North Mountain Secret Realm

Hum...

The pillar of light in the sky lasted a full quarter-hour before gradually dispersing.

With such a startling phenomenon appearing, the entire Flying Bird City erupted into chaos.

What Citywide Martial Hall Tournament?

What competing under a hidden identity?

None of it mattered anymore.

Secret treasures...

Divine weapons...

Hidden riches...

These words spread through Flying Bird City at an unimaginable speed.

In an instant, the whole city fell into disarray.

"What exactly happened at North Mountain Mine?"

After the incident, the tournament could no longer continue.

Lin Nantian and the people from Flying Bird Academy left the arena immediately, rushing off to investigate the pillar of light at North Mountain.

The crowd at the arena also surged toward North Mountain in a noisy throng, clamoring to search for treasure.

As for the competition, who won or lost... no one cared anymore.

In the chaos, Shen Zhou restored his true appearance and returned to the city. He split up with the Flying Bird Martial Hall members to gather information—some went to White Deer Academy, while Shen Zhou and the Three Little Ones headed straight for the Qin family.

After all, the Volcanic Mine belonged to the Qin and Xu families. With such a major event occurring, these two families would be the fastest to receive news.

When Shen Zhou arrived at the Qin residence, Ancestor Qin Fenglan and Clan Head Qin Yuanshan were pacing back and forth in the议事大厅, with Grand Elder Qin Changlin and Second Elder Qin Changlin accompanying them. Seeing Shen Zhou and his friends arrive, they immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Shen Zhou waved his hand to stop their formalities, wasting no time as he cut straight to the point and asked about the cause of the incident.

Qin Yuanshan furrowed his brow and replied, "It's still unclear for now. The moment it happened, I sent Third Elder Qin Yihu, Fourth Elder Qin Suyun, and that girl Mingyue to investigate North Mountain. They've been gone for a while now, and I believe news will come back soon. Clan Head, please sit and wait with us for the update."

Hearing this, Shen Zhou and the Three Little Ones had no choice but to wait.

About half an hour later, Qin Mingyue hurried back, her expression tinged with a hint of excitement. Spotting Shen Zhou upon her return, she nodded in greeting, then cupped her hands and reported, "Clan Head, Ancestor, Patriarch... the pillar of light at North Mountain Mine has been investigated. It turns out that while the miners were working, they suddenly dug open a Secret Realm entrance. The energy from the Secret Realm leaked out, causing such a powerful phenomenon.

"The situation is urgent. Third Elder and Fourth Elder have already led people to seal off the mine to prevent outsiders from entering, but some have already broken in.

"The two elders sent me back to ask for the Clan Head and Ancestor's opinion—what should we do next?"

Hearing Qin Mingyue's report, everyone in the hall was shaken. "What? A Secret Realm?"

Shen Zhou's expression also turned serious.

He was no longer the naive newcomer he had been when he first crossed over.

Earlier, he had heard about 'Secret Realms' from Xi Mei, because her parents had once explored one, unfortunately fallen deep inside, and met their end there.

As for what a Secret Realm was—it referred to some ancient battlefield remnants or architectural ruins that had barely survived the Millennium Cataclysm.

Some Secret Realms contained ancient towns.

Before the cataclysm, these towns had once been bustling and prosperous, protected by city-guarding formations. After the disaster, buried by history and covered by wind and sand over the ages, these towns sank underground. Accumulating over time, they formed independent spatial worlds.

Other Secret Realms were sacred sites of mountain gate religions.

These sacred sites had also ceased to exist after the cataclysm, but the mountain gate ruins remained. Some people had entered these sect ruins and found ancient cultivation techniques, pills, spirit weapons, and the like.

So, for today's martial artists, a Secret Realm was like a treasure trove.

Divine weapons...

Cultivation techniques...

Pills...

Spirit Stones...

Anything left behind by ancient cultivators from before the cataclysm a thousand years ago held immense allure for modern martial artists.

However, while Secret Realms represented opportunities and resources, they also hid countless terrors and dangers.

Because sometimes, ancient beasts that had survived the cataclysm a thousand years ago lurked within these realms.

These beasts possessed formidable bloodlines, monstrous talent, and terrifying strength.

Even a venomous snake from a thousand years ago—one bite could kill even a Celestial Firmament Realm expert.

Beyond that, there were strange flowers and herbs, mysterious deadly formations... dangers were everywhere, too numerous to count.

Thus, whenever a Secret Realm appeared, many people died each time.

The hall fell silent for a moment. Finally, Grand Elder Qin Changlin spoke first, asking in confusion, "How could there be a Secret Realm beneath the Fire Crystal mine?"

Second Elder Qin Changfeng followed up, "Big brother, now is not the time to dwell on how a Secret Realm ended up under the mine. What we should be concerned about is—what do we do next?"

Everyone nodded in agreement at his words.

Once a Secret Realm appeared, the entire city would be stirred up.

Even though the entrance to the Secret Realm was on the territory of the Qin and Xu families, with something as major as a Secret Realm, once the other Four Great Families found out, they would definitely force their way in.

Then there was Flying Bird Academy, and the countless Rogue Cultivators in the city...

For the sake of secret treasures, pills, techniques, resources... these people wouldn't care about any noble family. Whoever stood in the way of their fortune would be treated like a mortal enemy, an irreconcilable feud.

So if the Qin Family mishandled the situation, it could even trigger a massive upheaval.

Just as Qin Yuanshan and the others were pondering how to respond, someone suddenly delivered a letter from outside, saying it was sent by the Xu Family.

Qin Yuanshan took the letter, opened it, and read it with some surprise. "The Xu Family reacted this quickly?"

As he spoke, he handed the letter first to Shen Zhou, then passed it around for the others to see.

Shen Zhou finished reading and raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding the meaning behind Qin Yuanshan's earlier words.

The Xu Family's letter said that since the Secret Realm had been discovered at North Mountain Mine, and it was on the territory of both the Qin and Xu families, they planned to send people in to explore it before the other families could react.

That way, if there were any treasures inside the Secret Realm, the Qin and Xu families would get first dibs and seize the advantage.

So they were writing to ask if the Qin Family was interested in sending people down together with theirs.

After all, the dangers of the Secret Realm were unknown, and if both families went in together, they could look out for each other.

"Is the Xu Family really this good now?" Shen Zhou couldn't help but marvel after reading.

Had the wolf really turned vegetarian?

The Qin Family members were equally surprised.

Although the Qin and Xu families had a decent relationship now, for the Xu Family to still think of the Qin Family over something as huge as a Secret Realm—truly, the Qin Family could weep with gratitude.

Even their own parents couldn't be better than this!

Qin Yuanshan mused for a moment and said, "Whether the Xu Family is genuinely good or has ulterior motives, for now, their proposal has no issues. I think we should act without delay and send people in to investigate first.

As for who to send..."

Hearing this, Shen Zhou stood up without hesitation. "I'll go. I'm interested in the Secret Realm anyway and want to see it for myself. I think I'm the most suitable choice."

Everyone looked at Shen Zhou, recalling his strength after obtaining the Taixuan Sword, and had no objections. In fact, they felt reassured with him going.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Shen Zhou would lead the team, accompanied by Qin Mingyue, the Qin Family's Second Elder Qin Changfeng, and Third Elder Qin Yihu, to explore the Secret Realm.

The Qin Family didn't have many experts, and among the younger generation, only Qin Mingyue stood out, so they could only pick these few.

Worried that the Xu Family might send more people and leave them at a numerical disadvantage, Shen Zhou suggested bringing Old Man Ji and the others from White Deer Academy along, and the Qin Family didn't object.

This way, it gave Old Man Ji and his group an opportunity while also helping to share the Qin Family's burden.

As for whether Old Man Ji and the others would gain any benefits or opportunities inside the Secret Realm, that would depend entirely on their own fate.

North Mountain Mine.

This place, where a family head had once fallen, had once again become the focus of the entire city due to the strange phenomenon at North Mountain.

When the Qin Family's carriage arrived at the market town at the foot of the mine, it was already so packed with Rogue Cultivators from the city that there was no room to stand.

"Brothers, the appearance of this Secret Realm is a golden opportunity for us ordinary martial artists to rise up. Don't let those noble families fool you—saying it's dangerous inside is just an excuse for them to monopolize it. We must unite, we must fight those families to the end, and we must fight for the right to enter the Secret Realm!"

"That's right! According to the rumors from the mine workers, this underground Secret Realm is an Ancient Sect Ruins, and it's bound to have plenty of ancient cultivation techniques, Spirit Stones, and pills left over from a thousand years ago... Whoever gets them will quickly grow strong and become a regional power!"

"With such a good thing, we can't let those families hog it all this time..."

"..."

Inside the carriage, listening to the Rogue Cultivators' discussions by the roadside, Qin Yuanshan and the others grew solemn.

Qin Yuanshan frowned. "I didn't expect the news to leak faster than we thought. Now even these city Rogue Cultivators know about it. At this rate, even if the Qin and Xu families join forces, it'll be hard to stop these people from entering the Secret Realm."

Shen Zhou wasn't too bothered by this. He simply lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the crowd outside.

Right now, because of the Secret Realm's emergence, the martial artists outside were in a state of extreme excitement and agitation.

These people generally believed that as long as they could enter the Secret Realm, it was equivalent to finding a shortcut to power, but they completely overlooked the dangers that might lurk inside.

This was the truth of "men die for wealth, birds die for food."

Even if someone tried to warn them now, they wouldn't take it as goodwill; instead, they'd think someone was trying to stop them from making their fortune.

That was human nature.

Shen Zhou shook his head and said nothing.

The carriage soon arrived at the Qin Family's encampment at the mine. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Third Elder Qin Yihu and Fourth Elder Qin Suyun.

They had just exchanged a few words when they spotted Xu Family Head Xu Mengfu, accompanied by Xu Baxia and followed by over a dozen people, hurrying toward the Qin Family's side.

"Little Family Head, we meet again."

Xu Mengfu greeted Shen Zhou amiably as he arrived, smiling like a wealthy landowner, with not a trace of arrogance or authority—hard to dislike.

Shen Zhou returned the greeting with feigned politeness. "Is Family Head Xu personally leading the team into the Secret Realm this time?"

Xu Mengfu waved his hand with a smile. "No, I won't be involved in this. My son Baxia will lead the team, along with three elders and six or seven clan disciples—that should be enough. After all, the situation inside the Secret Realm is unclear, and sending too many people isn't necessarily a good thing."

Shen Zhou nodded.

There was some truth to those words.

Before long, the people from White Deer Academy also arrived.

Old Man Ji, Li Taohua, and among the disciples, Tang Shan and Meng Gang, whose strength had reached the Transformation Realm—four of them had come in total.

Now everyone who was to enter the Secret Realm had gathered.

The three parties discussed it and decided there was no time to waste—they had to enter the Secret Realm immediately. That way, even if the Four Great Families and Flying Bird Academy showed up later, they would still be a step behind.