What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

She picked up her teacup and sipped her red lips.

"Now they're trying to play the emotional card, just to get me to take care of Li Lan and Sima Duan in the secret realm."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

This woman's mind is indeed more exquisite and insightful than her voluptuous figure.

Before the two could calm down, three more male cultivators dressed in gray-black Taoist robes came together.

The leader was a burly man with a full beard, broad shoulders, and a powerful stride. His cultivation at the late Golden Core stage was profound and steady. Behind him were two other late Golden Core cultivators, one fat and one thin, whose faces were much more amiable than the leader's.

"Fairy Li." The burly man cupped his hands in greeting, his voice booming, "I am Zhao Kuang. These two are Sun Lie and Qian Tong."

Li Yang waved his hand casually: "So it's Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Sun, and Senior Brother Qian."

There are only so many late-stage Golden Core cultivators in the Xuan Yin Sect. They see each other all the time, and everyone is a familiar face.

"I wonder why my three senior brothers have come all at once to see me...?"

Zhao Kuang chuckled, revealing a set of bright white teeth. He rubbed his hands together, glanced at Lin Yuan, and lowered his voice, saying:

"The core area of ​​the Taixu Secret Realm is teeming with experts. Nearly half of the late-stage Golden Core cultivators in the entire Chu Kingdom's cultivation world have come, and each one is well-prepared. Although the fairy possesses great magical power, she is accompanied by this..."

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"Bringing this Foundation Establishment stage young brother Lin along might be too much for one person to handle. How about the four of us form an alliance? Once we enter the formation, we can look after each other, occupy a good position, and our chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage will be much greater."

Lin Yuan sat to the side, his expression unchanged, slowly sipping his tea.

Li Yang looked at Lin Yuan and, seeing that he didn't make any move, understood.

"We appreciate Senior Brother Zhao's kindness," Li Yang smiled, his tone polite but straightforward. "However, we don't intend to form alliances. Once we enter the core area, there are too many variables, and the more people there are, the easier it is to create discord. It's cleaner and more efficient to rely on our own abilities."

Zhao Kuang's smile froze for a moment, then turned to disappointment.

But he was quite straightforward and didn't press the matter. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "If you change your mind, Junior Sister, you can come to me anytime."

The three exchanged a glance, then turned and walked towards Sima Duan.

One day later

The Black Jade Netherworld Boat suddenly slowed down, breaking through the thick clouds, and its speed dropped sharply.

The howling wind gradually subsided in my ears.

"arrive."

Lin Yuan opened his eyes.

He got up and walked towards the outside of the hall, the hem of his long robe fluttering in the strong wind high above.

Below the flying boat, the mountains stretched out like a dragon's spine.

Five towering peaks form a ring around the mountain, each over ten thousand feet high, with their summits disappearing into the clouds.

Between the five peaks, a huge, bottomless basin is carved out in the center.

The air above the basin was thick with spiritual energy.

Camps have already been established atop the two mountain peaks. From afar, one can see figures moving about and flags fluttering in the wind.

The airship slowly descended onto the third empty mountain peak. The moment the hull touched the ground, the array patterns flickered, and it came to a steady stop.

Lin Yuan stood at the bow of the ship, surveying the entire scene from his elevated position.

On the left mountain peak, hundreds of people dressed in emerald green uniform robes stood in neat rows.

Leading the group was an elderly woman in a gray robe with white hair and a youthful face. She was hunched over and had a kind face, like the old lady next door.

However, she exuded an extremely strange aura, and a faint, sweet, fishy smell could be detected in the air.

She had completely concealed the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, but the sweet, fishy smell was impossible to hide.

"People from Medicine King Valley." Li Yang stood beside Lin Yuan, lowering her voice, "That old woman is a Nascent Soul Elder from Medicine King Valley, Poison Maiden. The one next to her is Sang Zhi."

Lin Yuan followed her gaze.

An eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl with two buns in her hair, her round face with a touch of baby fat.

Her big eyes blinked, and she held a bright red spiritual fruit in her hands, munching on it with relish. Juice dripped from the corner of her mouth, but she didn't wipe it away, simply wiping it casually with her sleeve.

It has a pleasing appearance and is harmless to humans and animals.

She's just like a gluttonous little sister next door.

But the moment Lin Yuan's gaze fell on her, the hairs on the back of his head involuntarily stood on end.

Myriad Calamities Poison Body.

That seemingly petite and adorable body contained blood laced with a deadly poison capable of killing even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Her breath, her sweat, and even the air around her were deadly sources of poison.

Lin Yuan silently labeled her in his mind: Never approach within ten feet.

If you actually encounter them in a secret realm, don't waste words, just use the Profound Yin Extinction Thunder to remotely wipe them out – that's the right thing to do.

"The mountain on the right, the Myriad Dharma Gate," Li Yang continued, lowering his voice even further.

Lightning crackled on the right-hand mountain peak, and a pungent, acrid smell filled the air. A burly man with a bristling beard and hair stood with his hands behind his back on a boulder atop the peak, his body wreathed in arcs of lightning, his robes billowing even without wind. He was none other than a Nascent Soul stage expert from the Myriad Laws Sect.

Behind him stood a giant man nearly nine feet tall.

His upper body was naked, and his bronze muscles were bulging like iron.

Dozens of hideous scars crisscrossed his chest, and on his back he carried a massive purplish-black hammer the size of a door panel, its surface engraved with lightning patterns, with faint arcs of electricity dancing and leaping within them.

Lei Xingtian.

Born with a lightning spiritual root.

He seemed to sense the scrutinizing gaze and abruptly turned his head towards the Xuan Yin Sect. His copper bell-like eyes flashed with sharp light, locking onto Lin Yuan's location.

The next moment, he grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

There was not a trace of goodwill in that smile, only naked provocation and fighting spirit.

Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he withdrew his gaze.

"There are still two more that haven't arrived." Li Yang glanced at the remaining two empty peaks, "The Tai Xuan Immortal Sect and the Chu Kingdom's royal family."

Lin Yuan nodded without saying anything more.

The flying boat came to a complete stop. More than two hundred disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect filed out and took their positions in their respective camps. Their dark gray robes formed a somber, surging tide that spread across the mountain peak.

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound came from the distant horizon.

A pure white jade-colored flying boat tore through the sea of ​​clouds, like an ice sword drawn from its sheath, piercing straight into the summit of the fourth mountain.

"Tai Xuan Immortal Sect, what a grand display." Li Yang snorted coldly, her charming eyes narrowing slightly.

The members of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect filed out.

A woman in white stood in mid-air, her spiritual pressure vast and imposing, like an ancient, unyielding iceberg.

Her face was stunningly beautiful and aloof, her skin so fair it was almost translucent, and her long, silvery-white hair fluttered gently in the wind. Her pale blue eyes swept across the entire room, and wherever her gaze fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Ji Qingying. At the late stage of the Golden Core realm, she has reached perfection.

Lin Yuan's gaze lingered on her for two breaths.

Judging from her aura alone, this woman's magical power was in no way inferior to Li Yang's. In fact, the purity of her icy aura was slightly superior.

No wonder the intelligence reports said there was a 90% chance she could condense her Nascent Soul within the secret realm. With that kind of foundation, she certainly has the qualifications.

Beside Ji Qingying stood a tall, beautiful young female cultivator. Her light blue dress swayed gently in the wind, her peach blossom eyes were full of affection, her willow-leaf eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her temperament was gentle and otherworldly.