Yan Wuhe smiled at him and said, "I told you, they are just idiots." Huai nodded.
But these words made Nexus and Vulcan even more confused. They clearly saw Huai win the chess game, but Yan Wuhe said he won?
And Huai agreed.
Vulcan was so angry and confused he couldn't stand it. He was just too involved in the game just now . His face twisted. He was about to ask Huai why he lost.
At that moment, Nexus also wanted to know. She asked, "Citizen Huai, how did you lose the game?"
Huai looked at her, confused. Yan Wuhe also looked at her as if she was silly. Huai pointed at himself and asked, "When did I lose in chess?"
Nexus gritted her teeth and said, "But you just said you lost!"
Huai remembered those words and a soft smile appeared on his face. He said easily, "Oh, I just lost a bet to Wuhe!"
Nexus and Vulcan both looked at Wuhe for proof, and Wuhe nodded.
Nexus asked again, "Um, Citizen Huai, if it's not too private, can you explain?"
Huai looked at her and waved his hand, a little embarrassed. "No, no! It wasn't private at all."
"We just made a bet that those kids from my sect would take a bit longer to kill all the Nether Shadow Rats inside the Secret Realm!"
"But Wuhe said those rats are dumb, and the ones controlling them are even dumber, so it wouldn't take long to kill them."
Nexus asked, sounding confused, "That means you're saying that all the Nether Shadow Rats are dead?"
Vulcan quickly added, "That means they are safe now?"
Wuhe shook his head, saying "No!"
"They killed those alien creatures, but the real bad guys are still there."
Next to them, the three leaders of the Shadow God Clan looked very angry. Rogalis roared, "Impossible! There are thousands of Void Refinement level Nether Shadow Rats inside! How could your disciples kill them?"
Huai didn't say anything. He just pointed his finger towards the Secret Realm.
Everyone looked where he pointed. They saw the dark energy from the Nether Races starting to disappear into the air. The rest of it was being taken in by the Secret Realm itself.
Vulcan gulped, and even Nexus looked at Huai, confused. How could they know that all the Shadow Rats inside the Secret Realm were dead?
Rogalis and the other two Shadow God Clan leaders stared at the Secret Realm, terrified. They kept thinking, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
They never thought that the low-level sect disciples could kill their monsters inside the Secret Realm, especially with the power the gods gave them.
It seemed impossible. Nexus and Vulcan thought so too; they couldn't believe what they heard and saw.
Other sect elders from the five regions looked at the Secret Realm with sad eyes. They didn't know what happened inside. They just thought their disciples were all dead, which was why the dark energy outside was gone.
While everyone imagined different things, deep inside the Secret Realm, the Fifth Elder roared.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could those kids, who aren't even at the Soul Transformation stage, kill all the Nether Shadow Rats I sent to kill them?" His face was dark, his voice shaky, his hands trembling as he asked.
The First Elder said, "Fifth, this is a complete loss for us. We thought too little of their power."
The Second Elder spoke, "But just a moment ago, we saw the Central Region people die by their hands. We used our special power to feel their life energy disappear."
The Fourth Elder said, "Yes, but only a few hours after that, here we are now. How did they kill thousands of Nether Shadow Rats, even the strong Void Refinement ones?"
The Third Elder was now stammering a lot. He felt true fear. "We are dead, completely dead now! If, if the Young Master finds out about this, we'll die even before we fight our enemies."
The Fifth Elder shook his head again and again. "No! No one should tell the Young Master this news. He is deeply meditating right now. He will reach the peak Mahayana stage soon. Then, he will be in a better mood."
The First Elder nodded. "Why don't we act ourselves? With five of us at the Fusion Realm level, we can easily kill them. Then, even if Young Master Venus finds out, he won't be too angry."
The Second Elder said, "Yes, First Brother is right. We should act ourselves and kill those low level people who dared to kill our gifts from our gods."
The Fourth Elder looked at the others and said carefully, "But we need to be serious this time. It's not easy for them to kill thousands of Nether Shadow Rats without strong help."
The Fifth Elder said, "Maybe they used puppets that are at the Body Integration stage? Maybe more than one?"
Everyone looked at him and then nodded.
The Third Elder said again, "Yes! That's totally possible. Those at the Body Integration stage can easily kill Void Refinement level Nether Shadow Rats."
The First Elder said, "So, the mystery is solved. Get ready; we're going to war now."
Everyone got ready to search for the people who killed their Nether Shadow Rats army, without telling their Young Master Venus.
Venus was completely focused on his meditation inside a hidden cave, protected by a dark magical barrier given to him by the extraterrestrial races.
While the five elders were off grumbling and trying to figure out who took out their monster army,
Things in the mountain settlement were totally different. It was bustling with joy and a feeling of victory!
The young members of the Eternal Sect and the survivors from the five regions were all together, making a big, happy crowd.
You could see people everywhere getting ready for a huge celebration.
Some were busy chopping vegetables and stirring big pots over fires, the yummy smells filling the air.
Others were laughing and talking loudly, sharing stories and jokes.
There was music playing, and a bunch of people were dancing with big smiles on their faces, moving to the rhythm of triumph.
And then there was Mu Chen, who was basically glued to Xiao Yun's side. He was constantly doting on him, bringing him a drink, fanning him, or just saying how amazing he was.
Xiao Yun, still a bit tired from the fight, was soaking it all in, with a content smile that seemed to say he truly appreciated the attention.
The air was buzzing with relief and happiness. It felt like a giant family reunion, with everyone celebrating being alive and victorious against a terrifying enemy.
Just as everyone was enjoying their celebration in the mountain settlement, a massive, thunderous "Boom!" ripped through the air.
Five distinct attacks slammed into the powerful formation protecting them.
There were imprints of palms, sharp slashes from blades, and powerful fist marks, all hitting the formation at the same exact time.
The formation pulsed with a bright light, shining fiercely, but it didn't even move an inch. It was as solid as a mountain.
The people inside the settlement all looked up to the sky. There, they saw five mighty cultivators, each at the Fusion Realm level, attacking their protective barrier.
Bai Wei, ever calm, remarked, "So they finally decided to show up!"
Zhao Tie, with a glint in his eye, added, "Yes! I've been waiting for this moment forever."
Lan Ruo grinned widely. "New punching bags have arrived!" she declared, turning to the people from the five regions. "Look everyone, more punching bags for us!"
By now, the other cultivators in the settlement knew just how strong this formation was, and they also understood the power of the Eternal Sect disciples.
They all grinned too, looking at the foolish attackers trying to break through.
The First Elder, making his voice boom so everyone could hear, yelled, "People from the Blue Star, give up and follow our god! He will give you glory that these filthy humans can't even dream of!"
But Zhao Yue immediately shot back, "Yes, whoever wants to be a rat can betray humanity and join them! The rat keepers are here to take you!"
A wave of laughter swept through the people from the five regions. They had never laughed like this before, not with such freedom and joy.
The more they laughed, the darker the faces of the five elders became, their anger growing with each peal of laughter.
The Fifth Elder, his voice tight with rage, shouted, "How dare you! Who are you calling a 'rat keeper'? You filthy humans even killed our army?"
This time, Mu Chen scoffed. "Army? What army? They were just nasty rats! And you call us 'filthy humans'? You old fools should buy a mirror from the market; you look exactly like those filthy rats!"
This made the laughter even louder than before. The faces of the five elders twisted further in anger, becoming truly ugly.
The Third Elder suggested, "Let's destroy this barrier first. Then we'll show them who are the rats and who are the real humans."
But even with all their furious attacks and powerful energy, the protective barrier didn't even shake once.
This time, Da Zhuang spoke up, his voice carrying easily. "Didn't you eat before? Are you hungry?
Do you want some food? We have some to give out to beggars. Just ask us, maybe we'll feel sorry for you beggars and show you some kindness."
These words made the five elders even more furious. The Fourth Elder gritted his teeth and snarled, "Boy, don't just say those words inside the barrier! Come out here if you want to say it, say it to my face!"
Xiao Yun chimed in, a look of mock pity on his face. "So, you're deaf too? Did those rats eat your ears? I see, I see!" He shook his head slowly, as if truly sad for them.
The more the disciples spoke, the angrier the elders felt. But no matter what they did, they couldn't even damage a tiny part of the formation.
The Second Elder yelled in frustration, "What the hell is this?! What kind of formation is this?"
"Why can't we break this formation, even after hitting it for so long?"
They watched as the people inside the settlement calmly started eating their lunch.
Some even playfully threw bones at them, openly mocking their efforts. The elders felt an even greater rage burning in their hearts.
After lunch, Bai Wei and the others came back to watch. The five elders were still trying to break their protective barrier, but it wouldn't even budge a little.
Bai Wei felt a bit sorry for them. Someone brought eight chairs for the Eternal Sect disciples.
They sat together, watching the elders attack the formation like clowns.
The First Elder roared and threw powerful attacks, but the barrier just shone and stayed strong.
The Second Elder tried to find weak spots, but the barrier was perfect. The Third Elder punched and blasted wildly, getting nowhere.
The Fourth Elder swung a dark blade, which vanished when it hit the shield. The Fifth Elder used many tricks, but everything failed.
The disciples watched from their chairs, some eating fruit, some laughing. Da Zhuang made jokes.
Lan Ruo smiled playfully. Mu Chen cheered for the barrier. Xiao Yun smiled, feeling good. Even Zhao Yue and Lan Suyin smiled.
It was clear these powerful elders couldn't break the formation.
They looked foolish, trying and failing, while the disciples watched safely, enjoying the show.
Bai Wei said, "Don't you think we've teased them enough for the last few minutes?"
Zhao Tie grinned. "I think so too. They deserve to die now, don't they?"
Mu Chen smirked. He looked at Xiao Yun with a proud face and said, "Why don't you suggest something, Yun?"
Xiao Yun pointed to himself and asked, confused, "What should I suggest? And why am I suggesting something out of nowhere?"
Da Zhuang pleaded, "Let me go this time, please, please, please!"
Lan Ruo said, "No, I should go this time. Why don't you send me out?"
Everyone looked at Lan Ruo and Da Zhuang, then shook their heads. They couldn't send the youngest team members to fight those powerful Fusion Realm elders.
Bai Wei then suggested, "Why not this time, Zhao Yue and Lan Suyin take action?"
Lan Suyin and Zhao Yue pointed to themselves and then said, "Us? Yes, we haven't fought much in this Secret Realm yet. We'll fight!"
They both nodded at each other, agreeing. They stood up and walked to the barrier. Then, they stepped out of the barrier together.