Chapter 15

You can't curse high-level cultivators.

"Bro, those look like Tongxuan grass, right?" the tall one pointed to the vast expanse of Tongxuan grass ahead.

The short one squinted closely.

It really was! His attention had been fixed on the red moon above, so he hadn't noticed until now—this entire meadow was filled with Tongxuan grass! Looking farther out, the sword-like peak stood tall, its coiling chains adding a chilling aura.

"Could this be a swordmaster's private sword-nurturing ground?"

"When we got sucked in, we didn't see any exit—so this must be an attached Secret Realm."

"Judging by the style of this Secret Realm, it's likely the work of a demonic elder."

The short one calmly analyzed the situation: demonic elders were typically ruthless, and their Secret Realms were deadly—no mercy would be shown just because they were also demonic cultivators.

"By the way, where's our Secret Realm Age-Detection Spirit-Energy Device? Quickly, get it out and measure."

"Uh… bro, didn't you say some unimportant, inconvenient items shouldn't be carried, and we should leave ASAP? That thing was so big, so I left it behind."

"…"

Fuck! You wasteful bastard!

That Secret Realm Age-Detection Spirit-Energy Device was worth over three million spirit coins—we saved up for decades to afford it—is that an unimportant item?!

The short one wanted to cry. He longed to smash open his idiot brother's skull and see what was inside.

The tall one saw his elder brother's expression and felt a twinge of guilt.

The short one felt suffocated, but said nothing—now wasn't the time for arguments.

"Forget it. I'll first test the spatial stability and see if I can open an exit." The short one pulled out a talisman, "Be careful—don't break any of these Tongxuan grasses."

After warning him, he infused a thread of magic power into the talisman between his fingers.

In this era, cultivators had already established a complete process for developing Secret Realms.

First, use the Age-Detection Spirit-Energy Device to determine the age—older Secret Realms are usually more dangerous. Then, use a Break-Space Talisman to test spatial stability, ensuring you have an escape route if things go wrong.

You must confirm these two points before proceeding further.

As magic power flowed into the Break-Space Talisman, faint golden-yellow flames rose, warping the air where they burned—as if ready to shatter.

As time passed, the golden flames gradually turned blue, and the warped space seemed to reach its limit.

Crack!

With a sharp snap, the warped area shattered, revealing the outside scenery.

But soon, a hazy gray mist obscured it again.

"Got it!" The short one flicked his right hand, extinguishing the flame on the talisman, "C-grade spatial stability—not strong."

He was a Spirit Transformation late-stage cultivator; his brother was mid-Spirit Transformation—they could exit anytime.

"Be careful, don't be greedy. Even if we only harvest a few hundred Tongxuan grasses this time, we'll still make a fortune."

For safety, the short one had no intention of approaching the sword-like peak—now that they knew its coordinates, they could return anytime.

After selling these Tongxuan grasses, once the heat dies down, we'll upgrade our treasures—then we'll make those Zhang siblings pay!

"Don't worry, bro, I'll be careful." The tall one nodded and reached for a Tongxuan grass at his feet.

Tongxuan grass with sword affinity had sharp blades—careless handling could cut skin, but not enough to harm a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

He grabbed the grass tightly, crushing the blades together.

"Don't be so rough—the medicinal essence will leak… Move!" The short one suddenly roared.

The tall one didn't sense anything amiss, but instinctively obeyed his brother's command—too late.

Plop! Blood sprayed, arcing through the air as an arm, severed at the shoulder, fell from the tall one's body—the cut was perfectly smooth.

Sword qi! But why? The tall one's expression was stunned—he hadn't reacted yet, until the pain hit.

"AHHHHHH!" His magic power erupted, creating a gale that bent Tongxuan grasses for miles around.

His furious spiritual sense exploded wildly; his eyes turned blood-red, his mind fixed on one thought—find the hidden attacker and torture him to death! But his rage ended abruptly as dozens more invisible sword qi pierced through him; his barely activated magic power crumbled like paper, effortlessly sliced apart.

Fine red lines appeared across his face; he opened his mouth, and chunks of flesh fell away.

The short one's eyes bulged with rage; he no longer cared about caution—he charged forward, but his hand grasped only two bloody lumps.

Under the sword qi's annihilation, not only was the flesh destroyed—his soul and spiritual essence were utterly erased.

Aside from the initial sword qi, the erupted magic power had also snapped some Tongxuan grasses—no matter how resilient their stems and leaves, they were insignificant against the pressure of a Spirit Transformation cultivator's aura.

Had it not been for that, the number of sword qi would've been far fewer—he might've had a sliver of survival.

Piles of flesh lay scattered, blood staining the nearby Tongxuan grass; the short one was consumed by grief.

"No—must get out quickly!" He made the most rational decision.

He frantically searched the bloody remains for the storage ring, retrieved it, stood up, and prepared to open the exit—but the sight before him shattered his hope.

The sword qi hadn't vanished—it had merely adjusted its intensity, delaying its full eruption.

Hundreds? Thousands? Too many to count—the chain reaction unleashed sword qi comparable to late-Spirit Transformation, a tidal wave of slaughter, overwhelming from all directions.

Fuck you!

…………

Halfway up the mountain, a flash of red light appeared, and a blood-splattered jade box materialized out of thin air.

Soon after, a white monkey arrived nearby.

Driven by curiosity, it dropped the fruit in its hand, picked up the jade box, fiddled with it for a while, bit into it a few times, realized it wasn't food, lost interest, and tossed the box aside as it sprinted toward the summit.

Meanwhile, Xu Xing had returned to Xuanjian City.

Inside the villa, a faint spiritual glow flickered on the wall, and a gentle breeze drifted in.

Xu Xing leaned back on a woven rattan lounger, holding a blue jade tablet.

The mission reward contribution points had been credited to his account shortly after his return—more precisely, to the account under the alias "Xu Sandao."

The amount was substantial, but Xu Xing wasn't focused on that—along with these contribution points came a single message.

【I had my disciple go find you.】

The appearance of this sentence meant that someone within the Xiang Jianzong knew that the one who had come out of seclusion in Mysterious Sword City was him, yet only one or two people knew about this alias of his.

That shouldn't be.

Earlier, when he had sent word to the Xiang Jianzong to explain the situation and quell the unrest, he had used an alias that was unknown to the public and of relatively high rank.

How had his identity suddenly been exposed? "Could it have been at that time?" He thought of something.

Earlier, at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he had once injected a wisp of magic power to confirm his identity; thinking it over, this was the only point where exposure was possible.

To be able to see through his disguise... that terminal of the magic power identification device really was no simple thing.

"Still, I was careless."

With a helpless smile, Xu Xing turned on the television.

The television was playing a traffic safety program; recently there had been many such programs, and they were also being promoted on the streets.

Too many people had returned to Mysterious Sword City these past two days, and several major accidents like flying swords colliding had already occurred.

The unluckiest were the sword cultivators surnamed Lin and surnamed Feng — as the first batch to be caught, and being Xiang Jianzong disciples, they had already been held up as examples many times.

Please collect and follow for updates!! The data during the new book period really matters.

Esteemed readers, please nurture it once it's on the shelves.

Thank you immensely!! (End of this chapter)