The Struggle for Power

Although the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm was quite famous in Moonless City, it was still just a small secret realm. So, after the group paid their Spirit Stone, they were safely allowed inside.

The young man surnamed Liu, seeing the group step into the small secret realm, quietly stepped forward and asked his junior brother, "Did those three mention their origins?"

The disciple in charge of collecting Spirit Stone replied, "They didn't tell us much, only that they're currently staying at an inn in the city."

The disciple then mentioned the name of the inn, which was exactly as he had expected.

A few days ago, his father, who is now Sect Master Liu, mentioned to him the information network that Yin Mountain Sect had set up in the city, and also mentioned that several cultivators from other small worlds had spoken up for their family.

He noted down the other party's characteristics and planned to contact them in a few days to see if he could win them over. Not to mention, the Moonless Household has now recruited a large number of cultivators from other small worlds.

These methods of theirs are fine for dealing with people from the Hidden Nether Realm, but they might not be very effective against those ferocious cultivators from other worlds.

"Senior Brother Duanyue, is there anything else you want to ask?" Seeing his young master remain silent with a sullen face, the disciple could only offer a reminder, as he still had the task of collecting Spirit Stone to do.

His question immediately snapped Liu Duanyue out of her reverie, "Nothing else, you can continue with your work. Remember to remind me when those three people come out later."

The young disciple nodded and silently made a mental note of this important matter.

After saying this, Liu Duanyue glanced at the Moonless Household's stall across the street. Perhaps it was the influence of that third young lady, but the Moonless Household's stall was much busier than before. Even the Moonless Household's disciples were more tolerant of others than before.

That Wuyue Qing was indeed smarter and more adept at winning people's hearts than her good-for-nothing brother.

A chill permeated the dark passageway, and rustling sounds emanated from every corner, sending shivers down one's spine just by listening.

Gu Wangchuan wasn't afraid, after all, he had experienced a lot before and had even seen such a terrifying scene as an insect swarm. On the contrary, Jiang Zhuoxue silently moved closer to Sang Ying, seemingly unaccustomed to the environment.

His actions went unnoticed by Sang Ying, mainly because Jiang Zhuoxue, now an adult, frequently took the initiative to be close to her, which Sang Ying had become somewhat accustomed to.

On the contrary, Gu Wangchuan immediately noticed something was wrong and took the initiative to say, "Brother Jiang, if you are scared, you can hide behind me and I will protect you!"

He patted his chest and straightened his back. Judging from their appearances, they were not much different, but Gu Wangchuan took on the responsibilities of an elder brother so proactively, which always made Jiang Zhuoxue feel depressed.

Jiang Zhuoxue ignored him, but deliberately looked up at Sang Ying's expression. Seeing that the person seemed completely indifferent, he felt even more annoyed for some reason.

"No need, just take care of yourself." Jiang Zhuoxue gritted her teeth and silently moved away from behind Sang Ying.

He wasn't afraid of any of that; he was just testing Sang Ying's attitude. This female cultivator was indeed fickle, forgetting him so quickly!

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Zhuoxue puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, not wanting to look at their expressions anymore.

Gu Wangchuan reassured him, "Don't worry, if anything happens, we'll both protect you."

Jiang Zhuoxue smiled dismissively, clearly not taking her words to heart.

The passageway remained shrouded in darkness, and it took the three of them a long time before they finally saw a glimmer of light. During this time, numerous bats, insects, and rodents swarmed out from the shadows, causing them considerable trouble.

"It seems that glowing area ahead is the training ground those people were talking about. I wonder how many trials the three of us can overcome?" Gu Wangchuan was the first to speak.

Sang Ying: "No matter how many levels there are, as long as we do our best and achieve something, that's enough."

She had already drawn her sword impatiently, and the snow-white longsword illuminated almost half of the passageway the moment it appeared.

Gu Wangchuan glanced at Sang Ying's sword, then at his own, and sighed to Jiang Zhuoxue, "When I'm rich in the future, I'll find a skilled weapon refiner to forge me a sword just as fine!"

He spoke earnestly, but he didn't see Jiang Zhuoxue silently rolling her eyes.

Gu Wangchuan didn't know, but Jiang Zhuoxue could tell. Sang Ying's sword used a lot of precious materials, and even dragon scales were added.

It was because of this sword that Jiang Zhuoxue was so wary of her in the first place, and it was only because Sang Ying protected him that Jiang Zhuoxue gradually lowered his guard against her.

Therefore, Gu Wangchuan's troublesome nature, it's unlikely that a sword like this could ever be forged in his lifetime!

Jiang Zhuoxue thought this with certainty when she was young.

"Alright, enough talk, let's go in." Interrupting the two people behind her who were muttering to themselves, Sang Ying was the first to step into the white light.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a strange, empty place. The person standing in front of her had a face exactly like hers, and even the sword in his hand was no different from the Floating River's.

The only difference between him and Sang Ying was that this person was dressed entirely in black, even his exposed skin was pure black, and the Floating River Sword was also stained with ink.

It seems this is her first enemy!

Sang Ying gripped her sword tightly and stepped forward to meet the opponent as he raised his blade!

Outside the secret realm, the same group of people were leisurely packing up their stalls. The crowd that had been waiting at the cave entrance had all dispersed; after all, all the spots for entering the secret realm today were gone, and waiting any longer would be pointless.

It was at this time that Wuyue Qing approached Liu Duanyue.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, why are you packing up so soon today? I remember you used to stay busy for a while before leaving." Wuyue Qing smiled gently, showing no sign that she was deliberately provoking him.

But Liu Duanyue wasn't blind, and of course she could see the gloating smile on her face, "Yes, you packed up early today. Look how capable your Moonless Clan is! You've managed to win over most of the cultivators heading to the secret realm, so we're naturally quite relaxed here."

In the past, because the disciples of the Moonless Household had a bad attitude, most cultivators who came to the secret realm preferred to hand over their Spirit Stone to the Yin Mountain Sect.

However, Wuyue Qing's actions today have actually helped her regain a lot of goodwill.

Liu Duanyue's attitude was unexpectedly good, but Wuyue Qing didn't pay much attention to it. She simply took the opportunity to steer the conversation toward the upcoming competition between the two families.

Moonless City is, after all, a city without a master, and there must be someone to lead it and manage all matters within the city.

Since the Yin Mountain Sect and the Moonless Household are the most powerful, the leader will naturally be chosen from these two factions. The biggest question then becomes which faction to choose from and how to choose.

Therefore, the two sides agreed to hold a competition every five years. The winner would become the leader of Moonless City for those five years.

In the last competition, the winner was the Moonless Clan!