C14 The God the Shadow the Dragon Gate the Overlord

Shadow Rain's face suddenly darkened.

He hadn't anticipated the presence of Jian Yipao among the group.

A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled being severely wounded by Yipao's sword not too long ago.

"Whoa! I had no clue until I saw it with my own eyes. What brings the Divine Wind Sword Immortal here?" God Jue, ever the joker, sauntered over and slung an arm around Wang Yipao's shoulders with familiar ease.

Wang Yipao nonchalantly brushed off his hand. "I've been cast aside by Divine Wind."

"What?"

It was Shadow Rain who exclaimed in disbelief.

In his mind, how could Divine Wind possibly let go of a sword immortal like Wang Yipao, who had the power to leave him half-dead with a single strike? It seemed preposterous.

"Shadow Rain, what's got you so worked up?"

Someone in the crowd was puzzled.

"Nonsense! You have no idea... Never mind, it's not like you'd understand anyway." Shadow Rain was about to elaborate, but he caught himself as he realized the person he was speaking to wasn't from his club, and he quickly shifted his tone.

This only piqued the other person's curiosity.

But then, Immortal Sword Jiulong interjected.

"Hey, are you checking family registries here? Yipao is now a collaborator with our Immortal Sword. If you're thinking of targeting him, you're declaring war on us!" Immortal Sword Jiulong's eyes swept over the crowd.

Besides their Immortal Sword Club, there were representatives from God Jue, Shadow, Dragon Gate, and Overlord—five major clubs in total—all vying for the coveted Foundation Stage Secret Realm.

But this wasn't the time or place for a showdown.

The Secret Realm required five keys to unlock.

Upon hearing Immortal Sword Jiulong's declaration, the other factions gave Wang Yipao a wary glance before turning their attention back to Jiulong.

They were concerned that without Immortal Sword's cooperation, their efforts would be in vain.

"If we're done with the small talk, let's open the door and settle our scores inside!" Shadow Blade, the leader of the Shadow Club, glanced at Wang Yipao with a fleeting shadow of malice before composing himself and producing the key.

Seeing someone else produce a key, the rest of the group naturally followed suit and took out their own keys. Before long, a massive door began to materialize on the once-empty ground. With the influence of the five keys, the door gradually swung open, and a chill wind swept across the twenty-five figures. In a heartbeat, they all charged toward the door, their hearts racing with anticipation for the treasures that awaited them in the Foundation Stage Secret Realm.

In the blink of an eye, the landscape underwent a dramatic transformation, revealing a desolate desert. "The followers of God, Shadow, Dragon Gate, and the Overlord have vanished. It looks like the Secret Realm has split our five teams apart," Immortal Sword Shui Jing observed, feeling somewhat uneasy in the absence of the sun, which made the desert's cold bite all the more tangible.

"Let them be! We're here for the Foundation Building Pill. If we secure it, we can cut short the lengthy Foundation Stage process, all thanks to our captain..." began one team member before being abruptly silenced.

"Shut up!" Immortal Sword Jiulong shot a fierce glare at the chatty member, who quickly clamped his mouth shut, suddenly aware of his excessive words and the presence of a non-Immortal Sword member in their midst.

"Yipao, please, no hard feelings," Immortal Sword Jiulong then said, turning to Wang Yipao with an apologetic grin.

Wang Yipao merely nodded, his expression neutral, and inquired, "You're here for the Foundation Building Pill?"

"Yes," Immortal Sword Jiulong admitted, seeing no point in further concealment from Wang Yipao.

"If I happen to claim it, don't accuse me of being unfair," Wang Yipao said, his smile hinting at his confidence.

The others couldn't help but be torn between laughter and frustration. "Brother, can't you stick to the usual script? That grin of yours almost broke the solemn mood we had going here," they thought.

"Naturally," Immortal Sword Jiulong responded, catching the mood-lightening intent behind Wang Yipao's words. "Our agreement states that whatever we find in the Secret Realm is ours to keep, no sharing required. But if you happen to come across extra Foundation Building Pills, we'd be interested in buying a few from you."

"Sure, if I find any extras," Wang Yipao replied, nodding and narrowing his eyes as he began to survey the surrounding environment more intently.

Aware of the valuable treasure within their reach, he instinctively sharpened his focus.

The rest of the group couldn't help but smile, though they refrained from mocking Wang Yipao's intense concentration.

Finding a Foundation Building Pill was no easy feat, let alone stumbling upon several.

Especially in a Secret Realm shared by five different teams, where such pills were likely scarce. To find even one or two was pushing the bounds of possibility.

Upon witnessing the scene, Immortal Sword Shui Jing clutched her head exasperatedly. "You jerk!"

"What's the matter, Nazi?"

"Try calling me 'Nazi' one more time. See if I don't log off and tattle to Nannu right now!"

Immortal Sword Shui Jing's eyes bulged with fury as she fixed Wang Yipao with a seething glare, clearly infuriated by his antics.

For days he'd been taunting her with that nickname.

Wang Yipao, sensing her anger, quickly pleaded, "Miss, please, let's not fight. Look, there's a breeze from the northwest. Surely, it signifies the presence of a drinkable northwest wind. Shall we explore further in that direction?"

"Indeed, there is a northwest wind. It appears this Secret Realm is still sealed," someone remarked, surprised.

They hadn't noticed any issues before.

But despite Wang Yipao's seemingly nonsensical chatter, he had a knack for pinpointing crucial details.

"Okay, let's head that way." Immortal Sword Jiulong was impressed by Wang Yipao's astute observation. The wind was subtle, barely perceptible.

Yet Wang Yipao had quickly identified the anomaly.

Talented individuals were always in demand.

It seemed prudent to find a way to involve him more often.

He pondered how his sister seemed unusually familiar with this man.

Despite their casual manner of addressing each other, their conversation had the ease of long-time friends.

Could he leverage his sister's relationship to his advantage?

But that approach seemed questionable at best. Exploiting his sister could end disastrously.

Lost in these thoughts, Immortal Sword Jiulong was abruptly kicked by Immortal Sword Shui Jing.

"What happened?"

"I thought you logged off, so I decided to give you a kick."

"No way... Just because I've logged off doesn't mean you can kick me! Can't you show a little respect for your big brother?"

"Oh, I'll just use a staff to knock you next time."

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

Are you really my little sister?

Are you absolutely sure you're my little sister?

You're practically begging me to disown you!

The pain in Immortal Sword Jiulong's heart was indescribable.

Everyone talks about being protective of their little sisters, but take a look at this one—how can anyone keep her in check?

He was dying to see her married off!

"Watch out, someone's there."

Walking along, Wang Yipao gestured for everyone to crouch down.

From their vantage point in the desert, they spotted the so-called person.

Sandman, an elite monster

Level: Ninth Grade of Qi Refining