Identity Exposed?

One cannot simply curse at high-level cultivators.

"Brother, those look like Mystic Profound Grass, don't they?" the tall one pointed toward the vast field of grass ahead.

The short one narrowed his eyes to take a closer look.

It really was!

Because his attention had been fixed on the red moon hanging above, he hadn't noticed until now that the entire meadow before them was filled with nothing but Mystic Profound Grass!

Looking into the distance, a Sword Peak stood tall, the chains wrapped around it adding a sense of grim lethality.

"Could this be the sword-nurturing ground of some great master of the sword path?"

"We didn't see an exit when we were dragged in, so this must be a subsidiary Secret Realm."

"Judging by the style within this realm, it is highly likely the handiwork of some demonic titan."

The short one analyzed the situation calmly. Such demonic titans were generally ruthless and cruel; the realms they constructed were incredibly perilous, and they certainly wouldn't show mercy just because the intruders were also of the demonic path.

"By the way, where is our Secret Realm Age Detection Spirit Instrument? Take it out and let's test the age."

"Uh... Brother, didn't you say we shouldn't bother with unimportant items that are inconvenient to carry, and that we should leave as soon as possible? That thing is so big, so I just left it behind."

"..."

Damn it!

What a spendthrift!

That Secret Realm Age Detection Spirit Instrument was worth over three million spirit coins—it was something they had painstakingly saved up for decades to afford! How could he call that an unimportant item?!

The short one felt like crying but had no tears. He desperately wanted to crack open his idiot brother's skull to see what exactly was inside it.

Seeing his elder brother's expression, the tall one felt a bit guilty.

The short one felt a tightness in his chest, but he didn't say anything more; now was not the time for an argument.

"Forget it. I'll test the spatial stability here first to see if I can open a passage out." The short one took out a talisman. "Be careful, don't break these Mystic Profound Grass."

After giving the instruction, he injected a trace of magic power into the talisman held between his fingers.

In this current era, cultivators have already summarized a complete set of procedures for exploring Secret Realms.

First, use the Age Detection Spirit Instrument to determine the age—generally, the older the Secret Realm, the more dangerous it is. Then, use a Space-Breaking Talisman to test spatial stability, ensuring one has a retreat route to escape at any time if the situation turns sour.

One must confirm these two points before beginning any further exploration.

As magic power was injected into the Space-Breaking Talisman held between the short one's fingers, a faint, bright yellow flame rose up. Where the flame scorched, the air twisted slightly, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

As time passed, the bright yellow flame gradually turned blue, and the originally distorted space seemed to finally reach its limit.

Crack!

After a crisp sound, the distorted area shattered, and through the gap, one could see the scenery of the outside world.

But soon, a hazy gray mist obscured it.

"It's done!" The short one flicked his right hand, and the flame on the Space-Breaking Talisman extinguished. "Grade C spatial stability; not too strong."

He was at the late stage of Spirit Transmutation, and his brother was at the mid-stage; they could fully afford to retreat at any time.

"Be careful, don't be too greedy. Even if we only harvest a few hundred stalks of Mystic Profound Grass this time, we can still make a tidy profit."

To be safe, the short one did not intend to approach that sword-like mountain peak this time. Since he now knew the coordinates, he could return whenever he wanted.

After selling this batch of Mystic Profound Grass and letting the heat die down, he would trade for some magic treasures. When that time came, he would definitely make those Zhang Family siblings pay!

"Don't worry, Brother, I'll be careful." The tall one nodded and reached out to grab a stalk of Mystic Profound Grass near his feet.

The sword-attribute Mystic Profound Grass had sharp blades that could cut skin if one wasn't careful, but it wasn't enough to truly injure a Spirit Transmutation cultivator.

He grabbed the grass, and the blades were crushed directly into his palm.

"Don't be so rough, the medicinal properties will leak out... Get away!" the short one suddenly roared.

The tall one hadn't realized what was happening and instinctively obeyed his brother's command, but he was a step too late.

Puff!

Blood sprayed, carving an arc through the air. An arm, along with half a shoulder, was severed from the tall one's body, the cut perfectly smooth.

It was Sword Qi!

But why?

The tall one's expression was one of bewilderment; he clearly hadn't reacted yet, not until the pain hit him.

"Ah!!!!"

Surging magic power diffused, air currents swept out, and the Mystic Profound Grass for several miles around was pressed flat to the ground.

Violent divine sense expanded frantically. The tall one's eyes turned blood-red, and only one thought remained in his mind—find the guy who launched the sneak attack and torture him to death!

The overflowing rage came to an abrupt halt the next moment. Dozens more invisible Sword Qi crisscrossed through him. His barely mobilized magic power was like paper, easily pierced and sliced through.

Dense red lines appeared on his face, and as the tall one opened his mouth, chunks of flesh began to fall away.

The short one's eyes were about to split from rage. Ignoring all caution, he rushed forward, but when he reached out, he only managed to grab two lumps of flesh.

Under the shredding force of that Sword Qi, not only was the vitality of the physical body extinguished, but even the spiritual essence of the soul was wiped clean.

Aside from that initial burst of Sword Qi, the erupting mana also crushed several stalks of Mystic Profound Grass; no matter how resilient their stems and leaves were, they were still far too insignificant compared to the oppressive aura of a Spirit Transmutation stage cultivator.

If not for this, the number of Sword Qi would have been far fewer, and he might have still had a sliver of a chance at survival.

A pile of flesh lay scattered, the flowing blood staining the nearby Mystic Profound Grass red, and the short man felt extreme grief in his heart.

"No, I must get out of here as soon as possible!" He made the most rational judgment.

He quickly rummaged through the flesh and blood to retrieve the storage ring, stood up, and prepared to open the passage, yet the scene before his eyes plunged him into total despair.

The Sword Qi had not vanished; it had merely adjusted its intensity, which was why it had been delayed.

Hundreds? Thousands?

It was impossible to count anymore.

Under a chain reaction, the Sword Qi, comparable to the late Spirit Transmutation stage, surged forth like a tsunami or a storm, sweeping in to shred everything in its path.

"F*ck your mother!"

Halfway up the mountain, a flash of red light flickered, and a blood-stained jade box dropped out of thin air.

Before long, a white ape arrived in the vicinity.

Driven by curiosity, it discarded the fruit in its hand, picked up the jade box to fiddle with it for a while, and even took a few bites, but upon discovering it wasn't food, it quickly lost interest, tossed the box aside, and ran toward the summit.

Meanwhile, Xu Xing had already returned to Mystic Sword City.

Inside the villa, the walls shimmered with faint spiritual light, and a comfortable, gentle breeze drifted through.

Xu Xing leaned back on a rattan lounge chair, holding a cyan jade tablet in his hand.

The contribution points from the mission reward had been deposited into his account shortly after his return—or more accurately, into the account of his alias, 'Xu Sandao'.

The amount was not small, but that was not what Xu Xing cared about; along with these contribution points came a single sentence.

[I have sent my disciple to find you.]

The appearance of this sentence meant that someone within the Sword Sect knew that it was he who had emerged from seclusion in Mystic Sword City, yet only one or two people were supposed to know about this alias.

That shouldn't be.

When he previously sent a message to the Sword Sect to explain the situation and quell the unrest, he had used an obscure, high-level alias.

How could his identity have been exposed so suddenly?

Could it have been at that time? He thought of one possibility.

Back at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he had once injected a wisp of mana to verify his identity; thinking it over, that was the only point where exposure was possible.

To be able to see through his disguise... the terminal of that Mana Identification Device was truly not simple.

"I was still too careless."

With a helpless smile, Xu Xing turned on the television.

The television was broadcasting a traffic safety program; there had been many such programs lately, and they were also being promoted on the streets.

Too many people had returned to Mystic Sword City over the past two days, and several major accidents, such as mid-air sword collisions, had already occurred.

The most unlucky ones were the sword cultivators Lin and Feng; as part of the first batch to be caught, and being Sword Sect disciples, they had already been used as examples many times over.

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