Chapter 220 (Part 2): The Ultimate Art of War

But at this moment, she didn’t really have a better way to put it.

“I can see you’re quite happy here. Sigh—if you really want to come back with me, that’s fine too.” Linglong released Hua Jian’s cheek, letting out a helpless sigh.

If Hua Jian really went to Jade Pool, she probably couldn’t live as happily as she did now.

Jade Pool’s rules weren’t excessive, but they weren’t few either. There were many things Hua Jian couldn’t do or say there—it would definitely be less free than the Beijing wilderness.

Wanhuagu certainly wasn’t a good organization. They definitely harbored intentions to use Hua Jian.

But Linglong had an intuition that Wanhuagu’s attitude toward Hua Jian wasn’t purely instrumental.

Beneath that use was a trace of wariness—a wariness that would prevent Wanhuagu from going too far.

Hua Jian staying in the north, staying within Wanhuagu, might not actually be a bad choice.

“Really?!”

“So you really don’t want to go back, do you!” Linglong’s eyes widened.

Listen to that delight and excitement in Hua Jian’s voice—how desperately she’d been hoping to hear those words!

What had Wanhuagu fed Hua Jian to make her so unwilling to return to the Central Continent?

Even though Linglong was willing to think about what was best for Hua Jian and agreed she didn’t have to go back, Hua Jian could at least show a little hesitation, couldn’t she?

Such a surprised reaction makes me, the Saintess of the Sacred Sect, feel quite embarrassed, you know?

It’s as if I’ve been the one pushing you all along, and you’ve been the one enduring…

“This, this can’t be generalized, you know? I’ve been thinking of a solution that satisfies both sides.”

Hua Jian threw herself into Linglong’s arms with a whimper, trying to use her pitiful demeanor to win Linglong’s affection once more.

As for how effective it was, well, it looked decent enough.

Linglong no longer felt the urge to force Hua Jian to return with her, so she didn’t push her away.

However, she thought that the “solution satisfying both sides” Hua Jian mentioned would be very difficult to find.

If Hua Jian stayed in the Northern Territory and didn’t return to the Central Continent, she would probably have to walk the path of the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley Saintess to its very end.

Even if she didn’t do evil afterward, her standing in the eyes of the Right Path would be barely distinguishable from a Sorceress.

Just like the entire Ten Thousand Flowers Valley—though they wouldn’t face severe hostility, they could never be seen as good people.

Once something went wrong, they would be the first to come under suspicion.

While the two were whispering to each other, the Tianmomen group in the distance finally finished clearing out the Spirit Beast Tide.

At the cost of two deaths, their overall alertness had been raised a notch, so killing these Ling Shi Realm Spirit Beasts didn’t take much time.

After all, this wasn’t a hard-fought battle—they had merely been caught off guard.

Once they steadied their minds and fought back, these Ling Shi Realm Spirit Beasts were still easy to kill.

These Demonic Cultivators weren’t all flash and no substance; when it came down to a real fight, they had some skill.

As the last Spirit Beast fell, the battle temporarily subsided, leaving only corpses strewn across the ground and the stench of blood hanging in the air.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, continuing to dig while remaining on guard against a sudden attack.

Before long, the excavation work made a breakthrough—the digging Spirit Tool struck a hard object.

As the surrounding soil was cleared away, a fist-sized black crystal was exposed to everyone’s view.

“It’s the Demon Corpse Crystal! Excellent!” A Tianmomen disciple shouted excitedly.

Everyone crowded around, staring greedily at the crystal. It was pitch black all over, radiating a dim luster, as if it contained some kind of unsettling power.

Just looking at it gave one the feeling of being swallowed whole.

“Excellent, we finally found it!” A hint of joy flickered in Youye’s eyes. At least the mission was now mostly complete.

As long as they could bring this thing out, everything else would be easy.

But just then, a sudden change occurred.

The previously quiet Demon Corpse Crystal suddenly erupted with a violent surge of black energy, instantly enveloping the nearest Demonic Cultivators around it.

“Ah!”

Screams rang out once more. Those Demonic Cultivators shrouded in black energy collapsed to the ground in agony, their bodies convulsing violently.

Their skin rapidly turned ashen, and the light of reason faded from their eyes, replaced by the same madness as the infected Spirit Beasts.

“Fall back!” Youye’s expression changed drastically as she urgently commanded everyone to retreat.

But the black energy spread at terrifying speed, devouring several more Demonic Cultivators who couldn’t dodge in time.

It all happened too fast. No one had expected the Demon Corpse Crystal to possess such a backlash ability.

“This thing… is wrong!” Youye’s brow furrowed tightly as she looked at her crazed companions infected by the black energy, an ominous premonition rising in her heart.

The infected Demonic Cultivators had completely lost their minds. They let out beast-like roars and turned to attack their former comrades.

“Damn it, don’t hold back! Kill them!” Youye gritted her teeth and gave the order.

This was no time for sect brotherhood—if they didn’t kill the infected, everyone would die here.

A brutal civil war erupted within the Tianmomen.

The infected Demonic Cultivators had greatly increased in power and felt no pain at all, fighting with reckless abandon, putting tremendous pressure on the other Demonic Cultivators.

“What the hell is going on? Why is the Demon Corpse Crystal like this?” One Demonic Cultivator shouted in terror while fending off attacks from his former comrades.

Youye didn’t answer. She was just as confused.

According to the sect’s intelligence, while the Demon Corpse Crystal was dangerous, it could be handled safely if dealt with carefully.

But the situation before her clearly went beyond anything the intelligence described.

Just as they were struggling to hold on, something worse happened.

From the surrounding dense forest came another wave of beast roars, more numerous and more ferocious than before.

“No good, those Spirit Beasts are coming again!” Someone shouted in panic.

This time, not only were there more Spirit Beasts, but they were also stronger, with even a few Ling Wang Realm Spirit Beasts mixed in.

They had been attracted by the intense black energy erupting from the Demon Corpse Crystal.

With crazed infected comrades in front and the surging Beast Tide behind, the Tianmomen found themselves in a desperate situation.

“What do we do, Shijie?” Everyone turned their eyes to Youye, the highest commander here.

Youye’s face turned ashen as she watched the approaching Beast Tide. She knew that with their current numbers, they absolutely couldn’t hold the line.

“Retreat! Forget the crystal, get out of here first!” Youye made the split-second decision.

Survival came first—even if they were punished for failing the mission, it was better than dying here.

“But… where’s the exit point?” Someone asked in despair.

Right. The only exit point mechanism had already been destroyed. Where could they even retreat to?

Despair spread through the hearts of the Tianmomen.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Hua Jian and Linglong had witnessed everything.

“That’s all they’ve got? I thought the Tianmomen elites would be more impressive.” Hua Jian curled her lips, seemingly dissatisfied with the quality of the show.

She had been expecting the Tianmomen to hold out longer and display some stunning techniques, but that was it?

“Did you take things too far?” Linglong looked at those Demonic Cultivators trapped in a hopeless situation. They were enemies, sure, but dying like this was a bit too brutal.

“Too far? This is nothing.” Hua Jian waved her hand dismissively. “It’s their own greed. If they hadn’t touched that corpse crystal, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“Did you tamper with that crystal?” Linglong immediately caught on. Hua Jian had mentioned earlier that she wanted to cause some trouble for the Tianmomen, so she must have done something to the crystal.

“I don’t have that kind of ability to alter a Demon’s possession.” Hua Jian said with an innocent look.

“I only arranged a small Trigger Formation around the crystal. As long as someone touched it, it would activate the power inside. Who knew this Demon Corpse Crystal would be so responsive and just go berserk?”

Linglong shot her a look. Yeah, sure, like she’d believe that.

“So what are you planning to do now? Are you really going to watch them all die here?”

“Of course not.” A sly smile curled at the corner of Hua Jian’s lips. “The show is just beginning. The main character hasn’t even appeared yet—how could the supporting cast die off?”

“Main character?” Linglong was taken aback, but before she could ask further, another change occurred.

The Demon Corpse Crystal, which had been emitting black energy, suddenly began to tremble violently.

Then, a blinding beam of black light shot straight into the sky, piercing the clouds.

The black light was so dazzling that it was clearly visible even outside the Secret Realm.

“That’s…” Linglong stared at the black light, a strong sense of unease suddenly welling up in her heart.

She could feel that the black light contained an extremely terrifying power—one that far exceeded Ling King, even surpassing Ling Emperor!

“Here it comes, here it comes! The big fish has taken the bait!” Hua Jian clapped her hands excitedly. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

At the same moment the black light shot into the sky, a massive rift split open in the sky outside the Secret Realm.

A gigantic black hand reached out from the rift, carrying world-destroying momentum, and headed straight for the Secret Realm.

“What is that?!”

Not only those inside the Secret Realm, but even the Cultivators outside were stunned by the sight.

The aura emanating from that black hand was too terrifying, as if it could crush the entire world.

“It’s a Demon Sect Venerable making a move!” Linglong’s expression changed drastically. She finally understood what Hua Jian meant by “big fish.”

The high echelon of the Tianmomen had actually torn space apart and personally intervened for this Demon Corpse Crystal!

The black hand ignored the Secret Realm’s barrier and reached directly inside.

“Save… save me…”

Those Tianmomen Cultivators who had been struggling for their lives couldn’t even muster the thought of resistance under the pressure of that enormous hand.

They could only watch in despair as it reached toward them.

Or rather, toward the Demon Corpse Crystal.

Just as the black hand was about to grab the Demon Corpse Crystal, a sudden change occurred.

From the previously calm sky, a dazzling glow of rosy clouds appeared.

Within the glow, a slender, jade-like hand materialized out of thin air.

It looked gentle, yet carried an irresistible force as it met the black giant hand.

“BOOM!”

The two palms clashed, producing a deafening explosion. The entire Secret Realm shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.

“So there really was an ambush!” A deep voice came from the rift, tinged with anger and coldness.

“Since you’ve come, stay.” A clear, cold female voice rang out. Though not loud, it echoed clearly throughout the entire Secret Realm.

Hearing that voice, Linglong’s body jolted violently, and disbelief filled her eyes.

“Master?” She exclaimed in shock.

Even within the Demonic Path, such a pure superior-subordinate relationship was extremely rare, let alone the fact that the status gap between these two wasn’t actually that large.

Hua Jian might be the Wanhua Saintess, but Hua Xinrui was also a Core Disciple.

What kind of charm did this Hua Jian sister of hers possess, to make Hua Xinrui trust her so completely, even willing to entrust her very life to Hua Jian?