Oh no, I accidentally cultivated three spiritual roots and became an empress!

Hua Qinglian screamed in fury, "No, they all deserve to die! My appearance is ruined! They all deserve to die! All the disciples of the Qingyun Sect deserve to die!"

Zhong Lingxin turned to look at Liu Chang: "Senior Brother Liu, do you think so too?"

Liu Chang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have to avenge my brother, yes, avenge my brother! So they all deserve to die!"

Zhong Lingxin looked at Liu Chang with pity and said softly, "Whether it's to avenge your brother or you have other ideas, Senior Brother Liu knows better than anyone, right?"

Liu Chang hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "I, I..."

Suddenly, he roared and slashed at Zhong Lingxin with the Yang Ring in his right hand: "Damn it, what did you do to me?"

Zhong Lingxin gracefully flew to the side and laughed, "It's nothing, just a kind of mind-reading technique that can find out the truth in people's hearts. It's a pity that I couldn't completely stump you the first time I used it. How about we try again? I'll practice a couple more times and I'll be fine."

Liu Chang was furious and unleashed both rings, aiming them at Zhong Lingxin.

Hua Qinglian also came to her senses, and with a swing of her Qinglian sword, she also swung it towards Zhong Lingxin.

Zhong Lingxin had no intention of actually fighting them. She floated far away and shouted, "Did you all take pictures?"

Several voices responded simultaneously: "Keep it, keep it! That was brilliant! As expected of a disciple of a major sect, their cunning is far more ruthless than that of ordinary people!"

Hua Qinglian and her companions were both angry and anxious, but there were too many people around them holding recording stones, and they were in a panic, not knowing which one to grab first.

Zhong Lingxin sighed and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. It's a pity I'm not as high-level as them. Make several copies of the recording stone to prevent it from being stolen and people from killing us to cover it up. Once we leave the secret realm, we'll send the recording stone to the Law Enforcer Association. Disciples of small sects are human too; they shouldn't die in vain."

In an instant, all the small families and sects allied with the Loose Cultivator Alliance roared indignantly: "Yes! Disciples of small sects (families) are also human beings, they cannot die in vain."

The popularity of the Loose Cultivator Alliance soared, and more small families and sects came to discuss forming an alliance.

The five major sects and various associations could only watch helplessly, and couldn't help but blame the Lingyun Sect.

Many things are better left unsaid; once they're out in the open, it becomes difficult to continue doing them.

Zhong Lingxin didn't care about any of that. She only thought that there was strength in numbers, and that gathering these small families and sects together would make it easier for them to enter the center.

In the center of the secret realm, during the last half month, the spiritual energy will suddenly surge, reaching ten times the usual amount.

She has entered the center and is very likely to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The leaders of various small sects and families gathered together to discuss the order of entering the center.

Finally, Zhong Lingxin suggested that they draw lots to determine the order, with each small sect or family taking turns one day ahead.

The really small kind, like a small sect or family with only eight or ten people, can gather about a hundred people to form a small team.

All the leaders quieted down. The arrangement was fair; it all depended on luck, and no one could say they were at a disadvantage.

Soon, five small teams were formed, rotating every five days.

The arrangements for the five major sects and various associations were also announced, and everyone drew lots to determine their positions.

The five major sects were particularly frustrated by this secret realm.

In the past, when they entered the secret realm, they relied on their numbers and higher cultivation levels to always take the best routes.

This time, for some reason, things got messed up, and not only could they not clearly assign cannon fodder to scout ahead, but they also couldn't choose a safe route.

However, the fact that the Loose Cultivator Alliance, which had so boldly proposed drawing lots, ended up with the most difficult path still brought some joy to the disciples of the five major sects and various associations.

Let them be arrogant. They should still take the hardest path. They deserve it!

Zhong Lingxin, who was representing the Loose Cultivator Alliance in drawing lots, smiled wryly. After trying for so long, she still had to take the most difficult path, just like in previous years.

Fortunately, the members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance were all very calm and composed, and they had long been prepared to take this most difficult path.

Although the people from small families and sects felt regretful, they realized that they couldn't blame anyone else, and that escaping the fate of being cannon fodder was already a good thing.

The Qingyun Sect led the way on the first day.

Having broken free from the control of the Lingyun Sect, the Qingyun Sect marched at the forefront with high morale.

Zhong Lingxin held a map, looking at the quicksand region on it, and directed everyone to carefully follow behind the Qingyun Sect, quickly passing through according to the marks they left behind.

The so-called shifting sands are a region of shifting sand dunes, with the dunes moving at their slowest for only two hours each morning.

Monks who pass through this area always choose to proceed in the morning.

However, the Flowing Sand Domain also has its advantages, namely, it has a lot of spirit ore, and many materials needed for refining weapons can be found in this area.

When traveling in the morning, the only thing to be wary of is the various poisonous insects and beasts hidden underground, which may suddenly jump out from underground and drag the cultivators into the quicksand to eat them.

The quicksand area takes five days to traverse, which is just enough for each team to take turns for one day.

Perhaps on the first day, when they were still on the edge of the quicksand region and the danger was relatively small, the Qingyun Sect only injured a few disciples and stopped on a hard ground.

In the afternoon, everyone stood on the edge of this hard ground, watching the spirit ore occasionally tumbling out from the shifting sand dunes, and cheers would erupt from time to time.

Zhong Lingxin also found two pieces of black gold ore in the cheering crowd.

At night, quicksand rustled as it flowed around the hard ground, and poisonous insects and beasts would occasionally crawl onto it, but they were all killed by the Qingyun Sect disciples on duty.

The next day, another group of disciples from a small family scouted ahead, resulting in two deaths and several serious injuries.

On the third day, the members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance were responsible for leading the way.

Without saying a word, Xiao Yizi arranged for his disciples to be divided into two rows, about ten feet apart, so that they could support each other.

Two Foundation Establishment stage disciples walked at the front, while two more Foundation Establishment stage disciples brought up the rear to plant road signs.

After entering the secret realm, Zhong Lingxin received help from Xiao Huanhuan and found many good things. She had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and was now in a position near the front, right next to two Foundation Establishment disciples.

As soon as everyone stepped off the hard ground, Zhong Lingxin felt surrounded.

She shouted, "Watch out! We're surrounded!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a bright red scorpion darted out, its long tail gleaming with a dark light, and swiftly lunged at Zhong Lingxin.

Zhong Lingxin raised the Soul-Slaying Sword in her hand, and with a single strike, silently severed the tail of the crimson scorpion.

The crimson scorpion lost its tail and became unbalanced, falling sideways onto the quicksand. Soon, half of its body was swallowed by the quicksand.

The attack of the crimson scorpions seemed to send a signal, as more scorpions, insects, and snakes sprang out of the quicksand and attacked the disciples of the Loose Cultivator Alliance.

Xiao Yizi shouted, "Hun Yuan Formation!"

The Hunyuan Formation is one of the most common defensive formations in the Immortal Spirit Continent. It can be set up by two people or even by a thousand people.