Chapter 62: Sense of Security

The Tianyuan Secret Realm.

The moment she stepped inside, Chen Qingshuang sensed Ye Fan’s aura and immediately tracked him down.

"Brother Ye Fan!"

Upon catching sight of Ye Fan, she called out to him without hesitation.

Seeing this, the surrounding disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect tactfully distanced themselves, Jiang Ming included, eager to give the two of them some private space.

"Shuang'er, why aren't you with the disciples of the Cold Moon Sect?"

Ye Fan asked with some curiosity. Normally, exploring a secret realm like this was done alongside one's sect brothers, splitting up into small groups to search.

Chen Qingshuang gave him a speechless, exasperated look. "That's because I wanted to be with you!"

"I just feel much safer being with Brother Ye Fan!"

However, the moment Chen Qingshuang’s voice faded, a sneer echoed from behind them.

"Hmph, Junior Sister Qingshuang's words sound rather ridiculous."

"He is nothing more trash at the Soul Formation realm. What kind of a sense of security could he possibly give you?"

"Many disciples in our Cold Moon Sect have already reached the Half-God realm. Can't they give you a sense of security?"

"Not to mention, as your senior brother at the mid-stage Half-God realm, how am I not vastly superior to this trash?"

"Junior Sister Qingshuang, I think you'd better come with me. That is the truly safe choice!"

Chen Qingshuang turned around to see none other than Fang Tianyao of the Cold Moon Sect approaching them.

Fang Tianyao was one of the most brilliant disciples of this generation in the Cold Moon Sect.

Before Jiang Ming’s emergence, he had been the youngest Half-God powerhouse in the Central Province.

Because of Jiang Ming's appearance, however, that title had been snatched away from him.

Fang Tianyao had harbored a deep resentment over this matter ever since.

In contrast, upon sensing Ye Fan's cultivation level, he immediately adopted the haughty and conceited attitude of a true genius, completely looking down on Ye Fan.

"Senior Brother Fang, please don't talk nonsense."

"Although Brother Ye Fan's realm may be inferior to yours, he is truly formidable."

Chen Qingshuang immediately stepped forward to speak up for Ye Fan, just as she used to do when they were children.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Junior sister, it seems you've lost your mind."

"Right, this little piece of trash is the one you're betrothed to, isn't he?"

"I honestly have no idea what Master and the others were thinking. In what way are my talent and conditions not vastly superior to his?"

"Why don't you break off your engagement with him and come with me instead?"

At these words, Chen Qingshuang grew rather irritated. "Senior Brother Fang, stop talking nonsense. Brother Ye Fan and I will never be separated."

"Furthermore, I'm warning you—you had better not harbor any crooked thoughts toward him, or I will certainly never forgive you."

Chen Qingshuang knew Fang Tianyao's personality all too well. While he wasn't entirely malicious at heart, he was extremely narrow-minded.

The situation within the secret realm was complex, and she was somewhat worried that Fang Tianyao might try to harm Ye Fan.

Fang Tianyao chuckled disdainfully. "Fine. He's just trash anyway, not even worth my time to dirty my hands."

"However, Master gave explicit instructions just before we left: I am to accompany you and ensure your safety."

"This is an order from Master; you can neither refuse nor disobey it."

Hearing this, Chen Qingshuang felt extremely reluctant. She only wanted to form a two-person group with Ye Fan.

Yet, a master's command could not be defied; unwilling as she was, she had no choice but to accept.

"Brother Ye Fan, please don't take to heart what Senior Brother Fang just said."

"That's just the way he is."

"It doesn't matter, though. With me here, he wouldn't dare do anything to you."

Ye Fan nodded. He didn't really care, as long as the other party didn't genuinely provoke him.

Since it was the first time for all three of them to enter the Tianyuan Secret Realm and none of them knew where to search, they simply chose a random direction to try their luck.

Although Chen Qingshuang had never entered this place before, her status was quite unique—she was both a disciple of the Cold Moon Sect and a holy maiden of the Heavenly Sword Sect—so the information she had gathered far surpassed what Ye Fan and the others knew.

Along the way, they sensed the auras of quite a few powerful spirit beasts, and their hostility seemed particularly intense, which made Chen Qingshuang feel that something was amiss.

"Strange. According to Master and the others, while there are many spirit beasts in the Tianyuan Secret Realm, there shouldn't be this many powerful ones."

"Yet for some reason, these spirit beasts seem different from the past, and their temperaments appear extremely volatile."

In response, Ye Fan said, "After all, the Tianyuan Secret Realm only opens once every hundred years."

"A hundred years is enough for earth-shattering changes to take place here."

"The conditions upon every opening are bound to be different, so there's nothing strange about it."

Fang Tianyao sneered again from the side. "A piece of trash who understands nothing has the nerve to pontificate about the Tianyuan Secret Realm."

"If you lack the strength, keep your mouth shut. If you're scared, you can simply stay right here and wait while Junior Sister and I go explore."

Out of consideration for Chen Qingshuang, Ye Fan was unwilling to bicker with him any further.

If they were to completely fall out now, it would only make things difficult for Chen Qingshuang.

As they ventured deeper into the secret realm, the heaven and earth spiritual Qi grew increasingly dense.

Treasures of heaven and earth could already be seen everywhere here, though their ages were relatively short.

To people of their caliber, the value of these spiritual herbs was not particularly high.

Yet if these items were to appear in the Northwestern Territory, they would undoubtedly spark a frenzy of contention among numerous cultivators.

Venturing even further inward, the three of them could distinctly perceive that the auras emitted by the spirit beasts here were far more formidable than those on the outer periphery.

In this regard, it was identical to the Qishan Secret Realm—the deeper one went, the greater the danger.

However, the probability of encountering great opportunities increased correspondingly as well.

Half an hour later, the three arrived at a forest of parasol trees.

Right at the edge of the grove, they could clearly detect unusual fluctuations pulsing from within.

Faint, multicolored ripples seemed to be radiating outward; this unique aura was certainly not something ordinary spiritual treasures could possess.

That left only one explanation: an extraordinary object must be hidden in this place, instantly capturing their attention.

"Brother Ye Fan, did you feel that?"

"There seems to be something unusual hidden within this parasol grove!"

"Shall we go in and take a look?"

Chen Qingshuang turned to seek Ye Fan's opinion, completely ignoring Fang Tianyao standing right beside them.

Within the Tianyuan Secret Realm, she trusted only Ye Fan and followed only his words.

This gesture, however, immediately provoked Fang Tianyao's dissatisfaction.

"Hmph, Junior Sister, did you ask the wrong person?"

"A place like this undoubtedly holds extraordinary treasures, but mortal peril comes with them as well."

"With his level of cultivation, going in is merely marching to his death."

"How about this: let him stay behind to keep watch while Senior Brother takes you in!"

"Rest assured, whatever good items we find, Senior Brother will give them all to you!"

Yet, before Fang Tianyao's voice had even faded, Ye Fan reached out, grasped Chen Qingshuang's delicate hand, and strode directly into the parasol grove.

This sight utterly infuriated Fang Tianyao. Right before his eyes, Ye Fan actually dared to display such intimacy with Chen Qingshuang.

His expression darkened instantly, and he cursed viciously in his heart, "Little trash, since you're courting death, don't blame me for what happens next."