Zhang

"Finally, you two are here. The secret realm is about to close—where is Jiang Yu?"

The speaker was a sharp-featured young man with silver eyes that gleamed like a predator's under the dim light. A lazy smirk tugged at his lips, but it never quite reached his eyes. Zhang always looked like he was joking, but that was precisely why no one ever let their guard down around him.

"Seems dead," Linglong replied flatly, her face devoid of emotion. She turned toward Yun, her voice just as indifferent. "Where is he?"

"Hiding," Yun said, his tone casual, but there was an edge beneath his words. "He's with the usual common trash that thinks they can ambush us."

Linglong neither reacted nor questioned his response. To her, it didn't matter where Jiang Yu was—he wasn't a threat anymore. Right now, their greatest obstacle wasn't some injured schemer but Zhang, the man standing in front of them, smirking like he owned the world.

Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping a finger against his wrist as he fell into thought. "Why do you say that? Do you have evidence, or did you investigate it?"

Yun remained silent, but Linglong answered, her voice as steady as ever. "He's still missing. Not just him—his followers, too. Even the spies I planted among those people have disappeared."

Yun finally added, "Same here. I had two spies watching them, and they both vanished without a trace. Jiang Yu is injured. I refuse to believe he took them out without anyone noticing."

Zhang didn't answer. His smirk remained, but his gaze darkened ever so slightly. No one knew what he was thinking.

Linglong, however, was growing impatient. "Are we doing this or not?"

Zhang arched an eyebrow, his tone amused but laced with something sharper. "Are you really that eager to fight a sealed demon? Let me remind you—it was once rank three. Even if it has fallen to early-stage rank two, do you really think we can take it down easily? And let's not forget the dozens of rank ones hiding in the shadows, waiting for us to exhaust ourselves."

Yun cast Linglong a sidelong glance, the kind that wordlessly said, Are you stupid?

She clenched her fists, but she couldn't argue. Zhang was right. The demon wasn't just a rank two—it used to be a rank three. If it had even a shred of its former strength, they were in for hell. And on top of that, none of them trusted each other.

How were they supposed to fight with full force while watching their backs?

And even if they somehow succeeded, they wouldn't walk away unscathed. There were over a hundred rank one cultivators watching from the shadows, waiting like vultures to tear them apart the moment they showed weakness.

But despite all that, she couldn't afford to wait. Not when he was still out there.

Her current strength was pitiful compared to the true monsters in this realm. The only reason she wasn't a complete joke was because of her trump card. But it was just a consumable talisman—a single-use lifeline.

Zhang and Yun had their own trump cards, but she had no idea what they were hiding. Would they be enough? Or would they turn those trump cards against her the moment the battle was over?

Zhang exhaled softly, his gaze unreadable. To outsiders, it looked as if he had lost interest in the conversation. But that was only a front.

Can both of you hear me?

His voice rang out in their minds through mind transmission.

Neither Linglong nor Yun reacted outwardly. It was a common technique, after all. Both gave slight nods.

I have an array prepared. When those people attack, we'll activate it. It's a killing array. What about you two? Do you have anything useful?

Yun responded first. I have a defensive array. It can withstand up to three attacks from a rank two, but it takes at least twenty breaths to set up.

Linglong followed, Mine is similar. It can block two rank two attacks, but it can also trap a hundred people for five breaths.

Zhang processed their words in silence before giving his orders. Yun, set yours up as soon as we start fighting the demon, and make sure no one notices. Linglong, do the same.

Neither of them argued. They simply nodded. Right now, there was no leader—only survival.

Breaking the mind transmission, Zhang spoke aloud, his tone edged with impatience. "Let's start. If I fail to bring this back, my master will have my head."

Yun scoffed, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "That's assuming you can even leave this place alive."

Her expression remained blank, as if the words meant nothing.

But deep down, all three of them knew the truth—they weren't just fighting a demon.

They were fighting each other.