……

Outer Regions.

In a desolate wilderness a certain distance from the human defensive zone, four humans were huddled inside a spacious cave.

The cave was deep, seemingly an abandoned lair of some demonic beast. The light inside was dim, the view narrow, with only a flickering bonfire in the center providing intermittent illumination.

Around the bonfire, the four humans each occupied a side, eating and chatting.

Among them was one man and three women. The man was handsome, with distinct features and an aloof, cold demeanor. The three women were youthful and vibrant, each wearing different colored outfits, each beautiful in her own unique way.

These four were naturally Zhang Huaibing, a disciple of the Immortal Palace, and the trio of Wang Lici, Wang Yingxuan, and Lan Wan'er who had brought him along.

"I thought it would be dangerous out here, but it’s been smooth sailing all the way," Zhang Huaibing remarked while adding wood to the fire.

"The danger in the outer regions is real, but you have to see who’s leading the way," Wang Yingxuan said matter-of-factly. "If you observe carefully, you’ll notice that both the Immortal Dynasty's defensive zones and the demon fortresses are built in strategic locations. Those places are battlegrounds and naturally dangerous. But not all places in the outer regions are like that."

"I meticulously planned our route to avoid all possible marching paths and strategic locations. Plus, with Aunt Lici as a human-shaped demonic beast detector, how could we encounter any danger?"

"Senior Brother Zhang, Sister Lici and Sister Yingxuan are amazing~ As long as they don’t charge directly into the battlefield, nothing will go wrong," Lan Wan'er added with a smile. "These are standard operations; you’ll get used to it."

As the three chatted casually, Wang Lici remained silent, her gaze fixed on the bonfire.

The bonfire was no ordinary fire; it was a special flame she had collected for roasting meat, far hotter than regular fire.

Even the pit under the bonfire was lined with a layer of fire crystals to gather heat and increase the pit's temperature.

Suddenly.

She sniffed the air, a smile spreading across her face. "It’s about ready. Come on, put out the fire."

Hearing this, the other three brightened up, immediately abandoning their chat to help Wang Lici extinguish the fire. They then used tools to dig out a huge earthen lump from the pit beneath the fire.

Wang Lici eagerly tore open the earthen lump.

Inside was a demonic beast resembling a bird, its scales crisped from roasting, falling off with a gentle touch.

As the earthen lump was opened, a rich, savory aroma burst forth, filling the entire cave.

The four of them couldn’t help but take a deep breath, intoxicated by the smell.

Luckily, they had set up a formation at the cave entrance; otherwise, the aroma might have attracted who knows what kind of demonic beasts.

"No wonder Old Wu couldn’t forget this taste; the aroma is indeed overpowering," Wang Lici remarked, despite being accustomed to delicacies, feeling her mouth water.

She had heard about this demonic beast from Wu Yinghao, known as the "Wily-Eyed Scaled Pheasant." In its juvenile state, it resembled a bird, and its meat was said to be quite good, suitable for human consumption. As for the adult form, the meat was too gamey and unpalatable.

She had thought that since it looked like a bird and was a juvenile, it should be fine to cook it like a beggar’s chicken.

Finally getting a chance to sneak out, she naturally caught a juvenile to try her cooking idea.

As she spoke, Wang Lici deftly dismantled the large bird-shaped demonic beast, giving a portion of the wing tip to both Wang Yingxuan and Zhang Huaibing, each piece weighing dozens of pounds.

The two, already salivating, took a bite as soon as they received their portions, their eyes lighting up as they nodded in approval. "Delicious!"

The meat had been marinated with spices and salt, the flavors thoroughly infused, with no gamey taste at all. Instead, it was fresh and spicy, with a unique aroma distinct from fierce beast meat.

Seeing their reactions, Wang Lici knew her method was correct and invited Lan Wan'er to join in the feast.

Although the "Wily-Eyed Scaled Pheasant" was edible, it was still a demonic beast. Even after being bled, the meat contained traces of demonic energy that were hard to remove. Human cultivators could eat it, but not too much, or the residual demonic energy could affect their cultivation.

After finishing their portions, Wang Yingxuan and Zhang Huaibing refrained from eating more, watching wistfully as Wang Lici and Lan Wan'er devoured the rest.

Wang Lici and Lan Wan'er, with their devouring bloodline, were formidable when it came to eating. In no time, they had reduced the juvenile "Wily-Eyed Scaled Pheasant" to a skeleton.

Of course, Wang Lici ate the majority.

After finishing, Wang Lici smacked her lips, still unsatisfied. "Too bad it’s a bit small; one barely fills the gap between my teeth."

"No worries, these 'Wily-Eyed Scaled Pheasants' seem quite common. If it’s not enough, we can catch more later," Lan Wan'er said, already imagining the future. "Anyway, they’re at most sixth-tier, and the tender juveniles are not even fourth-tier, easy to catch."

Too bad they’re not social creatures; otherwise, catching a whole group at once would be even more satisfying.

As she spoke, Wang Lici took out a small notebook from her storage ring and began writing in it.

What is she writing now?

Zhang Huaibing, curious, peeked over.

He had joined the group midway and knew far less about Wang Lici than the others. Unable to resist his curiosity, he glanced at the notebook.

On the notebook, a few lines were clearly written: "Wily-Eyed Scaled Pheasant (juvenile), flavor: fresh and fragrant, tender meat, naturally spicy with the unique aroma of demonic beast meat, mild gamey taste, slightly stimulates divine sense, consumption can refresh and invigorate. Recommendation: ★★ (not recommended for cultivators below the Lingtai Realm)."

"Additionally, the juvenile caught this time was slightly larger, with tougher meat fibers. Next time, it’s best to catch a third-tier one for better texture."

Goodness, is Senior Sister Lici planning to write an outer regions version of the "Lici Gourmet Guide"? Is she really going to try all the edible demonic beasts in the outer regions?

Zhang Huaibing was increasingly impressed with this senior sister.

He came to the outer regions only thinking of accumulating merits and contributing to humanity, hoping to impress others upon his return. But Senior Sister Lici was already thinking about making money from demonic beasts.

He could already imagine that once Senior Sister Lici’s outer regions gourmet guide was published, with her influence in the culinary world, demonic beast meat would become a hit, possibly attracting many to the outer regions just to find demonic beast meat.

But the outer regions are full of battlefields; where would they find so many demonic beasts to eat?

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaibing silently lit a candle for the demonic beasts of the outer regions.

If even Senior Sister Lici praises the taste, they might need a dedicated farm to meet the demand. Who knows if this is a good or bad thing?

As he pondered, Wang Lici, who was writing her "post-meal thoughts," suddenly paused, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.

The next moment.

She vanished in a flash of light.

Wang Yingxuan and Zhang Huaibing, seeing this, immediately became alert.

It seemed Wang Lici had discovered something.

Among the four, Wang Lici had the highest cultivation. Due to her Glutton bloodline, she had an extraordinary sensitivity to anything related to "food," often detecting problems before others noticed anything amiss.

This was why she could always sneak into fierce beast lairs in the wild.

Soon, they heard intense sounds of collision and the pitiful squeals of "squeak squeak" from deep within the cave.

Moments later, Wang Lici reappeared, dragging by the tail a "big rat" that had been beaten to a pulp.

The rat was as large as an ancient elephant, covered in dense black fur, but now it was bloodied and battered, its beady eyes filled with tears, looking utterly miserable.

It seemed it had been thoroughly thrashed by Wang Lici.

"You’re too much of a nuisance like this, shrink down a bit," Wang Lici said, tossing the big rat aside and gesturing for it to reduce its size.

The giant rat, frightened, shrank its neck and obediently reduced its size to about that of a human.

"Wan'er, quickly check what species this big rat is," Wang Lici said, eyeing its glossy fur and plump body, almost drooling.

Lan Wan'er hurriedly flipped through her military training notes, searching the "Outer Region Battlefield Wild Demonic Beast Guide."

Before long, she figured out the origin of the fat rat. "This is a 'Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat,' rare and scarce, with earth-burrowing abilities and some spatial talents. They are greedy by nature, love causing destruction, and are notorious for stealing valuable items, even considered one of the four major pests by outer region demons."

"One of the four pests, with spatial talents, this is a rare breed. The meat must be excellent," Wang Lici said, even more excited.

"Squeak squeak chatter~!"

The giant fat rat, though unable to understand Wang Lici’s human language, instinctively sensed danger, squeaking frantically.

"Stop squeaking, or I’ll eat you right away," Wang Lici said, slapping its fat head.

"Fairy Lici, it’s speaking in demon language, saying 'don’t eat me… I can pay a ransom,'" Zhang Huaibing translated.

"Oh?" Wang Lici scrutinized Zhang Huaibing, her eyes suspicious. "You can speak demon language? You’re not a demon spy, are you?"

"Spy, my…"

Zhang Huaibing almost cursed in anger, but then he flicked his sword sleeve, standing with hands behind his back, saying proudly, "As disciples of the Immortal Palace, especially the outstanding ones, learning demon language is a required course. After all, we’ll eventually deal with demons on the outer region battlefield; without understanding the language, gathering intelligence would be difficult."

"Is that so?" Wang Lici looked at him doubtfully, then at Wang Yingxuan.

Previously, she had been running around for food and hadn’t received much formal education from the Immortal Palace system. As for Yunyang Daoist, he was unreliable and probably didn’t even mention foreign languages to her.

She really didn’t know about this course.

Wang Yingxuan nodded, confirming it was true.

However, she didn’t learn much demon language in the sanctuary, and now she had forgotten most of it.

"Oh. I guess I misunderstood you," Wang Lici said, blinking and nodding as if nothing had happened, then shamelessly patted Zhang Huaibing’s shoulder. "I’ll leave the translation to you."

With that, she grabbed the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat’s ear, saying fiercely, "You can pay a ransom, but you have to offer something valuable."

Zhang Huaibing, though fuming, still translated for the fat rat.

"Squeak squeak."

The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat, surprisingly honest, squeaked a bit, and its cheeks quickly puffed up, resembling a squirrel with nuts in its mouth.

This was one of its talents. It had spatial pouches on the inside of its cheeks, functioning like human storage rings, with quite a bit of space.

It usually stuffed stolen items into these pouches.

It opened its mouth and spat out a pile of magic crystals and strange fruits, almost forming a small hill in front of Wang Lici.

Truly one of the "four pests," the magic crystals in its spatial pouch were all high-quality, the worst being medium-grade, with some high-grade and even a few top-grade ones.

As for the fruits, Wang Lici instinctively felt they were good things, though she’d need to identify them carefully to know their specific types and effects.

After all, the outer region battlefield was fundamentally the territory of outer region demons, and many treasures here were actually harmful to humans.

However, she herself had no such concerns. Her devouring talent could digest anything, including demonic energy.

"These are worthless," Wang Lici said, sweeping the "ransom" into her storage, then continued squeezing its plump cheeks, trying to force out more. "Who are you trying to fool? Hand over the ransom!"

"Gurgle gurgle."

The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat, its cheeks squeezed out of shape, dared not protest. The situation was dire; it couldn’t outmatch this outer region creature.

Helpless, it spat out another pile of supplies.

This time, it was various high-grade magic ores and some peculiar demonic materials.

"Is that all?" Wang Lici grabbed its tail, lifting it upside down, shaking it until another batch of precious materials fell out.

The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat, dizzy from the shaking, was about to cry.

This outer region creature is more brutal and terrifying than a demon king!

It squeaked frantically, gesturing and speaking.

No more! Really, there’s nothing left!

"That won’t do~" Wang Lici said, rubbing her still baby-fat chin, looking serious. "These scraps are only worth half the ransom. How about this, I’ll eat half of you and let the other half go."

She gestured vividly, threatening as she spoke.

The big rat didn’t need Zhang Huaibing to translate; it understood her meaning.

Eat half? Wouldn’t the remaining half be dead too?

In desperation, the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat squeaked and gestured frantically.

"Gluttonous Demon King Fortress?" Zhang Huaibing was stunned. "This fat rat says the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress has lots of delicious food and treasures."

"Smack!"

Wang Lici slapped its head, making its fat body jiggle, blood oozing from its wounds.

"You fat rat, do you think I’m an idiot? What does it matter to you if the Demon King Fortress has treasures?"

The Gluttonous Demon King Fortress was one of the rivals of Immortal No. 3’s defensive zone, powerful and formidable. She had heard its name so often during training that her ears were calloused.

"Squeak squeak." The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat made a series of gestures, mimicking digging actions.

"You mean you’ve already tunneled into the Demon King Fortress?" Wang Lici’s eyes lit up.

Sneaking into enemy territory to loot and plunder was her favorite pastime. Back then, she and Lan Wan'er had caused quite a stir at the Green Dragon Sanctuary.

Unexpectedly, this fat rat was quite capable, aligning with her interests.

"Squeak squeak~~" The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat squeaked proudly.

"Very good~ If the harvest at the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress is sufficient, I’ll spare your life," Wang Lici said after some thought. "However, given our lack of mutual trust, I’ll have to place some restrictions on you! This is a specialty from our side, the 'Nine Fiends Ten Poisons Mother-Child Gu.' Come, fat rat, try it."

As she spoke, Wang Lici forcibly fed the fat rat a terrifyingly poisonous centipede, having Zhang Huaibing translate to inform it of the consequences of disobedience.

The poor fat rat, now at Wang Lici’s mercy, could only comply.

……

Meanwhile.

At the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress.

In the deepest part of the fortress, as impenetrable as a copper wall, the enormous body of the Gluttonous Demon King lay prostrate beneath its throne.

Its skin was rough and dark, and as it lay on the ground, its massive belly was completely pressed against the floor, squashed into a strange shape, yet it didn’t dare lift its head.

On the giant throne that once belonged to it sat a human beauty with skin as white as snow. Her eyes were proud and cold, looking down at the Gluttonous Demon King.

"Gluttonous, this plan is crucial for our Yincha Demon God lineage. If anything goes wrong, I’ll skin that fat hide of yours," said the woman, who was the Yincha Demon God in the guise of Wu Mingyan.

However, this Wu Mingyan only possessed a wisp of her soul.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Gluttonous Demon King replied, trembling with fear.

In the hierarchical world of outer region demons, a demon god was its absolute superior and could easily take its life.

"But don’t worry," Wu Mingyan’s tone softened. "This plan is meticulous. We can lure Princess Suiyun of the human race into a trap and eliminate her. If this plan fails, it’s still fine; my avatar can infiltrate the human race. As long as one of the plans succeeds, this demon god will credit you with a great merit."

The Gluttonous Demon King’s "docile" giant eyes showed excitement and greed. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I’ve made ample preparations. If that Princess Suiyun dares to come, hehehe~~"

"Have me escorted to the dungeon," Wu Mingyan said indifferently.

"I-I dare not," the Gluttonous Demon King stammered.

"What’s there to fear? Be rough, as rough as possible!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With the Gluttonous Demon King’s order, Wu Mingyan was taken to the dungeon by its guards, even suffering a beating, ending up covered in wounds.

……

Around the same time, Wang Lici and her group encountered trouble.

"You fat rat, how many tunnels did you dig?"

Deep beneath the Demon King Fortress, Wang Lici and her group looked at the dozen or so intersecting "rat paths" before them, speechless.

This Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat truly lived up to its reputation as one of the four pests, digging tunnels as easily as walking or eating.

Suddenly.

Wang Lici’s nose twitched, pointing to one of the tunnels. "My instincts tell me there’s something delicious in this direction."

As a "human-shaped treasure-seeking rat," Wang Lici had an uncanny ability to find food.

Anything she instinctively found delicious couldn’t escape her senses.

With that, she led the way deeper into the tunnel.

"Wait!" As they walked, Zhang Huaibing suddenly frowned, sensing something amiss. "There’s an unusual sound above this tunnel; I think I hear humans screaming."

"Impossible, this is the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress; how could there be…"

"Ah~"

Before Wang Lici could finish, a faint human scream echoed through the tunnel.

This time, everyone heard it.

Their expressions changed, and they quickly concealed their presence, cautiously approaching the source of the sound. At the end of the rat path, they heard, just a few feet of rock away, a man’s tragic shout, "Damn outer region demons, no matter how you torture me, I won’t reveal human intelligence."

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

A series of whip cracks accompanied by demon curses sounded.

Moments later, the demons left, cursing as they went.

Wang Lici frowned as she listened, directing the fat rat to continue digging while cautiously prying open a corner of the rock, revealing the demon king fortress’s dungeon.

In the dim light of the dungeon, they could clearly see large metal cages, each holding many humans, totaling no less than several hundred.

Many of the humans inside had been tortured to the brink of death, some barely clinging to life.

Such a scene immediately ignited the fury of Wang Lici and her group.

Especially Zhang Huaibing, whose face turned ashen as he prepared to rush out and save them.

Fortunately, Wang Lici and Wang Yingxuan reacted quickly, covering his mouth and pulling him back into the depths of the tunnel.

"Why are you pulling me?" Zhang Huaibing demanded, indignant.

"Huaibing, you’re too naive, too easily swayed by emotions," Wang Lici said, tapping his head like a big sister. "If you want to die, don’t drag us down with you."

"Exactly. I know you’re angry; we’re angry too. But rushing out to save people now is foolish," Lan Wan'er chimed in, scolding him. "This is the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress. If we’re going to save people, we need a plan."

Having wandered with Wang Lici for so long, the two little girls had faced countless dangers. They couldn’t possibly be as naive as they appeared. If they were, they’d have been sold off long ago.

"I feel like there’s more to this than meets the eye," Wang Yingxuan said, pondering. "This is the frontline; why are they gathering so many human captives here?"

"Regardless, I think this is a great opportunity for a major achievement," Wang Lici said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We’re in the dark, and they’re in the light. If we plan well, we can not only save people but also loot the valuable things in this fortress."

"Come on, Auntie, let’s discuss," Wang Yingxuan, equally daring, said excitedly. "I think we can be bolder and take down the entire Demon King Fortress."

"But first, we need to gather intelligence on these captives. Senior Brother Huaibing, think of a way to infiltrate the captives and gather information."

"The situation here is complicated. We might need external help."

"This time, we must do something earth-shattering!"

The three girls huddled together, chattering and coming up with ideas.

Zhang Huaibing, unable to keep up with their thinking, listened with a twitching face.

He suddenly understood how these three girls ended up together. What kind of terrifying teammates had he gotten himself involved with?

Is it too late to back out now?

……