Armipotent

Chapter 2123: Hiding in Plain Sight

The war in the Sacred Realm seemed to be at a stalemate at first. Both sides, the Murim Alliance and the Heaven Founder, were looking for a certain group that showed up in the Golden Crane City. Especially for the Heaven Founder, who halted their attack after successfully attacking the two major factions.

Guardian Ding brought up information to the Heaven Founder that the mysterious group might be related to the Yang Clan. That was why they temporarily halted the attack and looked into their own territory to investigate the Yang Clan.

The Heaven Founder was worried that they would be attacked from behind while waging war against the Murim Alliance. That was why they halted their attack for a full week.

Of course, they could not find anything about the Yang Clan, as well as the mysterious group.

As for the Murim Alliance, they were at a loss. It seemed they truly didn’t know much about the Heaven Founder until the attack. They wiped out the remnant of the Dongfang Family, but that was it.

The Murim Alliance could not get a lead on the Heaven Founder. That was one of the reasons they were looking for the mysterious group. The reason why Tang Shaoyang became a notorious criminal overnight.

Especially for the four Great Empires that relentlessly sought this mysterious group. They posted a bounty, a massive bounty that made the rogue cultivators go mad. Just providing the information about Tang Shaoyang’s whereabouts would grant them a reward.

Meanwhile, the notorious criminal was enjoying his tea on top of one of the most luxurious pavilions in Immortal City, the capital of the Murim Alliance.

Tang Shaoyang was looking down at the crowded street below the building as he sipped the tea in his hand. He had developed a fondness for tea after staying in the Sacred Realm for three weeks.

The tea in the Sacred Realm hit differently. His choice was the one with the strong flavor called Dark Lotus Dew. The most wanted person in the Sacred Realm was currently enjoying his tea in the Murim Alliance’s capital.

Not just that, he ended up owning a brothel in the capital. He bought the brothel, buying it at ten times the original price. The brothel became his main operation base ever since.

On top of that, they started to replace the workers from the Yang Clan. Zara had set up the teleportation gate under the pavilion. Just like that, Tang Shaoyang had set up a connection with the Sacred Realm.

The capital was more crowded, and the number kept increasing each day. The remnant of the Profound Palace and the Wudang Sect fled here, seeking refuge at the supposed safest place in the Sacred Realm.

He had his shadow spirit to spy on the Murim Alliance, the reason why he knew the Murim Alliance didn’t have much information about the Heaven Founder. The Alliance Leaders, along with the other factions, tried to cover it by putting the blame on him for what happened in the Dongfang Family.

He also had one of his shadow spirits following Guardian Ding. The reason he knew why the Heaven Founder was looking for him as well. The same Guardian who targeted the energy vein under the Yang Clan’s estate.

Thanks to this old man who came to look for the Yang Clan, he could spy on the Heaven Founder as well. That gave him and the others time to experience the Sacred Realm. Most of the time, they spent their time training, but they did treasure hunting as well.

They entered something called a secret or hidden realm. It was actually similar to a dungeon, entering a separate space. The difference between the two was the objective.

They needed to kill the dungeon boss, fulfill certain objectives, or even clear a maze. The hidden realm didn’t have that objective or mission, but there was a restriction and a time limit.

A certain hidden realm only allowed a certain level of cultivation, and there was always a time limit for the hidden realm. If one didn’t leave in time, they would be trapped in that hidden place until it was opened again.

The Sacred Realm’s system took him as a 5th-Stage Foundation Establishment Realm. That gave him the freedom to enter the hidden realm. Yu was the only one with a proper cultivation rank. His rank was 8th-Stage God Realm.

Thanks to that, they could sneak into most of the hidden realms and take treasures from children. From delving into the hidden realm, Tang Shaoyang could understand why a big merchant group such as the Cladeos Emporium wanted access to the Sacred Realm.

There was this treasure called Fire Essence. That helped to increase a Fire Affinity in the Sacred Realm’s terms. Fire Affinity was equivalent to the skill called Fire Elemental Power, so yes, those essences strengthened the skill.

Aside from those Fire Essences, there were various kinds of elements: Wood, Earth, Water, Wind, Ice, and Lightning were the common elements. The rare element was Space, Blood, Shadow, even Void.

Those treasures could be found in the hidden realm, and that was a whole new market for a business. These treasures were sought by the mage and elementalist. It was a big market, and the Cladeos Emporium could sell it in much higher places if they were the only ones with access to the Sacred Realm.

It was a peaceful morning for Tang Shaoyang despite living in an area with high tension. The Heaven Founder’s attack, the Dongfang Family’s betrayal, and the Dongfang Family’s fall caused great unrest within the Murim Alliance.

Of course, the Dongfang Family’s betrayal contributed the most to the great unrest. Not just for the small sect, the one who affected the most was, in fact, the big faction. The betrayal created distrust between the big faction, afraid there might be more factions that betrayed the Murim Alliance.

For that reason, the big factions didn’t really unite despite the Heaven Founder’s threat. They only trusted their back to their trusted long ally.

The remaining seven Great Families split into three groups. The four Great Empires only exchanged crucial information among themselves, and the Ice Palace stood by itself. They never truly had a close ally to begin with, just like the Profound Palace.

That was why the Heaven Founder’s next target was the Ice Palace. Even though the Ice Palace was located in an extremely cold environment, it was hard to reach. The Heaven Founder would come for them.

Zara came out of the shadow, shaking her head as she watched Tang Shaoyang enjoy his tea.

"Two more workers tried to report you to the Murim Alliance, but I have taken care of them."