Lauren’s excitement faded. Figures—everyone else was pulling treasures from the ground, and she’d managed to dig up a useless stone. Still, it was rge and oddly striking, so she tucked it into her bag anyway.

  Then a voice brushed her mind—Little Four-Legs.

  That’s no ordinary stone. It’s called a Soul-Absorbing Stone. No spell or weapon can harm it. Refined properly, it makes unparalleled armor.

  Lauren’s eyes lit up. So it’s not worthless at all.

  Around her, the others kept digging furiously. Then, without warning, a dazzling beam of light tore down from above, flooding the underground pace in brilliance.

  And from within it descended a woman—her robes flowing, her presence like a goddess.

  The disciples froze in awe.

  “A fairy…?” one whispered.

  Lauren’s stomach dropped. Her face went dark. “Fairy, my ass. That’s Indiana—from the Moonlit Sect.”

  “Huh? Her?”

  Lauren didn’t waste another second. She bolted toward the light.

  The underground pace wasn’t huge—they’d been scouring it for ten hours and still hadn’t found a boundary marker. She hadn’t seen a trace of Indiana either. But now, here she was, descending.

  Lauren reached the site just as Indiana touched down.

  The light swelled, and with a deep rumble, something massive broke free from the earth—a colossal stone tablet, rising higher and higher until it loomed nearly three meters tall.

  A boundary marker.

  Nash and the others caught up, eyes wide.

  “What the hell is that? A… stone tablet?”

  They had no idea. Compared to the vastness of the world beyond, the cultivation continent was still just a speck.

  The tablet nded with a thunderous crash, carved with characters rge enough for all to read:

  Dark Mist Realm.

  “Dark Mist Realm? What does that even mean?”

  “Is this pce… called that?”

  Lauren’s gaze lingered on the inscription. Of course. “Hidden Mist Secret Realm” was the name cultivators had given it—but this was its true name.

  She smiled lightly. “Let’s move it back.”

  Even as she spoke, her eyes flicked toward Indiana.

  Indiana’s excitement froze in her chest. She’d assumed these Thunder Sect brats wouldn’t recognize the tablet’s significance. Once they left, she could use the Ground Bag her master had given her and quietly take it away.

  But Lauren had just ruined her pn.

  “Huh? Why do we need it?”

  Nash and the others exchanged confused looks.

  Lauren’s voice was urgent. “It’s a damn gem the size of a house. Feel that aura—does this seem like any ordinary stone to you?”

  Skeptical, they extended their senses.

  Sure enough, the monument radiated a strange, ancient energy unlike anything they’d ever felt.

  Something that cwed its way out of the earth on its own couldn’t possibly be mundane. This was no ordinary treasure.

  “Whatever it is, we’ll haul it back for the sect master to study,” someone muttered.

  “Hey—does anyone have a Ground Bag?” Lauren asked.

  Everyone shook their heads almost in unison. A Ground Bag was no trinket—only the truly powerful carried one. Foundation Establishment disciples like them? Forget it.

  Nash clicked his tongue. “If you don’t have it, neither do we. Even my master might not. Forget hauling it whole—let’s just carve it into sections. Everyone takes a piece.”

  He and Sebastian immediately started debating how to slice the thing apart.

  Lauren rubbed her temples. Of course no one here had a Ground Bag—she’d asked on impulse, hoping someone might surprise her.

  After all, only geniuses and elites got to step into this realm. You never knew what hidden cards people carried.

  That’s when Little Four-Legs whispered in her mind. "Have them guard you. I’ll teach you an oracle that will draw the boundary marker into your body naturally."

  Lauren frowned. "No. I accepted Sebastian and the others’ elixirs—I can’t just keep the marker for myself."

  "What? You’d really hand it over?"

  "Yes. Taking it in public might look good for me in the short term, but it would also paint a target on my back. Even my master doesn’t possess inner space. If word spreads, do you think the great powers of the cultivation world would let me live in peace? "

  "This isn’t worth it. Better to give it up now and look for another chance ter. There must be more secret realms out there with markers like this one. We’ll talk about inner space when the time comes."

  Little Four-Legs’ voice softened with admiration. "Not bad. You can resist temptation and weigh the pros and cons. Smart girl."

  "If you can't keep it within your body, do you really pn to carry it out? You can't."

  There was no way in hell they were dragging this thing out of here. It looked like a monument, but it represented the whole Secret Realm. Without a Ground Bag big enough to swallow mountains, no one could move it an inch.

  And one person here did have a Ground Bag. Lauren thought with a crooked smile. Indiana.

  Lauren’s gaze snapped to her. “What are you hiding?”

  Indiana stiffened. She had been waiting for the right moment to quietly stash the monument away. At Lauren’s voice, her hand reflexively shoved the Ground Bag behind her back.

  “Hand it over,” Lauren said ftly, extending her hand.

  Indiana’s eyes fshed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have anything. Even if I did, it would be mine. What are you trying to do—rob me?”

  Lauren’s lips curved into something colder than a smile. “Yes. I am.”

  Her sword fshed free in the same instant, striking without hesitation.

  Indiana reeled back in shock, scrambling to defend herself.

  Nash and the others blinked.

  “Uh… Ms.Lauren is robbing her outright. Should we… step in?”

  “Hell no,” another muttered. “This is between them. Did you see how easily Ms.Lauren dismantled that Moonlit Sect brute? Indiana doesn’t stand a chance. Best not get involved.”

  And with that, they turned back to the tablet, resuming their attempts to dismantle the boundary marker as though nothing were happening.

  “I don’t know what the hell this rock is, but I can’t chisel through it.”

  “I tried putting it in my storage bracelet. No luck there either.”

  “How about we just ftten it, then carry it away piece by piece?”

  It was a stupid idea—but after racking their brains, it felt like the only option left.

  So the four of them gritted their teeth and pushed at the boundary marker with all their strength. When it didn’t budge, they figured it must still be rooted deep underground and started digging again.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the chamber, Lauren and Indiana cshed fiercely.

  Indiana was already battered, her wounds half-healed, her life-saving trinkets exhausted. Against Lauren, she didn’t stand a chance.

  Sebastian had been right—Lauren was toying with her like it was child’s py.

  Step by step, Indiana was forced back, desperation bleeding into her voice. “Why are you trying to kill me? My parents’ affairs had nothing to do with me. I’ve never wronged you.”

  It was a fair question—one Lauren herself had once asked. And back then, the answer she received was the same one she gave now:

  “Because you’re my demon.”

  “I’m… your demon?” Indiana faltered, stunned, and Lauren struck her hard, sending her crashing to the ground.

  Lauren leapt high and stomped down on her chest. Indiana coughed blood, the metallic tang filling her mouth.

  The Gintama Sword hovered against her throat, its frosted bde chilling her pale skin, making her tremble.

  “Hand it over.” Lauren’s free hand stretched out, her gaze colder than the sword itself.

  Indiana’s fingers brushed her storage bracelet. She forced her voice steady. “If I don’t give it to you, you can’t take it.”