Third waterfall

Chen Yuan's figure wove through the dense forest when he suddenly furrowed his brows, sensing a sharp presence, like the gleam of a sword, rapidly approaching from behind.

Activating the Thousand Illusion Stealth Technique under his feet, Chen Yuan vanished from his spot in an instant, blending into the world. When he reappeared, he was perched on a tree to the right, hidden by thick leaves, his eyes sharp as a hawk's as he vigilantly surveyed the person who had followed him.

Before long, a streak of light arrived from afar, landing where Chen Yuan had previously vanished.

Xu Nuo's willow-leaf brows arched slightly. How had Chen Yuan's aura disappeared?

Suddenly, she felt a chill on her neck, and her pupils constricted. She didn't know when, but a long sword was already pressed against her throat.

"Tracking me?" Chen Yuan's cold voice rang out.

Xu Nuo mentally recited a mantra, and her figure vanished, reappearing behind Chen Yuan, where she launched a punch at his back.

An ordinary Cultivator would likely be unable to withstand this punch or even react in time, but to Chen Yuan, it was still too slow.

He reacted swiftly, dodging to the side with ease, then reached back to grab Xu Nuo's attacking wrist, neutralizing all the force behind her blow.

Xu Nuo felt as if her hand had been locked in an iron pincer, unable to break free.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, a sneak attack is hardly the act of a gentleman." Chen Yuan's indifferent voice sounded.

Xu Nuo remained expressionless and retorted, "But I am a woman, am I not?"

Chen Yuan was stunned; the statement seemed flawless.

"Then tell me, why are you following me?" Chen Yuan stared intensely into her eyes. "Are you planning to take me to the Kunxu Holy Land to claim credit? Or something else?"

Xu Nuo remained the same, her amber eyes still devoid of expression.

"I'm not that bored. I came to find you simply because I want to explore the Secret Realm with you."

Chen Yuan's expression was indifferent. "Reason?"

"Your strength." Xu Nuo's voice was calm. "Being able to kill a genuine Great Cultivator while at the Late Stage of the True Monarch realm, especially a Prodigy from the Kunxu Holy Land, is enough to prove your worth. The Secret Realm is exceptionally dangerous, and I need a teammate like you."

Chen Yuan's eyes seemed to see through everything as he sneered, "Heh, then why don't you team up with the Disciples from your own Sect?"

Xu Nuo pressed her lips together and replied, "I have no friends!"

She was telling the truth. Due to her personality and her formidable talent, aside from her former Senior Sister, she had absolutely no friends within the Sect.

Huh?

Chen Yuan was taken aback, and the conspiracy theories that had arisen in his mind were all blown away as if by a gust of wind.

He looked Xu Nuo up and down. With such a cold personality and a poker face, Chen Yuan actually believed that such a person would have no friends.

"I have already offended the Kunxu Holy Land. If you follow me, you will only implicate the Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion behind you."

"It doesn't matter. My Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion is also a First-Grade power; we don't fear the Kunxu Holy Land at all. Besides..." She shifted her tone. "You also come from a First-Grade power, don't you?"

A look of vigilance appeared on Chen Yuan's face. "How did you figure that out?"

"So it really is a First-Grade power?" The corners of Xu Nuo's mouth lifted slightly. "I guessed."

This smile dispelled much of her aloofness.

Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. Damn it, in this moment, he deeply understood what it meant to be too clever for one's own good.

"I come from the Xuantian Sect."

"What a coincidence. The Xuantian Sect and my Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion have always had excellent relations."

"Not a coincidence. I don't need you as a burden!"

Chen Yuan's words were merciless.

He had originally intended to use them when he formed a temporary team with them earlier, but things had been disrupted later on.

During the previous crisis, Xu Nuo had tried to intervene several times, which he had seen clearly. Since he couldn't use her, there was no need to team up again.

Her amber eyes gazed at him, devoid of anger or the embarrassment of being rejected; there was only stillness.

"I am not a burden." Her voice remained flat, with no discernible emotional fluctuation. "I can keep up with your speed and detect your stealth. That punch just now, had it been against an ordinary Late Stage True Monarch, they would have already been severely injured."

"So?" Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, his grip on her wrist not loosening. "Proving you aren't the worst one? That's not enough."

"I know of a secret path to the core area of the Secret Realm that even the people from the Kunxu Holy Land don't know about," Xu Nuo suddenly said.

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered imperceptibly.

"Empty words are no proof." His tone softened slightly, but his vigilance did not wane.

"I can tell you the first half of the route first. After passing the 'Ghost Corpse Tide', there is a three-tiered waterfall. Ordinary people only know of two layers, but the third layer is hidden behind the water curtain, and behind that is an ancient path leading to the core area."

Xu Nuo spoke at a steady pace, her words clear and distinct.

This intelligence had been left behind by her Senior Sister from the previous generation, who had even drawn a partial map for her. The swamp they had passed through earlier was actually recorded on that map.

"Does this information suffice to trade for a spot as a temporary teammate? After passing the Ghost Corpse Tide, if you still feel I am a burden, or if the information is false, you can leave at any time, and I will never pester you."

The information she provided was very specific and did not seem fabricated on the spot.

Chen Yuan stared into her eyes, seemingly trying to discern some clues from that amber gaze.

The Heavenly Treasure Secret Realm was so vast that even after opening a dozen times, no one had been able to draw a complete map.

Those that existed were only defective products, and most were fake.

Chen Yuan also had one in his possession, given to him by his Revered Master. It was a mix of truth and lies; Leng Youmeng had never entered the Secret Realm herself and had only given Chen Yuan a relatively reliable map of the second layer of the Secret Realm that had been verified by some Disciples who had entered before.

At this moment, Xu Nuo met his gaze calmly, her expression blank.

Silence spread between the two, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the leaves in the forest.

A moment later, Chen Yuan flicked his wrist, releasing his grip on her, and simultaneously withdrew his sword silently.

"Lead the way." He spat out the two words, concise and to the point. "If there is even a hint of anything wrong, my sword will not stop again."

Xu Nuo flexed her slightly numb wrist, where a clear red mark had been left behind.

She said nothing, merely nodded, then turned and dashed off in one direction, her movement technique light as smoke and extremely fast.

Chen Yuan flickered and followed, maintaining a distance of about three zhang from her, allowing him to observe her movements at any time and react immediately should any unexpected events occur.

The two of them sped one after the other through the dense, ancient forest.

Xu Nuo produced a map that had been gifted to her by her Senior Sister, which depicted the location of the Secret Realm.

Flying along the way, she followed the locations marked on the map, and every direction she chose allowed them to avoid the lairs of powerful Yao Beasts with extremely high efficiency.

Along the way, Chen Yuan observed with a cold gaze.

He discovered that this woman not only possessed a superb movement technique but also had exceptionally sharp spiritual perception, avoiding potential dangers ahead of time on several occasions, with a reaction speed that was not even inferior to his own.

Her strength was indeed far beyond those of her same rank, and she had even touched the threshold of a Great Cultivator.

After speeding for about half an hour, the trees ahead gradually thinned out, and the air began to fill with damp water vapor, with a faint, rumbling sound of water approaching.

"Ahead is the Ghost Corpse Tide." Xu Nuo's voice cut through the sound of the water, still cold and aloof. "At the bottom of the ravine, there is a soul-confusing miasma that can erode Divine Sense, and there are Tier 5 Yao Beasts known as Ghost Corpse Yao Bats in the ravine."

Chen Yuan gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

Soon, a massive rift valley appeared before them, a hundred zhang wide and bottomless.

Rushing water roared at the bottom, and the rising water vapor formed a grey-white mist.