"So strong… This fluctuation is terrifying. At least mid Nascent Soul cultivators are fighting, and it isn't just one." Granny Hua's voice was heavy with the weight of the realization. A flash of shock crossed her eyes, her pupils narrowing as she felt the distant shockwaves ripple through the very ground they stood on.
A Nascent Soul level melee on this scale was extremely rare inside a secret realm, where most sought to avoid such high-stakes confrontations. Something earth-shaking had definitely happened to trigger such a violent outburst of power. It could be, for example, a battle over a heaven-defying treasure that had finally surfaced.
"This commotion… Did someone uncover some unbelievable inheritance or hidden trove?" Xue Shouren licked his lips, the motion sharp and predatory. Greed flickered in his eyes like a dying ember, but caution weighed heavier in his mind.
A Nascent Soul battle wasn't something he could safely jump into without a death wish. One wrong step and it would be death with no chance of rebirth, his soul extinguished by the stray aftershocks of superior powers. All the Hehuan Sect disciples, including the injured ones, felt that heart-stopping pressure. Fear and unease spread across their faces, their skin turning ashen under the spiritual weight.
The words at Yu Xiaotang's lips were swallowed back instantly, her planned orders forgotten. Her expression turned grim, her jaw tightening as she watched the data stream across her vision. On the system panel, the red glow marking the battle zone was expanding nonstop. The energy level kept climbing, which made it clear the fight was escalating into something far more dangerous. And from the system's analysis, there were traces of the Northern Ice Palace, Xuantian Sect, and even Ten Thousand Beast involved in the chaos.
"Why are they fighting each other?" Yu Xiaotang ground her teeth, the sound audible in the sudden hush. Judging from the scale of the energy readings, this was far beyond her expectations. It probably wasn't just a fight over treasure; it could easily evolve into open sect warfare that would consume everything in its path. Her heart sank hard, a cold knot forming in her stomach.
A Nascent Soul melee had an enormous impact radius that could devastate the landscape for miles. They were over three hundred li away, which sounded far to the lower-level disciples, but for Nascent Soul cultivators, that distance could be crossed in an instant. If any Nascent Soul old monster went berserk, or fled after losing their path, the fallout could easily reach them here. The Yin Soul Wood Forest was no longer a viable hiding spot. They couldn't stay here any longer. It was far too dangerous to remain in the path of such destruction.
No matter how precious the Soul Nurturing Wood Core was, it wasn't worth more than their lives. What is more, a Nascent Soul melee of this scale meant massive variables and massive opportunities were being generated. If handled properly, it might be possible to fish in troubled waters once the giants had exhausted themselves.
In a split second, Yu Xiaotang made her decision, her mind snapping into a new tactical alignment. "Withdraw immediately. Head south. Full speed into the Lost Trace Rift Valley." Her voice was cold and urgent, carrying unquestionable authority that brooked no debate. "Abandon all objectives here. A Nascent Soul melee is no small matter. This place has become a death zone. Move."
Granny Hua and Xue Shouren snapped out of their shock at once, their hearts tightening as they realized the proximity of the threat. The Young Sect Master was right. No treasure mattered if they didn't live to use it. They had been tempted to get involved too, but if their disciples got swept into a Nascent Soul battlefield, they wouldn't even know how they died before their bodies were reduced to ash.
"Yes. Everyone listen up. Withdraw immediately. Follow the Young Sect Master!" Granny Hua shouted sharply, her voice amplified by her cultivation to reach every ear.
The Hehuan Sect members hesitated no longer, the instinct for survival overriding their exhaustion. They didn't even bother thoroughly cleaning the battlefield of the recent struggle. One after another, they activated escape techniques and fled desperately toward the Lost Trace Rift Valley in the south, their speed several times faster than before as they pushed their spiritual bases to the limit.
As for the Soul Nurturing Wood Core that had been within arm's reach, no one spared it another thought. Under the shadow of a Nascent Soul melee, everything else seemed trivial and small.
Yu Xiaotang sped forward while keeping her eyes locked on the northwest battle through the system interface. Thoughts raced through her mind as she tracked the shifting energy markers. She wanted them to fight. They should fight harder, for the more brutal the confrontation, the better for her. Ideally, both sides would cripple each other. When they're exhausted, that might be when she could step in to claim the spoils.
Yet a trace of doubt rose in her heart as she ran. Wasn't the timing of this Nascent Soul battle a little too perfect? It happened right as she was about to obtain the Soul Nurturing Wood Core, right after she had been blocked by the demon bat and left unwilling to give up. Was it coincidence, or had something unknown changed behind the scenes of this secret realm?
The truth, however, was simpler and crueler than she imagined. She was simply unlucky. Or rather, her group had just happened to run into someone else's carefully chosen battlefield without realizing they were in the line of fire.
Time rewound slightly to the events unfolding three hundred li to the northwest. A group from the Northern Ice Palace, led by Ling Chuan, was advancing cautiously into the depths of the secret realm under the protection of the Nascent Soul elder Han Ji Zhēnjūn. They had just acquired the Star Core Origin Essence, a prize of immense value. Carrying such a treasure meant courting disaster, so every step they took was careful and measured.
However, news of their gain had already been spread by the machinations of Yingsha. Xuantian Sect, Ten Thousand Beast, and several wandering Nascent Soul loose cultivators had caught wind of it. Like sharks drawn to blood in the water, multiple factions began searching and intercepting them across the vast secret realm.
After several days of pursuit and probing, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator from Xuantian Sect, Duan Shuang Zhēnjūn, was the first to locate the Northern Ice Palace team. A clash erupted immediately as sword qi sliced through the atmosphere. Han Ji Zhēnjūn's cultivation was deep, and the Northern Ice Palace disciples coordinated seamlessly, so Xuantian Sect couldn't gain the upper hand right away.
The battle's fluctuations soon attracted Xuan Yao Zhēnjūn from Ten Thousand Beast and an old poison expert known as the Five Poison Fiend. The situation instantly grew complicated, turning into a chaotic multi-sided brawl that threatened to tear the local space apart.
Everyone wanted the Star Core Origin Essence, yet everyone feared each other. No one dared go all out, afraid of paving the road for someone else to seize the prize. The fight bogged down into a deadlock of wary strikes and defensive maneuvers.
Duan Shuang Zhēnjūn fought while retreating, subtly guiding the battlefield toward the southeast. Why the southeast? Because according to ancient records held by Xuantian Sect, the southeast lay at the boundary between the Yin Soul Wood Forest and Dragon Burial Abyss. That area had complex terrain, perfect for ambushes and shaking off pursuit. More importantly, several ferocious Nascent Soul level beasts were entrenched there. Among them were a long-slumbering Three-Headed Yin Python and a swarm of Gold Devouring Ants.
Duan Shuang Zhēnjūn's scheme was precise. He intended to drag the battle into that region and use the terrain and powerful beasts to muddy the waters. Ideally, those Nascent Soul beasts would be stirred up and drawn into the fight. Once that happened, chaos would spiral out of control. Xuantian Sect could profit amid the turmoil, maybe even severely wound or wipe out the Northern Ice Palace group and seize the treasure in the confusion.
Han Ji Zhēnjūn and Xuan Yao Zhēnjūn were veterans of many wars. They immediately sensed the plan, but they were entangled by their opponents and couldn't break free in time. They were forced to move southeast as the battle's aftershocks spread uncontrollably across the land.
And the Yin Soul Wood Forest where Yu Xiaotang's group was located just happened to sit at the edge of this so-called ideal battlefield. It was even one of the unavoidable paths for the retreating combatants.
So it wasn't Yu Xiaotang's actions that had drawn the disaster. It was this Nascent Soul melee, ignited by the struggle over the Star Core Origin Essence and deliberately steered by Xuantian Sect, whose spreading flames just happened to cover her position. She was an innocent bystander struck by calamity.
To make matters worse, the earlier fight with the Soul Devouring Demon Bat hadn't caused a massive disturbance, but to Nascent Soul cultivators with razor-sharp perception, it's like a firefly glowing in the dark. Especially on the edge of a deliberately guided war zone, even the slightest movement could draw the attention of blood-drunk Nascent Soul monsters looking for an advantage. If one of them got carried away, or decided to bully a weaker target and casually tossed out a wide-range attack in this direction, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yu Xiaotang could monitor the battle through the system, but she couldn't fully grasp every faction's deeper schemes or battlefield choices. All she could judge was that the danger level was extreme, and she had to get away immediately.
"Faster. Move faster!" Yu Xiaotang urged sharply as the team pushed their escape speed to the limit, fleeing toward the Lost Trace Rift Valley like startled birds in the shadow of a hawk.
The frustration and fury in her chest were impossible to put into words, a hot pressure that burned behind her ribs. The Soul Nurturing Wood Core had been right there, almost in her hands, yet she had been forced to abandon it because of this absurd Nascent Soul melee. And she even had to flee in disgrace from a fight that wasn't hers.
"Damn it. Which bastards are fighting?" she snarled through clenched teeth, carving this grievance deep into her heart. When her strength was sufficient, she would make every last one of those people who had ruined her plans pay the price.