Chapter 170 - 6: Settling Down

Chapter 170: Chapter 6: Settling Down

The creature was astonishingly fast.

By the time Lilia realized what was happening, it had already scrambled up her thigh, over her waist, and across her back, heading straight for her neck!

The most alarming part was that, for all her sharp senses, Lilia hadn’t detected its approach whatsoever.

’A very dangerous creature!’

Lilia wasn’t about to let it do as it pleased.

Demonic Qi surged once more, and a lick of flame instantly erupted over Lilia’s skin.

As the Caster, Lilia was naturally unharmed, but the same couldn’t be said for her unidentified assailant.

A shrill shriek suddenly rang out beside Lilia’s ear.

The sound was high-pitched and faint, like a tiny insect that could vocalize.

The creature clearly couldn’t withstand the searing flames and tried to escape their reach. But Lilia was prepared; she wasn’t about to give it the chance.

Lilia abruptly grabbed behind her.

Her hand closed precisely around a dark shape.

She frowned. She wanted to get a good look at it, but then she remembered—this thing wasn’t just astonishingly fast, it could also bypass her senses.

’One slip-up and it could get away.’

’Better to burn it to death first and satisfy my curiosity later.’

Lilia had been here for less than an hour, but she had already grasped the essence of survival in the Spirit Realm.

As if sensing her murderous intent, the thin, weak voice spoke again.

This time, in addition to shrill terror, the voice carried a hint of unconcealable panic. "Please, don’t kill me!"

Lilia: "..."

’Huh?’

’It can talk.’

’I just met two Demons. One was mute, and the other could only stammer out a few words, like it had an IQ in the single digits.’

’Lilia had thought all Low-level Demons were like that, only capable of screeching like animals.’

’Or could it be that this one I’ve caught isn’t a Low-level Species?’

’But a High-level Species wouldn’t be this weak, would it...?’

Lilia was curious, but she remained cautious.

She opened her palm. The creature inside was about to fly out, but it slammed into a transparent barrier with a THUD.

It was a cage forged from Wind Element Magic.

It was far too weak. The single impact left it dizzy and disoriented, and it lay in Lilia’s palm for a long while before recovering.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lilia carefully sized it up.

It was tiny, less than five centimeters long. It looked like an ordinary insect, though its body was rather long and slender.

A pair of transparent wings grew from its back. They were shaped like a butterfly’s but were clear and as thin as a cicada’s.

The combination was...

’Kind of ugly.’

Lilia was already disappointed in the average looks of Demons.

As the creature wobbled to its feet in her palm, Lilia softly warned, "Don’t even think about escaping. I can burn you to death at any moment."

The Little Demon’s body went rigid.

It glanced at the transparent barrier surrounding it, then at Lilia’s cold expression.

It immediately grasped the situation.

"Of course! I would never try to escape!"

The high-pitched voice piped up again. "According to the rules, I am your spoil of war. My very life is in your hands, to say nothing of my freedom."

It very cleverly stated its position first, then shifted topics. "You’re a newly born Demon, aren’t you?"

Lilia remained aloof. "Why do you ask?"

"My apologies, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean to pry."

It glanced at the other Demon’s corpse lying exposed in the wilderness. "It’s just... the beasts around here are extremely sensitive to the scent of blood."

"You should dispose of it and leave this area as quickly as possible."

"I’m sure those beasts are no match for you, but this is a dangerous place. Once you’re tied down in a fight, it’s easy to get swarmed and drawn into a war of attrition."

"If you don’t mind, you could let me out... I’m rather familiar with the area. I’m willing to guide you to a safe place."

Lilia narrowed her eyes.

The Little Demon immediately sensed her apprehension and added with an obsequious tone, "Of course, it’s only right that you don’t trust me."

"If you truly can’t bring yourself to trust me, I can also just give you directions from here. It will just be a bit less efficient..."

Lilia scoffed.

With a casual flick of her wrist, the Magic Barrier vanished, and the Little Demon flapped its wings and took flight.

Lilia had indeed hesitated for a moment when the creature offered to be her guide.

This Demon was clearly different from the previous two; it possessed intelligence.

And an offer to "lead the way"... sounded far too much like a trap.

However, Lilia quickly remembered that this was the Spirit Realm, a gathering place for Demons. This creature most likely acted alone. It had no accomplices, let alone allies.

Rather than setting a trap to ambush her, it was far more likely that it was trying to curry favor and attach itself to her.

With that thought, Lilia gave a slight nod. "Lead the way."

"Thank you for your mercy!"

The Little Demon was thrilled.

After all, in the Spirit Realm, a powerful yet reasonable Demon was a rare species.

Those it could defeat, it couldn’t communicate with.

Those it couldn’t defeat, it couldn’t communicate with either.

And the ones it *could* communicate with wouldn’t even deign to glance its way; they wouldn’t have to lift a finger themselves—their oafish underlings could swat it dead with ease.

In all its time in the Spirit Realm, this was the first it had ever encountered such a reasonable High-level Species.

It knew it had to cling tightly to this golden thigh.

"Please wait one moment!"

The high-pitched voice was now tinged with eagerness.

The Little Demon fluttered over to the corpse and, from some unseen point, burrowed straight inside.

Lilia furrowed her brow slightly and watched from the side.

About three or four seconds passed.

The Little Demon flew back out, clutching a sparkling stone.

It presented the stone to Lilia as if it were a treasure. "This is its Demon Core. You defeated it, so this is rightfully your spoil of war as well."

...Demon Core.

’The equivalent of a Demon’s heart?’

Lilia didn’t dwell on it. Just as the Little Demon had said, the scent of blood would attract more Demons.

Lilia could already hear stirring in the distance. If she didn’t leave now, she really might be surrounded and killed.

The Little Demon led her along the riverbank for a while before turning into an adjacent forest.

Deep within the forest, a small hut was hidden.

Lilia pushed the door open and stepped inside. The interior was spartan; it was basically nothing more than a roof to keep out the rain and four walls to block the wind.

Still, this was far more than she had expected.

In her stereotypical view, Demons were primitive beasts who ate raw flesh and drank blood. Living in a small wooden hut was already quite civilized—at least it wasn’t a cave.

According to the Little Demon, this was the home of the Demon Lilia had killed. By killing it, Lilia had seized all its possessions, so the hut now rightfully belonged to her.

Lilia nodded and, for the time being, sent it outside to stand guard.

She then found a place to sit and began to examine the "Demon Core" in her hand.