Chapter 568: Third Senior Sister

For a moment, the atmosphere grew quite awkward.

When the first fragment had originally manifested, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had intended to accept it; after all, this belonged to a Soul Formation stage secret realm, and there was no telling what sort of treasures might have been left inside that even a Soul Formation cultivator wouldn't recognize.

Fragments were notoriously difficult to gather, and the skeleton of the White Snake Clan had searched for countless years without ever finding the other two; thus, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had fully resigned themselves to spending six months or a year roaming the Demon Domain to slowly collect them.

By that time, the two of them would naturally have reached the Nascent Soul stage, and barging into a Soul Formation stage secret realm would then be entirely reasonable.

What neither of them expected, however, was that in less than a minute, the fragments would be completely assembled.

"White Bone, Jin Xuan, so the other two fragments were in your hands all along!" The Old Lion flew into a thunderous rage, snapping his eyes open as his gaze blazed like torches and his mane shuddered violently.

"You have some nerve to speak, Old Lion—you hid your own fragment deeply enough!" Jin Xuan, the deacon of the Qiongqi Clan, was equally filled with irrepressible fury.

He had searched for those remaining two pieces for over a century, traversing every corner of the Demon Domain until his legs had nearly broken, only to find that the fragments had been right at his doorstep the entire time.

Even across the projection of their divine senses, Lu Yang could distinctly feel the murderous intent radiating from the trio.

Gathering all three fragments would unlock a Soul Formation stage secret realm; this was infinitely more valuable than any avatar, illegitimate child, or genius junior, and absolutely could not be surrendered!

Sensing each other's presence, the three fragments vibrated violently before shooting forth through the air, converging upon Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou at an astonishing speed.

"Not good!" The three old demons of the demon race paled in shock, never expecting the fragments to be so miraculous as to break free from their control and fly straight toward Lu Yang's side!

How could they possibly hand over a fortuitous encounter that was already within their grasp? No such benevolence existed in the Demon Domain!

"Do not panic! Even if the two of them have obtained the key, it will be to no avail if they do not know the location of the secret realm!" White Bone sneered coldly; what use was a key if one did not know where the door was hidden?

Even he himself remained ignorant of the secret realm's precise location.

"The most urgent matter at hand is to intercept these two immediately and snatch the key back!" All three of them were great demons of the late Nascent Soul stage, and they refused to believe they could not defeat two youngsters who were likewise only at the Nascent Soul stage!

"Reasonable." The other two demons chimed in agreement, their minds having only just been muddled by their sudden anxiety.

The three fragments collided above the heads of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, coalescing into a white jade platter, and a brilliant white light suddenly erupted beneath the duo's feet, aligning perfectly with the intricate patterns carved upon the platter!

Boom—

The ground fractured into deep fissures amidst a continuous, deafening roar, prompting the two to hastily leap to the side.

"The secret realm is right beneath their feet!" White Bone's eyes widened to perfect circles, so filled with rage that blood nearly welled from his sockets.

"Quickly summon any Soul Formation cultivators you know! The three of us alone cannot possibly stop these two!"

White Bone bellowed aloud; while a three-on-two fight ensured an easy victory, capturing the pair would be no simple feat.

Originally, he had thought they had ample time, believing that repeated attempts would eventually yield success; yet now that the secret realm lay directly before their eyes, there was no time for repeated attempts, and they had to immediately invite Soul Formation experts to intervene—for even if the Soul Formation experts took the meat, they themselves could still partake of the broth.

The three old demons made a prompt decision, dissolving their divine sense projections to depart and invite the Soul Formation experts of their acquaintance.

White Bone and Jin Xuan found the task simpler, as their backbackers within their respective clans were already at the Soul Formation stage, whereas the Old Lion needed to invite demons from elsewhere.

"Is this the key to opening the secret realm?" Lu Yang pointed at the white jade platter hovering above their heads, his expression utterly peculiar.

"Judging by their reactions, yes, it is." Meng Jingzhou's expression was equally magnificent.

In an instant, winds surged and clouds gathered across a radius of eight hundred miles; it was unclear who had leaked the news, or perhaps one of the Soul Formation experts had feared being unable to out-compete the other two and had thus summoned friends and allies to assist them, for the opening of the secret realm had drawn countless Soul Formation cultivators.

Faced with a secret realm left behind by a cultivator of their own level, many a Soul Formation expert harbored designs upon it.

Perhaps it contained treasures that could aid them in breaking through their current cultivation realms, and the techniques left by a peer were likewise immensely valuable.

Swish— Swish— Swish—

One after another, mysterious and unpredictable figures radiating terrifying, sky-rending auras manifested in an array of diverse forms; every single one was a Soul Formation stage demon!

Lu Yang and his companion swallowed hard; had it been a mere one or two Soul Formation experts, they wouldn't necessarily face a mortal peril, as they could always flee if they couldn't win.

Yet with a whole nest of Soul Formation experts arriving, even the most legendary genius of the Golden Core stage would be utterly useless.

"Is the white jade platter in the hands of these two juniors?" A Qiongqi of the late Soul Formation stage bared its fangs, staring coldly down at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

"Answering the Senior, it is indeed the two of them!" Jin Xuan lowered his head, kneeling upon the ground as he spoke.

A colossal white serpent coiled across the sky, its head bearing two prominent bulges that hinted at an imminent transformation into a dragon!

He was the Soul Formation expert of the White Snake Clan whom White Bone had invited.

There were Heavenly Wolves from primeval times capable of devouring the moon, and giant apes that walked while hoisting mountains...

The appearance of each Soul Formation expert struck terror into the hearts of White Bone, Jin Xuan, and the Old Lion; any single figure here could effortlessly sweep the three of them aside and forcibly claim their territories as their own, and they wouldn't dare utter a single word of protest.

Such was the sheer might of a gap spanning an entire major cultivation realm!

Among the three demons, Jin Xuan was the strongest, possessing a strength at the half-step Soul Formation stage, yet even he could only lower his head and behave with absolute docility here, not daring to make any conspicuous movement.

The Golden Core patriarchs and Foundation Establishment old demons who had fallen unconscious gradually awoke, and upon witnessing the august figures of the Soul Formation stage dominating the sky, they wished for nothing more than to slip back into unconsciousness.

Soul Formation experts were elusive figures who rarely showed their faces once in decades; how long had they been asleep, what on earth had transpired, and why had so many Soul Formation experts suddenly appeared?

Had they traded their very lifespans just to witness this single gathering?

"This is a bit tricky; had I known it would turn out like this, we might as well have carried Old Ma over here," Meng Jingzhou smacked his lips. "How about you perform a set of Eldest Senior Sister's pictographic fist?"

They had originally intended to show off before the Golden Core demons; how had they gathered so many Soul Formation experts the moment they blinked?

This script was entirely wrong; where was the transition phase of the Nascent Soul stage?

At the very least, they should have been allowed to slay a few Nascent Soul demons first, and then use them to draw out the Soul Formation experts—that would have made some sense.

Lu Yang wore a conflicted expression: "We haven't even met Third Senior Sister yet; wouldn't it be somewhat inappropriate for us to summon Eldest Senior Sister here already?"

They had come to assist Third Senior Sister with her archaeology, not to completely annihilate the Demon Domain.

Just as Lu Yang and his companion held no regard for this throng of Soul Formation experts, the Soul Formation experts likewise paid no heed to Lu Yang and his partner.

They were nothing more than two slightly talented juniors of the Golden Core stage, entirely unworthy of the grand stage.

"Let us slay these two juniors first, and we can discuss how to explore the secret realm afterward."

"Agreed."

The Soul Formation experts quickly reached a unanimous consensus, their auras surging as their murderous intent spilled forth without restraint.

Lu Yang let out a sigh; there was no helping it then, as they were being forced to call Eldest Senior Sister over.

Clang—

Suddenly, a melodious sound of a zither echoed across the sky, its crisp notes resembling a stream cascading over pebbles, instilling an inexplicable sense of peace that instantly smoothed away all turbulent emotions within their hearts.

"Did I give you permission to kill?"

As the zither music ceased, a graceful silhouette clad in green attire materialized before Lu Yang, shielding him from the brunt of the overwhelming murderous intent.

The green-clad figure cradled the ancient zither in a lazy, indolent posture; her features were exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes were bound with a strip of black cloth, lending her an added touch of mystery.

"It's her!"

"Dammit, how could it possibly be her!"

"Isn't she currently being hunted by all the clans? How does she dare show her face?!"

The pupils of the Soul Formation experts contracted sharply as they fell into a chaotic commotion; the glances they cast toward the green-clad figure were laced with panic and sheer disbelief, and an atmosphere of stark terror rapidly spread among them.

This was a ruthless character whom even those of the Body Integration stage could not handle, and she was absolutely not someone a mere group of Soul Formation cultivators like themselves could afford to provoke!

"Run!"

Without a shred of hesitation, the Soul Formation experts turned and fled instantly.

Clang!

The zither string twanged, sending ripples through space that froze everyone mid-air, rendering them completely immobile, unable to budge even a single finger as unmitigated terror pooled in their eyes.

"Did I say you could run?"

"Third Senior Sister?" Lu Yang asked tentatively, a hint of pleasant surprise coloring his voice.

He had seen Third Senior Sister's portrait before.

"It is me."

"Senior Sister, what brings you here? The two of us were just talking about looking for you!"

They were still several hundred miles away from the location Third Senior Sister had given them.

There was a note of helplessness in her voice.

"Eldest Senior Sister sent word to me, saying that you two might not honestly come straight to find me, and if there were any massive disturbances these past few days, it would likely be your doing, so she told me to come receive you to prevent any accidents."

"How on earth did the two of you manage to draw out so many Soul Formation stage cultivators?"

Lu Yang said cautiously, "...Would you believe me if I said it was all a coincidence?"

"I would."

"You would?"

Lu Yang was overjoyed, never expecting that Third Senior Sister, whom he had never met before, would place such immense trust in him.

"Yes, that is exactly what I used to tell Eldest Senior Sister whenever I stirred up trouble in the Demon Realm."

(Wishing you smooth sailing on the postgraduate entrance exam, and a successful admission)

(End of Chapter)