CHAPTER 543: CHAPTER 0535: DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE FIELD MYSELF?

A few days later.

The entrance to the secret realm was crowded with many immortals.

Just as Xi Yun had anticipated, Lie Xiong was indeed cunning enough to spread rumors about the secret realm at this location. The allure of an unexplored secret realm was beyond anyone’s imagination.

As long as it appears,

it will inevitably become a fiercely contested ground.

Lie Xiong summoned three allied sect forces. Among them, there were more than ten Immortal Monarchs, and countless others below their level.

Given the current situation,

he believed that the Purple Immortal Pavilion had no chance of entering the secret realm. He directly blocked them outside, making it utterly impossible for them to enter—it was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

Even if Xi Yun felt displeased, what could she do?

Couldn’t she see how many powerful individuals he had here?

If a real fight broke out, Xi Yun wouldn’t even have a chance to compete. She might even end up dead.

However, soon after,

when Xi Yun arrived with a group of powerful individuals,

Lie Xiong’s expression took a sour turn.

He hadn’t expected Xi Yun would also call for reinforcements.

Inside the secret realm,

Lin Fan broke into a radiant smile. "See? This is what you call a harvest. A lot of people have come, and they do seem strong enough."

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei were visibly excited.

It turns out Brother Lin had planned everything quite meticulously.

And, undeniably, his predictions were correct—many powerful individuals had indeed arrived.

Just as Lin Fan was so exhilarated that he didn’t know what else to say, Qin Yang abruptly remarked, "Brother Lin, what if they don’t fight after entering? What if they just look for immortal treasures?"

"Can’t you think of something positive for once?" Lin Fan replied.

Qin Yang said, "I do think of good things sometimes, but the key is we need to plan smartly. If they truly don’t fight, then we’ll be at a serious loss."

Putting other matters aside,

those treasures were obtained through exchange—even if they couldn’t use them, the items were still valuable.

If there’s no gain and everything ends up wasted, that would truly be unlucky.

Lin Fan said, "Don’t worry. Never underestimate the greed in these immortals’ hearts. Once they encounter true treasures, there’s no way they’ll resist fighting. Pretending to be peaceful won’t last long."

He firmly believed one thing:

these immortals couldn’t possibly coexist peacefully.

If they truly managed to explore in harmony, he’d be willing to bet his own head and let them kick it around like a ball.

In the worst-case scenario,

he would act as an instigator himself, initiating a series of fierce battles. But killing them was unnecessary. After all, life wasn’t easy for anyone.

For someone who had entered the secret realm, what could be worse than not finding valuable treasures, absorbing stray mana, and then being killed on top of it all? Just thinking about it felt a little excessive.

At that moment,

the masses outside the secret realm surged in, leaving only the sect leaders of the Immortal King Realm outside to wait.

Lie Xiong gave Xi Yun a thumbs-up, as if to say:

You truly are an excellent Pavilion Master.

Xi Yun remained expressionless, unwilling to waste even a single word on him.

Now, there were eight factions in total.

The Sky Demon Sect and the Purple Immortal Pavilion had each summoned three allied forces, creating a stalemate. The factions called upon by these major sects felt as though fortune had smiled upon them.

They hadn’t done anything,

yet someone had invited them to explore the secret realm together.

Immortal allies these days seemed almost too generous.

Inside the secret realm,

the Immortal Monarchs led the way, their experience granting them a keen eye. Upon entering the secret realm, they immediately sensed its extraordinary nature—it was far superior to their expectations.

The Path of Life and Death.

A stele stood upright there.

Those who had entered earlier described its significance.

"Everyone, look at the characters on this stele. They’re highly remarkable. I imagine those who left markings on it must be the strongest of the strong, perhaps ancient powerhouses."

An Immortal Monarch spoke.

He had a discerning eye and studied it carefully. Among the crowd, he was the oldest, with the most experience, having read countless ancient texts.

Thus, his words carried weight.

"Why don’t we take the stele with us?"

Another Immortal Monarch suggested.

Some thought this made sense—if it was a treasure, why not take it? No need for all the discussion.

"No, we currently don’t understand the secret realm. If an ancient powerhouse left their divine soul here and learns we took their stele, they might grow angry and expel us. That would be undesirable."

"Therefore, my suggestion is to explore the secret realm first. If there’s no danger later, we can take the stele on our way out."

This suggestion received unanimous agreement.

It sounded logical to everyone.

Lin Fan kept a close watch on their movements. The moment he witnessed this scene, he pointed at the image and exclaimed:

"Look at this! Are those even human words?"

"They actually want to take the stele too. It’s as if they can’t leave anything untouched."

Their behavior left him speechless.

He couldn’t help but commend their creativity.

Nice.

Very nice.

Judging by their greed, he knew for certain there would be battles ahead.

If things truly remained peaceful,

it would let down Lin Fan’s high expectations of them.

Soon, they passed through the Path of Life and Death.

And arrived at the previous location.

But the Immortal Tree was no longer there.

Those who had entered earlier had fought over the Immortal Tree, ultimately luring out the Vital Dragon. Apparently, the Immortal Tree had likely been devoured by the Vital Dragon.

"Everyone, with so many of us gathered here, encountering an immortal treasure would definitely spark disputes. So, how about this—the secret realm is vast enough, why don’t we split up and search individually?"

Everyone glanced at each other.

The suggestion made sense.

It was indeed logical.

The factions invited by the Sky Demon Sect and Purple Immortal Pavilion weren’t there to engage in conflict. Their goal was simple: find immortal treasures. Fighting was merely a waste of time.

"Alright, if that’s the case, we’ll head in this direction first."

The speaking elder Immortal Monarch moved swiftly, immediately choosing a path forward that promised potential treasures.

Following this,

the crowd quickly reacted and began choosing their directions.

Several Immortal Monarchs adept at deduction calculated their ideal routes, each picking a unique path without overlapping with the others.

No one could tell where their deductive methods came from.

Qin Yang asked, "Brother Lin, what do you make of the current situation?"

He had expected this group of people to embark on their exploration together, leading to earth-shattering battles. Yet, they had dispersed instead—completely out of the blue.

"It’s fine."

Lin Fan thought about it—that detail hadn’t crossed his mind before.

Their strategy was indeed clever.

If they all scattered,

then conflicts wouldn’t arise.

But later on, they’d inevitably converge again. Thinking they could outsmart him was far too naive.

When Xiang Fei saw Brother Lin’s confident smile, he only shook his head helplessly.

What a pitiful bunch.

They were bound to suffer calamity.