Chapter 101: Trespassers Shall Die (Happy New Year)

“Ahem…” Kunsha coughed twice, interrupting the silent exchange between Li Xianyi and Yang Fan. Then, Kunsha spoke, “My daughter is right. Since you were able to be among the first to enter our world, you must come from distinguished backgrounds in the outside world. Would you care to tell us more about yourselves?”

As soon as Kunsha finished speaking, Yang Fan quickly replied, “There’s no problem in that. I’ll tell you, senior.” As he spoke, he shot a glance at Li Xianyi—this guy had clearly intended to sell him out just now, obviously about to reveal he was an eleventh-grade disciple.

At that moment, none of them could discern Kunsha’s true intentions. To lay all their cards on the table like this felt unsettling. Yet deceiving Kunsha was no simple feat—the man had lived far longer than any of them, and to lie to him? What a joke!

Yang Fan continued, “To be honest, our status in the outside world is neither particularly high nor low. We are all students at an academy for cultivators, which you can think of as disciples of a sect. Our academy is quite powerful, with mighty warriors overseeing it. Our entry here wasn’t necessarily because of our excellence, but because we earned some merit on the battlefield and were rewarded with the chance to explore this place first.”

Yang Fan rattled off this long explanation in one breath, while Kunsha listened, weighing the credibility of his words. There was little else he could do—these youngsters, for all their supposed cleverness, were blatantly exchanging glances, looking for all the world like a bunch of fools. But to trust them blindly? That would be foolish indeed.

“Powerful warriors? Does your sect have any at the eleventh grade?” Kunsha asked.

“Yes. Our academy’s strongest is at the eleventh grade, known as the Overlord Blade!” Yang Fan replied.

At the mention of the Overlord Blade, Yang Fan’s mind drifted back to the great battle at the ruins. Li Tian had stood alone in the void, blade in hand, his battle cry echoing as he faced three dark world eleventh grades at once, forcing them to shout his name—Overlord Blade. The memory still sent his blood racing; he’d never imagined his easygoing master was not only an eleventh grade, but such a formidable one.

Kunsha nodded, then continued, “From where did you enter our world? To be honest, our world is not large—I’ve seen all its landscapes. Now that the two worlds are linked, I’d like to visit your homeland and broaden my horizons.”

On hearing this, Yang Fan and the others were left speechless. Broaden his horizons? Who could guess what he was really after? Besides, how could they possibly know where they’d entered from? They’d hardly had time to look around before they were chased and hunted by hordes of exotic beasts, fleeing in all directions, dodging and weaving, with no idea now where the original entrance was.

Seeing their silence, Kunsha secretly signaled his daughter.

Kunli gave a slight nod to show her understanding.

Kunsha felt a quiet satisfaction—this was how to exchange glances: subtle, unobtrusive, and effective. That was true skill.

What Kunsha didn’t know was that, upon receiving her father’s signal, Kunli was inwardly exasperated. Her father could have simply transmitted his thoughts with spiritual power, but insisted on mimicking these fools with their obvious glances. She really didn’t know what to say!

Without further thought, Kunli spoke up, “What, you’re not even willing to share something so trivial? Honestly, it doesn’t matter whether you tell us or not. Our world is small enough—we’ll find the entrance sooner or later. There’s no need to hide it. We only ask to save ourselves a little trouble. If you don’t tell, it makes little difference.”

Li Xianyi hastily replied, “No, no, that’s not our intention at all. Since we’ve already answered your other questions, there’s no reason to hide something you could check for yourselves. Truthfully, we’ve simply forgotten. After entering, we were immediately chased by a swarm of exotic beasts, running for our lives without remembering the route. Now that you ask, we really can’t recall—not that we don’t want to tell you.”

Kunsha nodded, and Kunli said no more.

Before long, Kunsha ordered his people to take Yang Fan and the others to rest, instructing them to treat the guests well.

Yang Fan and his companions left, each with their own worries.

Only the father and daughter remained in the hall.

“How much of what those youngsters said do you think is credible?” Kunsha asked his daughter with a smile.

Kunli replied without hesitation, “All lies! Dozens of eleventh grades? That’s blatant exaggeration!”

Kunsha shook his head, looking at his daughter with resignation. “You, always jumping to conclusions. I’ve thought it over—judging by their behavior since arrival, most of what they said is true, including the number of powerful outsiders. The ancestral records speak of the outside world’s might, and they confirm it. Even if the numbers don’t match exactly, they can’t be far off. As for discovering another world, I think that’s true as well. But whether the two worlds are evenly matched is hard to say. They made one telling mistake: that boy said they found a world even vaster than their own. Vaster means more land, more resources, and more resources mean more strong warriors. By common sense, where there are more people, more land, and more resources, there will be greater power.”

Kunli nodded, and Kunsha continued, “As for their identities, they’re not telling the whole truth. When you asked, those two exchanging glances grew tense—their backgrounds are definitely not as simple as they claim. But it doesn’t matter. What I truly wanted to know, they didn’t lie about.”

Kunli asked, “Then what do you plan to do with them, Father?”

Kunsha fell silent for a moment before answering, “For now, treat them well—good food and drink, show them around, but only in the city, nowhere secret. Tell them what can be told—consider it an exchange. As for what comes next, I’ll think about it. To be honest, daughter, I truly yearn to see the world outside.”

After he finished speaking, Kunsha smiled to himself. Kunli, seeing her father lost in his fantasies, could only feel helpless. Her old man had truly started daydreaming!

……

Meanwhile, Earth was in turmoil. All the overseas nations had received Huaxia’s response: jointly explore the Kunlun Secret Realm, share its resources, and resist the Dark World together.

The moment the overseas nations received the news, they began summoning all cultivators below the fifth grade, recalling teams from the front lines of the ruins, and dispatching them to Huaxia.

But as planes, trains, and other vehicles filled with cultivators neared Huaxia, they were all intercepted.

A small number of Huaxia’s elite had returned from the ruins, stopping these transports at the border. Entry into Huaxia was permitted only for those below the fifth grade; all high-grade team leaders were to remain outside the borders. Any unauthorized entry would be met with death.

Foreign nations protested at once, unwilling to let their promising talents enter Huaxia unprotected.

But the authorities were firm, responding with just eight words: “Above fifth grade, those who trespass die!” No further discussion.

After a brief uproar, the foreign nations reluctantly conceded. There was no choice—things at the front were unstable, and the rear could not afford any trouble. To oppose Huaxia now, to force a confrontation, would be utter folly.