Chapter 77: Internal Strife

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Two streaks of green light shot out from the "Green Fruit Flowers," aiming straight for the necks of two of the disciples. At such close range, the men had no time to react. In an instant, two bloody holes appeared on their necks, and they collapsed stiffly to the ground. Their faces rapidly darkened as they died.

"Bastards!" Wang Qiang roared, gritting his teeth as he charged forward. With a swift flash of his blade, he hacked the two attacking "Green Fruit Flowers" into several pieces. He didn’t stop there, quickly moving to slay the remaining ones as well.

"What!" The portly man’s eyes bulged in shock.

Hong Yan’s brow furrowed. "Those weren’t Green Fruit Flowers. They were venomous snakes in disguise!"

The old Daoist was horrified. He had been about to pick one himself just moments ago. Had he acted, he would now be a corpse.

Wang Qiang returned with a grim expression. "There must be plenty of camouflaged snakes around us. They aren’t very strong, but their disguises are perfect. Stick close to me and don’t wander off!"

They had only just entered the Secret Realm and had already lost two companions, which left Wang Qiang in a foul mood.

"Understood!" the old Daoist and the others nodded. This time, everyone behaved, following closely behind Wang Qiang and not daring to stray a single step.

Wang Qiang carefully led the remaining five people for another thirty miles until they finally emerged from the grasslands. Although they hadn’t faced any more attacks, Wang Qiang’s clothes were drenched in a cold sweat. He knew that if he had taken a single misstep along the way, he would have met the same fate as the first two.

Hong Yan and the others also let out a long sigh of relief. Their nerves had been stretched taut the entire time, and only now could they finally relax.

After a short rest, the old Daoist seemed to remember something. Noticing Hong Yan holding Ye Qingchen’s hand tightly, his expression soured as he glared at Ye Qingchen. "Kid, if you saw the lurking snakes, why didn’t you warn us sooner? If you had, those two might not have died!" he accused. "You timed your warning perfectly, didn’t you? Tell me, did you intentionally let them die?"

Ye Qingchen was stunned. He never imagined the old Daoist would twist his well-intentioned warning into an accusation of malice.

Hong Yan’s anger flared. "Old Daoist, stop being so unreasonable! Ye Qingchen’s warning was more than timely! It was those two who refused to listen and acted recklessly. That’s why they were ambushed! How can you possibly blame him for that?"

The old Daoist snorted coldly. "Hmph! If it were me, I would have immediately rushed to stop them after the warning, not just stand by and watch the show like he did! His failure to intervene is his fault!"

Hong Yan shot the old Daoist a disdainful look. "By that logic, you didn’t give any warning at all. Should I assume that you noticed the danger but deliberately kept quiet, hoping they would die so you could claim a larger share of the rewards?"

The old Daoist’s eyes widened in fury. "Hong Yan, that’s slander! We are brothers who have fought side-by-side in over a hundred battles! How could I ever do such a thing?"

Hong Yan sneered. "Oh, so you’re allowed to make baseless accusations, but I’m not?"

Seeing the two on the verge of drawing weapons, Wang Qiang’s expression darkened. "Enough! Both of you, hold your tongues! We’ve only just entered the Secret Realm, and you’re already at each other’s throats. How are we supposed to explore this place and find any treasures?"

At his words, Hong Yan and the old Daoist glared at one another one last time before falling silent.

Wang Qiang turned to the old Daoist. "Since we chose to bring Ye Qingchen along, you need to trust him! You were in the wrong this time. Apologize to him!"

"Me, apologize to him?" The old Daoist’s mouth twitched, and he turned to Ye Qingchen with a look of utter displeasure. "Just now, I was judging a gentleman by my own petty standards. Junior Brother Ye Qingchen, I hope you won’t hold it against me." After speaking, he forced a smile so ugly it was barely a smile at all.

"Senior Brother, we’re a team. I don’t want to hear anything like that again," Ye Qingchen said, his gaze fixed on the old Daoist’s eyes. As his Double Pupils activated, he instantly heard the man’s innermost thoughts.

That hussy Hong Yan! She knows perfectly well how I feel about her, yet she keeps holding that pretty boy Ye Qingchen’s hand. She must have fallen for him! When I get the chance, I’ll find a way to kill this pretty boy, and then I’ll take that hussy for myself!

To the old Daoist, Ye Qingchen’s expression looked sincere, even friendly. In his heart, however, Ye Qingchen had already marked the man for death. He would show no mercy to anyone who wanted him dead.

As they were speaking, the sound of footsteps approached. A team of Qingyun Sect disciples walked over. Seeing the disheveled state of Ye Qingchen’s group, one of them asked curiously, "Did you just come from the grasslands up ahead? Did your team lose people?"

Wang Qiang’s face filled with shock. "How did you know? Don’t tell me you also..."

The robust young man at the head of the team nodded with a sigh. "We did. Our team lost one person in there too. Honestly, there’s not much danger in the grasslands as long as you aren’t greedy. But from what I know, very few teams get transported directly to that eerie place upon entering the Secret Realm."

Wang Qiang quickly stepped forward and stuffed a bottle of elixirs into the young man’s hand. "Senior Brother, you must have arrived much earlier than us and know this place far better. We’d be grateful for any guidance you can offer so we can avoid making any more mistakes."

Seeing how tactful Wang Qiang was, the robust young man smiled and accepted the bottle. "Well, our team’s time in the Secret Realm is about up, so I don’t see the harm in telling you what we know."

He pointed ahead. "Keep going that way, and you’ll find the estate of a Martial Spirit expert! It’s filled with treasures, but you have to be extremely careful. The estate is home to Monster Beasts raised by the expert, and it’s riddled with traps. A great number of our Qingyun Sect disciples have been injured or killed inside. Because of that, even though the Secret Realm has been open for over a month, there are still plenty of undiscovered treasures inside!"

Hearing this, the eyes of Wang Qiang and his group lit up. This information was incredibly valuable, and the prospect of so many unclaimed treasures filled them with renewed motivation.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Wang Qiang’s group called out as they hurriedly set off toward the estate.

"Don’t mention it!" the robust young man replied with a wave. Then, as if remembering something crucial, he shouted after the departing group, "Oh, right, one more thing you need to know! Only Inner Sect Disciples can enter the estate of that Martial Spirit expert! Any Outer Sect Disciples must stay behind! Remember this! I mean it! Otherwise, not only will your Outer Sect Disciple be in danger, but all of you will face a great disaster!"

However, his warning came too late. Wang Qiang and his group were already out of earshot, hearing nothing of his final words.