An insect in the ear, taking stock of the gains

While Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan hid together in the Underground Palace, digesting the Blood Lotus Saint Child, the struggles among the cultivators outside grew even fiercer.

And just as the Er Family ancestor had mentioned in passing, the Blood Lake was not the secret realm's only site of opportunity and inheritance.

Before entering the secret realm, some cultivators had made plans in advance, just like the Er Family ancestor. Once inside, they headed straight for their destinations, hoping to reap the corresponding rewards.

For instance, a Golden Mountain stood in the western part of the secret realm.

It was yellowish white, with the aura of metal spilling in every direction. A lone peak thrust abruptly from the ground, shaped like a broken sword.

Many cultivators had gathered here. The Five Sects of Mount Lu converged, and independent cultivators from outside the mountain swarmed in. They had been slaughtering one another for days, staining many of the mountain's rocks and ores with blood.

Fang Lu and her two companions traveled together and happened to arrive here to join the bustle.

But the three had learned from Shen Yin's fate. They knew that beyond every expert stood another, and beyond every heaven lay a higher heaven, so they had no intention of venturing deep into the mountain for treasure. They merely wandered around its outskirts, seeing whether they could gather some rare ores.

One day, after mining an ore deposit, the three encountered a woman in white along the way.

Her robes were stained with blood, her face was full of exhaustion, and she carried an unsheathed sword whose blade was covered in cracks.

As their paths crossed, Fang Lu recognized the woman and immediately cupped her hands toward her from a distance.

The woman in white consequently let her gaze