Attending a Feast of Slaughter

Since the Immortal Mist Cave had given up, Zhu Xian set about arranging the rogue cultivators in order and urged them to enter the mystic realm without delay.

Wearing the name Chai Xiaohong, Hong Jian blended into the procession. At most, a few people spared her a couple of extra glances simply because she was a solitary female cultivator, but seeing that everything from her cultivation level to her appearance was entirely ordinary, they quickly averted their gazes. Not a single person attempted to strike up a conversation or cozy up to her.

Soon, it was Hong Jian’s turn.

The person directly behind her was a tall man at the peak of Foundation Establishment who kept urging her forward. Ignoring him, Hong Jian reached the entrance of the mystic realm, probed the way with her divine sense, and slipped inside.

The two realms were temporarily connected, and the connection was extremely unstable. Consequently, those who first entered the mystic realm would be instantly scattered by spatial turbulence.

Having experienced this firsthand back in the mystic realm of the Danxia Sect, Hong Jian was experienced and remained unflustered. She allowed her body to be governed by the laws of space. To put it quickly, within just a few breaths, she was dropped from the air and regained control of her body.

It was said that at this very instant of entering the mystic realm, the laws of space would briefly scan the cultivators, ensuring that Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators were not teleported through. This was a form of concession, but for high-level cultivators, failing to be carried along meant they were highly likely to become trapped in chaotic space and never return to their original world.

She wondered if Pu Pingping had successfully entered the mystic realm after suppressing his cultivation. Since he dared to take such a risk, he must have been quite confident.

With her true essence circulating, Hong Jian drifted down and landed softly on solid ground.

The spiritual Qi here was exceptionally rich. As far as the eye could see, the vegetation was lush and the stream water was crystal clear. Her divine sense swept through a vast surrounding area without the slightest obstruction, making her feel refreshed from the inside out. If the entire mystic realm was like this, it must have been influenced by the impending birth of some rare treasure.

Although her divine sense detected no one else nearby, Hong Jian immediately activated the "Immortal Rainbow Glow" so that other cultivators could not perceive her with their divine sense.

Hong Jian was not in a hurry to rendezvous with Jiang Yan. With the "Hollow Sword" in her hand, she actually wanted to confront Pu Pingping directly.

Before that, Hong Jian retrieved a pre-prepared long black cloak from her cosmos sack, shook it out, and draped it over herself. It instantly concealed her entirely from head to toe, making it impossible to tell her gender simply from her back.

Even if the ensuing slaughter turned out to be brutal and bloody, it was impossible for all the rogue cultivators entering the realm to perish; some would inevitably make it out alive. Someone might catch a glimpse of her. Originally, there were very few female cultivators entering the realm, and even with the "Immortal Rainbow Glow," she could not guarantee that she would leave no traces behind. It was always best to cause as little trouble for Jiang Yan as possible.

Pu Pingping had entered in pursuit of the rare treasure. Which direction would the treasure appear in?

The first place Hong Jian thought of was the center of the mystic realm. She cast her divine sense outward, but completely failed to determine which direction the center lay in, so she had no choice but to follow the stream downstream, hoping that this mystic realm would not be as vast and unpredictably climate-changing as the Danxia Sect's realm she had entered previously.

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Guan Xian was a rogue cultivator from Central Province, possessing a Wood Spiritual Root and at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Upon hearing the news that the Ascendant Cloud Sect was opening its mystic realm, he and a friend immediately set off to arrive here. Only upon arrival did he discover that far too many cultivators shared the same idea. His friend, despite being at the peak of Foundation Establishment, missed the opportunity due to quota restrictions. Guan Xian, however, had his nickname shouted out at the selection site, catching the attention of the young man surnamed Jiang from the Ascendant Cloud Sect. After questioning him thoroughly, the youth unexpectedly passed him.

His nickname was "Meddling Busybody."

Perhaps because his parents gave him an unlucky name, Guan Xian had suffered countless heavy losses due to this habit of meddling in other people's business, yet whenever a critical moment arrived, he simply could not help himself.

Take right now, for instance.

In fact, right before entering the mystic realm, his friend—who knew Guan Xian's temperament and habits inside and out—had already explained the pros and cons to him. Guan Xian also knew that, given his strength, he was among the weaker ones entering the realm and really shouldn't take on extra troubles. Yet the very person he encountered upon entering caused his old habits to flare up anew.

When Guan Xian met that person, the fellow was fighting a single-handed battle against an armored bull. Being a kind-hearted man and fearing that the stranger might overthink things, Guan Xian intended to circle around him from a distance. Who would have thought that the man noticed him and shouted out first, "Friend, lend a hand!"

Guan Xian hesitated, and the man added, "We are all rogue cultivators, and meeting here is a matter of fate. Surely Your Excellency can see that there are considerable dangers in this mystic realm, can't you? Why don't we travel as companions and look out for each other?"

Guan Xian thought to himself, "This isn't me actively looking for trouble." So he readily agreed and went up to help.

That man was also at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, possessing a Metal Spiritual Root. Working together, the two quickly killed the demonic beast.

Exchanging names, the man claimed to be surnamed Yu, given name Hao. During the division of spoils, Yu Hao was extremely generous, leaving the majority of the valuable materials from the armored bull to Guan Xian. He then said, "I inquired in advance. The demonic beasts in the mystic realm this time are much fiercer than I had gathered, but fortunately the materials are also more valuable, so at least it wasn't a waste of the entry fee. Let's follow the stream and see if we can find that legendary rare treasure."

The two proceeded to search along the stream, killing a few more demonic beasts along the way. Their cooperation grew increasingly tacit, and they chatted quite amiably, until they met another Wood Spiritual Root cultivator further downstream.

That cultivator was dressed in gray robes, sitting under a large tree, clearly waiting for someone.

There was a fresh scent of blood in the air. Guan Xian didn't pay much attention at first, but when Yu Hao greeted the cultivator with great familiarity, Guan Xian realized that the two of them had known each other for a long time, and that person was waiting specifically for Yu Hao.

People who like to meddle are naturally curious, and Guan Xian couldn't help wanting to see what kind of creature Yu Hao's friend had previously killed. He released his divine sense to search the surroundings and suddenly discovered a severed palm hidden in the grass.

Yu Hao was just introducing the person to Guan Xian, saying, "My brother, Yu Sheng. He's also a Wood Spiritual Root. Now you know why I wanted to drag you along with us."

This Yu Sheng had just committed murder yet said not a single word about it, and his expression showed no trace of abnormality. A sudden surge of alertness rose in Guan Xian's heart. Repeating Yu Sheng's name a few times in his mind, he immediately halted his steps and said in horror, "The Yu Family Twins?"

This Yu Hao and Yu Sheng turned out to be two notorious Foundation Establishment master thieves among rogue cultivators who loved nothing more than killing people and stripping their corpses. Cursing inwardly, Guan Xian turned tail and ran without saying another word. Yu Hao let out a "ha" and shouted, "Oh? You figured it out so soon? It took so much effort to lure you here—where do you think you're going?"

Driving his flying magical artifact and ducking low to evade one of Yu Hao's spells, Guan Xian fled for his life. As he escaped, he congratulated himself: Fortunately, he discovered it early. If he had relaxed even slightly or reacted a fraction slower, and been caught in a pincer movement between these two wolves, how could he possibly have survived?

Guan Xian fled in a wretched state along the stream. The cultivators he caught sight of from afar hurriedly dodged out of the way, and not a single one came forward to meddle in his affairs, which utterly disappointed him.

However, Guan Xian also knew that as long as he could endure for a while—time being as precious as gold in the mystic realm—these two brothers would certainly not pursue him indefinitely. Moreover, he still had life-saving methods he hadn't yet used.

As long as he encountered someone else, it would distract the Yu brothers trailing behind him. With this thought in mind, Guan Xian's divine sense suddenly swept across the corpse of a demonic beast lying in the bushes not far ahead. The cultivator who had killed the beast had not yet left, and this person looked somewhat familiar.

He looked familiar because Guan Xian had paid him special attention; this person was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the major sect, the Danxia Sect.

Taking advantage of the moment when that person sensed his divine sense sweeping past, Guan Xian swiftly put away his flying magical artifact, rolled lightly upon touching the ground, and channeled true essence into the artifact in his hand. His entire figure instantly merged into the bushes and vanished.

Sure enough, upon catching sight of someone, the Yu brothers were distracted for a split second, and by the time they searched for Guan Xian, it was already too late. Exchanging a glance, Yu Hao stepped forward, smiling ingratiatingly as he approached to strike up a conversation with the Danxia Sect cultivator.

Hunched over and hidden in the bushes, Guan Xian wasn't afraid of being dragged out. Neither the Yu brothers nor this Danxia Sect cultivator had a higher cultivation level than his own. Yet the more he watched, the more distressed he felt. These disciples of major sects truly had never experienced any storms; how could they accept the explanations of those two brothers so quickly? Why couldn't they have an ounce of wariness?

Should he issue a warning? After all, he was the one who had led these people here, and that fellow surnamed Jiang from the Ascendant Cloud Sect had treated him fairly well. The relations among these major sects ought to be quite close; otherwise, the Ascendant Cloud Sect would never have let them enter its mystic realm so casually.

Once this notion of meddling arose, remaining silent felt as agonizing as having a hundred claws scratching at his heart. However, Guan Xian was currently in a state of stealth; recklessly moving his true essence or magical artifacts would instantly break the concealment. If he teamed up with that major sect disciple, would he be able to take down the Yu brothers?

Seeing the three of them draw closer and closer, and noticing that Yu Sheng was already quietly preparing to make a move, Guan Xian couldn't help sticking his head out and warning, "Watch out for those two!"

"Damn it!" With that single cry, Guan Xian's position was exposed. The Yu brothers wheeled around and lunged straight at him, yet the Danxia Sect disciple—upon whom Guan Xian had pinned such high hopes—didn't even think of helping at all, merely standing there with a look of shock and suspicion as he watched the three of them, one fleeing and two pursuing.

Guan Xian felt like crying without tears. What kind of person was this?

After this ordeal, the Yu brothers seemed dead-set on taking his life, truly transforming into ravenous wolves. No matter how he fled, they bit onto his trail and refused to let go.

It was raining. The drizzle fell in fine, dense threads, and a hazy mist steamed up from among the grass.

Guan Xian was covered from head to finish in mud and rainwater, yet he still hadn't shaken off the two tiger-like enemies behind him. It seemed that from the very moment he had started meddling, good luck had abandoned him, never to grant him another such favorable opportunity for escape.

*Swish*—a streak of black light chased after him from behind. Guan Xian suddenly swayed to the left, letting the spell brush past his body, while his entire person instantly teleported to the right.

He had already used this movement technique twice during his flight, successfully dodging attacks both times. Now that he pulled it out again, it had lost the element of surprise. Yu Sheng grinned hideously, his hand rising and falling as he brought down his strike. With a loud *crack*, a venomous dragon whip materialized out of the void, accompanied by a sharp whistle, and viciously lashed across Guan Xian’s body, instantly knocking him down from his flying magical artifact.

Disregarding the piercing, heart-wrenching pain, Guan Xian transformed his true essence into a shield, blocking Yu Hao's fatal spell by a hair's breadth. He scrambled away in panic, and by this point, no matter how unwilling he was, he could not help sinking into deep despair.

At that very moment, the sound of fluttering robes seemed to ring out not far away, and a dark shadow swept past. Before Guan Xian could even raise his head, he abruptly heard Yu Sheng let out a cry of alarm behind him, immediately followed by a heavy thump as someone collapsed to the ground.