Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

The news of the stolen third token was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's hearts. Elder Li Xuan's face turned deathly pale, and his tone was urgent: "Impossible! I hid the token in a secret compartment in the secret room. No one but me knows the location of the compartment. How could it have vanished? There must be a spy hidden in the Qingyun Sect who stole the token while we were fighting!"

Huang Yiming's eyes narrowed, and he immediately said, "Elder Li, take us to the secret chamber. Perhaps we can find clues left by the spies. Now that the token has been stolen, if it falls into the hands of the Demonic Sect, they could summon a ferocious beast with all three tokens. The consequences would be unimaginable. We must find the token's whereabouts as soon as possible."

Elder Li Xuan nodded in agreement and immediately led Huang Yiming and the others towards the secret chamber. The Qingyun Sect's secret chamber was located beneath the main hall, normally heavily guarded. However, during the fierce battle just now, all the guards had been redeployed, leaving the chamber unguarded. Upon entering the chamber, they found it in disarray; the hidden compartments had been opened and were empty, clearly indicating that the token had been stolen.

Huang Yiming crouched down, carefully examining the traces around the hidden compartment. He discovered a faint wisp of black mist on the ground, along with a small metal fragment engraved with the Demonic Sect's insignia. "The Demonic Sect stole the token," Huang Yiming said coldly, picking up the metal fragment. "This fragment is an accessory from the Demonic Sect cultivator's clothing. It seems the Qingyun Sect does indeed have high-ranking spies, and their identities are far from ordinary; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to find the hidden compartment so easily."

Yang Xiu walked to Huang Yiming's side and carefully examined the black mist on the ground. Her tone was solemn: "Young Master, this black mist is different from the one on Lin Feng before. It is denser and purer. Obviously, this spy's cultivation level is at least mid-Foundation Establishment, and he must have a high status in the Qingyun Sect to be able to freely enter and exit the main hall and find the secret compartment of the secret room."

Qin Yuling frowned, her tone worried: "Could there be a Demonic Sect spy among the elders of the Qingyun Sect? Elder Li, how many elders does the Qingyun Sect have? Are their identities reliable?"

Elder Li Xuan sighed, his tone heavy: "The Qingyun Sect has a total of five elders. Apart from me, the other four are all veterans of the sect, always loyal and devoted. Logically, there shouldn't be any spies from the Demonic Sect. But now that the token has been stolen and the clues point to the Demonic Sect, I can't help but suspect that perhaps one of the elders has betrayed the Qingyun Sect."

Su Qingyue walked to the door of the secret chamber, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. She said softly, "Yiming, I think the spy hasn't left Qingyun Mountain yet. After the fierce battle just now, we sealed off all the entrances. It won't be easy for the spy to leave with the token. We should immediately check all the disciples and elders, especially those four elders. We must find the spy and retrieve the token."

Huang Yiming nodded, his tone firm: "You're right, we'll begin the investigation now. Elder Li, please gather all the elders and disciples in the main hall; I need to conduct the investigation personally. Yang Xiu, use the power of your hidden spiritual root to sense the surrounding black energy and search for any traces of spies. Qingyue and Yuling, you two assist me in keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals."

With clear division of labor, everyone immediately sprang into action. Elder Li Xuan summoned all the elders and disciples to gather in the main hall. Huang Yiming stood in the center of the main hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone with a cold look and a powerful aura that made everyone present feel a sense of oppression.

"Today, the Qingyun Sect was ambushed, and the third mid-grade token was stolen by a spy from the Demonic Sect who had infiltrated the sect." Huang Yiming's voice boomed, echoing throughout the main hall. "I know the spy is among you. Step forward now and hand over the token, and I may spare your life; otherwise, once I find you, I will cripple your cultivation without mercy!"

Silence fell over the main hall. Everyone exchanged glances, no one stepping forward. Huang Yiming's eyes turned cold, signaling Yang Xiu to make a move. Yang Xiu activated the power of his hidden spiritual root, his body glowing white as his spiritual energy spread out, sensing the surrounding black aura. After a moment, Yang Xiu's eyes narrowed, pointing to an elder dressed in a gray Daoist robe, his tone firm: "Young Master, it's him! He has a faint black aura on him, exactly the same as the one in the secret chamber!"

All eyes turned to the elder—Wang Kun, the Second Elder of the Qingyun Sect. Wang Kun's face instantly turned deathly pale, his eyes darting around, yet he still feigned composure, his tone furious: "You're talking nonsense! How could I possibly be a spy for the Demonic Sect? You're clearly framing me!"

"Framed you?" Huang Yiming sneered, holding up the metal fragment in his hand. "This fragment was found in the secret chamber; it's an accessory from the clothing of a demonic sect cultivator. I just saw a hole in your Daoist robe, which matches this fragment perfectly. Moreover, Yang Xiu's hidden spiritual root has extremely strong perception; he would never be wrong. What else do you have to say?"

Wang Kun's eyes widened in panic; he knew he could no longer hide the truth. He stopped abruptly, a maniacal smile creeping across his lips: "That's right, I stole the token! I am a spy for the Demonic Sect, infiltrating the Azure Cloud Sect for decades, waiting for the opportunity to seize the third token. Now that I have it, the Demonic Sect Master will soon descend, and both realms will fall under their control. You will all die!"

"You're courting death!" Elder Li Xuan's eyes turned icy cold as he lunged at Wang Kun with his sword, his voice chillingly sharp. "I never imagined you would betray the Qingyun Sect, defect to the Demonic Sect, and harm your fellow disciples. Today, I will kill you to avenge my fallen disciples!"

Wang Kun sneered, took out the third token from his storage space, and his black aura surged, his cultivation level instantly exploding—he was actually a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. "Want to kill me? Not so easy!" He waved his hand, and a wisp of black energy struck Elder Li Xuan in the chest. Elder Li Xuan screamed and fell heavily to the ground.

Huang Yiming's eyes narrowed, and he raised his heavy sniper rifle, pulling the trigger. The armor-piercing round, infused with three-colored spiritual energy, shot towards Wang Kun. Wang Kun raised his hand, erecting a black energy barrier. The bullet struck the barrier, producing a series of loud bangs, and the barrier trembled violently. "Huang Yiming, even if you have firearms and three tokens, you can't hurt me!" Wang Kun sneered, leaping towards Huang Yiming, the token in his hand emitting a dense black aura.

Su Qingyue, Qin Yuling, and Yang Xiu immediately stepped forward to engage Wang Kun in fierce combat. Su Qingyue's firearms, Qin Yuling's swordsmanship, and Yang Xiu's hidden spiritual root energy worked together to restrain Wang Kun's movements. Huang Yiming seized the opportunity, took out a self-made armor-piercing explosive shell from his storage space, lit the fuse, and threw it at Wang Kun.

The bomb exploded with a deafening roar, black energy intertwining with tri-colored light. Wang Kun was struck by the shockwave, his black energy barrier shattering completely, leaving him with multiple injuries and his spiritual energy instantly thrown into chaos. Taking advantage of the moment, Huang Yiming raised his heavy sniper rifle, aimed at Wang Kun's dantian, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark precisely, and Wang Kun screamed in agony as his cultivation completely collapsed. He fell to the ground, and the third token in his hand fell out.

Huang Yiming quickly stepped forward and picked up the third token. Holding the three tokens in his hand, three colors of light intertwined, and a powerful force surged into his body—his cultivation level had actually broken through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level. "That's wonderful, young master, you've broken through!" Yang Xiu exclaimed joyfully, her eyes filled with admiration.

Elder Li Xuan struggled to his feet, walked to Huang Yiming's side, bowed respectfully, and said with a guilty tone, "Young Master Huang, I'm sorry. I misjudged people and allowed Wang Kun to infiltrate the Qingyun Sect, causing so much trouble for the sect and you. From now on, I will strictly discipline my disciples, thoroughly eliminate spies, and never let anything like this happen again."

Huang Yiming shook his head, his tone calm: "Elder Li, there's no need to feel guilty. What's done is done. The most important thing now is to guard the token, strengthen defenses, and prepare for the arrival of the Demon Sect Master. Also, although Yang Xiu's hidden spiritual root has awakened, it's not stable enough and needs a special spiritual liquid to consolidate it. Does Elder Li know where he can find a spiritual liquid that can consolidate a hidden spiritual root?"

Elder Li Xuan's eyes lit up, and he said urgently, "I know! There is a spirit liquid spring in the Spirit Clan's territory. The spirit liquid in the spring can strengthen the spiritual root and nourish the spiritual energy, which is most suitable for cultivators like Yang Xiu who have just awakened their hidden spiritual root. However, the Spirit Clan's territory is very secluded, and the Spirit Clan is aloof and does not like outsiders to intrude. It will probably not be easy to obtain the spirit liquid."

"The Spirit Clan's territory?" Huang Yiming's eyes lit up. "No matter how difficult it is, I will get the spirit liquid to help Yang Xiu consolidate her hidden spiritual root. Yang Xiu is my person, and I will never let her cultivation be affected by an unstable spiritual root." His tone was firm, and his eyes were full of care for Yang Xiu, which warmed Yang Xiu's heart and made her cheeks blush.

Su Qingyue and Qin Yuling exchanged a glance, seeing understanding and relief in each other's eyes. They knew that Huang Yiming had different feelings for each of them, and they were willing to fight side by side to help Huang Yiming protect the peace between the two realms.

Elder Li Xuan nodded, his tone solemn: "Young Master Huang, I will send disciples of the Qingyun Sect to help you find out the exact location of the Spirit Clan's territory. In addition, I will prepare some spiritual herbs to help Yang Xiu consolidate his spiritual roots. However, the Spirit Clan's territory is fraught with danger, so you must be careful when you go there. It would be best to bring Miss Su, Miss Qin, and Yang Xiu with you so that you can look after each other."

Huang Yiming nodded, his eyes resolute: "Alright, thank you, Elder Li. We'll return to Qin Family Fort first to arrange trade routes and defenses, then head to the Spirit Clan's territory to find the spiritual liquid to help Yang Xiu consolidate his hidden spiritual root. We also need to keep a close eye on the Demonic Sect's movements to prevent them from launching another sneak attack."

The group packed their belongings and sped off from Qingyun Sect towards Qin Family Fortress. Huang Yiming held the three tokens in his hand, his heart filled with confidence. He knew that heading to the Spirit Clan's territory would inevitably bring new dangers. But with the company and support of those around him, and with the power of firearms and spiritual energy, he was confident he could overcome all difficulties, obtain the spiritual liquid to strengthen Yang Xiu's spiritual root, and at the same time prepare for the impending crisis from the Demonic Sect.

Just as Huang Yiming and his group stepped out of Qingyun Mountain, they received a message from Qin Hu, his voice urgent: "Brother Ming, something terrible has happened! The Twin Realms Transfer Station has been attacked by remnants of the Black Stone Sect and disciples of the Demonic Sect. A lot of supplies have been stolen, and the guard team has suffered heavy casualties. Moreover, they left a message saying they would ambush you in the Spirit Clan's territory to seize the spiritual liquid and the token!"