Chapter 91: You're Not the Only One

At the same time, Sun Changfeng and Qiu Shuoran, who were sprinting wildly, caught sight of Xiao Jihan ahead.

Qiu Shuoran, running at full speed, shouted angrily, "Master was right after all! That wretch Xiao Jihan really is waiting for us up ahead. If it weren't for your wisdom, Master, we would've played right into his hands!"

"Today, he'll never leave this place alive," Sun Changfeng snorted coldly. "Hold off the Earth Dragon for me, I'll go capture him myself. There's no one around now—no need for pretense."

To Qiu Shuoran, this was exactly the kind of straightforwardness he craved. He nodded immediately, "Yes, Master, go ahead!"

As they spoke, they were already very close to Xiao Jihan. Seeing Qiu Shuoran turn to confront the Earth Dragon, Sun Changfeng leapt forward, landing directly before Xiao Jihan.

Xiao Jihan held his sword, the corner of his lips curling up slightly. "Senior Brother Sun, are you planning to turn against a fellow disciple?"

Sun Changfeng was momentarily stunned by the relaxed smile and demeanor, sensing something was amiss. But there was no time to dwell on it—Qiu Shuoran had only just formed his Core, he wouldn't last long. Without hesitation, Sun Changfeng approached with his sword, his voice icy. "Why speak so harshly, Junior Brother? What do you mean by turning against one another? Shuoran is in trouble—shouldn't you, as his uncle, help him?"

Xiao Jihan stepped back two paces, sneering, "Help him? You know perfectly well what my cultivation level is, Senior Brother Sun. I generously shared the clues to this opportunity with you, and warned you not to enter this dense forest."

"You ignored my advice and pressed on alone. Now, when you anger the guardian spirit beast and can't win, you want to sacrifice me? How can you and Junior Nephew Qiu repay kindness with betrayal?"

"Repay kindness with betrayal?"

Sun Changfeng seemed to hear a joke and was about to recount how Qiu Shuoran's cultivation had been regressed, how he himself had been humiliated in front of everyone.

But at that moment, Qiu Shuoran cried out for help, so Sun Changfeng dispensed with further words and struck at Xiao Jihan. "So what if I do? You will play this role whether you want to or not!"

Xiao Jihan blocked his attack with a single stroke, cold light flickering in his eyes, but his words remained calm: "Senior Brother, you're mistaken. As long as I don't attempt to delve deeper into the forest and don't harm this Earth Dragon spirit beast, even if you want to use me as a sacrifice, it won't work. Besides, I still have the jade token."

"The jade token?!" Sun Changfeng sneered and pulled a jade token from his storage pouch, waving it before Xiao Jihan. "Are you talking about this?"

Xiao Jihan's gaze turned icy. "How did you get my jade token?"

Sun Changfeng smiled. "That jade token was meant for Uncle Liu. You made Shuoran lose his cultivation, and extorted my spirit stones and nourishing pills. Did you think I'd let such a perfect opportunity slip by?"

The secret realm was fraught with peril.

In Sun Changfeng’s view, Xiao Jihan had only just established his Foundation. Even in the outer areas, he would struggle, let alone if he were suddenly transported deeper in. The jade token was his only hope of survival.

As luck would have it, the senior who made the jade tokens suddenly had a breakthrough, and the task fell to Sun Changfeng. He certainly didn't let the chance slip by—he swapped Xiao Jihan's real jade token with a fake, thinking that even if Xiao Jihan survived by sheer luck, he would suffer greatly, and thus Sun Changfeng and his disciple would have their revenge.

But he hadn't expected Yan Shu to enter the secret realm, escorting Xiao Jihan and even gaining clues to the opportunity in its depths.

No matter—everything had worked out perfectly.

The swapped jade token was indeed something Xiao Jihan had not foreseen, but his surprise lasted only a moment before he returned to his usual composure.

He looked at Sun Changfeng calmly. "Only a few days remain before the secret realm closes. Within it, cultivators are forbidden from killing each other. As long as I don’t provoke the Earth Dragon, even without the jade token, I can leave safely."

"Ha!" Sun Changfeng laughed coldly and suddenly produced a porcelain bottle, opening it and splashing its contents onto Xiao Jihan.

Immediately, a cloud of dust filled the air.

Xiao Jihan brushed his sleeves repeatedly, but the powder still clung to him. "Beast-attracting powder?"

"Exactly!" Sun Changfeng felt a rush of satisfaction, his voice harsh. "Prepare to die! Shuoran, lure the Earth Dragon over!"

Qiu Shuoran was overjoyed at the command, and darted toward Xiao Jihan.

Xiao Jihan watched him approach coldly, not moving an inch.

Qiu Shuoran came up behind Xiao Jihan, eagerly awaiting the Earth Dragon’s attack.

Next year, on this day, would mark Xiao Jihan’s death! A man whose only asset was his face, who had stained Yan Shu’s reputation—a worthless wretch who never should have lived!

The Earth Dragon drew closer, closer still.

It lunged suddenly.

But—

"What?!" Qiu Shuoran stared in shock as the Earth Dragon bypassed Xiao Jihan entirely and rushed at him, forcing him to block the beast's attack.

Sun Changfeng was equally stunned. He looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand, then at the Earth Dragon attacking Qiu Shuoran, disbelief written all over his face.

He turned his gaze to Xiao Jihan, who was looking at him as one might look at a fool, and demanded coldly, "What artifact do you have that can counteract the beast-attracting powder?!"

Xiao Jihan raised an eyebrow, smiling as he said, "Beast-attracting powder? You mean this?" He drew a porcelain bottle from his storage pouch, identical to Sun Changfeng’s, and his lips curled in amusement. "You’re not the only one who can swap things unnoticed."

He lowered his voice. "Senior Brother, I happen to have some forbidden items here. Would you like a look?"

Hearing this, Sun Changfeng's eyes went wide. "It was you!"

"It was me," Xiao Jihan replied, uncorking the bottle and using his spiritual power to fling the beast-attracting powder onto Sun Changfeng. "Enjoy the effects of the powder, Senior Brother!"

Though Sun Changfeng had suspected something, as soon as Xiao Jihan made his move, he retreated rapidly.

But he did not know that Xiao Jihan was no newly established Foundation cultivator, but a rare genius with a never-before-seen evolved spiritual root—even more extraordinary than the famed Yan Shu.

Moreover, Xiao Jihan’s spiritual power was abundant, while Sun Changfeng’s had been mostly depleted. Even if he tried to escape, he was no match for Xiao Jihan.

He was fast—Xiao Jihan was faster.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Jihan appeared before him, and, amidst Sun Changfeng's shock and disbelief, poured the beast-attracting powder over his head.

With the true powder released, the Earth Dragon immediately abandoned its struggle with Qiu Shuoran and charged straight for Sun Changfeng.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jihan withdrew, quietly stepping aside.

Sun Changfeng, eyes bloodshot and filled with hatred, glared at Xiao Jihan. "Just wait. Once we're out of this secret realm, I'll kill you myself! Shuoran, let's go!"

Watching Sun Changfeng crush his jade token, Qiu Shuoran shot Xiao Jihan a venomous glare and bit his lip as he crushed his own.

Two beams of intense light descended from the sky, enveloping them. In the blink of an eye, both vanished from where they stood.