C68 Enemies Always Cross Paths with Each Other

A surge of dragon's breath emanated from Zhao Yafu's entire being.

Her eyes snapped open, curving into crescents as a smile graced her lips.

Yu Yuan was the first to respond, nodding gently past Yu Feifei, "Congratulations."

"It was to be expected," Zhao Yafu remarked from the entrance of a deep pit, gazing outward. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "I've reached the middle period of the Golden Sanctum. Unless I come across those from the five great families, those few oddities, I fear no one. Even if they are a step above me in the late period of the Golden Sanctum, I am undaunted."

"Have you broken through?" Yu Feifei asked, astonished.

Yuan Ting, equally taken aback, turned sharply, "Did you really break through?"

It had been three days since their farewell to Han Hui.

In that brief span, Zhao Yafu's level had climbed once more.

Yuan Ting could recall that Zhao Yafu had only just transitioned from the Soul Awakening Realm to the Golden Sanctum before the Moonfall Sanctuary trial.

How much time had passed since then?

From the early to the middle period of the Golden Sanctum, how brief had the interval been?

Without witnessing it himself, he would have struggled to believe that anyone could progress from the early to the middle period of the Golden Sanctum in such a short span.

He was unaware that with Zhao Yafu's innate talent for cultivation, she should have long since advanced to the Golden Sanctum, and even to the late period like Yan Lu and Su Yan.

The only thing holding Zhao Yafu back was the suppression of her realm by the dragon whelp's spirit. Once the spirit ceased to be a problem and became an asset, everything changed.

"Brother, I think I'll be breaking through soon as well," Yu Feifei said with a sweet smile. "Just a bit more time is all I need."

Yu Yuan hummed in agreement, "Don't hesitate to use the Seed of Life, use it freely."

Both Yuan Ting and Zhao Yafu were, after all, core disciples of their clan.

Yuan Ting might not have been aware, but Zhao Yafu was well informed that the Seed of Life elixirs the Zhao family had been secretly acquiring were all supplied by the Yu family. Zhao Yafu was certain that the creation of the Seed of Life was probably connected to Yu Yuan.

"Boom!"

A dazzling firework exploded suddenly in the center of the deep pit, illuminating the once dim space in a brilliant display.

"There's someone here!"

"They're from Asvetaesi!"

"We've finally found them!"

Excited shouts echoed from above the pit, one of which was a voice Yu Yuan recognized.

"Sillserine."

Yu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, remarking, "These guys really have bad timing. They could have come at any time, but they chose to show up just as you advanced to the middle period of the Golden Sanctum."

A few days earlier, Yu Yuan had put three trial-takers from Sillserine in their place for harassing Yu Feifei. They had left afterward, finding the situation too bothersome to deal with. Yu Yuan had never considered the people from Sillserine as worthy adversaries in the forbidden area, simply because they were too weak.

"Yu Yuan, Zhao Yafu, do you dare to come up here?"

An exasperated voice echoed from the wilderness above the pit, dripping with bitterness.

"Not him again!"

Yu Feifei frowned and said, "Brother, it's the same guy who pinched my face, the one you almost tore apart!"

Understanding her reference, Yu Yuan nodded. "Let's go up and have a look. It's time we settled the Sillserine issue once and for all. Otherwise, they'll keep thinking we're pushovers."

"Right."

Zhao Yafu agreed, leading the way as they climbed the stone steps. Yu Yuan and the rest followed closely behind.

Upon emerging from the cave in the middle of the pit onto the open wilderness, Yu Yuan was surprised to see another group in the distance. His brow furrowed, and he called out with a hint of suspicion, "Friends from Asenalenor, you wouldn't have intentionally led us here and betrayed us to Sillserine just because we declined an alliance with you, would you?"

He spotted Han Hui, Wu Ji, and the trial-takers from Asenalenor.

"Don't falsely accuse us!" Wu Ji protested loudly, "It was merely a coincidence that we ran into people from Sillserine and then you all."

Han Hui paid no attention to Yu Yuan and instead addressed Zhao Yafu, "Little Sister Zhao, whether you believe it or not, we have no connection with Sillserine. We were behind them because their shouting drew us over from elsewhere to see what was happening."

Zhao Yafu scrutinized her, then smiled reassuringly. "Sister Han, I trust you're not that sort of person."

"If it bothers you, we'll leave right now," Han Hui offered.

Her words were intended for both Zhao Yafu and the people of Sillserine. She didn't want any misunderstandings at this juncture, especially not the impression that she was waiting to profit from their conflict.

"It's fine by me," Zhao Yafu said with an easygoing demeanor. "Stay and watch if you like, or leave if you prefer."

"No, don't go. I'd actually like you to stay and bear witness," a young leader from Sillserine interjected, his grin giving way to a dry chuckle. "Han Hui, rest assured, I won't misconstrue your presence. And I'm not worried about you turning against us afterward."

He exuded confidence. "Yu Yuan, isn't it? You're the one who injured my brother's face?"

He glared menacingly.

"That would be me," Yu Yuan replied nonchalantly.

"Good! Very good!" the man nodded emphatically.

"Brother!" The youth who had been captured by Zhao Yafu and nearly had his face torn by Yu Yuan burst forth, pointing at Yu Yuan. "Just help me handle that Zhao Yafu girl! I want to take on Yu Yuan myself!"

"That's fine," the man said with a sinister laugh, reminding him, "But remember, follow the rules. You can't actually kill him. Aside from that, there are no taboos. Use your own judgment."

"I've got it under control," the vengeful youth assured, and with newfound confidence, he advanced toward Yu Yuan.

Zhao Yafu's brow furrowed slightly.

As she was about to intervene, the leader of the Sillserine opened a small green umbrella.

The small green umbrella twirled gently in his hand.

A curtain of green spiritual energy emanated from the umbrella's edge, rippling outward.

More than ten meters away, Zhao Yafu felt an overwhelming pressure surge toward her, like a vast, boundless ocean.

"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

The invisible torrent of spiritual energy had already begun its assault the moment the umbrella was unfurled.

Zhao Yafu bore the brunt of this formidable force, standing firm at the forefront with a defiant snort.

Yet, apart from her, everyone else, including Yu Yuan, was in retreat.

They stepped back, one after another, toward the deep pit they had climbed out of.

"Zhan Tianxiang, don't be reckless!"

Seeing the dire situation, Han Hui called out, "The pit behind them is bottomless. If they're swept into it, they'll be lost without a trace!"

"You needn't concern yourself; I have it under control," Zhan Tianxiang of Sillserine retorted with a snort, unfazed.

The youth previously bested by Yu Yuan seized the moment, darting out to confront him.

"Asvetaesi is laughably weak," Wu Ji commented dryly. "They dare to call us the weak and themselves the strong? They refuse to ally with us?"

The other trial-takers from Asenalenor wore odd expressions, shaking their heads slightly.

"Yuan Ting, Sister Zhao, it's not too late to change your minds and form an alliance now!"

In that critical moment, Han Hui from Asenalenor raised her voice.

Wu Ji, taken aback, questioned, "Now?"

"I prefer to lend a helping hand rather than kick someone when they're down," Han Hui explained.

It was clear from her statement that if Yuan Ting and Zhao Yafu agreed, she was ready to join forces with the people from Asenalenor and Asvetaesi to put pressure on Zhan Tianxiang.

"Han Hui, don't overestimate your capabilities," Zhan Tianxiang sneered, the corner of his mouth twitching with disdain. "Even with your help, you'd still lose. Do you really think two sheep can take on a wolf if they band together? Keep dreaming!"

"Do you actually believe you're the wolf and we're the sheep?" Yu Yuan, backing away, said with a mix of laughter and disbelief, "Enough already."

"Oh," Zhao Yafu replied, resigned.

"..."