"Senior Brother Huagu…" One of the middle-aged men stared for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked the half-aged elder with a suspicious expression, "Can Saint King realm cultivators enter the Four Seasons Domain?"
"Damn it, they must be disciples from those major Sects!" Another middle-aged man suddenly clenched his teeth in resentment. "Our Evil Moon Valley barely secured a meager three slots, and even those only came after tribute of considerable resources to the Wu Hua Hall. But these major Sects… they can so carelessly squander one of their slots on a Saint King realm Disciple! It's absolutely outrageous!"
Hearing this, the half-aged elder named Huagu nodded slightly. "Junior Brother Zhou An makes a fair point. These two women are likely from some major Sect, which is why one of them is qualified to enter this place with only a Saint King realm Cultivation. Judging by her appearance, she's about to break through to the Return Void stage!"
As he spoke, Huagu couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy and bitterness.
Back when he was cultivating, it had been step by thorny step. For even a trickle of cultivation resources, he'd had to risk his life. Yet the Disciples from those major Sects enjoyed an entirely different kind of treatment.
They could casually enter a secret realm that he and his kind had to scheme and struggle just to set foot in, and then calmly advance their cultivation here.
Comparing the two, his mood soured instantly.
The middle-aged man who had spoken first — Xiong Ning — now wore a fearful expression. He hesitated and said, "Since they're from a major Sect, shouldn't we leave first? If they misunderstand our intentions, things could get ugly."
"What are you afraid of, Xiong Ning?" Zhou An shot him a sideways glance and snorted coldly. "Even if they're from some major Sect, they're only at the first level of the Dao Origin realm and the third level of the Saint King realm. So what if they misunderstand? What could they possibly do to us?"
"Who said I was afraid?" Xiong Ning flushed with embarrassment and snapped in a low voice, "I just don't want to go looking for trouble for no reason!"
"Hmph, a coward with no guts!" Zhou An snorted disdainfully, his expression dripping with contempt. He clearly thought very little of this fellow Sect member.
"That bead in the woman's hand… should be quite a fine Artifact!" Huagu suddenly murmured. His eyes were fixed greedily on the Mysterious World Bead in Liu Yan's hand.
Zhou An's eyes darted, and he whispered, "Senior Brother Huagu, you mean…?"
Xiong Ning also seemed to realize what was happening, and his expression shifted.
Huagu smiled faintly. "This place is deep underground, far from human habitation. Their strength is weak, and they're carrying a precious treasure…"
Zhou An caught on immediately and grinned. "I've long been fed up with those Sect brats, strutting around all day, acting like they own the world — just because they found themselves a powerful backer. What's so impressive about that? Senior Brother Huagu, just say the word, and I'll follow you to the end!"
"That's… that's not a good idea, is it?" Xiong Ning's legs were practically trembling, and he stammered, "If their Sect found out… not only would we be finished, but Evil Moon Valley might…"
Zhou An gave Xiong Ning a cold look. "If you're scared, then scram. Don't stand there running your mouth. But let me make one thing clear — when we get our hands on the Artifacts and source crystals, you won't get a single piece. These two women are from a major Sect, so they must be carrying plenty of good things!"
Xiong Ning gulped loudly. A trace of greed crept across his fearful face.
He was silent for a few breaths before finally clenching his teeth. "Fine! I'll stand with you two Senior Brothers!"
"Now that's more like it!" Zhou An smiled with satisfaction at his capitulation.
"You three pieces of trash!" From not far away, Liu Yan suddenly spoke up in an icy tone, her very first sentence making the three from Evil Moon Valley's eyebrows twitch. "What are you whispering about? Plotting something, are you?"
Huagu suppressed the irritation rising in his chest and forced a laugh. "The young lady misunderstands. My brothers and I merely detected an unusual energy fluctuation beneath this canyon and came to investigate. We had no idea it was the two of you causing the commotion down here. For intruding, please forgive us."
"Is that all?" Liu Yan remained as cold as frost.
"That is all," Huagu replied.
"Since you've finished your little investigation, why haven't you gotten lost yet?" Liu Yan's words were razor-sharp, making no effort whatsoever to save face. This only reinforced the trio's conviction that Liu Yan must hail from some major Sect — only such Disciples could afford to be this brazen.
A surge of anger raced toward Huagu's head, but he kept his smiling mask firmly in place. "And which Sect might the young lady belong to?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Liu Yan snorted coldly.
"There's no need to be so distant, young lady." Huagu smiled. "Though if I had to guess, your Sect must be one of only a handful. Our Evil Moon Valley has had considerable contact with those major Sects, and our relations are quite cordial. We may have intruded uninvited, but running into the two of you here could be considered fate."
He paused, then shifted his gaze to Zhang Ruoxi. "It appears this young lady is at a critical juncture, attempting a major breakthrough… This place is rich with spiritual energy, but one never knows whether any fierce demon beasts might lurk nearby. If the commotion here attracts their attention, with your current Cultivation… I'm afraid you might struggle to cope." As he spoke, he adopted an air of righteous solemnity and offered, "We may be of modest ability, but we would be happy to stand guard for the two of you!"
Zhou An nodded vigorously from the side. "That's right, that's right. We'll keep watch for you. Even if demon beasts show up, you needn't worry, young lady."
Xiong Ning said nothing, clearly of the same mind.