Dark Observation

"Tian Ge, are you sure Grandpa's information was right?"

In the Pine Cypress Forest, a man and a woman cautiously made their way forward.

Each carried a long sword, but they weren't swordfighters. The talismans floating behind them revealed their true origins.

The Qu family, the only talisman-cultivating family in Spirit Spring County.

Unlike the families of the powerful, the Qu family had no officials serving at court. They were a purebred martial-world clan, and they owed their standing among the immortals entirely to their talisman-making craft. Throughout Spirit Spring County, the Qu family's talismans were the finest—and the most expensive.

The Qu family had several places in the Wu She Secret Realm this time. Their current head led the group, accompanied by several younger clan members.

These two were among them, but they had chosen to separate from the family head and explore the First Stage on their own.

The reason was simple: they weren't of the same branch as the family head.

Every great family had its share of branch rivalries, and the Qu family was no exception.

The Qu family's old master had several brothers, whose descendants had split into multiple branches. These two were descendants of Second Granduncle. They had learned of a secret treasure from their own grandfather and had sneaked off to claim it.

The young man said nervously, "Yun, Grandpa said that when he ventured into the Wu She Secret Realm six hundred years ago, he suffered a crushing defeat in the Pine Cypress Forest of the First Stage and had to teleport straight out. The reason was that he'd discovered a treasure tree. It's haunted him his whole life."

Qu Yun asked curiously, "What kind of treasure tree could make even someone like Grandpa unable to forget it?"

Qu Tian shook his