Chapter 6: The Bloody Secret Realm (Part 2)

The One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros let out a roar, using all its strength in its four hooves as it charged at Xuan Ai without hesitation.
Xuan Ai screamed. He didn’t dare confront this savage rhinoceros head-on and quickly retreated.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed, shaking the entire ground. A giant dragon appeared, nearly a hundred meters long. Its roar terrified Xuan Ai, who cried out, “Guo Shier, run… it’s a giant dragon!”
It was the first time Guo Shier had unleashed the giant dragon, and he too was shocked by its size. It was similar to the earth dragons he had seen, slightly smaller, but far more ferocious and terrifying. Its scales were deep blue, and it had a single horn on its head—much larger than that of the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros.
The giant dragon suddenly turned, swinging its massive tail with force.
Swish… Boom…
The blow sent the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros flying into the air. Immediately afterward, the giant dragon pounced, grabbed the rhinoceros with its mouth, and shook its head violently. With a crack, the rhinoceros was torn apart. Over ten meters long, it sprayed blood like a rain of crimson as it was torn apart.
Roar!
Guo Shier himself wasn’t aware of how fierce this giant dragon was, feeling a mix of joy and surprise. With this dragon, he could protect himself in this bloody secret realm.
“Xuan Ai! Stop running! This giant dragon is mine!”
Guo Shier had a good impression of Xuan Ai—this guy still remembered to tell him to run in a critical moment.
Everything happened so suddenly. Xuan Ai hadn’t gone far when he saw the giant dragon kill the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros. Hearing Guo Shier’s call, he was filled with terror. His knowledge was indeed greater than Guo Shier’s—he recognized it as a giant dragon at once and knew it was at least at level seven or higher.
Only then did Xuan Ai realize that earlier, when he said master-level spells couldn’t control level-seven mutated beast talismans, the kid hadn’t argued but instead demonstrated by using such a talisman right in front of him. He blushed slightly and raised his hands, saying, “Okay, you win. You’re amazing…” Before long, he cried out in pain, “Wah! Shier… put away your giant dragon!”
The giant dragon swiftly spat out a blue flame, turning the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros into a pile of bones and a torn red rhinoceros hide in the blink of an eye. Its flesh, organs, and soul were completely absorbed by it.

Guo Shier was stunned, this giant creature was truly astonishing. After a while, he burst into laughter and said, “Amazing… Haha, it’s so powerful!”
Xuan Ai sighed and stomped his feet, “Alas, what a pity… All that meat is gone. Ah… It could have lasted for days. Such a waste…” He kept muttering to himself, his voice not loud, but Guo Shier heard every word clearly.
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Xuan Ai, this is my prey. Why are you in such a hurry?” He carefully stored away the Giant Perching Dragon.
Xuan Ai replied, “Of course I’m anxious. You don’t know how scarce food is here. Many mutated talisman beasts and mutated talisman worms can’t be eaten. The few that can be eaten are either extremely powerful or very hard to find. Ah, you still don’t realize how difficult life is here.”
Guo Shier smiled indifferently. He was used to carrying plenty of food—this was a habit from his past life. With his talisman storage bag, he brought even more food, so he wasn’t worried about running out. He also possessed the Talisman of the Giant Perching Dragon, the Talisman of the Ancient Flame Sparrow, and the Talisman of the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, giving him great strength, making it easy for him to hunt mutated talisman beasts.
He said, “Xuan Ai, wait until I finish tidying up, then we’ll eat!” He and Eagle Demon gathered the bones of the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros and the torn pieces of its hide.
Xuan Ai was still confused, “Eat? You… you’re treating me to a meal?”
Guo Shier laughed, “What? Are you too embarrassed to eat?”
Xuan Ai cheered and said repeatedly, “Eat… I’ll eat! Haha, why be embarrassed? I have a thick skin! Haha, this is the first time I’ve seen someone treat me to a meal in the Bloody Trial Grounds, haha…”
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon exchanged glances, not understanding why this guy was so excited. It was just a meal—why such enthusiasm? They had no idea that this guy had been hungry for many days. If it weren’t for his master-level physique, he would have collapsed from hunger long ago.
Xuan Ai quickly set up a simple tent, laid down thick animal skins, and placed a small table, waiting eagerly for Guo Shier to bring out the food.
Guo Shier took out a large copper pot. After collecting plenty of talisman fire, he created special talismans for lighting fires. He first attached a fire talisman to the bottom of the pot, poured clean water in, added large pieces of fresh meat and bones, some scallions and ginger, then activated the fire talisman.
A rich aroma filled the tent. Xuan Ai could no longer sit still and rushed out, saying, “It smells so good…”

Xuan Ai swallowed hard; his stomach was rumbling like a drum. He was starving, and the scent of meat made him want to reach out through his throat and grab it. With a forced smile, he said obsequiously, “Hehe, Guo Shier, if there’s anything you need me to do, just give the order…”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Wait a bit. The meat needs to cook for a while before it’s ready. Hmm, this is sauce—take it to the tent.” He took out a small jar of sauce.
Xuan Ai dipped his finger in a little and tasted it, exclaiming in surprise, “Woo… it’s delicious!”
Guo Shier shouted, “That’s sauce! Not food… Hey, don’t you think it’s too salty?” But Xuan Ai couldn’t resist taking a sip of the sauce, smacking his lips continuously and saying, “It’s delicious… really delicious!” Both Guo Shier and the Eagle Demon thought this guy had gone mad from hunger.
The Eagle Demon said, “I’m even getting hungry because of him!”
Guo Shier laughed heartily and said, “Yeah, haha!” In his past life, he had seen too many people on the verge of death from hunger, knowing that once people are starving, they’ll eat anything—even mud.
After about an hour, Xuan Ai would occasionally slip out of the tent and pace back and forth by the large copper pot. He stared at Guo Shier with longing eyes, looking as if he had been abused by him countless times, his expression pitiful like that of a tormented child bride, making Guo Shier feel uncomfortable.
“Done!”
As soon as Guo Shier said this, he saw Xuan Ai burst out of the tent. His eyes glowed green as he stared intently at the steaming pot, saying, “Give it to me… give it to me! I want the biggest piece!” He wiped his waist and took out a copper basin, holding it out to Guo Shier.
Guo Shier cut out a large piece of meat with a knife and fork and said, “You’re hungry—eat first…”
Xuan Ai clutched the basin and rushed back into the tent without even saying a word. Soon, the sound of chewing could be heard, making others drool. Guo Shier could imagine how ugly his eating habits must be. He shouted, “Xuan Ai, don’t eat too fast! Be careful you don’t choke!”
Xuan Ai didn’t say a word, and the chewing sound grew even louder.
The Dark-Winged Scorpion, which had been on guard, suddenly turned its body. It had already released the small scorpions on its back, covering an area of several hundred meters under its surveillance. As soon as the Dark-Winged Scorpion moved, Guo Shier noticed it and said, “There’s trouble!”
The Eagle Demon straightened up and asked, “What?”
Guo Shier leaped onto the back of the Dark-Winged Scorpion and urged the scorpion to run forward quickly.

The Eagle Demon dropped the plate in his hand and chased after her; he wasn’t willing to let Guo Shier go out alone. Xuan Ai was completely absorbed in the delicious food and had no idea what was happening outside.
Guo Shier directed the scorpion to move quickly, covering hundreds of meters in moments. He seemed to spot a shadow and immediately urged the scorpion to chase after it. It was a thin figure—undoubtedly a person.
“Hey, friend ahead, stop! I mean no harm!”
The scorpion moved faster than the person could run, and a few minutes later, Guo Shier caught up with her.
The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion ordered its smaller scorpions to surround her. Standing on the scorpion’s back, Guo Shier observed her carefully and was surprised—she was actually a girl, only seventeen or eighteen years old, looking disheveled, holding a talisman knife.
Guo Shier jumped off the scorpion’s back and instructed the smaller scorpions to climb back onto the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion’s back to hide. He said, “Sorry, my scorpions didn’t scare you, did they?”
Seeing that it was a half-grown child with a handsome face and clean clothes, seemingly not someone who lived in a bloody trial ground, the girl relaxed slightly. A child’s appearance gave people a sense of safety. Although fighting and killing were prohibited here, robberies happened often, so she had to be cautious.
Though she relaxed a bit, she remained wary, holding the talisman knife across her chest. Staring at Guo Shier, she said stubbornly, “This scorpion can’t scare me!”
The Eagle Demon rushed through the blood mist and stopped abruptly, also looking surprised. He asked, “Shier, who is she?”
Guo Shier replied, “I don’t know her.”
The Eagle Demon sized up the girl. Her clothes were tattered, her body covered in dirt, her face obscured like that of a tabby cat, making it impossible to see her features. There were no talisman pouches on her, and her hair was in disarray—she looked pitiful. But her eyes showed stubbornness and strength, her grip on the knife handle turning white.
She resembled a little wolf, snarling fiercely, yet unable to hide her weakness.
The Eagle Demon said, “Shier, she’s not a threat. Let’s go!”
But Guo Shier was moved by the girl’s stubborn attitude—it must have been difficult for her to survive here. He said, “I don’t know who you are, but since we’ve met, it must be fate. Let’s go eat together. You probably came here because you smelled the meat, right?”

The girl first shook her head, then nodded. Guo Shier jumped onto the scorpion’s back and said, “If you trust me, come with me. We just cooked a pot of meat…” The girl hesitated for a moment. Seeing Guo Shier about to disappear into the blood mist on the scorpion, she gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and followed with her talisman sword. When there was no way out, she was willing to brave even a sea of knives and flames.