192: Chapter 192 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (140)

"A bunch of idiots," Chu Shi muttered, rubbing his temples and scoffing in speechless exasperation.

He had thought that those who could enter the Temporal Secret Realm, even if they weren't top prodigies, would at least be Disciples with some brains from various Sects. He hadn't expected them to be so short-sighted.

But on second thought, his brow smoothed out.

If these people actually banded together, it would be hard for him to fish in troubled waters. The messier it was now, the more advantageous it would be for him.

"Actually, you can't entirely blame them."

Qiu Feng, who was standing nearby with his arms crossed, suddenly chimed in. He tilted his chin up with a smug "I saw through this long ago" expression, looking like a little strategist playing dumb while knowing everything:

"This Secret Realm only opens once every hundred and twenty years. Unless it happens to coincide perfectly, how could it be such a coincidence that everyone who enters is a true Prodigy?

Most of those on the field now, though they look impressive, are frankly just ordinary Core Disciples. They might pass as geniuses, but they are far from being prodigies.

"Most of them have no hope of ever becoming True Disciples in their lifetimes. Having finally stumbled upon such an opportunity, how could they let others benefit?

Naturally, they will drag down whoever they can. If no one gets it, that's still better than someone else surpassing them."

At this point, the smugness vanished from his face instantly, and he turned to Chu Shi with a flattering smile.

"If we're talking about who in this Secret Realm truly counts as a Prodigy, aside from the meager skills of us two brothers, it would only be you, Senior Brother Chu!"

Having said that, as if he had suddenly forgotten something, he scratched the back of his head and mumbled an addition:

"...Oh, and that crazy girl, Senior Sister Dong Huniu, counts as one too, I guess."

Hearing this, Chu Shi sized up Qiu Feng from head to toe, a trace of novelty in his eyes, as if he were getting to know this silly foodie for the first time.

Usually, this guy seemed simple-minded and foolish, like a brainless husky, joking around and never acting serious all day.

Who would have thought he was actually sharp as a tack inside, calculating everything so clearly? It turned out his usual foolishness was mostly an act.

He said no more, turning his gaze back to the battlefield to quietly observe the situation.

The six factions and the monkey troop were still locked in a back-and-forth struggle. Shouts of battle and roars echoed continuously, and rotten fruit piled up on the ground, with no one gaining the slightest advantage.

After watching like this for most of the day, the great sun overhead gradually began to sink.

From the corner of his eye, Chu Shi suddenly caught a flash of a red shadow in the bushes to the left. The movement was as swift as a gust of wind, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

His heart stirred, and he quickly reached out to pat the Qiu brothers beside him. Pointing his finger toward where the red shadow had vanished, he asked in a low voice:

"Look over there. Was that red shadow just now the Senior Sister Dong Huniu you mentioned?"

Hearing this, the Qiu brothers immediately fell silent and turned to look intently in the direction he pointed.

They saw only a lingering afterimage swaying amidst the dense foliage, a flash of bright red clothing as fast as a fire darting through the treetops, vanishing in an instant.

However, the two brothers, who were extremely familiar with this figure, exchanged a look and simultaneously gasped.

"It really is her!"

Qiu Yang blurted out instinctively, his voice filled with uncontrollable shock.

"This tigress actually made her way here too. Wasn't she just robbing people in the outer areas earlier?

Could she be planning the exact same thing as us?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Qiu Feng shivered in fright, almost leaping out from behind the tree.

Pouncing forward as if launched by a spring, he clamped his hand tightly over his brother's mouth, while his other hand reflexively touched his own temple.

That was where Senior Sister Dong Huniu had beaten him, leaving two large, swollen bumps; just remembering the pain made his scalp tingle.

Shrinking his neck like a strangled quail, his eyes went wide as saucers, and he hastily hissed in a low voice:

"Shh! Keep your voice down, Brother! If Senior Sister Dong hears us, we're both finished!"

Qiu Yang rolled his eyes as he was muffled, clawing at his brother's wrist and pulling downward with all his might, his face turning red from holding his breath.

After finally breaking free, he shook his wrist in annoyance and glared at his younger brother, saying displeasedly:

"What the hell are you panicking for?

We're both nearly at the Late Stage of the Copper Bone Realm now, and our strength is nothing like before. Why should we be afraid of a mere woman?

Besides, Senior Brother Chu is right here. Can she really turn the world upside down?"

Hearing this, Qiu Feng sheepishly withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head. A dry laugh squeezed past his lips, and his shoulders slumped instinctively, showing a cowardly posture engraved into his very bones:

"True... I guess I'm just traumatized from all the beatings.

Back in the Sect, didn't she use to chase us down and beat us all the time? It's become a reflex."

As he spoke, he bared his teeth, as if recalling the terror of being dominated by her fists.

Just as the two were whispering and muttering to each other, Chu Shi suddenly interrupted them with a low shout.

From start to finish, his eyes had never left the center of the battlefield. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he spoke in a calm but weighty tone:

"Alright, keep it down.

There's about to be a shift on the battlefield. Ignore her for now; she's likely just waiting to fish in troubled waters as well."

Hearing this, the Qiu brothers immediately silenced themselves and turned together to look at the chaotic battle ahead.

Sure enough, the stalemate that had dragged on for several whole days was actually showing signs of change now.

It seemed that after days of grinding down each other's forces, every team had lost members. If they continued to undermine and exhaust each other like this, let alone the golden fruit at the center, they might not even get a single whole red fruit.

A rare tacit understanding was actually reached among the leaders of the six teams.

A clear, crisp sword chime rang out as a female cultivator from the Ice and Snow Holy Land swept her longsword in a half-circle of frost. Fine ice shards exploded along the blade's edge as she took the lead to slash at the strongest monkeys charging in front.

Beside her, the young man in python robes from the Tianwu Imperial Family did not look for another opportunity to trip others up this time. With a sharp clang, the long saber at his waist unsheathed, carrying the heavy, solid force of imperial martial arts as he slashed diagonally toward the flank of the monkey troop.

The broad-faced burly man from the Great Sun Holy Land let out a roar that shook the leaves so hard they rustled down. His fists, wrapped in pale gold True Qi, met the front head-on, the force of his punches clashing against the monkeys' claws with a metallic ring.

Disciples from the Four Seasons Holy Land also wielded their swords with light and agile movements, targeting weaknesses such as the monkeys' joints and eye sockets.

Even the Loose Cultivators' team, which was usually underhanded, put away their sneak-attack tricks for now, circling to the side to pin down the rear of the monkey troop.

The soldiers clad in dark iron armor formed a small arrowhead formation, swinging their long sabers in unison and forcefully smashing open the monkeys' defensive line.

In just a few breaths' time, the previously gridlocked battle line was forcefully pushed forward by a large margin.

The monkey troop was caught completely off guard by this sudden display of unity. The strong monkeys in the front row had their fur flying from the blade strikes, shrieking in pain as they retreated repeatedly.

Squatting on a high branch, the large male monkey directing the troop scratched its head in anxiety, shrieking hoarsely to coordinate a counterattack, but it could no longer suppress the momentum of the advancing human teams.

Stepping over the squashed fruit pulp and broken branches and leaves all over the ground, the crowd pushed all the way to the innermost edge of the red fruit zone. Half a step further would bring them into the silver fruit territory, which shimmered with a gentle silver light.

The wind blew from the depths of the fruit forest, carrying an even richer aroma mixed with a faint scent of blood, drifting into everyone's noses.