An Army of Fifty

Ancient trees towered toward the heavens, their tangled vines forming natural arches, while countless spirit flowers spread out in a vast sea of blossoms.

In his previous life, Feng Zhuo had never entered the Green Wood Illusion Forest because of Su Ruanruan. Seeing the exit of the Azure Wood Illusory Forest Secret Realm for the first time, he could not help but marvel at the mighty power of heaven and earth.

Only...

Feng Zhuo silently offered an apology. Before long, this place would likely be destroyed because of him.

More than twenty Qi Refining Stage disciples from each of the Supreme One Divine Sect and the Purple Yang Pill Sect stood guard nearby.

"Are we... really going to do this?"

Chen San's hand trembled slightly as he gripped an array flag.

He had only coveted the few bottles of pills promised to him for taking part in the fight, but now that the moment had come, the sight of such a formation seemed to stir his conscience.

"What? Getting cold feet on the eve of battle?"

Li Si sneered beside him, though he deliberately lowered his voice. "Senior Sister Ruanruan's kindness to us is as weighty as a mountain! Not only has she given us pills every day for the past half month, she's personally guided our cultivation."

"To snatch the Spirit-Cleansing Grass, Feng Zhuo actually colluded with a demoness from the Purple Yang Pill Sect to poison Senior Sister! A despicable wretch like him..."

He spoke with righteous indignation, yet a greedy gleam flickered in his eyes.

Chen San glanced at the bulging Storage Bag at Li Si's waist, then at the one at his own-it held talismans and Law Artifacts that Su Ruanruan and the other personal disciples had "lent" them to deal with Feng Zhuo. Supposedly, they would not have to return them once the deed was done.

"I just think..."

Chen San swallowed. "Those pills were clearly refined by Senior Brother Bai, and most of the guidance came from the other personal disciples. Senior Sister Su only..."

"Shut up!"

Li Si cut him off sharply, then put on an expression of bitter anguish. "Junior Brother Chen, how can you be so ungrateful?"

"If not for Senior Sister Su, how could someone with your three Spirit Roots have made such a bountiful haul today, even if you'd been lucky enough to enter the Green Wood Illusion Forest?"

Chen San lowered his head and pretended to be ashamed, while secretly resolving to hide at the very back when the time came.

Nearly fifty people from the two sects ganging up on two was shameless enough already. If he fished in troubled waters, it would only be one more layer of shame.

Disciples like Chen San were a minority after all. Many more had eyes gleaming, as though they could already see the treasures on Feng Zhuo-the Spirit-Cleansing Grass, the Dark Nether Sword Token, and the ample wealth of an Aristocratic Clan's scion...

They rubbed their fists and palms together, their breathing growing rapid.

The sea of flowers remained as dazzling as ever, and the ancient trees stood as majestic as before.

Yet amid this fairyland-like scenery, the ugliness of human nature was quietly spreading.

Before Feng Zhuo showed himself, his Golden Core Middle Stage Divine Sense had already counted everyone lying in ambush at the exit.

Nangong Tang had left the cave abode several days earlier.

By the time she emerged, her cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and the Green-Eyed Golden Toad had also reached the seventh tier after merging with the Divergent Flame.

As soon as they left the cave abode, Ye Qingyu's message talisman found them.

It informed them of Su Ruanruan and Shen Mingxiao's plans over the past half month, as well as their slander against the two of them.

Feng Zhuo knew Su Ruanruan's methods well. Nangong Tang seemed accustomed to them and was not particularly angry either.

The two stayed underground for several days, only coming out today, when the secret realm was about to close.

Feng Zhuo had not been idle while they were hiding. He had caught the Green-Eyed Golden Toad and had it dig a sufficiently large space underground.

There, he fought Yanba with spells until he grew accustomed to his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage spiritual power and learned how to control the Divergent Flame separated from his Life-Bound Spirit Fire to fight enemies.

Both of them had now reached Foundation Establishment, and each had a seventh-tier contracted beast, so they naturally had no fear of the Qi Refinement cultivators outside the cave.

It was simply too troublesome to have wave after wave of people come looking for trouble, so the two hid underground for several days, planning to catch them all in one net on the final day.

What truly concerned Feng Zhuo was Chu Yunfei outside the secret realm.

In his previous life, Feng Zhuo had devoted himself to pill refining. Though he understood the importance of strength in this life, he still lacked confidence in fighting a Golden Core Early Stage sword cultivator with his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation.

Fortunately, Nangong Tang was still of some use. In the sect, she merely had a poor relationship with Shen Mingxiao; she was not despised by everyone.

Otherwise, after leaving the secret realm, Feng Zhuo would not only have to fight Chu Yunfei, but also worry about Chu Hongxiao.

Feng Zhuo stood just outside the array's maximum activation range, looking at the fifty-strong "army" led by Su Ruanruan and Shen Mingxiao not far away.

His Divine Sense swept over them. Trapping arrays, illusion arrays, and killing arrays were layered upon one another. Their grades were not high, but Feng Zhuo did not cultivate the Dao of arrays, so they would be somewhat troublesome.

Nangong Tang was unwilling to show herself and deal with Shen Mingxiao, so she was currently hiding underground with the Green-Eyed Golden Toad's help.

As she put it, Shen Mingxiao's mouth was full of "demoness," "disgrace to the sect," and "carrying out heaven's justice." Just listening to him was irritating.

Feng Zhuo could not have agreed more.

He had thought this was Su Ruanruan's usual trick, but had not expected the Purple Yang Pill Sect to have a "talent" who had mastered it so well. No wonder the two got along.

Feng Zhuo called out leisurely, "How lively. Junior brothers and sisters, have you been waiting at the secret realm's exit especially to welcome your senior brother?"

"You're Feng Zhuo?"

Shen Mingxiao was the first to lose patience. "Where is Nangong Tang? She dared collude with someone from another sect to secretly poison a personal disciple of the Supreme One Divine Sect's Crimson Firmament Peak! Tell her to get out here at once!"

"Nangong Tang? I don't know her."

Feng Zhuo slowly shook his head. "But if you're talking about some personal disciple of Crimson Firmament Peak, I do have a grudge against her."

"Junior Brother Feng! Don't stray any further down the wrong path!"

Seeing that Feng Zhuo was still so stubbornly obstinate, Xuan Mo said, "As long as you hand over the antidote and the ten-thousand-year-old Spirit-Cleansing Grass, and let me cripple all your cultivation, I'll surely plead with the sect master for you, so you won't be expelled from the sect!"

Xuanfeng, however, was dissatisfied. "Brother Mo! Why plead for him?! Keeping someone so ruthless and vicious in the sect would only bring trouble! If we get rid of him here today, we'll be doing it for the sect's sake!"

Though Xuan Mo agreed with Xuanfeng, he still felt they should not end a person's life so lightly, so he said nothing.

The book Feng Zhuo had seen after his death in his previous life had been very strange.

Afraid that he would run out of time, he had not dared read much of it.

He had only examined some things concerning himself and some of the fortuitous opportunities Su Ruanruan obtained. He had merely skimmed the rest.

He knew Su Ruanruan was immensely charming and had become dao companions with six powerful people at the same time.

But Xuanfeng and Xuan Mo were clearly not among them.

Then Feng Zhuo thought of the words "group pet" and understood.

Since Su Ruanruan was the Supreme One Divine Sect's group pet junior sister, it was hardly strange for her to have a few personal disciples from the main peaks charging into battle for her now.

Feng Zhuo paid Xuanfeng and Xuan Mo no mind. They were merely two ill-mannered little dogs whose master had let them off their chains to bark wildly at people. Once their master was dealt with, the pets would not dare bark anymore.

"Why are you wearing a veil today, Junior Sister Su? Before, you played a gentle lady and a mischievous young girl. Are you an aloof fairy today?"

"Feng Zhuo, you still dare bring that up!"

At those words, Bai Wuxia's anger flared.

He thought of the face he had seen beneath the veil when his junior sister had begged him to suppress the poison in her body.

It had been covered in bloody marks and as withered as a corpse!

Bai Wuxia could not imagine how vicious Feng Zhuo's intentions must have been for him to harden his heart and ruin a young woman's face so thoroughly!

Feng Zhuo truly did not know.

He had never colluded with Nangong Tang to poison Su Ruanruan. Su Ruanruan had merely tried to ambush him while he was weak.

Because Feng Zhuo had hurriedly circulated his spiritual power, he had been unable to suppress the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Vine. The Soul-Devouring Vine's blood-resentment Qi had attacked indiscriminately, injuring Su Ruanruan.

Before obtaining the Symbiotic Contract, he had suffered the corrosion of the blood-resentment Qi almost constantly.

With his entire body in excruciating pain, he naturally could not pay attention to what changes had appeared on his face.

He had thought the blood-resentment Qi only brought bone-corroding pain and rendered him unable to cultivate because his meridians, after prolonged contamination, could no longer contain spiritual power.

He knew nothing of its other side effects.

Seeing the indifference on Feng Zhuo's face, Bai Wuxia, who had previously felt some reluctance and thought it enough to cripple Feng Zhuo's cultivation and spare his life, reconsidered.

But now-

Having committed such an evil deed, Feng Zhuo felt not the slightest guilt. Only by letting him die here would they benefit the Supreme One Divine Sect and the people of the Central Continent!