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

Meanwhile, Ye Qiao, cautiously following behind the Buddhist cultivators in the secret realm, noticed that the group was heading directly towards the inner perimeter. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. She had been in the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm for more than ten days, constantly battling wits and courage with demonic beasts and evil cultivators, and had never dared to venture into the inner perimeter.

After all, the outer perimeter was already dangerous enough; she couldn't even imagine what the inner perimeter would be like.

The Buddhist cultivators were clearly aware of this as well. The further they went in, the greater the chance of encountering a powerful demon. They gently gathered their breath, trying to completely conceal their aura, and walked with extreme caution, yet they still felt a sense of unease.

The divine child kept turning back, still not knowing what was following them.

Ye Qiao winked at the demon kings, signaling them to block the road and investigate the background of this divine son.

Immediately, a flying beast eagerly leaped down from the treetop, its sharp claws hooked, and excitedly swooped down.

Its movements were nimble, and its ambush angle from the air was excellent. A single swipe of its claw from a Nascent Soul stage demon beast would inevitably result in a bloody scene of disembowelment.

"They've arrived." The divine child uttered two words softly. The hem of his white robe, outlined with gold thread, lifted slightly. From a high vantage point, dazzling golden light enveloped the entire secret realm. A demonic beast that pounced down let out a sharp cry. The moment it was enveloped in the light, it plummeted like a kite with a broken string, falling uncontrollably to the ground and convulsing.

With a gentle tap of his fingertip, the petal disappeared into the beast's body, causing it to gradually swell and explode like fireworks without warning.

The blood mist dissipated from the air, blocked by a thin barrier. The white-robed divine son lowered his eyes, his expression indifferent, his spotless appearance revealing his true nature.

Ye Qiao gasped.

Is this a divine child of Buddhism or Taoism?

If the goddess can be this ruthless, it would be better if she were the one doing the job, really.

Just as Ye Qiao was inwardly complaining, a golden petal landed on her shoulder. Ye Qiao subconsciously flicked it lightly, and in a moment the golden petal shattered, as if gold dust had been sprinkled all over her face.

The seemingly harmless gold dust triggered the defensive talisman on her body. Her chest suddenly felt hot, and when she turned her head, her heartbeat quickened instantly.

Discovered?

Ye Qiao had never been discovered so easily before. The divine child obviously hadn't noticed anyone in the tree either. What discovered her was that golden flower.

She immediately looked down.

The young man under the tree also noticed her and looked straight at her. A slight smile appeared on his lips, seemingly gentle, but his gaze was unusually sharp, as if he was about to send her to her death.

Such bright flowers.

Ye Qiao was genuinely dazzled and looked at what he was holding.

This lotus flower gave her a very bad feeling.

It looked very similar to Miao Miao's Pure Lotus, but that blue lotus carried a gentle power of purification, while this flower made her feel that she was about to be exorcised and her soul scattered at any moment.

Her expression was strange. She was certain that she could conceal her presence even during her tribulation, but had the flower implanted itself on her? None of the other demon kings noticed, yet it pounced on her?

Why the hell?

Ye Qiao harbored resentment in her heart.

The demon kings lurking in the shadows all watched her, ready to pounce on and tear the Buddhist cultivators to pieces at her command.

Seeing this, she gave the demons a look, signaling them to calm down.

She guessed that these Buddhist cultivators had come to the secret realm for more than just her.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have rushed to the inner perimeter immediately. Ye Qiao originally wanted the demon beasts to investigate their situation, but now that she had been discovered, she might as well go herself.

As Ye Qiao's thoughts raced, a palm print suddenly slammed into the tree trunk, uprooting the entire tree. She composed herself and landed on the ground immediately.

As soon as she landed, she found that all her escape routes were blocked. Her expression remained unchanged; instead, she flashed a bright smile and greeted them, "Hi."

The young man turned his gaze, not bothering with any pleasantries, and lightly flicked the lotus flower at his fingertips, causing it to blaze with golden light.

A golden bell descended directly upon her head.

Ye Qiao tried to back away, but her back suddenly felt a burning sensation as she bumped into something. She reached out and tapped the Golden Bell Shield, attempting to shatter it with her fist, but it didn't budge. She shook her hand and made a soft "whoosh" sound, wondering what was so hard.

"You're Ye Qiao?" The divine prince coldly stared at Ye Qiao, who was imprisoned in the Golden Bell Shield, and spoke his first words to her.

Ye Qiao vehemently denied it: "You've mistaken me for someone else."

Outside the secret realm, her name is indeed Ye Qiao, but what does that have to do with her inside the secret realm?

If she doesn't admit it, can the divine child force her to admit it?

However, this person had no intention of chatting with her. The young man turned around with a gloomy expression, and his palm print suddenly condensed into a large palm that slammed down on her.

Ye Qiao was trapped inside the Golden Bell Shield with nowhere to escape.

At the same time, other Buddhist practitioners took action one after another, and countless palm prints pierced through the golden bell shield and attacked her.

Ye Qiao's expression darkened slightly. Since she couldn't dodge, she simply stopped. She raised her eyes and stared at the trajectory of more than a dozen palm prints. She decisively stepped on the ground and didn't move an inch. The bombardment-like attack caused the scene to be filled with sand and dust. Soon, the dust settled.

He was slightly taken aback.

Ye Qiao didn't even move her feet, yet she managed to withstand more than a dozen blows inside the Golden Bell Shield.

The young man's eyes darkened slightly.

Just kidding. Qin Fanfan and the sect leader of the Sword Inquiry Sect both used palm strikes to train her. She can withstand three palm strikes during tribulation and fusion stages, let alone a group of Golden Core cultivators.

Compared to the speed and power of their palm strikes, which sent Qin Fanfan flying backwards in the next second, it was nothing.

Ye Qiao reached out and subtly took out the Extrication Lock from the Chengfeng Sect, gently fastening it to her wrist. Her movements were so discreet that no one except the high-level demon kings noticed her subtle action. She casually asked, "Do we have a grudge, brother?"

She was certain, absolutely certain, that she had never even met him.

"Take him away." Seeing how easily Ye Qiao was captured, the Buddhist cultivators chuckled.

"I advise you to surrender now, Ye Qiao. Don't you understand who controls the secret realm now?"

It seems like a dead end no matter how you look at it right now.

How could she, a mere Golden Core cultivator, play with so many of them?

A Buddhist cultivator looked at her with a compassionate expression and said slowly, "Ye Qiao of the Changming Sect sealed off the secret realm first, and then made the decision to disregard the lives of other cultivators. We are ordered to take you away and imprison you."

Ye Qiao tried to stall for time: "On orders? On whose orders?"

It wasn't entirely a matter of stalling for time. She was very curious: who ordered the Buddhist and Taoist sects to come and capture them? At present, the eight major sects still had no say in anything. How could an inconspicuous Buddhist or Taoist disciple dare to enter the secret realm to capture her?

Has your brain malfunctioned?

All the Buddhist practitioners looked at her indifferently, remaining silent, clearly not intending to reveal too much information to her.

Their eyes were haughty and condescending, with a hint of a smile, their collective gazes cold as if they were looking at some dirty thing that could be crushed at will.

Even from a distance of an invincible shield, Ye Qiao could feel their collective mockery. She lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought. She didn't believe that the divine child had brought people here simply to seek revenge on Yun Que.

I am, after all, a direct disciple, and it is not up to the Buddhist or Taoist people to deal with me.

Moreover, the Buddhist monk's words implied that he was being taken away, meaning they didn't intend to kill him.

Ye Qiao found it somewhat novel; it was the first time she had ever seen someone not kill her.

The thought only lingered in her mind for a few seconds before the leading divine son approached her without warning. The string of beads wrapped around his hand suddenly snapped, and more than a dozen beads burst forth with unstoppable force, each strike potentially fatal!

Ye Qiao's heart raced, and the Guai Li Lock on her wrist suddenly reacted, tightening around her wrist and pulling her out of the Golden Bell Shield.

As a speed-type magical artifact, the Divergence Lock can move according to its own will. Ye Qiao appeared behind the Divine Child, and a dagger slid down from his palm, stabbing towards his vulnerable neck.

Her speed was already at its limit; if she struck, it would be fatal.

Ye Qiao didn't have high expectations for this move. Sure enough, just as it was about to strike, a strong golden light burst out from his body, and the huge fluctuation of spiritual energy caused the dagger in Ye Qiao's hand to be deflected more than ten meters away.

The divine child suddenly turned his head, and with lightning speed grabbed her neck, trying to break it.

Then the young man felt a sharp pain in his wrist as a powerful side whip lashed his arm, the sound of bones dislocating clearly audible.

That damned Ye Qiao.

His breathing quickened slightly from the pain, and he stared at her with a gloomy expression.

"You're supposed to be a monk, yet you're so ruthless." Ye Qiao landed quickly, clapping his hands. "Brother, what kind of Buddha do you believe in? The Victorious Fighting Buddha?"

She kept babbling on and on, but he locked Ye Qiao's wrist with perfect accuracy. Ye Qiao finally stopped babbling and turned with his force, this time blocking her punch head-on.

Ye Qiao braced herself with one hand, raised her eyes, and swept her leg across, creating a strong gust of wind that knocked him back.

The young man and she attacked at the same time, and the immense force of their collision canceled each other out. He was knocked back two steps and subconsciously frowned.

Damn dragon martial arts.

Using the opponent's force against him, he was struck by a counterattack and nearly lost his footing.

Ye Qiao was equally surprised.

This divine child actually has such high physical skills.

Most of the cultivators she encountered were useless at group spells.

This is the first one that can give and take with me.

The Buddhist cultivators simultaneously and tacitly surrounded her, forming a tight encirclement. Trapped in the middle, Ye Qiao couldn't help but ask Mu Li playfully, "Xiao Ai, am I being fawned over like a star?"

Okay, she's had a taste of what it's like to be a heartthrob.

Mu Li: "It's like catching a turtle in a jar."

The white-robed deity caught a glimpse of her nonchalant expression, and a cool smile played on his lips.

She tossed the golden lotus flower backhand, its petals swirling and deadly. While she could dodge the petals, what shocked Ye Qiao was that they could turn and relentlessly pursue her until they hit her, unless they collided with an object.

Many of the talismans on Ye Qiao's body were shattered, forcing her to repeatedly activate the Eccentric Lock to escape.

She secretly groaned.

They intended to use the Ghost King Tower to suppress them, but one of the rules inside the tower was that spiritual energy could not be used.

And her physical skills are, I can say with certainty, very strong.

But after seeing that this divine child's physique was no weaker than her own, Ye Qiao decisively abandoned the Ghost King Tower. If she really entered the Ghost King Tower, she might be the one who got ganged up on.

Who would have thought that a group of Buddhist charlatans would be skilled in physical combat?

"Did you kill Yun Que?" The young man's expression was gloomy as he stared straight at him.

Six short words rolled out of his throat, his eyes gleaming with a chilling killing intent.

Ye Qiao decisively suppressed the sword within her domain that seemed poised to be drawn, smiled, and continuously used the Gentle Breeze and the Eccentric Lock to dodge the petals, her voice low: "What? Want revenge? Are you sure you want to waste your time with me like this?"

Everyone in the secret realm is at the Golden Core stage, so fighting against him would be of no benefit whatsoever.

Ye Qiao felt that his purpose in coming here was only to deal with her; he must have other important objectives as well.

It's no wonder she underestimated Yun Que's charm; it's just that the cultivation world has always prioritized strength and profit, and it's rare to see someone risk their life for an admirer like this.

That's right, I'm talking about the Demon Emperor and his ilk.

They were all just pretending to love Yun Que.

The divine child's face was gloomy; his usually gentle and refined features were now terrifyingly cold.

Just as she was racking her brains, trying to figure out his purpose for coming, the divine son surprisingly spoke again. He looked down at Ye Qiao, who was being chased around by the Golden Lotus of Merit, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his lips. "How dare you, a mere disciple of a sect, touch Little Magpie?"

Ye Qiao: "..."

What does it mean to be merely a direct disciple of a sect?

She wasn't happy to hear that, and immediately raised her eyebrows: "What do you mean?"

"It means..." The divine child remained expressionless, paused slightly, and then his voice turned completely cold, "I want you dead!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pursuit of the Golden Lotus of Merit behind him became even more frantic. Countless petals, like sharp blades, pierced the tree, turning the lush tree into withered wood in the blink of an eye. Ye Qiao couldn't help but curse inwardly for his miscalculation.

Unexpectedly, the others were just pretending to love Yun Que.

This time, I unexpectedly ran into a true fan of Yunque.

And this flower.

What is its origin? Its destructive power is simply...unreasonable.

She could clearly sense the Golden Lotus of Merit closing in on her. Ye Qiao remained calm, retreating steadily, and chuckled, "The divine child of Buddhism and Taoism, is that it? Are you sure you want to force me?"

She could clearly sense his anger.

Especially after he admitted it, his fake smile couldn't be maintained, and he wanted to tear himself apart.

But Ye Qiao was also furious. She hated it when someone kept chasing her. The last time she felt this annoyed was when the Ghostly Secret Realm was relentlessly targeting her.

He asked, "Even if I force you, what will you do?"

The young man held a golden lotus in his hands, his expression cold and his every step filled with murderous intent. He was actually a little puzzled as to why Ye Qiao had not yet drawn her spirit sword.

But the Divine Child didn't think much of it. In a secret realm where everyone was at the Golden Core stage, what could she change even if she took out her spirit sword?

Ye Qiao dared not draw her spirit sword at this moment. Not long ago, her spirit swords had slaughtered a wave of demonic beasts. If she drew her sword, she would be the one to die.

"Actually, you're easier to deal with than I thought."

From his perspective, all he could see was Ye Qiao being forced against the tree trunk, seemingly with nowhere to retreat.

Ye Qiao's smile only widened.

He had no idea that the demon kings in the tree were already poised to bite his neck off.

Just as the demon kings were about to appear, the Golden Lotus of Merit in mid-air seemed to have finally found her weakness, and a petal unexpectedly slashed towards her wrist.

The splattered blood instantly stained the petals red.

A golden lotus appeared, floating in the air, slowly unfolding its petals. The usually serene expression of the divine child became somewhat excited.

"Kill her!!"

Ye Qiao clutched her wrist, pondering the current situation.

The flower was so incredibly lethal before, but after catching up with me, it only managed to smear some blood?

She thought she would at least lose a wrist, and she had already prepared the top-grade magical artifact in her hand.

The attack was so weak, barely even triggering the magical artifact, that Ye Qiao almost laughed. That's it? That's it?

The petals of the Golden Lotus of Merit unfolded one by one, and the young man's pale skin flushed red with excitement. He clenched his fists tightly, ready to watch Ye Qiao's death without blinking.

Just as the murderous Golden Lotus was about to end Ye Qiao's life with another petal—

The anticipated attack transformed into a gentle breeze and light rain, slowly and deliberately performing a grand and sweeping maneuver for Ye Qiao...

flowering???

The divine child's excited expression abruptly stopped: "???"