After Transmigrating as a Wealthy Woman: Don’t You Dare Touch My Baby! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 90

While Zhu Xingtong didn’t know exactly what Zhong Ying was planning, her phoenix instincts told her that the “Demon King” had been looking at her strangely lately. It was as if she were preparing to do something to her at any moment…

Danger! That word was practically tattooed on the bird’s brain, making her even more desperate to escape.

This tension lasted until they reached the entrance of the Secret Realm. The great fires of the Tianqing Plains had yet to be extinguished. From a distance, the roaring flames looked like clawing demons, flaunting their power before them. No one dared to challenge the fire directly.

“The whole area has been scorched bone-dry. Not a blade of grass for a hundred miles.”

“Elder, the fire has burned for half a month. Is there really no way to stop it?” a disciple asked.

Elder Chilian snapped out of her daze. “The Immortals are better at sealing techniques; they’ll deal with it.” She didn’t actually care if the world burned down, but looking at the fire gave her a soul-deep shiver. It was a familiar power—the fire of the Divine Phoenix.

Chilian had seen a real Divine Phoenix before. A single spread of its wings could cover the sky, and its flames could incinerate heaven and earth. She and Beimeng had been lucky to only lose their physical bodies back then. Could it be that a war broke out in the Eternal Realm? she wondered. The fireball falling from the sky… maybe it wasn’t an accident.

“Stay within my barrier,” Chilian commanded. “The entrance is right there. Be careful not to touch the flames.”

Soon, they entered the Secret Realm.

“Follow me,” Chilian instructed. “Don’t worry if we get separated. Secret Realms are treasure troves left by predecessors; traps and shifting mechanisms are normal. If you’re alone, stay calm.”

With a flash of blue and white light, their surroundings transformed.

They were in the heart of a lush forest. The sky was a brilliant azure, and birds chirped overhead. However, Zhong Ying was alone. No one else had been teleported to her location.

“Chirp!” The little phoenix poked her head out, eyes wide with confusion.

Zhong Ying took her out and placed her on her palm. Instead of walking, she found a flat rock and sat cross-legged. “Little Phoenix, are you willing to form a contract with me?”

Zhu Xingtong: ?

“I won’t force you. Nod for yes, shake your head for no.” Zhong Ying attempted a friendly negotiation.

The phoenix shook her head decisively.

“I see. Well, you are a phoenix, after all,” Zhong Ying said casually. “Never mind then.”

Zhu Xingtong was stunned. The Demon King is giving up that easily? It seemed unlikely, yet the topic was dropped right then and there.

For the next two days, Zhong Ying didn’t move. She focused entirely on her cultivation. No spirit beast in the forest dared approach them—the phoenix’s semi-god bloodline was quite effective.

Suddenly, a burst of golden light nearly blinded Zhu Xingtong. She stared at the woman on the rock. The Demon King… she actually succeeded in forming her Golden Core.

She couldn’t understand it. How was there such a powerhouse in the Hehuan Sect? According to the disciples, this woman was a mortal just a month ago. As the author, Zhu Xingtong knew the plot inside and out. There were no “one-month Golden Core” geniuses in her story. It was unheard of.

Wait… could she be like Chilian? Reborn through soul-possession?

Before she could finish the thought, Zhong Ying opened her eyes. She glanced at the phoenix (who surprisingly hadn’t run yet) and said, “Now that I’ve reached the Golden Core, I’ve expelled some impurities. I’m going to the lake to wash up.”

She scooped up the bird and headed to the largest lake in the forest. Zhu Xingtong watched as Zhong Ying shed her outer robes and dove into the water. She moved like a graceful fish, her long hair billowing in the current. She was breathtaking.

This is it! My chance!

The chubby bird waddled back two steps. She had to run. If she stayed, this woman—bolstered by her golden spirit stones—might become stronger than her cub! What if she became the cub’s ultimate enemy?!

Zhu Xingtong turned and bolted into the brush.

In the lake, Zhong Ying watched her go. In fact, she had intentionally created this opening. Since friendly negotiations failed, she was ready for a “forced breakthrough.” She emerged from the water, clean and refreshed. A smirk played on her lips.

“Now, let the game of hide-and-seek begin.”

Zhu Xingtong didn’t get far. A giant eagle blocked her path.

“Out of the way! I’m in a hurry!” she chirped angrily. Usually, her bloodline pressure would scare off any animal. But the eagle just squinted and laughed.

“A phoenix? I’ve lived in this realm for thousands of years and never expected to see a phoenix.” It pinned her to the ground with a massive talon. “Little thing, was it your divine fire that burned the plains and exposed my home?”

Zhu Xingtong shook her head frantically. From its words, she knew who this was. This Secret Realm was once the grotto of an ascender who loved animals. This eagle was the King of the Forest—a Great Demon Beast who had cultivated for millennia! Its strength was likely late-stage Golden Core, which for a beast, was equivalent to a human’s Nascent Soul stage!

Even the Demon King can’t save me now, she thought. Only Chilian could stand a chance.

“You say it wasn’t you? But that fire felt exactly like your bloodline,” the eagle said skeptically.

“Chirp chirp!” I’m just a baby bird! I don’t have the power to burn a realm!

The eagle looked at the squashed bird. She had a point. Zhu Xingtong sighed and stopped struggling, accepting her fate. But then, she spotted Zhong Ying appearing behind the eagle.

Perfect! Let them fight, and I’ll make my escape! There are Immortals in this realm too. Maybe I can find the Changtian Sect and my cub!

The eagle sensed Zhong Ying and lost interest in the bird. “Human cultivator, this is a sanctuary for spirit beasts. You are not allowed here.”

Zhong Ying frowned. “I’m already here.”

“Then die here!”

Zhong Ying moved to intercept the eagle’s dive. She was disappointed; she had hoped the eagle would wound the phoenix first, making a forced contract easier. But since the eagle attacked her instead, she had no choice but to fight.

As for Zhu Xingtong? She scrambled away the second the talon lifted. I’m out! If the bird wins, I’m toasted. If the Demon King wins and catches me… I’m extra toasted.

After running a good distance, the phoenix rested against a tree. She had escaped the Demon King’s clutches!

But then, a pang of guilt hit her. The eagle was an entire stage higher than the “Demon King.” Zhong Ying had only just reached Golden Core.

No, Zhu Xingtong! Don’t be a ‘Holy Mother’! That woman scammed you for stones and was probably planning to ‘do things’ to you! She scolded herself, took a deep breath, and waddled toward the light.

Suddenly, she heard voices. She ducked behind a tree.

“Elder Beimeng, I thought you said there were spirit beasts here? We’ve walked so far and haven’t seen a single one.”

“It’s strange,” Immortal Venerable Beimeng sighed. “The forest feels eerie.”

“Elder, is it true the Hehuan Sect is here? Those people are terrible! They stole the disciple you wanted! That mortal was a fool to join the demonic path instead of our Changtian Sect!”

“If we see them, let’s show them that our Changtian Sect is superior!”

Beimeng barked, “Do not go looking for trouble! It simply means she and I had no fate as master and disciple. Though they are demonic, Elder Chilian is powerful. If the girl studies hard, her future won’t be bad.”

The white-robed disciples walked past. They didn’t see the bird. But Zhu Xingtong heard everything.

Beimeng’s party? The disciple she wanted was stolen?

Wait. The “stolen disciple” was her cub.

The person who stole the cub was from the Hehuan Sect.

Zhu Xingtong’s bird brain reeled. She remembered the beautiful, black-and-red robed woman who reached Golden Core in a single month. A terrifying genius. A bit “demonic” in personality.

It all clicked.

The “Demon King” she had been running from… was her cub?!

HOW?! How did my cub end up a demonic cultivator?!

Just then, a massive explosion rocked the forest, leveling trees in the distance. The shockwave brought Zhu Xingtong back to her senses. She didn’t hesitate for a second. She turned and sprinted back toward the fight as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Crap! My cub is fighting a giant eagle!