“I suggest we cut down the forest to build a camp and set up a defensive formation,” Xuanyang proposed.
“Why? Build a camp so your little junior sister from the same Sect can have a target to ambush?”
The Dan Sect Alliance captain said, half-smiling, standing with the last remaining member of the Dan Sect Alliance. Their posture faintly hinted at surrounding Xuanyang from front and back.
The others’ expressions were unfriendly as well.
In their eyes, Xuanyang was a ticking time bomb—he hailed from the same Sect as Jiang Ke’er, and keeping him in the team was always a potential threat.
At this critical moment, fortunately, Emperor Taizong of Tang spoke up to mediate: “Everyone, that’s rather unreasonable. Of course we need to build a camp. Otherwise, are you planning to spend these seven days outdoors? Or do you intend to run around the woods fighting a guerrilla war?”
Seeing everyone fall silent, Emperor Taizong of Tang seized the moment and hurriedly continued, “A guerrilla war is definitely out of the question. There are too many poisonous insects and fierce beasts here—the risk of running about the forest is far too great. We absolutely need to build a camp where we can survive and defend ourselves.”
“Besides, it’s about to get dark. Night is when the wild beasts are most active. We must try to finish building the camp before then. Instead of arguing, we should take action now. Everything else can wait until the camp is finished. What do you all think?”
Everyone had to admit Emperor Taizong of Tang’s words made sense, so they quickly got moving, setting aside their previous prejudices from inside the Tower.
After all, the content of this Second Trial was group survival. Internal strife would only reduce their chances of clearing the stage.
As long as they broke through the trial, there would be plenty of chances outside to settle personal grudges.
Building a camp required logging, and they needed a lot of wood.
Abiding by the principle of not ruining the land right around their base, the cultivators didn’t start chopping trees in a circle around the camp, but instead spread out, going a bit farther to select suitable trees to bring back.
With cultivator efficiency, it made little difference anyway.
So they formed teams of two and, before night fell, hurried into the woods to start working.
“Brother Lin Yuan, what do you think we’ll get after we pass this round?” In the Dan Sect Alliance duo, the younger cultivator asked the captain of the Dan Sect Alliance with high expectations.
The captain was a cultivator of the Hemostatic Pill Sect, named Lin Yuan, one of the many offspring Bloodpill Ancestor had scattered across the land more than twenty years ago.
Because he carried the Bloodpill Ancestor’s blood in his veins, the Bloodpill Ancestor had never treated him poorly.
Since childhood, Lin Yuan had possessed abundant cultivation resources, had the best teachers to teach him battle, and the finest opponents to spar with…
So, as an elite of the Hemostatic Pill Sect seeking opportunities in the Secret Realm, it was only natural that he came.
The younger cultivator was named Telo, a foreign cultivator from Xiniu Hezhou.
Years ago, when Master of the Dragon Hall Dai Tian went to Xiniu Hezhou to seize a Secret Treasure, although he didn’t manage to get it, he did discover Telo, an excellent prospect, and brought him back to cultivate…
Now, as the top Five Elements Stage disciple of the Hall of the Wild Dragon, Telo too entered the Secret Realm to seek his chance to soar.
“How would I know?” Lin Yuan impatiently uprooted a giant tree, aimed it, and tossed it toward the camp.
“Anyway, all the survivors of past Emperor Jiang Trials became legends renowned far and wide… I heard the State Preceptor also participated in the Emperor Jiang Trial back in the day.”
“Yu Wen Guoshi, huh.”
At the mention of State Preceptor, both of their faces filled with reverence.
He was a hero to all of humanity.
“Speaking of which, the Great Sima Nation isn’t exactly peaceful nowadays,” Lin Yuan sighed.
“Sect infighting has been going on for ages. And right at this time, a monster like Jiang Ke’er appears—those beasts get agitated and start stirring up trouble in the shadows…”
“I hear the Tribulation Immortal Hall has already issued a secret purge order. The entire Imperial Court is in upheaval. Many Demon Race officials have been directly accused of fabricated crimes and had their whole Clans exterminated…”
As he spoke, Lin Yuan glanced around.
Seeing no one nearby and far from the camp, he grinned and said, “Truly delightful!”
“If you ask me, I agree. Those monsters insist on fighting for equal rights with humans—for what? If we give them a chance to rise up, won’t they trample on our human race? What a joke!” Telo nodded in deep agreement.
“They are not of our race; their hearts must be different! As long as there are foreigners, there can be no peace!” Lin Yuan laughed loudly as he uprooted another tree and hurled it toward the camp.
“I think the State Preceptor is still too soft-hearted. He should have wiped them all out from the start.”
“That wouldn’t do. If they were all wiped out, what would we use for alchemy?” Telo shook his head. “I’m sure the State Preceptor kept the Demon Race alive for that reason—so we’d have materials.”
“Actually, everything else is manageable, but the biggest mistake is that the Demon Race have brains just like humans!” Lin Yuan was a little indignant.
“With intelligence, they’re hard to herd, and we can’t deal with them like livestock—otherwise, they’d just commit suicide or take revenge. Look at livestock… rolling in their own filth all day, sleeping in it, and they never complain. As long as they’re raised from birth to know nothing but filth, they never think it’s bad—in fact, they’d feel uncomfortable if it suddenly disappeared.”
After Lin Yuan finished speaking, he expected Telo to echo him as usual. Instead, he found Telo uncharacteristically silent.
“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” Lin Yuan raised his voice, dissatisfied. “Hey! My words may sound crude, but don’t you agree?”
Still no response.
Only a solitary crow cawed in the distant mountains, making the atmosphere eerie.
Lin Yuan grew a little angry.
Although both were elites of the Dan Sect Alliance and acted friendly in public, they always compared themselves and looked down on each other in private.
How dare Telo give him attitude now!
“Telo, you—”
Lin Yuan whipped around, but his anger evaporated mid-outburst.
His throat felt dry and hoarse, a chill shot up his spine, and he couldn’t make a sound.
A bone-chilling sense of terror instantly doused his fury.
Amidst the tangled branches, a scarlet trail stretched off into the distance—Telo was gone, leaving only a bloodstained drag mark behind.
“Caw—caw—”
From far away, a crow’s mournful cry echoed, and under the evening sky, the blood-red clouds seemed to merge with that bloody trail.
Lin Yuan swallowed hard, gripped his sword tightly, and cautiously followed the trail of blood.
The trail led deep into the dense forest, tangled with vines.
At the center of the vines, there was a ripped-open gap.
A few strips of Telo’s clothing and flesh still clung to the tear—it was clear Telo had been violently dragged through the wall of vines in an instant.
“What is it? Show yourself!”
Lin Yuan roared, slashing the vines before him with his sword.
He finally saw Telo.
A vine was looped around Telo’s neck, binding him tightly to a tree trunk.
Telo’s eyes bulged from asphyxiation, his legs flailing desperately.
Suddenly, Telo stopped struggling. He stared up in terror.
And the direction of his gaze was directly above Lin Yuan’s head.
By the time Lin Yuan realized it was a trap, a swift shadow had already leapt down.
“Puchi—”