The sky was brightening.

Morning light filtered through the dense canopy, spilling into the deserted village.

The campfire from last night had already turned into ashes, and Zhang Yuan, seated cross-legged before the fire pit, opened his eyes and reached out for a piece of dry firewood, channeling True Essence into it.

Crack!

The firewood could not withstand it, immediately splitting into pieces and bursting into flames.

The Primordial Celestial Spirit True Method practiced by Zhang Yuan belonged to the Qianyang Technique category, extremely rigid, yang, and fierce. Using True Essence to ignite fire was just a minor trick.

He casually tossed the burning wood into the pile of ashes in front of him and added a few more branches.

He set up a new campfire.

Su Jingyao, sitting opposite him, also returned to her senses from her meditative state.

The two exchanged smiles.

Zhang Yuan boiled a pot of water and added half an ounce of tea leaves he had brought.

The fragrance of tea lingered as they used it along with dry rations to serve as breakfast.

After eating and drinking to their fill, Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao discussed their plans, preparing to leave the deserted village camp together.

They intended to explore the surrounding area.

In the Secret Realm, eerie creatures and monsters often gathered near the deserted village and city, making it a common tactic to set the village as a base for hunting expeditions in all directions.

However, this method was not always foolproof.

If there were not many deceitful monsters in the surrounding area, the two would need to find a new base.

Thus, today’s reconnaissance was crucial.

It was important to know that there were only seven days allocated for the Nine Peaks Grand Competition task.

A day had already passed.

But just as Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao were about to set off, he suddenly heard noises coming from the dense forest not far away.

"Wait."

Without a second thought, Zhang Yuan held back Su Jingyao and gripped the Eagle-Shooting Bow in his hand.

He looked toward the source of the disturbance.

Su Jingyao reacted swiftly, immediately retreating into the central position of the array, and two Talismans appeared in her hand.

In just a moment, two figures appeared in Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao’s line of sight.

One Cultivator and one Martial Artist; they were obviously another Daoist Formation participating in the competition!

And just as Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao noticed them, the pair also became aware of their presence.

The young Cultivator frowned slightly and halted.

Then he gave a meaningful glance to the Martial Artist beside him.

The Martial Artist was broad-shouldered and burly, with an imposing physique, carrying a Xuanhua Great Axe on his back.

He understood the young Cultivator’s glance, immediately stepping forward boldly and saying loudly, "Esteemed brother, might I ask if you have set up an array in this deserted village?"

Zhang Yuan stepped forward to meet him, replying in a deep voice, "Yes."

In a conversation with Su Jingyao yesterday, she had informed him that although private battles among disciples were strictly prohibited in Upper Scenic Celestial, conflicts arising during the Sect’s Grand Competition were generally not pursued, as long as they didn’t result in fatalities.

Even if there were penalties, they would be quite lenient.

Hence, Zhang Yuan not only had to deal with deceitful monsters but also remained vigilant against rivals!

Some people were willing to use underhanded methods for victory.

Zhang Yuan sensed ill intent from the Martial Artist before him and, without hesitation, blocked his path.

The burly Martial Artist paused, a fierce light glinted in his bear-like eyes.

His aura suddenly became wild and aggressive!

Facing the burly Martial Artist, Zhang Yuan stood fearlessly and released the suppression of his own aura by the Divine Concealment Technique.

Zhang Yuan’s aura suddenly surged.

Not only did it resist the oppressive force from the opponent, but it even faintly surpassed it!

The burly Martial Artist’s expression changed.

He didn’t recognize Zhang Yuan and thought he could test him due to his youth.

If Zhang Yuan had shown weakness, he would have undoubtedly pressed forward step by step until Zhang Yuan yielded the deserted village base.

But Zhang Yuan’s strength was completely beyond the burly Martial Artist’s expectations.

Though he was also a Tier Five Martial Artist, upon realizing Zhang Yuan’s dominance, he instantly turned his head towards the young Cultivator.

The young Cultivator’s face was as heavy as water, and he shook his head slightly.

The burly Martial Artist took a deep breath, clasping his fists towards Zhang Yuan, saying, "Sorry to bother you."

With that, he turned to leave, decisively and swiftly.

The young Cultivator clearly felt slightly unwilling, casting a deep look at Zhang Yuan and then at Su Jingyao.

Only then did he leave somewhat sullenly.

"That guy is from Heaven-Supporting Peak."

Su Jingyao returned to Zhang Yuan’s side, watching their departure, and said, "The people from Heaven-Supporting Peak are always arrogant and domineering. I’ve always disliked them!"

Zhang Yuan felt a twinge in his heart.

It seemed that the Upper Scenic Celestial Nine Peaks and Nine Veins were not a solid monolith, and the internal conflicts were significant.

Within the mountain gate, constrained by the Sect’s rules and regulations, everyone dared not act rashly, maintaining a facade of harmony.

But in the Secret Realm, under fierce competition, the situation was very different.

Zhang Yuan reminded himself silently not to become complacent.

Fortunately, the Cyan Profound Secret Realm was large enough that the probability of two teams encountering each other was very low.

In the ensuing exploration, Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao encountered no further trouble.

The issue was that they found very few deceitful monsters.

To a pitiful extent!

Reluctantly, Su Jingyao had to end the search early and returned to the deserted village base.

"Let’s do it this way."

She thought for a moment and said, "If we don’t have any results tonight, we’ll look for another deserted village tomorrow."

Zhang Yuan had no objections, naturally.

The sky darkened once again, and soon it was the second night since they entered the Cyan Profound Secret Realm.

Zhang Yuan set up a campfire as usual and prepared a simple dinner.

As per their prior arrangement, the two took turns keeping watch tonight.

Su Jingyao watched the first half of the night.

At midnight, it was Zhang Yuan’s turn to take over.

The first half of the night passed peacefully, without any incidents.

Zhang Yuan tended the campfire, occasionally adding a few pieces of firewood while making himself a pot of tea.

At the darkest hour before dawn, the once roaring fire pit had dimmed.

Suddenly, an evil wind blew in, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

The campfire’s flames flickered abruptly, sending sparks flying!

Zhang Yuan was startled.

Something was wrong!

Just as he sensed danger, thin rays of light emerged from the ground.

The Five Elements Circle Array was triggered!

The next moment, Su Jingyao emerged from the tent, her expression exceedingly grave.

The two exchanged a quick glance.

Su Jingyao swiftly sat down in front of the offering platform at the array’s core, forming hand seals and casting with closed eyes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan stood up, his sharp gaze penetrating the darkness, scanning in all directions.

He quietly activated the special vision of the Red-eyed Crow.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuan locked onto the target!

Surrounding the deserted village, ghostly white figures appeared out of nowhere.

They silently and stealthily approached Zhang Yuan and Su Jingyao, their cold, chilling aura sweeping from all sides, shrouding the area in a thin fog.

Eerie!

And indeed truly eerie!

These eerie figures gave Zhang Yuan a very bad feeling.

Cold, sinister, like the tongue of a venomous snake, harboring deadly danger.

Zhang Yuan swiftly drew the Taowu Saber!