Junior Sister, Save Me

Su Jiu moved with incredible speed.

In less than half a day, she had already arrived at Qihuang Gorge.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she located the chillingly cold deep pool and, like a streak of white silk, plunged straight into it.

The icy water enveloped her.

She passed through an invisible barrier.

Slipped through a crevice barely wide enough for a single person.

The surroundings abruptly opened up before her.

Su Jiu landed on the floor of the cavern and instinctively shook her head, only for her movements to freeze mid-action.

With a faint surge of spiritual energy, her drenched robes and hair instantly dried.

Then, a wave of scorching heat rushed toward her.

A flame barrier, infused with Golden Core-level energy, sealed the entrance.

Though troublesome, Su Jiu spent some time dismantling it.

After all, the Golden Core elder wasn’t physically present.

Once the barrier was broken, the air grew thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and a faint trace of blood.

From the depths, the frenzied roars of a demonic beast echoed faintly.

Something had indeed gone wrong.

Su Jiu’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she quickened her pace.

Soon, she arrived at the edge of a cliff over a hundred meters high.

The abyss below seemed to devour all light.

She glanced down without much thought.

With a light tap of her toes against the cliff’s edge, she gracefully descended.

The speed of her fall was extreme, the wind howling in her ears.

Just before she was about to hit the ground, Su Jiu’s fair foot lightly pressed against the air.

An invisible force cushioned her body, instantly dissipating the momentum of her descent.

She landed soundlessly on the solid ground.

The moment she steadied herself, a putrid stench assaulted her nostrils.

Su Jiu’s frown deepened.

Someone had died.

Following the smell, she took a few steps forward.

About ten meters away, a decomposing corpse lay sprawled unnaturally on the ground.

Beneath it, a faint human-shaped indentation marked the spot.

Judging by the state of the body…

It had clearly fallen straight from above without any attempt to break the fall.

Su Jiu’s mind immediately conjured up an image of Su Ji’s face—always wearing that shameless, roguish grin.

She could almost picture exactly what had happened.

Had this unlucky fellow been kicked off the cliff by Su Ji as a way to test its depth?

Too bad Su Ji wasn’t here.

Otherwise, he’d surely be protesting loudly.

I’m not that kind of person!

Su Jiu shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought.

Without lingering, she flashed forward, darting deeper into the molten cavern.

……

Su Jiu navigated through the labyrinthine tunnels.

The place was riddled with forks and winding paths.

Even though she was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with spiritual sense capable of covering a considerable range, the complex terrain and the ever-present scorching aura led her astray more than once.

She grew impatient.

Not because she was lost, but because the deeper she went, the clearer the roars of the demonic beast became—each one brimming with a savagery that sent a chill down her spine.

A Golden Core-level demonic beast.

How could Su Ji, a mere eighth-level Qi Refiner, dare to venture into such a place?

Did he think slaying a Nascent Soul once made him invincible?

Su Jiu halted, closing her eyes.

The surrounding clamor seemed to fade away.

She focused inward, reaching for that faint, intangible connection.

It was the ancient bond between the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox lineage and the Great Xia Imperial Clan—and the blood oath forged between them through a drop of heart’s blood.

Found him.

Far ahead, to the left.

His energy was erratic, but his life force remained stable.

Su Jiu reopened her eyes and, without hesitation, shot forward like a blur, racing toward the direction of her senses.

……

Meanwhile, in another part of the caverns.

Su Ji suddenly felt his spiritual root grow warm and itchy.

He scratched it absentmindedly.

“What are you scheming now?”

A weak yet irritated voice came from beside him.

Su Ji turned his head.

Gu Ranran was leaning against a boulder, panting. Her robes—the signature attire of the Joyful Union Sect—were now tattered, revealing large patches of fair skin smudged with dust and blood. She looked utterly disheveled.

“Nothing, just a cramp.”

Su Ji lied without batting an eye.

Gu Ranran shot him a look that screamed “Do you think I’m an idiot?” but lacked the energy to argue further.

BOOM!

A section of the cavern wall nearby shattered as a massive figure burst through.

The fire python.

But now, it was even more enraged—its serpentine eyes blood-red, locked onto Su Ji and Gu Ranran with murderous intent.

Embedded in the thick base of its tail were two gleaming swords, already halfway buried in its backside.

“ROAR—!”

Every movement seemed to aggravate the wound, sending the python into another furious bellow.

Su Ji didn’t waste a second. He turned and bolted.

Gu Ranran forced herself up, limping after him.

Thus, the chase unfolded—one man, one woman, and one furious python tearing through the caverns.

How they ended up in this mess was a long story.

That day, the fire python and the Joyful Union Sect disciples had fought to a stalemate.

Su Ji had planned to make a discreet exit—smart men didn’t stick around for doomed battles.

But the python had used its innate ability to seal the only exit with molten rock.

Not even a fly could escape.

Trapped, Su Ji and the sole survivor, Gu Ranran, were left to their fates.

Su Ji wasn’t worried.

He found a corner and settled in, even managing to cultivate now and then.

He knew Su Jiu would come for him. All he had to do was wait.

But Gu Ranran didn’t share his confidence.

The proud Holy Maiden of the Joyful Union Sect couldn’t stand the thought of rotting in this hellhole.

So, she embarked on a series of increasingly reckless attempts to escape.

First, she tried brute force—only to be swatted aside by the python’s tail.

Then, she attempted seduction, using the Joyful Union Sect’s signature charm techniques.

But the python only cared about ascending to dragonhood. To it, this strange two-legged creature was downright ugly. It responded by spewing molten rock at her.

With neither force nor charm working, Gu Ranran grew desperate.

In a final act of spite, she used illusion magic to disguise herself as Su Ji, then—while the python slept—stabbed its backside with all her might.

Her plan? Maybe the pain would drive it away from the Dragon’s Saliva Stone, allowing her to attempt a breakthrough to Golden Core.

Normally, the python would’ve seen through the trick.

But being stabbed in such a sensitive area sent it into an uncontrollable frenzy.

Now, it cared about nothing except slaughtering the human who dared violate its dignity.

Hence, the current predicament.

Honestly, Su Ji had never been pursued with such fervor in his life.

As he ran, his irritation grew.

Finally, pushed to his limit, he drew the Golden Core elder’s sword and—mid-sprint—stabbed the python again.

Thus…

Su Ji’s aggro meter maxed out.

Then, while fleeing and inevitably getting lost, he stumbled upon Gu Ranran chiseling away at the Dragon’s Saliva Stone.

Without hesitation, he redirected the python straight toward her.

“Right this way, big guy! Let me introduce you to a lovely lady!”

The python, hearing Su Ji’s taunts and spotting Gu Ranran, lost what little restraint it had left.

One stabs its rear, the other steals its lifeblood—neither of them is any good.

Gu Ranran's hatred shifted into something else.

Gu Ranran, injured, fled at a speed nearly matching Su Ji's.

She ended up becoming Su Ji's makeshift shield.

The fire serpent alternated between chasing Su Ji and Gu Ranran.

One was slippery as an eel, the other was thorny with tricks up her sleeve.

Both believed they had the means to easily kill the other, yet neither dared to strike.

Without someone to share the heat, wouldn’t that be suicide?

...

Just then.

A figure in red robes appeared without warning at the opposite entrance of the molten cave.

Her white hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she stood barefoot.

An aura of unapproachability surrounded her, starkly out of place in the scorching, blood-soaked environment.

It was Su Jiu.

The moment she arrived, she took in the chaotic scene before her:

A barely clad, alluring woman, a frantically dodging senior brother, and a furious fire serpent with a sword lodged in its rear, chasing them both.

Su Ji, spotting Su Jiu, saw salvation and immediately bellowed,

"Little sister, save me!"