“Sanhe Village?”
Zhu Mingyan repeated the name written on the stone monument. It was most likely the name of the village before them.
She carefully observed the surroundings.
A muddy road wound through the village and seemed to be its main street. On both sides stood rows of small, simple houses. At first glance, it looked no different from any remote village.
The only unusual thing was that there were almost no people on this section of the road. The few villagers they did see were hurrying toward the deeper parts of the village.
“I hear drums,” Fuchuan said first. His hearing was exceptionally sharp.
The others focused and listened.
Sure enough, deep and rhythmic drumbeats echoed from somewhere inside the village. They could also vaguely hear the noise of a crowd.
What was happening there?
After hesitating for a moment, the group stepped into Sanhe Village.
They were clearly extraordinary people. Their cultivator robes were finely made, and they were accompanied by two spirit beasts. Normally, they would attract plenty of attention.
Yet for some reason, none of the villagers looked surprised to see them.
If a passing villager carrying luggage had not glanced at Fuchuan once, they might have thought they were invisible.
“Perhaps an illusion has been cast on us,” Guan Congnan said thoughtfully. “In their eyes, we probably look different. Maybe just ordinary villagers.”
“I wonder what they’re rushing to do,” Zhu Mingyan said. “I think this is the clue the illusion is giving us. It’s guiding us toward the end of that road.”
As this was Duan Qingyang’s first time entering a secret realm, he looked uneasy.
“If the illusion is deliberately leading us there, doesn’t that mean there’s danger ahead?”
“What a coward,” Fuchuan mocked.
Zhu Mingyan tugged on his collar, and he immediately fell silent.
Guan Congnan happened to notice the collar around Fuchuan’s neck. A complicated expression flashed across his face, but he quickly hid it.
He turned to Duan Qingyang and said,
“There is definitely danger ahead, but it’s also our only way to break through this secret realm. With our current cultivation levels, forcefully breaking it is impossible.”
“Where did you come from?”
An old voice suddenly sounded behind them.
Everyone jumped in shock.
The person had appeared completely silently. No one had noticed when he arrived.
“This old man has never seen your faces before. You must be outsiders.”
The speaker was a hunched old man.
His expression was gloomy and unreadable. His cloudy eyes slowly examined each of them from head to toe.
“Are you here to participate in the Corpse Child selection as well?”
As he spoke, a trace of pride appeared on his face.
“Our Sanhe Village is protected by Lord Chixiao. Has our reputation already spread to distant lands?”
Zhu Mingyan forced a smile.
“Haha, Senior, your eyesight is excellent. Yes, we’re here to participate in that… that Corpse Child selection.”
The old man grinned.
“Then please present your participation tokens.”
“What tokens?”
Duan Qingyang blurted out in confusion.
Almost at the same time, Zhu Mingyan and Guan Congnan grabbed his sleeves, their expressions tense.
Then something strange happened.
The old man suddenly froze in place.
A moment later, a horrifying transformation occurred.
His skin began peeling away like a cracked painting.
A humanoid creature crawled out from inside the dried shell.
Its hand stretched into a claw and shot directly toward Duan Qingyang’s face.
Duan Qingyang’s face turned pale with terror.
His legs trembled so badly that he couldn’t move.
Zhu Mingyan did not immediately rush to save him. She still did not completely trust the two fellow disciples.
Just as the claw was about to reach Duan Qingyang’s face, a silver-white sword flash streaked through the air.
The attack was easily blocked.
Then the sword swung forward with tremendous force, sending the creature flying more than ten steps away.
“Senior Brother!”
Duan Qingyang nearly cried from relief and instantly hid behind Guan Congnan.
Guan Congnan patted him reassuringly while staring at the creature.
The thing was entirely blackened, as though it had been burned.
Its head and limbs seemed stitched together from separate pieces. One arm nearly fell off as it stood up.
Apparently enraged by Guan Congnan’s attack, it let out a hoarse screech.
Flames burst across its entire body.
Several fireballs shot directly toward Guan Congnan.
“Be careful! That’s not ordinary fire.”
Zhu Mingyan immediately noticed something unusual.
“I think it’s the vengeful spirit of someone who was burned to death.”
Guan Congnan already understood.
He skillfully dodged several attacks.
The final fireball moved much faster than the others.
It seemed impossible to avoid.
Zhu Mingyan grew nervous and wondered whether she should help him.
But then she saw the corner of Guan Congnan’s mouth lift slightly.
A pale blue glow wrapped around his spirit sword.
His eyes were calm and focused.
He raised his sword toward the incoming fireball and shouted,
“Water Moon Mirror Sky!”
A massive amount of spiritual energy burst from the sword tip.
The powerful sword energy rushed toward the creature.
The strike was incredibly sharp.
It cleanly severed the creature’s right arm.
At the same time, the water energy extinguished every flame on its body.
The creature staggered twice before crashing heavily to the ground.
The next moment, it crumbled into dust.
Zhu Mingyan was deeply shocked.
Even with his cultivation suppressed, Guan Congnan was still this powerful.
If he ever intended to harm her, what chance would she actually have of winning?
Duan Qingyang was now so impressed that he practically worshipped Guan Congnan.
He endlessly praised how amazing his senior brother was.
Guan Congnan modestly replied,
“I’m a sword cultivator with a Water Spiritual Root. Direct attacks are my specialty. This time I simply had a favorable advantage.”
“You really are strong,” Zhu Mingyan said sincerely.
“But why have I rarely heard of you before? I don’t remember seeing you participate in the Immortal Alliance Tournament either.”
Guan Congnan answered calmly,
“My skills are nothing special. Naturally, Master prefers to send Senior Brother Du and the others.”
“I see…”
Seeing that he did not want to discuss it further, Zhu Mingyan stopped asking.
“Compared to discussing my strength,” Guan Congnan said, smoothly changing the subject, “there’s something more important right now.”
“That creature wasn’t weak. If I hadn’t had the elemental advantage, I might not have won.”
Zhu Mingyan smiled bitterly.
“Are you saying that a random villager here has strength comparable to a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator?”
“Exactly.”
Guan Congnan nodded.
“The danger in this place is probably far greater than we expected. Also, whether because of the illusion or not, our spiritual energy is recovering unusually slowly.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Mingyan removed the porcelain bottle Ning Qiubai had given her.
She handed half of its contents to Guan Congnan.
“Let me make this clear first. I don’t fully trust you yet. But since we’re trapped in this illusion, having one more ally is better than having one more enemy.”
Guan Congnan accepted the bottle with a bitter smile.
“Then thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister.”
At that moment, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before Zhu Mingyan’s eyes.
Something seemed to wrap around her.
She immediately realized she was being transported into the next part of the illusion.
When she opened her eyes again, everything was completely dark.
It felt as if someone had covered her eyes with a black cloth.
But there was something even more alarming.
Her hands had been tied behind her back, and she was firmly bound to a chair.