The hour had arrived; the secret realm opened!
The Medical Immortal stepped onto a green ribbon, holding an ink-wash umbrella aloft in the sky. As the umbrella unfurled, a fine mist of drizzle shook free from it, refracting rainbow-like hues in the sunlight like brilliant, delicate diamonds.
Under the layered reflections of multiple rainbows, a hazy region appeared above the Endless Sea—the entrance to the secret realm!
In an instant, supported by the Medical Immortal, several deep-green vines wove together into a rainbow bridge. Disciples of Supreme Will Valley swept past like the wind, their footwork light and nimble, raising clouds of fluttering flower petals beneath their feet.
On another side, a burst of sword intent shattered the clouds across the sky as crimson blood algae bloomed in the air like cascading flowers of blood.
The disciples of Red Blood Lake rode their flying swords, their crimson robes fluttering wildly, vanishing into the secret realm’s entrance in a flash.
Only the Linghua Sect remained. Daoist Venerable Xuanming turned the lightning-wood ring on his palm, and several lightning dragons coiled around him. He raised a finger, and multiple thunder dragons roared as they charged out. Behind them, countless spell arrays unrolled in midair, forming a “bridge of arrays”!
Clad in silver robes, the Linghua Sect disciples moved no less swiftly, maneuvering deftly across the arrays to enter the secret realm. Leading them was Su Li, whose agile movement—resembling a silver dragon—captured the attention of countless onlookers.
Finally came the people from Feixing Workshop. Unlike the high-profile entries above, they wore cloaks and maintained a low profile. Each carried a small wooden flying shuttle, flying in silently in an orderly line.
Though their entrance was subtle, such exquisite flying shuttles were certainly not something ordinary spirit stones could buy—offering a glimpse into Feixing Workshop’s terrifying financial strength.
What seemed like a simple entry into the secret realm was actually a demonstration of each faction’s capability and wealth.
Everyone knew that inside the secret realm, intense competition awaited.
Once all four forces had entered the secret realm, the powerhouses on the viewing platforms settled into quiet observation.
Just then, someone suddenly cried out in shock:
“What is that?!”
Beneath the sea at the secret realm’s entrance, a dark shadow spiraled and expanded continuously, as though something massive was approaching the surface!
Feixing Workshop reacted swiftly; several ship-shaped puppets flew out instantly, charging straight toward the dark shadow.
In the next second, the sea below began to boil. The dark shadow jolted, and in a flash, the ship-shaped puppets were swallowed whole, disappearing without a trace.
The crowd looked on in shock and doubt: “What is it? A demon beast?”
The Medical Immortal narrowed his eyes: “No, I do not sense any demonic aura…”
The Master of Red Blood Lake drew his precious sword: “Whatever it is, it comes with ill intent—slice it down first!”
Lu Yin: “Wait…”
However, the Master of Red Blood Lake was impetuous and had already acted. A wave of sword intent slashed through the air, stirring up a towering wave, which then transformed into heavy rain that crashed down mercilessly upon them.
Everyone raised their defensive barriers and looked closely. The dark shadow beneath the sea finally revealed its true form—it was a giant ship made of skeleton bones.
Veiled by the ocean waves, the ghostly white-boned ship surged aggressively out of the water in a split second. Wisps of black energy shattered the sword intent and slammed into everyone’s barriers, tearing them apart!
The ship appeared to be constructed from the skeleton of a giant whale, with dark red, flesh-like tissue still visible between the white bones.
“Demonic cultivators…” everyone exclaimed in shock.
The moment Su Li entered the secret realm, he was met with cascading waterfalls, lush green grass, and air thick with dense moisture.
However, his fellow disciples were nowhere to be found.
After searching the vicinity without success, a realization dawned on him: the entrance to the Qingpeng Secret Realm likely possessed a spatial trick—no matter how many people entered in whatever formation, they would be scattered and sent to random locations throughout the realm.
As a result, the preparations made by their sect beforehand were rendered useless; in this situation, everyone had to rely entirely on their own abilities.
It was a fair secret realm after all!
Su Li flicked his wrist and brought out his compass. The needle pointed starkly toward the north, clearly drawn by a powerful pull!
If that was the case, he might as well look for the sword blank first!
He failed to notice that on the shoulder of his silver robe, a faint trace of powder hovered faintly. It wasn’t that he hadn’t bathed or changed clothes, but the Misfortune Powder was, after all, a product of Feixing Workshop—it could attach directly to one’s divine soul, ensuring it wouldn’t dissipate for a period of time.
Following the compass’s guidance, Su Li bypassed the waterfall and headed north. Strangely, as soon as he passed the waterfall, the needle shifted directions, pointing southeast instead!
Southeast—wouldn’t that mean retracing his steps?
Puzzled, Su Li tentatively walked back. Yet once again, the needle spun halfway around and returned to pointing north.
“…” Su Li thought. Either this compass was broken, or it was playing tricks on him on purpose.
He pulled out the compass he had bought at the bazaar. The moment he flipped it open, it pointed firmly to the north. Both compasses aligned in the exact same direction, which proved only one thing: the compasses were not wrong.
He narrowed his eyes, cast a few defensive arrays upon himself, and walked northward.
The outcome was identical: as soon as he crossed the waterfall, the compass signaled him to turn back; once he walked back, it pointed north again.
After several back-and-forth attempts, Su Li grew certain that the direction indicated by the two compasses was not north—they were both pointing at the waterfall.
The problem was with the waterfall!
Su Li cast a Water-Repelling Array and leaped down amidst the crashing sound of water.
The pool was clear, inhabited only by a few small fish, and the bottom of the lake was… Wait, what was that?!
There was a cave at the bottom of the lake!
Su Li swam toward the cave. The water plants at its mouth drifted with the ripples, meaning there was running water here—the cave likely led to another pool!
Gazing into the dark cave that could only accommodate one person at a time, Su Li unleashed his spiritual energy. His Golden Core rotated, the essence of the Mirage Monster glowed faintly, and his Water-Repelling Array was fully activated!
Like a silver-white dragon, he dived into the cave.
As expected, the cave was pitch-black, bottomless, and extremely narrow. Anyone below the Golden Core stage who entered would likely be turned back by the water pressure and darkness.
Even he couldn’t help but feel a wave of darkness before his eyes, his scalp numbing and stars dancing in his vision from holding his breath for so long.
The path ahead grew narrower and narrower. Even Su Li couldn’t help but wonder: Is there really no end to this place? Or will I get stuck here and unable to pass through?!
If a Golden Core cultivator got stuck to death here, he would be the most embarrassing disciple in Linghua Sect!
Master… Master… Lu Yin…
No, he couldn’t!
He still had to go back to see Lu Yin!
With that thought, strength returned to him. Shifting his body once more, the scene before Su Li suddenly opened up:
Rippling water sprayed onto his face, and above his head lay a vast expanse of open water!
He kicked upward forcefully, surfaced above the water, and took a deep breath!
The heavy weight pressing on his lungs finally vanished, and he had successfully arrived in a whole new world!
It was a wide lake where vines hung low, intertwining with their reflections in the water. The entire lake emanated dense spiritual energy.
A gentle breeze blew past, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.
Yet amidst such beautiful scenery, faint cries for help echoed in the distance.
Was someone truly in danger, or was it a trap?
Su Li went ashore, carefully approaching the area where the sounds of fighting originated.
The scene that followed made his eyes widen: a cloaked figure wearing the attire of Feixing Workshop was currently locked in a struggle with a massive vine plant!
The vine stood a full nine feet tall. Even the thinnest tendrils were as thick as a wrist, while the thicker ones resembled a human thigh. Despite the cloaked person’s desperate struggles, the artifact in his hand was slapped away by the vine. In the end, he was strangled around the neck, his face flushed red from obvious suffocation!
He couldn’t even make a sound to call for help!
He had to save him!
Su Li’s Golden Core rotated, and he unleashed several wind blades with a wave of his hand. As the sharp wind blades swept past, the vine around the cloaked person’s neck was severed from the side, allowing him to finally catch his breath!
Detecting Su Li, the vine slithered across the ground in an ambush, then suddenly lunged upward, intending to bind his thighs and repeat the same trick!
It was only when the vine attached itself to him that Su Li understood its terrifying nature.
Its lethal move was not merely entangling its target, but leeching the prey’s spiritual energy the instant it made contact. The more one struggled, the faster it drained, ultimately drying up the dantian completely.
No wonder that cloaked person had been disarmed despite holding an artifact.
Su Li’s spiritual energy was also being drained. Mind racing, the power from the Mirage Monster within his meridians began to stir restlessly:
Heh, isn’t it just having spiritual energy drained? It’s not like this is my first time!
As the Mirage Monster’s power activated, the vines holding Su Li firmly began to turn rigid. The stems and leaves at their tips turned yellow and fell off.
The vine paused, seemingly unable to believe it could be subdued by a human with a mere Golden Core cultivation. It swung several more tendrils over, intending to strangle this human cultivator cleanly and decisively!
The corners of Su Li’s lips curled up: That’s exactly what I was waiting for!
In the next second, the Mirage Monster’s power was fully released as his Golden Core rotated. All the vines wrapped around his limbs were drained of moisture in an instant, turning into dry powder!
No—what he drained was not just moisture, but the spiritual energy mixed within it.
If this vine were a human cultivator, it would likely possess a Water Spiritual Root. Su Li discovered that his Mirage Monster power specially countered Water Spiritual Roots, capable of draining the opponent’s dantian completely dry!
As one side ebbed and the other flowed, a vast amount of spiritual energy circulated through Su Li’s meridians, advancing his cultivation and making his entire body feel comfortable.
With a few more wind blades infused with sword intent, the vine was thoroughly defeated, shrinking its battered body and refusing to come out again.
Once everything settled into quiet, Su Li walked toward the cloaked person from Feixing Workshop. The man sat half on the ground, his hands trembling: “Thank you for saving my life, sir. I, Yuan, will never forget this for as long as I live!”
So his surname was Yuan.
Su Li said, “The secret realm is perilous; we ought to look out for one another.” He extended a hand. The young prodigy—elegant as jade and orchid, yet overwhelmingly powerful—naturally carried an aura that inspired awe and allegiance in the cloaked man.
The cloaked man grabbed his hand and stood up: “I knew there would be terrifying plants in the Qingpeng Secret Realm, but I didn’t expect them to be this strong… Of course, it doesn’t rule out that there might be a spiritual vein nearby, which is why the greenery is so exceptionally thick.”
Su Li: “Oh?”
The cloaked man looked at him, grit his teeth, and revealed a major secret: “To be honest with you, since my spiritual energy is exhausted anyway, I might as well share this intelligence with you as a token of gratitude for saving my life.
“Not far from here, there should be an extremely rare treasure known as the ‘Unmelting Ice.’ It takes the form of ten-thousand-year-old ice, but it does not melt under high heat and is extraordinarily sharp—a treasure leaning toward both Water and Gold attributes. Based on our Workshop’s records, we deduced that this item should be the ‘Water Jade Meteoric Iron’ mentioned in ancient texts.”
Unmelting Ice, leaning toward both Water and Gold spiritual roots—wasn’t this the exact sword blank that matched his spiritual roots?!
Su Li’s heart pounded. Master was right!