The short, stooped old man was the steward of this secret realm. He had once been nothing more than the realm’s primal source-energy, but over the endless years he had awakened and turned into a spirit.

Because the realm was vast, its energy abundant and its resources plentiful, after his transformation he had hoarded after hoard of treasures for his own use.

He could indeed lock Ye Liuyun in place, yet the cost to himself was enormous; unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to squander his power.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun’s bloodline was far stronger than that of any He clansman. The moment these intruders set foot in the realm, he had sensed it. Had Ye Liuyun not begun slaughtering He disciples and guards, the old spirit would never have struck so soon.

After some thought, he decided Ye Liuyun had learned restraint and so refrained from further action—but he kept the youth under constant watch, lest he run wild again.

Ye Liuyun and his clone walked on. They encountered a few of the realm’s dangers and killed several beasts that barred their way. When the realm made no further move against them, they concluded that as long as they did not kill other people, the realm would leave them alone.

So Ye Liuyun stepped out of his spatial world once more, and together with his clone he began searching for opportunities. Yet after combing the area they found nothing of value and met no great peril, leaving them thoroughly disappointed.

“This secret realm isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Ye Liuyun and his clone muttered.

Just as they hesitated, their divine sense caught two guards racing in the same direction. They changed course and followed.

Soon they saw the guards join up with a He clansman and head into a valley.

Ye Liuyun had previously suspected treasure lay within this valley, but neither his divine sense nor his golden pupils had detected anything. Curious, he and his clone followed.

Yet the moment the group entered the valley, Ye Liuyun and his clone lost track of them.

The two exchanged puzzled glances, then hurried after them into the valley.

Only after stepping inside did they pick up the trio again. The three were locked in battle with a gigantic golden serpent; the clash echoed like thunder.

The serpent’s body was impervious to their strikes—its flesh terrifyingly tough. Blades and spears struck sparks but drew no blood.

They launched a combined soul assault, only to find the serpent’s soul power equally formidable, matching them blow for blow.

So the three fought and retreated, luring the golden snake toward Ye Liuyun and his clone, hoping to drag them into the fight.

Ye Liuyun ignored their ploy. Sweeping the valley with his golden pupils, he spotted a vein of glittering ore beneath the ground, running straight into the serpent’s cave. Clearly the beast had absorbed this metal to forge its invulnerable body.

“What’s going on? Is the realm hiding its treasures from us?”

Suspicious, Ye Liuyun began planning his next move.

A dull boom rang out: the serpent’s tail whipped one guard into the air, his body exploding mid-flight before the beast devoured him.

Realizing they were outmatched, the He clansman and the remaining guard spun and fled toward the valley mouth. The serpent did not pursue; once sated, it slithered back into its cave.

“Who are you two?” the He clansman asked, relaxing now that the serpent was gone. He studied Ye Liuyun and his clone.

Both had dropped their disguises and no longer bothered wasting divine essence to look like guards.

Ye Liuyun and his clone paid no heed. Once the pair drew close, they struck with soul attacks, planting slave seals and rifling through their memories.

The search confirmed their suspicion: the realm itself was screening them. Not only they, but even the guards could not see the treasures—only He clansmen could.

After subduing the two, Ye Liuyun waited. When the realm did not intervene, he concluded that as long as he did not kill them outright, the steward would stay his hand.

So, controlling the He clansman and the guard, they returned to the serpent’s cave and lured the beast out once more.

Then Ye Liuyun and his clone launched a soul assault, each sending a fragment of soul into the serpent.

The serpent’s soul was far weaker than Ye Liuyun’s. After a few blasts of world-force, its soul cracked apart. They forcibly planted a slave seal and pried out the secret of its impervious body.

The golden serpent had indeed forged its body by cultivating within that vein of metal below. The ore itself was a metallic-attribute resource that could be absorbed directly into flesh and blood.

From the serpent’s sea of consciousness, Ye Liuyun also extracted information about a source spirit-demon dwelling within this secret realm.

That confirmed his earlier suspicion: the realm’s overseer was not from the He family. Why the source spirit-demon showed the He clan special favor, however, he still couldn’t uncover.

Yet Ye Liuyun was far from helpless—he simply decided to use He family disciples as treasure hunters. Let them locate the valuables first, then he would step in and claim them.

With that plan settled, Ye Liuyun led everyone in digging out the entire metallic vein, not leaving so much as a speck behind, before moving on to explore further.

He spared the golden serpent; its body still offered decent defense. Coiled around his forearm, it now helped scout for treasures inside the realm—like the He disciples, it was immune to the realm’s restrictions.

In the great hall at the realm’s center, the short old man blinked rapidly.

“This human brat is no ordinary fellow—he’s already worked out how to hunt for treasures!”

After a moment’s thought, he shook his head and promptly summoned more powerful ferocious beasts from across the realm, all aimed at Ye Liuyun.

From then on, every beast Ye Liuyun’s group encountered was at the sixth or seventh level of Unity. Yet Ye Liuyun carved through them with blade intent, his clone cutting a parallel path.

The He disciple, meanwhile, was tasked solely with locating treasures. Before long, he discovered an underground cave that promised valuables.

A chill seeped from the cavern; even at the entrance, Ye Liuyun’s party felt the biting cold. Both the He disciple and his guard looked uneasy—left to themselves, they would never dare such a perilous place.

Ye Liuyun didn’t hesitate. He strode straight in, placing the He disciple and guard between himself and his clone, front and rear shields against whatever lay within.