You'd been coveting Ye Fan's cheat—the old man's soul fragment—for a long time. Looking back at all your previous simulations, the only reason Ye Fan always managed to escape unscathed was because of that so-called cheat.
Without it, with his reckless, brain-dead personality, he would've been killed countless times over. How else could he have kept running amok and causing trouble?
If you could seize that soul fragment for yourself—whether you destroyed it to plunder its memories and cultivation manuals, or coerced it into a deal to have it protect you—it would be an invaluable treasure beyond measure.
「"The value of Ye Fan's cheat old man is definitely on par with the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps—maybe even greater."」
「"Last time, Ye Fan only found out about the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps because that mysterious residual soul guided him. That means it knows about countless hidden opportunities and secrets..."」
「"If I want to break through to higher realms faster, what I lack most is someone to assist me—and plenty of fortuitous chances."」
In your mind, Ye Fan's cheat was already yours for the taking.
You led Liu Yue into hiding, ready to lie in wait and capture him in one fell swoop.
Under normal circumstances, someone as stubborn as Liu Yue would've never listened to you so obediently. But perhaps it was the mystery and power you'd displayed that had tamed her a little.
Women always admired strength, after all.
You began cultivating the last two steps of the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps, aiming to condense the remaining two Talisman Dao Seeds, and asked Liu Yue to keep watch for you...
She agreed without hesitation.
...
Day 1 passed. Ye Fan didn't show up.
...
Day 3 passed. Ye Fan still didn't show up.
...
By Day 5, you started to feel something was wrong. Everything was far too quiet...
...
By Day 10, you'd only managed to condense one-tenth of the Heavenly Being Talisman. The Dao Seeds for these final two steps seemed incredibly difficult to form...
...
By Day 20, you'd condensed two-tenths of the Heavenly Being Talisman.
At this point, according to the secret realm's time flow, two full days had passed in the outside world. You could sense that the Modu Secret Realm had officially opened—but the Ye Fan you'd been expecting was still nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on? Based on my previous simulations, Ye Fan should've shown up ages ago. Could it be he's giving up on the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps?"
Sun Qian's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. This was nothing like what he'd anticipated.
Had something unexpected happened?
"Or could it be that the mysterious residual soul in Ye Fan sensed the danger, leading to some accident that stopped him from coming?"
This seemed like the most plausible explanation right now.
If that was the case, then that mysterious residual soul was far more formidable than he'd thought.
「 You realized the problem must lie with Ye Fan's mysterious residual soul—and that this ambush was likely a failure. 」
「"In that case, we'll leave first. Calculating the time, the Ghost Doctor the Venerable should be arriving in Modu soon."」
You decisively abandoned the ambush plan, leading Liu Yue as you quickly fled the Ruins of the Ancients.
Now that the secret realm was officially open, many powerful cultivators from Modu had already entered. You activated your Illusionary Clone Divine Power to alter your appearance—your alter ego, "Han Li," was back in action.
「"You have such a powerful disguise ability too? You can even change your aura and face completely."」Liu Yue looked genuinely surprised. Without using her divine sense to scan you closely, she wouldn't have been able to recognize your true appearance at all.
「"Just a trivial trick."」You replied calmly, your tone oozing with unintentional arrogance.
Boom!
At that moment, your gaze suddenly froze. Among the group of cultivators up ahead, you spotted a familiar figure.
It was none other than the Elder of the Li Clan—the one who possessed the Yin-Yang Boundless Pill!
A surge of joy rose in your chest. Liu Yue, noticing the killing intent in your eyes, spoke up. 「"The Li Clan has three Sixth-Rank Transcendent Realm cultivators with them. Do you want me to make a move?"」
「"No need. They're just a bunch of worthless losers."」You declined Liu Yue's help, not wanting to waste one of her three promised favors on such trivial matters.
Whoosh!
You pulled the Mist Ghost Cloak over your shoulders, concealing your figure. Then, silently activating the You Can't See Me talent, you vanished from sight and sneaked toward the Li Clan cultivators.
"Hahaha! Who would've thought there'd be such a treasure trove of a secret realm in Modu! Elder, you've gotten your hands on so many good things this time!"
"With this Yin-Yang Boundless Pill in our grasp, the Li Clan will definitely gain another Mountains and Rivers Realm powerhouse! What a shame Li Yang was killed by that little bastard from the Sun Clan—otherwise, this pill would've been perfect for him."
"Hmph! That little bastard won't live much longer. The Venerable One is arriving soon. It's infuriating—because of our failure last time, our superiors don't trust the Li Clan anymore..."
The Li Clan Elder and his entourage were muttering among themselves, completely oblivious to the figure that had silently appeared behind them.
「"Fellow cultivators, hold on a moment. This humble one has a great fortune to bestow upon you."」
A smooth, honeyed voice—laced with the effects of Smooth Talker—suddenly echoed from behind them.
In the next instant, as if possessed by a spell, the Li Clan Elder and his men actually stopped in their tracks, completely subconsciously.
"A great fortune, delivered right to our doorstep?" The Li Clan Elder's face lit up with greed as he turned to look behind him.
What he saw was a pale, unfamiliar young man standing there, smiling faintly. In his hand, he held a glowing mirror—and with a casual flick of his wrist, he activated it.
Roar!
Two enormous dragon shadows materialized out of thin air—one of blistering flame, the other of bone-chilling ice. The dragons descended upon the Li Clan cultivators like a divine punishment, slamming into them with earth-shattering force.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The Li Clan Elder and his men were instantly reduced to a cloud of blood mist. Their storage pouches clattered to the ground—and straight into your waiting hands.
When it came to ambushing and looting, you were getting more and more skilled with practice.
「 The combination of You Can't See Me and Smooth Talker is definitely a god-tier combo for sneak attacks. 」
「"That damned ability again!"」Witnessing the entire scene, Liu Yue's mouth twitched in exasperation.
She'd finally figured it out. Even though your cultivation realm wasn't particularly high, your arsenal of underhanded tricks was deadly. Below the Heavenly Being rank, no one was safe from your ambushes.
And even Heavenly Beings could easily fall victim to your schemes if they let their guard down—something she'd learned from bitter experience.
You ignored Liu Yue's complicated gaze and began rummaging through the storage pouches. It didn't take long for you to find the Yin-Yang Boundless Pill you'd been after.
「"Wait here for me. Don't wander off. I'm just going to buy some oranges... I mean, go break through my cultivation. I'll be right back."」
You called out to Liu Yue, then, ignoring her dumbfounded expression, you darted toward a forest below and set up a talisman array to shield yourself.
"You bastard! You're making fun of me again!" Liu Yue gritted her teeth in anger. As if she didn't get the classical Chinese reference!
...
A few hours later, an overwhelming aura—one that could suppress mountains and rivers—suddenly erupted from the forest below, rising rapidly into the sky...
You'd broken through to the Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers.