"Heh, after being a dog for so long, you really think you're some loyal hound?!"
Seeing Si Jiu defeated and teleported away, the blazing aura surrounding Zhang Meng subsided. He let out a disdainful sneer.
Leaving aside the fact that Gongsun Lan was not yet a Secret Disciple, even if he were, currying favor with them was only for sufficient future benefits and control over Sect resources.
So what if he and that fellow became bitter enemies?
Not to mention that compared to the one beyond the gate, Gongsun Lan was utterly insignificant.
Even if he ultimately failed, with the Sect's prohibition against disciples killing one another in place, Core Disciples were not creatures Secret Disciples could simply beat or kill at will. So what if they became enemies?
The Cloud Water Sect was such a colossal entity; it was not something he alone could call the shots over.
Of course,
Zhang Meng did not think he would fail.
For this journey,
he was brimming with confidence.
"I should also thank you for the secret information you brought, allowing me to find this place. Rest assured, once I receive Senior's guidance and become the founder of a sect and progenitor of a lineage, I will repay you."
In his heart, Zhang Meng secretly "thanked" Gongsun Lan, who was outside the Divine Wood Secret Realm.
He knew very well the status of the one within the Divine Wood Secret Realm. That was an existence who, like the Grand Elders spoken of in Sect legends, had remained in seclusion for a thousand years.
Even if this trip yielded nothing, as long as he met that person, no one in the Sect would dare make things difficult for him.
Just as he was about to step forward
and open the mysterious great gate