I, who was turned into a woman by the Jade Maiden Master, want to rebel against the Heavenly Gang.

After a short while, Yan Qingping finally came in. Qin Rufeng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yan Qingping didn't linger and quickly left the entrance to the secret realm. The black-clad man hiding in the bushes in the distance seemed to have followed her.

Could this be an assassin? Someone trying to eliminate Yan Qingping within the secret realm?

"Forget it, it's none of my business." Qin Rufeng felt that his own life was more important.

I thought Yan Qingping would be the last one, but someone else came in after her. It was a man in a yellow shirt.

What's going on? Why are so many people late?

What's even stranger is that after the man came in, he stood at the entrance to the secret realm and didn't leave.

Qin Rufeng sensed something was amiss and stared intently at the man in yellow. Remembering Yun Yishui's instructions, she tried her best to adjust her breathing, suppress her spiritual energy, and conceal her presence.

A moment later, the man in yellow opened his right hand, and golden light emanated from his palm. Then... he summoned an insect?

This insect resembles a cicada, with prominent head and horns and a golden armor all over its body.

This golden armor made the insect spread its wings and fly to the entrance of the secret realm.

After a series of buzzing and whimpering sounds, the entrance to the secret realm suddenly shrank!

As the golden beetle circled, the entrance to the secret realm shrank by one circle. The more it flew, the smaller the circle became, and the smaller the entrance to the secret realm continued to shrink.

Just then, the entrance to the secret realm suddenly expanded again. However, it quickly collapsed after a short while.

As the golden beetle flew in circles, its mouthparts opened and closed, and finally, the entrance to the secret realm completely disappeared...

Qin Rufeng was stunned.

What's going on? I didn't hear Yun Yishui say the entrance to the secret realm would disappear. The so-called closure just means it's temporarily inaccessible.

And why does it look like this golden beetle is eating the entrance to the secret realm piece by piece? Especially since the entrance just expanded a bit, as if it were struggling to survive.

Could it be that the people outside noticed the entrance was getting smaller and tried to hold it up... but they still couldn't hold it up?

If Qin Rufeng's guess is true, then we're in big trouble.

Who exactly is this man in the yellow shirt? And what is that insect in his hand?

Qin Rufeng tried his best to remain calm, keeping his breathing and heartbeat as steady as possible. He also tried to conceal his presence as much as possible.

But what surprised her even more was yet to come...

The golden beetle quickly regurgitated the entrance to the secret realm that it had swallowed, bite by bite. Then, another person walked in through the entrance.

Qin Rufeng could hardly believe her eyes. This person… she knew him.

It was none other than Han Ying of the Blood Shadow Sect, who was being tricked by Qin Rufeng at the Spirit Observation Platform on Qipan Mountain into cultivating a crane-like figure!

Qin Rufeng felt a chill run down her spine when she saw this person. She immediately held her breath, not daring to even breathe.

Fortunately, Han Ying did not notice Qin Rufeng. She exchanged a few words with the man in yellow and then walked together into the depths of the secret realm.

Although Qin Rufeng was afraid, she did not panic. She quickly analyzed the current situation...

It was obvious that Han Ying, a demonic cultivator, could not possibly enter the secret realm openly through the entrance.

Judging from the fact that the golden beetle swallowed and then spat out the entrance to the secret realm, it seems that the man in yellow used the beetle to steal the entrance and connect it to where Han Ying was, allowing her to enter the secret realm.

What are they planning to do?

Chapter 35 Battle Royale

Qin Rufeng frowned, pondering his next move.

The so-called secret realm trial was a common plot in the cultivation novels I read before transmigrating.

It's basically like... being surrounded by eighteen layers of protagonist aura. He just happened to encounter rare immortal herbs and capture a rare top-tier spirit beast.

If you encounter a fight between a snipe and a clam, you can be the fisherman and reap the benefits. If you meet a female cultivator of high status and prestige, you might have a series of unexpected and intimate exchanges.

When encountering a foolish villain again, activate the protagonist's halo to show off, slap faces, and kill those above his level to obtain countless treasures.

Qin Rufeng used to think this kind of plot was clichéd and boring, but now she finds it very exciting and longs for it. Unfortunately, in reality, she had to survive the entire secret realm trial.

That's how it was supposed to be... However, the situation has now changed drastically.

The Blood Shadow Sect's entry into the secret realm is definitely part of a conspiracy. Given their modus operandi, they would kill anyone, even if it were completely unrelated, to silence them.

If it were just like before, with the younger generation of the major sects in the Southern Ring competing in the secret realm, even if there were some casualties, it wouldn't be too outrageous.

After all, these talented young people need to live to secure a bright future; fighting to the death and destroying each other is unnecessary. Therefore, in the end, the majority should survive.

Therefore, Yun Yishui devised a strategy of persevering to the very end.

But now it seems that won't work... The Blood Shadow Sect won't leave any survivors. They might even be after people.

Qin Rufeng felt a chill run down his spine as he thought of the grudge between himself and Han Ying. He dared not even imagine the miserable fate that awaited him if he fell into the hands of that female demon.

No! We can't just sit here and wait to die! We must act immediately!

But... how should we proceed?

Qin Rufeng was pondering when she sensed a change in the spiritual energy within her body. To be precise, it wasn't within her body, but rather in the only external advantage she had gained since transmigrating—her own storage space.

"Is it a snake mushroom?" Qin Rufeng quickly took it out and discovered that it had already been refined into a physical form. His efforts of continuously channeling spiritual energy into it over the past few days had indeed paid off.

Although he couldn't feed her elixirs or soul liquids, Qin Rufeng channeled water spiritual energy into her. Water nourishes wood, so the refining of the snake mushroom was naturally much more efficient.

Qin Rufeng examined his refined items...

At first glance, this thing looks like an old vine. It's not too thick, about as thin as a wind's wrist. But it's long enough, probably over five meters.

Its tail is slender, like the tip of a root. Its head is rounded and blunt, with scales arranged in rows. Its scales are colorful and shimmering, unfolding layer by layer like blooming flowers.

There is a mouth inside the flower's heart. According to the Wood Chapter, the snake mushroom can use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique for escaping through the ground) and spew poisonous mist. It can also entangle and strangle, and even burrow into the human body to devour its internal organs.

Although everything in the cultivation world depends on cultivation level, it's not uncommon for the weak to defeat the strong and the inferior to overcome the superior. This snake mushroom is a spirit beast that specializes in stealing unorthodox methods; if used properly, it can cause even powerful opponents to suffer unexpected defeats.

The thing wrapped around Qin Rufeng's neck, feeling cool and refreshing. Rufeng used her mind to command it to wrap around her hand, and the snake mushroom immediately crawled up her shoulder and arm, very obediently.

Qin Rufeng was quite satisfied and temporarily put the snake mushroom back into her storage space. She certainly didn't believe that relying on the spirit beast she had just successfully refined would be enough to overcome this difficulty.

She knew very well that this secret realm trial had now turned into a battle royale. The participants were enemies to each other, and there was also an even bigger boss, Han Ying of the Blood Shadow Sect.

If you want to fight for a chance of survival, you can't just lie around, and going it alone is certain death.

Convincing others that demonic cultivators had entered the secret realm with malicious intent would likely be met with disbelief. In fact, they'd probably be told off before even opening their mouths.

So the only way forward now is to find the only person who might still listen to him... Yan Qingping. The problem is that Miss Yan is in dire straits herself; she doesn't even know if she's alive or dead yet.

In that case, we absolutely cannot let her die! We must seize this only chance!

When he first arrived in this world, attaching himself to a major sect was his only chance. Qin Rufeng seized it.

If one wants to cultivate the Great Dao and become a powerful being, becoming Liu Bailian's disciple is the only chance. Qin Rufeng also succeeded.

Yun Yishui is right; it seems that "almost losing one's life" will be the norm from now on. So there's no time to hesitate now; Qin Rufeng must seize this only chance to survive in the secret realm.

So she decisively left the tree where she was hiding and chased after Yan Qingping and the man in black...

They hadn't gone far when they heard the sounds of fighting ahead. Sparks flew and blades clashed in the sky.

Qin Rufeng saw the flying sword, which was most likely Yan Qingping's. The firelight... must belong to a cultivator with a fire elemental root. Yan Qingping had a metal elemental root, and fire overcomes metal—this was meant to kill her.

Qin Rufeng took another Qi Condensation Pill. Although Yun Yishui had warned him not to take it continuously, he couldn't care less now.

When they arrived at the scene, Yan Qingping's defeat was already evident. Her hair ornament had been knocked off, and her long hair was now draped over her shoulders.

Then look at the man in black

This person's appearance was nothing special, but even from a distance, one could feel waves of heat emanating from him. His eyes seemed to spew forth flames, and he held a blazing fire between his palms.

Seeing Yan Qingping's condition, another battle would be dangerous. Qin Rufeng couldn't win through a sneak attack. The surrounding vegetation had been burned to ashes, leaving no place to hide.

So I simply walked straight up to them.

Chapter 36 Single Challenge

Yan Qingping looked surprised when she saw Qin Rufeng, clearly recognizing her.

Qin Rufeng frowned, thinking to himself, "What a load of crap! I was recognized at a glance." However, Yan Qingping was clever enough not to show it.

The man in black cautiously sized up Qin Rufeng... but when he saw a spirit beast resembling a snake or vine wrapped around Rufeng's arm, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The man in black possessed a fire elemental root, while Qin Rufeng deliberately summoned the snake mushroom and concealed his water and fire elemental roots by using the clash between water and fire within his body, releasing only wood elemental energy.

She did this to mislead the enemy.

According to Yun Yishui's analysis, someone was watching when she fought Yan Qingping... If nothing unexpected happens, it should be someone else.

This person's cultivation level is no higher than Foundation Establishment, which is why he was able to enter the secret realm. However, his spiritual root attribute completely counters Yan Qingping's, which is why he dared to act as an assassin.

If Qin Rufeng were to join forces with Yan Qingping, they should be able to put up a fight, but Yan Qingping doesn't seem to be in good condition right now. Qin Rufeng will likely have to fight her one-on-one.

Water overcomes fire, so the advantage is mine. But my opponent must be at least a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose cultivation level is significantly higher than mine. Therefore, I must carefully conceal my trump card of using spiritual roots to counter fire.

Fortunately, although the disguise was ineffective against Yan Qingping, she probably didn't recognize him.

Upon seeing that Qin Rufeng possessed a wood elemental root, the man in black's attitude shifted from cautious to arrogant. He sneered, "As the saying goes, 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.' Are you, fellow Daoist, the oriole?"

"Fellow Daoist, it seems your spiritual root belongs to wood, while mine belongs to fire. And if I may be frank, you are at most at the late stage of Qi Refining, right?"

"So, if you know what's good for you, you'd better leave quickly..." The man in black stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He looked Ru Feng up and down, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "Wait! Upon closer inspection, she is indeed quite alluring."

"May I ask your name, fairy? How about becoming my concubine? Using wood to generate fire is quite helpful to my cultivation, and I certainly won't treat you unfairly."

Despite the other party's frivolous and rude behavior, Qin Rufeng felt no anger whatsoever. The more relaxed the other party became, the greater her chance of delivering a fatal blow.

So Qin Rufeng deliberately feigned panic and said tremblingly, "I... I just happened to pass by here, and I didn't see anything. I dare not disturb you, fellow Daoist, I'll take my leave."

"Hey, don't go!" The man in black waved his hand, creating a wall of fire behind Qin Rufeng. "You think you can just come and go as you please? Who do you think you are?"

"Now that you've run into me, you're not getting away! Hehehe~ I'd consider it a win if you didn't beg for mercy."

"Lu Yu, you beast!!" Although Qin Rufeng remained calm and composed, Yan Qingping beside him could no longer hold back.

She glared angrily, and then... "whoosh!" she spat out a mouthful of blood.

She knelt on one knee, her sword planted in the ground. One hand was crossed over her chest, the other raised upwards. Above her head, golden light shimmered and spiritual energy gathered... a massive greatsword gradually materialized.

However, the giant sword could not be maintained and drifted away with the wind, and Yan Qingping coughed up blood again.

The man in black laughed loudly upon seeing this, "Hehehe~ Why are you still not accepting your fate? Your parents and your own brother are all dead, you've lost your backing. What good is a good foundation? You can only be a furnace for forging swords. If you don't want to accept your fate, you'll only have one path: death."

The man in black was originally named Lu Yi Leng Yi Si Wu (IV) Jiu Qun Yu.

Yun Yishui had previously mentioned to Rufeng that among the various sects participating in the trial, there was a place called the Fire Cloud Palace. Its disciples mostly possessed fire and earth elemental roots.

This Lu Yu should be a disciple of the Fire Cloud Palace. Although he is not from the Taihua Sword Sect, he seems to know some of Yan Qingping's background, and is probably a hired assassin.

Yan Qingping was filled with grief and indignation, but her spiritual energy was exhausted and she could no longer fight.

Seeing her powerless yet defiant expression, Lu Yu's face twisted in rage. "Hehehe~ Good! I love that look on your face right now. What a stroke of luck to have two beauties fall into my hands today!"

This person is extremely arrogant, which means he's also extremely careless and relaxed. Therefore, it's time to strike!

The snake mushroom in Qin Rufeng's palm suddenly burst open, its multicolored scales exploding like a blooming flower. From its core, a black poisonous mist shot out, heading straight for Lu Yu.

However, Lu Yu's body burst into flames, instantly dispelling the poisonous mist...

All of this was within Qin Rufeng's expectations. She immediately ordered the snake mushroom to use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique) to burrow underground.

Although Lu Yu easily dispelled the poisonous fog, he also realized that the snake mushrooms would inevitably emerge from under his feet, so he did not blindly launch a counterattack but instead kept a watchful eye on his feet.

He immediately channeled his fire elemental energy, stepping on the flames to protect his lower body and ensure his safety.

This guy was quite cautious, but Qin Rufeng was not afraid at all and instead stepped forward.

"Huh? Instead of running away, you're actively approaching me?" Lu Yu seemed slightly surprised.

Qin Rufeng said coldly, "How can I take your dog's life if I don't get close to you?"

"Hahahaha~~" Lu Yu laughed so hard his voice almost distorted. "You think you're so cunning, huh?"

"You've brought about your own destruction by throwing wood into fire. But I'm not stupid; how could I not know that you, Emu Mingba Wuling, are up to no good?"

"Stop hiding it, you have dual spiritual roots, right? If you're so capable, show them off and let me have a laugh."

Dual spiritual roots...

Qin Rufeng understood why Lu Yu guessed she had dual spiritual roots. Because having more than one spiritual root would make her practically useless. She wouldn't be worth cultivating, nor would the sect send her out to participate in the secret realm tracking trial.

The fastest cultivation speed is achieved with a single, top-grade spiritual root; with two spiritual roots, it's twice as fast; and with three spiritual roots, it's three times as fast. Even someone like Qin Rufeng, who possesses all five elements, consumes five times the resources and time compared to someone with a single spiritual root.

Although a single spiritual root is easily suppressed, there is also the principle of mutual restraint among the five elements. For example, fire restrains metal, but there is also the saying that if metal is too strong and fire is too strong, metal will restrain fire in turn.