Wuhun turned his hand over and took out a jade bottle, then put the "Ghost Fire in the Wind" inside.
He chanted an incantation to keep the flame's spiritual energy from dissipating, then put the bottle away.
Wuhun did not ask Chen Ming why he had done this. "Wuhun will honor Senior's request and wait for him to come."
"Good. You endured tribulations today and gained insight into your own path. Though I merely watched, I gained much as well. This trip has been well worth it!"
The White Bone Demon Pot in Chen Ming's hand took on a few more traces of killing intent as his thoughts stirred.
Blue Lotus Monk added, "Fellow Daoist Xuan Mingzi is right!"
"Since Fellow Daoist Wuhun has already laid his foundation, he should hold fast to his own path and diligently cultivate it!"
Wuhun thanked them again, then stayed in the temple to consolidate his cultivation.
Chen Ming and Blue Lotus Monk left the temple and departed Golden Sun City.
"Where is Fellow Daoist Xuan Mingzi headed?" Blue Lotus Monk asked.
Chen Ming did not want to reveal his whereabouts. "I've only just reached the Spirit Condensation Realm, and my Supernatural Abilities are still unstable. I'm traveling far and wide in search of opportunities and Spiritual Items to aid my cultivation. For now, I don't know where I'll go."
"If the divine monk knows where to find any Five-Element treasures, please tell me. I'd be deeply grateful."
Blue Lotus Monk's thoughts stirred. "Fellow Daoist and I are bound by no small affinity. When I left the temple this time, settling those disciples like Jieding was merely a side matter.
"The truth is, I know of a secret realm that is about to open. Several fellow cultivators from the Heretical Path in the Spirit Condensation Realm have already heard the news.
"We've agreed on a time to meet at Beichen Mountain and enter the secret realm together.
"You may find the Spiritual Item you seek inside!"
Chen Ming neither agreed nor disagreed. It was true that secret realms held Spiritual Items, but before one opened, no one knew where it led—or whether it held dangers.
What was more, a secret realm stayed open for only a limited time. If you lost your way inside, getting back out would be an arduous task.
Seeing Chen Ming hesitate, Blue Lotus Monk said, "This secret realm has opened before."
"Back then, I was still in the Contemplation Realm, but I went inside and found no danger."
"Last time, I sensed the aura of a Five-Element spiritual treasure within the secret realm!"
"A monk does not speak falsehoods. If you trust me and enter the secret realm, I can help you search."
"However, I have a request of my own. There is a pair of Conjoined Lotus Flowers in the secret realm, and they should be ripe by now. I must claim them. All I ask is that you hold off the other contenders for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"
Chen Ming calculated for a moment. Just as Blue Lotus Monk had said, he sensed no danger.
If he could obtain a Five-Element spiritual treasure from the secret realm and fully condense an Emperor's Omen Body, his strength would increase greatly.
Then he would have a better chance against Fairy Caiyi!
"Very well. I'll go with the divine monk and see the place for myself!"
Chen Ming agreed. The two performed Secret Methods, each transforming into a streak of light and heading for Beichen Mountain.
Meanwhile, Fairy Caiyi rode the Colorful Feather Luan Bird eastward until she reached a sacred mountain.
The mountain soared into the clouds, its peak nowhere in sight.
Fairy Caiyi recited a Magic Art, transformed into a mass of multicolored light, and plunged into the Luan Bird's brow.
The Colorful Feather Luan Bird immediately came to life. It spread its wings and soared straight into the sky.
No one knew how long it flew upward before it finally reached a layer of azure clouds.
Fairy Caiyi urged the Colorful Feather Luan Bird forward, and it plunged headfirst into the clouds.
There, she recited Magic Arts and sensed her direction, searching for a long while before at last finding an immortal palace.
The Biyun Heavenly Palace shimmered with countless rosy rays and auspicious clouds. It was built of deep-green glass and adorned with gleaming jade.
Immortal deer and foxes roamed among the clouds, while mysterious cranes and jade-colored herbs appeared in the mist.
The pillars of the palace's Heavenly Gate were carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes. Beyond the gate, seventy-two magnificent halls shimmered in and out of view.
Before the Heavenly Gate, Fairy Caiyi dismissed the Colorful Feather Luan Bird and appeared in her own form.
Two youths dressed in Daoist robes came out and stopped her.
They were only in the Contemplation Realm, but they were members of the Biyun Heavenly Palace, and their bearing was anything but ordinary.
Though Fairy Caiyi was in the Spirit Condensation Realm, she did not dare act recklessly. For all her remarkable social skills, she knew when to mind her place.
A youth serving here might well be a blood relative of some Great Cultivator. Fairy Caiyi dared not offend them lightly.
"Immortal youths, I serve at Mingxia Hall. I've returned today to see the hall master," Fairy Caiyi said softly.
The two youths on duty exchanged a glance, then looked her up and down. "Oh, you're from Mingxia Hall. Then we won't stop you."
"You know the rules of Mingxia Hall, right?"
Fairy Caiyi's expression darkened, but she did not dare flare up. She swallowed her anger. "Of course."
"Then go ahead." The two youths chanted an incantation and opened a corner of the Heavenly Gate's protective formation.
Clouds and rosy light flickered across Fairy Caiyi's body, merging with her Supernatural Ability. She fully transformed into a Colorful Feather Luan Bird and slipped through the narrow opening.
"One day, I'll enter the Heavenly Gate openly and make you bow to me."
That was what Fairy Caiyi thought, but she did not dare let a hint of her true feelings show.
The two youths watched the Luan Bird she had become. "It's a colorful-tailed one. The clouds and rosy light it trails really are beautiful."
"True Person Mingyun is good in every way except for his fondness for raising birds. The Sect Master has told him off countless times, but he just keeps raising more."
"Shh, watch what you say. True Person Mingyun has already reached the peak of the Spirit Condensation Realm and is preparing to unite his Supernatural Abilities before breaking through to the Origin Return Realm. His strength is unfathomable. It wouldn't be good if he sensed us talking about him behind his back!"
Despite their warning, the two youths burst out laughing as they spoke.
They must have had powerful backing of their own, for they did not seem to fear True Person Mingyun of Mingxia Hall. They talked as if they had no fear of him sensing their words.
Though attendants like Fairy Caiyi learned Supernatural Abilities at Mingxia Hall, they did not count as official disciples of the Biyun Heavenly Palace.
What was more, True Person Mingyun had an unusual proclivity!
Attendants like Fairy Caiyi, who had learned Supernatural Abilities under him, had to take the form of Luan Birds in Mingxia Hall. They were forbidden to walk about in human form.
Fairy Caiyi did not dare disobey True Person Mingyun.
Her freedom outside the Biyun Heavenly Palace also relied on the influence of True Person Mingyun and the Biyun Heavenly Palace.
After all, the Biyun Heavenly Palace would never let it be known, for the sake of its reputation, that she was merely a Luan Bird attendant there. Outsiders had no idea.
In any case, she had gained plenty of benefits, and her cultivation in the Spirit Condensation Realm was no sham.
To Fairy Caiyi, she was simply enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, all for the sake of cultivating the Great Dao.
At that moment, Fairy Caiyi kept repeating to herself that all of this was True Person Mingyun's way of tempering her. She dared not let her true thoughts slip.
Once, another attendant like Fairy Caiyi had accidentally let True Person Mingyun sense her feelings. He immediately stripped her of all her Supernatural Abilities and cast her down into the mortal world.
After falling into the mortal world, that attendant could not bear the humiliation and took her own life. True Person Mingyun then gathered her soul and stuffed it into the body of a sparrow.
When the matter was brought before the Sect Master of the Biyun Heavenly Palace, True Person Mingyun was utterly unbothered. He merely said that the attendant had failed to appreciate her good fortune: if she refused to be a Luan Bird in the heavens, then she could only be a sparrow.
In the end, True Person Mingyun received no punishment. He remained the hall master of Mingxia Hall, the lofty True Person.
Fairy Caiyi entered the Biyun Heavenly Palace and flew straight to Mingxia Hall.
True Person Mingyun had cast a spell over Mingxia Hall, so Luan Birds transformed from Supernatural Abilities, like Fairy Caiyi, could pass through without obstruction.
True Person Mingyun had reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Condensation Realm and possessed great Supernatural Abilities. As long as he merged all his cultivated abilities into one, he could reach the Origin Return Realm.
But the Origin Return Realm was extraordinarily difficult to attain. True Person Mingyun had been stuck at this step for many years.
Fortunately, he was highly gifted and still had a long lifespan ahead of him, so he was in no hurry.
Before you continue