Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

Right in the center, from top to bottom, the fifteenth brick...

He reached out and gently pressed down.

Then, the seventh row, the ninth brick...

Press down again.

The next second, the bronze gate, which remained sturdy even under the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, suddenly opened outwards. The speed was so fast that it almost sent Fan Luo Kui flying. If it weren't for the girl's amazing reaction speed, she would probably have suffered at least minor injuries from the impact.

Everyone stared at the open door, their gazes turning somewhat awkwardly to Fan Luo Kui.

……

So she pushed it for so long just now.

This door opens outwards...

Fan Luokui also sensed the awkwardness of the situation, and her usually cold face flushed a rare red.

She coughed lightly, "Ahem, alright, the door's open, let's go in."

"Hmm... Captain is right." To avoid embarrassing the captain, Liang Jue quickly chimed in, "We need to take a good look inside to see what's hidden there."

"I want to see too! I want to see too!" Seeing the two of them start to walk towards the door, Xiaoyu, who didn't want to be left outside, naturally followed closely behind.

So, only Yunping and Ye Yuchan, the master and disciple, were left outside the door, staring at each other in bewilderment.

Ye Yuchan stared blankly at the backs of the three judges, raising an eyebrow. "Hey old rogue, are these three really not here to...perform a skit? I have a feeling they all have the potential to be comedians."

"How would I know..." Yunping rolled her eyes at her and slowly walked into the room. "Anyway, once things are done, I won't see the three of them anymore, so why care so much?"

"I always feel like you're setting a flag."

"Tch... I, Lao Yun, have never been wrong in my entire life."

After the brief incident of pushing open the door ended, everyone gradually entered the room.

Indeed, just as Yunping said before, this is a place where he once lived. Even though hundreds of years have passed and time has long since erased many traces of life here, it still leaves behind proof that some people lived here.

—Those melodramatic, childish fighting techniques and lines are not included.

The overall structure here looks very much like a traditional courtyard house, except that instead of houses, there are three small buildings made of various relic stones.

Two of them had no trace of human intervention for unknown reasons. Only one of the small buildings contained materials used to inscribe the formation. These materials were very old and had been phased out a hundred years ago.

The most noteworthy feature is the thatched hut that stands in the center of the three small buildings, which looks like it was built haphazardly.

To be honest, there's a strange sense of incongruity about having such a dilapidated little hut in this kind of place.

"Shall we go in and take a look?"

Fan Luokui nodded to the two team members, and then took the lead, using her sword to cleave open the dilapidated door of the thatched hut.

This time, her sword was no longer hindered in any way.

The wooden door could not withstand the sharpness of the sword and collapsed, exposing the interior of the hut to everyone's view.

"Something's strange."

—The one who said this was Yunping, who was standing outside the door and had not entered the thatched hut.

Unlike the three members of the trial team who entered the hut and began their search, Yun Ping and Ye Yuchan remained at a distance from the hut, while the young man in white had an exceptionally solemn expression.

"What's wrong?" Ye Yuchan noticed that Yunping was acting strangely.

“That little guy didn’t come out.” Yunping pointed to the small wooden door that had collapsed on the ground. “Logically speaking, it would be very angry that its door was chopped like this.”

"It..." Ye Yuchan was taken aback, "You mean, that guardian beast?"

"Ah."

Ye Yuchan looked around, trying to find traces of some strange creature. "Could it have run off somewhere else?"

“Impossible,” Yunping denied directly. “I just covered the entire secret realm with my divine sense, and apart from the few of us, there were no signs of life.”

"It escaped from the secret realm?"

"No, it can't get out. It's the guardian of this secret realm. It can't survive if it leaves the secret realm."

"Then it couldn't be..."

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Ye Yuchan dared not speak them.

She suddenly remembered that Yunping had once lived here, and this was also his secret realm. This guardian must also have a close relationship with him.

Since it's neither inside nor outside the secret realm, there's only one possibility left—

Ye Yuchan was unwilling to talk about it because she was afraid it would hurt Yunping.

Yunping smiled and said, "It's alright. I know what you're thinking. Indeed, that's the most likely possibility."

"..."

Thinking of the little guy's cute and obedient appearance, Yunping couldn't help but sigh, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"I'd really like to know which fool dared to trespass into my secret realm..."

"And he killed my guardian."

82. In an instant

Yunping looked terrible.

Ye Yuchan could tell that the old rogue wasn't in a good mood, and when he was in a bad mood, the things he did were usually quite terrifying.

She understands this deeply.

Meanwhile, the three members of the trial team, having finished searching the hut, emerged carrying a small, crimson object.

Ye Yuchan glanced at it, and thought, "Good heavens..."

With a crimson base and gold thread wrapped around the edges, the whole thing is square and looks just like a wealthy person's decorative box—a small box containing unknown contents, held in Fan Luokui's palm.

She glanced at Yunping, ignoring the sudden gloom that appeared on his face.

Instead, with the same cold expression, he questioned the prisoner in a tone of inquiry, "Sir, is this what you wanted?"

With a sweep of his divine sense, Yun Ping saw through the outside of the box and clearly saw what was hidden inside. He nodded.

Upon receiving Yunping's response, the expressions of the three judges changed slightly.

Xiaoyu, in particular, was so hostile that her face was almost tangible, practically dripping down.

As the captain of the trial team, Fan Luokui let out a long sigh. Her purple eyes were filled with a coldness that seemed to cut into the faces of Yun Ping and the other man like a blade.

She slowly withdrew her outstretched hand.

Ye Yuchan frowned and asked on Yun Ping's behalf, "What does this mean?"

Fan Luokui bowed deeply, apologizing for her regretful words, "I'm sorry, I really have no way to hand this over to you."

"Why?" Ye Yuchan looked at Fan Luokui with particularly unfriendly eyes. "Didn't you promise to help us achieve our goal? Now you're going back on your word?"

"Yes." She readily admitted, her eyes full of apology. "I did say that, but there are clear rules in the Northern Ice Palace."

"Regulation?"

Fan Luokui's face was icy cold, like a frozen block of ice. "Yes, we have clearly stipulated that when there is a conflict between official duties and private time, official duties must take precedence."

“In other words…” Liang Jue began, his tone tinged with emotion, “This item is also something we need when we are carrying out our official duties this time.”

"Such a thing is possible!"

Ye Yuchan was truly surprised by this turn of events. "You're here to find the Snowflakes of the Barren Mountain too?!"

Upon hearing the words "snowflakes on barren mountains," the hostility emanating from the three members of the trial team intensified.

They had previously suspected that the other party had the same purpose as them. Although Ye Yuchan did not directly reveal the real name of Huangshan Xuehua—Yinhan Xuehua—it still could not change the fact that the two sides had the same goal.

However, what they didn't know was—

What use would a young master from a strange family, the playful Red Moon, have for this snowflake from the desolate mountain?

There must be something fishy going on here.

The blade flashed.

In the secret realm, the high-hanging sunlight slanted onto the gleaming silver blade, its light flashing and swaying before Ye Yuchan's eyes.

"Speak!" Xiaoyu, one of the members of the trial team, had already drawn her knife. "Who exactly are you people?!"

Yun Ping glanced at the girl with pigtails and said indifferently, "An ordinary person you can see anywhere."

"Ordinary people couldn't possibly know the location of this secret realm, let alone think of attacking the Snowflakes of the Barren Mountain," Xiaoyu immediately retorted, her hostility towards Yunping rising to the point of near explosion. "I suggest you two quickly reveal your true identities, otherwise..."

"Or what?"

“Or else…” Xiaoyu paused, then looked at Fan Luokui beside her, and suddenly felt more confident, “Or we could arrest you all and interrogate you!!”

They really do look just like police officers...

Yunping chuckled, stroked his non-existent stubble, and said in a teasing tone, "It seems like none of you have ever interrogated anyone much, right? Especially your captain, she doesn't know a single interrogation technique, does she?"

Fan Luokui's face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment, but it was quickly covered up by that chilling aura. "That's not important. What's important is that we'll always find a way to get you to talk."

“We’re opening our mouths now,” Yunping said, pointing to his mouth.

"Stop being so glib!" Xiao Yu's blade flashed and pressed against Yun Ping's fragile neck, her expression icy cold. "Now, I advise you to give up resisting and obediently come back to the Palace of Judgment with us."

"What if I don't?"

The next instant, Fan Luokui put the small treasure box containing the Silver Frost Flower into her storage ring, and then placed her right hand on the hilt of her sword.

Her face was full of confidence. "I know you have that magical space-jumping scroll, but I'm sorry, my knife can catch up with you."

Yunping almost couldn't suppress his laughter; his lips were practically stretched to the sky. "You think... your knife is fast?"

"At least we can cut off your hand before you crush the scroll."

"That's really confident."

Yunping believed, and was certain, that Fan Luokui's knife was very fast.

If someone of the same cultivation level, no... even someone at the Kaiyuan stage, were to fight her without knowing her well, they might very well be injured by her blade.

This is the source of Fan Luokui's confidence: she is almost invincible within the same realm, and can even challenge incredibly powerful enemies across a realm.