A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

Du Shuangshuang's lotus picking process was very smooth, mainly because she had not met other people, and mainly because no one had as many useless objects as she did to use as stepping stones.

The situation was different where the crowd gathered. There were only a few lotuses near the shore, and everyone went into the water to pick them, with only a few places to leverage their strength. This eventually led to a collision between several people. While the Daoists were relatively restrained, the Daoists and the demons met, and it was a resounding backstab, a perfect example of the enmity between enemies. Of course, there were always people on the shore, and when one of their own was in danger, everyone within their capabilities would lend a hand, but no one's things were free, so they wouldn't easily intervene. Survival depended more on one's own strength.

The lotus flowers in the outer part of the lake had been picked to the point where only a few remained. The further inland one looked, the denser the number of lotus flowers became, yet no one dared to step into the lake to pick them.

At the lakeside, around fifty or sixty Taoists gathered, with a similar number from the Demonic Sect. They confronted each other, unwilling to leave first. After all, many still hadn't managed to successfully pick a lotus flower, so how could they willingly give up? However, as time passed, the lotus flowers gradually began to wither, their once vibrant petals withering. Finally, someone, unable to endure the torment of waiting any longer, decided to take the risk and head towards the lake.

On Dao Zong's side, those who should have taken action had already taken advantage of the opportunity, and they were thankful for the low casualties. Finally, Tong Zhan stepped forward to collect everyone's equipment, promising one lotus per piece of equipment. He collected six or seven pieces of equipment, and with his own, he was ready for a big move. The journey went smoothly, and Tong Zhan had gathered at least a dozen lotus flowers before they fell. However, halfway back, the remaining lotus stems and leaves began to wilt.

"Not good!" Everyone's heart was lifted. The Demon Sect was even more gloating, but they also had some people who hadn't returned yet. However, no one paid attention, instead focusing all their attention on Tong Zhan.

Tong Zhan looked at the withering lotus leaves in the lake, feeling anxious, and hurried back. "Faster, faster!" He urged himself, praying that the lotus flowers wouldn't wither too quickly.

A pair of hateful eyes stared at Tong Zhan. It was Dao Zong's men who had taken advantage of his brother's return journey and attacked him, causing him to perish in the Black Water. He had been on the shore at the time, too late to rescue him. Although the man was ultimately severely injured by his attack, he had watched helplessly as his brother screamed and fell into the water, ultimately reduced to a wisp of white eyes and a pile of dry bones. The man, however, was only seriously injured but not dead. How could this be the end? Wasn't it normal for so many people to have some accidents? Was it only his own fault for his lack of skills? He wanted to see if Tong Zhan's skills were worthy of receiving so many lotus flowers!

Tong Zhan stepped on the last lotus leaf, his eyes fixed on the other side. He took a deep breath, threw a piece of equipment in his hand, and then leaped up again, ready to step onto it accurately so that he could reach the shore smoothly. However, at this moment, an accident happened! A black soul-suppressing nail came flying at him like lightning, with an extremely fast speed that caught him off guard. Tong Zhan was startled and wanted to dodge, but time was not enough. In desperation, he could only bite the bullet and catch the soul-suppressing nail.

At the critical moment, Tong Zhan quickly cast a shield in front of himself. With a crisp "ding" sound, the soul-soothing nail hit the shield hard. Affected by the powerful impact of the soul-soothing nail, Tong Zhan's body involuntarily shifted to the side a few points. At this time, the equipment he originally planned to land on was no longer at his current landing point. Faced with this emergency, Tong Zhan made a quick decision and quickly changed his body shape, retracted his legs, and stepped on the shield. However, after doing so, his entire body curled up and it was difficult for him to stand up. Because if he forced himself to stand up, it would cause an imbalance of power, and the shield would be under too much force and his entire body would step into the water.

So when he jumped up again, he could only shrink his body. However, the opponent obviously would not miss this great opportunity, and several soul-soothing nails rained down again. Fortunately, this time the disciples of Dao Sect finally came to their senses. They threw out their weapons and shields one after another, trying to intercept these soul-soothing nails. Never mind the camaraderie of Dao Sect, even for the lotus that Tong Zhan promised to give him, these people would do their utmost to protect him. Although a little embarrassed, at least they managed to block all the soul-soothing nails. However, at this moment, the people of Demon Sect saw the opportunity and took the opportunity to launch an offensive. The two sides went back and forth, one side launched an attack, the other side defended with all their strength, and the magic weapons and shields in the sky shone together, creating a chaotic scene.

Tong Zhan finally adjusted his body shape in the airtight space protected by everyone, dropped his equipment several times, and jumped onto the shore with the help of buoyancy. After landing, he did not forget to salute and express his gratitude to the person who helped him.

"Thank you all for your help!"

"Oh, you're welcome," everyone said.

Tong Zhan distributed the lotus flowers he had promised everyone. Previously, these lotus flowers had served as his protective shield, but once ashore, in full view of the public, holding precious treasures, they were no longer a shield, but rather a source of hatred and crime. After distributing them, he still had a considerable amount left, but he was confident he could keep them.

Meanwhile, two members of the Demon Sect were still on their way back to shore. Their lotus had completely withered, leaving them with nowhere to rest. They had lost all their equipment, and with the attention of the people on shore focused on Tong Zhan, they were left without help, ultimately falling into the black water. The Demon Sect leader, Xiao Tan's men, called out repeatedly, but no one heard. Perhaps even if they did, they didn't want to use their own equipment to save others, or perhaps those two were simply unpopular. Only one person followed his lead and threw their own magical weapon to save others. If they had used all theirs, they might have barely made it to shore, even with some injuries. Everyone else, seeing the benefits, would have offered a helping hand. But it was these two people who, seeing the hope of survival, both wanted it. As a result, the two fought for it, and neither of them survived.

Earlier, upon noticing the lotus leaves were wilting, Xiao Tan had called them back, but the two, seeing the lotus flowers were unwilling to let go, insisted on plucking one more lotus pod before turning back. They hadn't made it in time, and their limited equipment was barely enough to make it back. But when they turned back, the lotus leaves were all wilted. Without time to think, they hurried back, only to run halfway when they ran out of places to stay and ultimately became fertilizer for the Black Lake.

His own men fell into the water and died, while the Taoists returned safely. Xiao Tan was furious, not only at the Taoists, but also at his own men. They were too greedy and disobedient! If the two of them had successfully returned, how many lotus flowers would they have? Although he didn't count them, each of them would have at least fifteen. Are those fifteen flowers? Those are fifteen lives! The two of them together would have thirty flowers, thirty lives. He couldn't bear to think about it. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

As soon as Tong Zhan reached the shore, the Dao Sect's men quickly formed a battle formation. The other side was already furious and jealous, so they were naturally on guard against them jumping the wall and fighting for it. We're not afraid of a group fight!

Many people from the Demon Sect were so jealous that they wanted to rush forward. Although they had taken action before, they still restrained themselves and attacked from their own side. But now they have rushed to the other side, and it seems that they are ready to fight to the death!

"Calm down, come back!" Xiao Tan's voice, rich in spiritual power, resonated in the air. The few people who had rushed out regained some of their rationality that had been lost due to jealousy. Although they did not retreat, they no longer looked like they were going to fight madly.

Xiao Tan was so angry that he almost went crazy looking at the tense situation before him. But he knew in his heart that now was not the time to fight. Whether it was a secret plot or an open plot, it was just an individual act. But if a fight breaks out now, it will become a fierce fight with disastrous consequences. If things go wrong, the entire team might be wiped out. No matter which side is eliminated, the remaining side will inevitably suffer a heavy blow. Such a situation must not happen. It's not that he has no confidence in his own people, but he knows them too well. If a fight breaks out, it is very likely that his own people will be wiped out. Each of them is as obedient as a pug in front of the ancestor, but once outside, they all refuse to obey.

The two sides distanced themselves from each other and retreated in two different directions.

"Boss, are we just going to let them go like this?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"What else? Do you think we have any other choice?" Xiao Tan stared at the man and said coldly, "Have you had enough of living? If so, I don't mind being a good person and personally sending you off."

"Well, of course I haven't lived enough, I just feel cowardly." The man muttered softly,

"You're such a coward! Shut up right now." The people next to him quickly pulled him back. Didn't they see the murderous look on the boss's face, yet he still dared to add fuel to the fire? Everyone is a coward, but one should use his brain when speaking.

The confrontation between the two parties ended abruptly, without causing any major disturbances. The secret realm had only just begun, not even halfway through, only about a quarter. It was only at the beginning, so it would be unwise to engage in a fight now. If they did, they would have to plan an ambush and catch the other party off guard!