ISWTDB Ch10

Chapter 10: The Disfigured and Blind Sect Leader (10)

Of course, Ying Zhao had noticed this long ago, so he simply stood aside with Wen Renming, watching the commotion.

He wondered, could Wen Renming control the entire secret realm? If so, then he truly had nothing to worry about.

Hearing Xiao Lie’s question, Wen Renming quickly waved his hands, looking innocent.

Xiao Lie, though he wished to grab Wen Renming by the throat and question him thoroughly, found himself overwhelmed and unable to spare the effort.

He could only watch as the disciples of the Piaomao Pavilion around him were lashed mercilessly by the vines and branches, even his own face was scratched.

Unable to fend off the attacks, the group tried to fly away on their swords. However, the vines seemed intelligent, extending into the air to drag them back down.

The situation grew increasingly dire as everyone, exhausted and wounded, continued to fend off the vines, their defeat seeming only a matter of time.

Just as despair set in, a disciple accidentally dropped his Qiankun Bag, and the moment it hit the ground, the vines stopped attacking him.

Noticing this, the disciple quickly shouted to everyone:

“Throw away your Qiankun Bags! These vines are attacking us because of the Qiankun Bags!”

Ying Zhao instantly understood—the attacked individuals were those who had greedily collected large amounts of the secret realm’s spiritual plants. Somehow, the vines could discern this and attacked anyone carrying treasures from the secret realm.

Many disciples, hearing this, quickly discarded their Qiankun Bags. Indeed, the vines ceased attacking them.

However, some were reluctant, such as Xiao Lie. The Qiankun Bags contained not only the newly gathered spiritual plants but also their own spirit talismans and magical tools.

Reluctant to abandon their Qiankun Bags, they faced increasingly fierce attacks. Finally, fearing death by lashing, they threw their Qiankun Bags to the ground, and the vines gradually retreated.

Everyone, now severely wounded, lay on the ground, panting. As the surroundings finally quieted, Xiao Lie turned and glared at Wen Renming. If not for the ‘Qingyuan Jue,’ he would have snapped Wen Renming’s neck right then.

Grinding his teeth in anger, Xiao Lie shouted to everyone, “Let’s go!”

He then flew into the air. Watching them leave in haste, Ying Zhao smiled, turning to Wen Renming. He leaned in and asked softly:

“Renming, was this your doing?”

Wen Renming, looking innocent, spread his hands. Ying Zhao raised an eyebrow, summoned Shuangxue, and, holding Wen Renming’s hand, stood on the sword, flying away together toward their destination.

After about an hour, under Wen Renming’s guidance, they all landed. However, the place they landed showed no sign of the fabled secret treasures.

All around was an open field, with nothing unusual in sight. Xiao Lie looked down at his now empty waist and clenched his fists in frustration.

During their journey through the secret realm, not only did the group fail to obtain any celestial materials or treasures, but they also lost the magical artifacts they originally brought with them at the previous location.

Turning to see the entire group from Piaomiao Pavilion looking utterly disheveled, with tattered clothing, Xiao Lie finally couldn’t suppress his anger. He walked up to Wen Renming and loudly demanded:

“Didn’t you say the ‘Qingyuan Jue’ was here? Didn’t you say there were many celestial materials and treasures in this secret realm? So what happened? We couldn’t get any celestial materials or treasures, and we lost the magical artifacts we had. Even the robes we’re wearing are in this ruined state. Wen Renming, you owe me an explanation!”

As Xiao Lie spoke, he raised his hand towards Wen Renming, seemingly ready to strike him.

Wen Renming turned his face towards Xiao Lie. Although his eyes were lifeless, he showed no fear. He smiled faintly at Xiao Lie and said:

“Fellow Daoist Xiao, please calm down. I indeed sensed that the ‘Qingyuan Jue’ is here. Allow me to try something.”

After speaking, Wen Renming walked to a nearby open area. He extended a hand and quickly cut his finger. A drop of blood fell on the grass in front of him, and in an instant, a burst of light erupted.

It seemed as if a massive transparent wall in front of them was slowly dissolving. Soon, a cave mansion appeared before their eyes.

It turned out that what they had seen earlier was an illusion created by a barrier. They hadn’t expected such a large cave mansion to be right in front of them.

Ying Zhao looked up and saw the sign above the cave mansion that read, “Yuan Qing Cave.” Seeing this, Xiao Lie lowered his hand and looked at the cave mansion with some excitement.

He then turned to Wen Renming and said:

“You go in first!”

Wen Renming nodded and, without hesitation, grabbed Ying Zhao’s hand, intending to go in together. However, Xiao Lie suddenly walked over, grabbed Ying Zhao’s arm, and pulled him to his side.

He picked up a stick from the ground and threw it to Wen Renming, saying:

“You go in alone. My junior brother and I will follow right behind you.”

Ever since they entered the secret realm, Wen Renming had been constantly extending his divine sense, which low-level cultivators couldn’t detect.

Therefore, he knew when Xiao Lie pulled Ying Zhao away from his side. Feeling Xiao Lie’s firm grip on Ying Zhao’s arm, Wen Renming’s lips tightened into a straight line, and a surge of murderous intent rose in his heart.

Ying Zhao frowned as he looked at Xiao Lie’s hand holding his arm. He had always disliked being touched by strangers, especially someone he found repulsive like Xiao Lie.

Sensing Wen Renming’s displeasure, Ying Zhao discreetly broke free from Xiao Lie’s grasp. He stepped forward and softly said to Wen Renming:

“Wen Ren, you go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

Wen Renming, seeing that they had separated, relaxed his tense body and nodded to Ying Zhao. He then turned around and pretended to use the stick to explore the path, entering the cave mansion.

The Yuan Qing Cave seemed to be quite deep inside. Not long after they entered, the surroundings became very dark. Wen Renming, being blind, was unaffected by the pitch-black cave.

However, the members of the Piaomiao Pavilion formed hand seals to light the path ahead. Xiao Lie followed closely behind Wen Renming, his eyes darting between Wen Renming and Ying Zhao.

Previously, Xiao Lie was firmly convinced that his junior brother admired him and would be willing to make any sacrifice for him if he promised a little.

However, since entering the secret realm, he had been observing the interactions between Ying Zhao and Wen Renming. Xiao Lie keenly felt that their relationship wasn’t as simple as he had imagined.

Although he couldn’t believe that Ying Yunping would truly fancy a low-level, disfigured, and blind person, the ‘Qingyuan Jue’ was indeed a rare treasure in the cultivation world.

Attaining enlightenment and ascension was every cultivator’s wish. Could it be that Ying Yunping had also become greedy, wanting to use Wen Renming to obtain the ‘Qingyuan Jue’ and then monopolize the treasure?

Thinking of this, Xiao Lie felt he had uncovered some truth, and his heart tightened. He turned to look at Ying Zhao beside him, a flash of killing intent in his eyes, which Ying Zhao keenly noticed.

Sensing Xiao Lie’s murderous intent, Ying Zhao lowered his head and smirked, wondering which of his actions had aroused Xiao Lie’s suspicion.

Regardless of what Xiao Lie had figured out, he had already started to guard against both him and Wen Renming. It seemed Xiao Lie wasn’t as foolish as he had thought. But this made things more interesting.

The group continued forward for a long time until they reached the end of the cave mansion. However, at the end, they found not just one but two exits. Faced with the choice between the left and right entrances, Xiao Lie stared intently at Wen Renming at the front.