Chapter 282

Dragon Sovereign also felt a desire to retreat; just as he was about to speak, he was surrounded by several old men with the bearing of immortal sages.

The leading immortal elder looked coldly at the Dragon Sovereign and said slowly, "We cultivators have always treated guests with courtesy. Since you have entered this place, do not leave so easily."

His voice was low and resonant, as if it contained endless pressure.

At the same time, another immortal elder shouted loudly, "Exterminate the demons and monsters!"

As his words fell, the human cultivators who had rushed over leapt down instantly and charged toward the forces of the demon and monster clans.

The Dragon Sovereign, three demon emperors, and one demon monarch were instantly surrounded by the human immortal elders.

The young human elites from over seven hundred years ago also joined the battle; their strength was extraordinary, most of them being Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, even Spirit Transformation Realm!

Seeing this, Qian Yunzhou, who had been hiding among the demon and monster clans, had no choice but to reveal his human identity to avoid being slaughtered by those human elite forces from over seven hundred years ago.

Yuan Yao stared at the scene before her, feeling a momentary daze.

But soon she realized something.

The predetermined outcome of this battle from over seven hundred years ago might have been altered.

"You have won." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from not far away.

Yuan Yao and the others looked up to see a young man in red robes holding a tender-green jade flute; his bone structure was excellent, his jawline cold and sharp, his lip color pale, a red mole beneath the corner of his right eye, and his amber cold eyes held a half-smiling, alluring charm.

Yuan Yao recognized him at a glance by intuition: it was Qian Yunzhou.

At that very moment, the Flowing Light Secret Realm began to invert night and day; aside from the truly existing people, everything else started to fade away.

Gradually, only a vast plain remained.

On the plain appeared many young human cultivators.

Some were severely injured.

Some had been crippled.

Some were already dead.

Out of the two hundred young cultivators, only ninety-three remained.

Yuan Yao spotted Lu Xiangxiang at once among the many young cultivators.

Lu Xiangxiang was obviously still recovering from serious injury, her face pale; her expression held uncertainty, as if she had not expected the Flowing Light Secret Realm's trial to end so abruptly.

Lu Xiangxiang sensed Yuan Yao's gaze.

Their gazes met.

A flash of killing intent crossed Lu Xiangxiang's eyes, but upon seeing Song Yan and the others, her gaze turned wary.

Suddenly, a halo of light appeared on the bodies of Yuan Yao, Xie Yan, Ying Wuji, Sikong Banxue, and Cang Li.

Before anyone could react, the five of them vanished.

Xiao Lingwei frowned, "Eldest Senior Brother, they…"

Song Yan said softly, "No need to worry; they have merely gone to receive their reward."

Meanwhile, Lu Xiangxiang, seeing the five disappear in the distance, felt her face sink instantly and her heart grow especially heavy.

She of course knew what the reward of the Flowing Light Secret Realm was!

In her previous life, those who had obtained the reward should still be…

Qian Yunzhou.

Lu Xiangxiang's gaze swiftly searched for Qian Yunzhou's figure; upon seeing his handsome, uninhibited face, a long-lost sense of familiarity welled up in her heart, along with a feeling of safety.

In her previous life, Qian Yunzhou had liked her.

Qian Yunzhou had schemed to help her take revenge on Mount Qianjing, arranging for the great powers of the cultivation world to deal with Mount Qianjing, setting them to fight each other.

Mount Qianjing was thus severely wounded, its strength greatly diminished, allowing her to personally slay it.

Lu Xiangxiang stared at Qian Yunzhou, momentarily losing herself.

Qian Yunzhou sensed Lu Xiangxiang's gaze, slightly lifted his eyes to look over; upon seeing her face clearly, he had a momentary daze, then he smiled.

Seeing him smile at her, Lu Xiangxiang's heart jumped involuntarily.

She restrained herself and gave Qian Yunzhou a slight nod.

Qian Yunzhou does not like others being overly enthusiastic toward him, nor does he like rude people. In her view, although Qian Yunzhou's strength is not comparable to Yan Zhi's, he is resourceful and skilled at manipulating people's hearts.

Therefore, approaching Qian Yunzhou must not be rushed.

On the other side.

Yuan Yao, Xie Yan, Ying Wuji, Sikong Banxue, and Cang Li were transmitted to the outside of a mysterious thatched hut.

"This thatched hut is wonderful." Cang Li stared at it, then slightly raised his eyebrows.

This thatched hut is built far too hastily.

Cang Li turned his head to look at Yuan Yao and the others, "Is this reward supposed to be claimed by going inside?"

As soon as his words fell, it was as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer; he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood, and at this critical moment Yuan Yao reached out and shoved him to the side.

"Pfft!"

Cang Li coughed violently; his face turned as pale as white paper, as if a breeze could knock him over. He had already been seriously injured before, merely struggling to hold on.

"Third Senior Brother, can you still go on?" Yuan Yao asked anxiously.

"I can." Cang Li said stubbornly.

No sooner had he spoken than his legs went weak and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Yuan Yao immediately reached out to support his arm.

Seeing this, Xie Yan's gaze seemed to turn a bit colder.

Sikong Banxue wore a snow-white cloak, her figure slender, her small face almost hidden by the cloak; her complexion was as pale as paper, her brows and eyes downcast.

"Thank you earlier for your help, fellow Daoist." Ying Wuji suddenly said to Sikong Banxue.

Hearing this, Sikong Banxue slightly lifted her head and replied softly, "No need."

At that moment, Yuan Yao heard this, turned her head toward Sikong Banxue, and immediately gave Sikong Banxue a smile, "Thank you."

After a brief pause, Yuan Yao asked, "Are you very cold?"

"Somewhat," Sikong Banxue lightly pursed their lips.

Yuan Yao had just about to say something when, suddenly, a mysterious figure cloaked in a black robe and wearing a mask stepped out of the grass hut.

The mysterious figure deliberately lowered their voice, gender indistinguishable: "Congratulations, you have passed the test of the Luminous Secret Realm. You may all enter the grass hut and choose an item as a reward."

The mysterious figure lifted their eyes and fixed their gaze on Yuan Yao.

"Yuan Yao, you go first."

Yuan Yao was momentarily stunned, then smiled and replied, "Alright."

Without waiting for Yuan Yao's call, Ying Wuji stepped forward to Cang Li's side, raised a hand and steadied the trembling Cang Li.

After Yuan Yao entered the grass hut, Cang Li couldn't help asking the mysterious figure, "Did Yuan Yao get first place?"

The mysterious figure said slowly: "In this trial, Yuan Yao played a pivotal role. She chose to ally with the White Wolf Emperor, and single‑handedly assassinated the Demon Clan's Grand Prince Quan Wu, putting the demon and monster races in an unbalanced state. Moreover, her ally the White Wolf Emperor deliberately released the human envoy, allowing the human envoy to bring the news back. Thus, the human army uncovered the plot early and, without hesitation, marched into the Wanli Plains. In addition, she also cooperated with Xie Xiaoyou, jointly causing the Demon Sovereign Kui Shi and the Tiger Sovereign to turn on each other, killing each other, and finally being slain by the two."

"Yuan Yao's performance in the Luminous Secret Realm was the most outstanding, this is beyond doubt."

Xie Zixu, the mastermind behind the Tiger Sovereign and Demon Sovereign Kui Shi's internal conflict, caused both sovereigns to lose their lives at his hand. The Demon Clan consequently lost its main leader.

Ying Wuji bribed the close aide of the Fox Sovereign, had the aide lure the Fox Sovereign out, and then, together with Cang Li, forced the Fox Sovereign into a deep abyss in the Wanli Plains.

Sikong Banxue assassinated the Demon Empress Ji Fang, and she repeatedly intervened to aid trapped human Cultivators, allowing the human Cultivators to continue their actions.

Cang Li, relying on wit and superb acting, successfully poisoned the Snake Emperor and the Demon Emperor Yue Mei, causing the demon and monster races to lose two major combat forces.

This is why they were able to stand out among the crowd.