The ghost had no idea that its precious treasure had already been taken by Yanwei. The secret realm remained cloaked in darkness, its mysteries waiting to unfold—its air thick with danger and ancient power.
Zhang Yue, the son of the sect master of the Divine Sword Sect, had finally arrived. His footsteps were slow but purposeful, the dense forest whispering around him. He could feel the weight of every step as if the land itself were testing his resolve. “I’ve made it,” he murmured, his eyes scanning the shadows. “But my uncle warned me about the rank 2 beast lurking here. Looks like I’ll still have to wait for those three.” He stood still, calculating his next move, hands resting on the hilt of his sword. “I can’t afford to make mistakes. Not in a place like this.”
Zhang Yue’s gaze lifted toward the towering trees overhead, their twisted branches blocking out the sky. The realm was silent, but a sense of impending chaos hung in the air like a storm waiting to break. “If we manage to kill the beast,” he thought, “the fight for the treasure will be a bloodbath. No one will back down. The value of that thing...” He grimaced. “...it’s a hot potato. Whoever holds it could reshape everything.”
Meanwhile, further within the realm, the tension was palpable. Yun’s two servants, caught in a mix of fear and curiosity, crouched in the shadows. The eerie sounds of battle echoed through the trees, sending shivers down their spines. One servant, a young man, could barely catch his breath. “Miss… That fight…” His voice trembled. “It’s terrifying. We shouldn’t even try to look. The sounds—it's like an iron clash, but… different. It’s not just humans fighting. It feels like something else. A clash between the living and the dead, maybe? It’s too intense. Too dangerous.”
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The other servant, equally shaken, nodded frantically. “It’s worse than when the two uncles spar in the sect. Those fights are bad enough, but this… this is something else. The killing intent—it’s suffocating. If I dared to look, I’d be dead before I even blinked.”
Yun, calm and focused, listened to their words with only a slight frown. She didn’t respond immediately but instead turned and walked into another room. Her steps were quiet, deliberate. “A powerful presence has entered the game,” she mused, her thoughts turning over the possibilities. “How strong could they be? If they’ve made my servants tremble like this… their strength must be considerable.”
Her fingers brushed the hilt of her rank 2 weapon, feeling its familiar weight. "With my weapon and the talisman that grants me temporary access to the late stage of rank 2, I should be prepared for anything. Still... this could be more complicated than I thought."
As she pondered, a sharp, mocking laugh suddenly pierced the stillness from the next room. The sound was like a cruel jolt, cutting through the air. Yun’s servants froze, their eyes wide with shock.
“Am I really that frightening?” The voice was playful, almost teasing, but it sent a ripple of unease through the room. The man’s confidence was palpable, his presence almost suffocating.
The room went still, and the tension in the air thickened. Yun’s servants exchanged terrified glances. This wasn’t just any ordinary intruder. His power radiated like a storm ready to break.
One of the servants, trying to assert some control, stammered, “Who are you? This is Miss Yun’s domain! How dare you—”
Before he could finish, a chilling presence materialized behind him. A corpse, unnaturally pale and stiff, appeared as if summoned by the man’s voice. The servant barely had time to react before the corpse's fingers gripped his head with a force that could crush stone.
The room held its breath as the life drained from the servant, his eyes wide with terror as he crumpled to the floor.