Chapter 1819

When Xu Jie spoke these words, it was as shocking as a stone breaking the heavens; not only Ye Zhangqing, Zhao Zhengping and Zhao Rou, but even the other few people present all turned their heads, their gazes falling sharply on him.

However, the expressions on their faces looked rather strange, and a hint of contempt could be faintly seen.

Actually, there was nothing wrong with the statement itself; the key point is that it came from Xu Jie's mouth, which is truly bewildering.

Xu Jie is the sort of person who always grabs any advantage, never lets a bargain go, plucks feathers from passing geese, and even makes a stray dog take two slaps before he'll let it go.

His sudden utterance of such a righteous-sounding remark is as absurd as a dog spitting out ivory, or Zhang Fei embroidering peonies.

Senior Brother Zhao Zhengping, who had spent the most time with Xu Jie, after a moment of dumbfounded silence, slowly spoke up.

"Oh my, could the sun today be rising from the west? Our Xú Lǎosān actually managed to say something like that?"

While speaking, Zhao Zhengping deliberately lifted his head, looking around in a pretentious manner, as if truly seeking whether the sun really rose from the west; otherwise, how could this Xú Lǎosān suddenly have such a drastic change in temperament?

Zhao Zhengping would rather believe that in this world rivers can flow upstream, the sun and moon can appear in the sky together, and a courtesan can reform herself, than believe that this Xú Lǎosān fellow could change his own nature.

After all, for someone who cannot even cleanse his mind in the Heart-Washing Pool, isn't that the best proof?

Seeing Zhao Zhengping's expression, Xu Jie's face instantly darkened, and he angrily cursed on the spot.

"You surnamed Zhao, what exactly do you mean?"

However, faced with Xu Jie's shouting, Zhao Zhengping completely ignored him, merely expressing everything with his gaze.

Faced with Zhao Zhengping's stare, Xu Jie gritted his teeth in anger, his teeth grinding audibly.

The two senior brothers exchanged jokes and angry reprimands for a while, and Ye Zhangqing finally spoke up.

"Let it be this way; the Guo family senior brother insists on doing it this way, we have no choice but to peacefully prepare the meals and wait for their return, which counts as doing our small part."

"Moreover, this secret realm is more familiar to the Guo family senior brothers, so there shouldn't be too much danger."

Since even Ye Zhangqing has spoken, Zhao Zhengping, Xu Jie and the others naturally have no objections.

According to the time arrangement mentioned by the Second Sequence when parting, the shortest takes only a few days, the longest no more than half a month, so there's no need to rush the handling of ingredients.

Thus, Xu Jie and the others simply sat cross-legged on the shore and began Xiūliàn to consolidate the breakthrough they had just achieved.

After all, they are not like Ye Zhangqing, whose foundation after each breakthrough is exceptionally solid, needing no special effort to consolidate.

They are merely ordinary people, and compared to Ye Zhangqing, this extraordinary individual, they simply cannot be compared.

Therefore, it is still best to follow the conventional method and peacefully consolidate one's cultivation.

The senior brothers thus waited quietly on the shore, while the Guo family's sequence disciples, after leaving the Ling River, proceeded straight toward the latter half of the secret realm.

Since Ye Zhangqing and the other senior brothers were no longer present, these Guo family sequence disciples no longer needed to divert attention to introduce the specific details of this secret realm, and their pace noticeably quickened.

After all, they were already very familiar with everything here; as the Second Sequence said, this secret realm was indeed like their own backyard.

Among the Guo family sequence disciples present, even the person who had come the fewest times had been here at least three times; like the Second Sequence, this was his fifth entry into this secret realm.

As for this secret realm, they could be said to be familiar to the point of impossibility; every path, every turn, was deeply imprinted in their minds.

Thus, along the way, wherever they needed to go, the brothers were all well-versed, with no hesitation or pause.

The group followed the winding, twisting path; beneath their feet lay a pure white cloud like jade, and upon reaching the latter half of the Ling River, occasionally a few birds would fly across the sky, emitting clear calls.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, casting dappled reflections on the river surface, forming patches of light and shadow; the figures of the people moved through this light and shadow, like a group of lively spirits.

After traveling a considerable distance, the Guo family sequence disciples finally succeeded in reaching the end of this Ling River.

At the river's end lies a massive waterfall, as if pouring down from the horizon, directly feeding into this Ling River, and it is this waterfall that forms the Ling River.

The waterfall hung like a silver silken thread, spraying countless droplets that glittered in the sunlight with multicolored radiance.

Beneath the waterfall lies a bottomless pool; the pool water is clear to the bottom, revealing the sand, stones, and swimming fish at its floor.

Faced with the waterfall before them, the Guo family sequence disciples had long grown accustomed to it; they all entered the area behind the waterfall with ease and leisure.

Behind the waterfall there is a passage, and from here onward one truly enters the latter half of this secret realm.

"Hurry up; the others should have already arrived by now—don't let them snatch all the opportunities."

The Second Sequence urged him on somewhat anxiously; his face bore an eager expression, and his eyes glittered with greed.

Obviously, he looked forward to this secret realm expedition, yearning to gain more opportunities and treasures.

After all, in front of Ye Zhangqing he had already boasted loudly; if he brought back too little fortune, he would lose face.

The Second Sequence spoke up to urge them on, noting that they had originally set out late, and by now the people of the other major forces had probably already reached the latter half of the secret realm.

Hearing this, the brothers nodded in agreement, and everyone quickened their pace once more.

The Guo family brothers hurried along, while on the other side, in this secret realm's latter half, there indeed stood a group of youths wearing different attire upon a circular stone platform.

Around the stone platform was a sky dotted with stars, as if one were in the boundless star sea of Zhu Tian Wan Jie.

However, this space lacked the violent void storms of the boundless star sea; instead it was very tranquil, and the stone platform floated steadily within this starry expanse.

The scenery of this space is completely different from that of the Ling River, showing the marvel of this secret realm.

From their clothing it is easy to see that this group of youths, numbering about several dozen, likely belong to three different factions.

Because they wore three distinct styles of clothing, each keeping to its own side, they formed three different camps on the stone platform, each occupying a corner.

However, at this moment the youths' eyes were all filled with puzzlement, as if they had encountered an unfathomable riddle; they looked around, as if searching for something.