Noble Garden Ruins No. 3 was a gray zone located between the territories of several major sects, one of the few areas where Saint Sect disciples could freely explore.
Most other places had already been monopolized by powerful disciples from these sects; only a handful of locations like this still allowed them to come and see if there were any spiritual treasures worth taking back.
Among these few spots, Noble Garden Ruins No. 3 was one of the most fertile.
It was rich with various low-grade spiritual herbs, almost to the point where every few steps would reveal a cluster.
According to disciples who had ventured deep into the core of the garden ruins, there was even a Seven-colored Lotus about to bloom inside.
If one could successfully bring it out of the secret realm, it would truly be a tremendous windfall.
Unfortunately, the Lotus grew in the Spiritual Pool at the center of the ruins, which was guarded by a giant fish serving as its Guardian Spirit Beast.
Disciples interested in the Lotus had no way to deal with this massive creature.
Calling their sect’s experts for help was out of the question—once the treasure was secured, the experts would claim all the credit.
It would be like making wedding clothes for someone else.
So the explorers here silently agreed to rely solely on their own abilities and avoid dragging the true Talented Ones into this. Otherwise, everyone would be left with nothing.
This unspoken consensus had turned the once lush ruins into the perfect Hunting Ground.
A Hunting Ground belonging exclusively to certain individuals.
With so many spiritual flowers and herbs around, having some butterflies and bees was only natural.
Living in such an environment, it was no surprise these butterflies and bees had developed special abilities.
So now, with someone invading their territory, it was only natural for the little bees and butterflies to fiercely resist.
Thud!
Another disciple, intent on digging up spiritual herbs, was knocked down by a swarm of bees.
Accompanied by light, brisk footsteps, a girl dressed in a bizarre fashion ran over from afar.
Her hair was tied with the Heavenly Dao Sect’s head crown, her face adorned with the Saintess of Yaoci’s makeup, she wore the long robe of a Wanling Sect disciple, carried the spirit sword of a Sword Sect cultivator on her back, and had a Little Wine Flask typical of Penglai hanging from her waist.
A complete Five-sect Patchwork Freak—no one could tell which sect she truly belonged to.
The latest victim was from the Heavenly Dao Sect.
“No spiritual robe, just these things. So poor!” Caidie muttered lightly as she quickly searched the poisoned Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator.
Just then, several rays of spiritual light descended from the sky, forming a prison that trapped her inside.
“Huh?!” she gasped, immediately realizing what had happened.
Huajian had once warned her not to commit crimes in one place for too long, as it would alert the local disciples and might even lead to counter-traps.
This time, she had been caught in such a trap.
“Hahaha, so it was you little thief attacking your own sectmates. So young and already causing trouble. I’ll have to report this to your master!” a Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator appeared from the sky with a laugh, casting Caidie a disdainful glance.
Anyone doing sneaky things like this couldn’t possibly be a Talented One.
With his Heavenly Spirit Four Directions Formation, nearly impenetrable at the Spirit Master stage, there was no way this little thief could escape.
Just as he was about to tighten the formation and capture Caidie, someone arrived late from the wrong position.
“Wait!” With a rumbling thunderclap, Linglong appeared at the scene.
There were many suitable ambush points in this secret realm, and even a genius like Linglong could only monitor a few nearby areas at once.
This time, she had misjudged and chosen the wrong spot to lie in wait with Caidie.
But upon sensing the disturbance here, she rushed over as fast as possible to rescue the trapped thief from the Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator.
Squinting at the radiant prison, she saw a blurry figure inside that resembled Huajian, causing a heavy weight to settle in her heart.
“Saintess Linglong? What brings you here? Also here to catch the thief with me? Too bad, you’re a step late—the thief is already in my grasp,” the Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator called out upon hearing Linglong, not suspecting anything amiss.
As senior sectmates and emerging leaders of their sects, it was natural to stand up for their junior disciples when attacked.
Such a little thief definitely needed to be caught and taught a lesson.
Linglong glanced again at the unconscious Heavenly Dao Sect victim lying on the ground, her expression slightly bitter.
Given the situation, she couldn’t find a good reason to save Huajian.
“What does senior brother intend to do with this little thief?”
“Hmph, of course I’ll reveal her true face to everyone so that all will remember her as the one attacking our sect in the secret realm!”
Linglong’s frown deepened. This was far too extreme a measure.
Even if the captive wasn’t Huajian, she would hesitate to agree to such a course of action.
“Why act so decisively?”
“Hmph, she brought this on herself. I’m only doing what’s right.”
As the two conversed, three more disciples from the Sacred Lands arrived, having heard the commotion.
After learning about the disagreement, a Wanling Sect inner disciple gave Linglong a strange look.
The Saintess of Yaoci’s behavior seemed odd this time.
Normally, she was cold and distant, barely responding with a few words even when others showed her kindness.
She followed rules more strictly than the rigid Sword Sect cultivators, showing no childish antics or tricks.
Yet now, over a petty thief attacking others, she was openly at odds with the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple.
There had to be more to this.
If the thief were of ordinary status, Linglong wouldn’t have spoken out like this.
Following a smooth and logical deduction, the Wanling Sect disciple reached a seemingly reasonable conclusion: the thief must be from Yaoci!
That alone explained why Linglong was uncharacteristically defending the thief.
“I think this Heavenly Dao Sect brother is right. Such a thief deserves to be disgraced!” Wanling Sect’s disciple couldn’t pass up the chance to embarrass Yaoci.
Though relations between the Sacred Lands appeared cordial, corruption ran deep.
The Wanling Sect faction he belonged to was close to the Heavenly Dao Sect and disliked Yaoci.
The Sword Sect and Penglai disciples exchanged a glance, sensing the oddity but refrained from choosing sides.
At this moment, the situation had become a spectacle: Wanling Sect and Heavenly Dao Sect united against Yaoci, while Sword Sect and Penglai watched on.