LAVW – Chapter 45 Let’s Talk Things Out

Shi Qian struggled to answer, “Squeak Squeak.”

I’m so dizzy from the fragrance.

Long Ye knew that Brother Qian had the ability to sense treasure and avoid danger. But with just that one sentence—dizzy from the scent—he couldn’t tell which it was. Seeing Shi Qian so uncomfortable he was about to fall, Long Ye judged it to be “danger.”

He reached out, grabbed Shi Qian, and tried to suggest, “Brother Qian, can’t you just shut off your senses?”

Shi Qian: …

His brain was mush from the overwhelming smell.

He had forgotten that, as a spirit beast, he could simply stop breathing.

Shi Qian immediately held his breath and sealed off his nostrils, leaving only the tiniest sliver open.

That way, he could still faintly catch the warning scent, but stay clear-headed.

The first thing he did once sober was shake his head and warn Long Ye, “Squeak Squeak.”

This place is dangerous! We’re both in danger.

The dangerous scent he could detect came in two types. One belonged to Shi Qian himself—it covered a wider range and smelled much stronger; the other belonged to Long Ye, which was usually fainter and smaller in range.

At this moment, the two overlapped, like smashing open eighteen perfume bottles at once—absolutely terrifying.

Long Ye gently patted Brother Qian’s back. “Don’t be afraid, we’ll get out safely.”

Judging by the situation, they had clearly gotten swept up in something much bigger than them—something far beyond what a Core Formation or Foundation Establishment cultivator could meddle in. But in the eyes of those big figures, they were insignificant. All they could do was focus on survival.

That didn’t mean they couldn’t prepare, though.

Long Ye reminded, “Brother Qian, where’s your disguise? Put it on first.”

Wearing clothes might look nice, but Shi Qian’s fur was thick and, in the warm environment of Beast City, going without was more comfortable. So every day, he walked around in his own natural fur coat.

Hearing this, Shi Qian reached out his paw, pulled a vest out from the chain around his neck, and put it on.

Once he had the vest on, the questioning voices of the customers inside grew louder and louder, forcing the steward of their sub-venue to step forward and explain the situation loudly.

“Please, everyone, stay calm!”

“The entire auction house has been swallowed by a demon beast. We are currently inside that beast.”

The auction house was the largest building in Beast City, with over a hundred different sub-venues. The one Long Ye and Shi Qian were in was just one among many. On top of that, there were warehouses, exhibition halls, accommodations, dining areas—all kinds of facilities inside.

For such a massive place to be swallowed whole… how huge must that demon beast be?

The crowd erupted. Some were in disbelief, others bombarded the steward with questions. The noise was deafening.

The steward raised his voice even louder. “This demon beast likely possesses a space-type divine ability, which is why it could swallow everything. We’ve already dispatched people to investigate, including four Nascent Soul cultivators—”

Long Ye and Shi Qian exchanged glances. So this swallowing was thanks to a spatial-type ability.

Unfortunately, before the steward could finish, the entire venue suddenly trembled violently.

This time, the shaking was even stronger. The exquisite spirit stone chandelier overhead crashed down, along with chunks of the building’s ceiling. The ground itself began to break and twist upwards, sharp corners jutting out, and from the sunken spots, black flesh oozed with inky liquid.

In the blink of an eye, the entire venue felt like it was being crushed by a massive force from above and below—it was almost impossible to stand or sit properly.

In the chaos, the light dimmed noticeably, as if something ominous was pressing down on them.

The cultivators quickly raised spiritual shields, some even pulling out magic tools to protect themselves.

“Run!”

Everyone knew—this was not a place to stay.

The other sub-venues inside the auction house were no different. Every cultivator started rushing out. Their cultivation levels varied, mostly ranging from Qi Refining to Core Formation, with a few Nascent Soul and Soul Formation cultivators mixed in. Naturally, the stronger ones escaped first.

Once outside, the crowd scattered in two directions. The majority rushed back the way they had come. A smaller group squeezed inward.

Further in were the storage warehouses and other facilities of the auction house, usually guarded by cultivators.

Heading outward, however, would bring them face-to-face with the true form of the demon beast sooner.

Long Ye looked down at Brother Qian.

He asked with his eyes: Which way should we go?

Unexpectedly, Shi Qian also looked up at him.

In his eyes, the same question was written: Which way should we go?

After exchanging a glance, Shi Qian thought of his rodent instincts. He sniffed lightly with his barely unsealed nose, then raised both of his little paws, each pointing in opposite directions—meaning it was the same either way.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Both sides are dangerous.

Long Ye made his decision and chose to head deeper into the auction house, where there were fewer people.

Since danger was everywhere, Long Ye guessed—the demon beast was unimaginably powerful, so the entire auction house was shrouded in peril. No matter which way they ran, they’d have to face it eventually.

In that case, they might as well test their luck.

Their star silver ores had already been handed over, and their spirit stones hadn’t been returned yet.

The once smooth ground had become jagged and uneven, rougher than the most treacherous mountain paths.

Long Ye held his sword and leaped across the darkening landscape.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the clam shell, several Soul Formation cultivators had located the demon beast’s mouth. Flying above the river of saliva it spewed, protected by layers of spiritual light, they worked together to carve out an escape route.

The demon beast’s cultivation level was actually at Half-Step Tribulation Crossing, and to make matters worse, it was a rare space-type beast—not an easy foe.

Finally, amidst splashes of saliva, a few Soul Formation cultivators seized an opportunity and escaped to the outside of the clam demon.

But before they could even get a good look at the situation outside, several attacks came crashing toward them. A group of powerful demonic cultivators lunged at them without hesitation.

Caught in a fierce battle, the Soul Formation cultivators were forced to cut off contact with those still inside.

To make it worse, the clam demon’s venom began spreading through their bodies. The saliva was poisonous—just a drop could seep through spiritual barriers and infect them. By the time they realized, it was already too late.

Inside the clam shell, the auction house had been crushed into broken ruins, and the surviving cultivators were all driven into the darkness.

Long Ye watched as the last glimmer of light from the spiritual lamps was swallowed up.

This kind of darkness—he had experienced it several times before.

The biggest difference today was that Brother Qian, on his shoulder, was busily stuffing storage rings into his necklace.

Some were crammed full of spiritual herbs and treasures they’d randomly picked up. Others contained the belongings of unfortunate cultivators.

Shi Qian still sounded a little excited from treasure hunting. “Squeak Squeak.”

I packed them all in! Storage necklace holding storage bags—so space-saving!

Shi Qian thought to himself, It’s even better than Russian nesting dolls.

Long Ye stayed alert, glancing around as he replied, “Didn’t you realize? Only yours works.”

A storage space within a storage space—that wasn’t something ordinary storage items could do.

Only someone who comprehended the Grand Dao of Space could craft such a refined, profound storage item. In fact, a secret realm itself was essentially the highest-level storage space.

Shi Qian: Huh?

He thought back. Sure enough, Long Ye had never stored any storage bags in his own storage ring earlier—he’d handed them all to Shi Qian.

But Shi Qian hadn’t thought too much about it—he felt it didn’t matter where the storage items were kept.

The fact that Long Ye let him hold them—that was trust.

As for storing storage equipment inside other storage spaces? Shi Qian had never tried. His necklace hung around his neck; it was the most convenient.

These obscure bits of common knowledge? Shi Qian genuinely didn’t know.

Turns out I’m the tool-mouse…

Shi Qian thought for a moment and asked in confusion, “Squeak Squeak?”

So my storage necklace is special? But the space inside isn’t very big.

“It’s probably half-broken,” Long Ye replied with a guess. Suddenly, he tightened his fingers into a claw shape and swiped sharply forward.

“Ah—!”

Shi Qian first heard a scream—he realized they’d almost been ambushed.

With his sense of smell sealed and his vision almost useless, he hadn’t even noticed someone approaching.

But Long Ye had.

Shi Qian accepted another storage ring, tossing it into his necklace. “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, can you see a little too?

Shi Qian could vaguely make out the outline of the auction hall ruins not far away, along with those creeping black shadows. But he guessed that Long Ye could probably see even more now.

As his cultivation grew, Long Ye’s beast bloodline would gradually awaken as well, making his senses and perception sharper and sharper.

When he heard Long Ye hum an acknowledgment, Shi Qian felt much more at ease.

Danger was danger—but he had the future Dragon Overlord at his side. No need to panic.

Long Ye and Shi Qian dealt with the dangers that occasionally lunged at them while steadily moving toward the exit inside the clam shell.

A crowd had also gathered here, all staring across a stretch of black water toward the clam’s mouth.

Once they got close to the group, Shi Qian heard people talking. Most of the voices were women—likely because today’s auction had been prepared specifically for female cultivators.

“The Nascent Soul experts have broken through—we should follow them.”

“Too bad the clam mouth closed too fast earlier; we couldn’t catch up.”

“I caught a glimpse outside just now. It’s no longer Ten Thousand Beasts City out there.”

“If the entire auction hall was swallowed and taken away by this giant clam, I suppose it’s normal we’ve been moved.”

“I wonder who raised this demon beast. It’s incredibly powerful.”

In the darkness, the remaining cultivators still felt uneasy.

Shi Qian caught the mention of the “clam mouth” and quickly searched his memory for related events.

He flipped through his recollections, finally digging up a minor detail from the plot—one Long Ye had never been part of. It mentioned that during a great upheaval, half of Ten Thousand Beasts City had been swallowed by a clam demon with spatial powers. Hearing the commotion, demonic cultivators had taken the opportunity to invade and seize the city.

Later in the story, many great demons had appeared to stir up trouble.

The clam demon had never crossed paths with Long Ye, so it hadn’t gotten much of a role. If Shi Qian hadn’t deliberately tried to recall, he wouldn’t have even remembered there was a clam demon at all.

But now, comparing both situations—such a rare species—it had to be the same one!

The clam demon from the later plotline had already shown up to cause trouble?

Its cultivation was at least late Nascent Soul, possibly even at the Tribulation stage or higher.

Shi Qian suddenly thought of his little sect ancestor and the others who were supposed to go catch a big fish at the Secret Realm Exhibition Hall today. He couldn’t help but connect the two incidents and started to suspect that something might have gone wrong over there too.

But what was in the auction house that warranted using a clam demon?

Treasure? Spiritual herbs? Or something else?

The finale item for the first day wasn’t anything worthy of Tribulation-stage cultivators coveting it.

Either way, this was definitely outside the script. Shi Qian was lost in thought, completely puzzled.

Meanwhile, the more Long Ye listened, the more alarmed he became. He asked, “All the seniors above Nascent Soul left? Did they charge out together?”

“There are still two Nascent Soul elders here. The first group to break out was several Soul Formation cultivators. Later, two more waves attacked the clam’s mouth and finally forced their way out.”

The voice sounded like the manager who had been telling everyone to “stay calm” earlier.

“This clam demon, for some reason, crushed the auction hall but isn’t attacking us directly. But if it does, we’ll be in grave danger inside its body. Why don’t we join forces and attack the clam too?” Long Ye suggested. “The seniors outside are also facing danger. Instead of waiting here, we might as well help. If everyone works together, we can kill the beast and escape.”

As soon as Long Ye spoke, some people immediately realized—staying inside really wasn’t safe.

And what if the cultivators outside escaped and left them behind? Wouldn’t that mean waiting for death?

The demon beast might be strong, but now they had the advantage in numbers. It was the perfect time to make a move.

In truth, Long Ye had thought even further but didn’t dare say it out loud.

He suspected that the cultivators outside were also in danger. He did want to help, but he also wanted to find a way out amidst the chaos.

But regardless of the reason—action had begun.

As they approached the clam shell, it was inevitable that some cultivators were splashed by the clam demon’s black saliva. Long Ye had been careful but still got a little on him.

When hundreds, even thousands of cultivators combined their strength and forced a way out, Long Ye was at the center of the charge and managed to break free.

The moment they saw daylight again, Shi Qian grabbed Long Ye and immediately used his movement technique to dodge the first wave of attacks.

Long Ye narrowed his eyes, adjusting to the light and assessing the situation outside.

Just as he had feared, many powerful cultivators had already fallen. Two demonic cultivators were even greedily feasting on the fresh corpses, absorbing their blood and vitality. The remaining cultivators were surrounded by demonic cultivators, clearly at a disadvantage, and their complexions had started to darken.

Once the large crowd of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators broke out, the numbers finally seemed to favor their side.

But Long Ye still felt something was wrong. He feared they’d stumbled straight into a demonic cultivators’ lair.

Shi Qian, with his sharp eyes, saw even farther. He realized they seemed to be on an island.

And farther away, he could see more people—likely a large enemy force. That meant even if they tried to flee, it would still be incredibly dangerous.

After killing two demonic cultivators, Long Ye sensed something was off.

Now that he was outside and using his spiritual power, he found that it felt restrained—moving it became more and more difficult.

Shi Qian noticed that Long Ye’s movements were slowing down. He stayed close, helping him dodge attacks again and again, and forced himself to join the fight.

But Shi Qian was still only in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He hadn’t reached Golden Core yet. His Wind Blades were sharp and clean, but most of their opponents were at the Golden Core stage or higher, and soon, he too began to struggle.

Worse off than them were the other low-level cultivators. The demonic cultivators swung their weapons like death itself, harvesting countless lives without mercy.

But they didn’t kill everyone.

Shi Qian and Long Ye both noticed something: the demonic cultivators seemed to spare female cultivators and a few male cultivators who showed signs of beast bloodlines.

Just as Long Ye was about to tear off his sleeve and focus solely on survival, a pair of hawk-like eyes locked onto Shi Qian from afar.

The man strode closer, flicked his sleeve, and a spiritual whip lashed toward them with a sharp crack through the air, instantly binding both Long Ye and Shi Qian.

If he wasn’t the one being whipped, Shi Qian might’ve complimented the guy’s flair—it did look cool.

As the whip dragged them back, the ground was streaked with long trails of blood from their bodies.

The surrounding demonic cultivators hurriedly stepped aside, fear flashing across their faces.

Shi Qian’s defensive gear was strong enough that he only had one bloody gash across his face—but it still hurt like hell, making him suck in a sharp breath and tear up involuntarily.

Thinking about it carefully, he figured this was still better than fighting to the death.

He forced himself to lift his head, looking at the man holding the whip with a dark, gloomy expression.

There it was—the choking, overpowering fragrance in the air’s source.

This was the guy who had the power and intent to take both his and Long Ye’s lives.

Ruling out every other possibility, there was only one person who could cause this kind of chaos.

The man gave him a smile, and his features gradually morphed into You Fang’s face. “So you’re here too. Today’s harvest is better than expected.”

Inwardly, Shi Qian thought: It really is this damn bird.

Out loud, he Squeaked softly, almost innocently: “Squeak Squeak~”

Brother Black Crane, we’re all beasts here—let’s talk this out.

_{Fight would look something like this. Brother Black Crane, let’s talk, pretty please !!!!}