Chapter 587: The Test Begins

Seeing the Third Senior Sister so grievously wounded, the Elder of the Qiongqi Clan wore a ferocious look, knitted his brows, and barked a question in return.

"Devildoom Goddess, do not spout such venomous slander! When has our Qiongqi Clan ever ordered you to commit such a deed?"

The surrounding crowd, who had been poised to strike and capture the Goddess the moment she appeared, fell into a tacit silence upon witnessing this scene, staying their hands.

After all, she was severely injured and could not escape; it was the perfect opportunity to unearth the identity of the true mastermind pulling her strings.

Third Senior Sister let out a string of cold, mocking laughs. "Never did it? You dare to commit the crime yet lack the courage to admit it—cowards!"

"Previously, your Qiongqi Clan sent an emissary to contact me, stating that you wished to secretly ascertain the foundations of each clan, focusing especially on whether any ancient ancestors still walked the earth. Seeing the generosity of your clan's reward, I accepted the commission, risking my life to infiltrate the ancient tombs of various lineages."

"At first, I was baffled as to what your Qiongqi Clan was scheming, but now everything is perfectly clear. Your clan has long since sworn fealty to the ancient Emperor Jiang! Investigating the foundations of each clan was merely to make them easier to control!"

"Now that the ancient Emperor Jiang has established his grand dominion, you intend to slaughter the donkey once it has finished turning the millstone—you want to silence me forever!"

The Qiongqi Elder spat back in furious rebuke, "Pure nonsense! Who among us does not know that my Qiongqi Clan is so destitute we must secure loans from the Meng Family? Where would we find the means to be generous!"

"If my Qiongqi Clan had truly allied with the ancient Emperor Jiang, how could we possibly remain this impoverished?"

Third Senior Sister fell momentarily silent, as though finding a fragment of truth in his words.

"Wait, I recall that the very first lineage to step forward and swear allegiance to the ancient Emperor Jiang was the Jiuying Clan. And the person who hired me instructed me to investigate the Jiuying Clan first of all!"

Third Senior Sister suddenly pointed a trembling finger at the Elder of the Jiuying Clan, her body shaking slightly, though whether from her injuries or the sting of betrayal remained unclear.

"It was your Jiuying Clan that hired me! To absolve yourselves of suspicion, the very first tomb you had me plunder was that of your own ancestors!"

The Jiuying Elder nearly spat out a mouthful of blood; he had merely been enjoying the spectacle, only to suddenly find himself under the spotlight.

"Utter rubbish!"

Third Senior Sister sneered, "Whether it is rubbish or not, you know the truth in your own heart! The debt of today's assassination attempt shall surely be repaid in full another day!"

With those parting words, she made a motion to flee.

"Stop her, quickly!"

Seeing that the Devildoom Goddess intended to escape, the Elders of the various clans instantly unleashed their powers, moving to surround and intercept her.

Sensing the imminent danger, Third Senior Sister coughed up a mouthful of essence blood, expending the last vestiges of her strength to activate a piece of beast hide. The hide rode upon the mist and clouds, leaping through space several times before vanishing entirely, leaving the enraged demons cursing incessantly, with the Jiuying Clan shouting the bitterest vitriol.

Another half-hour passed before Third Senior Sister, now completely disguised, slipped back into the ranks of the Phoenix Clan, showing absolutely no sign of having sustained any severe injuries.

Even the Elder of the Phoenix Clan could not resist sending a secret vocal transmission: "Was it truly the Jiuying Clan that hired you?"

"Of course it was a lie. What happened just now was merely a charade enacted by myself and the Qiongqi Elder, using the occasion to wash away the Qiongqi Clan's suspicion."

"The ancient Emperor Jiang has unified the Demon Realm through sheer martial force, which must breed discontent among the various lineages. I merely seized the opportunity to chastise the Jiuying Clan while sowing discord among the rest."

"Did you truly visit the Jiuying Clan first?"

"Another lie. In matters like this, whatever I choose to say is what they are bound to believe."

Third Senior Sister indeed possessed no direct evidence to frame the Jiuying Clan.

Yet, to frame a soul, what need was there for evidence? Suspicion alone was more than enough.

Third Senior Sister spoke in a cold, detached voice, "Since the Jiuying Clan chooses to indulge their Young Master, they must bear the vengeance that follows such indulgence."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, who had already crossed into the Ancient Realm of Creation, remained blissfully unaware of Third Senior Sister's machinations; they were currently listening intently to the rules of the realm.

The moment they set foot inside the ancient domain, an androgynous voice resonated from high above.

"Welcome to the Secret Realm. This realm is divided into three distinct trials. Only by ascending to the second tier shall you obtain your destined fortunes. The higher one's evaluation on each tier, the more bountiful the rewards bestowed."

A three-storied pagoda materialized before the crowd, each tier representing a separate pocket of space—a miniature incarnation of the Ancient Realm of Creation.

They currently stood at the entrance of the very first tier.

"This tier teems with an abundance of Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts. For every beast slain, a spirit soul shall be obtained. Amassing ten spirit souls shall constitute passing the trial of the first tier."

"The time limit for this first trial is ten days."

"The deepest recesses of the first tier hold the Heavenly Ladder leading to the second tier; one may ascend further provided they hold a certain number of spirit souls."

"Be warned: the trials of the second tier shall only commence once the trials of the first tier have concluded in their entirety."

"The trial of the first tier begins now."

A colossal hourglass manifested in the heavens, visible from any vantage point within the first tier. The sands trickled down with a faint rustling sound, marking the countdown of the ten days.

"Fairy, have you ever encountered this secret realm before?"

The Immortal Fairy shook her head. "Never. I know not whether it is simply a place I never visited, or if it was created long after my demise."

Upon hearing the rules, the majority of the demon clan prodigies scattered in all directions, plunging into the first tier to hunt the demonic beasts.

Slaining ten Nascent Soul stage beasts was by no means an easy feat; not everyone possessed the ability to cross a major cultivation realm to challenge foes, as Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou could.

Furthermore, the rules explicitly stated that a higher evaluation yielded more bountiful rewards, meaning it was undoubtedly advantageous to slay as many beasts as possible.

Meng Jingzhou remained rooted to the spot, scratching his chin thoughtfully. The rules sounded rigorous enough, but upon closer reflection, there was plenty of room for manipulation.

Meng Jingzhou shot a knowing glance toward Lu Yang: What do you say?

Lu Yang roughly guessed Meng Jingzhou's intentions and returned the look: Let us slay a few beasts first to warm up our hands.

"You two, shall we join forces to hunt the beasts?" Jiang Shishi inquired. The conditions of the first tier were perfectly suited for an alliance.

With two people pinning the beast down to maximize efficiency and one keeping watch nearby, they could prevent others from stealing their spoils.

As for the followers of the Phoenix Clan, they had formed their own squads to hunt, agreeing to convene at the foot of the Heavenly Ladder at the end.

Followers were not mere bodyguards; fighting through the beasts offered an exceptional opportunity for tempering themselves, so there was no need to coddle Jiang Shishi.

"Let us first gauge the caliber of these beasts."

Lu Yang remained cautious. He did not want to stumble upon a beast only to find it possessed a talent as monstrous as their own, capable of exerting Soul Formation strength while only at the Nascent Soul stage.

"Very well."

Before entering the ancient realm, Jiang Shishi had been strictly instructed by her clan elders that should any situation arise within the domain, it would be wisest to defer to the judgment of these two individuals.

The first tier presented a environment of dense, primordial forest, whose shadowed depths harbored the watchful, predatory eyes of Nascent Soul beasts.

The three of them warily extended their divine sense, just as the distant sounds of combat startled a Giant White-Browed Ape concealed within the canopy.

The ape bore a tuft of snow-white fur upon its chest. Thumping its breast, it swung wildly through the trees, unleashed a roaring bellow, and swung its twin fists, crashing down toward the trio with brutal force.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, both veterans of countless battles, had long detected the ape's presence.

"Arhat Fist!"

"Slash!"

The two struck simultaneously. Meng Jingzhou met the giant ape's descending fists with his Arhat Fist; the ape proved inferior in brute strength and was actually blasted high into the sky.

Lu Yang exerted force through his feet, leaping upward into the air. With a swift draw and sheathing of his blade, the giant ape's head was severed from its body, the massive skull rolling over and over until it came to a stop right at Jiang Shishi's feet.

Jiang Shishi stood rooted in dumbfounded shock. This was a Giant White-Browed Ape at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, a pure-blooded specimen, yet it had been dispatched with such effortless ease?

"Done!"

The two clapped hands, perfectly relaxed and at ease.

"It seems they are merely ordinary Nascent Soul beasts. We can proceed with our plan."

By the way, allow me to recommend a new book, which is also of the lighthearted and humorous genre.

(This chapter ends)