Fangs Behind Friendly Faces

The three of them searched the white-boned cave of the snake demon for quite a while, but apart from a few shed snake skins, there was nothing else of value. In the end, the snake skins were split evenly between Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu. Chen Jinshu didn't take any, as she had already received the blood-red jade pendant earlier.

Taking more would have seemed inconsiderate.

She didn't want discord to arise among the three of them over such a minor resource—just a few irrelevant snake skins. Soon after, the three left White Bone Mountain without lingering any further.

"Where shall we go treasure-hunting next?" Chen Jinshu asked softly.

"This place is remote. There aren't any other resource points nearby, so it looks like we'll have to travel a bit," Du Yi replied, looking at the map in his hand. They were currently in the southern corner of the region, and the nearest resource points were over a thousand kilometers away.

"The closest is Longyan Pool! It's said that a true dragon once appeared there, though that's probably just a rumor. However, the area is known for many rare spiritual herbs—Dragon Blood Wood for enhancing the physique, Red-Eyed Fruit for boosting vitality…" Jiang Daoyu glanced at the map and quickly analyzed.

"I remember Senior Brother Wen once mentioned the Blood Vermilion Fruit, which is said to increase cultivation with minimal side effects. Might be worth investigating," Chen Jinshu said, recalling that her master had once gifted one of these fruits to Senior Brother Wen. Just one fruit had helped him break through a stage during the Qi Refining phase.

However, a Qi Refining cultivator could only consume one such fruit. Foundation Establishment cultivators could consume more, though overuse would lead to wasted effects.

"Then let Junior Brother Du lead the way. I'm not familiar with this area."

"Follow me!" Du Yi replied, pulling out a divination compass. After a short moment of observation, he flew northeast on his spirit tool.

Chen Jinshu followed, seated atop her gourd. Though Xiao Yin was faster, it had already used up quite a bit of energy earlier. A spirit tool was more practical now. Besides, Xiao Yin was too flashy and eye-catching. After revealing its true form as a Yinyuan, the two senior brothers had even asked where she had acquired such a spirit bird.

Chen Jinshu made them swear to keep Xiao Yin a secret and explained that she had picked it up at a market at a bargain.

…

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Led by her two senior brothers, Chen Jinshu finally arrived at Longyan Pool. The pool had a faint golden hue and was shaped like a gourd. From the sky, it looked like a pair of connected golden dragon eyes. At the center of the pool was a black vertical pupil.

However, there didn't seem to be any living creatures within the pool. Chen Jinshu couldn't sense any spirit beasts. The vegetation around Longyan Pool was sparse, though exceptionally green—likely due to fertile soil. Still, very few spiritual plants managed to thrive here.

"Junior Sister! This is Longyan Pool, just like the intel described. But where exactly is that Blood Vermilion Fruit you mentioned?" Du Yi asked with a frown.

"To be honest, I don't know either. It should be somewhere within this area," Chen Jinshu replied regretfully.

"Help! Help!"

Suddenly, panicked cries for help rang in their ears, frantic and urgent—someone was clearly being pursued.

"Junior Sister, hide!" Jiang Daoyu's expression changed. He immediately pulled them into a corner and activated a concealment and isolation formation.

"Our Sect Leader warned us that disciples from powerful sects in the cultivation world may also be here competing for resources. For our safety, we must remain cautious," Jiang Daoyu explained while maintaining the formation.

"You're right, Senior Brother," the other two agreed, nodding.

Soon, two groups of people appeared before them—eight individuals in total, all fleeing for their lives.

Their robes were different. Three of them wore the attire of the Xuanming Sect, while the other five wore light red robes embroidered with phoenix patterns—clearly from some prominent sect or noble family.

The Xuanming Sect had distributed entry slots into this secret realm to various major sects. What they did with those slots was up to them. Some sects gave their slots to large noble families, though such cases were rare.

"That's the Feng Family," Du Yi said with a deep frown.

"Feng Family?" Chen Jinshu and the others asked in confusion.

"Yes. The Feng Family is one of the subordinate noble families under the Chiyan Sect, and they're quite powerful. Their family patriarch is even a Nascent Soul elder in the Chiyan Sect. That's why they always get a spot in the secret realm. They're a strong competitor."

"How does the Chiyan Sect compare to our Xuanming Sect?"

"They're slightly stronger, though our sect isn't afraid of them. They just have a few more Nascent Soul cultivators."

Clang clang!

While they were discussing the Feng Family, another group appeared—this time, all dressed in black robes and cloaks, their faces completely hidden. A sinister black aura surged around them as they moved—clearly demonic cultivators.

But how did demonic cultivators appear in the Xuanming Secret Realm, one of the sect's protected resource zones?

Whoosh whoosh!

The demonic cultivators were terrifyingly fast, catching up in an instant to one of the slower Feng Family disciples. The two Feng Family cultivators in the front, both at the peak of Qi Refining, suddenly grabbed a Xuanming Sect disciple beside them and flung him toward the pursuing demonic cultivators.

"What are you doing?!"

The Xuanming disciple was already weaker, and despite some resistance, he was quickly subdued.

"Weren't we supposed to be allies?!"

The Feng Family disciples ignored him. After capturing him, they immediately fled. The other two Xuanming disciples tried to intervene, but were blocked. One of the demonic cultivators was about to attack the slower Feng Family disciple—until a corpse was suddenly thrown toward him.

The demonic cultivator casually grabbed the corpse by the neck and squeezed—the head came clean off.

"Senior Brother, the Feng Family has gone too far! They're using our fellow disciples as cannon fodder!" Chen Jinshu said, her face filled with anger.

Even though they were strangers, they were still from the same sect. She couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

"Wait! There might be more demonic cultivators lurking. Let's not act rashly," Jiang Daoyu said, clearly angry as well, but still holding back. He wanted to see how many demonic cultivators were involved.

The remaining two Xuanming disciples were no pushovers—they weren't as unlucky as the one ambushed by four people at once. They still had a chance to escape.

Clang clang!

A small skirmish broke out ahead. The Feng Family disciples had tried to flee, but were soon blocked by three more demonic cultivators.

"Betraying allies so quickly—you're perfect material for the Demonic Sect. Interested in joining us?"

The Feng Family disciples' expressions changed. Though they were all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, there were clear differences in strength—especially since they'd had little actual combat experience.

"Junior Sister! Now's the time! Act!" Jiang Daoyu said in a deep voice.

The Lüqi zither in front of Chen Jinshu had already been prepared. She immediately began to play.

Ding ding ding…

The cold and piercing sound of the zither reverberated, cutting through a radius of nearly thirty meters.