An Alliance Forged Amidst Betrayal and the Dragon Tomb’s Secrets

In Chi Qiu’s estimation, Su Hanxing was a highly capable and upright gentleman, renowned for his integrity and thus inherently trustworthy.

With the Dragon Tomb on the verge of opening, various major powers had established their own factions, each holding a distinct territory within the Sishui Marsh. They stood in opposition, balancing each other’s influence. However, should a lone powerhouse like Chi Qiu or Su Hanxing attempt to claim a share, these factions would immediately converge, driving them out and even orchestrating their demise. Su Hanxing had already suffered such a fate.

While Chi Qiu possessed immense confidence in her own strength, she honestly admitted that her capabilities were undoubtedly inferior to Su Hanxing’s current stage. Given that even Su Hanxing had narrowly escaped death, venturing into the fray alone would surely lead to a far more tragic end for her.

Now, with a sect mission to fulfill and a desire to avenge Meng Yutang’s betrayal, Su Hanxing had extended an invitation for Chi Qiu to form a team. Chi Qiu, naturally, accepted with cheerful enthusiasm.

“Hahahahaha, with the two of us allied, even if a dozen or more cultivators of our generation came at us, we could still send them fleeing in terror!” Su Hanxing, seeing Chi Qiu agree to the alliance, instantly shed his earlier gloom. He laughed heartily, making no attempt to conceal his joy.

“All treasures found within the Dragon Tomb will be mine. You said so yourself,” Chi Qiu reminded him, taking the small pot Su Hanxing had just used and beginning to clean it.

“Rest assured, I, Su Hanxing, always stand by my word.” Su Hanxing reached out, intending to pat his chest, but then remembered his injury and sheepishly lowered his hand. “Now that we’re allied, I’ll share all the information I possess with you.”

Su Hanxing spoke, his hands never still. He produced the Sang Tea Chi Qiu had just traded him. “Little Chi, would you trouble yourself to brew this tea for me? My body is inconvenient, and I can’t do it myself.”

“You should know I’m quite a bit older than you,” Chi Qiu retorted. She took the brocade pouch, skillfully grabbed a handful of Sang Tea, and began pounding it in a stone mortar with a clattering sound, protesting Su Hanxing’s informal address.

“Is ‘Little Chi’ not a genius young… rogue cultivator, barely sixteen years old?” Su Hanxing watched Chi Qiu, kneeling beside him, diligently grinding and brewing tea. For some reason, a strange sense of accomplishment swelled within him.

Seeing Su Hanxing try to deflect with banter, Chi Qiu didn’t press the matter further. After all, she couldn’t change back anyway. Even if she could revert to her male body now, she wouldn’t; she simply couldn’t bear to part with this body’s cultivation talent and inherent potential. Having made up her mind, she decided not to argue over forms of address. Still, being called “Little Chi” by someone six or seven years her junior left her feeling a slight resistance.

Before long, Chi Qiu ground the Sang Tea pellets into a fine powder, poured it into a teacup, added hot water, and gently swirled it a few times before handing it to Su Hanxing. “I only have this one teacup. You seemed to enjoy it earlier, so you shouldn’t mind, right?”

Su Hanxing took the teacup, a strange sensation stirring within him, his fingers trembling slightly. He feigned composure, his voice calm. “We are allies; how could I possibly mind?”

Chi Qiu found his words utterly perplexing. What did this have to do with being allies? She tilted her head, gazing into Su Hanxing’s eyes, her lips slightly parted as if to speak.

Su Hanxing, already feeling guilty, saw Chi Qiu staring at him with a look of surprise. He immediately raised the teacup, partially obscuring his face. “Of course, I certainly harbor no improper thoughts toward you, Little Chi. Please rest assured.”

The moment Su Hanxing mentioned “improper thoughts,” the image of the little Su Hanxing from earlier that day instantly flashed through Chi Qiu’s mind, and her face burned with a sudden flush.

“This…” Chi Qiu began.

“Cough, cough, cough—cough, cough. Let me first tell you about the distribution of demonic beasts in the core region of Sishui Marsh.” Su Hanxing suddenly choked on his tea. After a bout of coughing, he abruptly changed the subject.

Hearing this, Chi Qiu closed her mouth and nodded. She had no desire to delve deeper into that particular topic either.

“From my observations, over ninety percent of the greater demons in the outer reaches of Sishui Marsh have all entered the core region.” Su Hanxing spoke solemnly, and this first piece of information immediately astonished Chi Qiu.

“No wonder I haven’t seen a single greater demon, despite being here for so long!” Chi Qiu realized with a jolt. In previous days, she had wondered why the Sishui Marsh, marked as extremely dangerous on maps, seemed to have so few greater demons. They had all gathered in the core region.

“Typically, greater demons prefer to build their lairs and exert their dominance in the outer reaches of Sishui Marsh, especially those in the God Concealing stage. The inner region, however, is mostly populated by greater demons in the Dharma Manifestation realm. Now, I don’t know which god or demon issued the command, but all the greater demons have converged on the edge of the core region, specifically to obstruct cultivators from exploring the Dragon Tomb.” Su Hanxing took a sip of Sang Tea to clear his throat.

“Because of this obstruction by the greater demons, cultivators from the major noble families are temporarily unable to enter the core region. They have had to set up camps in the inner reaches of Sishui Marsh, simultaneously blocking any lone powerhouses from entering the inner zone.”

The Sishui Marsh was roughly divided into three layers. The outer region was where Chi Qiu had been operating, typically home to smaller demons and greater demons in the God Concealing stage. The spiritual energy in the inner region was several times denser than the outer, and its area was larger, yet paradoxically, there were far fewer demonic beasts. This was primarily the domain of greater demons, including those in the God Concealing and Dharma Manifestation realms, along with a rare few Calamity Tribulation realm greater demons awaiting their heavenly tribulation.

At the very center of Sishui Marsh lay its core region. Spanning less than ten thousand li, it concealed only a handful of gods and demons who had successfully overcome their tribulations, shedding their demonic forms to achieve divine bodies. Su Hanxing’s destination for this journey, the Dragon Tomb, was located precisely within this area.

“Previously, using my identity as a disciple of the Tianyan Sect, I managed to enter the inner region. Upon learning that I was the only Tianyan Sect member present, Meng Yutang actively invited me to join the Meng family’s team. I simply assumed it was a gesture of goodwill and accepted. A few days ago, he invited me to investigate the core region together. I didn’t think much of it and readily agreed. However, I never imagined he had already made preparations to seize my magic treasures. He first launched a sneak attack, injuring me with a palm strike, then rallied several Meng family powerhouses to surround me.”

Su Hanxing’s expression turned grim; clearly, he harbored considerable resentment over the incident. It was no secret that Su Hanxing possessed methods for treasure hunting, and his terrifying abundance of magic treasures was widely known. However, his reputation as the Tianyan Sect’s senior disciple and a candidate for the next Sect Master was far too formidable. Consequently, for many years, no one—save for Chi Qiu—had dared to covet Su Hanxing’s magic treasures. Now, however, Meng Yutang had made him stumble badly.

“He wanted my magic treasures? Delusional! Unable to contend with their combined might, I simply boarded my Jade Sand Skiff and plunged directly into the core region of Sishui Marsh. I decided I’d rather die than let them gain even the slightest benefit. After that, countless greater demons attacked me, and most of my magic treasures were destroyed. Finally, I plunged into the mountain stream, following the current away from the core region. I was gravely wounded at the time, and I collapsed into unconsciousness immediately after leaving the core area. When I awoke again, I was in this very cave dwelling.”

After hearing Su Hanxing recount his experiences since entering Sishui Marsh, Chi Qiu felt a genuine admiration for him. Such a decisive mindset was far beyond what other noble family disciples could display. No wonder, even after losing to her so many times, he could still devise such a peculiar tactic to defeat her at the martial arts competition.

“I drifted down the mountain stream, never expecting to be found by you, Little Chi. If you hadn’t rescued me, I likely would have succumbed to my injuries within a few more days.” Su Hanxing had plunged into the stream with a resolve to die, never imagining Chi Qiu would save him. Recalling it now, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

“Your luck is certainly good,” Chi Qiu quipped, sensing the heavy atmosphere. “You landed in a concave bank, where a lot of debris accumulates. I usually like to fish there, but today, I unexpectedly caught you.”

Su Hanxing’s lips curved upward into a somewhat strained smile. He raised his teacup, took another sip, and declared, “Meng Yutang will never expect me to be alive. Once my injuries heal, we’ll launch a surprise attack on the Meng family’s encampment. I will personally slay Meng Yutang.”

Chi Qiu nodded in agreement. Su Hanxing had already declared his intent to retaliate against Meng Yutang when they formed their alliance, so she naturally couldn’t refuse. Moreover, if the two of them wished to establish a foothold in the inner region of Sishui Marsh, they would undoubtedly need to display their formidable strength. Wiping out the Meng family cultivators would serve as the perfect declaration of their power.

Seeing Chi Qiu’s swift agreement, Su Hanxing was overjoyed. He drained the Sang Tea in his cup, then immediately entered a state of cultivation. Clearly, he was impatient to savor the sweet taste of revenge.