(I made an error in the last chapter; it should have been the Qiongqi Clan.)

The Elder of the Qiongqi Clan, upon seeing the Third Senior Sister severely injured to such an extent, displayed a ferocious expression. His eyebrows furrowed as he loudly retorted.

"Witch of the Melodic Demons, do not spit blood and slander! When did my Qiongqi Clan ever instruct you to do such a thing!"

Originally, upon seeing the Witch of the Melodic Demons appear, the crowd had been prepared to capture her, but seeing this scene, they tactfully refrained from making a move.

After all, the Witch of the Melodic Demons was seriously injured and couldn’t run away. It was a good opportunity to clarify who exactly was behind her actions.

The Third Senior Sister sneered repeatedly, "Never done it? Daring to act but not to own up, cowards!"

"Previously, your Qiongqi Clan sent someone to contact me, saying you wanted to secretly investigate the foundations of the various clans, focusing particularly on whether any ancient ancestors were still alive. Seeing how generous your Qiongqi Clan was, I accepted the commission. Risking my life, I went to the tombs of various clans to investigate."

"At first, I was puzzled, wondering what your Qiongqi Clan wanted to do. Now I finally understand. Your Qiongqi Clan had long since pledged allegiance to the Ancient Di Jiang, investigating the foundations of the various clans, precisely for the purpose of controlling them all!"

"Now that the Ancient Di Jiang has risen to power, you want to discard me like a used tool, kill me to silence me!"

The Elder of the Qiongqi Clan angrily refuted, "Nonsense, who doesn’t know that my Qiongqi Clan is so poor it needs to borrow from the Meng Family? Since when have we been generous?"

"If my Qiongqi Clan had indeed pledged allegiance to the Ancient Di Jiang, how could we be so destitute!"

The Third Senior Sister momentarily was at a loss for words, it seemed to be a valid point.

"Wait, I remember the first clan to pledge allegiance to the Ancient Di Jiang was the Jiuying Clan, and the first one the person who hired me asked me to investigate was also the Jiuying Clan!"

The Third Senior Sister suddenly pointed at the Elder of the Jiuying Clan, her body trembling slightly, not just from her injuries, but also from feeling betrayed.

"It was you, the Jiuying Clan, who hired me! To clear yourselves of suspicion, the first one you had me investigate was your own Jiuying Clan’s tomb!"

The Elder of the Jiuying Clan nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. He was just watching the drama, so how did he become the party being watched?

"Nonsense!"

The Third Senior Sister sneered, "Whether it’s nonsense, you know best in your heart! The hatred for today’s assassination attempt will be repaid another day!"

With that, she made to leave.

"Quick, stop her!"

Seeing the Witch of the Melodic Demons trying to flee, the Elders of the various clans immediately took action to pursue and block her.

The Third Senior Sister, seeing the situation turn dire, spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood. Using her last bit of strength, she activated the beast hide. The hide rose up as if riding clouds and mist, jumping through space several times before vanishing, leaving the demon crowd cursing furiously, especially the Jiuying Clan cursing the most viciously.

Half an hour later, the Third Senior Sister, having disguised herself well, returned to the Phoenix Tribe’s ranks, looking nothing like someone who was seriously injured.

Even the Elder of the Phoenix Tribe couldn’t help but transmit his voice to ask, "Was it really the Jiuying Clan that hired you?"

"Of course it’s false. What just transpired was a play I performed alongside the Elder of the Qiongqi Clan, seizing the opportunity to clear the Qiongqi Clan of suspicion."

"The Ancient Di Jiang seeks to rule the Demon Territory through strength, and the clans are bound to be resentful. This is the perfect chance to teach the Jiuying Clan a lesson and sow discord among the clans."

"Were you really the first to go to the Jiuying Clan?"

"False. It’s all the same whether you believe what I say or not."

The Third Senior Sister indeed did not have direct evidence to implicate the Jiuying Clan.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

But to accuse someone, evidence is not necessary, suspicion is enough.

The Third Senior Sister said coldly, "Since the Jiuying Clan allows their Young Master to act with impunity, they must bear the consequences of retaliation."

…

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, who had already entered the Creation Ancient Land, were still unaware of the Third Senior Sister’s actions as they listened attentively to the rules of the Ancient Realm.

Upon entering the Ancient Realm, a voice from above that couldn’t be distinguished as male or female spoke.

"Welcome to the Secret Realm. The Secret Realm is divided into three layers. Only by entering the second layer will one gain opportunities. The higher the evaluation in each layer, the more abundant the opportunities."

A three-story pagoda appeared in front of everyone, with each level representing a different space – a miniature version of the Creation Ancient Land.

```

They were currently at the entrance of the first layer.

"This layer contains a large number of Nascent Soul Stage Demon Beasts. For every Demon Beast killed, one can obtain a spirit core. Acquiring ten spirit cores means passing the first layer’s trial."

"The time limit for the first layer’s trial is ten days."

"At the deepest part of the first layer, there is a stairway to the second layer, which can be accessed by possessing a certain number of spirit cores."

"It is important to note that the second layer’s trial will only begin after the first layer’s trial has completely ended."

"The first layer’s trial starts now."

A huge hourglass appeared in the sky, visible from any location on the first layer. The sand trickled down, marking the countdown of ten days.

"Fairy, have you seen this Secret Realm before?"

Fairy Eternity shook her head, "No. I don’t know if I have never seen it, or it appeared after I died."

Most of the Demon Race geniuses, after listening to the rules, dispersed in all directions to enter the first layer and slaughter Demon Beasts.

Killing ten Nascent Soul Stage Demon Beasts was not easy, not everyone could challenge those beyond their level like Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

And the rules also stated that the higher the assessment for each layer, the richer the rewards. Certainly, the more Demon Beasts killed, the better.

Meng Jingzhou stood still, scratched his chin, and thought the rules seemed strict. But on closer consideration, there were quite a few manipulable aspects.

Meng Jingzhou gave Lu Yang a look: What do you think?

Lu Yang roughly guessed Meng Jingzhou’s thoughts and replied with a look: Let’s start by killing a few Demon Beasts to warm up.

"Do you two want to join forces to kill the Demon Beasts?" Jiang Shishi inquired, the situation on the first layer was ideal for forming alliances.

Two of them could join forces to kill Demon Beasts more efficiently, while one observed from the sidelines to prevent others from stealing their fruits of labor.

As for the followers of the Phoenix Tribe, they formed their own teams to kill the Demon Beasts and would just meet up at the stairway.

The followers were not bodyguards, and clashing with the Demon Beasts was an excellent opportunity for training. There was no need to protect Jiang Shishi.

"Let’s check out the quality of the Demon Beasts first."

Lu Yang was very cautious. It wouldn’t be good to actually encounter a Demon Beast and find out that, like them, it had talent, and a Nascent Soul could exhibit the combat power of the Divinity Transformation Stage.

"Alright."

Jiang Shishi had been advised by an Elder before entering the Ancient Realm. If she encountered any issues within, it was best to consider the opinions of these two people.

The first layer was a dense forest environment with Nascent Soul Stage Demon Beasts lurking in the depths of the forest.

The three of them cautiously extended their Spiritual Sense. The sounds of fighting not far away startled a great ape hiding in the trees.

The ape had a tuft of white fur on its chest. It beat its chest and swung from tree to tree. With a roar, it swung its fists and violently smashed down towards the three.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, with their rich combat experience, had already noticed the existence of the ape.

"Arhat Fist!"

"Slash!"

The two of them acted simultaneously. Meng Jingzhou used the Arhat Fist to meet the great ape’s fists. The ape lost in strength to Meng Jingzhou and was actually blasted into the sky.

Lu Yang exerted force with his legs, leaped upward, drew his sword, and returned it to its sheath, the body of the ape cut in half. The enormous head rolled and stopped at Jiang Shishi’s feet.

Jiang Shishi was dumbstruck. This was a peak Nascent Soul Early Stage pure-blooded great ape, and they had resolved it so easily?

"Done!"

The two high-fived, relaxed and comfortable.

"Looks like they are all ordinary Nascent Soul Stage. We can carry out the plan."

```