CHAPTER 39: DIVINE BEAST II

She lifted her sword—far too small to block such a monstrous blow.

CLANG!

A black lotus shield appeared just in time. It shattered on contact, but managed to slow the attack enough.

Mu Qin spun mid-air, using the impact’s momentum to launch herself upward. She took a steady breath.

"Falling Petal Severing Art—Third Form: Blossom Breaks the Sky."

The entire cavern dimmed. For one heartbeat, the world stood still—like even winter dared not move.

Then—light flashed violet.

Air hissed as it split.

Her sword carved a deep wound across the serpent’s thick scales. Icy blood burst out, splattering across the frozen cave. The Jade Moon Python roared in agony and rage, pulling back with a shriek.

"You’ve grown stronger," the serpent growled, its voice full of disbelief and anger. "But you will not leave this place alive!"

It lunged forward, a tidal wave of white-blue flesh and frost. Its jaws opened wide, fangs like frozen spears ready to devour her whole.

Mu Qin didn’t blink.

Her sword shimmered—one slow pulse of energy.

Lotus Bloom.

Behind her, a single black lotus appeared in the air.

Then another.

Then dozens.

Each one fell slowly, eerily, filling the cave with soft darkness.

And just as the python reached her—

She vanished again.

This time, she didn’t attack to kill.

Instead, she moved around the beast—once, twice—drawing a glowing circle of black and purple runes in the air.

"Void Lotus Fifth Form—Soul Seal: Lotus Binding."

The lotuses burst in a silent explosion.

A wave of divine sealing energy erupted outward, crashing into the beast like a storm. Glowing lotus chains wrapped around its huge body, sinking deep into its soul. The python froze, mid-strike, its jaws still open, only inches from her shoulder.

The light twisted.

Compressed.

And then, with a low hum, the beast’s massive form was drawn into a single violet petal that floated into her waiting palm.

Inside it—its body, soul, and energy—all sealed in a powerful, divine talisman.

Mu Qin exhaled quietly and lowered her blade.

She looked at the lotus in her hand and gave a cold, almost tired smile.

"You’ve given me enough trouble, old friend."

Then she studied the sealed petal more carefully, her eyes narrowing.

"Now... what exactly does my little disciple want from you?" she whispered.

With a casual flick, she stored the petal inside her spatial ring and turned away.

Her boots echoed softly as she walked deeper into the frozen cave, past cracked crystal and shattered ice. The pool where the python once slept was now still—its surface reflecting the last flickers of lotus light.

And then—she sensed it.

A weak, fading aura of life.

She raised her hand. A gentle wave of her spirit energy swept through the cavern, peeling away a hidden layer of frost on the far wall.

Behind it—was the nest.

Bones lay scattered. Some old, worn down by time. Others... disturbingly fresh.

Beasts. Spirit beasts.

And... humans.

She stepped closer. Her gaze turned colder.

Broken robes. Torn talismans. Half-melted artifacts lay in the pile.

"You’ve been eating well," she muttered. "Treasure hunters, rogue cultivators... maybe even disciples."

She hovered her hand above the pile.

Then, with a clean swing of her sword, she cut into the ice below—revealing a hidden cache beneath the stone.

Light shimmered from within.

Spirit crystals.

Bottled pills.

Two rare beast cores.

And something else.

She stopped.

Among the items was a book. She picked it up.

It pulsed with power.

Her brows furrowed as she read the faint imprint on its spine.

"A peak Divine-grade cultivation method," she whispered. She got stunned for an moment as ecen she don’t have such high rank technique , all her techniques are Peak Heaven at most.

She turned the book over once more in her hand.

"Thousandfold Origin Sutra..." she read aloud.

"So, It’s an auxiliary technique," she murmured, bit disappointed, but it vanished the moment she began to learn the technique.

The more she read, the more her expression changed. By the time she finished, she glanced toward the spot where the python was just now.

"If not for this cultivation method—one that only humans can use—I might have died here today."

The Thousandfold Origin Sutra, as its name suggested, was a technique that temporarily amplified a cultivator’s overall power—whether it be physical strength, reaction speed, or destructive force.

It allowed the user to ignite the full potential of their body and Qi channels, pushing themselves to a limit many didn’t know they possessed.

But the price was steep.

Once activated, the user would be unable to replenish or circulate spiritual energy for the next thirty minutes. Their meridians would be locked in a forced cooldown.

Yet in the midst of battle—especially in life-or-death clashes—this price was often worth paying.

At Level One, the technique boosted one’s total combat power by tenfold.

At Level Three, it exploded to thirtyfold.

And beyond that... the script hinted at even higher stages—each more powerful than the last.

So long as the user had spiritual energy stored within them beforehand, the technique could be activated instantly.

"But how did that beast get this in the first place?" she muttered, beginning to search through the remnants of its nest.

She moved carefully, sifting through frost-covered debris and shattered bones. Nothing stood out at first—until she noticed something odd beneath a thick layer of ice along the far edge of the cavern.

Driven by instinct, she began to melt the ice around the strange formation.

Bit by bit, the frost gave way, revealing something carefully hidden—something the beast had likely buried intentionally.

"It’s a secret realm..." she murmured, eyes narrowing. "He must’ve gotten it from here."

Her gaze locked onto a dark blue portal, faintly glowing at the base of the cavern wall. It pulsed quietly, almost alive, cloaked behind layers of ancient enchanted ice. If she hadn’t been melting the area while checking for hidden relics, she might have missed it entirely.

Mu Qin’s gaze lingered on the flickering blue portal, its surface rippling like water touched by moonlight.

"A secret realm..." she whispered again, voice low with understanding. "So that’s what you were hiding."

Secret realms—mystical spaces detached from the natural world—were rare and often volatile. But even among cultivators, few understood their true origins.

There were two kinds.