After Boreuo finally revealed his true intention—to hire Medicine Master Wen and the Bunny Heroine instead of partnering with them—the atmosphere inside the meeting room changed instantly.

The earlier friendliness and playful banter vanished.

Even Beiyou, who had been acting carefree the entire time, stopped smiling.

The negotiation had entered its real stage.

The Real Offer

Boreuo folded his hands inside his sleeves like a monk reciting scripture and calmly spoke.

He admitted thattheir real objective was never cooperation.

The Forest of Corpses was too dangerous to casually split its rewards with outsiders.

Instead, what they needed wasextra manpower to break through the early section of the Secret Realm.

The front hall was notorious among Demon-Path Messengers.

Many teams had tried to clear it in the past century.

Almost all failed.

The problem wasn’t just the monsters.

It was thatthe number of enemies was abnormally high, far exceeding what a normal Secret Realm should contain.

Because of this, the Three Guardians had spent years experimenting.

Eventually they concluded something strange:

The Secret Realm seemed toaccumulate monsters permanently.

No matter how long they waited, the number of enemies never decreased.

This meant clearing the front hall requiredextra combat power.

That was where Medicine Master Wen and Bunny Heroine came in.

Payment

The Blood Minister looked extremely irritated by the whole process.

He clearly disliked the idea of paying outsiders.

But Boreuo ignored him and calmly offered compensation.

The payment was not small.

They promised:

A large amount of Spirit Jade

Rare materials collected from Shu Mountain

Access to several hidden shops inside Eternal Joy City

But there was one strict rule.

Any treasure discovered inside theForest of Corpses’ front hallwould belong entirely to the Three Guardians.

Medicine Master Wen and Bunny Heroine would only receive their payment.

No additional loot.

Yan Qing’s Thoughts

Behind the screen, Yan Qing carefully analyzed the situation.

From a player’s perspective, this was clearly aquest invitation.

But the conditions were suspicious.

Why would powerful Demon-Path Messengers like Boreuo and Beiyou need help clearing a low-level dungeon?

Something about the Forest of Corpses was clearly wrong.

Still, refusing the offer might expose their identities.

After all, they had already shown too much strength.

Leaving immediately could make the Guardians suspicious.

Medicine Master Wen seemed to understand this as well.

She pretended to think carefully.

Then she asked a simple question.

“How dangerous is the front hall?”

Boreuo’s Explanation

Boreuo didn’t hide the truth.

He explained that the front hall containedseven monsters at minimum.

But based on records from the past century, the number should have been four.

The increase had happened slowly over time.

This meant every failed attempt to clear the dungeon had likelyadded more monsters permanently.

Because of this, the Three Guardians had enforced strict regulations.

They limited how many Demon-Path Messengers could enter the Secret Realm each year.

Their job as “Guardians” wasn’t just a title.

They were literallyguarding the Secret Realm from becoming impossible to clear.

The Blood Minister’s Reaction

The Blood Minister scoffed at Boreuo’s explanation.

He believed the entire problem was caused by cowardice.

If they simply gathered enough people and stormed the dungeon, it would eventually fall.

But Boreuo disagreed.

If too many people entered at once and failed again, the monster count might increase even further.

At that point, the Secret Realm might become completely unbeatable.

So instead, they preferredsmall, controlled attempts.

This was why outsiders like Medicine Master Wen were valuable.

They added combat strengthwithout increasing the number of regular participants in the stronghold.

Bunny Heroine’s Response

The Bunny Heroine acted completely carefree.

She yawned and stretched.

Then she casually asked:

“So we just help you kill monsters in the front hall, get paid, and leave?”

Boreuo nodded.

“That’s correct.”

She thought for a moment.

Then shrugged.

“Sounds boring, but fine.”

Medicine Master Wen pretended to reluctantly agree.

“Only the front hall.”

Boreuo smiled.

“That is all we require.”

Preparations

Once the deal was finalized, the atmosphere relaxed again.

Beiyou stood up and stretched lazily.

“Then let’s do it tonight.”

According to him, the Demon-Path Messengers preferredentering Secret Realms at night.

Nighttime made it easier to control the stronghold and prevent outsiders from noticing their movements.

The group agreed.

They would depart after sunset.

Night Falls on the Stronghold

As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the stronghold became lively.

Lanterns lit the streets.

Music and shouting echoed through the halls.

Bandits, mercenaries, and Demon-Path Messengers gathered to drink and gamble.

To Yan Qing’s surprise, the place looked almost festive.

It felt less like a villain’s lair and more like a strange mountain town.

But the red names above many people’s heads reminded him of the truth.

This was still a place full of criminals and killers.

The Journey to the Secret Realm

Late at night, Boreuo returned to escort them.

The group quietly left the lively plaza and headed toward theforbidden area behind the stronghold.

Unlike the chaotic streets, this place was heavily guarded.

Rows of disciplined soldiers stood watch.

Most of them were not red-named.

They were likely neutral Messengers who worked for the Three Guardians.

After passing several checkpoints, they entered a long tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel…

A pale green light illuminated the entrance of a dark forest.

TheForest of Corpses.

And that moment leads directly into the events ofChapter 161, where they discover:

The strange monster count

The Skull Tower

The terrifying possibility that the Secret Realm hadnever reset

And the shocking theory thatsomeone might still be alive inside.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com