While Gathering Ore, They Were Attacked by the Secret Realm's Guardian Beast

The Chaos Thunder Leopard was far faster than they had imagined. Lin Yue and Su Qingyan had barely reached halfway up the mountain when they heard a sharp whoosh behind them. Glancing back, they saw a lithe silver-white leopard racing toward them. Fine silver scales covered its body, and black markings streaked across its back like lightning. Sparks crackled beneath its four paws as it bounded over the ground, blue lightning flickering in its mouth. It was none other than the secret realm's guardian beast—the Chaos Thunder Leopard.

"This thing is... much faster than the Azure Scale Lion!" Su Qingyan's face paled. She could clearly feel the overwhelming, murderous aura emanating from the leopard, which was even more powerful than the Chaos Giant Bear they had encountered earlier. Flames surged at her fingertips, condensing into three Flame Spears. She spun around and hurled them at the leopard, trying to halt its charge.

The Flame Spears carried waves of scorching heat, but the Chaos Thunder Leopard dodged them with ease. It barely seemed to bother avoiding them. Instead, it opened its mouth and spat out a bolt of blue lightning as thick as a bowl, striking the spears with pinpoint accuracy. With a bang, the Flame Spears were shattered by the lightning, bursting into a rain of sparks.

"It's no use! Its lightning can counter my flames!" Su Qingyan cried, a sense of helplessness rising in her heart. The Flame Law she cultivated was already vulnerable to extreme cold and lightning. Now that she faced a Chaos Thunder Leopard who controlled lightning, her power was almost completely countered.

Lin Yue sensed the danger too. The leopard's speed and attacks far exceeded his expectations; they had no chance of winning a direct fight. His gaze swept rapidly over their surroundings. Halfway up the mountain, he spotted a patch of low shrubs. A faint green glow flickered among them. Perhaps they could use the terrain to hide for a while.

"Get into the shrubs!" Lin Yue barked. He grabbed Su Qingyan and lunged to the left. The two barely managed to slip into the dense thicket, where they held their breath and tried to conceal their auras.

The Chaos Thunder Leopard followed close behind and prowled around the shrubs for several laps. Its silver-white head turned back and forth as it sniffed the air, clearly searching for them. Its red eyes scanned the area, and blue lightning continued to gather in its mouth, ready to strike at any moment.

Lin Yue gripped Su Qingyan's hand tightly, signaling her to stay calm. He could tell the Chaos Thunder Leopard's senses were incredibly sharp; the slightest mistake would give them away. Just then, his fingertip brushed against something cold in the shrubs. He looked down and saw a green fragment about the size of a fingernail, its surface covered in fine patterns. It radiated a faint but pure aura of vitality.

"Is this... a Law Fragment?" Lin Yue wondered. Under Pangu's guidance, he had once sensed the aura of a Dao Rhyme Fragment. The fragment before him felt different, but it carried the same resonance of the laws. He quietly picked it up. The moment it rested in his palm, it turned into a gentle green light, flowed through his fingertip into his meridians, and finally gathered in his dantian.

A cool sensation spread through his body. Lin Yue felt as if he could clearly "see" the growth of the plants around him. Even the vitality flowing through the air became visible. His perception of the Vitality Law rose sharply, and he could use the surrounding plants' auras to conceal his presence even more effectively.

"It's a Vitality Law Fragment!" Lin Yue rejoiced. Though tiny, it gave him a more direct understanding of the laws. More importantly, it could help him evade the Chaos Thunder Leopard's detection.

The Chaos Thunder Leopard prowled around the shrubs for a long time but never found them. It let out an irritated growl. Seemingly out of patience, it turned and raced toward the mountaintop. Clearly, it cared more about the sealed Innate Geng Metal Sword and didn't want to waste time on two "weak" creatures.

Only after the leopard had vanished completely at the end of the mountain path did Lin Yue and Su Qingyan dare to breathe deeply. They slumped down in the shrubs.

"That scared me half to death... That leopard is terrifying." Su Qingyan patted her chest, her face still pale. "If we hadn't hidden in the shrubs, we'd probably have ended up in its stomach."

Lin Yue nodded and told her about the Law Fragment he had just found. "I picked up a Vitality Law Fragment. It can conceal our auras. Otherwise, it would definitely have found us."

"A Law Fragment?" A trace of envy flashed in Su Qingyan's eyes. "You really are lucky. But the Innate Geng Metal Sword is sealed. What do we do now? Just go back empty-handed?"

"Of course not." Lin Yue stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "The leopard is temporarily distracted by the treasure. It won't be back for a while, so we can explore the secret realm while we have the chance. It's so vast—there must be more treasures than just the Innate Geng Metal Sword."

Su Qingyan stood as well, renewed determination glowing in her eyes. "You're right. And when I just channeled Li Fire Power, I sensed other fluctuations of the laws in the energy field near the mountaintop. There might be other fragments."

After a brief discussion, they decided to explore the area, gather some low-grade spirit herbs and energy ores, and search for traces of other Law Fragments. They avoided the mountaintop so as not to draw the Chaos Thunder Leopard's attention again.

The secret realm was far richer in resources than they had imagined. Not long after leaving the shrubs, Lin Yue spotted several plants glowing pale blue. They were the rare Calming Grass he had encountered in the chaos before. The herb could calm the mind and aid cultivation, and it was an important ingredient in refining Calming Pills.

"It's Calming Grass!" Su Qingyan exclaimed. Carefully, she dug up the herbs by their roots and put them in her storage pouch. "With these, we can refine a few Calming Pills. They'll help stabilize our cultivation."

Lin Yue gathered a few as well. He also noticed several brownish-yellow crystals embedded in a nearby rock crevice. He walked over and used Chaos Energy to pry them from the rock. They felt heavy in his hand, and he could clearly sense the earth-element energy within.

"They're Earth Crystals!" Lin Yue recognized the ore. "They contain pure earth-element energy. They can help cultivate the Earth Attribute Law and can also be used to refine Defensive Spiritual Treasures."

As they explored and gathered resources, they unknowingly ventured deeper into the secret realm. The plants here were even stranger. Some trees bore fist-sized red fruits that radiated a rich aura of vitality; crystal-clear dewdrops hung from other vines, and touching them revealed pure Water Attribute energy.

"These fruits must be Life Fruits. They can quickly restore your strength and energy." Su Qingyan picked one, wiped the dust from its surface, and handed another to Lin Yue. "Try it. It should work well."

Lin Yue took the fruit and bit into it. Its sweet juice burst across his tongue, and a gentle stream of vitality flowed down his throat and into his body, restoring most of the strength he had lost in the battle. "They're really useful. Let's pick more, just in case."

They picked all the Life Fruits from the tree and were just about to leave when they heard a chorus of chirping nearby. Following the sound, they saw a nest of pure-white birds in a massive ancient tree. Faint lightning shimmered on their feathers. They were clearly some kind of lightning-aligned creatures.

"They're Thunder Feather Birds!" A trace of wariness crossed Su Qingyan's eyes. "They aren't very strong, but they're good at attacking in groups and can summon weak lightning. We should go around them."

Lin Yue shook his head, his gaze fixed on the several eggs in the nest. The eggs were pale blue all over, their surfaces covered in tiny lightning patterns, and they radiated pure lightning energy. "Look at those eggs. They contain a great deal of lightning energy. If we can refine them, they might improve our resistance to the Lightning Law."

Su Qingyan hesitated. "But there are so many Thunder Feather Birds. Stealing the eggs could bring trouble."

Lin Yue smiled and took a chunk of Chaos Energy from his storage pouch. He broke off a small piece and tossed it into an open patch of ground beside the tree. The chunk landed and gave off a rich aura of Chaos Energy, instantly attracting the Thunder Feather Birds.

"Let's go!" Lin Yue grabbed Su Qingyan. While the Thunder Feather Birds fought over the energy, they rushed to the tree and carefully put the five Thunder Feather Bird Eggs from the nest into their storage pouch before quickly retreating.

When the Thunder Feather Birds discovered their nest had been raided, they screeched furiously and chased after them. Lin Yue and Su Qingyan didn't dare stop. They ran at full speed toward the depths of the secret realm. Fortunately, the Thunder Feather Birds weren't very fast. After pursuing them for a while, the birds gave up and flew back to the tree.

"We're finally safe." Su Qingyan panted. Looking at the eggs in the storage pouch, she smiled with satisfaction. "These really are valuable. Once we refine them, they might help us counter lightning beasts like the Chaos Thunder Leopard."

Lin Yue nodded and looked ahead. In the distance, he could just make out a valley where light seemed to flicker. "Let's check out that valley. We might find something even better."

The two quickened their pace toward the valley. As soon as they drew near, a dense aura of the laws swept over them. It was purer than the Vitality Law Fragment they had found earlier, and both of them grew excited.

"It's the aura of a Law Fragment!" Su Qingyan exclaimed, hurrying into the valley.

At the center of the valley stood a huge rock. Five fragments of different colors were embedded in it, each radiating one of the energies of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They were Five Elements Law Fragments!

"Fantastic! Five Elements Law Fragments!" Lin Yue could barely contain his excitement. The Five Elements Law was one of the most fundamental and important laws in the chaos. Collecting them all would provide an immeasurable boost to their cultivation.

Just as they were about to step forward and collect the fragments, a curtain of light suddenly flared up from the rock and enveloped them. An old voice echoed through the valley. "To claim the Law Fragments, you must pass the Five Elements Trial."

Lin Yue and Su Qingyan exchanged a glance. They saw determination in each other's eyes. After everything they had gone through, they couldn't give up on the opportunity before them.

"What is the Five Elements Trial?" Lin Yue asked.

"It's simple," the old voice replied. "You must each channel one of the five energies—metal, wood, water, fire, or earth—to light the corresponding Law Fragment. Only then may you take it. But take care: each person may channel only one kind of energy, and it must match your own attribute. Otherwise, you'll suffer a backlash from the laws."

Lin Yue and Su Qingyan immediately understood. Su Qingyan's Flame Law matched the Fire Attribute, so she naturally chose the Fire Attribute Fragment. Lin Yue's Chaos Energy contained all things, and the Vitality Law was related to the Wood Attribute, so he chose the Wood Attribute Fragment.

"Begin," the old voice said. The five fragments on the curtain of light all lit up at once.

Su Qingyan walked up to the Fire Attribute Fragment, took a deep breath, and fully activated the Flame Law within her. Flames surged around her, answering the Fire Attribute Fragment on the curtain of light. The fragment's red glow grew brighter and brighter, as if it might break free of the curtain's restraints.

Lin Yue also walked up to the Wood Attribute Fragment. He circulated the Chaos Energy in his dantian and simultaneously activated the Vitality Law Fragment he had absorbed earlier. A rich Wood Attribute energy radiated from his body, resonating with the Wood Attribute Fragment. Its green light flickered, gleaming in harmony with Su Qingyan's flames.

As the two of them continued pouring in energy, the Fire Attribute and Wood Attribute Fragments on the curtain of light grew brighter and brighter. The other three fragments also began to tremble slightly, as if affected by them.

Just then, a familiar roar came from outside the valley. It was the Chaos Thunder Leopard!

"Oh no! The leopard's caught up!" Su Qingyan paled and channeled energy faster. "We have to light the fragments as quickly as possible, or we won't make it!"

Lin Yue could feel the leopard's aura rapidly approaching, and panic gripped his heart. He channeled the Vitality Law with all his strength, pouring even more energy into the Wood Attribute Fragment.

"Humm!"

A soft hum rang out. The Fire Attribute and Wood Attribute Fragments burst into dazzling light, and the other three fragments on the curtain lit up as well. The curtain of light slowly faded from the rock, and the Five Elements Law Fragments floated in the air, radiating a dense aura of the laws.

"Take the fragments!" Lin Yue shouted, grabbing the Wood Attribute Fragment. Su Qingyan seized the Fire Attribute Fragment at the same time.

The moment they grasped the fragments, a thunderous roar came from the entrance to the valley. The Chaos Thunder Leopard appeared at the entrance, its red eyes fixed on them. Lightning gathered in its mouth, clearly drawn by the aura of the Law Fragments.

"Let's go!" Lin Yue grabbed Su Qingyan and turned toward the back of the valley. A narrow passage lay there; perhaps they could use the terrain to escape the leopard.

The Chaos Thunder Leopard roared and chased after them, blue lightning raining down like a storm. Lin Yue and Su Qingyan dodged frantically, but several bolts still grazed them, sending waves of numbness through their bodies.

"We can't keep this up. It'll catch us sooner or later!" Su Qingyan cried. Her flame energy was almost gone, and she had no way to fend off the leopard's attacks.

An idea came to Lin Yue. He remembered the Vitality Law Fragment he had absorbed earlier. He sent a thread of vitality into Su Qingyan's body to ease her numbness, then said, "I have a plan. Help me!"

He stopped and turned to face the Chaos Thunder Leopard. He infused the energy of the Wood Attribute Law Fragment into his Chaos Energy, condensing it into a sphere of light filled with vitality. "Su Qingyan, use your flames to draw the leopard's attention!"

Su Qingyan immediately understood. She condensed the last trace of flame at her fingertip and fired it at the Chaos Thunder Leopard's eyes. The leopard was forced to shut its eyes, briefly halting its attack.

Lin Yue seized the opportunity and shot the sphere of vitality at the Chaos Thunder Leopard's belly. It struck the leopard, not seriously injuring it, but making its movements falter for an instant. The vitality energy clashed with the lightning energy inside its body, briefly paralyzing it.

"Now!" Lin Yue grabbed Su Qingyan and dashed into the narrow passage at the back of the valley. The space inside was cramped, and the Chaos Thunder Leopard was too large to give chase quickly. It could only roar furiously at the entrance.

They raced through the passage. After about half an hour, they finally escaped the Chaos Thunder Leopard. At the end of the passage was a wide plain covered in strange plants. Far away, they could just make out the exit of the secret realm.

"We're finally safe!" Su Qingyan breathed in relief and slumped to the ground. Looking at the Fire Attribute Law Fragment in her hand, she smiled with relief. "We didn't get the Innate Geng Metal Sword, but we got a Law Fragment. The trip wasn't in vain."

Lin Yue sat down to rest too, turning the Wood Attribute Law Fragment over in his hand. This trip to the secret realm was dangerous, but we gained a lot. Not only did we get Law Fragments, but we also deepened our understanding of the laws. I should take part in more trials like this from now on if I want to grow faster.

After resting for about the time it took to burn one incense stick, they got up and headed for the secret realm's exit. They knew Senior Pangu was waiting outside, and they also needed to refine their gains as soon as possible and strengthen themselves in preparation for the approaching World Creation calamity.

When they emerged from the secret realm, the afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the Chaos Airflow, casting their long shadows across the ground. Though they hadn't obtained the Innate Spirit Treasure they had wanted most, the Law Fragments in their hands and the full storage pouch proved the worth of their journey. Their battle against the Chaos Thunder Leopard and their teamwork during the Five Elements Trial had also deepened their understanding of one another, laying a solid foundation for fighting side by side in the future.