Xie Zhaolin's steps paused for a moment, and her powerful divine sense instantly spread, probing the area ahead. Through her divine sense, she clearly saw the scene in the valley—two groups were in a fierce clash, or rather, it was a three-way standoff.
One group was a handful of demon cultivators, their bodies wreathed in dark qi, each striking brutally.
Another group were bald donkeys in bright yellow robes—the disciples of the Mingguang Sect.
And the third party was a foundation late-stage beast, a Bi Lin Python, coiled deep within a cave. It was alertly watching the fight outside, obviously guarding something inside.
Xie Zhaolin couldn't help rolling her eyes. The bald donkeys of Mingguang Sect, she'd dealt with them in her past life, and they were a real pain. Those monks opened their mouths only to spout "Please, noble cultivator, act with restraint" or "Amitabha," and she didn't even have to get close before they were preaching endless principles. Shaking the annoying echoes of those monks' magic from her mind, she carefully observed the battlefield.
Most of the demon cultivators bore sword wounds of varying severity, faint traces of Buddhist energy lingering at the edges—clear signs of being ambushed first.
The monks, though wounded too, had far lighter injuries, clearly joining the fight later.
She also noticed several demon treasure-seeking tools scattered on the ground. One compass-shaped device was still faintly glowing—proof the demons had found this spot first and were caught mid-ritual.
"Heh, the bald donkey's old trick," Xie Zhaolin snorted in her mind.
She couldn't count how many times she'd seen this in her past life.
The Mingguang monks always wore this look of sorrowful compassion, but when it came to grabbing resources, no one was fiercer. She remembered vividly one time in the North Sea Secret Realm. The monks claimed, "This item has ties to Buddha," then turned around and cleared out an entire garden of thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.
Now, the lead monk of Mingguang Sect pressed his palms together, raising his voice at the demon cultivators: "Amitabha. Noble demon cultivators, the sea of suffering is boundless. Turn back. The herbs in this cave are connected to Buddha and shouldn't be tainted by dark qi…"
Xie Zhaolin could almost recite the rest of the dialogue—these monks' routine never changed.
The lead demon cultivator, furious, shouted, "Bullshit! We found it first! You bald donkeys think an ambush gives you the right?!"
Xie Zhaolin shook her head in amusement.
She'd seen this play countless times—Mingguang monks excelled at this kind of advance-by-retreat trick. They'd first offer words of persuasion. If ignored, they'd reluctantly fight, then finish with a self-righteous "I did this for your own good," sometimes even pretending to act on behalf of Heaven itself.
She recalled the East Sea Secret Realm, where the monks said to her, "Noble cultivator, this dragon egg is connected to Buddha. Please allow it to be."
She'd been so furious she unleashed her life-bound treasure, scattering the bald donkeys like leaves in the wind.
Thinking of that, Xie Zhaolin subconsciously rubbed her empty wrist. In her past life, her life-bound treasure, the Shi Yue Ribbon, had always been wrapped around it. Made mainly of moonlight refined into precious metal, combined with countless heavenly materials, it was a spiritual treasure already linked to her mind, obeying her like an extension of her body.
Now, reborn, any ordinary flying sword or artifact felt clumsy, like scratching an itch through a boot.
Ordinary artifacts were either too light or too heavy, the flow of spiritual energy never as smooth or seamless as with her true treasure, always a little off.
"Looks like as soon as I leave the secret realm, first thing I'll do is gather materials and refine the Shi Yue Ribbon again," she thought.
Just as her mind wandered, the battlefield shifted suddenly.
The lead demon cultivator, clearly provoked by the monks' hypocrisy, bellowed, "Enough chatter with these bald donkeys! Attack!"
A surge of dark qi burst forth. The two sides clashed violently again, treasure lights colliding with magic and Buddhist energy, the valley echoing with thunderous roars.
Xie Zhaolin's eyes flickered with cunning.
Silently, she circled to the back of the cave. Her past-life experience exploring secret realms let her quickly spot a vine-covered crevice, just wide enough for a person to slip through.
She held her breath, scrutinizing the narrow gap.
She knew the Bi Lin Python's senses were extremely sharp for a foundation late-stage beast. One false move and it would be alerted. If the beast sounded the alarm, the two outside groups would likely pause fighting each other, uniting against any intruder—no one wanted to give a third party an advantage.
Her mind raced. The python liked cool places, hated scorching heat, but couldn't resist the scent of certain spiritual fruits…
"Got it."
Xie Zhaolin carefully pulled out a crimson spiritual fruit from her storage bag—one of the fire-plasma berries she'd collected a couple days ago. Not much use to cultivators, but irresistible to snakes and similar beasts.
"Perfect."
She rolled the berry deep into the cave, landing within the python's line of sight.
As expected, the Bi Lin Python's attention was drawn. Hesitant at first, it slowly slithered toward the fruit, despite its unknown origin.
Seizing the moment, Xie Zhaolin darted into the cave, heading straight for a glowing white herb—the rare Yuehua Grass! Her heart soared. Yuehua Grass was one of the key materials to refine the Shi Yue Ribbon. She hadn't expected to find it here.
Just as she secured it and prepared to leave, a massive boom shook the cave. Her divine sense swept the area. The lead demon cultivator had self-destructed his treasure, severely injuring the lead Mingguang monk.
Startled, the Bi Lin Python snapped around, catching sight of Xie Zhaolin taking the Yuehua Grass. It roared furiously and spat a venomous stream!
Luckily, she was ready. She flickered aside while tossing three fire-plasma berries.
The python instinctively lunged for the berries, giving her just enough time to slip out of the cave and vanish into the dense forest without looking back.
Behind her came the python's enraged roars and the startled shouts of the two groups. Though curious about their storage bags, her rational mind told her now wasn't the time. Wounded beasts were the most dangerous, and so were wounded cultivators and demons.
The supposedly benevolent monks could unleash nasty tricks if cornered, and demons, when dying, often went all-in.
"Forget it," she sighed, pushing down her greed.
Countless past experiences taught her the deadliest trap in a secret realm was greed. Many had tried to snatch a little extra, only to end up as someone else's prize. Sure enough, not long after she left, a stronger surge of spiritual energy erupted from the cave.
Xie Zhaolin smirked but didn't slow her pace.
Let the bald donkeys and demons fight each other—she was perfectly happy just watching the show.
===
If you're curious and want to dive deeper into Bald Donkey, feel free to check out my glossary on Webnovel. Just head over to my profile and look for the book titled The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond or The Webnovel Handbook: A Guide to Slang, Tropes, and Inside Jokes. You'll find it covered in Chapter: Bald Donkey.
I recommend adding it to your library—it'll save you the trouble of searching for it later, and you'll always have it on hand whenever you need a quick reference.
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云清月 (Yún Qīngyuè), 蚀月 (Shí Yuè), and 弑月 (Shì Yuè).
Her life bound weapon is 蚀月绫 (Shí Yuè Líng)
蚀月 (Shí Yuè): "Eclipse Moon" or "Corrode Moon." This is the weapon's name, indicating its power and nature—something potent enough to erode or overshadow the moon itself.