Chapter 102 - 77: The Three-Month Appointment

The confusion faded in a flash, and Li Shuang instantly realized something. She quickly walked to the entrance of the cave. At the narrow entrance, Liu Juncheng stood guard alone with his sword. His back looked utterly exhausted, as if he hadn’t rested for a long time, yet he dared not relax even in the slightest, keeping a constant watch on the surroundings.

A trace of warmth couldn’t help but well up in Li Shuang’s heart. The circulation speed of the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique even quickened by a fraction. The reason she was able to sleep deeply for these past ten days was clearly because Liu Juncheng had been guarding the cave entrance for her.

If it were before, Li Shuang would probably be at a loss for what to do, but now, she was completely at ease. She treated others with sincerity, and others treated her with sincerity in return. This was naturally how things should be. On the contrary, when she was at Lingxu Peak before, she had only given without receiving anything in return. That was what was truly abnormal.

Right at this moment, Liu Juncheng’s expression changed, and he slowly stood up. About a dozen black spiritual cats were slowly approaching the cave entrance. At night, the Langya Secret Realm was always prowled by many nocturnal demon beasts. Over the past ten days, he had repelled several waves of them. Now, this group of spiritual cats had also set their sights on this resting place.

Liu Juncheng’s sword-holding hand was already trembling slightly. Ten days of high-intensity vigilance and non-stop fighting had pushed both his body and mind to their limits. Even so, he still could not let these spiritual cats advance even a single step. The hand holding the sword instantly steadied, and a daunting light flickered in Liu Juncheng’s eyes. Li Shuang was still recuperating in her deep sleep; he would not let a single demon beast inside to disturb her.

These spiritual cats closed in from all directions, then leapt up, lunging at Liu Juncheng all at once. Liu Juncheng was just about to step forward with his sword when, suddenly, a fierce flash of sword light swept past! The sharp cat claws that had just reached Liu Juncheng’s face were instantly chopped off.

Liu Juncheng froze for a moment before calling out in pleasant surprise, "Li Shuang, you’re awake!"

Li Shuang nodded. "Thank you for guarding me, Juncheng."

Liu Juncheng shook his head. This was what he was supposed to do anyway.

Before the two had time to exchange more words, the remaining spiritual cats were enraged and swarmed forward. But a Li Shuang in her peak condition was naturally not something these spiritual cats could withstand. It wasn’t long before a pile of spiritual cat corpses lay on the ground. Immediately after, a white light flashed across the corpses, and they completely vanished from the Secret Realm.

Liu Juncheng couldn’t help but say, "Li Shuang, your Swordsmanship seems to have improved again." He was somewhat shocked. How long had it been? Compared to before, Li Shuang’s Swordsmanship seemed to have reached a whole new level. Before, he could barely exchange a few moves with her. But now, Liu Juncheng felt he might not even last a single move!

A smile appeared on Li Shuang’s lips. If it were Sheng Yuan and the others saying this, she would probably immediately feel anxious. Not only would she not dare to admit her progress, but she would also have to try hard to spare their feelings by praising them for making great progress as well. But she knew Liu Juncheng was different from them. Juncheng would genuinely feel happy and proud of her progress.

"The Ice Lake trial allowed me to make some more progress," Li Shuang said.

Liu Juncheng nodded. "Only a peerless genius like you, Li Shuang, could trigger that kind of trial." He had only watched the general situation from afar, but it was enough to leave him trembling with fear. The Eight Great Super Demon Clans—who would have thought that they would all be defeated by her sword!

"The Ice Lake trial was quite interesting. I..." Li Shuang was just about to say something.

Liu Juncheng said solemnly, "Li Shuang, it’s enough that you alone know about the fortuitous encounters you obtained. You don’t need to tell me everything. Master and our other fellow disciples wouldn’t pry either."

Li Shuang paused for a moment, then nodded. Actually, to her, nothing else mattered; only the secret of the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace had to be strictly guarded. Not a single trace of it could be leaked to the outside world. But Liu Juncheng had good intentions, so Li Shuang naturally wouldn’t dwell on it.

"Juncheng, it’s your turn to rest and meditate now," Li Shuang said. "I’ll guard the cave entrance for you. You need to recover to your peak condition first."

Liu Juncheng nodded. Their harvest this time had already far exceeded their imaginations. Liu Juncheng had obtained the incredibly rare Living Water Spirit, and Li Shuang had acquired the Nine-Grade Lotus Seed. Not only had she successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, but she had also triggered the true challenge and obtained a key to unlock the secret treasure. Whether they gained anything else moving forward was no longer that important.

Three days later.

Liu Juncheng recovered to his peak condition. Li Shuang initially wanted to invite him to travel together, but Liu Juncheng declined.

"With your current strength, Li Shuang, bringing me along would be a complete burden. We’d better split up. Don’t worry, I’ve participated in the Langya Secret Realm several times now; no matter what, I’m confident I can keep myself alive."

Liu Juncheng was very insistent, so Li Shuang didn’t press the matter further. After leaving the cave, the two went their separate ways.

Li Shuang looked at the numerous pieces of information surfacing on the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace, a glint flashing in her eyes. This time, she was destined to return fully loaded with treasures! However, there was not much time left, and she still needed to set aside a few days for travel. Her time was precious and had to be spent acquiring the most valuable treasures.

Based on the information provided by the Melting Furnace, Li Shuang judged the direction, and her figure quickly vanished from the spot.

The Langya Secret Realm had been open for a full three months.

The atmosphere among the Six Sects was growing increasingly heavy. During this period, quite a few disciples from the Six Sects had successively been eliminated. From the mouths of these disciples, they learned a piece of news: that precious darling of the Demon Clan, the Super Demon Beast, the Golden-winged Eagle, had actually entered the Langya Secret Realm as well!

It should be known that even within the Demon Clan, the Super Demon Clan was extremely rare. Among the Demon Clan of the Nanlan Continent, excluding the Demon King, there were only three great Super Demon Clans in total. Among them, the Golden-winged Eagle clan only had five members in the entire clan, and the younger generation had only one Golden-winged Eagle. With the opening of the Langya Secret Realm this time, the Golden-winged Eagle clan had actually been willing to send him in.

The bloodline of a Super Demon Clan held an overwhelming advantage over Human Clan members of the same level. The Demon Clan’s goal this time was already very clear: they wanted to hunt down the geniuses of the Human Clan!

Not only was the Golden-winged Eagle from a Super Demon Clan, but he was from one that excelled in speed. With him entering the Langya Secret Realm, who knew how many peerless geniuses of the Human Clan would suffer. Over at the Cangyuan Sect, they were already in a panic. They knew very well that if the Golden-winged Eagle entered the Langya Secret Realm, its first target would definitely be Yan Fan. Although Yan Fan also had quite a few life-saving methods, could he really escape the pursuit of the Golden-winged Eagle? The people of the Cangyuan Sect didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.

Now, the three-month period had arrived. The Langya Secret Realm was about to close. When the time came, all the disciples remaining in the outer areas would be teleported out. The higher-ups of the Six Sects all stared eagerly at the Array. This time... who knew how many disciples would be able to make it out alive.

If the younger generation of the Six Sects truly all perished at the hands of the Golden-winged Eagle... the consequences would truly be unimaginable!

The Sect Master of the Cangyuan Sect, Yun Qingyu, sighed and stood up. "It is almost time. Open the Water Moon Illusion Mirror."