My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

This time, the other party responded much slower, taking about a minute or two to reply, "Hmm!"

Although he couldn't see the other person, Lin Ran was certain that his direct approach had struck a chord with the fairy.

On the other side, Shangguan Mengqing, sitting by the campfire, felt her face burning under her veil. She wanted to respond to Lin Ran and tell her what was on her mind, but perhaps it was just her nature, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

She only dared to express her inner feelings when Lin Ran was asleep or unconscious.

Just as Shangguan Mengqing was thinking about how to respond, footsteps came from not far away. When Shangguan Mengqing turned her head and saw that it was actually Qin Yi, the young master of the Qin family, her originally turbulent heart suddenly became as calm as still water.

She withdrew her gaze, staring indifferently at the campfire, and said, "It's Young Master Qin Yi. May I ask what brings you here?"

Qin Yi smoothed his long hair from his forehead, his somewhat devilish face lit up with a smile, and he said respectfully, "Seeing that Senior Sister Shangguan was sitting here alone, I thought I'd come and keep her company and relieve her boredom!"

"That's not necessary!"

Shangguan Mengqing stood up and said very directly, "I prefer to be alone in peace and quiet. Besides, your entry into the Sword Sect is not a done deal. Preparing well for the secret realm is better than anything else!"

Given her status, she didn't need to give this young master of the Qin family of the War Alliance any face. She turned around and went into the simple tent, leaving Qin Yi with only the tightly drawn curtain.

Qin Yi's face was actually quite unpleasant after being turned away, but he still obediently bowed his head and said goodbye to the tent before slinking away.

Qin Yi returned to the Qin family's encampment with a gloomy expression. He went straight to his father's tent, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

Qin Tianying, who was having a drink, saw his son walk in with a gloomy expression. No one knows a son better than his father, and he probably knew what had happened to his son.

He stood up, looked at Qin Yi who had her head down and whose expression was not visible, and couldn't help but say, "What? You suffered a loss at that Sword Sect girl's place, so you're putting on a show for your father when you get back?"

"No…"

Qin Yi raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. He said with some resentment, "Father, am I really that worthless? That woman just now didn't even look at me properly."

Recalling what had just happened, Qin Yi felt as if her heart was on fire, a burning rage of resentment, anger, and jealousy.

Seeing his son like this, Qin Tianying calmly said, "Qin Yi, I advise you to rein in your thoughts, lest you be unable to enter the Sword Sect in the future."

"Does that woman think she can stop my Sword Sect?" Qin Yi retorted.

That woman wasn't much older than him, and even if she was strong, she was probably only at the peak of the Nirvana Realm. How could she possibly have the power to recruit disciples of the Sword Sect in this secret realm?

But his father's silence and extremely serious expression extinguished Qin Yi's anger like cold water, and an impossible idea arose in his mind.

"Father, it can't really be..." Qin Yi said, his voice trembling.

Qin Tianying shook his head helplessly. He sat back down in his chair, took a sip of his drink, and said, "According to the information I got from the Tianshan Sword Sect, a vassal of the Sword Sect, it really is that girl from the Sword Sect who is in charge of recruiting disciples this time."

"Otherwise, do you think I took you to meet them and say some nice things for nothing? But I didn't expect you to actually think about... Sigh... Never mind, just perform well in the secret realm, and I'll have a chance to manipulate things later..." Qin Tianying waved his hand and said.

This matter cannot be entirely blamed on his son. He was also a bit bewitched, thinking that if his son could try to get in touch with Shangguan Mengqing, and even hoped to make such a proud woman his wife, then their Qin family could truly be considered the absolute overlord in the War Alliance.

As it turns out, it was all just wishful thinking!

……

Daylight came exceptionally quickly on the ancient battlefield. As soon as it was light, the scorching fireballs eagerly unleashed their heat upon the land.

Lin Ran and his group once again embarked on their journey to Qianlong Mountain.

"Lin Ran, you seem...very tired today?"

Mu Shishuang, who was lying on Lin Ran's back, glanced at Lin Ran, who seemed a little listless, and couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing, I just kept watch all night!"

Lin Ran knew that he had not only kept watch all night, but also guarded this bracelet. However, after he said those words, Shangguan Mengqing did not respond at all. This had been tugging at Lin Ran's heartstrings. By this morning, he still had not received a response from his beloved, which made him feel somewhat lost and dejected.

"Sorry, Brother Lin, I promised to keep watch too, but I fell asleep!"

Hearing Lin Ran's words, Yue Lei scratched his head sheepishly. Keeping watch was incredibly boring, and the ancient battlefield was quite secluded, so he fell asleep without realizing it.

"How dare you say that!"

Lin Ran laughed and cursed, but only he knew why he looked so lost and dejected.

Today's journey was as tedious and boring as ever, but as Lin Ran put it, "boredom is always the best," because when problems arise, one's life may be in danger.

"We've made good progress today!"

Mulan took out a map, gestured around for a while, and then pointed to the vast mountain range that was getting closer and closer in the distance, saying, "Mr. Lin, it seems we are about to reach Qianlong Mountain. Judging from the distance, it's less than a few hundred miles away."

"Hundreds of miles? That's still a long way!"

Lin Ran then teased, "I think Mulan, you're just thinking about taking me to Qianlong Mountain quickly so you can ask me for the rest of your reward!"

"That's for sure!"

Mulan, hands on her hips, said proudly, "That's all thanks to my hard work!"

A burst of laughter and chatter filled the group. After resting for a while, they continued on their way, hoping to reach the vicinity of Qianlong Mountain that evening.

Lin Ran's journey was filled with laughter and joy, though the road was rather dull. But the journey to Canglong, Shengqiong, and Tianli Academy was anything but boring; in fact, they encountered many exceptionally interesting things along the way.

But for the three major academies, it's best to avoid these interesting things.

Although the three academies that had just escaped from that unstable space region did not suffer many casualties, the scene they had just witnessed was undoubtedly the most terrifying sight of their lives.

Lin Chong gasped for breath. Just moments ago, he had faced a monster that lived in a spatial rift. The monster had huge, dark red eyes that were staring right at him. At that moment, Lin Chong felt as if his breath had stopped.

Fortunately, Lin Chong's body instincts allowed him to make the best emergency response. He quickly unleashed a sword energy barrier to block the dark red tentacles and held out until Dean Wenling's thunderous attack.

However, Dean Wenling was helpless against the monster and could only quickly lead the people of Tianli Academy to escape from that area. Only when they reached a relatively stable place did Wenling dare to let the students rest.

"Xiao Chong, are you alright?"

Wenling looked at Lin Chong, whose face was somewhat pale, and asked worriedly.

Lin Chong is the main force in this secret realm. If Lin Chong is injured before entering the secret realm, the dean will bear inescapable responsibility.

"I'm fine!"

Lin Chong shook his head, his expression quickly returning to normal. Recalling the moment when he had faced the monster so closely, he felt it must be a Void Evil Clan member. Perhaps his father knew those creatures.

"It's okay!"

Wenling also breathed a sigh of relief, and he turned around to look at...

In the distance behind, one could vaguely see the space in the distance, with strangely subtle black gaps. Unexpectedly, a formidable monster was hidden there.

"Lin Yi, Jin Qiusheng, do you know what this is?"

Wenling found the deans of the other two academies and asked them questions.

The other two academies also encountered the same monsters. Despite their strength, they were unable to defeat them. Their attacks felt like tickling the monsters, leaving everyone puzzled.

Both of them shook their heads. Jin Qiusheng, who had a rather fiery temper, dragged over the person who had led the way from the Qin family's side and said angrily, "You bastard, what kind of way did you lead us? You brought us here even though it was dangerous?"

The guide sent by the Qin family was at least at the Spirit Pill Realm, but at this moment, in the hands of Jin Qiusheng, who was at the Dragon Transformation Realm, he was like a duck with its neck being choked, only able to let out a shrill and hoarse cry.

"This... I don't know either. The situation on the ancient battlefield is constantly changing, and I've already been taking a more conservative approach..."

Hearing the words of the Qin family's guide, Jin Qiusheng was very dissatisfied. Lin Yi spoke up and said, "Dean Jin, put him down. It has nothing to do with him. We still have a long way to go!"

"Humph!"

Jin Qiusheng snorted coldly, threw the guide to the ground, and ignored the guide retching. He looked at the other two deans and said, "So, should we continue following this route? What if we encounter those monsters again and have to flee in a sorry state?"

"That's all it can do!"

Even Lin Yi couldn't think of a better solution, so he simply decided to go down this path to the bitter end. If he encountered those monsters, he could just run away immediately.

Changing the route now would only result in even more severe losses.

Wenling shared the same thought. He was now curious about Lin Ran's situation, as they were determined not to continue following the Qin family's guide.

Speaking of which, he also had to thank Lin Ran. If Lin Ran hadn't had Lin Chong remind him, he wouldn't have been able to rescue those students in time.

The attack on the three academies was not an isolated incident. Later, the super sects and their vassal forces were also led by the Qin family. The Qin family was still following the same old path that the previous guides had taken. Once they reached the heart of the ancient battlefield, an attack was inevitable.

So how will they respond?

……

132. The Void Hunter Reappears

Dust swirled across the ground, and figures could be vaguely seen flashing by.

Shangguan Mengqing wore a light gray cloak, revealing only a pair of clear, cold eyes. The cloak billowed in the strong wind.

Beside her, Hwang Seok looked up at the scorching sun overhead, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and muttered under his breath, "This is truly a horrible place!"

This ancient battlefield requires constant mobilization of one's spiritual energy to resist spiritual pressure and the temperature that feels like walking on the edge of a volcano. When passing through, one must also worry about the dangers that may appear at any time. No wonder almost no one in the former state comes to this godforsaken place.

In the long line, a beautiful woman suddenly broke away and ran straight to the front. When she saw Shangguan Mengqing, she rushed to her side and said respectfully, "Young Sect Master, may we pause to rest? Some of our disciples in the Tianshan Sword Sect are already exhausted."

Shangguan Mengqing turned around and glanced at the group behind her. In fact, it wasn't just the Tianshan Sword Sect; many people from the affiliated forces of other super sects were also staggering, as if they might collapse at any moment.

This is understandable, though. Those who were able to participate in this secret realm were mostly young people at the Spirit Core Realm. This place was difficult even for Nirvana Realm cultivators, let alone these Spirit Core Realm cultivators, or even those at the lower Spirit Transformation Realm.

However, just as Shangguan Mengqing was thinking about how to get to the Qin family and make the request to stop and rest, it was the Qin family who came first to inform the people at the back of the group to rest on the spot.

Shangguan Mengqing looked at the beautiful woman from the Tianshan Sword Sect and said softly, "Elder Heng, please go back and urge the disciples in your sect to make good use of their time to rest, understand?"

"I understand, Young Sect Master!"

Elder Heng nodded and then transformed into afterimages as he returned to the back of the group.

Shangguan Mengqing crossed her arms and paced around, observing her surroundings. Since arriving in this place, she had always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. So she remained cautious. Even with Uncle Wu around, she felt it was more reliable to rely on herself if any danger occurred.

Standing on the edge of a circular pit, Shangguan Mengqing gently stroked the bracelet on her right hand. When she felt a slight burning sensation rising from the bracelet, she couldn't help but immerse herself in it. Lin Ran's voice soon echoed in her mind.

"Even though you're ignoring me, I still have to tell you, be careful of the strange spatial phenomena in the ancient battlefield. It's said there are terrifying dangers inside, but I haven't encountered any yet..."

Hearing Lin Ran's words, a hint of a smile flashed in Shangguan Mengqing's eyes. She shook her head and murmured in a voice only she could hear, "It's not that I'm ignoring you, I just don't know how to reply!"

Is there something strange about the space?

Shangguan Mengqing kept Lin Ran's words firmly in mind; perhaps this was the source of her unease.

The group quickly continued their journey, and Shangguan Mengqing's unease grew stronger as they ventured deeper into the heart of the ancient battlefield. Her eyes began to burn with deep blue flames as she scanned her surroundings.

"Junior Sister Shangguan, what's wrong?"

Huang Shishi noticed Shangguan Mengqing's unusual behavior and asked her curiously.

"It's alright... wait, be careful!"