Chapter 77

“Will the next secret realm really have fire?”

On the way, Xue Yu was distributing pills to them. Facing Ye Qiao’s cluelessness, he looked up and smiled, “Otherwise, why do you think it’s called Flame Mountain?”

Not only did Xue Yu find it strange, but even the thick-skinned Mu Chongxi found it incredible. Their little sister seemed to really know nothing about the cultivation world.

Even though she wasn’t from a cultivation family, she grew up beside Yun Hen. How could she lack such basic knowledge?

Zhou Xingyun briefly recalled the environment there and frowned. “It’s full of rocks and very hot.”

That was his least favorite secret realm.

Ye Qiao rubbed her chin, imagining the scene. She felt that such terrain was very suitable for ambushes.

Of course, this was just her imagination. What it actually looked like would only be known once they entered.

When the five sects arrived, they each lined up. Ye Qiao looked over and saw that they all seemed quite dispirited, especially when they saw the Chang Mingzong’s arrival; they seemed even more downcast.

Ye Qiao!!!

Since they learned that the second secret realm was the one she had caused to collapse, if it weren’t against the rules, they would have liked to capture Ye Qiao and force her out of the secret realm.

If they had not taken the Chang Mingzong seriously during the first secret realm, the lesson they learned from the second secret realm was more than enough.

Two charms repaired, Ming Xuan has returned to the golden core.

Even Ye Qinghan can’t predict who will win this contest.

“Twirl, twirl, twirl, twirl! Just one word for ‘play’ and I’ll say it once.”

“Ye Qinghan ah ah ah!!”

“Brother Song Hansheng, I want to have a baby with you~”

In the world of cultivation, admiration for the powerful is common. It’s not surprising to hear shouts from the audience, but Ye Qiao never expected that someone like Song Hansheng would have fans.

To be fair, each direct disciple of the five sects is quite good-looking. Song Hansheng has a cold and clear appearance, but…

His actions are truly off-putting.

Surprised, Ye Qiao instinctively looked over at the commotion.

She saw a muscular male cultivator in the audience shouting, “Brother Hansheng~~ I want to have a baby with you.”

It was so outrageous that Ye Qiao’s expression froze for a moment.

Mu Chongxi followed her gaze and couldn’t help but laugh, “Hahaha.”

Seeing him laugh, Ye Qiao seriously reprimanded, “How can you discriminate against male fans?”

“Little sister, it’s not a matter of discrimination,” Ming Xuan said, patting Xue Yu on the shoulder. “Hahahaha.”

Originally, the group had been quite down, but now they were all laughing, causing the other sect’s disciples to look over in confusion, not understanding what was so funny.

“Forget it.” Song Hansheng’s expression remained unchanged. It’s not new for the Changming Sect to act strangely.

And he felt that these people were laughing at him, but he had no proof.

The five sects lined up and entered the secret realm one by one.

Each person’s position was randomly assigned, sometimes in groups of three, sometimes two, and sometimes an individual would be alone.

In such cases, the sect that can gather its members first would be safer.

After entering the secret realm, Song Hansheng ended up in one of the best positions, close to his fellow disciples, and easily found two of his junior brothers and sisters after half a day.

“First, find the Bishui Sect’s people. Let’s cooperate with them.”

They have a lot of pills, including Qingxin Pills.

The secret realm often features illusions.

“They might not want to cooperate with us,” Su Zhuo said honestly.

Didn’t Miao Miao from the Bishui Sect enthusiastically invite Ye Qiao?

He didn’t understand, really didn’t understand. If Ye Qiao was so charming, why didn’t he feel it at Yue Qing Sect?

Seeing Ye Qiao’s significant change, Su Zhuo felt somewhat intimidated.

Yun Que, who had rarely participated in conversations, spoke softly, “Senior Brother, I have a treasure-seeking beast. We could use it to find some Qingxin Grass.”

In this secret realm, the illusions are numerous, and one can easily get lost or have their emotions affected.

Qingxin Pills are thus a necessity.

But such pills are hard to buy on the market, so they don’t have many Qingxin Pills.

Song Hansheng glanced at her coldly, still disliking this troublesome little sister, “We don’t have any alchemists.”

“We can trade with the Bi Shui Sect,” Yun Que said, her intelligence showing for once. “They should need such spiritual herbs.”

Qingxin Grass is rare. Previously, all their spiritual herbs were taken by the Changming Sect, which Yun Que resented but couldn’t help.

Song Hansheng found her suggestion reasonable and looked at her with appreciation.

Although she was a bit foolish, Yun Que’s luck was undeniable.

Yun Que had always been extremely lucky, favored in whatever she did. Even Yun Hen once said she might be the favored child of the Heavenly Dao.

For these competitions, she didn’t really care much.

What difference does it make if she wins or loses? Isn’t it enough that her senior brothers are working hard?

Compared to being unnoticed, she preferred everyone’s attention on her, so Yun Que took the initiative to suggest that they regain the spotlight in the third round.

Indeed, the cultivators below, who had been discussing Ye Qiao, shifted their focus to Yun Que in the next moment.

“Treasure-seeking beast?” Qin Fanfan was surprised. “Such spiritual beasts can form contracts with people?”

“That girl has always been incredibly lucky,” an elder from the Bishui Sect frowned. “But, is she cheating?”

In all the time the secret realm has been open, it’s the first time someone used a treasure-seeking beast to find spiritual herbs.

The elder from the Yue Qing Sect sneered, “Isn’t this what the Changming Sect called strategy? Why, is it okay for Ye Qiao to stir up trouble but not for us to use a treasure-seeking beast?”

Elder Zhao was also angry. What does this have to do with the Changming Sect?

Seeing that both sides were about to argue, the head of the Jianxue Sect stepped in as a mediator, “This kind of situation hasn’t happened before in the secret realm, but the Qingxin Pill is quite useful. If Yun Que has a spiritual beast to help find herbs, it’s understandable.”

It can only be said that everyone’s luck is different.

And Yun Que’s luck was a bit absurdly good.

Ye Qiao teamed up with Xue Yu in the first round, Ming Xuan in the second, and Zhou Xingyun in the third.

“Ye Qiao’s luck has always been good, she’s never been alone.”

“But it seems like Ye Qiao doesn’t even need teammates.”

“That’s true.”

After entering the secret realm, Ye Qiao’s only feeling was how unbearably hot it was.

In such an environment, it’s easy to become irritable. Ye Qiao gave a Qingxin Pill to her senior brother and popped one in her mouth to calm down.

The Changming Sect lacked everything now except Qingxin Pills.

With Xue Yu, their alchemist, they didn’t need to grovel for cooperation from the Bishui Sect like other sects.

The surrounding stones radiated heat, and even the ground was somewhat hot. Ye Qiao didn’t dare stay in one spot too long, afraid of burning a hole in her shoes.

Zhou Xingyun walked ahead. Ye Qiao instinctively closed her eyes to use her spiritual sense to check for safety before following.

For some reason, since entering this place in the secret realm, Ye Qiao had felt that something was following them as soon as she arrived.

Few people who can master both talismans and pills have a divine sense as sensitive as Ye Qiao’s during the Golden Core stage.

But since she hadn’t detected anything unusual during her scan earlier, Ye Qiao had to temporarily suppress her doubts.

As she was teamed up with her senior brother this time, Ye Qiao walked behind Zhou Xingyun and didn’t need to lift a finger. He perfectly demonstrated what it meant: under the sword, all beings are equal.

With a single swing of his sword, all the bizarre and strange demon beasts disappeared.

When Ye Qiao checked their ranking, she saw that her senior brother had cleverly kept the count at whole numbers.

“……As expected of you, Senior Brother.”

“In the previous rounds, Ye Qiao had to handle both protecting the alchemist and the talisman master. Now, you’re starting to see the benefits of working with a sword cultivator.”

“So, what’s the use of valuable things? At critical moments, it still depends on the sword cultivator.”

Ye Qiao’s gaze instinctively focused on Zhou Xingyun’s sword. Compared to her own struggles, Zhou Xingyun wielded his sword with effortless grace.

“Senior Brother.” After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Can I touch your sword?”

She vividly remembered how reluctant Fourth Senior Brother was when she made this request before, as if he felt like his wife was being touched by some other smelly man.

But Zhou Xingyun merely glanced at her and said, “Sure.”

Then, he handed it over to her.

Handed over?

Ye Qiao was both surprised and delighted as she took the sword, Duan Chen. She had always been curious about the differences between various swords. To her, the “Duosun” was just a stick, lacking any semblance of a real sword.

Having the chance to touch their “wife,” Ye Qiao wouldn’t let it pass easily. She examined it carefully and marveled at the craftsmanship, realizing that she would never be able to learn weapon forging in her lifetime.

However, she could certainly interact with these swords more and try drawing design plans.

“You just handed it to me like that. Won’t it be upset?” Ye Qiao recalled Mu Chongxi and Junior Uncle mentioning that swords had spirits.

Zhou Xingyun frowned slightly and replied slowly after a while, “My sword looks down on me immensely.”

And Zhou Xingyun also looked down on it.

The mutual disdain between the person and the sword made it rare for them to work together harmoniously.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qiao quickly returned Duan Chen, deciding that she should treat Duosun better in the future and not just toss it around like a ball.

What if it developed intelligence and looked down on her too?

Ye Qiao wasn’t ready to be despised by her own sword.

The two continued to move forward according to the map of the secret realm. Regardless of how hard they tried, they had to stay for the full five days before leaving. So, it was better to find a cool place to rest.

As the sky darkened, the temperature around them didn’t decrease at all. Earlier, even when it was bright, Ye Qiao had sensed that something was off.

“Senior Brother.”

When the surroundings were completely dark, Ye Qiao closed her eyes and used her spiritual sense to scan the area. Then, she suddenly opened her eyes, pointed behind him, and felt her scalp tingle, “Look at that!”

Zhou Xingyun turned around in confusion, and in the next moment, his expression also froze.

—

Next time, if there’s an opportunity, there will be an additional update.