Chapter 178

Thanks to the assistance of several major sects, the scattered spirit foxes were finally gathered. Ning Ning traveled through the secret realms. After the task was completed and she rested for a while, it was almost time for the trial to end.

Unlike the random positions when they entered the secret realm, five exits were set up in a circular pattern for the disciples to leave easily.

The nearest exit was near the spirit fox village. Ning Ning was about to leave when she noticed that He Zhizhou was missing.

Not only him, but also Ye Zongheng of the Wanjian Sect.

These two were known as arch-enemies, and Ning Ning had a bad feeling. As she approached the exit, she nudged Pei Ji’s arm: “Junior Brother, you take Miss Qiao and the spirit fox clan out of the secret realm first. I’ll go look for Senior Brother He.”

Pei Ji frowned, seeming reluctant, but he still agreed: “Alright.”

The village was small, and Ning Ning soon found their shadows at the entrance to the woods.

However, something seemed off about them.

Ye Zongheng’s face was ashen, trembling all over, his eyes full of either fear or anger, staring daggers at He Zhizhou, as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

He Zhizhou, leaning against a tree, quickly turned his head when he heard her footsteps, showing a complex expression.

He immediately shouted, “Ning Ning, don’t come over!”

Ning Ning, not understanding their intentions, stopped in her tracks and asked, “What’s going on?”

The answer came not from He Zhizhou but from a familiar female voice behind her, sweet and deadly like poppy flowers, accompanied by a strange fragrance she had never smelled before: “What do you think?”

The woman had appeared silently. Ning Ning only turned around abruptly after hearing her voice, unexpectedly seeing a beautiful face.

It was a young girl, her eyes gleaming with a seductive charm. Now, looking at Ning Ning, her gaze was like that of a venomous snake, full of killing intent and hatred.

This girl, Ning Ning knew her.

——It turned out to be Liu Ying from Niguang Island, Miss Liu!

“I finally got this chance.”

Liu Ying smiled softly, the strange fragrance around her growing stronger. As she spoke, she exhaled warm breath close to Ning Ning’s face: “One from the Wanjian Sect, two from the Xuanxu Sect, what good luck.”

She did not go to the waterfall with the other Niguang Island disciples to fetch the “Sun Blaze Bow” because she was exhausted and bleeding.

Only when it was midnight and no one had returned did she realize they had all been tricked by Ning Ning.

“Niguang Island excels in stealth. I’ve been following you all for a long time, and I bet none of you noticed, right?”

Liu Ying raised the small knife in her hand, slowly twirling it between her fingers: “You may not know me well, but I know all about you. The three of you here probably don’t have much spiritual energy left, do you?”

The strange fragrance was likely poisonous. Ning Ning, her spiritual energy not yet recovered, felt dizzy and looked at the other two.

There was no need to say more. After shooting an arrow through the water mirror, she had little spiritual energy left and couldn’t resist. He Zhizhou, drained of all his energy by the bamboo dragonfly, was still weak today and couldn’t resist. As for Ye Zongheng, who had faced the Demon Lord directly, he had been hit hard by Qi Han and was also weak and unable to resist.

As fate would have it, the three of them fell into Liu Ying’s hands.

Ning Ning: …

Ning Ning sighed: “How did you two get caught? Why didn’t you act with everyone else and come to such a remote place alone?”

“It was Ye Zongheng, this bastard, trying to frame me!”

He Zhizhou looked aggrieved, glaring fiercely at his arch-enemy beside him.

“He said he found a treasure and brought me here to see it. Just as we arrived, he tried to knock me out from behind—then we both got poisoned.”

“What? You have the nerve to blame me!”

Ye Zongheng, thick-skinned as ever, showed no guilt for being caught in an ambush. Instead, he put on a victim’s face, angrily responding, “If it weren’t for you and her becoming enemies, I would have knocked you out and left the secret realm long ago. I wouldn’t be in this mess! It’s all your fault!”

As the two bickered, outside the secret realm, Tian Xianzi remained silent, deep in thought.

Now that the trial is about to end, the disciples have all left the secret realm and gathered here.

He held a mystic mirror, standing motionless at the secret realm exit, surrounded by elders and disciples who had passed the trial, all looking into the mirror.

“All the disciples have left, except for these four.”

Someone kindly suggested: “Why not use spiritual energy to force them out? If the secret realm closes, it will be hard for them to escape.”

“No rush, no rush. There’s still time!”

The Great Elder of the Wanjian Sect stepped forward, laughing loudly at the well-dressed man beside him: “City Lord, those in the mirror are the prized disciples of the Wanjian Sect, Xuanxu Sword Sect, and Niguang Island. It looks like a decisive battle is about to unfold. Oh, there’s our Ye Zongheng of the Wanjian Sect, about to break through the Golden Core. He will certainly perform well!”

He had just arrived and knew nothing about the situation or the grudges between those present. Seeing the four of them confronting each other, he thought a proper battle was about to start.

However, he would never have guessed that his brief words would become an unforgettable nightmare that night.

Because Ye Zongheng’s performance was indeed quite impressive.

The City Lord of Luan City glanced at his young wife beside him and smiled upon hearing this: “Really? I’ve heard much about these three sects. Today, I finally get to see for myself!”

He looked down and saw the four figures in the Mytics mirror.