Lauren’s sword trembled slightly.

  “…What did you just say?”

  “You know Grandpa Edmund, right?”

  Lauren stiffened. She immediately sent a message through her spiritual sense, demanding an explanation.

  Edmund paused his work and poked his head out from Lauren’s sleeve.

  The moment he saw the girl, realization dawned.

  “I saw this child at Silent Fang’s territory before.”

  Silent Fang?

  Oh. That ancient demon lord of the South Sea.

  Lauren instantly sheathed her sword.

  “Your brother is Silent Fang?”

  “Yes, sister! You remember!”

  …Of course I remember. With that kind of backing, killing you would be suicide.

  “How did you recognize me?” Lauren asked, touching her face. Even her own mother wouldn’t recognize her right now.

  “I smelled you.”

  “…What?”

  “Everyone smells different,” the girl explained cheerfully. “Others can’t tell, but I can. It’s my innate ability.”

  Lauren sighed internally.

  Of course demons had weird, bullshit talents like that.

  Her expression immediately softened into a polite smile.

  “Then I suppose I should thank you. Thank you for not attacking me earlier.”

  “You’re welcome,” the girl said happily. “Brother said it’s only right to give way to sister and Grandpa.”

  Lauren twitched slightly at the word again.

  “Why do you call Edmund Grandpa?”

  The girl answered matter-of-factly, “Grandpa is my brother’s ancestor.”

  Edmund, still clinging to Lauren’s sleeve with his tiny claws, snorted.

  “I am not. Your brother is a scaled dragon. I am not related to him.”

  “We will be the same kind after Brother evolves into a true dragon,” the girl said confidently. “So I’m calling you that in advance.”

  Edmund sneered.

  “Let him survive the evolution first.”

  With that, he retreated back into the inner space, grumbling while staring at the piles of corpses waiting for processing. He still needed to conserve his strength for Drake’s future plans.

  The little white bird girl looked up at Lauren with watery eyes.

  “Grandpa doesn’t like me?”

  Lauren chuckled awkwardly. “It’s not that… he just doesn’t like being called Grandpa.”

  “Then what should I call him?”

  “…Call him Brother?”

  “No. Brother calls him Grandpa. If I call him Brother, that would ruin the family hierarchy.”

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  Lauren stared at her in disbelief.

  Good grief. Demon beasts care about family ranking now?

  She was starting to feel curious about that South Sea scaled dragon.

  “So what do you want to call him?” Lauren asked.

  “How about… Ancestor?”

  “…Sure. That works.”

  The girl brightened instantly.

  “Then Sister, can I travel with you?”

  Lauren glanced at the girl’s still-bleeding arm and nodded.

  “Fine. You’re too vulnerable to wander the fourth level alone in that condition.”

  She tossed her a healing pill.

  “Take this.”

  The girl accepted it reverently, eyes sparkling.

  Human cultivator elixirs were extremely valuable to demon beasts.

  “By the way,” Lauren said, “what’s your name?”

  “My name is White.”

  “Alright, White. You can stay with me until you recover.”

  Lauren paused before adding, “But why were you trying to kill that python? You clearly weren’t strong enough.”

  White brightened. “There’s something inside its cave that I need.”

  Moments later, the girl led Lauren straight toward the python’s lair.

  The cave tunnel stretched deep underground, its walls polished smooth by years of the serpent’s movement.

  Strangely, the deeper they walked, the less foul the air became. Instead, a faint, soothing fragrance lingered in the air.

  The temperature shifted as well.

  Rather than the harsh chill of the Icefield Secret Realm, the interior of the cave felt warm—like early spring sunlight soaking into the earth. The atmosphere was oddly comforting.

  “Sister, we’re here.”

  They stepped into the deepest chamber.

  Lauren stopped in her tracks. The sight before them was breathtaking.

  A towering tree heavy with crimson fruit stood at the center of the cavern. Around its roots grew clusters of ancient spiritual herbs, each radiating the unmistakable aura of plants cultivated for thousands of years.

  Lauren’s eyes lit up.

  *I’ve hit the jackpot. Time to strip this place bare.*

  She forced down her excitement and turned toward the white bird girl.

  “White, what do you need from here?”

  “That one,” White said, pointing eagerly. “Fire Spirit Fruit. It’s extremely beneficial for my cultivation. My brother sent me specifically to collect it.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Go pick it.”

  White darted forward—but halfway there, she suddenly stopped and turned back, looking embarrassed.

  “Sister killed the giant python,” she said hesitantly. “According to the rules, Sister should take the fruits first. You can choose what you want, and I’ll take the rest.”

  Lauren let out a quiet laugh.

  “And where did you learn these ‘rules’?”

  “My brother taught me.”

  “Just pick them,” Lauren replied, waving a hand dismissively. “Leave me about ten. I can’t use them right now anyway.”

  White blinked in surprise. “Wouldn’t Sister be at a loss? There are hundreds of fruits here.”

  “It’s fine. Hurry up.”

  Lauren’s gaze swept across the cavern floor.

  After all, once this cave was moved into her space, every inch of it would belong to her anyway.

  Once White finished harvesting the Fire Spirit Fruit, Lauren flicked her sleeve.

  With a surge of spiritual power, the entire patch of land—including the tree and surrounding soil—vanished, swallowed directly into her inner space.

  Inside, Edmund stared at the newly arrived mass of dirt and plants and released a long, exhausted sigh.

  Endless. Absolutely endless.

  Even miners in the Upper Realm probably didn’t work this hard.

  “Stop sighing,” Lauren’s voice echoed through the space. “Tonight I’ll hunt more fifth- and sixth-tier demonic beasts for you. Beast cores like those can’t be bought, no matter how many spirit stones you throw around.”

  Edmund paused.

  …Fine. That did improve his mood slightly.

  .....

  Night fell.

  Lauren brought White into the tent.

  White looked around in open fascination before beaming brightly.

  “You human cultivators are amazing! This is way more comfortable than carrying lanterns outside.”

  Lauren smiled faintly. “First time leaving home?”

  “Yes. I’ve always cultivated in the South Sea before this.”

  Lauren nodded quietly.

  No wonder she’s so naive, even as a fifth-tier transformed demon beast.

  That scaled dragon brother of hers must be absurdly carefree, letting her wander out alone. For all she knew, White could’ve been sold off somewhere and happily helped count the money afterward.

  “I’m going to meditate soon,” Lauren said. “Stand guard and don’t let anyone disturb me. Got it?”

  “Yes!” White nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll keep watch properly.”

  ......

  True night descended.

  Darkness swallowed the world whole.

  Demonic beasts disappeared completely, while cultivators either clutched their lanterns or retreated into tents. The land fell into eerie silence.

  Unseen by anyone, Lauren merged her spiritual sense with her Nascent Soul once more.

  A colossal phantom version of herself materialized outside the tent, towering into the darkness.

  Her lantern-sized eyes glowed faintly as she surveyed her surroundings.

  The phantom didn’t walk—it drifted, weightless as a ghost, floating through the air while carefully avoiding the scattered patches of lamplight below.

  There were far fewer cultivators here than in the outer zones. The clusters of light were sparse and isolated.

  Suddenly, a savage beast soul lunged out of the black mist.

  Lauren clenched her fist and smashed downward.

  The drawback of this phantom form was obvious—she couldn’t wield weapons or use her stockpile of Explosive Spirit Talismans.

  But the advantage was just as clear. The fusion of Nascent Soul and spiritual sense created a combat form far stronger than ordinary condensed beast souls.

  The beast souls, after all, lacked the physical resilience possessed by their living counterparts.