Chapter 193
Generally, only one elder or the sect leader remains behind, watching over a group of fledgling disciples who aren't even qualified to enter the small secret realm.
The Sword Pavilion is somewhat special; everyone except him has entered the secret realm.
Now, the bronze gates have lost their restrictions.
Countless loose cultivators soar towards the entrance of the secret realm beneath the Nine Dragons Sacred Hall, swarming like locusts.
"Who says there aren't many people in the cultivation world? Look at this crowd! Battling against the heavens is endlessly enjoyable," Chen Huai'an sighed, but suddenly furrowed his brow, sitting up to gaze below.
Among the countless soaring cultivators, a trace of demonic energy suddenly erupted.
A blood-red figure burst through the crowd, darting into the small secret realm at an astonishing speed.
The demonic energy was laced with sharp blade intent, sending a chilling aura that could be felt even from a kilometer away.
It was a demonic cultivator who also practiced swordsmanship, at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
While his cultivation level was indeed not high, his understanding of sword intent was certainly on par with those outstanding disciples.
"Early Golden Core... With the Sword Pavilion's disciples protecting him, this demonic cultivator shouldn't pose any threat to Qingran. But..." Chen Huai'an squinted at the three great sacred grounds above. Unlike sects, the foundations of the sacred grounds are incredibly deep. Even with many disciples entering the secret realm, there were still quite a few left in the dojo.
A rough scan revealed that each dojo had a dozen or so Transformation Stage cultivators, and a handful of Integration Stage cultivators as well.
Such a strong presence and lineup allowed an early Golden Core demonic cultivator to slip into the small secret realm?
It's quite laughable.
Did they think the demonic cultivator was too weak to be a threat, so they remained silent?
Or were they pretending not to see?
Chen Huai'an shook his head, feeling that he was being overly sensitive. After all, once the secret realm was fully opened, those sacred ground cultivators would likely be chatting or cultivating on their own turf. Who would care about who entered the secret realm?
Only he, the "father watching his daughter go to school," was overly worried.
However, what Chen Huai'an didn't know was that just as he refused to enter the grand secret realm, the survival rate of Li Qingran's main quest suddenly rose from 99.999% to 100%...
---
Inside the Central State secret realm.
It was as if a shattered glass lamp hung upside down in the sky.
Ruined walls and floating islands, dark iron veins.
The mirror lake shattered into three thousand pieces, reflecting different seasons.
There were isolated islands shrouded in wind and snow, dense forests, vast stretches of yellow sand... and also deep chasms where lava surged and intertwined.
The remnants of ancient steles were eroded by streams, revealing honeycomb-like holes, while mist seeped from the ruins of ancient talismanic civilization.
A hundred meters away, a dark pine forest was being transformed into golden sand by the fierce winds.
In the cracks, enormous beast shadows drifted by like fish, their tails sweeping down fiery sparks, falling into the eternally unmingled Yin-Yang Twin Moon Pool.
Yue Qianchi stood before the Twin Moon Pool and immediately signaled for the Sword Pavilion disciples to gather.
This Twin Moon Pool was a landmark within the secret realm; every year, as soon as they entered, the Sword Pavilion would assemble here.
Once the disciples gathered, Yue Qianchi, Xu An, Duan Feng, and other direct disciples quickly counted heads.
Confirming that no disciples were lost, Yue Qianchi pulled Li Qingran to her side.
She stood on a stone, her Xuanwu Sword crashing into the ground with a thud, and said solemnly, "As per usual, form groups of five and act according to the resource lists needed by each peak! Avoid engaging with ancient remains unless absolutely necessary! The second goal is to find resources; the first goal is for everyone to return home alive!"
"Yes!" the disciples responded in unison.
Yue Qianchi took Li Qingran's hand and walked aside, smiling:
"Come on, junior sister, let's head straight to the Medicine King Valley ruins. I know roughly where it is; let the others handle the resource collection."
"Senior sister, I can go find it myself. You're strong; you should stay..."
"Stay what?" Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes, hands on her hips, pulling Li Qingran's slender shoulders closer, teasingly saying, "With your cultivation below Golden Core, you should just stick to my belt!"
"I..." Li Qingran's face turned bright red.
Laughter erupted from the other Sword Pavilion disciples.
"Junior sister Qingran, just go with senior sister," Xu An chuckled, "Do you not trust the skills of our Unfeeling Cliff's direct disciple, Brother Duan? Hmm?" He patted Duan Feng's shoulder.
Duan Feng's face was dark, but he didn't refute; he merely nodded at Li Qingran.
"Xu An's right; with Brother Duan here, it's like a fish in water—like a tiger with wings!"
Zhen He lounged on a tree branch, lazily fanning himself.
As long as he could tease Duan Feng, he was always on Xu An's side.
Seeing this, Li Qingran stopped refusing, hiding her gratitude in her heart, and obediently nodded.
---
Yue Qianchi led Li Qingran northward; the secret realm was a no-fly zone, so they could only walk.
Li Qingran watched her senior sister's long hair sway in the wind, feeling as if the light falling from the sky had been meticulously sifted, gently laying itself upon her face.
The warmth from her senior sister's palm lingered in her left hand.
With her other hand, Li Qingran silently gripped the hilt of her sword.
It turned out that the sharpest sword was never meant to sever anything.
Rather, it was to uphold an unyielding dome of warmth in the face of wind and snow.
"I will protect the master and everything..."
Li Qingran silently vowed to herself.
---
In a small grove not far from the Yin-Yang Pool.
A girl with a demonic sword at her waist wore a face full of frustration.
Hiding in the bushes, she peered out with one eye, observing the Sword Pavilion disciples as they divided into teams.
"Well, at least I made it in... but how did I end up at the Sword Pavilion? I can't let these fools find me..."
The demonic sword trembled, emitting a strange cackle.
[With so many plump Sword Pavilion disciples around, why not just kill them all and refine your sword intent with their sword wills? Wouldn't that be delightful?]
"Ugh, shut up!"
The girl snorted coldly, throwing the demonic sword to the ground and stepping on it.
"Stay quiet. If they find us, I'll toss you out the first chance I get!"
The demonic sword trembled again.
It fell silent.
Even as a demonic sword, it didn't want to be held by a bunch of sword cultivators.
---
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**Chapter 208: The Urgent Summons of the Saintess**
Just as the Sword Pavilion disciples were preparing to act, a young woman in green robes with a hood landed before the Yin-Yang Twin Moon Pool.
"Look at the insignia on her clothes; she seems to be from... the Yaochi Sacred Ground?"
"What would the Yaochi Sacred Ground want with us?"
"Could it be that there's some treasure in this Yin-Yang Twin Moon Pool?!" Zhen He, the direct disciple of the Cangjian Peak, narrowed his eyes, folding his fan and saying mysteriously, "How about we pretend to leave, wait for this Yaochi Sacred Ground lady to bring out the treasure, and then suddenly appear to catch her off guard? That way, there's no danger, and we can obtain the treasure—it's a brilliant plan!"
Duan Feng frowned slightly. "The plan is good, but... isn't it a bit too sneaky? Our Sword Pavilion should act with integrity..."
"This lady..." While the two were discussing, Xu An, holding a wine gourd and looking a bit dazed, approached, "This Yaochi lady, the scenery here at the Yin-Yang Moon Pool is beautiful; why not join me for a stroll by the pool, drink some wine, and compose poetry? Wouldn't that be delightful?"
The young woman in green was taken aback, seemingly surprised that Xu An was bold enough to flirt with her.
"Fellow disciples of the Sword Pavilion, I come bearing a message from the Saintess."
Ignoring Xu An's teasing, the female cultivator stood before the Sword Pavilion disciples, her voice cold and carrying an air of superiority:
"The Saintess has discovered a massive ancient sect ruin, where demonic energy is surging and many demonic remains are wandering. Numerous treasures are hidden within the ruins. All disciples are summoned to purify the demonic energy and eliminate the remains. Once the demonic energy is cleared, each of you may choose a treasure; if you don't find anything to your liking, you may request something from the Saintess, and she will do her best to fulfill your wishes within reason."
The disciples exchanged glances, even Xu An's bleary eyes brightened.
Choose any treasure? If they weren't satisfied, they could ask the Saintess for something else?
Wouldn't that mean they could gather all the resources on their list in one go?
"May I ask which sects the Saintess has summoned, and is attendance mandatory?" Zhen He stepped down from the tree, cupping his hands toward the female cultivator.
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