Ling Feng'er and the others were caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. They truly hadn't expected someone to be waiting in the wings to reap the benefits.
"Who's there? This is our prey, please leave."
Ling Feng'er struggled to her feet, preparing to reason with the newcomers.
However, Zhang Ergou and Xiao Qingyu paid no mind to Ling Feng'er's reprimands, proceeding to rummage through the fallen demonic beasts.
Before long, the inner core of the red-furred demonic beast was tucked away into Zhang Ergou's storage ring.
"This demonic beast's fur is good, might fetch a decent price."
Xiao Qingyu and his companions completely ignored Ling Feng'er, who had walked up to their side, and proceeded to skin the beast.
"It's you!" Ling Feng'er finally got a clear look at Zhang Ergou and his group as she approached.
Although Zhang Ergou had changed his appearance, Ling Feng'er was very familiar with the masks worn by Xiao Qingyu and the others.
She hadn't expected that after only a few days, their group, which was initially only four, had now grown by two.
"We haven't settled the score with you from before, and you dare to show your faces again? Do you really think our Liuhai Sect is easy to bully?"
As Ling Feng'er spoke, several disciples from the Liuhai Sect who were not severely injured also got to their feet.
They moved to Ling Feng'er's side, forming a pincer around Zhang Ergou and his group.
"Haha, what, are you planning to get revenge now?"
Zhang Ergou chuckled dismissively, his demeanor utterly arrogant, showing no regard for the Liuhai Sect disciples.
"Who are you impudent fellows? Show us your true faces if you dare."
A Liuhai Sect disciple glared at Zhang Ergou and his group. Aside from Ling Feng'er, he was the most cultivated among the Liuhai Sect members present.
Therefore, his injuries were not severe, only a significant drain on his spiritual energy.
Seeing the spoils of their hard-won battle being snatched by these despicable individuals, he could no longer contain his fury.
"Haha, in a secret realm, it's the strong who rule. Those with the strength take it. Brother, are you joking?"
Zhang Ergou sneered, showing no intention of engaging further with the Liuhai Sect disciples.
"What, you think you can just leave after taking our things?"
Seeing Zhang Ergou preparing to lead his group away, Ling Feng'er immediately unleashed a wind blade towards him.
Zhang Ergou didn't dare to be careless, countering the attack with a palm strike.
Their attacks met in mid-air. Ling Feng'er's wind blade was neutralized, and Zhang Ergou's palm strike dissipated into nothingness.
"Hmm?"
Ling Feng'er's brow furrowed. The group that had appeared was clearly not simple.
While she hadn't used her full strength in the brief exchange with Zhang Ergou, it would have required strength at least equal to hers to neutralize it so easily.
Furthermore, the Liuhai Sect had just emerged from a fierce battle and had limited combat power.
If they tried to forcibly detain these individuals, the cost would be dire.
In a flash, Ling Feng'er had a rough understanding of the disparity between their strengths.
However, simply letting Zhang Ergou and his group leave was something that not only the Liuhai Sect disciples would object to, but also something Ling Feng'er herself found unacceptable.
"What, are you still going to stop us?"
After their brief exchange, neither side attacked again. Zhang Ergou looked at Ling Feng'er with a cold smile.
"The Liuhai Sect will remember this grievance today."
"Senior Sister Ling?" Hearing Ling Feng'er's words, the disciples of the Liuhai Sect immediately spoke out in unison.
"Let them go."
Ling Feng'er lowered her head in resignation. Any attempt at forceful confrontation would only result in greater losses for their side.
Although the demonic beast's inner core, with its fire attribute, would be of great benefit to her, especially for alchemy, leading to a significant increase in her cultivation in a short period, she had to put the safety of her companions first.
"Haha, as expected, the Saintess of the Liuhai Sect knows how to play it smart."
Zhang Ergou was the first to break free from the Liuhai Sect's encirclement, followed closely by Xiao Qingyu and the others.
"Everyone, thank you."
Before departing, Zhang Ergou couldn't resist taunting the Liuhai Sect group one last time.
The Liuhai Sect members glared at Zhang Ergou and his group, but without Ling Feng'er's command, they could not act.
...
Three days had passed since they parted ways with Ling Feng'er and her group.
During these three days, Zhang Ergou and the others had ventured much deeper into the secret realm. Along the way, they had jointly defeated several more demonic beasts at the early Golden Core stage.
The group had divided the inner cores of the demonic beasts amongst themselves. Throughout this journey,
Zhang Ergou had not only acquired over a dozen Golden Core stage demonic beast inner cores but also a significant amount of rare medicinal herbs.
Li Yao and Lin Yichen had also reaped substantial rewards.
Each of them had obtained several demonic beast inner cores that matched their respective attributes.
Furthermore, they had received Zhang Ergou's promise to refine corresponding elixirs for each of them once they exited the secret realm.
However, refining elixirs came with requirements, and the medicinal ingredients would have to be sourced by themselves.
This greatly boosted everyone's enthusiasm for gathering herbs, as they might discover useful ingredients for themselves.
The deeper they ventured, the denser the spiritual energy became within the secret realm.
However, the number of demonic beasts noticeably decreased, as if something was deterring them.
"Ergou, do you feel like there are fewer and fewer demonic beasts here?"
Lin Yichen looked around vigilantly, the quiet atmosphere making him uneasy.
Zhang Ergou's expression was also grave. It had been more than half a day since they last encountered a demonic beast.
Previously, they would encounter one or two demonic beasts every half an hour, but the fact that so much time had passed was clearly abnormal. It wasn't just Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen;
the others had also sensed the anomaly.
"Everyone be careful. Continuing forward suggests we are not far from the core."
Zhang Ergou glanced ahead. He felt a subtle pull from something in the distance, drawing him further onward.
Lin Yichen and the others exchanged glances. Having come this far, none of them were willing to retreat.
Following Zhang Ergou, they continued to tread deeper into the secret realm.
"Ergou, what is that?"
Suddenly, Wang Teng pointed towards the front. Everyone followed his gaze.
In an instant, their mouths fell open in astonishment.
In the distance, a mysterious structure stood tall, resembling an altar.
A layer of what seemed like a mystical formation enveloped the structure, separating it from the rest of the secret realm, allowing only its general outline to be discerned.
Although this building existed within the secret realm, it seemed to exist independently of it.
"I suppose this is the core of the secret realm."
Zhang Ergou mused, looking at the silhouette of the structure not far away.
"What do we do now?" Xiao Qingyu asked.
"Of course, we go in and take a look. We've come this far," Zhang Ergou said, walking towards the structure.
"Haha, exactly, we've come this far!" Lin Yichen and the others immediately followed.