Chapter 38: Villains Die of Too Much Talking

The next day, as the first light of dawn broke, Zora slowly woke up. As a cultivator, she required less and less sleep, and food was no longer a strict necessity, though that didn't mean it wasn't needed at all; her current body had not yet reached the stage of a true celestial.

She sat up, her inner garment in disarray, with a few stray hairs sticking up. Having slept for a long time, the girl's face had a faint, rosy flush. Zora rubbed her eyes, staring blankly at the bed in a daze for a while.

The room was empty, but as she was spacing out, someone pushed the door open.

The newcomer looked refreshed, showing no sign of having stayed up all night. He was biting a hair tie as he deftly tied his hair into a ponytail at the back of his head; the moment he pushed the door, he finished and let go, the ponytail swaying for a second.

Vane instinctively glanced at Zora on the bed before shifting his gaze away. "Your outer robes are on the rack at the foot of the bed."

The bed was large. Zora's feet hadn't reached the edge, but at the foot of the bed, her folded clothes hung on the bedframe. She reached out and grabbed them.

Dressing herself, looking no different than usual, Zora sat before the bronze mirror. Looking at herself in the mirror, she asked, "Did you get the teleportation talismans?"

"Mhm, I got them." Vane began combing from the roots of her hair. He had done this countless times; his strength was no longer overly gentle but appropriate, and he skillfully and correctly untangled several knotted strands of black hair.

Early this morning, he hadn't gone to find Yiling Ke. Instead, he had walked outside Drunken Man's Bay. On the outskirts, there were self-taught formation masters; unfortunately, their talent was insufficient, and their lifespans were no different from mortals, but over the years, they had learned some simple arrays.

It was commonly known as the Black Market.

However, the market, which should have been teeming with people, was sparse today, likely due to the unrest in the Mirror Sea. Vane appeared unbothered, wearing a mask to disrupt people's recognition, and bought the teleportation talismans.

He had completed many missions. Besides the rewards from the December Sect itself, there were occasional prizes obtained during the tasks—such as the bone of a demon cultivator saturated with demonic energy, which could be made into blades or other sharp weapons and sold for a high price, or inner cores condensed from monster energy, monster horns, and so on.

All sorts of strange things.

Zora asked again, "Then remember to use it fifteen minutes after entering the secret realm—because Guan Qianyi is strong, your main purpose in coming over is to be a meat shield."

...Meat shield?

Vane took a second to understand the term and gave a small "Mhm." Of course, this was better than her facing the opponent alone and dying; at the very least, he absolutely did not want to die suddenly because of his master's death.

With her hair combed, Zora stood up. The arrays on her hem had been embroidered stitch by stitch with thread infused with spiritual power. The youth had gathered the patterns into clouds, making them appear subtle and seamless against the blue fabric, even adding a bit of beauty.

As Vane lowered his eyes, his gaze swept over the hem, lingering for a breath before unobtrusively shifting away.

Afterward, they headed to the grounds before the secret realm. It was already a sea of people; crowds stood or hovered on floating artifacts to avoid the crush. Some even stood in trees, looking out from afar, chatting and laughing with those on nearby branches, occasionally hanging upside down for fun.

Turi Qi was visibly much more exhausted. Although a cultivator's body wouldn't get overly tired, the mental fatigue was hard to endure.

She greeted them with a smile: "Junior Sister Zora, Junior Brother Vane."

Zora suddenly took a step forward, standing by her side and looking left and right.

Turi Qi: "Is something wrong?"

"Looking for that enemy."

Turi Qi understood instantly. "Is it that Guan Qianyi? He tried to find me a few times before, saying strange things. Yesterday was the same; he left with a cold sneer."

In the original plot, Turi Qi was at a stage where she had made a mistake with her Master due to an aphrodisiac, and her Master had resolutely rejected her. Disheartened, Guan Qianyi had taken advantage of her vulnerability, acting extremely kind.

In reality, because of the matter Zora mentioned, Turi Qi had no good face for Guan Qianyi. But in the original story, there was no absolute barrier between them. Furthermore, one does not slap a smiling face; Turi Qi found it hard to speak harshly, and they approached each other like friends, falling right into the Sword Sovereign's view.

Next came the trope of a love rival stimulating the male lead's possessiveness. Yes, it wasn't an awakening of love or the realization that he liked his disciple; rather, he was dominated by possessiveness, feeling that his disciple, who had been blushing and shy toward him just a few days ago, had turned to another man in the blink of an eye.

He even developed the thought—

Is this how much she 'liked' him? No big deal.

According to the original author, this was outward anger but inward jealousy—an unwillingness to admit his feelings, creating a sense of awkwardness.

And so—

Before Zora finished her recollection, she heard a voice.

"Lord Wanghua, Sword Sovereign of the December Sect, has arrived—" The voice of a disciple in the distance was long and clear. The entire field fell silent instantly, everyone struck with amazement.

Lord Wanghua never participated in such events. He would come to slay demons or eliminate demon cultivators; he would show up for anything involving fighting or guarding, but never for disciple competitions.

Turi Qi was also stunned. Her eyes flickered, but she suddenly composed herself and lowered her head. In places Zora didn't know about, many unpleasant things had already happened between them. Turi Qi thought of Lord Wanghua's indifference toward her kinsmen—even his dissatisfaction with how much she valued her family—and her heart went dark. She showed no excitement or surprise.

Zora, on the other hand, was completely baffled.

—

According to Senior Sister Turi, she isn't close to Guan Qianyi at all, so why did Lord Wanghua come anyway?

She frowned deeply, thoroughly confused, and lightly tugged Vane's sleeve. She didn't use force, but the youth turned his head to look at her almost simultaneously.

Zora said, "Remember to come quickly around the fifteen-minute mark."

She was worried she wouldn't get a chance to hit Guan Qianyi before Lord Wanghua snatched the kill.

Even though the Sword Sovereign's presence made it easier to be caught using a teleportation talisman, Vane, like Zora, didn't care much. Hearing her, he nodded and smiled. "I understand."

The various Immortals all stood up and saluted. Lord Wanghua also lowered his head slightly in response. As they took their seats, the hidden gazes of countless people gathered on Lord Wanghua. A favored son of heaven, someone whose back one could never hope to see, only envy.

A disciple publicly announced the rules of the secret realm.

This was the Mizi Secret Realm, a dual-layer realm. Generally, the disciples entered the first layer to compete in hunting monsters. The more monsters hunted, the better; the higher the cultivation, the better. Monsters with different levels of demonic energy represented different scores, and the one with the highest score at the end won.

But it wasn't just about hunting monsters. If you were "hunted" by another disciple, your score would be transferred to them, and you would be eliminated from the realm. Thus, one had to be especially wary of fellow travelers.

"Now—the Mizi Secret Realm is open!"

The moment the words fell, Zora's vision flashed, and she appeared in an unfamiliar place.

At the same time, several water mirrors appeared before the Immortals outside. Lord Wanghua watched the mirrors, his gaze pale and indifferent. His disciple, Turi Qi, was currently fighting a monster.

Lord Wanghua couldn't explain the impulse that brought him here. It was just that she had been spending too much time with the Five-Person Group lately. As the head disciple of the Sword Gate, Turi Qi was deeply respected and had endless tasks every day; she also felt the weight of responsibility. Previously, her time was divided between the Sword Gate and her Master. Since the Five-Person Group arrived, they had snatched that time away—however, the Sword Gate was still heavy in her heart, so she took the time usually given to her Master to trade for time with the group.

He merely assumed she was still angry about her family. He had once coldly rebuked Turi Qi, saying she shouldn't value a crowd of mortals so highly. It was for her own good; the path of cultivation was treacherous enough without dragging a mortal family along.

To his surprise, one night he saw Turi Qi standing with Song Zhihuai, and his anger flared. He had turned and left with a cold face.

—

Is it because that Song Zhihuai is in the group?

He couldn't help but speculate, couldn't help his displeasure. Thus, he had impulsively come here today. Lord Wanghua took a deep breath, slightly lowering his lashes. When he opened his eyes again, he was once more a picture of cold detachment. However, he specifically flicked his sleeve before the mirror showing his disciple; in the limited number of mirrors, Turi Qi's shadow was seen no more.

Has it been fifteen minutes?

Zora realized she wasn't like Vane; she wasn't precise at all and didn't know if the time was up. So she asked the Oracle.

The Oracle woke up groggily: [...I don't know. If you want me to start a countdown from now, I can do that, but I was hibernating. I don't know what happened here while I was out.]

Zora said sincerely, "Go back to sleep."

Oracle: [...]

Zora was a bit anxious. She had to arrive exactly when the chaos started—when Guan Qianyi was talking trash but hadn't acted yet—but she couldn't be too early, lest the Immortals catch her cheating and kick her out.

Wandering here alone, who knew if the chaos had come. Passing several monsters, Zora suddenly spotted a disciple and hurried to catch up.

The disciple immediately bolted in a panic, dumbfounded: "Wait! You're not killing monsters, you're coming specifically for people! But I don't have a single monster point!"

...

Turi Qi encountered Guan Qianyi. Her face was slightly cold, but she didn't lose her manners, nodding as she prepared to pass by.

"Eh—I don't know how I've offended Miss Turi," Guan Qianyi smiled leisurely, his eyes full of hidden meaning. "But I would very much like to know the relationship between you and that hypocrite, Lord Wanghua."

The aura on him was too dangerous; Turi Qi immediately grew vigilant.

...

Vane’s spear pierced through monster after monster, his methods brutal. No one could tell he was in a state of distraction, exposing his savage nature. The youth was precisely counting in his head, accompanied by the spray of blood, waiting for the fifteen minutes.

...

Zora was still chasing a living person, her shadow leaping through the trees. she was terrified of missing the signs of chaos. The medicine disciple being chased was on the verge of a breakdown, especially since Zora didn't even want to catch him—she just followed him like an inescapable ghost. The disciple's legs ran so fast they left afterimages, and he shouted through tears and snot: "Stop chasing me! I don't know how to fight! Aaaaah!"

...

The time for a cup of tea was almost up. Guan Qianyi was still sneering about Lord Wanghua's "crimes," insisting on recounting his motives and the whole story with great drama.

"That hypocrite keeps saying..."

Turi Qi, who had been prepared for battle but had relaxed slightly because his speech was too long: "..."

If it were before, she might have had the mind to listen, but now she was truly chilled by her Master's actions and didn't want to hear it at all. Yet she was afraid to strike first and cause more trouble, given her strength wasn't that great—what if the opponent didn't actually have that intent? So the time felt incredibly long...

...

A monster's head rolled to the ground. Flicking the blood off his spear, Vane looked at the sun.

Mhm, a little bit longer.

...

The disciple could run no further, walking like a freakish creature on the ground, his survival instinct pushing him forward as his voice went raspy: "Heh... heh... stop chasing me... heh heh..."

He knew the secret realm was about the survival of the fittest, and her actions were justifiable, but he still wanted to struggle. What if he successfully escaped?

Zora followed at a moderate pace.

How much longer until the chaos arrives? How much longer until the sign of the crowd screaming in panic?

...

Turi Qi, having had her ears filled with demonic sounds for so long, was gradually turning numb. Guan Qianyi’s words were automatically being translated in Turi Qi’s mind.

Guan Qianyi: "Hypocrite hahahaha blah blah blah blah blah! Hahaha! The whole world has been fooled!"

Guan Qianyi: "Blah blah blah blah blah blah. That's right, I bet you never imagined it was him, a hypocrite."

Guan Qianyi: "And you are Lord Wanghua's only disciple. I've observed, hmph, you two are just blah blah blah blah blah blah. I must make him taste the flavor of pain too!"

...

In the distance, birds suddenly flew into the sky as if startled, their cries loud and chaotic. Zora abruptly looked up at the birds.

—

That must be the sign.

She jumped down from the tree. The disciple's legs were as heavy as lead, his face pale and powerless, his voice gone. Seeing her actually jump down, he suddenly revived like a dead man coming back to life, screaming and wailing with renewed vigor: "AAAAHHH WAAAAAHH!! Uuuuugh!"

He couldn't speak for a moment, only scream. The "crowd" was screaming in chaos. Zora was certain and instantly tore the teleportation talisman.

The disciple, who had been forced to represent the "crowd," was halfway through a ghost-cry when he realized the person was gone. The sound stopped abruptly. Prostrate on the ground, he hadn't seen how Zora had just left. He assumed she had softened her heart and let him go, and he began to sob.

"Thank goodness... thank you for letting me go... I'll reward you handsomely when I get back!"

...

Vane wiped the tip of his spear clean and looked up. Time was up. He tore the teleportation talisman without hesitation.

—Even if, according to her words, he was merely a puppet to block potential harm for her.

...

Guan Qianyi finished a long rant insulting Lord Wanghua, ending with satisfaction: "Hmph, if you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck for being his disciple—"

The chaos had started a moment earlier. Outside the realm, the water mirrors suddenly failed, and the scenes inside could no longer be glimpsed.

"The secret realm has been sealed by a barrier!" an Immortal cried out in alarm.

Inside the Mizi Secret Realm, the monsters suddenly went feral. The tokens used to forfeit and leave the realm all failed. There were many cultivators with low cultivation here, and the crowd quickly turned into a mess.

Guan Qianyi sneered. Just as he was about to strike, two figures appeared suddenly, one on the left and one on the right, attacking him simultaneously. No matter how powerful Guan Qianyi was, he was still a medicine cultivator; his vigilance was naturally lacking. He had the power to kill Turi Qi but couldn't use it in time. His arms were severely wounded by a sword and a long spear.

His face contorted. The two didn't linger in the fight, pulling back immediately. Guan Qianyi clutched his wounds, staring at them with a sinister gaze, and gave a low laugh: "I knew the December Sect..."

Before he could finish, Zora had already closed in. Guan Qianyi resisted a strike of her sword, continuing venomously: "Has the December Sect fallen to this? As expected, you treat Lord Wanghua as a god..."

He hadn't finished when Zora, ignoring him, exchanged several moves, with Vane landing cold strikes with his spear in perfect rapport. The moment she was flung back, the spear caught her; the girl's toes stepped on the spear to spring back, the entire movement fluid as water.

Turi Qi wanted them to leave first, but seeing the tokens were useless, she occasionally stabbed a sword toward Guan Qianyi, channeling abundant spiritual power to the two, while spending the rest of the time urgently searching for a way out of the realm.

The movements of the four were unpredictable, especially Zora and Vane, whose shadows became mere blurs. In the continuous fighting, Guan Qianyi had a strand of hair sliced off by a sword. He said, "Do you think I'll lose like this? Impossible! How do you think Lord Wanghua became the Sword Sovereign..."

Zora was expressionless, her movements never stopping.

Too many words.