Transmigrating as a Crazy Villainess, She Becomes Invincible by Slacking Off - Chapter 50

Though Ruan Dongling had never heard of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, its name alone sounded grand and extraordinary, undoubtedly a treasure of immense value.

The Little Butterfly Demon continued, “While the lotus is miraculous, it’s not particularly rare. The true Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures lie beneath the lotus—the lotus root itself…”

“The Toad Demon orchestrated this entire commotion to protect the Seven Aperture Exquisite Lotus Root.”

“Huh? A toad with such cunning?”

Ruan Dongling still thought of toads as mere toads, forgetting that this creature had cultivated for nearly a millennium, making it far more intelligent than some humans.

As she pondered this, she realized it made perfect sense.

The Toad Demon had staged this elaborate spectacle to convince all cultivators that the opportunity here was exhausted, deterring further exploration. This would allow it to safeguard the true Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures undisturbed.

“The Toad Demon never intended to deceive these cultivators… but rather other, more powerful demon beasts.”

Ruan Dongling nodded, finally understanding.

“Now that the lotus has matured and the cultivators have retreated, the Toad Demon has undoubtedly devoured the flower. Wait a little longer. When it’s absorbing and refining the lotus’s essence, it will enter a brief meditative state, easily disturbed. That’s your true opportunity to seize the treasure!”

The Little Butterfly Demon rarely spoke at such length.

Ruan Dongling’s heart swelled with excitement.

Having just mastered the Water Control Technique and now receiving this news, Ruan Dongling was truly excited.

“Little Butterfly Demon, how do you know so much?” she asked casually.

She didn’t think there was anything inappropriate about the question; it was just a passing thought.

But the Little Butterfly Demon fell silent again.

When unsure how to answer, silence was often the best response.

Receiving no reply, Ruan Dongling had no choice but to drop the matter.

“Oh, right! How long did I actually sleep in that cave earlier?”

The waiting was so unbearable and tedious that Ruan Dongling remembered this question that had been bothering her for a while.

Ten shichen—that’s twenty hours! This was no joke.

If she didn’t figure this out, she might miss the Earth Treasure Azure Profound Grass’s ripening window.

“About one shichen…”

After a long silence, the Little Butterfly Demon finally spoke again.

“Huh?” This time, it was Ruan Dongling’s turn to be dumbfounded.

Normally, sleeping for one shichen only granted her two days of cultivation. How could sleeping for the same duration here grant her twenty days?

That was ten times the usual amount!

Could it be because the Secret Realm was overflowing with spiritual energy? Perhaps cultivating for one shichen here was equivalent to ten shichen of cultivation outside, hence the tenfold cultivation reward?

Ruan Dongling’s eyes lit up at this thought.

If that’s really the case, she thought, once I get the Seven Aperture Exquisite Lotus Root, I’ll find a place to slack off and sleep. I’ll have the Little Butterfly Demon or Too Flashy wake me up when the time comes.

If I sleep here for a few days, I could gain several months’ worth of cultivation!

Who knows, I might even advance to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!

And if I get this lotus root, my gains will be more than enough.

As a person, one should know contentment and find joy in simplicity!

Ruan Dongling thought happily, sitting on the ground and chuckling foolishly.

The Little Butterfly Demon perched on her head, unconsciously flapping its wings twice.

“Enough. Descend now,” a deep, resonant male voice echoed again. Ruan Dongling snapped out of her daydream, acknowledged the command, and turned toward the pool.

Her figure leaped into the air, transforming into a faint blue ethereal light that plunged into the water without causing a ripple.

Submerged in the pool, Ruan Dongling felt surprisingly comfortable.

Activating her Water Control Technique, she moved with the fluid grace of a mermaid, gliding effortlessly deeper into the depths.

Everything in the water was crystal clear to her.

Her consciousness expanded to encompass the entire Cold Pool, revealing dense clusters of toad eggs lining the bottom. A wave of goosebumps prickled across her skin.

Thank goodness I don’t have trypophobia, she thought.

It was simply disgusting and made her scalp tingle.

At the deepest point in the center of the pool, the Toad remained motionless.

Waves of spiritual energy pulsed from its body, likely emanating from the Nine Revolutions Heart-Piercing Lotus above.

As expected, the Bl00d Venom Toad was still devouring the Lotus, refining its essence.

Beside it lay a massive glob of black mud, submerged in the water yet stubbornly cohesive. Within the mud, faint streaks of iridescent light flickered.

That’s it!

Ruan Dongling’s mind stirred. As if a sudden current had surged through the tranquil pool, the black mud was swept toward her.

Now one with the water, Ruan Dongling remained undetected by the Bl00d Venom Toad. The creature’s eyes were closed, resembling a dead toad, but she dared not underestimate it.

The black mud drifted silently before her. With lightning speed, she reached out and snatched it into her Storage Pouch.

Then, like a nimble fish, her figure transformed into a streak of ethereal light, darting out of the water in the blink of an eye.

Without pausing, Ruan Dongling activated Gale Step. Her silhouette flickered, vanishing into the dense mountain forest.

Moments later, the pool erupted in a frenzy of bubbles, as if the water had reached a boiling point.

The Bl00d Venom Toad burst from the surface with a violent splash, its massive jaws gaping wide. Three thunderous croaks reverberated through the air, unleashing shockwaves that instantly severed trees at their trunks, sending branches and leaves flying.

The toad’s originally golden, swollen eyes had turned bl00d-red. It hopped and leaped wildly around the pond, its tongue lashing out to smash large swaths of flowers, plants, and trees into fragments, even tearing up the earth in its frenzy.

The toad had gone mad.

After ravaging the area around the pond, the toad tilted its head back and let out a series of deafening roars: “Gua gua gua… gua gua gua…”

The sound pierced through metal and shattered stone.

Ruan Dongling had already fled far away, yet the echoes of the toad’s cries still reached her ears.

She poked at her ears with a small finger. “Ugh! That’s truly awful!”

Only when she was certain she was safe did Ruan Dongling finally stop running.

She glanced at the lump of black mud in her Storage Pouch, knowing the Seven Aperture Exquisite Lotus Root lay hidden within.

Impoverished and impatient, Ruan Dongling desperately wanted to pull out the mud and see what the lotus root actually looked like.

But she restrained herself.

Never flaunt your wealth when traveling.

The mud radiated potent spiritual energy. Given the lotus root’s extraordinary nature, revealing it could attract the attention of powerful demon beasts, who might try to steal it—a disastrous scenario.

At that moment, Too Flashy poked his head out from Ruan Dongling’s arms, his few tufts of hair standing on end. Ruan Dongling smoothed them down.

As if suddenly remembering something, Ruan Dongling quickly patted the top of her head. When she felt the Treasure-Seeking Worm and Little Butterfly Demon still there, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Ruan Dongling caught the Treasure-Seeking Worm and held it between her fingers. The worm’s soft, plump body wriggled back and forth between her fingertips.

Its cool, smooth skin felt surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

“Little worm, you’re looking a bit rough around the edges. Why don’t you hurry up and transform into a butterfly? You could join Xiao Zi on my head and make a really cool hairpin!”

The Butterfly Demon, called Xiao Zi, couldn’t resist fluttering its wings at the mention of its name.

Too Flashy, the bird, instinctively wanted to peck at the worm—after all, birds eat insects.

But as soon as it opened its beak, it burped, releasing a dense burst of spiritual energy.

Ruan Dongling: ?!

“Too Flashy, how many Spirit Plants have you been stealing? How many are in your Storage Pouch? Show me right now!”

Sensing danger, Too Flashy tried to spread its wings and fly away, but Ruan Dongling’s hand clamped down on its throat, sealing its fate.

With Ruan Dongling’s grip on its neck, Too Flashy could only flap its wings in futile struggle.

“Hurry up and open your Storage Pouch!”