Ye Ling was slightly taken aback, not expecting the demon snake before her to have the voice of a child.
But upon hearing the words “human pet,” the sharp glint in her eyes intensified. Pointing the tip of the Qinglan Sword at the snake demon in midair, she spoke in a cold, hard tone.
“A human pet?”
“I will never become anyone's subordinate.”
“What on earth are you? Where do you come from, and why were you guarding my cave entrance to corner me?”
The green snake demon tilted its narrow, vertical pupils slightly, as if hearing a word it could not comprehend. After pondering in silence for a moment, it slowly explained in its sweet voice once more.
“A human pet is a human recorded in my bloodline memories who can play with me for a long time.”
The snake demon paused. Realizing it had not finished its answer, it tilted its head, thought for a moment, and continued in its soft, sweet voice.
“You asked what I am? I am just me! I live at the very top of this mountain.”
It raised its slender head and gestured toward the sky above the secret realm, indicating that its home was in that area.
Ye Ling instinctively looked in the direction it pointed, and her heart suddenly sank.
That was the highest peak of Bailing Mountain. In the entire secret realm, only powerful demon beasts at or above the mid-stage Tongxuan Realm had the right to occupy that area.
Although the aura currently emitted by the green snake before her was only at the early-stage Xiantian Realm, Ye Ling did not dare to let her guard down for a second.
To be able to evade her Divine Sense and speak the human tongue so clearly, its true cultivation must be at least at the mid-stage Tongxuan Realm, if not higher!
The green snake drooped its vertical pupils and continued to babble, “I was too bored staying at the mountaintop, so I ran down to wander around.”
“Earlier, I accidentally ran into you fighting a demon beast with huge goat horns. The fragrance of spiritual energy wafting from your body instantly attracted me, so I followed you all the way here in secret.”
At this point, the snake's pupils brightened a bit more, as if it was still savoring Ye Ling's fragrance from back then.
Waves of shock surged in Ye Ling's heart. It turned out that when she was fighting to the death with the Giant-Horned Demon Goat, this demon beast had already been watching from the shadows.
She had been completely unaware the entire time. If it had attacked her, given her condition back then, she would have had absolutely no chance of survival. Thinking about it now, Ye Ling could not help but feel a chill run down her spine.
“Later, I saw you fighting that big fish in the large pool over and over again, and the fragrance on your body grew even stronger.”
The green snake sniffed lightly, its gaze landing directly on Ye Ling, filled with curiosity.
“Human, why does your spiritual energy smell so good?”
“After you went into seclusion to cultivate, the scent actually became even sweeter. Are you really unwilling to be my human pet and play with me?”
Ye Ling observed it closely. Hearing its childish, sweet voice, she could sense that the demon beast's intellect was like that of a simple, innocent young girl.
Yet with danger right in front of her, she did not dare to let her guard down in the slightest. No one could say for sure whether this innocent appearance was a trap it had deliberately disguised.
Ye Ling tightened her grip on the Qinglan Sword slightly, her voice firm and leaving no room for negotiation.
“I will never be any demon's human pet. You need not mention this matter again.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the lively aura around the green snake instantly dimmed, and its vertical pupils were covered with a layer of loneliness and grievance.
The entire snake curled up listlessly in midair, its tail drooping limply. It lowered its gaze to look quietly at Ye Ling, as if asking why.
Only now did Ye Ling get a complete look at its appearance.
It was about half a meter long, with a body as green and clear as jade. Its green scales curved slightly upward in smooth, clean patterns, possessing both the fierce, heroic aura of a demon beast and a natural, elegant beauty. It was an exceptionally beautiful snake-like demon beast.
Ye Ling searched her memory, but she could not find any demon beast matching its description in the Illustrated Registry of Demon Beasts of the Xuantian Continent.
Yet, such a beautiful body paired with its current downcast and lonely posture actually made it look somewhat pitiful.
Ye Ling was not swayed in the slightest by its handsome and pitiful appearance. Her Sword Force did not relax at all as she spoke in a cold tone.
“I still have important matters to attend to. I shall take my leave first. Do not follow me.”
The Bailing Mountain Secret Realm was protected by sect restrictions. Without the sect's permission, the demon beasts within could not cross the boundary of the secret realm at all.
Even if this green snake had a mysterious origin and unpredictable strength, as long as she successfully reached the secret realm's exit and left, she would be able to completely rid herself of its pestering.
Seeing that the other party had no intention of hurting her for now, the safest way was to escape as quickly as possible.
With her mind made up, Ye Ling tapped her toes lightly and leaped onto the Qinglan Sword. A beam of blue sword light sliced through the sky as she sped toward the exit of the secret realm at full speed.
Remaining in midair, the little green snake watched Ye Ling's departing figure, its vertical pupils filled with loneliness and grievance as it murmured softly to itself.
“Why is she unwilling to be my human pet... My bloodline memories say that humans are very willing to accompany true dragons.”
It tilted its head and thought for a moment. Suddenly, as if having an epiphany, it lightly tapped the void with its slender tail.
“It must be because I didn't state my identity clearly. She doesn't know I'm a true dragon, which is why she refused.”
“If she knew I was a true dragon, she would definitely be my human pet!”
“I have to catch up to her and tell her properly again!”
Before its voice could fade, the green snake's long tail swiped gently. The surrounding space suddenly rippled and warped, and a narrow, deep spatial rift tore open out of thin air.
The green snake's figure flashed as it dove straight into the rift. The rift closed in an instant, leaving no trace of it behind.
On the other side, Ye Ling, who was speeding along on her sword, looked back several times. Sensing no demon beast pursuing her, she relaxed her tense nerves slightly and let out a long breath.
It seemed she had finally shaken off that bizarre snake demon. However, this demon beast was too strange. Once she returned to the Qinglan Sword Sect, she had to report this to the Sect Master.
Ye Ling was so focused on her journey that she did not notice a tiny rift silently tearing open in the space just a few yards behind her.
The green snake demon quietly slipped out from the spatial fold, its body turning into a slender green shadow that almost merged with the breeze, silently tailing her.
The green snake greedily sniffed the scent drifting in the air, murmuring in its heart.
“It smells so good. Why is the scent on this human so enticing?”
It searched through its inherited bloodline memories but could not find any relevant records, leaving its heart filled with confusion.
Many sect disciples came and went in the Bailing Mountain Secret Realm, and it had watched many of them from the shadows. Yet, only Ye Ling's body was enveloped in this unique fragrance that made it instinctively want to draw close.
It was as if they were of the same kind. However, she was clearly a human. Unable to make sense of it, it simply stopped thinking about it.
“This human said she has important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb her for now. Once she is done with everything, I will go forward and speak to her in detail.”
“As long as I tell her I'm a true dragon, she will definitely be happy and willing to be my human pet to keep me company.”
At this thought, the green snake demon felt delighted and could not help but let out a soft, sweet giggle.
Ahead, Ye Ling, who was flying at high speed, twitched her ears, and her expression suddenly tensed.
A child's laughter? The Bailing Mountain Secret Realm was filled entirely with demon beasts; how could there be the sound of a child?
She dared not be careless and immediately pushed her Divine Sense to its limit, spreading it across a five-hundred-meter radius to search the surrounding mountain forests inch by inch.
After Ye Ling broke through to the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection, the range of her Divine Sense had also increased.
Yet even after scanning all directions, she could not find a single human figure, let alone any trace of a child.
That was definitely not an illusion. This secret realm was filled with bizarre things; she had to leave as soon as possible.
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