Chapter 30: Come and Get Me

Baili Muchen’s expression darkened as he watched Shen Zhilan materialize from the teleportation array. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he could not hide his displeasure.

Shen Zhilan looked ashamed. "Master, your disciple is incompetent. I could not withstand the combined assault of Jun Wen and the others, but I did manage to obtain a fortunate discovery within the secret realm."

As she spoke, she produced a monster beast egg.

Baili Muchen’s expression softened slightly. "Very good. This is an immortal beast egg. While it may not compare to a divine beast, it is still quite remarkable. With enough destiny in the future, it might even evolve into one." Regardless, Zhilan remained exceptionally talented and favored by the heavens.

The golden-maned Suanni, which had been dozing, suddenly opened its eyes, gazing at the egg in Shen Zhilan’s hand with a touch of obsession. The egg emitted an aroma that stirred its greedy instincts, awakening its heart after tens of thousands of years of dormancy. It stood up involuntarily, but then, a thought struck it—the words Feng Xi had spoken to it.

A trap! It was absolutely a trap! It had to be some despicable trick cooked up by those flashy, shameless wretches of the Hunyuan Sect to force it into becoming a breeding tool!

"Never!"

With that, it glared fiercely at the immortal beast egg and flopped back down. To prevent its mind from wandering, it began to silently recite the "Clearing Heart Mantra." Feng Xi had taught it this on the road; though it had insisted it didn't want to listen, her relentless chatter had forced the words into its memory.

Just then, a shrill, pig-like scream shattered the air!

"My spirit stones! My spirit artifacts! My medicinal pills! Master, Feng Xi and the others ransacked my storage ring! You must seek justice for me!"

Lu Xiu-han had intended to change into a clean set of robes, only to discover his storage ring was filled with nothing but large rocks. He spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot!

Upon hearing Lu Xiu-han’s accusation, Baili Muchen’s face turned livid with rage. "Your disciples from the three sects are truly capable! Not only did you join forces against my Hunyuan Sect disciples, but you also took advantage of the situation to loot them? This is going too far! If the secret realm trials are to be conducted this way, I see no reason for them to be opened again!"

Lu Zhenkuan and the others exchanged glances. Their disciples might have gone a bit far, but it felt strangely satisfying!

Xiao Baidao coughed. "Feng Xi and the others are good children; they would not do such a thing. Besides, Lu Xiu-han did not see it with his own eyes. Perhaps some error occurred during the teleportation process. What do you think, Sect Leader Lu? Sect Leader Hu?"

Lu Zhenkuan nodded. "Sect Leader Xiao makes a fair point. My two disciples are reasonable people; they would not engage in looting."

Hu Wankui chimed in with a look of indignation, "Do not spread baseless rumors. Isn't this just smearing the reputations of my disciples?!"

Baili Muchen was so furious he nearly fainted.

***

You are all blatantly lying! You have abandoned all shame! I will settle this score once those little brats come out!

Inside the secret realm, Liu Shaobai and the others felt deep regret. Shen Zhilan, the "fat sheep," had escaped before they could shear her. Feng Xi felt the same; she had intended to leave Shen Zhilan with a memorable souvenir, but the girl had slipped away far too quickly.

Feng Xi turned to the group. "After the secret realm closes, Sect Leader Baili will certainly ask us about the storage rings. Since we are not liars, we shall tell the truth: after we surrounded and beat Lu Xiu-han, he handed over everything in his storage ring as a token of his appreciation. As for the rest of the Hunyuan Sect disciples, let us refrain from robbing their rings. After all, we are people of stature; we cannot engage in such dishonorable behavior."

The group: "..." *Does your face not hurt from saying that?*

The Hunyuan Sect disciples suffered a catastrophic fate. Whenever they encountered anyone from the other sects, they were immediately attacked. Within two hours, every single one of them had been eliminated, setting a record for the fastest clearance since the Heaven Trace Secret Realm first opened.

Baili Muchen sneered at Xiao Baidao and the others. "Don't get too smug. Now that only your three sects remain, I look forward to seeing you turn on each other."

Though his words were biting, Lu Zhenkuan and Hu Wankui both frowned. They did not regard the Xuantian Sect as a threat, as they were certain to finish third. The real question was which of their two sects would claim the top spot.

Inside the realm, the alliance Feng Xi had formed began to disintegrate. Former allies turned hostile. Liu Shaobai and his team reached an instant consensus: eliminate the Xuantian Sect first, then settle the score between themselves. They turned their gazes toward Feng Xi and Jun Wen, ready to strike.

Feng Xi blinked innocently. "Fellow senior brothers and sisters, have you forgotten our original purpose for entering this realm? It is not to compete for first or second place, nor to fight over loot, but for cultivation. Why waste our energy on fighting? Why not focus on gathering spirit plants and hunting monsters, and let our results speak for themselves? That way, we preserve harmony and still gain something—why not?"

She added softly, "Besides, I am so weak. Do you really have the heart to attack me?"

The others thought: *You are weak, but you are also full of excuses.* Still, they had been allies, and it was hard to strike. More importantly, Feng Xi did not carry a jade token, so they could not eliminate her anyway.

Liu Shaobai was the first to concede. "Feng Xi is right. We fell into a trap. If we want to take first place, we will do it by our own merits, not by using the underhanded tactics of the Hunyuan Sect."

Xing Wu nodded. "Indeed. Without the troublemakers from the Hunyuan Sect, we will surely have a better harvest. Let us compete fairly!"

With that, he walked away. Yuan Zongheng and Song Yudie followed suit. Only Jun Wen and Feng Xi remained.

Jun Wen found the experience exhilarating, far more so than being chased by monsters. How had they managed to eliminate the Hunyuan Sect with so little effort? It felt like a dream! His junior sister had defused the crisis of being swarmed with just a few sentences. She was truly a talent!

As he marveled at this, Feng Xi said, "Fifth Senior Brother, let’s go find some spirit plants!"

Jun Wen hesitated, then hardened his resolve. "Junior Sister, maybe we shouldn't. Spirit plants are always guarded by beasts. If I get distracted and cannot protect you, what if you get hurt?"

Feng Xi smiled. "Fifth Senior Brother, ever since I took the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill from Master, my dantian has healed significantly; I have a tiny bit of combat capability now. Don't you remember? I used the Binding Spell on Lu Xiu-han earlier, and look, I’m still perfectly fine! Even if I can't win, I can run. Besides, I took a defensive spirit artifact from Lu Xiu-han—it will save my life in a pinch."

Jun Wen still found the risk too high, but Feng Xi sighed. "The cultivation world is a place where the strong prey on the weak; weakness is a sin in itself. I cannot live under your and Master’s wings forever. I must grow stronger. This trial is the best opportunity—please, help me!"

Seeing her determination, Jun Wen gritted his teeth. "Fine! But you must listen to me—we only target low-level beasts."

Feng Xi agreed obediently. They soon found a Yellow-rank herb, guarded by a Saber-Toothed Golden-Backed Wolf, which was equivalent to a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator. Feng Xi watched as Jun Wen prepared to engage. She bared her small white teeth at the wolf, beckoned with her finger, and said, "Come here!"