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

Son of God: "..."

He discovered that what she said actually made some damn much sense.

If she can successfully obtain a demon core at the Tribulation Transcending stage, it's not impossible for her to rise to the top in one step.

Logically speaking, Buddhists and Taoists are very good at brainwashing when it comes to pyramid schemes. Outsiders call them charlatans. Chen Muchan, whose name is also the name of the Divine Child, felt more and more that Ye Qiao was more like a pyramid scheme operator than he was.

With just a few words, Ye Qiao intimidated the demon kings, who were so grateful they were willing to burn themselves for the sake of the demon race.

Ye Qiao tossed the demon core into the air. With the demon king acting as a medium to help transform the demonic energy, the faint purple demonic energy on the inner core visibly transformed into a pure white gas.

Chen Muzhen wanted to join in, so he gently pinched the Golden Lotus of Merit, signaling it to help him gather some of the spiritual energy. At the same time, his spiritual root was also subtly absorbing the nearby spiritual energy.

Ye Qiao almost laughed when she saw his actions; he really had no shame.

"Your Majesty, he's leeching off your spiritual energy," a very young demon king said, pointing at Chen Muzhen.

Ye Qiao didn't even look up. "Go and give him a whip kick."

The little demon king immediately launched a fierce attack. He had disliked the cultivator in this secret realm for a long time. How dare a Buddhist cultivator act so arrogantly in their demon beast secret realm?

Chen Muzhen moved with exceptional agility, deftly dodging the attack. A slight smile played on his lips as he gently transmitted his voice to her, "You can't possibly use all this spiritual energy by yourself. What's wrong with giving me some?"

How do you know I won't finish it?

Ye Qiao's goal is to reach the Tribulation Transcending stage within a year.

Although it may seem like wishful thinking, one should always have dreams.

Chen Muzhen had never seen such a stingy disciple. Not only was he not allowed to eat leftovers, but he was also chased away when he tried to get some spiritual energy. His face turned slightly angry. Then he realized that Ye Qiao had already circulated most of the spiritual energy freely into her body.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

What kind of speed is that?

Even if a demon core at the Tribulation Transcending stage is completely absorbed, it might take half a year for even the most talented person to fully absorb it. But at Ye Qiao's speed, it seems he can completely absorb it in a month.

Chen Muzhen had heard of her early on; she was a rare cultivator with a heavenly spiritual root. The young man curled his lips, trying to distract her, "Could you be the so-called gifted sword cultivator that my master and the others spoke of?"

Ye Qiao didn't even look up. "Can't I be a hard-working sword cultivator?"

She felt she had worked quite hard.

Although I didn't put in much effort.

"Effort is useless." To her surprise, Chen Muzhen told her bluntly, "In fact, Heaven does not reward diligence; Heaven only favors geniuses."

In road construction, qualifications are of paramount importance.

Effort is useless. If effort were useful, it would only mean that you have some talent.

Ye Qiao remained noncommittal about his theory.

Refining the demon core and then absorbing it was an extremely long process. During this time, the divine son kept trying to chat with her, and Ye Qiao guessed that he had ulterior motives and wanted to distract her. But she didn't care. At present, her spiritual root was like a parched land receiving rain, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. She didn't need to guide it at all. Her heavenly spiritual root would operate on its own.

Clearly, Chen Muzhen knew nothing about the effects of the Heavenly Spiritual Root. He was still trying to distract Ye Qiao, so the two chatted for a bit.

"What did I do to offend you? Just because I killed your goddess?"

But isn't the cultivation world usually about minding one's own business? He's just one of the fish in the Cloud Magpie Fish Pond, there's no need for him to risk his life for this.

Ye Qiao couldn't understand why they immediately started shouting and threatening to kill her.

"You don't understand." Yun Que perfectly matched his fantasy of a goddess, and Chen Muchan was somewhat lost in thought. "You are not worthy to be compared to her at all. She is different from all of you female cultivators..."

Seeing this, Ye Qiao examined his spiritual root and, finding nothing amiss, rolled up her sleeves and pinned him to the ground, giving him a good beating.

Chen Muzhen was caught off guard and was brutally beaten on the ground. He was in a lot of pain, his body curled up, his eyes were sinister, and he subconsciously wanted to fight back, but failed.

He was quickly pinned to the ground and beaten by Ye Qiao. At the same level, he had to admit one fact: he couldn't beat Ye Qiao.

The Buddhist and Taoist traditions originated from martial arts and physical techniques, so it was a great disgrace that he couldn't defeat a disciple of a sect.

"She is different from you female cultivators."

He simply stopped resisting, his pupils unfocused, lost in memories as he murmured, "When I first saw her, she was dressed in white, coming against the light."

The girl gently reached out her hand and softly called his name. At that moment, he felt that even a goddess descending from the heavens could not compare to her.

Ye Qiao lowered her fist, and then the divine child told her very seriously, "...Do you know what? She can glow."

Ye Qiao, eyes lowered and focused on stabilizing the chaotic spiritual energy within her body: "..."

She thought to herself, "Isn't something that glows a light bulb?"

And her flying sword also glows.

It's better to like a sword than a magpie; at least a sword will never betray you in this lifetime.

Ye Qiao really wanted to kick him a couple more times.

It turned out that Chen Muzhen had fallen into a phase of self-doubt again. The young man glanced at her, looking particularly lost and dejected, and his usually gentle voice lowered: "I wanted to avenge Xiaoque, but I ended up harming other fellow disciples because of my impulsive actions."

A bitter smile played on his lips, and he looked deeply pained: "It's all my fault. When Master and the others find out, they'll all be very disappointed in me..."

Ultimately, he was too impulsive.

Ye Qiao: "May Buddha forgive you."

Chen Muzan: "1"

"..."

Sometimes, Mu Li felt really helpless when facing Ye Qiao, this lunatic. What on earth were she and the Buddhist and Taoist deities talking nonsense about?

After Chen Muzhen finished speaking, he felt a bit stupid. He lowered his eyes, still feeling depressed. He hated Ye Qiao, but there was no use in hating her. In the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm, he had no way to deal with her and was even in constant danger of death. Ye Qiao was not easy to deal with. If he could not offer something of sufficient value to exchange for her, she would definitely not care about his life or death.

Then they'll throw him to the demon kings to feed the monsters...

The divine child couldn't help but shiver. Forgetting all about sentimentality, he calmly spoke, "Ye Qiao."

"Do you know what the purpose of our trip is?"

As Ye Qiao absorbed the spiritual energy within her body, she casually asked, "What is it?"

"It's you."

"To be precise, it's you guys."

"Of course. The biggest target is still you."

Ye Qiao: "Oh, I've broken some cardinal rule? Your ultimate goal is still me, after all this time?"

"My master and the others specifically instructed me that it would be best if we could capture you all in one fell swoop," Chen Muzhen blurted out the information. "But if that's not possible, then keep an eye on you, and the key is to capture you. They don't want us to take your life."

So at first, the Buddhist monks only wanted to trap her and take her away.

It was Chen Muzhan who, filled with hatred for her and a desire to avenge Yun Que, stubbornly prepared to kill her.

Ye Qiao seemed thoughtful. "And then?"

Chen Muzhen said impatiently, "Our ultimate goal is to control the situation in Changming Sect first. After all, it is the number one sect. Once we take over Changming Sect, everything will be much easier. You disciples are quite a hindrance. To ensure everything goes smoothly, he instructed me to eliminate you or imprison you temporarily. When we came to the secret realm, they should have already easily conquered the Changming Sect."

Ye Qiao: "Wait." Her gaze suddenly met his, confused: "What gives you the right to control the Changming Sect?"

"I don't know for now." He had revealed most of the information and looked at Ye Qiao, wanting to see her reaction.

Ye Qiao's reaction was quite calm. "So you mean the Changming Sect has fallen into your hands? Then arrest me too and let me go back to the Changming Sect to see for myself."

Anyway, they don't plan to kill her for the time being, so Ye Qiao is quite curious about how the Changming Sect was controlled by the Buddhist and Taoist forces.

I must say, Changming Sect is truly a wonderful place; every time I go back, there's a different surprise.

Chen Muzhen was secretly pleased. As long as Ye Qiao could use him, it meant that she wouldn't abandon him for the time being. So the young man readily agreed: "Okay."

……

Throughout the entire Changming Sect, Zhou Xingyun and Ye Qiao were absent. The three groups that had returned to the sect were all separated and taken to their courtyards, where they were guarded in shifts. Ming Xuan couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. He leaned out of the window, looking at the inner disciples outside with a half-smile.

"What? Do we have the virus? Why do we have to isolate the three of us like this?"

The Seventh Elder specifically instructed that the three of them be separated, with each person in their own room.

They used to have separate courtyards, but they were forced to live together because Qin Fanfan was an oddball. He believed that his group of disciples were estranged, and living together before the competition would allow them to cultivate their relationship in advance.

The three people are now in rooms very close together, but with the soundproofing array in place, none of them can contact each other.

Mingxuan asked the inner disciples beside him, "When did you stop watching us?"

"Are we criminals?"

The inner disciple smiled wryly, "Senior Brother Ming, please don't make things difficult for us."

The Seventh Elder temporarily assumed the role of sect leader. He was dictatorial and any disciple who was dissatisfied was either expelled from the mountain or thrown into the dungeon to reflect on their actions.

As a result, no one in the sect dared to raise any objections for a time.

Mingxuan did want to object, but the problem was that he couldn't even leave the courtyard. He relied entirely on the jade slip and Elder Zhao to contact him and find out about the outside world.

He shrugged back, feeling somewhat annoyed.

On the jade slip, Elder Zhao asked him if he knew when Ye Qiao had come out of the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm.

Mingxuan said, "I don't know. She said she has her own way of surviving and told us to come back first."

Elder Zhao seemed to be deep in thought, "Actually... if Xiao Qiao didn't come out, it wouldn't be such a bad choice."

Although the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm is dangerous, there are realm restrictions that prevent powerful beings from easily leaving the secret realm to avoid disaster. With her inside, even someone as cowardly as the Seventh Elder wouldn't dare to go in.

After all, Ye Qiao had used the concept of realm restrictions to subdue the Demon Lord's clone and the Evil God in the Ghostly Secret Realm.

The other party certainly wouldn't dare to venture into the secret realm.

As the former acting leader of the sect, Elder Zhao was approached by the Seventh Elder after the disappearance of the Han Guang Shovel.

The Seventh Elder had an exceptionally long and thin face, appearing quite ordinary. Yet, this very person could easily conceal his Nascent Soul stage cultivation for hundreds of years with just a token, all to seize control of the Changming Sect. Elder Zhao found this somewhat absurd. "You want the Han Guang Shovel? What do you need it for?"

He knew that the Han Guang shovel had been taken by Ye Qiao and the others.

As an innate spiritual weapon, the power of the Han Guang Shovel is beyond doubt.

It should now be held by Zhou Xingyun.

The Seventh Elder remained silent, merely staring at him coldly.

Elder Zhao narrowed his eyes. "Do you really want to open the Heavenly Gate? If any powerful figure from the Ascension Land were to descend, the entire cultivation world would suffer."

Elder Zhao couldn't help but feel secretly relieved that Ye Qiao and Zhou Xingyun weren't here.

No one knows for sure how many innate spiritual artifacts they used for experiments in their attempt to open up the two worlds.

"The Han Guang shovel, is it in Zhou Xingyun's hands?"

Zhou Xingyun should be on the Demon Clan's side right now, protected by many sect leaders, so it's unrealistic to expect him to get the Han Guang Shovel from him...

The Seventh Elder pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Song Hansheng of the Moon Purity Sect... he must have the Bright Moon Arrow, right?"

"If I simply seize the Moonlit Arrow, what can the Moon Cleansing Sect do?"

He is at the Integration Realm.

In the entire cultivation world, the number of cultivators at the Integration stage can be counted on one hand.

If he were to seize it directly, there would be nothing the Yueqing Sect could do about it.

Elder Zhao sneered, "If you can break the protective formation of the Moon Purity Sect, then go ahead."

"...It's just a matter of time." The Seventh Elder said unhurriedly. The sect's protective formation had been attacked day and night, and it was only a matter of time before it was broken. They used many innate spiritual artifacts as a medium to try to establish a connection with the Ascension Land.

However, there was no response.

The Seventh Elder then thought that they might lack a chosen one to sacrifice.

He initially set his sights on Yun Que and Ye Qinghan.

Later, until Yun Que was killed, the Heavenly Dao did not take any other action except for the warning of the lightning tribulation. At that moment, he hesitated. Perhaps the Heavenly Dao was preparing to change the woman of destiny.

"Then go and cause trouble for Ye Qinghan, why are you causing trouble for Xiao Qiao?" Elder Zhao still had no idea what kind of game the Seventh Elder was playing, or how many people were his accomplices.

He was also extremely flustered. Hearing what the Seventh Elder said, it seemed that he had his eye on Xiao Qiao.

"I've changed my mind." The Seventh Elder said casually, his hands behind his back. "Heaven has repeatedly bestowed blessings upon us; perhaps the so-called chosen one is actually her."

Although he also felt that Ye Qiao might not be a good match for him.

However, Ye Qinghan's physical constitution might not be as effective as Ye Qiao's sacrifice.

He wouldn't easily step into the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm. That damned Great Secret Realm's realm suppression meant that powerful beings with high realms could easily suffer a terrible defeat if they entered.

Chen Muzhen's disciple is quite talented, possessing the Golden Lotus of Merit, a sacred artifact of Buddhism and Taoism. He's now leading a large group of Buddhist cultivators into the secret realm to capture Ye Qiao. We mustn't let him down...

*

Ye Qiao had spent a full month in the secret realm. During this time, the Seventh Elder's subordinates, who had been waiting outside for a long time, never saw her show any sign of coming out. Meanwhile, some well-informed people also noticed the changes in the situation of the five sects.

"Has the Changming Sect Master been replaced? Why is he acting so erratically?"

"I don't know. Qin Fanfan has always been a cheerful and kind person, and the other elders are also quite good-tempered. Why did she suddenly change to a violent and arrogant approach?"

"In fact, as the number one sect, Changming Sect should have shown some of the characteristics of a number one sect long ago."

"Yes, that's the number one sect. Back when the Sword Inquiry Sect was number one, how arrogant were they? The other four sects were suppressed, and even their inner and outer disciples were inferior to other sects when they went down the mountain."

It's no joke that the disciples of the Sword Inquiry Sect were superior from the start; now it's the Changming Sect's turn to strike hard.

A group of fans of the Changming Sect outside the sect found a good reason for their arrogant and domineering behavior and talked about it with great relish. However, what they did not know was that the inner and outer disciples of the Changming Sect did not have an easy life either. Their actions were all assigned by the elders, and it was not that they wanted to act arrogantly and domineeringly.

The other four sects that were oppressed by Changming Sect also understood, after all, the acting sect leader of Changming Sect not only put pressure on his own sect's disciples, but also on the other sects.

This led to an unprecedented harmony among the inner and outer disciples of the five sects, who would immediately start complaining to each other whenever they met.

It is worth mentioning that when Ye Qinghan came out of the Demon Realm, his cultivation level had reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage. As the chief disciple, he was ordered by the Sword Inquiry Sect to go down the mountain to enforce the law.

The elders of the Sword Inquiry Sect euphemistically put it that they wanted him to guard the city at the foot of the mountain and be wary of any unscrupulous people.

The so-called wicked person...

The onlookers in the cultivation world pondered for a while, but couldn't figure out who this veiled reference was referring to.

But that didn't stop them from having a passionate discussion about Ye Qinghan, the top male figure in the cultivation world.

"Ye Qinghan is so handsome. I was stunned when he was dressed in white and holding a sword to enforce the law."

"The Sword Inquiry Sect's robes are impeccable; the young man in white looks so good!! *slight inhalation*. A pretty widow in white…hehe…"

In just a few months, under the overwhelming pressure of a group of powerful sword cultivators, the boy's progress was remarkable, progressing by leaps and bounds every day. If Ye Qiao knew this, she would be green with envy.

*