129: Chapter 129 Others may fear you, but I don't.

"Fight! Fight!"

Standing on the spiritual boat, Lin Shen hid among the crowd, watching Sect Master Liu Bingbing and Sect Master Li Yan fighting fiercely high in the sky, feeling increasingly pleased with himself.

'Fight well!'

The more fiercely they fought, the muddier the water became.

It would be best if the other three Great Sects were also dragged into it. When that kind of chaotic melee broke out, who would have the energy to investigate the cause of anyone's death?

Under Lin Shen's watchful gaze, an ice lotus bloomed beneath Sect Master Liu Bingbing's feet high in the air, snowflakes falling across the sky as a terrifying Ice Lotus Sword Intent condensed.

As this terrifying Ice Lotus Sword Intent gathered, she swung the ice sword in her hand. A terrifying eruption of extreme cold Qi exploded forth; the sword ray stretched for hundreds of zhang, tearing through the Void Realm as if it intended to freeze this entire world.

Feeling the power of Sect Master Liu Bingbing's strike, Sect Master Li Yan frowned slightly. He knew just how terrifying her Ice Lotus Sword Intent was.

Sect Master Li Yan did not dare to be careless. Raging flames erupted all over his body, and the phantom behind him burst with a dazzling red light as his palm slammed down fiercely.

A palm that could cover the heavens.

The massive palm shot rapidly toward the Ice Lotus Sword Intent. Under the terrifying flames, the Ice Lotus Sword Intent was forcibly melted and torn apart by Sect Master Li Yan.

The two fought fiercely when suddenly, Sect Master Li Yan seemed to sense something, and he quickly retreated, flying backward.

"Sect Master Liu, enough! If we keep fighting, will your Shuiyue Sect's foundations even survive? Don't let that old thief Gongsun and the others take advantage of us both in the end!"

Standing above the Lihuo Sect's spiritual boat, a giant protective shield activated. Sect Master Li Yan swept his gaze over Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu and the others, speaking to Sect Master Liu Bingbing in an annoyed tone.

After that brief exchange, the anger in his heart had mostly dissipated. Although he still hated that bitch Liu Bingbing to the core, for the sake of the big picture, calling a truce and making peace was the best choice for both sides.

Hearing Sect Master Li Yan's words, Sect Master Liu Bingbing also stopped instantly. During the fight just now, she had felt a fleeting trace of intent to kill from Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu and the others.

Although she was currently furious beyond measure, she still recognized reality. If she and Sect Master Li Yan ended up severely injuring each other, Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu and the others would definitely take advantage of the opening—she might even fall here today.

If she herself fell, how could she ever avenge Murong Qingyue or slaughter her enemies in the future?

Therefore, at this moment, calling a truce with Sect Master Li Yan and slowly investigating the truth was the optimal choice.

"Fellow Daoists, are you finished fighting?"

Seeing the two suddenly stop, Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu and the others, who had been waiting for an opportunity, could not help but feel regretful.

"Hmph, what? Have you not watched enough of a show? Or were you waiting for the two of us to injure each other so you could strike?"

Hearing Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu's words, Sect Master Liu Bingbing let out a cold snort, her gaze extremely hostile.

"How could that be? We just wanted to step in and mediate earlier. After all, as leaders of the Five Great Sects, we are all respectable figures. There is no need to slaughter each other here and make ourselves a laughingstock."

Daoist Changchun spoke with a beaming smile, completely ignoring Sect Master Liu Bingbing's hostile gaze. He continued on his own, "Handling this matter is indeed troublesome, but after all, we had an agreement beforehand: inside the Secret Realm, life and death are up to fate, and wealth is determined by heaven. Now that both Fellow Daoists have fought it out, why don't we all disperse? On this trip to the Secret Realm, it wasn't just your Shuiyue Sect that suffered heavy losses; my Qingmu Sect also lost many Prodigy Disciples."

Daoist Changchun was telling the truth.

Looking at the Qingmu Sect Disciples beside him—where over thirty Foundation Establishment Prodigies had originally entered, now only six remained—he could not help but feel a pang of heartache.

It was not just his Qingmu Sect; the other sects were in the same state. The ones with more survivors had seven or eight, while those with fewer had only one or two.

Out of the more than one hundred thirty people who had entered the Secret Realm, less than thirty people emerged in total.

"Indeed, Liu Bingbing, let this matter end here. My Shangyang Sect only has five survivors left now, yet haven't I stayed silent as well? Don't think that only Murong Qingyue's life from your Shuiyue Sect is valuable. Are the lives of my Shangyang Sect members worthless? Everyone suffered losses, so let's call it even!"

While others gave Sect Master Liu Bingbing Face, Zhao Yuanzheng, whose strength was arguably the highest among those present, gave her no Face at all.

Seeing that there was no profit to be gained now, he did not want to investigate further either. Digging too deep would only make the waters muddier, which would be extremely disadvantageous to his Shangyang Sect.

Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu remained silent on the side.

Although his Chiyun Valley had also lost more than half its forces during this Secret Realm trip, Wang Boan and Lin Shen, who possessed the most outstanding talent, had both survived, along with five or six other Prodigy Disciples. They could be considered the biggest winners this time.

"Zhao Yuanzheng, what do you mean by that?"

Hearing Zhao Yuanzheng mention Murong Qingyue, the rage that Sect Master Liu Bingbing had suppressed instantly flared up again. She stared intently at Zhao Yuanzheng, cold air bursting from her body, looking ready to attack at the slightest disagreement.

"Literally what I said!"

Facing the furious Liu Bingbing, Zhao Yuanzheng shrugged with an indifferent look on his Face. "Don't put on that Face with me. Others may fear you, but I don't! If you aren't afraid of mutual destruction or letting others take advantage of the situation, we can just duel right now. I'd like to see how much your strength has grown over the years, Liu Bingbing!"

As he finished speaking, an even more refined and extreme Sword Intent bloomed from within Zhao Yuanzheng, accompanied by an even sharper Geng Metal Qi.

Zhao Yuanzheng possessed a Metal-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root and was extremely skilled in the Dao of Slaughter. He had once relied on the sword in his hand to counter-kill multiple cultivators at the Peak Golden Core Realm who were besieging him.

It could be said that no one present possessed strength equal to Zhao Yuanzheng's, which was why he spoke with such confidence and firmness.

In this cultivation world, everything revolved around strength; the strong were revered, and the weak were mere ants.

When one possessed sufficient strength, why compromise or swallow one's grievances for others?

"You..."

Facing Zhao Yuanzheng's blunt disrespect, Sect Master Liu Bingbing gritted her teeth so hard they clicked, the fury in her heart burning ever hotter.

However, feeling the terrifying Geng Metal Qi and Sword Intent emanating from Zhao Yuanzheng, and recalling her recent conflict with Sect Master Li Yan as well as Valley Master Gongsun Buxiu and Daoist Changchun eyeing her like tigers watching their prey, she forced herself to exercise extreme restraint.

Sect Master Liu Bingbing knew very well in her heart that they had already indulged her earlier. If she remained obstinate and insisted on making a move in public, she would likely become the public enemy of everyone present.

She might not even win against Zhao Yuanzheng alone, who was stronger than her. If these people joined forces against her, she would certainly die without a chance of survival.

As the saying goes, a wise person does not fight against impossible odds. Even though her heart burned with immense anger, Sect Master Liu Bingbing forcibly swallowed this suffocating rage.

"Hmph, just you wait! Once I find out who killed my Personal Disciple Murong Qingyue, unless you protect them by their side at all times, I will make them pay in blood!"

With a cold snort, Sect Master Liu Bingbing flicked her sleeves fiercely, quickly returning to the spiritual boat. She then vanished from the area along with the Golden Core Elders and the sole surviving Disciple of the Shuiyue Sect.