Inside the Battle Secret Realm.
Just as Wang Yuyao appeared, a gigantic hammer suddenly descended from the sky, blotting out the sun as it crashed down toward her.
A spiritual weapon!
Sensing the overwhelming spiritual power emanating from the hammer, Wang Yuyao's expression changed drastically.
Those who entered the combat zone were almost always here to train their combat techniques.
Unless there was deep enmity between them, few would ever use spiritual artifacts inside the Battle Secret Realm.
Wang Yuyao didn't even know this opponent—she had never seen him before.
So how could she have expected that he would attack with a spiritual weapon, and that his very first strike would be a killing blow?
Caught off guard, she failed to defend completely and was struck hard, suffering grievous injuries.
Her heart immediately sank.
She quickly pulled out her Secret Realm Token and crushed it without hesitation.
A surge of teleportation energy immediately began to envelop her.
However, before she could vanish completely, that massive hammer once again came crashing down.
Pfft!
Wang Yuyao spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying through the air.
Fortunately, at that very instant, the teleportation power fully activated, wrapping her within its protective light.
She barely managed to escape the Battle Secret Realm alive.
At the same time, since she had voluntarily crushed her token, the duel was deemed over, and the Battle Secret Realm automatically dissolved.
Her opponent was also teleported out.
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Wang Yuyao glared furiously at the man before her.
She couldn't understand—she had never met this person. Why would he try to kill her?
"Heh, surprised, are you?"
Sensing her rage, Liang Min's face twisted into a mocking grin.
Wang Yuyao's brows furrowed.
"Wang Yuyao… long time no see."
A cold, eerily familiar voice came from behind Liang Min.
Wang Yuyao froze, her eyes lifting toward the source.
A thin, pale face appeared in her sight—sinister and smiling.
When she saw him, her entire expression hardened.
Memories surged up like a nightmare she could never wake from.
She had lost her parents as a child,and only survived because a wealthy merchant couple had adopted her.
The couple had a son around her age.
The two of them grew up together, childhood sweethearts.
A few years later, the merchant couple was killed by bandits.She and the merchant's son narrowly escaped.
After many hardships, the two were lucky enough to be accepted into the Hehuan Sect.
Within the sect, the merchant's son displayed astonishing cultivation talent.
In less than ten years, he advanced from a mere mortal to Qi Refinement Perfection, becoming a famed genius among the outer disciples—his name second only to the outer sect's number-one prodigy at the time: Si Nan Tong.
Si Nan Tong was a man of arrogance and narrow mind.
When he saw the merchant's son rising in reputation, he immediately regarded him as a threat to his fame.
He deliberately befriended the two,and after "gaining their trust," invited them to accompany him on an outer-sect mission.
Unfortunately, neither of them knew his true nature.
They fell right into the trap he had carefully prepared.
The merchant's son realized too late that they were doomed—to buy Wang Yuyao a chance to escape, he sacrificed himself.
When she returned to the sect,the first thing she did was report Si Nan Tong to the Disciplinary Hall.
But Si Nan Tong apparently had deep connections within the sect.
Every complaint she made was dismissed—they claimed her testimony was one-sided, and that she lacked evidence.
Not only did Si Nan Tong escape punishment,but in the years that followed, he used his influence to make her cultivation life miserable.
He didn't dare attack her directly,but he made sure every path she took was filled with obstacles and frustration.
Things only eased after he was promoted to the inner sect.
Even when she herself later became an inner disciple,she had always known there was a chance she might encounter him again.
But she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
"Si—Nan—Tong!"
Wang Yuyao's voice trembled with hatred as she stared at him.
Si Nan Tong stepped up beside Liang Min, looking down on her like a superior addressing a lesser being.
"I must admit," he said with a faint smile, "I didn't expect someone with your meager talent to reach Foundation Establishment."
"And so quickly, too."
"If Qian Yu knew, I'm sure he'd be very pleased."
"You beast!"
Wang Yuyao's eyes burned with fury. Rage surged so violently within her that she spat blood again.
Qian Yu—that was the name of the merchant's son, the man who had died because of Si Nan Tong's trap.
"It seems," Si Nan Tong said coolly, "you still haven't let go of the past."
A cruel gleam flashed in his eyes. "In that case… how about I send you to join him?"
The words chilled her blood, but also snapped her back into cold clarity.
She instinctively stepped back, glaring at him."This isn't the Battle Secret Realm. You wouldn't dare strike here!"
"Heh. You don't need to provoke me," Si Nan Tong sneered. "You're right—I wouldn't dare."
"But…" His smile turned sinister. "I can make you step into the Battle Secret Realm of your own will."
He gave a subtle nod to Liang Min.
Understanding instantly, Liang Min pressed his hand onto the Secret Realm Stone Tablet.
In the next moment, his figure vanished into the secret realm once more.
Seeing this, Wang Yuyao's instincts screamed danger. She turned to leave.
But just as she spun around, Si Nan Tong's eyes flared with dazzling spiritual light.
A strand of soul force burst forth, piercing directly into Wang Yuyao's sea of consciousness.
Her mind went blank—her expression turned vacant.
Unconsciously, her hand lifted toward the stone tablet.
"Wang Yuyao! Wake up!"
A sharp voice suddenly rang inside her mind.
Her eyes cleared instantly.
Realizing her hand was about to touch the tablet, she staggered backward several steps, trembling in horror.
In that fleeting moment, she had been forcibly controlled by Si Nan Tong's divine sense!
Si Nan Tong frowned when she broke free.Sensing something, he turned his head sharply—
—and a figure appeared behind her.
When he saw the man, Si Nan Tong's eyes widened in surprise.
That face… it was familiar.
After a moment's scrutiny, recognition struck him.
The "Useless Wang"!
This man had been infamous back when Si Nan Tong first joined the sect.
He had heard the name countless times—Wang Jianqiang, the so-called "good-for-nothing" outer disciple.
But… wasn't this man supposed to be on the verge of death from old age?
Why did he still look so young?
And stranger still—he couldn't see through Wang Jianqiang's cultivation base!
Normally, a cultivator could see through anyone at a lower realm.Between equals, one could still sense the faint difference if the other wasn't hiding their aura.
The only way he couldn't see Wang Jianqiang's level…was if Wang Jianqiang had also reached Foundation Establishment.
Same realm. Concealed aura.
That realization made Si Nan Tong's pupils shrink in disbelief.
"You… you actually built your foundation!"
Wang Jianqiang gave him a calm glance.
On his way here, he had been reviewing Wang Yuyao's life story through the attribute panel—he knew everything Si Nan Tong had done.
He reached up and gently stroked the little chick perched on his shoulder, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Ever since leaving the Cold Pool Secret Realm, the little bird had been in a deep slumber.
It had only awakened two days ago.
He wasn't sure what changes had taken place within it—only that its feathers now shimmered with a faint green luminescence,like living flames.
Its power had clearly grown.
Exactly how strong it had become, he didn't yet know.
But one thing he was certain of—
It would be more than enough to destroy Si Nan Tong.