Chapter 173 - The Scum Is Tenacious

Outside the secret realm, the audience laughed in schadenfreude. "PFT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" they held their stomach in laughter.

Lei Ling, Lei Qing, You Rou and Zuo Zhe. "…" 

Zheng Fu Gong and the Alliance elders. "…" 

The sect leaders. "…" 

"Hahahahahaha! Now Cheng Sheng has fallen in his own pit!" someone from the audience said.

"He dragged everyone with him!" somebody added, grinning from ear to ear.

Fei Huang closed his eyes in silence when he saw Xi Ming and the others were chased by the water monsters hiding in the stream including the monsters in the forest.

Tang Teng covered his eyes with his hand when he saw Tang Zhe and the others are dripping wet like the Shanliangde Sect.

Jing Rui's expression stoned when he saw Jing Cheng and the others where bathed in their sweat after stopping Jing Hei and Jing Bai's fight.

Wu Yuan and Xie Lan who saw Cheng Sheng and the others evaporating their sweat with their qi, so they are in the best condition. "…" 

"Xie Lan/Sect leader Xie!" Fei Huang and Tang Teng called as they glared at Xie Lan. Even Li Nanzi can't help glaring at him, too. Meanwhile, Jing Rui was holding back his temper while Qian Shan just helplessly smiled in defeat.

"How the hell did you raise your disciple?!" they asked Xie Lan. Their voice is filled with frustration. How many times did Cheng Sheng pit their disciples?! They thought.

Xie Lan who was secretly admiring Cheng Sheng's talent in digging pits. "…" now Cheng Sheng himself has fallen to his pit! He gloated inside.

No matter how the sect leaders scold Xie Lan, but they can't change the situation of their disciples inside the secret realm. Seeing the usual shtick, Zheng Fu Gong and the others sighed in relief. They thought the matter of the demonic cultivator Jie Mei had weighed in everyone's heart.

Meanwhile, inside the secret realm, everything became even more chaotic when the walking corpses finally appeared!

"WAAAAHHH!!! Why does this always happen?!" Fu An cried as they immediately went out of the stream and pasted Cleaning Talisman on their clothes. Their clothes immediately dried. Unfortunately, it started to rain! It is useless! They're still going to be soaked!

"This time, it's an accident." Xi Ming said and sighed. He doesn't want to blame Xi Xing. Instead, he blames himself for neglecting him.

"The same can be said for yesterday!" Xiong Si said as they all ran away in their fastest speed.

Gong Xian was carrying the unconscious Ruo He, but he can still keep up with their speed. "Find shelter from the rain. Dry ourselves with the Cleaning Talisman, then contact Cheng Sheng." He told them.

Xi Ming sighed in relief since Gong Xian is reliable. "Let's do that." He told them.

"Yes!" they answered.

On the Zunjingde Sect's side, they luckily found a tree house! "Let's go there!" Jing Cheng said as they leapt up the tree.

The others immediately followed. Jing Hei and Jing Bai already had finished their fight and went back to their usual interaction. That's how twins are.

"This is only temporary, since we don't know if a monkey or a snake might suddenly appear and attack us. There're also the birds." Jing Cheng said. "Jing Kang." He called.

"Yes." Jing Kang answered and laid a formation of talismans around the tree house.

"But, this is better than nothing else to shield us from the rain." Jing Cheng said as they evaporated the wetness of their body with their qi. They took out a Cleaning Talisman to dry their clothes. "Can we contact Cheng Sheng? We have to ask him how will this problem be solved." He told Zheng Yi.

"Let me try." Zheng Yi said as he took out the Cleansing Stone, only to notice his hand is empty. "Ah." he muttered.

"What's wrong?" they asked.

"... I dropped it." Zheng Yi answered and immediately looked down the ground.

"…" their face was covered in dark lines when they saw the necklace was hanging by a branch, and a snake was coiling on the branch and stretching its head to reach the shining Cleansing Stone. The necklace is swinging, and almost falling down to the mouth of the monsters below. Can we get any unluckier? They thought.

The Huakai Sect's situation isn't any better. A group of wild boars appeared and suddenly rammed their thick head against the trees. "WAAAH!" a disciple screamed when the tree he's in shook violently.

"Look out! A snake!" his fellow disciple said while Shan Lu immediately stabbed the snake with a dagger.

"They keep increasing…" Guo Cheng said as they looked at the large number of monsters and walking corpses swarming beneath them, waiting for them to fall and eat them. The other monsters that can climb climbed up the tree to attack them.

They saw the Shanliangde Sect and Zunjingde Sect through the Cleansing Stone on Xin Xin's neck and can't help but envy them.

"The two groups have secured their shelter. We still haven't." Kang Ce said as he leaned on the tree while Xin Xin silently sat beside him.

"You don't say for Cheng Sheng's group." Tang Yun said, grinning, when they saw Cheng Sheng's group was on top of the hill and the monsters are surrounding them.

The Zunjingde Sect and the Shanliangde Sect also saw the situation of Cheng Sheng's group. "Did they finally have their unlucky day?" Jing Hei asked and Qian Lin hit him for being insensitive.

"Cheng Sheng…" Xi Ming's group were shocked.

Outside the secret realm, everyone held their breath as they watched Cheng Sheng's group inside the barrier. "They're completely surrounded like the other groups. How did this happen?" they asked in aghast. This is the first time they saw Cheng Sheng is in a dire situation. "Look out!" they exclaimed when the walking corpses started to hit the talismans' barrier. Cheng Sheng can't make an array since it consumes a lot of power.

"Cheng-shixiong... everyone…" Lei Ling muttered as he and You Rou prayed for their fellow disciples' safety.

They felt their heart was trapped in their throat when they saw Cheng Sheng sighed and his shoulder fell. The barrier also slowly disappeared, and the monsters and walking corpses started running towards them.

"NO!" Lei Ling, You Rou and Lei Qing cried.

"WHA - !" the Alliance's elders and the sect leaders cried.

"Xiao Sheng!" Xie Lan cried.

"Ah Yi!" Wu Yuan called as his pupils shrank.

"Yu Sheng!" Zuo Zhe gasped as he covered his mouth when they saw Cheng Sheng's group was drowned in the sea of monsters. His tears fell and he sobbed. "YU SHENG!" he called.

A deafening silence fell and only the growls of the monsters can be heard in the background. Inside the secret realm, the Shanliangde Sect, the Zunjingde Sect and the Huakai Sect were as shocked as everyone.

"They… died?" they muttered under their breath. "Just like that?" they added as they looked in disbelief at the Cleansing Stone of the Alliance's disciple with them. "No way…" they said, their face filled with shock. Cheng Sheng didn't die in the hands of the demonic cultivators, but he died in the hands of the monsters?!

Just as everyone was still stunned, they suddenly heard a rapid sound of something turning coming from the Cleansing Stones. Then, they saw a familiar place appeared.

It was the cave where Cheng Sheng was attacked by Jie Mei. They saw the ground lit up and an array appeared. "That is - !" they exclaimed when they saw a familiar array. Then, the next moment, Cheng Sheng and his teammates appeared. They lied on the floor of the cave, completely exhausted.

Everyone who thought Cheng Sheng and his group died. "…" Seriously? You still can pull this? They thought. However, they saw that Cheng Sheng's face is truly pale.

"Ah Sheng/Cheng-shidi/Cheng-shixiong/Cheng Sheng!" his teammates called and immediately checked his condition.

"Hah… hah – " Cheng Sheng panted. His eyes were unfocused. He overdid himself.

"Ah Sheng!" Chen Han called as he carefully lifted Cheng Sheng's upper body for him to breathe easier.

"I – it was worth it!" Cheng Sheng exclaimed as his eyes shone brightly and finally returned their focus. In the end, he still made an array. Thus, right now, he felt like a salted fish. 

His teammates who were worried to death. "…" Cheng Sheng, are we good? Do you really have to scare us like that? They thought. Their face is dark.

Cheng Sheng left Chen Han's embrace and he stood, only to collapse and hit the back of his head on the floor. "Cheng-shidi!" Fei Yin called and was about to pull Cheng Sheng up when Cheng Sheng raised his hand.

"I'm fine… just feeling dizzy – bleurgh!" Cheng Sheng cried when he suddenly felt nauseous. He covered his mouth, but nothing came out of it. "Ugh… I feel sick…" he said and wiped his mouth before he turned to them. "It's a great gamble earlier!" he said and smiled, though his face and lips are pale.

But seeing his cheerful face, they felt relieved. He's really tenacious. They thought as they watched Cheng Sheng goofily laughed.

"The Stinky Pill will be smellier during the day, but its odor will decrease at night." Cheng Sheng said. "However, to lose its effect, you have to burn yourself!" he told them.

"That… it couldn't be – " everyone said as they looked at the Huakai Sect that immediately froze.

"We just had to burn the Sundry Branch and be exposed to its fire!" Cheng Sheng said.

Everyone looked at the Huakai Sect, their eyes filled with pity.