People who were unwilling to step forward to check just a second ago suddenly have several people stepping forward to take the lead.
With a leader in charge, a group of followers immediately followed behind them.
However, only about half of the people were willing to go; those who stayed behind were still worried that the tribulation clouds of the Nascent Soul stage might be a smokescreen to lure them into lowering their guard.
After all, the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator is not weak, and it is not impossible for them to independently venture into the cultivation world.
However, there are indeed many stronger beings out there. Whether in the demon realm or the cultivation world, there are countless experts above the Nascent Soul stage.
They worried that besides this Nascent Soul cultivator, there were other powerful figures lying in ambush, waiting to trap them like turtles in a jar.
However, it turned out they were overthinking things.
The vanguard cautiously approached the teleportation array without encountering any obstacles from others.
The group exchanged puzzled glances, then simultaneously focused their attention on the teleportation array that was shimmering faintly in the night and mist.
"Is that demonic cultivator undergoing tribulation hiding inside the secret realm?"
"This is the only possibility; otherwise, there's no way to explain why the tribulation clouds have been maintaining this half-cooked state."
"And it's floating right above the secret realm."
After weighing their options, the group looked at each other and finally decided to stand together on the teleportation array.
The Moonrise Secret Realm seems to be specially prepared for couples, as even the teleportation array only allows a maximum of two people to travel together.
The group argued for a while about the order in which they should enter before finally organizing the line according to their strength, from highest to lowest.
The others who had been observing from a distance watched as the group that had gone ahead disappeared two by two from the teleportation array, and they couldn't help but peek out and join in.
*
The first to enter the secret realm were two cultivators belonging to a nearby sect.
The two were not from the same school and did not interact much throughout the entire process.
Before the dizziness caused by the teleportation array had subsided, the two of them simultaneously drew their swords and assumed defensive stances.
The interior of the Moonrise Secret Realm is not large; it can be seen in its entirety at a glance.
Just as their vision cleared, a dark red demonic aura suddenly rushed towards them.
Both of them changed their expressions and quickly moved aside to the sides.
The attack pierced through where they had been standing, creating towering waves on the water. The moonlight was shattered, and even the light itself became fragmented.
Only after the two of them stood firm could they see the scene before them clearly.
Beneath the wisteria and locust tree in the center of the Moonrise Secret Realm, two figures are entangled with each other, enveloped in different colored lights.
One of them was blue spiritual energy, a shade lighter than that of a water-elemental cultivator.
The other was surrounded by demonic energy, and the surging heat waves indicated his fire attribute.
"No... I'm not seeing things, am I? Is that Ji Mo Fan?"
“I think you’re not mistaken. I saw his face when he won the Dao Asking Tournament a while ago.”
"That one over there, could it be Sheng Xi?"
"...Holy crap, you know what, it really does seem to be true."
"Is it that exciting? It's not just a battle between demonic cultivators and the righteous path, but also a battle between the old and new chief leaders of the Chaoming Palace."
"What are you standing there for? Go help!"
"Look at the atmosphere between those two, do you think we can interfere?"
The sword energy, imbued with icy spiritual power, swept across and suddenly collided with the fire-attribute demonic energy in mid-air. The two shades of light and dark intertwined in the air, the rising steam swirling upwards, causing the flowers and leaves of the wisteria and locust trees to fall and scatter.
The two combatants seemed to notice the outsider's presence, but neither of them was distracted, still determined to kill the other.
The teleportation array repeatedly fluctuated in energy, and a small group of cultivators gathered at the entrance, lost in thought.
Another knowledgeable person exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the Black God Sword in Sheng Xi's hand?"
"I remember there was a rumor not long ago that the Chaoming Palace gave the Black God Sword to Ji Mofan, but he accidentally lost it to a demonic cultivator, right?"
“I was there at the time, and I can attest to this. The demonic cultivator took advantage of Ji Mofan's breakthrough and snatched the sword from his hand!”
"I saw it too. And wasn't that demonic cultivator only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage at the time?"
"Just like Sheng Xi now!"
The group gasped in astonishment upon discovering some truths, and their gazes shifted as they looked at the battle unfolding in the distance.
No wonder they fought so fiercely; it turns out they had a long-standing grudge.
"So, does this mean that the Chaoming Palace was unaware that Sheng Xi had become a demonic cultivator?"
"Otherwise, why would they let him fight with Ji Mofan? Wouldn't that be like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple?"
“Sheng Xi faked his death and escaped to the Demon Realm. After being discovered to be alive, he caused trouble for the Chaoming Palace. So, Ji Mofan, as the newly appointed chief, came back to cause him trouble... This explanation makes sense of those unreasonable parts before.”
"I knew it! I found it strange when I first heard this rumor. What made those people so sure that the Chaoming Palace was protecting Shengxi? Couldn't they have been kept in the dark as well?"
"Hmph, you guys are really easy to fool. Don't you know? When a disciple enters the Chaoming Palace, a fragment of their soul is left behind to be made into a soul lamp. With the soul lamp in their possession, how could they not know whether Sheng Xi is dead or has fallen into demonic possession?"
"boom!"
"Splash—"
The discussion, which was gradually showing signs of disagreement, was interrupted by a loud bang, and everyone instinctively turned to look at the source of the sound.
It looked like purple rain was falling from the sky.
Water carrying torn petals flew through the air, then fell back down after losing momentum. In their blurred vision, all they could see were two figures crashing down together.
Sheng Xi fell into the water first, and before he could get up, he was immobilized by a burst of icy spiritual energy. Ji Mofan knelt beside him, the Snow Embracing Sword stuck next to his head.
It was only half an inch away from the pulsating blood vessels, emanating a chilling aura.
"...Are you really not afraid that you might accidentally stab me to death?" Sheng Xi was freezing.
"What am I afraid of? It's not me who will be stabbed to death." Ji Mofan's hair, which was half-covered behind his back, was wet with water. When it slipped down, a water droplet was flicked out and hit Sheng Xi's face squarely.
Sheng Xi was speechless for a long time. "I'm too lazy to argue with you. We're done fighting, so what?"
Ji Mo Fan remained silent.
Just as Sheng Xi was about to lash out, she suddenly felt a lightness in her body.
The weight was pressed down on the back of his neck, and he was in a daze for half a second before he realized that he had been lifted up.
The hand grabbed the back of his neck, almost as if it wanted to tear the flesh off.
Despite the pain, when her skin was touched, Sheng Xi did not experience the strong sense of repulsion she usually felt when approaching righteous cultivators with abundant spiritual energy.
On the contrary, the aura he sensed came from the demonic cultivator.
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