When Dong Liang opened his eyes, the surrounding environment was no longer the secret realm, but a private room.

He felt a throbbing headache and a burning pain in his cheeks.

So he reached out and touched his face. He couldn't see it, but he could tell from the feeling that it was terribly red and swollen.

"It really hurts," Dong Liang gritted his teeth angrily. "I was eliminated in the first round."

Although the loss was inevitable, I still felt a bit resentful.

"woke up?"

A voice reached Dong Liang's ears. The voice sounded very ethereal, coming from all directions, making it impossible to tell who was speaking or where they were speaking.

Upon hearing this sound, Dong Liang lowered his hand from his face and looked around at his surroundings again.

Only then did he realize that he was now in a compartment on the Chaoran Sect's cloud boat.

The owner of this cubicle was his father.

Although he wasn't the official leader in this competition, he was very strong, even stronger than the leader.

They were specially sent by the sect's patriarch.

Upon seeing his father, Dong Liang lost his arrogance from the secret realm. Instead, he trembled all over, gritted his teeth, and said in a shaky voice, "Father...Father, I've been eliminated."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air seemed to grow colder, sending chills down one's spine.

Then, two eerie blue flames ignited in the dimly lit cubicle.

The pale blue flames floated in the cubicle, bringing a sliver of light to the dark space.

By the light of the fire, Dong Liang saw a person in the cubicle.

The man, dressed entirely in black, had his back to you. The eerie blue firelight shone on him, making him appear incredibly cold and sending chills down your spine.

"Elimination?"

The man in black had his back to Dong Liang. He stretched out one hand and held up the ghostly blue flames floating beside him.

This short sentence turned the arrogant Dong Liang into a frightened rabbit, his heart filled with panic and cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He stood there, barely daring to breathe, let alone speak.

"Tell me, which company attacked you?"

You spoke another sentence to the man in black from Dongliang, your tone flat and devoid of emotion.

Dong Liang lowered his head and said tremblingly, "Pengshan Sect..."

"Pengshan Gate?"

The man in black's tone shifted, and the eerie blue flame beside him flickered twice.

Someone sneered, "You really are a piece of trash. The disciples of Pengshan have the fewest magic treasures among these major families. Although they all have good foundations, their strength should be inferior to yours without magic treasures."

Upon hearing this, Dong Liang was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "It's not my fault! It's not my fault! This time I encountered three monsters, which is why I was eliminated."

"That's no excuse. You have a top-grade magic weapon protecting you. Even the most monstrous creature can't compare to you."

The man in black swayed slightly and said, "Alright, no need for further explanation. I'll make the arrangements so you can go on stage again."

The implication was clear: although Dong Liang was eliminated, he could still be allowed to play.

This is not surprising, because this competition is just a game for the major sects, and they set the rules.

Bringing a eliminated disciple back onto the field is not a difficult task.

After pausing for a moment after saying the previous sentence, the man in black spoke in an even colder voice: "We are descendants of immortals, a proud bloodline. How can we tolerate defeat?"

Otherwise, he shook his head slightly, as if he had thought of something else.

So he added, "Although we don't say it openly, the three major immortal sects of Zhongzhou are secretly joining forces to deal with Pengshan Sect. We'll take care of the Pengshan Sect's leader outside, and then we'll render all the life-saving talismans useless. You can go on a killing spree in the secret realm."

"Yes, I understand."

Dong Liang nodded hurriedly in response, his expression anxious and his forehead covered in sweat.

The man in black nodded slightly upon hearing Dong Liang's affirmation. Then, the fire suddenly went out, and the man in black disappeared along with it.

Although the person disappeared, they left behind something.

A pile of glittering spirit stones, and a short sword.

The short sword looked ordinary, but it exuded a chilling aura.

Dong Liang quickly stepped forward, took the short book in his hand, and then put away the large pile of spirit stones.

After putting away his things, Dong Liang's ugly smile reappeared, and he said in a low voice, "Pengshan Sect, you just wait."

...

Meanwhile, in the secret realm.

Wu Er was strolling leisurely through the woods of the secret realm, occasionally picking a leaf or looking at the wildflowers by the roadside.

If you see flowing water and feel a gentle breeze, you might occasionally sigh with admiration.

Han Qingxiu and Xiong Ao followed Wu Er helplessly.

After their recent fight with the Chaoran Sect, these two men's attitude towards Wu Er changed; they found him much more agreeable than before.

"When are we going to find the jade talisman?"

Han Qingxiu asked Wu Er a question.

The main purpose of the competition in this secret realm is to collect jade talismans. No matter how strong you are, you will still be eliminated if you don't collect enough jade talismans.

"What's the rush? Take your time to explore before collecting them. They're everywhere; you can easily pull out a handful."

Wu Er remained absent-minded, waved to Han Qingxiu behind him, and then went back to looking at the scenery on his own.

These unreliable words caused Han Qingxiu to lose all the goodwill she had painstakingly built up towards Wu Er.

"You bastard!"

She hates unreliable people like that. It's such an important competition, yet they're so distracted!

So he raised his voice slightly and said, "Okay, didn't you say they're everywhere? Now scoop one out and show it to me."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!