Hua Jian had not expected the poison on her sword to be of such a peculiar variety.
After repelling the black-clothed cultivator who had come to stir up trouble, she resumed her journey as if the battle had been nothing more than an insignificant interlude.
She remained unaware that the Kill Kings in other locations were currently being tormented to the brink of death by other Punishers.
Only she had successfully defeated her assailant.
In the Saint Sect’s original plan, as long as a punished individual managed to escape the pursuit of the Punishers, it was considered a victory.
Successfully killing one’s pursuer, however, would grant a massive score bonus.
Given Hua Jian’s current base score, whether she received that bonus or not hardly mattered.
As long as she finished the race normally, her score would undoubtedly be among the highest tier.
On this day, aside from that aggressive black-clothed cultivator, Hua Jian encountered very few people.
It was likely because the reputation of the Magic Mist had begun to spread. Compared to the recklessness shown on the first day, the cultivators today were far more cautious.
Once they spotted the Magic Mist, they chose to steer clear, which saved Hua Jian a fair amount of effort.
As long as others did not initiate an attack, Hua Jian was too lazy to waste time on such small fry.
Fighting them granted no points and cost strength; it was a completely losing proposition.
The cultivators who had spawned in the Eastern Jungle alongside Hua Jian were also quite confused.
They had learned of the Magic Mist’s power through various information channels.
Although they did not know the mist’s true form, the terrifying record of every cultivator who entered failing to survive was enough to deter them.
Of course, Niubeng would never tell other cultivators about how he had fled the Magic Mist in a pathetic state.
At most, he would vaguely warn cultivators of his own faction to stay as far away from the mist as possible.
And now, this Magic Mist was moving at high speed. Could it be that the source of the mist was actually a Spirit Beast?
The cultivators had many theories, but no one guessed that the mist’s source was a cultivator.
The reason was simple: the Magic Mist was simply too powerful. If it truly were the work of a single cultivator, how powerful would that person have to be?
Even the top ten geniuses on the Genius List did not possess such overwhelming pressure.
Could it be that such a formidable talent had never once stepped onto the Arena to show their strength?
It was truly difficult to imagine, so the cultivators subconsciously ruled out that possibility.
Regardless of what was inside the mist, until they were fully prepared, they would absolutely not cross its path again.
This mutually beneficial choice not only saved the lives of these cultivators but also made Hua Jian’s itinerary for the day quite relaxed.
After flying continuously for an entire day, Hua Jian had nearly reached the boundary between the forest and the snow.
The meeting point she had chosen was relatively far north—a small mountain located on the edge of several large Shielding Zones within the Core Zone.
Influenced by the northern region of the Secret Realm, that place was covered in snow year-round.
Although the environment was not as extreme or harsh as the regions further north, it was still difficult to adapt to for cultivators who had rarely seen snow or felt the cold.
Hua Jian, however, did not feel much. Although the clothes she wore were not thick, the Spiritual Garment underneath had excellent heat retention. Changes in external temperature hardly affected her.
As for the Spiritual Civet… did anyone really think an ice-attribute Spirit Beast that originally lived in the Northern Region would be afraid of the cold?
Encountering such an environment was like returning home for it.
When it sprawled out on the snowy ground, a cultivator with even slightly poor eyesight wouldn’t be able to tell where the snow ended and the little cat began.
As the sky gradually darkened, Hua Jian decided to stop and rest for the night.
She would rush to the meeting point at first light the next morning.
While her location remained peaceful throughout the night, other areas in the Secret Realm were not nearly as quiet.
……
The first to notice something wrong were the cultivators wandering the Outer Region of the Secret Realm.
Either because they were lost or due to some whimsical ideas, they had moved in the opposite direction of the main group, exploring toward the outermost edges of the Secret Realm.
When the Spatial Tremors occurred during the day, they weren’t even particularly wary.
Instead, they thought the tremors were a reward for those who traveled against the grain.
They believed that if they could find the cause of the Spatial Tremors, they would gain many extra points in the upcoming assessment.
That wasn’t entirely wrong. If they could successfully bring news of the Spatial Tremors and the situation in the Outer Region back to the core of the Secret Realm in time, the Saint Sect would indeed grant them a reward.
If they were killed before doing anything, then unfortunately, they could forget about bonus points.
The boldest group of cultivators chose to continue forward.
They soon found the source of the Spatial Tremors: several Array Formations that were spewing massive amounts of black gas.
By the time they discovered these arrays, the sky above their heads was completely covered by black clouds.
The cultivators hidden within those clouds revealed their fangs.
These Magic Path cultivators—whether real or fake—possessed strength at least at the Spirit King Realm.
The cultivators who had ventured here were only at the Spirit Master Realm.
Combined with the element of surprise, the first group of cultivators to discover the anomaly was almost instantly sent out of the Secret Realm.
The few who narrowly escaped were also quickly hunted down and killed.
Thus, on the second day after the start of the Ascension Gathering, still no one knew about the mutation in the Outer Region.
The Saint Sect cultivators serving as examiners in the Secret Realm had contacted the outside regarding the Spatial Tremors.
After receiving a reply that everything was normal, they did not take the matter to heart.
After all, this Secret Realm was established by the Saint Sect itself. With total control in their hands, surely nothing could go wrong.
With such thoughts, the junior examiners continued to eat hot pot and sing songs, completely unaware that from this moment on, their identities were about to change.
Since the Magic Path intended to invade, their primary targets were these Floating Fortresses of the Saint Sect in the sky.
Only by taking these things down could the Magic Path act without inhibition.
If the junior examiners had been more observant, they might have noticed that the Floating Cities provided by the Jade Pool this time were somewhat crude—even fragile.
Faced with high-intensity attacks, these Floating Cities would likely shatter instantly.
Thus, in the middle of the night when it was darkest, the villains in the shadows launched a silent sneak attack on one of the Floating Fortresses.
Cultivators dressed in black slipped into the fortress. Before the Saint Sect cultivators inside could react, blades rose and fell, slaughtering the majority of the residents.
The remaining cultivators reacted immediately and began to fight back, but the attackers were too powerful.
Having lost the advantage of the first move, the cultivators in the Floating Fortress were quickly cleared out.
“Sigh, if they react like this when they meet the real Magic Path, what are we going to do?”
After clearing the cultivators from the fortress, the attackers removed the black cloths covering their faces one by one.
These people were, of course, not the real Magic Path, but Saint Sect disciples playing the role.
As for why they were so formidable, it was naturally because they were seniors from the Inner Sect.
Those they had just kicked out of the Secret Realm were their Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.
Clearly, the Saint Sect disciples in this first successfully ambushed Floating Fortress were bound to receive a severe scolding later.
A female cultivator shook a Token she held in her hand. This token was constantly emitting waves capable of disrupting information.
The distress signals those cultivators had desperately tried to send out had long since been interfered with by the token in her hand, turning them into mere static.
The first attack had been completed successfully. They had secured a Floating Fortress without causing any alarm.
Next, they could use this Floating City to perform even bolder tasks.
“The general offensive begins in the early morning of the seventh day. Only then can we drive this fortress to ram people. Must we just hide and accumulate strength for the next few days?”
“The moles hidden within the Saint Sect allowed us to successfully infiltrate the Secret Realm. After successfully removing one of the Saint Sect’s nails, we must hurry to open more Array Formations and allow more of our people to enter the Secret Realm,” another Magic Path cultivator recited their plan.
This Ascension Gathering would be divided into two stages.
The first stage was the normal process where cultivators fought each other or collaborated to challenge strong enemies in the Core Zone.
The second stage involved everyone uniting to resist the Magic Path invasion and working together to drive them out of the Secret Realm.
The people currently here were preparing for that second stage.
“Then let’s set up the array here and start summoning our companions!”
“Alright!”
……
“Senior Sister, if we do this, won’t we be discovered by the Saint Sect?”
“They are currently immersed in a farce they scripted and directed themselves. They won’t notice us.” Xinhu’s pink fox ears twitched slightly.
She tapped her palm lightly with a fan, her tone carrying a nonchalance unique to her.
Those within the Saint Sect playing the role of Magic Path cultivators had already entered the Secret Realm.
What they had to do was similar to what the real Magic Path would do: ambush Saint Sect outposts and find opportunities to open more arrays to pull more people into the Secret Realm.
What they were doing now was the same as those Magic Path cultivators, so it wouldn’t arouse much suspicion.
In terms of the magnitude of the commotion, those people were making just as much noise as they were.
“But if we pull other Magic Path members in, will there really be no problem?”
“What problem could there be? People from the Saint Sect won’t die in here, but those we bring in won’t have it so easy… If they can use their lives to muddy the waters, then that is their greatest contribution.”
The fox-like woman gave a light laugh, not caring in the least for the lives of those so-called fellow travelers.
If these people wanted to disrupt the Saint Sect’s Ascension Gathering, fine. Wanhuagu would help them blend into the assembly grounds.
But as for the results, and whether those who mixed in could return alive, Wanhuagu could make no guarantees. Everything has a price, doesn’t it?
Wanhuagu’s goal was simple. As long as they got their hands on the person they wanted, all would be well. Whatever happened next didn’t matter.
“Tell the other sisters in the Secret Realm to watch for that child’s location. She has the mark left by the Elder on her, so she’s easy to find. Once found, seize her and bring her to me.”
“Understood!”
……
“Achoo!”
Waking up from her sleep, Hua Jian looked at the bright sun in the sky and couldn’t help but sneeze.
‘Is someone thinking about me?’ Hua Jian muttered to herself, not taking the sneeze to heart.
If nothing went wrong, she would reach the meeting point today and reunite with Shiqi and Xia Hui.
But before the early bird could crawl for long, she encountered another early bird.
“Senior Sister, wait! I didn’t beat anyone up yesterday, so it shouldn’t be my turn today!”
Seeing the young girl in front of her holding a Ling Sword and wearing the robe of a Jade Pool disciple, Hua Jian quickly raised both hands, trying to reason with her.
She accepted being targeted by the black-clothed cultivator yesterday; after all, she had indeed fought many people on the first day.
But she had hardly encountered anyone on the second day.
She refused to believe that the entire Eastern Jungle was so harmonious that not a single person had a higher kill count than her.
“One of him is worth a hundred others.” The girl from the Jade Pool spread her small hands and gave Hua Jian the bad news.
“Also, do you want to explain why you know how to use Wanhuagu’s Body-Burning Fire?”
After discovering that the poison in the black-clothed cultivator came from Wanhuagu, the group, lacking a cure, could only rush him out of the Secret Realm to receive better treatment outside.
As for Hua Jian, who used Wanhuagu’s secret poison to commit misdeeds, the Saint Sect disciples here chose to test her further.
They had also suspected whether Hua Jian might be a mole sent by Wanhuagu to cause trouble.
But if she were truly a mole, she shouldn’t have exposed her identity so quickly, right?
Directly using Wanhuagu’s poison was like shouting to everyone, “Everyone, look at me! I’m announcing something—am I part of Wanhuagu?”
Based on what these junior examiners knew of Wanhuagu, the sect would not do such a thing.
“Body-Burning Fire? What’s that?” Hua Jian was also stunned to hear the term. What on earth was that? She had never heard of it.
Seeing Hua Jian’s eyes, which were clear as water yet hinted at a certain level of stupidity, the Jade Pool girl felt that she probably wasn’t lying.
She really looked like she didn’t recognize Body-Burning Fire.
“The Wanling Sect cultivator you drove away yesterday was affected by Body-Burning Fire. That is a rare poison that only Wanhuagu uses,” the Jade Pool girl explained, her gaze fixed firmly on the Ling Sword in Hua Jian’s hand.
‘Why does this Ling Sword also look so much like Wanhuagu’s style?’
Using a Wanhuagu sword and having Wanhuagu poison on it… it would be quite difficult to believe that Hua Jian had nothing to do with Wanhuagu at this point.
“Where did you get that sword?”
“I saved someone, and she gave it to me as a thank-you gift.” Hua Jian subconsciously pulled the Ling Sword closer to her chest.
“The sword definitely came from Wanhuagu, but the source is absolutely legitimate. If you don’t believe me, go ask your Senior Sisters.”
Hearing Hua Jian directly admit the sword was from Wanhuagu and confidently tell her to ask her Senior Sisters about its legitimacy, the Jade Pool girl was momentarily dazed.
How did it feel like the girl in front of her knew the Saint Sect better than she did, and even acted more like a Saint Sect disciple?
This wasn’t right!
“Ahhh, whatever! I’m definitely fighting you today! Take this!”
Facing this Jade Pool Senior Sister, who was so speechless she had turned to anger, Hua Jian could only raise her sword and meet the challenge with all her strength.