I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

Ye Qiao immediately focused her energy, saying, "I know." Of course she knew she needed to be quick, but the environment was too chaotic, making it easy to fail when drawing talismans.

Song Hansheng's wolf-hair brush was much better than hers. Ye Qiao could feel the difference between it and a high-grade spiritual weapon as soon as she held it. She blinked and asked, "This brush of yours isn't a high-grade spiritual weapon, is it?"

Song Han declared, casting a talisman with his fingertip without turning his head: "Top-grade."

The price of top-grade spiritual artifacts was so high that Ye Qiao couldn't even imagine it.

As she picked up her pen, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Rich kid, my apologies!"

No wonder Song Hansheng always looks down on people.

As she spoke, Ye Qiao used her divine sense to draw the wolf-hair brush, calmed her mind, and stared at the talisman paper. Defensive talismans were the most difficult to draw, and she had never drawn them before. In the past, her second senior brother was responsible for drawing defensive talismans and then distributing them to the others in the sect.

This was Ye Qiao's first time drawing a defensive talisman. She repeatedly recalled the common characteristics of Ming Xuan and Song Hansheng's defensive talismans. Their defenses had some similarities, but their general drawing methods were different, and the styles of the two sects were also different.

Ye Qiao, being a bit bolder, wanted to try combining the two.

Because it was the first time I tried to modify talismans, I ruined three of them in just three minutes.

Song Hansheng's initial indifference turned into a death stare. "What are you doing, Ye Qiao?"

He was hoping Ye Qiao could draw talismans faster, even though it was quite fast now. But look at any talisman master, do you ever fail to draw a single talisman?

Ye Qiao: "Forget about my success rate, just tell me how fast it is!"

Song Hansheng gave a cold laugh.

If Ye Qiao is a player who's just going to give up, then Song Hansheng is definitely a good student. Before, Yun Que's talisman drawing and array setting skills were not good, and he criticized him every day. Now Ye Qiao is even worse than Yun Que. The reason he didn't criticize him is not because he has good manners, but because there are too many demon beasts right now and he doesn't have time to spare.

Ye Qiao knew that Song Hansheng was on the verge of exploding, so she ignored him, rehearsed in her mind for a moment, and tried again. This time it went smoothly, and she successfully connected the dots in one stroke.

Song Hansheng glanced back, saw that he had successfully withdrawn the death stare, and scoffed, "I thought you had become a piece of trash like Yun Que."

In his eyes, Ye Qiao was one of the few people he considered to have decent talent.

Taking the opportunity, Ye Qiao touched his expensive wolf-hair brush a few more times and sneered back, "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

She drew one, and Song Hansheng picked it up and studied it for a while. At first, he thought it was a talisman from the Changming Sect, but upon closer inspection, Song Hansheng strangely saw the shadow of the Yueqing Sect in it.

However, the overall painting style is close to that of the Changming Sect, and the combination of the two unexpectedly appears very harmonious.

Song Hansheng frowned deeply. "You failed three times. Did you go and try something like this?"

No one in the cultivation world has ever tried to combine the two successfully. After all, in the talisman lineage, each sect's founder left behind different mental techniques and methods. Her attempt to mix the two together is a complete disrespect to the founders.

"What else?" Ye Qiao picked up the talisman she had drawn and tried it out. The defensive effect was indeed much better than a single talisman. Changming Sect focused on speed, so the talisman could be used to preemptively negate attacks, but its defensive capabilities were somewhat weaker.

The Moon Cleansing Sect's defenses are better than theirs; combining the two creates a new type of talisman.

"Has no one tried this before?" Ye Qiao encouraged him. "It works really well, you guys can give it a try too."

Song Hansheng glanced at her. "In the past, no one would disrespect the founder, nor would anyone do what you did, learning one sect's talismans and then going to learn another sect's. And you even openly combined the two."

If others saw this, they would only say it was heretical.

Ye Qiao felt embarrassed. It seemed a bit immoral to have secretly learned someone else's talisman techniques and then say such things in front of their chief disciple.

After her first success, things went much more smoothly afterward; the whole process was done in one stroke.

The speed was so fast that Song Hansheng, who had been watching intently at first, gradually became numb.

He can draw a talisman in one stroke, but in this kind of environment, it's easy to lose focus.

Moreover, Ye Qiao combined talismans from two sects, a rebellious and unorthodox approach, yet she still succeeded in one fell swoop.

"Ye Qiao." Song Hansheng, arms crossed, chuckled in exasperation, and asked, "What exactly is the level of your spiritual root?"

Ye Qiao had guessed he would ask that question, and considering the disdain and judgment others had of her spiritual root, she countered with, "A mid-grade spiritual root, do you believe it or not?"

"You're just pretending." Song Hansheng looked at her coldly. "Keep pretending."

Who among those with a superior spiritual root can draw talismans in one stroke?

It must be at least of high quality or top quality.

"Why ask if you don't believe me?" Ye Qiao rolled her eyes. With her vast knowledge, drawing wasn't that difficult for her.

When she couldn't draw anymore, she would ask Song Hansheng to take over. The two of them took turns drawing in perfect harmony. When her mind couldn't hold on any longer, she would use the pills from the Biyue Sect to replenish her spirit. After they finished drawing a dozen talisman papers, the surrounding demonic beasts were gradually eliminated.

"Let's go, let's go." Ye Qiao had been drawing non-stop, and her wrists were starting to ache. She jumped up and said, "Let's go out."

Song Hansheng stood up immediately. He didn't want to stay in this awful place for even a second longer; it was cold and dirty.

……

Vines can be seen everywhere in the secret realm.

The demon youth, wielding a sword, easily shattered the defensive and offensive formations with just two simple strikes. As several other formations he had set up crumbled in succession, Su Zhuo's face paled. "They're here."

Chu Xingzhi casually folded a tree branch and tossed it to the sword cultivators present: "Make do with this." There were no other weapons available.

The alchemists and weapon makers ran first, while the remaining disciples with some ability to resist stayed behind to buy time.

Mingxuan's formation was the last one, and he wanted to defend it one more time. The consequence of forcing this was that he coughed up blood due to the backlash.

"Mingxuan is still impressive."

"Of course, otherwise we wouldn't have let him be the last one to set up the formation."

"They've held them off for half an hour, but that's still too short. Hopefully, the alchemists and weapon cultivators can escape." There aren't many alchemists and weapon cultivators in the cultivation world to begin with, and direct disciples are even rarer. They don't want to see any of them get into trouble.

Mu Chongxi and Zhou Xingyun were together, as were Ye Qinghan and Qin Huai. The two disciples blocked one Nascent Soul cultivator, and all the talisman masters were left behind. Yun Que was forced to participate as well. She set up the formation quickly, so staying behind still had some use, which was the only consolation for the outsiders.

Mingxuan formed hand seals with his fingertips and was carried around by Zhou Xingyun. It was easy to catch them one by one, but it was a bit tricky when they were all together.

The demon youth narrowed his eyes, "Who rescued you?" As soon as he finished speaking, he slashed at Chu Xingzhi with his sword. Chu Xingzhi's breath hitched, and he was almost slit in the throat. Mu Chongxi, who was closest to him, pulled him away.

In terms of speed, the Changming Sect has the fastest reaction time.

The Sword Inquiry Sect elder broke out in a cold sweat, jumped up, and his hands trembled slightly. His disciple was almost gone.

"Next time, train them to run."

Before descending into the secret realm, the talisman cultivators had made preparations, each drawing numerous fire-controlling talismans. At this moment, all the talismans were in their storage bags. Faced with the overwhelming vines, those who reacted slowly were already bound and tightened, tightly strangled. It wasn't as if they wanted to capture their disciples, but rather to strangle them to death.

"Miaomiao." Si Miaoyan's expression suddenly changed.

Mu Chongxi used a tree branch as a sword, and sharp sword energy slashed upwards. This move was not a sword technique from the Changming Sect, but one he had recently learned through inheritance. It was about transforming material into form and using energy as a sword. The sword energy cut through the vine and snapped in two.

however.

There's no way to save it.

Mu Zhongxi was panting as he watched as pill cultivators and slow-reacting weapon cultivators were captured one after another. Even talisman cultivators were not spared, as vines seized the opportunity to grab their ankles and hang them in mid-air while they were setting up their formations.

The Changming Sect's cultivation method used to be looked down upon, with people saying that speed was useless. But in this situation, their cultivation method was definitely the fastest, and none of the four of them were touched by the vines.

But being forced into this situation by two Nascent Soul cultivators is unpleasant for anyone.

Mingxuan's breathing became somewhat rapid. Under such extreme conditions, his speed in setting up formations had increased dramatically, but he still couldn't keep up.

too slow.

It shattered in less than fifteen minutes.

"Damn it!" Chu Xingzhi was knocked to the ground by a knife, spitting out blood. "How did a Nascent Soul cultivator even get in?"

A single blow from a Nascent Soul cultivator can take half your life if you can't withstand it.

Moreover, this is a grand competition among the five sects. Seriously, anyone in the Nascent Soul stage is crazy to even be allowed to participate.

Yun Que unconsciously clenched the Origin Pearl she had secretly obtained. The spiritual energy hidden inside was very dense; it was not impossible for her to reach the Nascent Soul stage after absorbing it.

But she never expected that her unconscious action would lead to this situation.

The Demon Saintess was somewhat agitated. Ye Qiao had been knocked down by her and should be dead by now. Even if she wasn't dead, she wouldn't be able to get out. She had underestimated these righteous little lambs.

It was very difficult to deal with the three late-stage Golden Core sword cultivators and the group of talisman cultivators.

She was thankful that they had taken away their mustard bags in time.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be impossible for the five disciples of the sect to join forces and defeat two Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, the Demon Saintess moved her fingertips, causing vines to coil and climb, forming a huge net that enveloped everyone. "No one is to be taken alive. Leave the one named Yun Que alive, and deal with the others quickly so we can return and report back."

"Know."

The moment the vines blocked the exit, the surrounding sky darkened. Mu Chongxi tried to burn it with fire. The three members of the Changming Sect had fire spiritual roots, but their fire was too weak. It could only force the vines back, let alone open an exit. That was just wishful thinking.

"The exit is completely blocked." Xue Yu had also tried, but it was all in vain. Since they couldn't escape, staying together was the best option.

Zhou Xingyun and Ye Qinghan's swordsmanship was domineering, one sword was like the wind, the other like a knife, and they stood in front of each other to protect the several alchemists and artifact repairmen.

Miao Miao was deeply moved: "Waaah, if I can get out of here alive, I will definitely bring you all medicine."

Liu Yun nodded frantically, "I'll never say that you sword cultivators are poor again."

Chu Xingzhi's lips twitched: "You didn't have to say that."

It is truly rare to see the five factions joining forces for the first time.

The cultivators outside the arena couldn't help but stand up, all staring intently into the recording stone, carefully holding their breath in tension.

"At this rate, it won't be long before we're all wiped out."

The vines were constantly contracting, encircling them little by little, clearly intending to trap them all inside. The sword cultivator had no sword, the talisman cultivator had no talismans, and their spiritual energy was almost depleted. Faced with this situation, they seemed powerless no matter how you looked at it.

Shen Ziwei was the only one with a mustard seed bag, but it was also empty. All the defensive magic artifacts had been used up, and the few offensive magic artifacts that remained had also been given to the sword cultivators.

"We'll hold out for as long as we can," Shen Ziwei said, trying desperately to calm herself. "I don't know when the elders will arrive."

At this moment, everyone felt a sense of despair.

Yun Que stared at the shrinking vines, her scalp tingling. For a moment, she wanted to take out the Origin Pearl, but she suppressed the impulse. It wouldn't be too late to take it out when there was really no other way.

She has always been incredibly lucky, always managing to escape danger, and Yun Que thought this time would be no exception.

*

The lush, verdant secret realm was particularly grotesque and eerie, with vines growing wildly visible to the naked eye, which Ye Qiao and Song Hansheng could see from afar.

"Over there," Song Hansheng pointed in a direction not far away. "They should all be there."

This was the first time in Song Hansheng's life that he had ridden such a strange flying beast, and he was quite uncomfortable at first. Compared to his awkwardness, Ye Qiao seemed to be in great shape.

Even when she was being led around and jumping around, she stubbornly tamed the other party.

Ye Qiao pulled the large red bird along, trying to steady it, and kept urging it, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The entire secret realm was deathly silent, with green vines completely enveloping it, making it impossible to enter from a distance.

Ye Qiao patted the KFC chicken, making it fly over and burn a hole in it with a burst of fire: "It's your turn to perform."

This is where KFC comes in! A phoenix-shaped firework quickly burned a hole in the sky, not large, but just big enough for two people and a bird to pass through, and not easily noticed.

Seeing the cave being burned open, Ye Qiao immediately commanded the birds to fly downwards, "Quick, quick, go save them!"

The people, who were focused on their work, did not notice that a hole had appeared in the sky. The red bird shook itself in anger and finally swooped down reluctantly.

Sitting on the bird's back, Ye Qiao had a clear view of the confrontation between the group of people in mid-air. She gathered spiritual power at her fingertips and pulled the moon to full.

Three vines stretched out and continued to grow longer. Just as she was about to catch the slowest one, she aimed at the vines, had KFC breathe fire onto the arrows, held her breath, and fired all three arrows at once. The spirit arrows, wrapped in flames, shot straight towards her.

It burst through the air with unstoppable momentum.

The vines, instantly engulfed in flames, quickly retreated.

The arrows were so fast that everyone was astonished.

"Holy crap!" This exclamation came from an audience member outside the arena.

The somber atmosphere in the elders' council was heavy with silence, each one quieter than the last. Faced with this sudden turn of events, one elder abruptly stood up. "What was that?"

The elder of the Azure Water Sect felt that it looked familiar. He then clenched his fist and said, "It looks like our Miaomiao's spirit bow."

Miaomiao?

"But isn't Miaomiao right here?"

All five sects are present.

Where did those arrows in mid-air come from?

"Everyone." Just as everyone was wondering, a clear and familiar female voice rang out, "Hey hey hey, how was my move, 'Looking Northwest, Shooting the Heavenly Wolf,' cool, right?"

*

Visiting relatives, relatives coming to visit—we Shandong people have so many relatives! Waaah, I have to go to my relatives' house the day after tomorrow!