In the next second, the cloaked Yuan’s words took another unexpected turn: “Unfortunately, we’re taking the wrong path right now…”
Su Li: “How so?”
The cloaked Yuan sighed: “Benefactor, I’ll be straight with you. This place is called ‘Illusion-Love Valley,’ the most dangerous canyon in the entire secret realm. If we can take a detour around another path to reach the ‘Unmelting Ice,’ it would surely be much safer.”
Su Li’s gaze turned sharp as a blade. The cloaked Yuan shivered: “I-I’m telling the truth, Benefactor! You three major sects are competing in strength, so you don’t have a map. But we at Feixing Workshop previously explored this secret realm alongside the people from Supreme Will Valley, so we have a map with marked locations… As for this area, I was washed down by the current and ran into those terrifying vines before I realized this must be Illusion-Love Valley!”
Speaking up to this point, his expression shifted drastically, as if suddenly recalling something: “Benefactor! I have to hurry and find my fellow disciples from Feixing Workshop! I just remembered—I didn’t fall into the water on my own; someone pushed me!”
“I’ve never seen that person before, but he was wearing a Feixing Workshop cloak, so I trusted him instinctively! Thinking back now, he was probably an impostor who snuck in!”
“I must go warn my fellow disciples immediately so they don’t fall victim to him!”
With that, he stood up and brought out a flight artifact: “Benefactor, may fate bring us together again! Be extremely careful in Illusion-Love Valley!”
Sitting atop his artifact, he wobbled into the distance using his meager remaining spiritual energy.
Saving a life had yielded a map, as well as crucial intelligence regarding Illusion-Love Valley and the Unmelting Ice—for Su Li, it was certainly a worthwhile trade.
Moreover, judging by his recent fight with the vines, the Mirage Monster’s power within his body seemed to be the ultimate weapon for countering wild, rampant plants.
He looked up. The valley ahead was lush and green, and the compass in his hand pulled forcefully, pointing straight toward the Unmelting Ice.
This piece of Unmelting Ice was something he was determined to obtain!
And upon his shoulder, the Misfortune Powder still flickered with a faint light.
Outside the secret realm, the four factions were already locked in a fierce battle with the demonic cultivators.
At the prow of the giant whale skeleton ship stood a hulking giant with shoulder bone-spikes alongside a crimson-eyed Demoness. Demonic energy billowed like heavy smoke, completely enveloping the entire sea area. The low-level disciples left outside the secret realm accidentally inhaled the demonic mist, stumbling about as they turned their blades against their own sects.
“Impudent demonic cultivators!” Daoist Venerable Xuanming hovered in midair, holding lightning in his hands, his voice echoing like thunder.
The Demoness covered her lips and giggled eerily: “An old man and yet still so fierce! You’re scaring me!”
Following her voice, several Linghua Sect disciples charged toward Xuanming—she intended to force the sects into fratricidal slaughter to see if Xuanming could bring himself to strike his own people!
Sure enough, despite wielding thunder and lightning, Xuanming could not bring himself to harm his low-level disciples, forced to retreat again and again.
The Demoness gave an arrogant, sultry laugh as even more demonic energy gushed forth.
Just then, a pure and chilling aura surged through the churning demonic mist like a bright moon shining into a muddy pool. Wherever it passed, the disciples affected by the demonic energy regained their clarity, shaking their heads in confusion: “Eh? What just happened?”
Lu Yin hovered in midair, his silver-white Daoist robes fluttering grandly. His left hand pinched a hand seal while his right held a mirror, his surrounding spiritual energy radiating like a full, frigid moon—the absolute counter to this demonic energy!
The Demoness’s face darkened: “What an ethereal仙君 (Immortal Lord)! If I don’t eliminate you right now, you will surely stand in the way of our Lord Demon Venerable’s grand ambition!”
Saying so, her two silk sleeves lashed out like water pythons. Several disciples standing in front of Lu Yin were sent flying tens of feet away, spitting out black blood.
Lu Yin moved like lightning, executing the Cloud-Grasping Technique. Only the jade pendant hanging from his waist failed to dodge in time, shattered by the Demoness’s silk sleeve.
As he dodged, his thoughts churned: Demon Venerable? The previous Demon Venerable was eliminated by the righteous sects centuries ago, and no news of a new Demon Venerable has emerged from the Demon Realm for hundreds of years. No wonder the demonic cultivators have been acting up so frequently lately…
While battling the silk sleeves, he didn’t forget to bait her for information: “Nonsense! A petty coward of a Demon Venerable dares to covet the Qingpeng Secret Realm?!”
The Demoness giggled mockingly: “Heh, covet? The Qingpeng Secret Realm is already within our grasp! A demonic seed has long been planted in the realm’s core. Once we detonate it, the entire secret realm will plunge into the Demon Realm as an offering to our Lord Demon Venerable!”
Lu Yin suddenly raised his voice, and several transmitting frost-flowers floated into the air, broadcasting his voice to all four major factions: “Did everyone hear that clearly?! Demonic cultivators are inside the secret realm—go in quickly to rescue your disciples!”
The Demoness was enraged: “You tricked me!” Her silk sleeves struck like vipers, aiming to strangle Lu Yin’s neck. Lu Yin joined two fingers together, and a flash of sword light unsheathed with a snowy gleam, slicing through the air like severing a snake’s head to cut the silk sleeves cleanly in two!
Even the Demoness was stunned.
Lu Yin held his sword in his left hand, striking a dashing starting stance in midair: “Who said a spirit-focused cultivator from Linghua Sect can’t use a sword?”
He certainly knew how to use one—and his sword skills were exceptional. After all, his Dao companion Shi Zeyi had been a supreme sword cultivator in one of his past worlds.
The cold moon revealed its sharp crescent like a giant scythe, slicing into the demonic energy with unrivaled force.
The Demoness let out a sharp screech. On the other side, the hulking giant covered in bone-spikes swelled several times in size, single-handedly holding off the Red Blood Sword Venerable and Daoist Venerable Xuanming.
Lu Yin felt a bad premonition. In the next instant, he saw the Demoness manipulating the skeletal giant whale, steering it straight toward the secret realm’s entrance!
Oh no! She can’t be allowed to crash into it!
Lu Yin pinched a seal, his sword light swelling like autumn water as he pursued the skeletal giant whale. The Demoness shrieked painfully and collapsed to the ground, but the skeletal whale—massive as a mountain—continued forward relentlessly, crashing into the entrance even as it was dismantled by the sword light!
With a deafening boom like exploding fireworks, the secret realm entrance shattered and was forcibly blown open. A massive suction force spun like a whirlpool, pulling everyone nearby into the vortex!
As the world spun wildly around him, Lu Yin vanished into the secret realm.
Inside the Secret Realm
Su Li was currently locked in battle with numerous plants within Illusion-Love Valley. Leaves slashed like blades while Su Li executed the Cloud-Grasping Technique, stacking defensive arrays around his body. As one side ebbed and the other flowed, watery glimmers and golden spell-light reflected on his sharp, handsome face, exuding a youthful, heroic brilliance.
Moving like lightning, Su Li severed the aerial roots of a giant banyan tree once more and stepped over the roots of a man-eating flower, alighting lightly onto the ground.
The man-eating flower and the banyan’s roots withered away one after another, turning into dust that scattered behind him.
As several wisps of moisture replenished his meridians, Su Li let out a comfortable sigh.
This Mirage Monster power was truly formidable.
Walking further ahead, he came upon a small pool. Lying within the crystal-clear water was a stone roughly the length of a forearm. It resembled both jade and ice, its surface smooth to the extreme, yet warm and lustrous. Even submerged in the pool, it radiated dense, rich spiritual energy.
This was the Unmelting Ice—the Water Jade Meteoric Iron!
Even before drawing close, he could feel its exceptional affinity with his own spiritual roots. If forged into his natal sword, it would surely grant him a massive power boost!
Su Li’s heart pounded with excitement, yet his movement remained steady. Reaching out with his long arm, he prepared to scoop the meteoric iron out of the water!
At that very moment, a foul, reeking gust of wind struck straight at Su Li’s face!
Su Li dodged to the side, but the attack still scorched the shoulder of his robe. In an instant, his defensive array shattered, and his robe was corroded into a charred, gaping hole!
Looking closely, a giant, centipede-like insect had emerged beside the pool out of nowhere. The centipede was jet-black all over, its tail raised high and trembling slightly—the previous attack had clearly been venom squirted from its tail.
This poison is potent!
Just as the realization crossed Su Li’s mind, the centipede’s tail twitched again, spraying a pillar of venom straight toward his face!
Su Li dodged once more to create distance, raising his hand to fire several wind blades.
The centipede didn’t even try to dodge; the wind blades struck its dark outer shell, leaving only faint scratches.
It can actually resist wind blades at the Golden Core level?!
It was said that rare treasures were always guarded by abnormal beasts, so this terrifyingly large centipede… was likely the exotic insect trying to claim the Water Jade Meteoric Iron for itself.
Not daring to take it lightly, Su Li circulated the Mirage Monster’s power through his meridians, channeling it into his attacks against the centipede.
A hit!
However, unlike the plants that dehydrated instantly, the centipede showed no reaction at all. It was completely unaffected by the Mirage Monster’s power; instead, it wagged its head and tail as if enraged, charging forward even more aggressively.
It’s so fast!
Su Li kept his Cloud-Grasping Technique active beneath his feet, yet he still couldn’t widen the distance between them.
One only needed to look at his charred robe to know what would happen if he got caught.
This is bad.
Seeing the distance closing rapidly, anxiety welled up in Su Li’s heart. Suddenly, after he retreated six or seven rods, the centipede’s movements stuttered with a barely perceptible lag.
This unnatural reaction was caught by Su Li’s keen eyes.
Something is wrong with this centipede. It would be normal if its movements simply slowed down, but why would an exotic insect exhibit a “stuttering” lag? It was… almost as if the joint of a shadow puppet had been suddenly snapped!
Shadow puppet?!
Right!
Su Li thought to himself: all along Illusion-Love Valley, he had seen nothing but gigantic plants—why would an exotic insect suddenly pop up right beside the Water Jade Meteoric Iron?
If Illusion-Love Valley possessed superior natural energy, it would never be so destitute that only a single centipede existed in the entire valley!
Activating the Mirage Monster’s power between his brows, a mother-of-pearl sheen covered Su Li’s eyes. Looking at the centipede again, he realized it had “no life force” whatsoever!
Or rather, it was merely an empty husk! What was truly hidden was an extremely thin, tough vine beneath the centipede’s tail!
The vine was dark green, snaking through the ground from underground, occasionally hiding beneath soil and tree roots—it would be impossible to notice without looking closely.
Found it!
Su Li joined his fingers together, condensing wind blades at his fingertips—one, two, three… stacking them continuously until the sharp spiritual energy nearly cut his own skin.
The young man narrowed his eyes. As the centipede raised its tail once more, he aimed straight at the vine fuse exposed in midair and released his wind blades!
The wind blades whistled through the air, carrying the sharp, metallic energy unique to the Gold spiritual root, severing the vine in a flash!
A silent wail exploded beneath the earth! Even the nearby banyan tree trembled violently!
Deprived of the vine, the centipede shell collapsed onto the ground, visibly losing its luster.
Su Li’s forearm was corroded into a purplish-blue hue by the venom, but he wasn’t in terrible shape. A smile broke across his face: Just as I thought!
This so-called exotic insect was nothing more than a husk drained clean by that vine long ago. The venom was actually the vine’s poison—it merely needed a hard shell to protect itself!
Still, thinking back on it was chilling. If this secret realm hadn’t been sealed away from humans for so many years, that shell wouldn’t have belonged to an insect, but to some physical cultivator with an invulnerable body.
Su Li let out a sigh of relief. He walked slowly past the centipede husk. Seeing no reaction, he finally relaxed his mind and approached the pool holding the Water Jade Meteoric Iron once more.
The water’s surface was smooth and still, without a single ripple.
The Water Jade Meteoric Iron lay quietly in its original spot, seemingly just a reach away.
Right at this moment, a sudden anomaly occurred!