Heroines, I'm Really not the Devourer
Chapter 30: Hiding her true strength?

Chapter 30: Hiding her true strength?

"I hope you’re telling the truth. Otherwise, you’ll be his accomplice too."

He was far too easy to convince. As if he had never intended to kill Qiu Jian in the first place... She pondered.

A few meters behind, another voice rose, trembling but furious.

"Elder Sister! Are we just going to let him get away with it like that?!"

The black-haired young woman sighed.

"He’s probably from one of the hidden families. We can’t provoke him... for now..."

She turned away, rushing toward Qiu Jian, who still lay on the ground.

"Check if the others are alive!"

BaiShe, still suspended in the air, observed the scene with a smirk.

*’This is a bit insulting... No one recognizes my face? Looks like I’ll really have to make a name for myself...’* he thought, *’by beating up a few of the young generation’s prodigies with plenty of witnesses.’*

Then, without another word, he spun on his heel and vanished in a silver flash, swiftly disappearing into the sky.

He wasn’t going to let Qiu Jian off so easily—it wasn’t just for his personal pleasure; his schemes were only just beginning.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the young woman knelt beside Qiu Jian, placing a trembling hand on his chest.

"Jian, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The young man struggled to open his eyes, his body wracked with painful spasms.

He coughed violently before rasping in a hoarse voice:

"*Cough*... Yu... Yuming... What are you doing here...?"

His confused gaze met hers, her features softening slightly.

"Idiot... You almost died."

She gently placed her hand on his forehead, channeling a faint wave of cold Qi to ease his pain.

Then she pulled an elixir from her ring.

...

BaiShe didn’t linger any longer. There was so much to do, so much to uncover. The cultivator he had just humiliated was but an insignificant detail compared to the goal he had set for himself. He quickly left the scene, his gaze fixed on the distant peaks of the Celestial Mountains.

He strode through the valley with brisk steps, ignoring the biting wind that whipped between the rocky walls. The higher he climbed, the wilder and more inhospitable the landscape became. Monsters were plentiful, some lurking in the shadows, waiting for any sign of weakness. But BaiShe was no prey. He was a predator.

The ambient Qi grew denser, forming a thick mist that obscured the landscape. The few cultivators he encountered became rarer as he ascended. Only the boldest or most powerful dared venture so high.

A week passed thus. A week during which he killed relentlessly. His clothes, though unstained, were impregnated with the scent of blood—obviously that of his adversaries.

"Yeah, I sampled a few brews along the way—it was my little guilty pleasure after all."

Each battle strengthened him, allowing him to refine his Qi control and perfect his self-taught techniques.

Becoming the sect’s heir wasn’t just a matter of brute strength. It wasn’t the quantity of monsters slain that mattered, but their quality. High-rank creatures provided precious materials for alchemists, essential for crafting the most potent elixirs. Moreover, competition among cultivators was fierce. A single moment of inattention, and one risked being stripped of their loot.

Killing a rival in the quest for the title was technically forbidden. But in reality, it was only a symbolic warning. The law of the strongest still reigned.

BaiShe stood atop the corpses of a hundred level-five monsters, armored birds with razor-sharp talons. His breath was slightly ragged.

"Looks like this is my limit... I can’t go any further."

He stared at the horizon, his expression dark.

*’Just as I thought. I need far more power if I’m to explore those ruins.’*

Despite his efforts, he had found no clues about the First Devourer. But his eye, which he had finally named Omnis, was gradually awakening.

He now understood some of its abilities:

First, it could detect presences and Qi over a wide area. It could also identify certain traps, though within limits. But BaiShe knew this eye still held many secrets. To unlock its full potential, he needed to obtain the techniques of the ancestral Xuan family and absorb the essence of one of their most powerful cultivators.

A major problem stood in his way, however.

The only current holders of these techniques were Xuan Shen’s elder sister and his father. The others—the elders and ancestors in seclusion—were inaccessible. And attempting to plunder their tombs? Madness.

"Impossible for now. I’ll have to increase my cultivation on my own."

Night had fallen. BaiShe, after gathering some materials from the monster carcasses, climbed a sturdy tree and settled in. He closed his eyes, seeking to plunge into deep meditation.

His mind gradually cleared, Qi flowing smoothly through his meridians.

Then, suddenly, a cry echoed in the distance.

He opened his eyes at once.

Deep rumblings mingled with piercing bird cries. He recognized those sounds: territorial beasts, usually non-aggressive unless provoked.

"Someone’s attacking them."

He closed his eyes again, trying to ignore the commotion, but the noise was too close. Impossible to concentrate.

His gaze lit up with an emerald glow.

Omnis activated.

At 700 meters, he saw an agile figure moving among a dozen armored birds, each nearly four meters tall.

The young woman had short brown hair that framed her angular face. A strand occasionally brushed her forehead. Her eyes were hazel. She wore a fitted leather tunic in dark brown, gauntlets, a belt adorned with patterns, and high boots. Her sturdy scabbard held a sword with a hilt. Her blade traced shimmering arcs in the air, methodically striking the enemies’ weak points.

She was fast. Her strikes were precise, delivered with formidable efficiency.

BaiShe narrowed his eyes.

*[Constitution of the Thousand Shadow Blades?]*

"What kind of physique is this?"

He scrutinized more closely, but even Omnis couldn’t fully analyze this peculiarity yet.

"But for 23 years... 5-star Nascent Soul... that’s really impressive."

His gaze darkened slightly. He bent his legs and leaped to a nearby branch, then dashed toward the battle.

What intrigued him most wasn’t her talent.

A cultivator at the 6th stage of Nascent Soul should never have been able to face rank-5 monsters.

One? Maybe. But a dozen?

"It was impossible."

Even though she seemed at a disadvantage, BaiShe saw through her act.

"She’s hiding her true strength."

And the question was why?