A Bountiful Harvest

Chen Chang'an had only taken his eyes off these two for a moment, yet they couldn’t stay idle for even a second.

Seeing Da Huang leading Xiao Yao, munching on something unknown, Chen Chang'an frowned.

"Good... really good stuff."

"Want some?"

Good stuff?

Chen Chang'an grabbed Yi Tuo (the dried-up piece of feces) and flew over to inspect what Da Huang and Xiao Yao were eating.

"What is this?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.

"Now it’s your turn to be clueless," Da Huang teased.

"This is top-tier treasure—Yaoxian Lingxian (Demon Immortal Spirit Saliva)."

"It’s useless for humans, but for demonic beasts, the benefits are enormous."

"Xiao Yao, don’t eat too much. You might break through to the True Immortal Realm."

"I can eat more—my cultivation is still low," Da Huang said with a grin.

"Oh, then I’ll stop."

Xiao Yao obediently nodded and stepped aside, refraining from eating any more.

Da Huang, however, kept shoveling it into his mouth without restraint. The longer this substance had existed, the more potent its effects. Having been preserved for tens of thousands of years, Da Huang soon reached his limit.

"I can’t... I think I’m..."

"What? Breaking through?"

"Too full."

"Piss off!"

"Haha, just kidding. I really am about to break through."

Da Huang chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself. After fully digesting the energy from the Yaoxian Lingxian, he genuinely achieved a breakthrough.

Now, Da Huang’s strength was equivalent to a human at the peak of the Quasi-Immortal Realm. His rapid progress even made Chen Chang'an a little envious.

"The effects are that good?"

"But Xiao Yao ate some too—why didn’t she break through?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"She didn’t eat enough. No problem."

"This place is packed with treasures."

"Look—immortal artifacts, immortal pills, all kinds of rare materials. Oh, and where you were earlier, there were cultivation techniques and martial skills, right?"

"I feel like the faction that once ruled this place was far stronger than the Huan Hua Immortal Sect."

"The Scarlet Moon Secret Realm is no joke," Da Huang said with a smirk.

Just from this one area, Chen Chang'an and his group had likely gathered more treasures than the Huan Hua Immortal Sect had accumulated in all their previous expeditions combined.

"With so many treasures, none of them caught your eye?" Da Huang asked curiously.

"Nothing truly worth my interest."

Though the items were valuable, they didn’t hold much appeal for Chen Chang'an.

"Let’s go. There’s probably nothing else worthwhile here."

"Yi Tuo, do you know any other places?"

"Yes, yes! I’ll take you there."

Yi Tuo was surprisingly cooperative. Chen Chang'an couldn’t understand why a dried-up piece of feces was still so afraid of death.

The Scarlet Moon Secret Realm would only remain open for a month, and everyone was scrambling to gather as many treasures as possible.

Now, over twenty days had passed in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few days before the secret realm closed.

Disciples from the other four major immortal sects had already begun making their way back.

Clearly, their harvests had been bountiful—each of them wore excited smiles.

"The Scarlet Moon Secret Realm isn’t as dangerous as they say."

"Strange, isn’t it? This time, everything went so smoothly."

"Yeah, last time we suffered quite a bit. We didn’t dare venture too deep. But this time, not only did we explore further, but we didn’t encounter any danger at all."

"Hahaha! With such a rich haul, the sect will surely reward us handsomely—maybe even give us some extra treasures!"

The disciples of the four sects had gathered together. Though they appeared harmonious on the surface, each of them kept their true gains to themselves.

"By the way, what about those two from the Huan Hua Immortal Sect? Did they make it in?"

"They did. We saw them once at the start, but never again after that."

"Could they have died here already?"

"Very likely. With their level of strength, if they ran into Ember, they wouldn’t have stood a chance."

"But this time, that monster called Ember never showed up. Maybe they’re still alive."

"Hmm, that’s possible."

"If they are alive, I’d love to see what treasures they managed to find."

Just as they were discussing, Chen Chang'an appeared in their line of sight—leading Yi Tuo by a makeshift leash, with Da Huang and Xiao Yao flanking him.

"They’re alive! They really are!"

"Damn, what the hell is he doing? What’s that thing he’s leading?"

"Shit, the first time I saw him, he was chasing after something—probably that exact thing he’s dragging now."

"What even is it? I can’t quite... make it out."

"Is that... a dried-up piece of shit?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Since when does shit walk on its own?"

"But... it really looks like it."

Chen Chang'an’s bizarre behavior left everyone baffled. Yi Tuo, meanwhile, was deeply frustrated. I led you to treasures, so why won’t you let me go? Why must you keep me leashed like this?

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Huan Hua Immortal Sect’s Grand Elder?"

"Not walking a dog anymore—now it’s walking shit?"

"Hahaha! Truly fitting for the Huan Hua Immortal Sect. Such... refined taste."

"Is this the treasure you found?"

Chen Chang'an ignored their mockery, instead scanning them with a calm gaze.

"None of you died. You didn’t encounter Ember?" he asked with a faint smile.

Chen Chang'an hadn’t run into a single Ember during his journey. Seeing how relaxed the four sects’ disciples were, it was clear they hadn’t either.

"Ember? What’s there to fear?"

"We—"

BAM!

Before the speaker could finish, Chen Chang'an gave a slight nod. Da Huang lunged forward and slapped the man flying with a single strike.

"Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?"

"Finally got to slap someone again."

"Feels damn good!"

Before entering the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm, Da Huang had been suppressing his anger. Now, he finally had an outlet.

"You—!"

"How did this dog’s strength change so much?"

Previously, Da Huang had only been at the Emperor Realm. Yet now, he had just sent a Quasi-Immortal flying with a single slap?

In less than a month, his power had skyrocketed?

Treasures!

They must have obtained something extraordinary in the secret realm.

At this realization, greed flickered in the eyes of the onlookers as they stared at Chen Chang'an.

"Kid, if you know what’s good for you, hand over what you found."

"Otherwise, don’t blame us for being ruthless."

"There are forty of us and only three of you. If you’re smart, you’ll make the right choice."

"That’s right. If you want to leave alive, surrender your treasures."

"Or else, you won’t make it out of here."

Hearing this, Xiao Yao’s expression darkened.

"Last time the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm opened, did you kill our Huan Hua Immortal Sect’s disciples the same way?" she demanded angrily.

"Hand over your treasures, and maybe I’ll tell you," a disciple from the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect sneered.

"Fine, here you go."

Chen Chang'an's words left Xiao Yao momentarily stunned. Just as she was about to speak, Da Huang stopped her.

"Let him handle it!"