Chapter 61: All Manner of Players Take the Stage (Part Two)

White Bone Mountain. Tiger Mountain. Tiger Leap Ridge.

A few specks of light vanished at an unbelievable speed. After just a moment, a pair of large hands suddenly appeared and tore viciously through the void. A man in a black robe stepped out from within, followed closely by another man, also in black, and finally, a third person—Zhou Yihu himself.

"Since I have some leisure time today, I figured I would come and take a look," the first black-robed man said indifferently. "It has been quite a while since our Black Cloud Fortress last stumbled upon a secret realm."

"Reporting to the Fortress Master, that is indeed the case," another black-robed man said respectfully. The Black Cloud Fortress was divided into eleven divisions, each with its own division head and territory, and thus it had never truly had a centralized Fortress Master in the traditional sense.

"I heard this secret realm was discovered by the fourth division," the Fortress Master remarked casually. Upon hearing this, the other black-robed man lowered his head, not daring to utter a single word.

Zhou Yihu walked at the very rear, trembling with fear. He recognized the black-robed man, though he was only familiar with the second one, who was the head of the first division of Black Cloud Fortress. Yet even someone as formidable as him had to serve this person with such cautious obedience—just who on earth was this individual? He looked somewhat familiar, as though Zhou Yihu had seen him somewhere before.

Regardless, Zhou Yihu had just witnessed this man tear apart space with his own eyes. That level of power was unimaginably terrifying. Such a realm of cultivation was beyond all comprehension. Who in the world was he?

"We are all born from the same red lotus and white roots, yet we only know how to bicker and fight over a patch of land no larger than the palm of a hand, entirely oblivious to the vastness of this starry sky," the Fortress Master said calmly.

"You stand higher than the heavens, so naturally what you perceive is far beyond our ability to guess," the first division head flattered him gently.

The Fortress Master cast a sideways glance at him and couldn't be bothered to continue. It was true; at his level of cultivation, worldly influence and factions were nothing more than a joke.

"Judging by the flying slip, that place is indeed a secret realm, and I fear it is no ordinary one," the first division head said. "But how are we supposed to enter?"

"We simply walk in," the Fortress Master replied with a cold smile. "Since when did the Black Cloud Fortress need to act with such hesitation? If anyone wishes to pick up scraps, they can simply leave their lives behind."

"First Division Head, I think I see Brother Liu Erhei," Zhou Yihu whispered. If it were anyone else, Zhou Yihu wouldn't have cared whether they lived or died. But Liu Erhei was different. From the bottom of his heart, Zhou Yihu genuinely wanted to be friends with someone who had never forgotten his original aspirations, and so, as a friend, Zhou Yihu took the risk of speaking up.

Therefore, sometimes maintaining good character still plays a critical role. When walking the pugilistic world, blind ruthlessness will only lead to an earlier death.

"Since he is one of our own, let's pull him over," the Fortress Master spoke before the first division head could reply. Zhou Yihu hurriedly made a bow of respect, feeling that the Fortress Master suddenly seemed a little more approachable.

In truth, Liu Erhei was not far away to begin with. As a cultivator who had transcended mortality, it took Zhou Yihu only a split second to bring Liu Erhei over. However, Liu Erhei was still in a daze, and Zhou Yihu did not dare to administer treatment rashly.

"The flying slip belonged to Liu Erhei," Zhou Yihu said. Hearing the name twice, even the Fortress Master took a careful look at Liu Erhei. After all, such a name was entirely too unconventional; in the world of cultivators, it might not be completely unique, but it was certainly as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Seeing the curious look in the Fortress Master's eyes, the first division head hastily explained, "This fellow Liu Erhei is simply as stubborn as an ox. No matter what, he refuses to change his name, claiming he must never forget his roots."

"That's right." Perhaps feeling that the Fortress Master wasn't as terrifying as he initially thought, Zhou Yihu also chimed in quietly, "Erhei goes back to sweep the graves of his deceased parents every single year."

"He certainly does not forget his roots. Pity that the Great Dao is destined to be merciless." Zhou Yihu had essentially lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet; hoping to put in a few good words for his friend, he had instead earned this cold verdict.

"Wake." A single, gentle word from the Fortress Master, devoid of any visible movement. The unconscious Liu Erhei snapped his eyes wide open, his face full of vigilance, only relaxing when he caught sight of Zhou Yihu.

He then shook off Zhou Yihu's hand, first offering a respectful bow to the first division head, while deliberately choosing to completely ignore the other black-robed man, the "Fortress Master."

Seeing his old friend act with such a complete lack of tact, Zhou Yihu frantically exchanged a few meaningful glances, but Liu Erhei remained utterly bewildered. Deciding to intervene, Zhou Yihu swiftly changed the subject and asked, "How did you end up knocked out?"

Hearing this, Liu Erhei first froze, and then his expression changed drastically. "I think... someone ambushed me and knocked me unconscious..."

"That person was Wu Yue!" For someone whom he had visited three times, braving Old Yellow Mountain on repeated occasions and even presenting generous gifts, how could Zhou Yihu not remember him vividly!

"What on earth is going on?" The first division head's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Given the original one-year agreement, this brat was acting rather dishonorably. Although he himself had planned on murdering for treasures and all sorts of other underhanded methods, you simply couldn't strike first like that.

The Fortress Master, however, was not the least bit angry, saying indifferently, "That is simply how things are." The first division head instantly fell silent and had nothing more to say.

"It is not too late now." The Fortress Master raised his arm high and brought it down gently, repeating the motion nine times in total.

It sounded like thunder shaking a mountain ridge. Tiger Leap Ridge was actually splitting apart! Rocks, pathways, and vines trembled in unison, shattering into fine powder.

"Interesting." A hint of spirited light emerged in the Fortress Master's eyes. The harder something was to obtain, the more precious it would become—this was a principle he well understood.

One hand formed a fist, the other a palm.

The fist struck the palm, making not a single sound.

The thick clouds in the sky retreated, Tiger Mountain ten miles away collapsed, and the winding river ran dry. Tiger Leap Ridge fared slightly better, merely enduring a continuous, violent tremor.

Hundreds of miles away, an old man abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze as deep as a secluded pool. "Old fellow, you've finally grown restless after sitting in stillness for too long." With a single step, he vanished into the fabric of heaven and earth. This was not a matter of sheer speed, but a true disappearance in the literal sense, or perhaps a technique of shrinking the earth into an inch.

The shock was beyond description. Zhou Yihu handled it a bit better, having the earlier spatial tearing as a cushion. Liu Erhei, on the other hand, was left completely dumbfounded.

The Fortress Master pressed his palms together and blew a gentle breath. It whipped up a raging sandstorm, and Tiger Leap Ridge simply vanished into thin air.

An entire location, completely erased! Rocks, rivers, earth, living creatures—everything disappeared!

Zhou Yihu lowered his gaze to what he was stepping on. It was no longer soil; it felt like iron, yet also like stone. Whatever it was, a single glance revealed it to be utterly extraordinary.

Three mechas lay shattered across the ground, most of their fragments having vanished into the earth. Yet a tiny scrap remained, pinned firmly in place by a slender blade.

Nearby lay a golden compass, though it was now completely mangled out of shape. This hyper-velocity "magical treasure" had struck Zhang Xuanxuan a vicious, unyielding blow without the slightest regard for decency. Before Zhang Xuanxuan even had a chance to catch his breath—

The alarm sirens wailed even louder! Ear-piercingly shrill.

"Danger has escalated to the highest level!" a mechanical voice rang out.

All four silver walls simultaneously began spewing forth various entities—not just mechas, but other things as well: bizarre-looking vehicles, bizarre-looking people...

Wise individuals will always make the same choice. He and the gray-robed elder charged straight inside... and finally, they saw a massive breach appear right where they had entered, blasted wide open by sheer, brute force.