“This…”
The six cultivators exchanged glances, the same emotion flickering in their eyes.
Caution. They had to be cautious.
The two who had previously stolen their treasures from the Magic Path were also a man and a woman, and now, these two appeared at such a coincidental moment— and were also a man and a woman.
Very suspicious.
“Everyone, we’re victims of that thief too! She stole our belongings, and we wish her dead just as much as you do!” The man from the Magic Path clenched his fist, his face full of grief as he recounted his story.
Although his emotions were vivid, the six cultivators didn’t really believe him.
The white Magic Mist had already begun to rise— who could say if this pair before them was friend or foe?
To trust these two… unless they surrendered and let them be searched!
“Surrender, both of you. Otherwise, we can’t trust you.” Lu said in a deep voice.
At these words, the Magic Path woman immediately grew displeased.
She and her senior brother had come to help catch the thief out of goodwill— how could this group treat them like this?
“How ungrateful! Senior Brother, why don’t we just go hunt down that thief ourselves!”
“Eh, that’s not right. That thief is extremely cunning and despicable. With just the two of us, it’ll be hard to win.” The Magic Path man quickly shook his head, stopping the black-clothed woman’s outburst.
He was already in a state where someone with nothing left to lose fears nothing. Search him? Go ahead! If they could find anything of value on him, he’d be impressed!
After being stripped clean by Hua Jian, he had nothing left to lose. Surely these cultivators wouldn’t strip even the plain clothes off his back?
“Tch.”
Seeing her senior brother say this, the black-clothed woman snorted in annoyance, tacitly agreeing with his decision.
“Don’t you think this is a waste of time? With all this fuss, that thief is probably long gone!” She asked, disgruntled.
She wasn’t wrong, but the six cultivators could only feel helpless.
None of them specialized in arrays, and ever since they’d stepped into the Array of Bewilderment, this hunt had basically already ended.
“That thief must have set up many such arrays throughout the Secret Realm. If we want to catch her, we’ll have to destroy these things first.” Lu spoke, pinching his nose as he did. “We already know her tricks. Now comes the real test!”
He wanted to see for himself— were they more capable, or was that thief even more formidable?
……
“Sigh, someone’s got their eyes on me. This is trouble.”
Hua Jian tossed the Storage Pouch in her hand onto the pile of loot, sighing as she walked over to sit by the campfire.
There had been too many possessions taken by force lately, and the people in this Secret Realm had grown wary, starting to check and capture others.
“Why not do as the other cultivators do— search for rare spirit items in the Secret Realm and exchange them for Spirit Stones? Is stealing the only way you see to earn Spirit Stones here?”
Today, the Saintess returned to the cave earlier than Hua Jian. Hearing Hua Jian’s sigh, she asked in confusion.
Normally, people entering a Secret Realm wouldn’t think of robbing others’ Storage Pouches and spiritual tools, but rather of searching for rare treasures within, right?
“The good stuff in this Secret Realm was cleaned out long ago. Now, all the spirit items here are planted by Linglong Pavilion itself. I’d rather bet on a more stable source of Spirit Stones than gamble on those pitiful odds.”
Hua Jian spread her hands. Linglong Pavilion was backed by the Five Great Sacred Sects; the Secret Realms it controlled had all been stripped bare by the Sacred Sects before being handed over to it, used as a trap to milk Spirit Stones from overconfident cultivators.
Are there good things here?
Of course there are, but they’re definitely not native to the Secret Realm— they’re put here by Linglong Pavilion.
Take that True Dragon Scale, for example. What kind of circumstance would allow such a barren little Secret Realm to contain a True Dragon’s Dragon Scale? Would a True Dragon really care about this place?
Just think about it—it’s impossible. That Dragon Scale, if it even exists in this Secret Realm, was definitely placed here by Linglong Pavilion, used as bait to lure ordinary cultivators.
“If this were a newly opened Secret Realm, I might believe you, but here… I can only say, Saintess Daren, you’re still too naive.”
And as for newly opened Secret Realms, people like Hua Jian would never get the chance to explore them. How could the Sacred Sects let such precious resources fall into outsiders’ hands?
“But I’ve made my money back this time, too. I absorbed Mirage Incense and got quite a few Storage Pouches… As long as I get out, the entry fee’s covered for sure.”
Hua Jian was in good spirits. Having absorbed several hundred Spirit Stones’ worth of Mirage Incense and gained a new ability, even if she got kicked out of the Secret Realm, it didn’t matter.
She’d already profited— the only question was by how much.
“I still owe you two hundred Spirit Stones.” Linglong quietly reminded Hua Jian that she’d already made back her entry fee.
The agreement over Mirage Incense and the agreement over Spirit Stones were two separate things. Linglong wouldn’t mix them up.
“Since you’ve already been targeted by the other cultivators in the Secret Realm, why not come with me tomorrow to scout the Territory of the Spirit Beast and plan how to deal with it?”
This time, Hua Jian didn’t refuse Linglong’s request.
Things were tense lately, and she figured it was best not to push her luck. Once those cultivators lost interest in hunting her down, she could get back to her old ways.
After all, she was making a sure profit now, while those cultivators chasing her were only losing money.
If they wanted to drag things out, she’d play along and see who could outlast whom.
Worst case, they’d drag it out for three months.
By then, they’d have lost a hundred Spirit Stones, while she’d walk away with two hundred Spirit Stones from the Saintess— just thinking about it made her laugh!
“Sure. By the way, how have you been scouting the Territory of the Spirit Beast lately?”
“I strike it with lightning at the edge of its territory to lure it out to fight me. After a few rounds, I hide in the lake you mentioned.”
Linglong replied expressionlessly, describing what she’d been up to lately.
Hua Jian dug at her ear with a finger, wondering if she’d misheard.
“You’ve been fighting that Spirit King-level Spirit Beast every day lately?”
“Correct. It’s very strong. Without using my trump cards, I can only last ten rounds against it.” Linglong nodded.
Hua Jian sucked in a breath of cold air. This Saintess was terrifying indeed— that was a genuine, pure Spirit King-level Spirit Beast!
Even a dozen of her would be no match for such a monster!
And Linglong had been provoking it every day lately— no wonder her aura was a bit unstable when she came back these days.
After duking it out with a Spirit Beast like that, it’d be strange if her aura was stable.
“You’re amazing.” Hua Jian gave Linglong a heartfelt thumbs-up, leaving Linglong tilting her head in confusion.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re awesome.”
“Oh. Then what does this gesture you made before mean?” Linglong raised her middle finger at Hua Jian.
“…That’s something kids shouldn’t know about.”