Chapter 62: Chixiao Sect – Robbing Straight into a Bandit Den

Outside the illusion realm, the crowd stared at the thoroughly stripped artifact refiner from the Wu Nian Sect, then watched as Lian Mu ended him with a single sword strike. The scene plunged everyone into a strange silence.

The first to fall silent were the elders of the Gui Xian Sect. Murong Yi was among them, utterly at a loss for words to describe Lian Mu’s actions.

Even before the grand tournament began, Murong Yi had a vague premonition that things wouldn’t go smoothly with Lian Mu involved—but he had still underestimated her capacity for chaos.

Who starts off by brawling with someone, and then strips them afterward?

The Wu Nian Sect elders wore the darkest expressions, especially since the humiliated party was from their sect. One elder turned to Murong Yi and said coldly, “Your Gui Xian Sect disciples have no sense of honor. If you couldn’t uphold your promises, why agree to them in the first place? Is this the kind of virtue your sect teaches?”

The Chixiao Sect elder, ever eager to stir the pot, added, “This isn’t just failing to uphold a promise—it’s outright deception. We’re all fellow cultivators. Who takes things so far?”

Xin Wanbai leaned lazily against the back of her chair and sneered, “Since when do you get to tell Gui Xian Sect how to teach its disciples?”

“This is the Grand Tournament, not some casual private duel. Everyone wants to win,” said an elder from the Qingxuan Sect. “Children using a few tricks to gain the upper hand—nothing in the rules says they can’t.”

“It’s not about rules,” snapped the Wu Nian Sect elder. “It’s a matter of personal character.”

Murong Yi was entirely unfazed. “All right, all right, we get it—everyone in Wu Nian Sect is the epitome of virtue.”

“You—!”

“I heard that second-seat sword cultivator is under your guidance?” Another Wu Nian Sect elder glanced at Murong Yi. “No wonder. With you as a teacher, that disciple couldn’t learn anything worthwhile—resorting to deception instead.”

There was a hidden barb in his words, and those who knew Murong Yi’s past would catch the implication.

The Chixiao Sect elder didn’t say anything, but chuckled quietly.

Xin Wanbai’s expression instantly darkened and she was about to speak, but Murong Yi raised a hand to stop her.

“That’s enough,” said Shang Liu from the Qingxuan Sect as he set down his teacup. Though his tone was gentle and his features composed, his words brooked no disagreement. “It’s just a minor incident. No need for all this bickering.”

He glanced at the two Wu Nian Sect elders. “If I recall, your sect cultivates the Dao Heart of No Thought. Getting worked up over something like this—never mind others, even you yourselves are dishonoring your sect’s core teachings.”

Shang Liu wasn’t just a respected sword cultivator—he also represented the full weight of Qingxuan Sect. When he spoke, even the Chixiao Sect elders knew to shut their mouths.

“This isn’t your first time accompanying disciples to the Grand Tournament. If a minor incident like this gets you this riled up, how can you expect to set an example for your sect?”

Shamed by Shang Liu invoking their sect doctrine, the Wu Nian Sect elders had no retort.

Shang Liu stood and began to walk out. “Come with me. Let’s go check on the disciple your sect just had ejected from the illusion realm.”

With Shang Liu already leading the way, one of the Wu Nian Sect elders had no choice but to get up and follow.

As they left, the remaining Wu Nian Sect elder gave Murong Yi and Xin Wanbai a cold glare and scoffed, “Don’t think no one sees through your little deals.”

The Qingxuan Sect usually didn’t meddle in others’ affairs, so for Shang Liu to stand up for Gui Xian Sect like this, there had to be some exchange involved.

Rumor had it that before the tournament began, Gui Xian Sect’s chief artifact refiner had visited Qingxuan Sect—but no one knew what was discussed.

“Oh? Then why don’t you tell us what sort of ‘deal’ it was?” Murong Yi turned to him.

“I don’t know anything,” the Wu Nian Sect elder said. “But your Gui Xian Sect certainly does. After all, our sect doesn’t send people to visit others before the Grand Tournament.”

With that jab, the Chixiao Sect elder’s face turned a bit sour. “…That’s enough. Are you done yet?”

The Wu Nian Sect elder merely snorted and turned his head, saying no more.

Xin Wanbai had no interest in arguing further. She turned her attention back to the recording stone. The Gui Xian Sect’s chief team had reached the withered forest, near a known ice beast lair.

For the first round, the elders outside knew exactly where the Ice Core Flower was. When the illusion realm first activated, a Chixiao Sect second-seat team had landed closest to it—but the flower had only just started sprouting then. They hadn’t detected the spiritual traces and walked in the opposite direction.

Now, only the Qingxuan Sect’s chief team was heading toward the flower—and they were picking up speed.

As the strongest team among the Four Great Sects, Qingxuan’s sword cultivators, even if the chance of a beast carrying the Ice Core Flower aura was slim, had killed enough beasts to piece together useful intel.

Xin Wanbai lowered her gaze at the thought of what the Wu Nian Sect elder had said earlier. “…”

Their current alliance with Qingxuan Sect wouldn’t last long. The moment they lost their value, Qingxuan would turn on them without hesitation. If they truly wanted to stand firm among the Four Great Sects, they had to rely on their own people.

For now, all they could do was place their hopes in the younger generation.

…

…

“There’s a magical beast here!”

After a long trek, Gui Xian Sect’s chief team stepped into the withered forest and immediately sensed abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations.

Baili Que was the first to speak, alerting the rest to raise their guard.

Guan Huailin drew his sword on the spot. The next moment, the dead trees around them suddenly leapt from the ground—revealing a pack of magical beasts with snow-white fur, gaping bloody maws, and long swinging arms. They looked like some kind of monkey and gave off strange screeching cries.

Guan Huailin and Wen Yun charged in at once to engage the beasts. The rest of the team quickly calmed down and pulled back a short distance, waiting for the fight to end.

This was the first batch of magical beasts they had encountered since entering the illusion realm. They seemed to be from the same den, and there were a lot of them—which was a good thing for the team.

After all, their main task was still to find the Icecore Flower. They had entered from a remote area, which was safe, but it had cost them a lot of time. The other sects had already killed far more magical beasts and gathered more information than they had.

The only way for Gui Xian Sect to catch up was to increase their speed in killing magical beasts.

“Sister Luo sent word from the Second-Seat Team. They found traces of spiritual energy left behind by the Icecore Flower in a den of Snow Velvet Butterflies. But it was just a faint wisp, not enough to determine direction. Also, a team from Chixiao Sect happened to pass through there,” said Bai Lique.

Ji Mingyue glanced at Guan Huailin and Wen Yun, who were still fighting magical beasts, and asked, “How far is Sister Luo from us?”

“Very far. It won’t be easy to reach her quickly. But we’re heading in that general direction.”

Xu Xianxing quickly asked, “Any word from Lian Mu’s side?”

Bai Lique shook his head. The talisman in his hand had burned to ash. “Lian Mu and Senior Brother Qu’s Second-Seat Team haven’t made any contact at all. They might be together.”

“Don’t worry. With Lian Mu there, it’ll be fine.” Ji Mingyue had already stuffed Lian Mu full of Qi-replenishing pills before they entered the illusion.

Those white-furred snow monkeys were low-ranked and were quickly dealt with.

During this time, the Lingyu Command also brought news: Qingxuan Sect’s First-Seat Team had just wiped out another nest of fifth-rank ice beasts.

“Qingxuan Sect is too fast.” Xu Xianxing frowned. “Did they get lucky and land on a path crawling with magical beasts?”

Bai Lique admitted with a blank face, “Their talisman cultivators are very strong.”

“Ours aren’t bad either.” Ji Mingyue patted Bai Lique on the shoulder. “Don’t stress. Our goal this round is just not to end up at the bottom. There’ll be more chances later.”

—

Meanwhile, on the northern snowfields.

Lian Mu had been searching for Qu Ruotian’s team for half an hour already.

It was the snowmelt season. The ground was safer now, but she had lost contact with Qu Ruotian.

She was alone and without a talisman cultivator to scout ahead with spirit sigils. It was hard to tell what was around, and everything in the area looked the same—there was no way to distinguish north from south.

Still, this suited her fine. Leading a group was too much trouble and had slowed her down considerably. She preferred to move on her own.

During snowmelt season, the thinning snow exposed patches of land—perfect timing for an alchemy cultivator to forage for useful spiritual herbs.

As she walked, Lian Mu picked herbs and stuffed them all into her spatial pouch. She hadn’t brought a pill furnace, but she had a strong feeling she was getting closer and closer to the First-Seat Team. She’d soon see Ji Mingyue again.

After picking the last herb, Lian Mu’s hands were frozen stiff. She pulled out a Blazing Wood Crystal and was about to light it to warm her hands when a shadow suddenly swept across her head.

Looking up, she saw a group of giant moths—each bigger than her—with fuzzy wings and scorched marks on their tails.

A flurry of footsteps approached. Just from the sound, Lian Mu could guess who it was.

“Senior Sister Luo?”

Luo Qianxue arrived in a rush with her team. Seeing Lian Mu crouching alone in the snow, she was stunned for a moment, then shouted, “Kill those Snow Velvet Butterflies! Don’t let them get away!”

Lian Mu instantly understood, drew her sword, and slashed at the butterflies flying overhead. They were already injured and flying low, though their falling wing powder was a bit troublesome.

Luo Qianxue dashed over and tossed her a cloth to cover her mouth and nose, then led the Second-Seat Team into battle.

“Cough, cough…” After the butterflies were dead, Lian Mu felt a burning sensation in her throat and couldn’t stop coughing.

Luo Qianxue handed her a water pouch. “Drink some. The powder from their wings is toxic.”

“Why are you alone here?” she asked. “Where’s your team?”

After drinking and suppressing the cough, Lian Mu replied, “We got separated.”

She briefly explained the situation. Luo Qianxue nodded. “Then stay with me for now. The snowfield is full of dangers, and magical beasts always appear in groups. It’s too risky to be on your own.”

Since her senior sister had already said so, Lian Mu didn’t refuse. “Alright.”

“I’ve already made contact with the First-Seat Team. They’re on their way here. Soon, we’ll—”

Before she could finish, another group of people appeared.

Lian Mu looked toward the sound. A group of blue-clad cultivators was approaching—it was Chixiao Sect. Clearly, this was a small team that had also been separated.

Luo Qianxue’s expression darkened slightly. “They’re back.”

The leading artifact refiner from Chixiao Sect saw them and smirked arrogantly. “We changed our minds. It’s rare fate to run into each other like this. How could we just pass by and miss such a good opportunity?”

“If you don’t want to die, hand over everything you’ve got.”