Disguised as Telo, Jiang Ke’er kept her eyes tightly shut, slowing her breathing and suppressing the flow of her cultivation.
She looked as if she was on the brink of death.
Meanwhile, Qiao Xiaoxian was pretending to be Ling Yuan, carrying her slung over her shoulder.
Swish, swish, swish—several streaks of white light appeared in the forest; these were the participants who had been eliminated from the Trial Tower earlier.
Now, they had been transported to the entrance.
“How’s the situation?”
The other three members of the Dan Sect Alliance, who had been eliminated in the first round, managed to survive and hurried over to “Ling Yuan” and “Telo”.
“Ling Yuan” still looked shaken, carrying the unconscious “Telo” on his back, panting and flustered: “That Little Junior Sister from Taiming Sect was way too strong—like some deity descending from the heavens! She toyed with all our senior brothers, and we barely managed to escape her pursuit…”
Jiang Ke’er, pretending to be unconscious, almost couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“……”
The others wore odd expressions.
It was the first time they’d ever heard someone use “deity descending from the heavens” as a way to describe an enemy.
“Ling Yuan” went on and on: “That Qing Yi, honestly—she’s not only beautiful, she’s clever, gentle, and a terror in a fight… My entire persona nearly collapsed in front of her!”
Jiang Ke’er’s stomach convulsed from trying to hold in her laughter.
Still, this Qiao Xiaoxian really was too wild—so frivolous and scatterbrained. What if someone saw through her disguise?
The three from the Dan Sect Alliance eyed “Ling Yuan” strangely: “Senior Brother Ling Yuan, you haven’t fallen for her, have you?”
“Heh heh,”
“Ling Yuan” chuckled, “Too bad. No matter how amazing that Qing Yi is, didn’t she still end up falling at my hands?”
So that was what this was about.
All that earlier praise was just to highlight her own prowess.
Truly worthy of being Senior Brother Ling Yuan of the Hemostatic Pill Sect…
The people of the Hemostatic Pill Sect were always like this.
With just a few exchanges, everyone now completely believed in “Ling Yuan’s” identity.
Only Jiang Ke’er felt an inexplicable sense of annoyance and secretly pinched Qiao Xiaoxian’s waist.
“Let’s get out of here,” said “Ling Yuan.”
“Telo is completely exhausted; we need to leave quickly and let him rest.”
“Mm.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
At the same time, Emperor Taizong of Tang and Changsun Wuji were exchanging puzzled glances as they looked at Ling Yuan and Telo.
Weren’t these two supposed to be dead?
Fortunately, they soon realized what was going on.
“Qing Yi…” Changsun Qingyue was anxiously searching for any sign of Jiang Ke’er.
“It’s a shame. Qing Yi couldn’t endure this round of the trial,” Emperor Taizong of Tang cooperated, putting on a sorrowful expression.
“We did our best. I’m sorry.”
Xiao Ming and Xiao Ri’s eyes widened: “What did you say? Little Junior Sister and Qian Yue, they…”
“Don’t ask,” Xuanyang immediately realized the true identities of these “Ling Yuan” and “Telo” and said, “Don’t ask, let’s return to Taiming Sect.”
But unexpectedly, Xiao Ming and Xiao Ri burst into loud, wailing sobs.
As they cried, they cursed, “Senior Brother, you useless trash! If you hadn’t betrayed them, they wouldn’t be dead! I’ll beat you! Beat you to death!”
Xuanyang’s temple pulsed, his fists clenched tight… Clearly, these two junior brothers needed a loving lesson.
One after another, the group left the Secret Realm.
No one noticed that, after everyone had left, a corpse fell from the sky.
It was the dwarf old man in charge of the Emperor Jiang Trial.
He was a Corpse Puppet with self-awareness, but now he’d suffered fatal damage.
A thin, penetrating wound cut through his chest. The wound was slender and not like a normal sword wound.
If Jiang Ke’er compared Qing Cheng or Shuang Ying with it, she’d immediately realize—the blade fit the wound perfectly. This injury had been caused by Qing Cheng.
The same scar also appeared high above; a crack had been pierced through the space of the Secret Realm.
Beyond the crack was the Endless Void.
As expected, just as she’d thought, the outside of the Secret Realm was already filled with Killers.
A terrifying Immortal Grade expert, Lingxu, stood in the sky, his gaze sweeping over every trial participant exiting the Secret Realm.
When his gaze fell upon Jiang Ke’er, he paused for a moment, frowning slightly.
Fortunately, he soon looked away.
Only then did Jiang Ke’er secretly breathe a sigh of relief—thank goodness Qiao Xiaoxian’s Disguise Technique was incredibly effective, perfectly concealing even her ear and tail features, using spiritual power to alter her skeletal structure and meridian layout.
“Telo!”
A group of Hall of the Wild Dragon medical cultivators rushed over, hurriedly taking “Telo” from them and beginning to check “his” body.
Jiang Ke’er’s heart pounded with anxiety, but she quickly used her spiritual power to slow her heartbeat.
“It seems he’s just fainted from overexertion.” Finally, after checking him over, one of the medical cultivators said.
Master of the Dragon Hall Dai Tian nodded and said, “Take him back to the Main Hall and let him rest well.”
With that, Dai Tian turned his attention back to the entrance of the Secret Realm.
Just then, Xuanyang, Xiao Ming, and Xiao Ri emerged from the Secret Realm.
Dai Tian’s eyes narrowed: “Go!”
The three from Taiming Sect hadn’t even realized what was happening.
They were still searching for someone from Taiming Sect to receive them… but there wasn’t a single Taiming Sect member to be found.
Instead, they were instantly surrounded by cultivators from the Dan Sect Alliance.
Countless flying swords hovered before them, and the three didn’t dare move a muscle.
“This is bad.”
Their hearts grew heavy as they allowed themselves to be bound with Iron Chains, already understanding what was happening.
Something had happened to Taiming Sect. Something big.
If it weren’t a matter of life and death, the Sect Leader would never have abandoned them.
It had to be that things were too dire, so he was forced to give up on them, these elite disciples—the future pillars of the sect.
Immortals? Why would Immortals descend to the mortal realm?
Weren’t there rules forbidding them from meddling in the affairs and disputes between sects?
“Where is Jiang Ke’er?” Dai Tian personally walked up to the three and asked in a cold voice.
“Who’s Jiang Ke’er?” The three looked totally confused. “Never heard of her…”
“Stop pretending!” Dai Tian shouted in anger, raising his hand to strike one as a warning.
But a horsetail whisk blocked his large ring-blade.
The Immortal Grade man drifted down, landing lightly before the three. He said calmly, “My name is Lord Zuo. I come from the Tribulation Immortal Hall beyond the realms, tasked with investigating the calamity caused by the Fox Demon.”
“Tribulation Immortal Hall? Fox Demon?!” The three were dumbfounded.
Those names were legendary!
“Judging by your expressions, it seems you were merely deceived by the Fox Demon,” Lord Zuo offered an amiable smile.
“It’s alright. No one is perfect—everyone makes mistakes. You too are victims, your minds bewitched by the Fox Demon. The Tribulation Immortal Hall won’t hold it against you.”
Xiao Ming and Xiao Ri exchanged glances, while Xuanyang remained silent.
Lord Zuo looked to Xuanyang: “Do you know anything?”
Xuanyang shook his head. “I truly haven’t heard of any Jiang Ke’er.”
Lord Zuo narrowed his eyes, lowering his head to look down at Xuanyang at close range, as if seeing through him completely.
Suddenly, Lord Zuo laughed. “I understand. Of course you would care for your fellow junior sister. But you may not realize how dangerous fox demons are… They beguile all living things, destroy the Dao hearts of others, and take joy in slaughter. They can even enchant kings, plunging the world into chaos and suffering!”
After he finished, Lord Zuo looked again at Xuanyang, his expression earnest: “We are both of the Human Clan. You should know what true righteousness is.”
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