As they ascended into the sky, the bustling noise from the marketplace faded away, leaving only the calm winds of the sky to accompany the two of them.
Elder Xiang Mei looked at Shen Yuan with a curious smile on her face, “You know how big of a stir you caused when the sect decided to give you one of the 10 positions for the Mystique Realm, yet you didn’t leave your seclusion when the time came to join it.”
Shen Yuan sat down on the flying artifact and calmly spoke, “I know, but that’s all the more reason for me not to leave my seclusion so I can be better prepared for what is to come inside the Mystique Realm.”
“Is that why you emptied out half of the market to buy supplies for the Mystique Realm?” She teased him in a light tone.
“I have a good idea for what to do with them, heh. I won’t suffer a loss with this deal that I made.” Shen Yuan spoke with a confident smirk on his face.
“Oh? Looks like you plan to do more than just use it for yourself.” Xiang Mei spoke curiously to Shen Yuan.
“You will know about that later.” Shen Yuan didn’t wait for her to follow up with a question but continued, “Anyway, tell me about the politics between the sects that will be participating in this expedition. I don’t think our sect is strong enough to swallow this pie alone.”
Xiang Mei paused slightly as she thought about it for a second but soon sighed, “It’s not that we are not strong enough to take this pie for ourselves but if we do that then the other sects might band up together against us in the future, we need to look out for all possible threats.”
“So the sect is not strong enough to swallow the pie alone.” Shen Yuan lazily replied.
“…Fair enough,” She admitted what he said was correct but continued, “With that out of the way, let’s talk about the participating sects, there is one sect and one more clan participating during this expedition. Ironwood Mountain Clan and Azure Sky Sect.”
“Hmm…one clan and one sect, how does their strength compare to ours? Are they also Divine Level Powers?” Shen Yuan’s expression turned serious as even he had to take the influence and power of a Divine Level behemoth seriously.
Xiang Mei chuckled softly, “How can there be so many Divine Level sects in merely one area? They are one rank below the Divine Level, both sect and clan are at the Imperial Level.”
Shen Yuan raised an eye curiously, “Then how dare they compete with us for resources? Do they not know their place?”
“Because they are under other Divine Rank influences, we can’t attack them openly lest we begin an all-out war against the other sects.” She patiently explained.
Shen Yuan nodded his head in contemplation, and he soon asked, “And who amongst them oppose us?”
“The Ironwood Mountain Sect. Due to our past interaction, they have some negative opinions about us, but their older generation is smart and doesn’t take things too far. We can also use their disciples to sharpen our young ones.” Xiang Mei replied in a playful tone.
Shen Yuan understood her words as he fell into silence, thinking what he could do inside the secret realm.
“How are the other sects taking in my presence here? Are they wary of me or thinking I got inside the sect with my connections?” Shen Yuan asked.
“They have been wary of you but since you didn’t join the expedition from the beginning they have started to doubt your strength, the sect’s disciples also had to listen to their disdainful words due to your absence.” She gave him a side-eye while mentioning this.
Shen Yuan’s eyes turned slightly cold as he smiled, “Looks like they won’t cry until they see their coffin. Very well, I will help them to engrave the name ‘Shen Yuan’ deep inside their hearts.”
…
Back inside the Mystique Realm, just as the disciples of the Radiant Lotus Sacred Sect stepped foot inside, they were greeted by a rough eerie landscape.
The air was filled with an oppressive aura, the ground beneath them was covered in dark vegetation. Strange, towering trees loomed above their heads, casting an eerie shadow.
Wan Ling and Ling Mei exchanged glances as their bodies tensed, their earlier confidence taking a hit. It was clear that the Mystique Realm was not something that they were prepared for, even if they read about it in the records, they felt overwhelmed when faced with the real thing.
“This place…” Ling Mei muttered, her eyes narrowing, “feels ominous, it would be better if we proceed with caution.”
The other disciples nodded their heads and spread around in a circle to inspect the area for any hidden dangers. They soon heaved a sigh as they didn’t find any spirit beast.
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But as soon as their bodies relaxed, a soft wind blew, almost as if whispering in their ears. In an instant, all of them drew their weapons as they felt something ominous coming from up ahead.
“I feel like something is running in our direction.” Chen Yue, another inner sect disciple said, her voice shivering slightly.
Ling Mei listened intently for a second before getting in a stance, “Get ready! A spirit beast is approaching us, this is not the first time for us to handle them, just stay sharp and don’t lose focus.”
Just as she spoke, a low growl echoed from the deep forest ahead. The disciples all got in their stances, their bodies tensing due to the growing noise of the beast.
“It’s just a spirit beast,” Gao Xiu said in a brave voice, yet the slight tremble of her hand betrayed her inner turmoil.
The environment was affecting them more than they thought, otherwise, in the outside world, they wouldn’t have panicked like this.
Soon, as the growl became clear as a hulking monster emerged from the shadow of the forest. With red eyes, think and black fur smeared with dried blood. Its claws were as long as swords, and its breath reeked of death and decay.
“Wha-what is that?” Zhao Lian slammered, taking a step back.
“I don’t know,” Ling Mei still managed to remain calm in this situation, though her grip tightened on her weapon, “probably a mutated spirit beast, the environment of this Mystique Realm might have changed it.”
Before they could finish their discussion, the beats lunged forward, targeting the weakest of the group—Liu Ruo. She barely managed to raise her light sword up to deflect the attack, yet her sword trembled under the intense force.
Ling Mei and Chen Yue sprinted forward to assist her.
Ling Mei slashed at the creature’s side with her sword, while Chen Yue used her spells to enhance her attack and targeted the beast’s neck for a fatal wound.
The beast howled in pain, but it didn’t stop. Instead, it turned its attention towards the two of them, its eyes burning with fury as it roared at them.
Wan Ling also joined in with them as she used her sword techniques to slash at the joints of the beats, yet that proved useless as the cuts were not deep enough to leave any fatal wound on the beast.