*

In the secret realm.

Just as Tan Taipei put away the last beast core, he suddenly raised his head as if sensing something and looked into the distance.

"Junior Uncle, what's wrong?"

Chu Yue wasn't embarrassed at all by Tan Taipei's young age; on the contrary, he called her "Little Martial Uncle" very cheerfully.

Lin Zhao followed Tan Taipei's gaze but found nothing.

Tan Taipei withdrew her gaze: "It's nothing."

After the three left, a pair of weathered eyes appeared in the direction Tantai Beifang had been looking.

There is no sun or moon in the secret realm, and the flow of time is different from that in the outside world. Tan Taipei just wants to end this quickly, because his master must be tired of waiting. He doesn't want to waste so much time here.

then.....

"Junior Uncle, are we really going to rob it?"

Chu Yue asked telepathically, but his fingers were already holding two talismans, and his eyes were full of excitement.

Tan Taipei crouched among the branches of a tree on the other side, his eyes fixed on the two cultivators below who were meditating.

One is a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and the other is a disciple of the Profound Sword Sect.

"Master said, a short pain is worse than a long one."

Lin Zhao's lips twitched. He thought to himself, "This junior uncle is indeed worthy of being the personal disciple of the grandmaster. Even when he's trying to trick someone, he can do it in such a refined and elegant way."

But... what Junior Uncle said makes a lot of sense!

So, in the next instant, seizing the opportunity, he struck immediately—

A burst of spiritual energy belonging to the Core Formation stage directly imprisoned the two people. At the same time, Chu Yue placed a spirit-sealing talisman on the two people, which could seal their spiritual energy for thirty breaths.

Tan Taipei's Flowing Cloud Steps appeared like a ghost, and with a flick of his finger, the jade pendants hanging from the waists of the two people fell into his palm.

"You, you all..." The two men's faces turned ashen. "The disciples of the Qingyun Sect are so despicable!"

Chu Yue rolled his eyes and chuckled. Were the disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion too naive? They were competing, and they could naturally take each other's points and jade tokens.

"Stop talking nonsense, you guys can just stay here and enjoy the breeze for a while, bye-bye~~ If you want revenge, you're welcome anytime~"

Before the three left, Chu Yue turned back and added:

"By the way, I suggest you crush the teleportation jade token~~ We accidentally provoked a nest of fourth-grade Thunder-Patterned Leopards, and they seem to be heading this way~~~"

The two disciples: "...!!"

Shortly after the three of them left, a figure dressed in the robes of a Xuantian Sect disciple slowly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest and blocked the path of Tantai Bei and his companions.

"Fellow Daoists of the Qingyun Sect, why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

The man's voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a hint of the arrogance expected of a young disciple, but his eyes held a world-weariness that belied his age.

The group paused, and Lin Zhao stepped forward, his eyes wary, his spiritual energy subtly circulating around him.

"What's up?"

The man smiled and said, "The competition for the secret realm depends on each person's ability. I know you all have a lot of points."

Although he was talking about points, his gaze remained fixed on Tan Taipei.

Even Chu Yue felt that something was wrong with the person in front of him. He took a step forward and stood directly in front of Tan Taibei, blocking the man's view.

Although this person was also at the Core Formation stage, for some reason, when facing him, even his soul felt an instinctive tremor.

This feeling... is as if I'm not facing a Core Formation stage cultivator of the same level!

He glanced at Lin Zhao, and their eyes met briefly. They both read the same surprise and doubt in each other's eyes. Clearly, Lin Zhao felt the same way, not just him.

This is not good.....

Lin Zhao pointed his sword directly at the other party: "You are not a disciple of the Xuantian Sect. Tell me, who are you!"

Upon hearing this, the man's fake smile vanished instantly, and he coldly snorted:

"I'm not going to waste words with you, hand over the jade token!"

After saying that, he didn't give the three people in Taipei any time to react. He suddenly released a terrifying pressure from his body and attacked them directly.

Although his aura was still that of a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage, the level of his pressure far exceeded the limits of a Core Formation cultivator, and was simply beyond the ability of the three people from Taipei to handle!

"puff--"

Lin Zhao and Chu Yue both coughed up blood at the same time, and as if struck by a heavy blow, they collapsed to the ground. Both of them were pale, with veins bulging on their foreheads, and their bones were cracking from the pressure. They couldn't even move a finger.

Behind them, Tan Taibei was also forced to kneel on one knee, his palms pressed firmly against the ground, a trickle of crimson blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained increasingly calm.

Meanwhile, outside the secret realm.

Master Qinghe abruptly stood up, his usual composure gone. His eyes blazed with fury, almost bursting forth. He glared at the Xuantian Sect Master beside him and said in a cold voice:

"Sect Master Qingxiao, what is the meaning of this from your Xuantian Sect?!"

Master Qingxiao's face showed a perfectly timed look of surprise, then he shook his head, his tone helpless:

"This... I really don't know!"

"This disciple is young and impetuous, and inevitably a bit reckless. However, Sect Master Qinghe can rest assured that it is just a friendly spar between disciples. I believe they will act with restraint."

Upon hearing this, Qinghe's face turned ashen.

Although the Xuan Tian Mirror could see everything happening within the secret realm, it could not transmit the fluctuations of energy within. Therefore, Qinghe could only see that the Xuan Tian Sect "disciple" was ruthless, but was unaware of the subtleties involved.

However, taking other people's points tokens in the secret realm is a rule of the competition, and apart from that disciple going a bit too far, there is really nothing to be said.

He absolutely refused to believe that this was the disciple's personal behavior, and was even dismissed with a casual "young and impetuous" remark, which infuriated him.

Just as he was about to speak again, Nan Qing, who was sitting steadily beside him, spoke up.

"Qinghe, sit down."

"Junior Uncle?!"

He didn't understand why his martial uncle would stop him.

The Xuantian Sect clearly used underhanded tricks! Are they just going to stand by and watch their disciples be deliberately humiliated?!

But Nanqing merely glanced at him indifferently and spoke again:

"sit down."

Qinghe gritted his teeth, but ultimately did not refute. With a wave of his wide sleeves, he sat back down heavily in his seat.

Seeing this, Master Qingxiao's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness, but before the smile on his face could fully unfold, Nanqing's cold voice came again.

"Sect Master Qingxiao".

Her voice wasn't loud, and even carried a hint of languor, yet it instantly silenced the entire hall, drawing everyone's attention away from the Xuan Tian Mirror and onto her.

"Are you saying that you are unaware of what this disciple has done, and have no way to control it?"

Master Qingxiao withdrew his smile, frowned, and sighed feigning difficulty:

"This...I really don't know."

"Besides, this secret realm is special; it can't be opened until the appointed time. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't..."

Then he forced a reassuring smile: "But please rest assured, Master Ling Shuang, I believe they are just joking around and nothing serious will happen."

Nan Qing glanced at him quietly, tossed the half-eaten spiritual fruit onto the table, her voice indifferent, revealing no emotion.

“Very well, since the Qingxiao Sect Master can’t manage it, then I will find someone who can.”