The Advantage of Flying Is Running Faster

Li Yingling was not angered by her fifth junior brother’s rebellious words. Instead, she felt a trace of pity for him—after all, he had taken their master’s pills and still hadn’t grasped the true nature of their teacher.

That dazzlingly titled "Blazing Heaven’s Golden Path Heart Sutra"—Li Yingling had only seen the cover once before it vanished without a trace. Clearly, their master was wary of letting her lay eyes on such a formidable-looking divine manual. And whenever her junior brother encountered difficulties, he always sought their master’s guidance rather than hers.

Li Yingling didn’t need to think hard to realize that this heart sutra must contain some of their master’s unique secrets.

As for her fifth junior brother being the master’s favorite?

Li Yingling could only sigh inwardly. If only their second junior brother were here—he’d have given Cui Hao a proper lesson.

She wondered how their second junior brother was faring in the Central Continent.

Did their master really just let him go there without a second thought?

Cui Hao glanced sideways and noticed that his senior sister’s expression remained calm, clearly unbothered by his earlier complaints.

Seeing the exhaustion on both their faces, Li Yingling explained,

"The enchanted pearls crafted by Senior Sister Baiqing’s divine arts can only conceal our forms, not our scents. Most demons are highly sensitive to smells, so we’ll need to mask ours."

"Besides, Cui Hao, you’ve already endured Master’s pills. A little stench shouldn’t be a problem now."

Cui Hao, who had been grimacing in discomfort, paused at her words. Then, realizing the logic in them, he nodded.

Compared to the pills, this stench almost smelled… pleasant.

Lin Luoyu, the only one who hadn’t tasted their master’s "medicine," observed Cui Hao’s reaction—his solemn nod and look of conviction—and silently reevaluated her stance on the pills.

If I can avoid taking them, I absolutely will.

Cui Hao eyed their senior sister, who stood pristine and ethereal, untouched by the foul-smelling paste, and couldn’t help but ask,

"Then why aren’t you applying it, Senior Sister?"

"Because I’m a Golden Core Master," Li Yingling replied with unwavering confidence. "My qi is perfectly contained—nothing leaks out."

Cui Hao studied her face skeptically. He wasn’t a Golden Core cultivator, so he couldn’t verify her claim. But then he recalled how she had once cleaved a mountain in half with a single sword stroke.

…Well, I’ll take her word for it.

Lin Luoyu wasn’t overly bothered by the stench—she had a decent tolerance for such things. What concerned her more was their mission.

"Senior Sister," she asked softly, "are you sure the three of us won’t be in over our heads, stirring trouble in a Demon King’s territory?"

"Not quite accurate," Li Yingling corrected. "I’ll be the one stirring trouble."

She turned to her two junior siblings, both still at the Qi Refining stage, and instructed,

"Your job is to deal with any fleeing minor demons. Don’t let a single one escape."

Lin Luoyu frowned. "If that’s the case, why don’t we just charge in directly?"

Cui Hao chuckled beside her.

"You clearly haven’t grasped Master’s true teachings!"

Lin Luoyu looked puzzled.

Cui Hao shared his wisdom: "When facing enemies, abandon all notions of honor! Ambush them if you can—never fight fair. Gang up on them—never fight alone."

"Master’s words ring true: Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself."

Li Yingling nodded approvingly. Though her fifth junior brother lacked natural talent, his mindset was commendable.

Lin Luoyu’s eyes widened in realization—I’ve been too principled.

This ambush plan was Li Yingling’s brainchild, made possible by Chen Baiqing’s full cooperation.

Instead of handing the three captured minor demons over to Zhao Chun’s alliance, she had entrusted them to her junior sister.

Chen Baiqing had confidently assured her, "Leave them to me. In two days, they’ll answer any question you ask."

Skeptical but willing to try, Li Yingling had agreed.

Two days later, her sweet and innocent third junior sister cheerfully reported, "All done!"

Still doubtful, Li Yingling followed Chen Baiqing to see the demons.

The three creatures lay limp on the ground, their eyes vacant, their spirits broken. They muttered incoherently, their bodies like boneless husks.

Li Yingling glanced at Chen Baiqing, who stood nearby, nibbling on candied fruit as if nothing were amiss.

"Junior Sister," Li Yingling asked hesitantly, "what exactly did you…?"

"Master taught me," Chen Baiqing answered firmly.

Li Yingling immediately understood. If their master was involved, nothing was too strange.

The longer you knew him, the more you realized—he was comprehensive.

True to her word, Chen Baiqing had ensured the demons answered every question.

Though sometimes, they would suddenly break down, sobbing and begging to be killed—either before or after questioning. Their desperation bordered on madness.

Even the squad leader, a weasel demon, was no exception.

At such moments, Li Yingling couldn’t help but glance at Chen Baiqing, who stood quietly, head bowed, nibbling sweets as if utterly detached from the scene.

Back then, Li Yingling had only thought—

The Third Junior Sister might truly be the disciple who inherited the master’s teachings most completely.

Under the three demons’ unreserved confessions, she decisively extracted every detail they knew.

The so-called Demon Kingdom was, in reality, so fragmented it barely resembled a kingdom at all.

Each Demon King led their own faction of lesser demons, occupying their respective mountain territories.

There was no coordination whatsoever—even the exchange of information was minimal.

These three demons served under the Great Wu Demon King—a Golden Core Master in the form of a massive water buffalo.

As a newly ascended Demon King, the water buffalo’s forces were among the weakest in number.

Moreover, in the drought-stricken Desolate Ridge, the buffalo was clearly out of its element, likely suffering a significant drop in combat effectiveness.

Combined with its already low standing, this Demon King had been pushed to the frontlines.

If they wanted to breach the enemy’s defenses, this would be the easiest point to exploit.

This raid wasn’t led solely by Li Yingling and her junior siblings—Zhao Chun’s main forces were positioned right behind them.

No doubt, Li Yingling’s somewhat reckless strategy had placed immense pressure on Zhao Chun.

If this young mistress were to fall here, the Xuanwu Kingdom’s downfall might not even be at the hands of the Demon Kingdom.

But since she carried the Heavenly Divination Jade Token, she surely had a few tricks up her sleeve.

If the decapitation strike succeeded and threw the demon frontlines into chaos,

then the first phase of their plan—reclaiming the lost territories—would be as good as accomplished.

Besides, a prodigy like her was bound to have layers upon layers of protective measures.

On top of that, Li Yingling wasn’t someone Zhao Chun could order around—nor did he dare try. He could only adjust his deployments based on her movements.

At the Demon Kingdom’s frontline,

the night was eerily quiet. An owl demon, its copper-bell eyes unblinking, scanned the desolate, scorched earth ahead.

It had assumed this would be another uneventful night—the humans hadn’t launched an attack in a long while.

But some of the older demons in camp whispered that the humans were gathering strength for a major assault.

The owl demon, however, paid no mind. After all, it could fly.

If a real fight broke out, it would be the first to flee.

Soon, the owl’s sharp eyes caught three demons sprinting frantically in its direction.