Xu Yang's arrival immediately drew their attention, and they all turned to look at him. Xu Yang hurried forward and said, "Greetings, fellow cultivators. I presume you're also taking part in the Secret Realm expedition. May I ask your names?"
The five cultivators opposite him consisted of four men and one woman. Hearing Xu Yang's question, they first glanced at one another, then the female cultivator spoke. "So you're Fellow Daoist Xu Yang. The five of us are sworn siblings, and we'll be entering the Secret Realm this time as well. We'll be forming a team afterward, so we hope you'll look after us."
After speaking, the female cultivator turned and introduced the five of them to Xu Yang. Their names were Zhao Yue'er, Wang Jie, Wei Dong, Song Ye, and Ye Xinhui. Ye Xinhui was the eldest brother, while Zhao Yue'er was the youngest. They had always advanced and retreated together, helping one another along the way.
Their sect had chosen all five of them because of their bond. As sworn siblings, they naturally worked together with exceptional understanding. After hearing this, Xu Yang hurriedly exchanged greetings with them. The Secret Realm was far too dangerous, and both sides were eager to grow closer. For a time, the six of them got along very well.
As they chatted and laughed, Xu Xianzhong led four other Qi Refining Realm cultivators into the side hall. Xu Yang and the others immediately stopped talking and looked toward Xu Xianzhong and his companions.
Xu Xianzhong swept his gaze over them and said with a smile, "Good. It looks like everyone's here. Let's not waste any more time. Follow me!" With that, he turned and left the side hall. Xu Yang and the others exchanged glances, then hurried after him.
A short while later, they arrived at a vast platform. The sect had built it specifically as a venue for gatherings. It was used for various routine events, such as the sect's biannual martial arts tournament. The tournament had just ended when Xu Yang first arrived at the sect, and the next one was not far off.
For major events, they would instead go to the hall atop the central peak. It was the same hall Xu Yang had seen when he first came to the sect, an iconic building and the place where Sect Master Bai Zizai handled the sect's affairs. Xu Yang had never been up there, as only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm were allowed to go.
A female cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm stood on the platform. She was tall and graceful, with fair, delicate skin, long black hair cascading like a waterfall, and a strikingly heroic air. Xu Yang used the Detection Technique to examine her, and was shocked to discover that she was in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, far beyond Xu Xianzhong's cultivation level.
When Xu Xianzhong saw her, a broad smile spread across his face. He stepped forward and said, "It's been a long time, Senior Sister Wu. Your cultivation has grown ever more unfathomable. With you leading the team this time, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief!"
The woman was named Wu Feiyang, and she was the personal disciple of the sect's Supreme Elder, Bai Tianxing. Her talent was exceptional; she had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage in just thirty or forty years. If she continued at this rate, she had a good chance of reaching the Golden Core Realm. No wonder Xu Xianzhong was so careful to curry favor with her.
Wu Feiyang chuckled. "You're exaggerating, Junior Brother Xu. We're only leading the team; we don't have to fight. There's no need to be so tense. As for what we gain from this expedition, that depends on them." As she spoke, she glanced at Xu Yang and the others.
Xu Yang and the others hurriedly bowed. "We disciples will not fail in our mission. We'll do everything we can to gather spirit herbs for the sect."
Wu Feiyang nodded. "This trip to the Secret Realm will be very dangerous. I've received word that Baicao Hall and the Loose Cultivator Alliance have formed an alliance. Once you enter the Secret Realm, look out for one another and work together. At the same time, be especially wary of disciples from the other sects."
Xu Yang felt a chill in his heart. He exchanged glances with Ye Xinhui and the others; all their faces were grave. They cupped their fists toward Wu Feiyang. "Thank you for the warning, Martial Aunt Wu. We'll keep it firmly in mind."
Wu Feiyang nodded and paid Xu Yang and the others no further attention. She turned, patted her Qiankun Bag, and brought out a Flying Boat. Xu Yang looked up and was astonished to see how enormous it was, large enough to carry more than a hundred people. It was also extravagantly decorated, far more luxurious than Qin Shuang's Flying Boat. At a glance, it was clearly a top-grade flying Dharma Artifact.
At Wu Feiyang's signal, Xu Yang and the others leaped aboard. The Flying Boat shot into the sky and sped toward the border of Chunchu.
Xu Yang and the others sat together inside the Flying Boat, gazing around in amazement. It was unbelievably luxurious, and even had a medium-sized Spirit Gathering Array installed inside. It could practically serve as a miniature cave dwelling. Xu Yang and the others couldn't help feeling envious.
While Xu Xianzhong was away speaking with Wu Feiyang, Xu Yang turned to the four newcomers. "May I ask your names? We should introduce ourselves. We'll need to work together, and it'd be too dangerous to know nothing about one another."
The four cultivators nodded and quickly introduced themselves. They were all men, named Zhao Xun, Wei Li, Li Yang, and Sun Nan. They were also in the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, though their cultivation levels still fell short of Ye Xinhui and the others.
Among the ten of them, only Xu Yang, Ye Xinhui, and Wei Li were at the peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. The others ranged from the early to late stages of the Ninth Layer. Xu Yang was always low-key and preferred to keep to himself, so Ye Xinhui and Wei Li gradually became the leaders of the group.
After getting acquainted, they had a basic understanding of one another. In the end, they decided that Ye Xinhui would temporarily serve as their captain, with Wei Li as his deputy. Together, they would face the disciples of the other sects.
Once their discussion was over, they fell silent and quietly circulated their cultivation techniques, adjusting their condition.
Time flew by. Three days later, Xu Yang and the others arrived in a valley near the border of Chunchu. Three groups had already gathered there. Xu Yang and the others disembarked from the Flying Boat, then joined the three groups under the leadership of Wu Feiyang and Xu Xianzhong, the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
When the leaders of the three groups saw Wu Feiyang arrive, their expressions changed. They hadn't expected this peerless beauty to be leading a team for the Secret Realm opening. Wu Feiyang was famous throughout Yue Province's cultivation world, and her strength was formidable—she could rival cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The three leaders were all deeply wary of her.
Baicao Hall's team was led by two middle-aged women. Both were quite beautiful, wearing green robes and seeming almost otherworldly, with a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs about them. When they saw Wu Feiyang, they exclaimed in surprise, "We never expected Fellow Daoist Wu to lead the team in person. What a surprise! It seems Bailian Pavilion is taking this Secret Realm opening very seriously!"
The Hundred Beasts Sect's team was led by two elderly men. One of them snorted at this. "Not as seriously as Baicao Hall, clearly. You've even formed an alliance with the Loose Cultivator Alliance."
The two middle-aged female cultivators from Baicao Hall looked displeased and were about to answer when the leader of the Loose Cultivator Alliance spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Ruan, you're mistaken. Our Loose Cultivator Alliance is weak, so of course we need to join forces with others. Baicao Hall and our alliance have always been on good terms, so naturally we formed an alliance." The man was in his thirties and wore a yellow scholar's robe, making him look like a scholar. As he said, the Loose Cultivator Alliance was the weakest faction, and he was its sole team leader.
Wu Feiyang listened to them bicker with an impatient expression. "Enough. The Secret Realm is about to open, so stop arguing. Let's hurry to the entrance." She beckoned to Xu Yang and the others, signaling them to follow, then flew deeper into the valley. Xu Yang and the others hurried after her on their swords.
Seeing this, the other three factions had nothing more to say and quickly followed behind Xu Yang and his group. Before long, they reached a flat clearing. Xu Yang was astonished to see violent ripples in the space at its center, with waves of air spreading in every direction.
Wu Feiyang glanced at the leaders of the other factions. "Judging by the situation, the Secret Realm is about to open. We should step back for a while."
As she spoke, Wu Feiyang led Xu Yang and the others some distance back. The other factions did the same. Xu Yang was puzzled and asked Xu Xianzhong beside him, "Senior Xu, why are we backing away? Is there some danger when the Secret Realm opens?"
Xu Xianzhong stroked his beard and replied with a smile, "Of course there's danger. When the Secret Realm opens, space around the entrance becomes extremely unstable, and spatial fragments whirl around it. If one of them hits you, it'll cut you in half on the spot—not even a Golden Core Realm cultivator can withstand it."
Xu Yang drew a sharp breath. He hadn't expected spatial fragments to be so terrifying that even Golden Core Realm experts couldn't withstand them. He immediately became more alert, watching the Secret Realm entrance in case a spatial fragment flew out and sliced him in two.
Seeing Xu Yang's expression, Xu Xianzhong laughed. "There's no need to be so nervous. The spatial fragments won't fly out. They only appear near the entrance. As long as you don't get close to it, you'll be fine."
Xu Yang immediately relaxed. Embarrassed, he smiled at Xu Xianzhong. "Thank you for telling me, Senior. I've been terribly ignorant." Xu Xianzhong waved a hand, signaling for him to look ahead.
Xu Yang immediately looked toward the Secret Realm entrance. The violent spatial fluctuations had weakened considerably and were gradually settling down. A moment later, they disappeared completely, and a silver vortex appeared in the middle of the clearing, spinning without pause.
When the vortex appeared, Wu Feiyang immediately led Xu Yang and the others over to it. The other three factions weren't about to fall behind either; they took up positions on three sides, surrounding the vortex. The leaders then conferred and decided that Bailian Pavilion would enter first, the Hundred Beasts Sect second, and Baicao Hall and the Loose Cultivator Alliance last.
After they finished discussing, Wu Feiyang turned to Xu Yang and the others. "We'll be going in first. Be careful, and stick together. There's no point wasting time with more words, so go on in."
Xu Yang and the others exchanged glances, bowed to the two team leaders, then quickly stepped forward and entered the silver vortex. After they had gone in, disciples from the other three factions entered the Secret Realm one after another. Only Wu Feiyang and the other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators remained. They exchanged farewells, then each found a place to sit and cultivate while waiting for the disciples to return ten days later.
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