a while and then find shelter."
They all nodded and settled in the shade of the trees. The young lady, still caressing the chick, closed her eyes and sent her consciousness into her inner world to inspect her new companion.
But her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Draven's inner world through their newly formed connection. "Why is there a three-headed lion in his inner world?" she blurted out.
Since their inner worlds were linked, Draven, who was still walking toward the Ghost Valley, heard her question clearly.
"It's a result of the core formation technique I practice," he replied casually.
The young lady was startled by his response. "And why are all your cores so large? Also, why is there a demon core? Are you a demon cultivator?" she pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"That's a Chaos Core, not a demon core. As for the size, it's simple. I am much older than a little brat like you. Now, be quiet and stop your nonsense," Draven retorted impatiently.
The young lady frowned, ignoring his dismissal, she asked. "But why do you have five shadow cores? And what is that in the middle? Is it a stone?"
"Little girl, mind your words. That is your grandma Little Su's dragon vessel," a new, childish voice chimed in.
"Who's that?" the young lady asked suspiciously.
"It's my bloodline spirit, Little Su. And that is not a stone, but a dragon egg. Now, shut your mouth and stop bothering me," Draven said coldly before withdrawing his consciousness entirely.
The young lady clenched her fist in anger as she felt him leave. "Who do you think you are, you greasy old bastard?" she muttered under her breath.
"co… co…" the little phoenix chirped, as if asking why she was upset.
Her anger quickly forgotten, the young lady smiled and playfully rubbed its head.
"Sister Lilly, what do you think of that senior?" Grace, one of the middle-aged women, asked the warrior woman.
Lilly considered the question. "Extremely strong. He has undoubtedly killed many powerful beings. The sliver of killing intent he released was more monstrous than anything I've ever felt. And the sword intent radiating from him when he held his sword… I couldn't even fathom its depth."
Susan, the third woman who had been silent until now, spoke up. "His magic talent is also monstrous. When I looked at him with my True Elemental Eyes, all I saw was a giant, winged black dragon standing behind him. Its aura was so terrifying I had to look away in fear."
The other women gasped.
"He is a demon cultivator," the young lady added calmly. "I saw a demon core inside his inner world."
This sent another wave of shock through the group.
But Susan shook her head, frowning. "I didn't detect any demonic essence when I inspected him."
The young lady thought for a moment. "He must have a way to conceal it. But since our inner worlds connected, he couldn't hide it from me."
Meanwhile, Draven trekked deeper into the forest, his mood sour.
"Damn it, I should have killed that annoying brat when I had the chance," he muttered to himself.
"What a coincidence. I didn't expect to meet an acquaintance here," just then, a rough, masculine voice rumbled through the trees.
Draven's expression instantly sharpened. He turned slowly to find the source of the voice.
To his left stood a thirteen-foot-tall, muscular demon with the head of a wild buffalo and skin that shone like polished copper. Its horns curved like twin crescent moons, and in its hand was a massive double-headed hammer, the hammer head alone measuring at least four foot in length.
"Yeah, I also didn't expect to find one of the godly beasts in a place like Ghost Valley," Draven replied, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"Hahah…" the bull demon laughed heartily. "There's an Emperor Bee Hive here. I came for the honey. What about you, fellow warrior?"
"Just collecting some herbs. If that's all, I'll be on my way. It was... nice to see you," Draven said, turning toward the inner forest. His spiritual strength had been sapped after giving his yang energy to the young lady, leaving him in a depleted state.
He knew he couldn't face the bull demon head-on. At best, he could awaken the second head of the Kalsimha Statue, which would be far from enough against a godly beast like the bull demon, who relied purely on brute force.
"Hey now, where are you rushing off to?" the bull demon boomed, his giant frame casting a long shadow over Draven, forcing him to look up to meet its eyes. "Why don't you just kill yourself? It would be less painful. Honestly, being crushed into paste under my hammer isn't a pleasant experience. A warrior like you deserves to die with his body intact." As he spoke, his immense aura surged out, pressing down on Draven with the weight of a mountain.