Somewhere in a quiet forest of the Empyrean Dragon Sect Ruins, two women appeared from thin air.
"Hmm, this place doesn't look too interesting," Ruyue commented as she looked around.
Rose raised her brow. "I mean, it's not like you're wrong, but what were you expecting to happen the very second we entered this realm?"
Ruyue shrugged her shoulders and spoke. "I don't know. The last secret realm I went to dropped me inside of a raging blizzard where even I could freeze. I heard Damien was dropped into a pit of lava at the same time. Compared to that, this is a bit tame."
Rose smiled wryly. "Yeah, I think that's because the last secret realm you went to is crazy. There won't be much danger to us here, it's better to call this a treasure hunt than a secret realm expedition."
"Why is that?" Ruyue questioned. She and Damien were truly uninformed about the current situation. They simply came when Tian Yang called and went with the flow.
Rose, however, had been drilled with the information multiple times by the Supreme Fairy Paradise Master. Even if she wanted to forget, her brain wouldn't let her.
"This sect's collapse should've been around 10,000 years ago during the last Great War. That's why it's titled an Ancient Sect. However, the rate at which this secret realm opens is actually relatively common. It isn't like it's only opened once or twice during that timeframe.
"And during these previous openings, all of the previously mapped areas have been mostly swept clean by previous generations. Due to this, there is an abundance of treasure, but a lack of danger to match it."
"What about the unexplored areas then? Why don't we just go to one of those?"
Rose grinned. "As expected of my second sister. Right, going to an unexplored area sounds like a whole lot more fun than just wasting our time idly in the safety net our predecessors spread. The problem is, we only have a week until the entrance closes. This is why there's still so much unexplored area in the first place."
Ruyue nodded in agreement. "Since it's like that, let's first get a grasp of our general location. If there is an unexplored area close enough, we can delve into it. If there isn't, we can just spend this time relaxing before we return."
Rose also nodded and took out the map the Paradise Master had given her. While she looked at it, Ruyue spread her awareness into the surroundings.
As she did so, she encountered a delightful surprise. Her eyes locked in one direction, completely forgetting about the plan of action she made before.
"Actually, let's do something else first." She said piercingly, causing Rose to look over.
Ruyue's lips spread into a wild grin. It was her first time making such an expression, but she realized why Damien made it so often. Sometimes, there were uncontainable feelings that could only be expressed by grinning so wildly.
"It's time to go hunting."
Iceflames decorated the soles of her feet, combusting heavily and causing her to fly into the air. Rose looked up in surprise, but just shrugged in the end.
'Well, it's not like there's anything for me to do. I wonder what second sister saw for her to be reacting so violently…looks like a ton of fun.'
With a smile on her face, Rose soon followed Ruyue. The duo flew rapidly for a few tens of kilometers before they finally came to a halt. Rose quickly concealed them in the air, a group of five people walking on the ground below them right as she did so."
"Hm? I could've sworn I sensed something." The one at the front commented.
"You're always like this. There must be something wrong with your sense of smell." A girl behind him quipped back.
"Tch. Why don't you lead the group then?"
"It's fine, that kind of troublesome work can be left to you."
"You two, stop arguing. We have a goal in this secret realm, remember?" A third one chimed in.
"Right, we're supposed to enjoy this secret realm exploration and look for fortuitous encounters to boost our growth, yet we've suddenly been given an annoying task like this one." The girl sighed in annoyance.
"It's all that bitch's fault. If she hadn't shown up, the elders wouldn't have gone on such a rampage."
"It's not just that she showed up, she showed up hand in hand with some random man. If he had taken her virginity already, all the elders' plans would've been ruined."
"Right, but before they could even do anything about it, that asshole had to put on such a show." The first man growled.
The Xue Clan's little princess, the Clan Leader's first and only daughter with his first wife, and the one with the most talent in the Xue Clan's younger generation.
Even if they had blood ties, there wasn't a single man in the Xue Clan who didn't have feelings for her. After all, the Xue Clan was one that subtly promoted inbreeding so that they could keep their lineage pure
But these young masters who had been fantasizing about saving the abandoned princess and making her theirs, they were forced to witness her together with another man.
And an outstanding one at that.
He had crushed Wang Tianhe like he was kicking a baby. It wasn't even funny. Perhaps someone like Long Chen would disdain being seen on the level of Wang Tianhe, but besides those insane geniuses, Wang Tianhe represented the peak of the younger generation
Yet, he was manhandled with no effort at all. Even while Wang Chen pressured that man, he didn't seem like he was affected at all.
"Dammit! Just who was that guy?!" Xue Liubai growled.
"Didn't you hear it? He's the Celestial Star Palace Grand Elder's second disciple."
"Even then! Where the hell did he come from?! Apparently, even the elders have no information on him. That level of genius shouldn't be unknown."
"Tch. Why are you caring about him so much? Our task is to eliminate the little princess. If you hate him so much, why don't you present him her head and watch him fall into despair?" The girl suggested.
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter like wind chimes in the wind filled the atmosphere. Rose removed her concealment as she laughed, unable to hold herself back anymore. Even Ruyue had a smirk on her face.
Not only did these kids actually think they had what it took to kill her off easily, they thought she'd let them talk such bullshit about her man? It seems she had been hidden from the world for too long, since even insignificant rabble like them could badmouth her as they pleased.
"You lot, what are your affiliations?" Ruyue asked coldly.
The girl amongst them, Xue Li, sneered in response. "Have you been stuck in your turtle shell for so long that you've forgotten your own clan?"
Ruyue gazed at her with a deadpan expression. "If you're going to say something stupid, I'd rather you don't talk at all. Instead, one of the rest of you tell me what your affiliations inside the clan are, since apparently I need to spell it out for you."
The third man amongst them spoke indifferently. "I am Xue Qingshan, son of Second Elder Xue Pengge. As for them, she is Xue Li, the Second Elder's first daughter, and he is Xue Liubai, the Clan Leader's fourth son."
Ruyue's expression became uninterested. "I see, so it's really just a group of small fries. That brat Xue Feng isn't even here, nor is Xue Yue. Tell me, are they with the second group?"
Since there were only five young Xue Clan geniuses present, the other five must've gone separately. Considering Xue Yue and Xue Feng's personalities, it was highly likely that these five were discarded as useless.
And seeing how they averted their gaze when she questioned them, Ruyue nodded her head. "Okay. Since it's impossible for you to know where those five are, there's no more use in keeping you alive. It's a shame, though. I really want to see the elders' expressions when your life tablets break."
Without another word, Ruyue flashed away and appeared within the ranks of her opponents. And in the next second, an icy hell descended upon them.
