Third Senior Sister

For a moment, the atmosphere grew rather awkward. When the first fragment appeared, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had initially intended to take it. After all, it belonged to a Soul Formation-grade secret realm; who knew if there might be treasures left inside that even Soul Formation cultivators wouldn't recognize? Fragments were notoriously difficult to collect. Bai Gu of the White Snake Clan had searched for countless years without finding the other two, so Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had been fully prepared to bum around the Demon Domain for six months or a year, slowly gathering them. After a year or so, they would conveniently reach the Nascent Soul stage, making an expedition into a Soul Formation-grade secret realm entirely reasonable. What neither of them had expected was that in less than a minute, the entire set would be assembled. "Bai Gu, Jin Xuan, so the other two fragments were in your hands all along!" the old lion roared in fury. His eyes snapped open, glaring like torches as his mane bristled. "You have some nerve talking, old lion! You hid this fragment plenty deep yourself!" Jin Xuan, the Qiongqi Clan deacon, was equally incensed. He had searched for the other two fragments for over a century, scouring every corner of the Demon Domain until his legs nearly gave out, never imagining that the missing pieces were right at his doorstep. Even across the divine sense projections, Lu Yang could feel the murderous intent radiating from all three. Gathering all three fragments could unlock a Soul Formation-grade secret realm. That was worth far more than any avatar, illegitimate child, or clan prodigy—under no circumstances could they hand them over! Sensing each other's presence, the three fragments vibrated violently and shot forth, converging at blinding speed toward Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Not good!" The three old demon eccentrics were horrified. None had expected the fragments to be so extraordinary that they would break free of their control and fly straight to Lu Yang's side! How could they possibly yield a windfall already in their grasp? There were no such handouts in the Demon Domain! "Don't panic! Even if they have the key, without knowing the location of the secret realm, it's useless to them!" Bai Gu sneered. What good was a key if you didn't know where the door was? Even he didn't know where the secret realm lay. "The priority right now is to cut these two off immediately and seize the key back!" All three were great demons in the late Nascent Soul stage; they refused to believe they couldn't take down two fellow Nascent Soul cultivators! "Makes sense." The other two demons chimed in, their panic having momentarily clouded their judgment. Above Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's heads, the three fragments collided and merged into a white jade platter. Suddenly, white light erupted beneath their feet, perfectly matching the patterns upon the platter! Rumble— The ground fractured with an incessant roar, prompting the two to swiftly leap aside. "The secret realm is right under their feet!" Bai Gu's eyes went wide as saucers, his fury so intense blood nearly welled in his sockets. "Quick, call every Soul Formation cultivator you know! The three of us alone won't be able to stop them!" Bai Gu shouted. In a three-on-two fight, winning might be easy, but keeping them from escaping would be difficult. Originally, he had thought there was plenty of time—try enough times, and they were bound to capture them eventually. But now that the secret realm was right beneath their eyes, there was no time for repeat attempts. They had to ask Soul Formation experts to step in immediately; even if the Soul Formation experts took the meat, they could still get some broth. Decisive as ever, the three old demons dispersed their divine sense projections and set off to summon the Soul Formation experts they knew. Bai Gu and Jin Xuan had it easier, as their backers within their respective clans were already in the Soul Formation stage. The old lion had to look elsewhere to recruit help. "This is the key to opening the secret realm?" Lu Yang pointed at the white jade platter hovering above his head, wearing an odd expression. "Judging by their reactions, yes," Meng Jingzhou replied, looking just as bewildered. Soon, winds surged and clouds churned across an eight-hundred-li radius. Whether someone had leaked the news or a Soul Formation expert worried they couldn't outcompete the other two and called upon friends and allies for reinforcements, the opening of the secret realm drew countless Soul Formation experts. Faced with a secret realm left behind by a cultivator of the same tier, many Soul Formation experts grew covetous. Perhaps it contained treasures that could help elevate their cultivation, and cultivation methods left behind by peers of the same stage were exceedingly valuable as well. Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh— Enigmatic figures radiating terrifying auras materialized one after another, distinct in form, all demons of the Soul Formation stage! Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou swallowed hard. Against one or two Soul Formation cultivators, their lives wouldn't necessarily be in grave danger; if they couldn't win, they could still run. But facing an entire nest of Soul Formation cultivators, no genius Golden Core stage disciple stood a chance. "The white jade platter is in the hands of these two juniors?" A Qiongqi in the late Soul Formation stage bared its fangs, glaring coldly at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Reporting to Senior, it is indeed the two of them!" Jin Xuan kept his head lowered, kneeling on the ground as he spoke. A massive white serpent coiled in the sky, two swellings protruding from its head where horns were beginning to form, showing signs of turning into a dragon! He was the Soul Formation expert from the White Snake Clan whom Bai Gu had summoned. A heavenly wolf capable of swallowing the moon in ancient times, a colossal ape carrying mountains on its back... As Soul Formation figures appeared one after another, Bai Gu, Jin Xuan, and the old lion trembled in terror. Any one of these figures could wipe the three of them out with a wave of the hand and forcibly claim their territories as their own, yet none of the trio dared utter a peep. Such was the disparity of a full major realm! Among the three, Jin Xuan was the strongest, possessing the strength of a half-step Soul Formation cultivator, yet here he could only keep his head bowed submissively, daring not make a single conspicuous move. The unconscious Golden Core ancestors and Foundation Establishment old demons gradually awoke, but upon seeing the towering Soul Formation figures in the sky, they wished they could pass out all over again. Soul Formation cultivators were like divine dragons whose heads were seen but never their tails; one might not see a single one in decades. Just how long had they been knocked out, and what on earth had happened for so many Soul Formation cultivators to show up? Did they somehow burn through their entire remaining lifespans just to trade for this single spectacle? "This is getting a bit tricky. If I'd known, I would've just hauled Old Horse over," Meng Jingzhou clicked his tongue. "How about you bust out a set of Eldest Senior Sister Imitation Fist?" They were supposed to just be showing off in front of some Golden Core demons, so how had so many Soul Formation cultivators gathered by the time they came to their senses? This wasn't how the script was supposed to go! Where was the transitional phase with the Nascent Soul stage? At the very least, they should have been allowed to slay a few Nascent Soul cultivators first before drawing out Soul Formation experts through them! Lu Yang wore a conflicted expression. "We haven't even met Third Senior Sister yet. Wouldn't it be a bit improper to summon Eldest Senior Sister right away?" They had come to help Third Senior Sister with archaeology, not to conquer the Demon Domain. Just as Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou didn't take these Soul Formation experts too seriously, the Soul Formation experts didn't take Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou seriously either. They were merely two slightly talented Golden Core juniors—hardly worth any consideration. "Kill these two juniors first, and we can discuss how to explore the secret realm afterward." "Agreed." The Soul Formation experts quickly reached a consensus. Their auras surged as unbridled murderous intent filled the air. Lu Yang sighed. There was no helping it then; they were forcing him to summon Eldest Senior Sister. Dong— Suddenly, the melodious notes of a zither resonated across the sky, plinking and plunking like a stream tumbling over stones. It brought a strange sense of serenity, smoothing away the agitated tension in the air. "Did I give you permission to kill?" As the zither notes faded, a slender, green-robed figure appeared before Lu Yang, shielding him from all the killing intent. Cradling an ancient zither in her arms, the green-robed woman carried herself with a languid grace. She was breathtakingly beautiful, her eyes covered by a black cloth that lent her an added aura of mystery. "It's her!" "Damn it, how could it be her?!" "Isn't she being hunted by all the clans? How dare she show her face?!" The Soul Formation experts' pupils constricted. Agitation broke out among them, their gazes toward the green-robed woman tainted with panic and sheer disbelief as an atmosphere of dread rippled through their ranks. This was a ruthless powerhouse whom even Body Integration stage cultivators couldn't subdue—not someone mere Soul Formation cultivators could afford to provoke! "Run!" Without hesitation, the Soul Formation cultivators turned to flee. Clang! A pluck of the zither strings sent shockwaves rippling through space. Everyone froze midair, utterly immobilized, unable to twitch even a single finger as unvarnished terror surfaced in their eyes. "Did I tell you that you could run?" "Third Senior Sister?" Lu Yang ventured to ask, a hint of pleasant surprise in his voice. He had seen Third Senior Sister's portrait before. "It's me." "Senior Sister, why did you come over? The two of us were just talking about looking for you!" They were still several hundred li away from the location Third Senior Sister had given them. Third Senior Sister's tone held a trace of helplessness. "Eldest Senior Sister sent word to me, saying you two weren't likely to come looking for me quietly. She said that if any major commotion occurred over these past few days, it would probably be your doing, and told me to come receive you so nothing untoward would happen." "How on earth did you two manage to draw out so many Soul Formation cultivators?" Lu Yang replied tentatively, "...If I told you this was all a coincidence, would you believe me?" "I do." "You do?" Lu Yang was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Third Senior Sister, whom he had never met in person, to trust him so implicitly. "Mhm. Whenever I stir up trouble in the Demon Domain, that's what I tell Eldest Senior Sister."