Emperatrices transmigradas (hombres y mujeres)

Capítulo 22

Tears welled up as she shielded Ling'er behind her, saying, "Nonsense! If my master had regained his memories, he would have killed you, you demon, long ago!"

Just as Ling'er was about to say something, Cai Meng rushed in and exclaimed, "Senior Sister! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong, Mengmeng?" Ling'er asked, puzzled.

For a long while, Cai Meng didn't utter a single word! Then Hu Yi took the bowl that Shiba usually used for instant noodles and placed it under Cai Meng's chin. The poor guy actually drooled when he saw the teardrop. Ling'er, afraid she'd get angry, quickly said, "Teardrop, don't mind him. Mengmeng is my junior brother. He had polio when he was little..."

"Tell me quickly! What happened?" Ling'er glared at Cai Meng fiercely!

The guy finally came to his senses and said, "The Hunter King wants you to go back to headquarters!"

"Huh? Has something very important happened?" Wasn't she expelled from the hunters for three years? Now the Hunter King is actually calling her back? Something big must have happened!

Cai Meng looked troubled and said, "Master Uncle has gone missing!!" Ling'er felt like she had been struck by lightning upon hearing this! Without even saying goodbye to everyone, she grabbed Cai Meng and ran out! She had followed her master since she was a child, and they were practically family! Now that she learned that he was missing, even she, who was usually calm and composed, was thrown into a panic. The two of them hurriedly rode on A Fei's back to the Hunter's Headquarters!

Ling'er felt a sense of oppression filling the hall, something she had never experienced before.

"Level 2 Hunter Ling'er greets Senior Brother Hunter Emperor and all fellow martial uncles!!"

"Junior sister, get up quickly!" The Hunter Emperor looked at his talented junior sister with affection. The Hunter Saint was extremely picky in choosing his disciples and only accepted the two of them.

"Senior brother, what happened to Master?" Before she could finish speaking, Ling'er's tears began to flow.

"I'm so sorry, Ling'er! I sent people to search all the places Master might have gone, but there's been no news at all. Even Elder Tianxing couldn't pinpoint Master's location..."

"I know where the Hunter Saint is!" a man's voice rang out in the hall.

Ling'er was stunned. It was Chang Xiao! Wolf King, Tears, Hu Yi, and Shi Ba were also standing in the hall.

"What did you say?" Just as Ling'er was about to approach Chang Xiao, a tear immediately appeared between them. She looked at him helplessly and smiled.

"Do you know the whereabouts of the Hunter Saint?" The Hunter Emperor sized up the smiling man.

"Yes! The Hunter Saint is currently in the Extreme Domain!"

"The Extreme Realm???" Everyone gasped in shock! The Extreme Realm that was sealed and cursed? The Extreme Realm without day or night? The Extreme Realm that humans could only enter but never leave? The Extreme Realm was another space that existed parallel to humanity, and only a few people knew of its existence.

"You said my master went to the Extreme Region? How did you know?" Ling'er asked nervously, her eyes wide.

"Your master once told me something during summer vacation. Do you still remember that little ice demon?" Chang Xiao asked.

Ling'er thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, I do remember that little girl! What's her connection to me?"

"The barrier at the entrance to the Extreme Domain has been broken, and the guardian of the entrance, Lian Tian, has disappeared. His granddaughter, Lian Yun, who is also the Ice Demon, has asked your master to go and find clues about Lian Tian."

Upon hearing Chang Xiao's report that the barrier at the entrance to the Extreme Domain had been breached, the crowd grew worried. If the demons inside were to emerge, calamities would likely ravage the human world once more.

Ling'er knelt on one knee and said, "Senior Brother! Please allow me to go to the entrance of the Extreme Domain to find Master!"

The Hunter King frowned and said, "That's not advisable! It's extremely dangerous there. If you go, I'm afraid..."

"I'm fine, I have Zhu'er, Hu Yishiba, and..." She originally wanted to say that she also had Chang Xiao, but felt it was inappropriate.

“I think Ling’er is fine. Let’s also ask my disciple Cai Meng to go with her!” Elder Tianxing said.

Ling'er smiled gratefully at him. "Uncle Tianxing is truly righteous!" she thought to herself. Then, Elder Tianxing pointed to his Nike shoes. Ling'er was startled, but immediately understood what was going on, and deliberately turned her head away. Elder Tianxing pretended to say something else, and she reluctantly nodded. But then he grinned and held up two fingers! Ling'er was so angry she felt like she was about to spit blood! Helpless, she bit her lower lip and nodded fiercely!

"Alright! Since that's the case, then Ling'er, you must be careful! This is my Heavenly Blessing Robe..." As he spoke, the Hunter Emperor was about to take off his clothes.

"Tch! You mortal should keep that thing!" Tears muttered under her breath.

"Zhu'er! Don't be rude to your senior brother!" Ling'er scolded softly.

"Oh!" Tears welled up and she pouted, then took out a bright white silk ribbon from her bosom and handed it to Ling'er.

"The Milky Way???" Elder Rongye could hardly believe his eyes!

“That’s right! You do have some knowledge!” Tearsdrop said.

The Hunter Emperor said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Compared to this Milky Way, the Heavenly Blessing Robe is indeed nothing!"

Ling'er gently stroked the silk in her hand. Was this the supreme treasure, the Milky Way? Legend has it that the Milky Way belonged to the goddess Nuwa, but whether it was true or not, no one knew.

Ling'er bid farewell to the Hunter King, and the group set off towards the Greater Khingan Mountains.

Throughout the journey, Chang Xiao and the Wolf King maintained a safe distance from Ling'er and the others. The reason was simple: whenever Lei Zhu'er saw Chang Xiao approaching Ling'er, she would erupt in fury. And when she did, it was always a spectacle of flying sand and stones, thunder and fire, oxen soaring into the sky, and sows climbing trees! Hu Yi and Shi Ba would either pull Ling'er up to the treetops, hide behind rocks, or dive into the water. Once, Chang Xiao accidentally touched Ling'er's hand on the plains, and there was nowhere to hide! Shi Ba fully displayed his strength, drawing his giant axe and cleaving a fissure in the ground with a roar. Ling'er and the others crawled inside, thus escaping unscathed!

After two days of trekking, the group arrived at the summit of a mountain in the southwest of the Greater Khingan Mountains, gazing down at the view below. The glow of the setting sun illuminated the primeval forest, and the morning mist filtered through the trees, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty, as if they were in a fairyland.

Chang Xiao said, "If I remember correctly, the road crossing is nearby." Upon hearing this, Ling'er immediately urged everyone to hurry on their way.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the group discovered a dark cave. On a huge rock at the entrance of the cave was written: "The barrier at this entrance has been broken. Go quickly to inform the Hunter King and the Hunter Saint."

Ling'er exclaimed in surprise, "It really is Master's handwriting!" Before she finished speaking, she turned and entered the cave!

The cave was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Ling'er had to use her Heavenly Eye to look around. The cave walls were uneven, and many huge bats lived there, which made her shudder. She could only hold tightly to Leizhu'er's hand.

Chang smiled and said, "Zhu'er, protect Ling'er well!" He knew that he absolutely could not get close to her.

"Nonsense! How could I not protect my master?"

"Snake demon! Can't you be a little more polite to Chang Xiao?" The Wolf King was furious that she would speak to Chang Xiao like that.

"You jerk! I'll say whatever I want! If you don't want to hear it, just cover your ears!"

Ling'er sighed helplessly! Her master's fate was unknown, how could she not worry? Seeing this, Tears stuck out her tongue and made a face at the Wolf King.

Ling'er had asked Zhu'er many times why she gritted her teeth whenever she saw Chang Xiao. The answer she received was always the same: How many lifetimes of suffering from him do you have to endure before you understand? Haven't you suffered enough in the past? What exactly did Chang Xiao do to her that made Zhu'er hate him so much? But no matter what, Ling'er never felt a trace of hatred towards the man whose gaze always followed her.

"Six days!" Ling'er counted the days in her mind in this place without day or night. During this time, she realized how inadequate her strength was. If it weren't for the protection of Leizhu'er and the Wolf King, she would have died hundreds of times over. Chang Xiao was also injured, and Hu Yi and Shiba's strength had doubled in these short six days! Cai Meng had also made great progress, and A Fei could now transform into human form, though his appearance was similar to Lei Zhenzi. Ling'er found A Fei's appearance amusing. But how long could this smile last? She truly admired Chang Xiao; no matter what happened, he never let the smile disappear from his face. Three days ago, he was injured in the shoulder while shielding her from a suddenly falling boulder. Ling'er had changed his dressing when Leizhu'er wasn't paying attention; the wound was so deep, bleeding continuously. But the smile remained on his face.

That day, Ling'er and the others sat together (under Ling'er's serious threats, Chang Xiao was finally able to get close to her).

"Luckily, I brought the face mask my owner bought for me when I came out, otherwise, in this dry weather, tsk tsk!" Hu Yi actually took a break from her busy schedule to do a facial.

"And you call yourself an eight-tailed spirit fox! All you do is think about is this!" Tears rolled her eyes at him, startling Hu Yi so much that he quickly ripped off his face mask. Ling'er couldn't understand why Hu Yi and Shiba were so afraid of Tears. Was Tears just her holy servant?

As they were discussing the route, a man descended from the sky, his eyes wide as he surveyed the group. After looking them over, he suddenly fainted with a "bang!" Eighteen stared, mouth agape, wondering: "Am I really that ugly?" He lowered his head in self-consciousness. Hu Yi curiously looked at the man lying on the ground, thinking: "Even if I'm handsome, you don't have to faint from self-consciousness just because you see me." He picked up a glowing branch and poked the man. The man jumped up with a "whoosh!" and exclaimed, "From now on, I am your servant!" A-Fei fell from mid-air, Chang Xiao shook his head and sighed. The man quickly corrected himself, "From now on, you are my masters!" Wolf King rolled his eyes, tears streaming down his face, veins bulging. Hu Yi and Cai Meng laughed and hugged each other tightly. Who would expect to be someone's servant the moment they met?

Seeing that he had misspoke again, the man drew a knife from his waist and held it to his neck, saying, "I can't even speak clearly anymore. I've let down my ancestors! I'd rather be dead than alive!"

Ling'er quickly pulled him aside and said, "It's okay! You...you say it again, and I'll give you another chance!"

The man looked at Ling'er gratefully and said, "From now on, I will be your servant!"

Ling'er: "..."

After the man's further dramatic display of grief and despair, everyone finally learned his origins. His name was Kuang Ao, a variant of the Extreme Realm Demon Clan. Because of his human blood, he had always been ostracized by his people. He had tried countless times to escape the Extreme Realm and live among humans, but had never succeeded. So, seeing so many humans here overjoyed him that he fainted! Most importantly, he brought good news: just three days ago, he had seen an old human man leading a little girl towards the demon realm. Although Kuang Ao only saw a tiny silhouette, he was certain it was human.

This news made Ling'er happy for a long time, and she urged Kuang Ao to lead the way. Kuang Ao readily agreed.

After traveling for two more days, the group arrived at the demon realm. Ling'er felt a demonic aura permeating the entire space. Fortunately, the small jade pendant given to her by Chang Xiao released righteous energy, separating Ling'er from the demonic aura and preventing her from being harmed. Everyone else also experienced varying degrees of reaction. Hu Yi, being a demon himself, was unaffected, but Shi Ba, having left the demon realm and become a celestial being, was most vulnerable to the demonic aura. Cai Meng and A Fei had already coughed up blood. Fortunately, Lei Zhu'er used her powerful strength to create a barrier, protecting Cai Meng, A Fei, and Shi Ba. Kuang Ao, having grown up in this area since childhood, was already accustomed to the powerful demonic aura. Ling'er looked at Chang Xiao, and seeing him made her cry with heartache. He was already injured, and now his shoulder wound was bleeding, his face terribly pale, coughing up blood incessantly within the Wolf King's barrier!

"Xiao!" Ling'er ran to his side and used her healing magic to stabilize Chang Xiao's injuries. He smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry! It's nothing serious!"

Tearsdrop snorted coldly and walked over, her eyes filled with murderous intent. Seeing Tearsdrop approaching with ill intent, Ling'er said, "Stop! If you come any closer, I'll break the contract with you immediately!" Tearsdrop was startled, stomped her foot, and walked away. Chang Xiao said, "Don't make things difficult for her. Her loyalty to you... cough cough..." He coughed up blood again.

Ling'er hurriedly said, "Don't talk anymore, rest well." Chang Xiao said, "It's alright, let's get going, don't delay finding your master." After saying that, he asked the wolf king to carry him forward. Ling'er looked at the weak figure lying on the wolf king's back, and tears instantly blurred her big eyes.

Arrogantly, he led the group to a forest and said, "This is the Helpless Forest where the demon race lives. I haven't been beyond this point, but I've heard that once you enter, you never come out." After saying this, Arrogantly looked at the group.

Chang smiled and said, "Since you're already here, come in."

The Wolf King, still carrying Chang Xiao on his back, strode headed into the forest without hesitation upon hearing this. Ling'er wondered: Chang Xiao, who is always smiling, and the Wolf King, who is always silent—are these two really as Lei Zhu'er described? Why did the Wolf King, upon hearing Chang Xiao's words, head straight for that place filled with demonic energy that even Lei Zhu'er hesitated to enter? What power is supporting them?

"Master, shall we go in?" Teardrop asked.

“Go in,” Ling’er said resolutely.

As they stepped onto the edge of the Helpless Jungle, an indescribably strong demonic aura caused everyone to frown. The air reeked of decay and dampness. Ling'er looked down and saw the small jade pendant on her chest emitting an intense light, enveloping her entire body and forming a protective barrier. The Milky Way at her waist also felt slightly warm. What kind of environment was this?! Looking at the others, the situation was even worse. Chang Xiao was still coughing incessantly, Shi Ba was barely holding on thanks to the three treasures within her body, while Cai Meng and A Fei had already coughed up blood. Lei Zhu'er's protective barrier was also weakening, becoming only a thin layer. Ling'er felt as if a hundred claws were tearing at her heart. How long could they hold on like this? They had to find their master as soon as possible and leave this despairing place.

Ling'er quickened her pace to catch up with Chang Xiao. "Xiao, I have the Milky Way, you should keep this little jade pendant." She said, and started to take it off.

"No! I'm already injured. If we encounter enemies, I won't be able to fight anymore. But we must preserve our strength. You can't get hurt, understand? So many people, cough cough, must be protected by you, Pearl, Wolf King, and the other two!" Chang Xiao said weakly.

Ling'er nodded heavily, tears welling in her eyes. "Master, where are you?"

Just then, the faint sounds of fighting came from ahead. The Wolf King said, "There's the aura of someone ahead! If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Hunter Saint!"

Upon hearing this, Ling'er hurriedly said, "Zhu'er, you protect the three of them. Hu Yi and I will go check on them first!"

He ran over without waiting for her reply!

Sure enough, ahead lay the Hunter Saint, who had been missing for several days! A green-clad female demon was attacking him. Ling'er's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Thankfully, her master was alright.

"Master—"

The Hunter Saint turned around and saw it was his beloved disciple. His attention wavered, and he was kicked squarely in the chest by the green-clad demoness, flying back ten feet! Ling'er, seeing her master covered in blood and severely injured, felt a pang of pain in her heart! She quickly helped the Hunter Saint up. At this moment, the demoness, seeing that there were many people approaching, all of them experts, began to retreat. But Hu Yi wouldn't allow it. He attacked the demoness with all his might, and the demoness, already severely injured, was no match for him. She was killed by Hu Yi in just a few moves.

"Master! Honestly, at your age, why don't you just enjoy your retirement on Wuming Mountain? Instead, you come here to cause trouble. Do you know how worried our senior brother and uncles are?" Ling'er said, tears streaming down her face as she cleaned the wounds of the Hunter Saint.

"Alright... It was Master's fault. From now on, Master... cough cough!" Hunter Saint stroked her head and said.

"Please don't speak yet, let me heal you!" he said, channeling his spiritual power into the Hunter Saint's body.

Just then, Chang Xiaolangwang and the others arrived. After exchanging pleasantries, a little girl peeked out from behind a tree, looking at everyone with a startled expression. Ling'er recognized the little girl and, after thinking for a moment, realized she was the little ice demon she had seen at the foot of the nameless mountain during summer vacation.

Upon seeing this, the Hunter Saint said, "Yun'er, don't be afraid, they are all friends."

Tears welled up and she took the little girl's hand, saying, "Little sister, don't be afraid. I'm here, and no one can hurt you!"

Lian Yun looked at everyone with her big, watery eyes, and after a long while, she whispered, "Please, please save my grandfather, okay?"

Ling'er said, "Don't worry, we will definitely find your grandfather." Then she asked, "Master, what exactly happened? Why didn't you repair the broken barrier when you found it was broken, and instead came in by yourself?"

"With the sky nowhere to be found, how can I sit idly by? Moreover, I must find out who destroyed the barrier and what their purpose was!" The Hunter Saint sighed as he looked at the gray sky.

Chang Xiao, who hadn't spoken for a long time, asked, "But senior, the demonic energy here is so strong, how have you managed to survive here for so long?"

"Hehe, this is related to a strange encounter I had when I was young. I'll tell you about it slowly when I have time later."

"Ah—I finally understand!" he shouted arrogantly, and everyone looked at him.

"What do you understand?" Hunter Saint asked, puzzled. He hadn't said anything yet, so how did the other man know about that fortuitous encounter?

"This old man is the one you're looking for! And you don't know why he's not afraid of the demonic energy here!"

...

"Finally, there's someone dumber than me!" Eighteen's weak voice revealed a hint of smugness.

Despite the numerous difficulties these past few days, everyone remained optimistic. However, due to exhaustion, Shi Ba, Cai Meng, and A Fei had to slow their pace. Moreover, as time went on, even Lei Zhu'er and the Wolf King felt chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Fortunately, Hu Yi and Shi Ba, this pair of lively characters, often made everyone laugh. When they got hungry, they hunted wild animals. Lian Yun's culinary skills were exceptional; under such difficult conditions, she managed to roast a wild boar so deliciously—no one could compare, especially considering how small she looked. Along the way, they occasionally encountered monsters; as long as they weren't inherently evil, they released them, after all, they were still lives.

The weather seemed slightly better that day; although the sky was still overcast, a slight breeze could be felt. The group arrived at an open space resembling a plaza. In the center stood a tall statue, clad in armor, wielding a giant axe, its hair standing on end in fury. Ling'er felt as if she had seen it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it. At that moment, Chang Xiao strolled over to her and said, "Is that the great deity worshipped by that cult? Do you remember him?"

Ling'er suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "I remember, but could the destruction of the barrier at the entrance to the Extreme Domain be related to them?"

Chang Xiao shook his head.