Crazy-Gossiping-C58

Chapter 58

While the disciples from both sides were engaged in an intense battle, the secret realm unexpectedly closed ahead of schedule.

In just a short while, all the disciples still inside the secret realm were kicked out.

The disciples: ???

Was it really that sudden?

—

As soon as they exited the secret realm, the elder leading the Wenxin Sect’s group approached them.

Because the disciples inside the secret realm were unexpectedly able to access the “Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area,” they quickly shared the news with everyone waiting outside. As a result, the people outside were already aware that there had been an incident inside the Tianya Secret Realm.

The secret realm closing early and permanently was something they had anticipated.

The Wenxin Sect elder counted the disciples: one hundred entered, sixty-eight came out, more than thirty disciples were lost inside.

He sighed softly. The cultivation world was just that cruel; no one knew if a journey into the secret realm would result in gaining a great opportunity or losing one’s life. It all depended on fate.

He was about to speak when he saw the disciples of the Flower Pavilion and Heavenly Pavilion immediately start fighting as soon as they emerged. Various spells and talismans were hurled at each other as if they cost nothing.

They had fought halfway inside the secret realm, and now, they continued to battle outside.

It was a rare sight to see disciples from large sects fighting each other, but the elder chose to ignore it, fearing innocent bystanders would be caught in the crossfire. He quickly sent the disciples onto their flying shuttle and activated it to leave the area.

—

Once aboard the flying shuttle, as usual, the disciples had to hand over a portion of their spoils from the secret realm. When it was Ning Xu’s turn, she not only handed over some spirit herbs but also two sets of earth-level cultivation techniques suitable for all disciples.

Of course, the earth-level techniques were provided by the Melon-Eating System. There were certainly better techniques, but they would stand out too much. Earth-level techniques were not easy to obtain, but compared to heaven-level techniques, they were much more common.

The elder’s hand trembled slightly as he held the techniques. With these two techniques, the overall strength of the Wenxin Sect’s disciples would definitely rise, not just by one level, but by a significant amount.

He steadied himself and said, “The techniques you handed over will be of great use to the sect. We’ll credit you with 200,000 sect contribution points. What do you think?”

Ning Xu had no objections to this.

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue twice, 【Look at the elder, all excited over just two low-level techniques. If he ever gets his hands on a heaven-level technique, will he faint from excitement on the spot?】

The elder internally shouted, if there were heaven-level techniques, he would happily faint from excitement! Please, throw those heaven-level techniques at him!

Once all the disciples had handed over their spoils, they each returned to their respective cultivation rooms to meditate. The once lively flying shuttle had quieted down significantly. On their return trip, they were missing over thirty disciples.

Those comrades had arrived with hope and smiles, but they would never wake up from the Tianya Secret Realm.

The surviving disciples were still immersed in the melancholy of losing their fellow disciples.

After returning to her cultivation room, Ning Xu did not immediately choose to cultivate. Instead, she casually chatted with the Melon-Eating System, “I don’t like goodbyes.”

The Melon-Eating System replied indifferently, 【There’s no real goodbye, your teammates are all still here.】 Since Qi Er wasn’t a Wenxin Sect disciple, he had already left on his own. The rest of her teammates were all present.

【As for the thirty or so disciples…】

The Melon-Eating System’s tone turned cold, 【They were weak, and dying in the secret realm is common.】

This statement served as a wake-up call to Ning Xu.

She had almost offended the entire Flower Pavilion.

If she couldn’t improve her strength quickly, the fate of those same sect disciples would become her own tomorrow.

Because as the Melon-Eating System put it, lack of strength would lead to death, and that was perfectly normal.

She stopped overthinking and, once her mind settled, She began meditating and cultivating.

At that moment, the Innocent Cultivator was reporting to the elder about what had happened inside the secret realm.

Some of the gossip from inside the secret realm wasn’t important, and the Innocent Cultivator skipped over it, only mentioning Xin Kui’s case. After learning that the genius disciple from the Cloud Summit had such a special constitution, the elder was filled with mixed feelings.

He was shocked, but not greedy.

This was exactly why the Innocent Cultivator had decided to reveal this matter.

The Melon-Eating System had previously mentioned that some of the elders of the Wenxin Sect might have their own selfish desires, but when it came to major issues, they were absolutely reliable.

The elder spoke with an appreciative tone, “Ning Xu didn’t choose to ignore it. That shows her great kindness. Our sect is fortunate to have a disciple like her.”

He then continued, “The entire ‘Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area’ has been turned upside down because of ‘Melon Mover.’ Currently, the forum is divided into two factions, one supporting the Flower Pavilion, the other supporting ‘Melon Mover.'”

Those supporting the Flower Pavilion were all in the same boat as the Flower Pavilion. After all, no large sect was without dirty secrets, and it was possible that some sects were even worse than the Flower Pavilion.

“Melon Mover” dared to expose the Flower Pavilion’s secrets today, so who knew when they would expose someone else’s secrets next?

They could very well be the next Flower Pavilion.

To avoid becoming the next Flower Pavilion, they would naturally do everything in their power to resist “Melon Mover.”

However, there were also plenty of supporters of “Melon Mover.”

Time in the cultivation world was timeless, and those powerful beings seemed so far removed from these ordinary cultivators. The only way for them to learn about the private lives of those powerful beings was through these gossip channels, so they naturally didn’t want to lose access to it easily.

The only good news at the moment was that the Flower Pavilion couldn’t lock down Ning Xu for the time being.

She and the Melon-Eating System could continue causing trouble.

Thinking of the way this one person and one melon stirred up trouble, the elder felt a headache coming on.

—

As dusk fell, the Wenxin Sect’s group arrived at the sect.

To show their importance, the Sect Leader and the high-ranking members were waiting at the entrance to welcome the disciples.

The Sect Leader smiled and said, “You’ve all worked hard. Go back and rest. Tonight, you can take a break.”

Just as the disciples were about to disperse, they suddenly heard a voice transmission.

“Why does the Sect Leader seem so much older all of a sudden?”

Soon, another mechanical voice echoed.

【How could he not seem older? During our over a month’s journey, Elder Wu Chichun couldn’t swallow the humiliation and went to ambush a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect. The Sect Leader couldn’t rest easy and immediately followed him.】

Ning Xu: !!!

The disciples: !!! Oh, wow, we can eat melon right after returning to the sect! And it’s such a big piece of gossip!

The gossip about Elder Wu Chichun lifted the gloom in the disciples’ hearts, easing the sadness and frustration of losing their companions.

Cultivators, after all, needed to look ahead. It wasn’t healthy to dwell on sadness forever.

This gossip provided quite a bit of entertainment for them.

Thanks to Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System, they all learned that Wu Chichun had been kidnapped by the female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect for a hundred years. They also knew exactly what the female cultivator did to him after kidnapping him.

Before, they had wondered if Wu Chichun would just let the matter go after escaping, as he hadn’t retaliated in the months that followed. It seemed like he had completely let it go, and the disciples gradually forgot about it.

After all, there were new pieces of gossip every day. Who had time to dwell on Elder Wu’s matter?

No one expected that he hadn’t let it go, but had been holding onto it all this time.

Ning Xu was a little surprised.

She hadn’t expected Elder Wu Chichun to still have such a temper.

She asked, “What happened next? Did Elder Wu Chichun get his revenge?”

The Melon-Eating System dismissed it, 【No.】

Ning Xu: “Huh?”

The disciples: “Huh?”

Before Ning Xu could even process that, the Melon-Eating System’s sharp remarks followed, 【I said before, he has a pretty face, but when it comes to cultivation, he’s truly useless. He’s in his prime years but only at the Nascent Soul Stage. He’s decent enough to teach Qi Refining Stage disciples, but when it comes to the Nascent Soul Stage, he can’t even comprehend the realm himself.

With that level of cultivation, he was no match for the female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.】

【A hundred years ago, he was captured. A hundred years later, he hasn’t improved at all.】

【I don’t know what kind of courage he had to try ambushing that female cultivator.】

【Wasn’t that like a sheep entering a tiger’s den?】

Ning Xu: “So he wasn’t kidnapped this time, right?”

The Melon-Eating System: 【No, he was saved by the Sect Leader.】

【If it weren’t for the Sect Leader, he would have become a slave again.】

Ning Xu: “…”

This description was far too vivid.

Ning Xu had a good impression of Wu Chichun. Elder Wu’s character was not bad, and not to mention, he had previously provided five tokens capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

She asked, “Is there any way to help him?”

The Melon-Eating System immediately replied without hesitation, 【Yes.】

Ning Xu’s eyes lit up as she asked, “What method?”

The disciples all perked up their ears.

Even the Sect Leader and the others were fully focused, wanting to know what method could help Elder Wu.

In the next moment, the Melon-Eating System said, 【Hug the leg of a rich woman.】

Ning Xu: …

The Sect Leader and Elders: ??? Huh? Cultivators walk a path of defying the heavens; they can only rely on themselves. Yet, the Melon-Eating System suggests Wu Chichun find a rich woman?

Seeing Ning Xu’s lack of response, the Melon-Eating System kept on talking, 【What’s wrong? Isn’t a rich woman good? He has a face that’s perfect for a young, handsome boy, he should make good use of his strengths!】

【Besides, he’s at that age, finding a Dao partner is normal.】

【But whether the rich woman would be willing to form a Dao partnership with him is uncertain.】

【After all, his cultivation is really not good, and he’s getting older. No one knows how many more years he has to live. Should we let the rich woman lose her husband shortly after marrying him?】

Wu Chichun, who was late and thus didn’t arrive in time to greet the disciples’ return: …

He could still live for four or five hundred more years, how did he become someone who “doesn’t know how many more years he has to live” in the Melon-Eating System’s words?

He wasn’t that bad, right?

Ning Xu heard this and found it somewhat amusing.

She asked, “Do you have someone in mind?”

The Melon-Eating System chuckled, 【Yes.】

“Who?”

【Guess.】

Since the Melon-Eating System said this, Ning Xu knew the person it had in mind must be someone she had heard of.

She began to recall the people she had recently encountered.

Since it’s a rich woman, she must have some status, cultivation, and age, otherwise, she wouldn’t be called an “elder sister.”

This meant the cultivators who participated in the Tianya Secret Realm could be excluded.

The only person who met those conditions seemed to be…

“Yu Tao?”

The Melon-Eating System clapped and praised, 【Smart!】

【Yes, it’s Yu Tao.】

It analyzed, 【Yu Tao is called a goddess, so her cultivation must not be low.】

【She is currently at the late Body Integration Stage. Female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect are at the mid-Body Integration Stage, and Yu Tao could easily defeat one of those female cultivators. Wu Chichun wants to take revenge, but it’s not possible by relying on himself. However, he could rely on Yu Tao!】

【Yu Tao has been infatuated with Gou Chen from the Flower Pavilion for many years.】

【Although Gou Chen hasn’t accepted Yu Tao, if Yu Tao gets together with someone else, Gou Chen would certainly have some feelings about it.】

【Think about it, someone who has chased you for hundreds of years, but one day, that person suddenly falls in love with someone else. Even if you don’t love that person, you’d still feel a bit disappointed, wouldn’t you?】

【Not to mention, Gou Chen was recently blackened by us.】

【Yu Tao cannot be unaware of this.】

【In this special period, if Yu Tao and Wu Chichun happen to have something happen between them, wouldn’t Gou Chen have some thoughts?】

【Although Elder Wu’s cultivation is lacking, he’s strong in certain other aspects.】

【Comparing the two, wouldn’t Gou Chen’s pride be greatly hurt?】

【If his pride is hurt, we will be greatly pleased.】

【Look, isn’t this a win-win situation?!】

Ning Xu agreed, “You make a good point.”

“Then, we can find an opportunity for them to meet by chance.”

After saying that, Ning Xu hesitated a little, “Do you think Yu Tao would consider Elder Wu?”

The Melon-Eating System was uncertain, 【She probably would, at least he’s young and good-looking. That’s one of his few advantages.】

When Ning Xu heard “young,” she didn’t understand at first.

The Melon-Eating System had always said Elder Wu was quite old. Why was it now calling him young?

But she quickly understood.

This “young” must be in comparison to Yu Tao.

Yu Tao, the goddess, was the “rich woman” in the Melon-Eating System’s words. In front of her, even someone like Elder Wu, who was a bit older, could be considered “young.”

Perhaps, he could actually catch the eye of the rich woman?

Wu Chichun: … Thanks a lot for arranging this so clearly for him.

If someone else were being matched with him, he would probably be enjoying the gossip.

Unfortunately, he was the one being paired, and he couldn’t find any humor in it at all.

Thanks to the Melon-Eating System for thinking so highly of him.

He didn’t think he deserved to be with Yu Tao.

The Melon-Eating System continued, 【Yu Tao, the goddess, is currently in Cloud Summit, and the second Demon Core just so happens to be hidden under the jurisdiction of Xingtao City in Cloud Summit.】

【Let’s find an opportunity to go to Xingtao City.】

【Finding the Demon Core is the main thing. The matchmaking is just a side task.】

【Even if Yu Tao doesn’t consider Elder Wu, it’s fine.】

【There are plenty of rich women.】

【There will always be one who’s blind enough to consider Elder Wu.】

Wu Chichun: …

No, he wasn’t that worthless, was he?

Other rich women weren’t necessary.

He had admired Yu Tao for a long time, and if he had the chance to talk to her, that would be his luck.

As for forming a romantic relationship with her, he didn’t dare to even think about it.

At least not now.

But… what was the Demon Core about?

The Sect Leader and Elders were also thinking about the Demon Core.

Before the disciples returned to the sect, they had already received a transmission saying there had been an incident in the Tianya Secret Realm. A light door appeared in the secret realm.

Once the disciples entered the light door, they scattered.

What happened in this isolated space, only the people involved knew.

If Ning Xu had the chance to find the Demon Core, it could only be in this isolated space.

Outside, both she and the Melon-Eating System’s mental connection would likely leak some information.

While they were all racking their brains, guessing the possibilities, the Melon-Eating System continued, 【The Demon God’s Demon Core is really a great supplement.】

【Although it’s only a quarter, Brother Pig has gained a lot of weight!】

【If we can get the remaining three parts, who knows what kind of change will happen to Brother Pig.】

The Sect Leader and disciples: ???

What?

Demon God?

What Demon God?

In the history of the cultivation world, the only Demon God who could be called that was the one who perished alongside the Human Emperor!

But that was how many years ago?

Because of the historical discontinuity in the cultivation world, they didn’t know much about this war.

All they knew was that the battle turned the world upside down, with rivers of blood.

Whether it was the Demon God or the Human Emperor, these were terms that cultivators didn’t dare to speak lightly.

And yet, the Melon-Eating System casually mentioned it?

What was even more shocking was that it said the Demon God’s Demon Core had entered Brother Pig’s belly?

To dare feed their spiritual beast the Demon God’s Demon Core—weren’t they afraid it would cause the spiritual beast to explode, and in turn, affect its master?

How did they get so bold! How could they be so daring! How could they be so capable!

———

—In Chinese internet slang, “hugging the leg of the rich” (抱大腿, bào dà tuǐ) refers to someone currying favor or trying to get close to wealthy, powerful, or influential people in order to gain benefits, resources, or opportunities. It is often used to describe opportunistic or flattering behavior, where the person is metaphorically “clinging” to someone stronger or more capable for personal gain.

It can be neutral or carry a negative connotation, depending on the context and how shamelessly or openly the person is doing it.