North Mountain Secret Realm

Hum...

The pillar of light in the sky lasted a full quarter of an hour before gradually fading away.

The moment this astonishing phenomenon appeared, all of Flying Bird City erupted.

What Citywide Martial Hall Tournament?

What competing under a hidden identity?

None of it mattered anymore.

Secret treasures...

Divine Weapons...

Treasures...

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

In an instant, the entire city was thrown into chaos.

"What exactly happened at the North Mountain Mine?"

After the incident, the tournament could no longer continue.

Lin Nantian and the people from Flying Bird Academy were the first to leave the arena, hurrying off to investigate the pillar of light over North Mountain.

The people at the arena also streamed toward North Mountain, clamoring to search for treasure.

As for the competition, the winners and losers... no one cared anymore.

Amid the chaos, Shen Zhou returned to the city in his true appearance. He and the people from Flying Bird Martial Hall split up to gather information. Some went to White Deer Academy, while Shen Zhou and the Three Little Ones went straight to the Qin Family.

After all, the Volcanic Mine belonged to the Qin and Xu Families. Now that something so momentous had happened, those two families would be the first to get the news.

When Shen Zhou arrived at the Qin Family, Ancestor Qin, Qin Fenglan, and the family head, Qin Yuanshan, were pacing back and forth in the council hall. The First Elder, Qin Changlin, and the Second Elder, Qin Changlin, were at their sides. Seeing Shen Zhou and his friends arrive, they immediately went to greet them.

Shen Zhou waved a hand to stop them from bowing, then got straight to the point and asked what had happened.

Qin Yuanshan furrowed his brows and replied, "We don't know yet. As soon as it happened, I sent the Third Elder, Qin Yihu, the Fourth Elder, Qin Suyun, and that girl Mingyue to North Mountain to investigate. They've been gone for a while, so we should hear back soon. Family Head, why don't you and the others sit down and wait with us?"

At that, Shen Zhou and the Three Little Ones had no choice but to wait.

About half an hour later, Qin Mingyue finally hurried back, looking as though she'd been racing the whole way. There was a faint excitement in her expression. When she saw Shen Zhou, she nodded in greeting, then cupped her hands and reported, "Family Head, Ancestor, Patriarch... we've found out what caused the pillar of light at the North Mountain Mine. While the miners were working, they suddenly dug up an entrance to a Secret Realm. Energy poured out of it, causing the astonishing phenomenon.

"The situation is urgent. The Third and Fourth Elders have already taken people to seal off the mine and keep outsiders from entering, but some people have already forced their way in.

"The two elders sent me back to ask for the Family Head and Ancestor's instructions. What should we do next?"

Everyone in the hall was shaken by Qin Mingyue's report. "What? A Secret Realm?"

Shen Zhou's expression turned serious, too.

He was no longer the clueless newcomer he'd been when he first transmigrated.

He'd heard about Secret Realms from Xi Mei before. Her parents had ventured into one and tragically perished there.

Secret Realms were ancient battlefields or architectural ruins that had survived the Millennium Cataclysm by sheer luck.

Some Secret Realms contained ancient towns.

Before the Cataclysm, these towns had been bustling and prosperous, protected by city defense arrays. After the Cataclysm, the passage of time and the burial of windblown sand had sunk them beneath the earth. Over the years, they had become independent worlds, cut off from the outside.

Other Secret Realms were sacred grounds belonging to mountain sects.

These sacred grounds had also vanished in the Cataclysm, but their sect ruins remained. People had entered such ruins and found many ancient cultivation techniques, pills, Spiritual Weapons, and other treasures.

To martial artists of the present day, then, a Secret Realm was a place brimming with riches.

Divine Weapons...

Cultivation techniques...

Pills...

Spirit Stones...

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

However, although Secret Realms represented opportunity and resources, they also held countless horrors and dangers.

Sometimes, demonic beasts from a thousand years ago still survived inside them.

These beasts had powerful bloodlines, monstrous talents, and terrifying strength.

Even a poisonous snake from a thousand years ago could kill a Celestial Firmament Realm expert with a single bite.

Besides that, there were exotic flowers and herbs, sinister killing arrays... danger lurked everywhere, without end.

That was why whenever a Secret Realm appeared, many people died.

The hall fell silent for a moment. At last, the First Elder, Qin Changlin, spoke up in confusion. "How could there be a Secret Realm beneath the Fire Crystal Mine?"

The Second Elder, Qin Changfeng, continued, "Big Brother, now isn't the time to dwell on how a Secret Realm ended up beneath the mine. We should be thinking about what to do next."

Everyone nodded.

The appearance of a Secret Realm had shaken the whole city.

Even though its entrance lay on the territory of the Qin and Xu Families, the other Four Great Families would surely insist on getting involved once they learned about something this important.

Then there was Flying Bird Academy, along with countless unaffiliated cultivators in the city...

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For the sake of secret treasures, pills, cultivation techniques, and resources... these people wouldn't care about the great families. Anyone standing between them and fortune would be as good as murdering their parents—an enemy to the death.

So if the Qin Family mishandled this, it could even spark a major upheaval.

While Qin Yuanshan and the others considered how to respond, someone suddenly brought in a letter from the Xu Family.

Qin Yuanshan took the letter and opened it, looking surprised. "The Xu Family reacted this quickly?"

As he spoke, he handed the letter to Shen Zhou, then passed it around for everyone else to read.

After reading it, Shen Zhou raised his brows and immediately understood what Qin Yuanshan had meant.

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

That way, if the Secret Realm held any treasures, the Qin and Xu Families would be the first to reach them and gain the upper hand.

So they'd written to ask whether the Qin Family was willing to send people in alongside them.

After all, no one knew how dangerous the Secret Realm was. If both families went in together, they could look out for each other.

"Has the Xu Family gotten this nice all of a sudden?"

Shen Zhou couldn't help marveling after reading the letter.

Had the wolves really started eating grass?

The Qin Family members were surprised, too.

Though the Qin and Xu Families were on good terms now, the Secret Realm was an enormous matter. The Xu Family had still thought of the Qins—truly, the Qin Family could have wept with gratitude.

Even their own parents couldn't have been this good to them!

Qin Yuanshan pondered for a moment, then said, "Whether the Xu Family is sincere or has another motive, their proposal makes sense for now. I think we should act without delay and send people in to investigate first.

"As for who to send..."

At that, Shen Zhou stood up without hesitation. "I'll go. I'm interested in Secret Realms and want to see one for myself. I'm the most suitable person for the job."

Everyone looked at Shen Zhou. Remembering his strength with the Taixuan Sword in hand, no one objected. In fact, they felt reassured with him there.

After a brief discussion, they decided Shen Zhou would lead Qin Mingyue, the Qin Family's Second Elder Qin Changfeng, and Third Elder Qin Yihu into the Secret Realm to investigate.

The Qin Family didn't have many experts, and among the younger generation, Qin Mingyue was the only one who stood out. They could only put together this small group.

The Qin Family worried the Xu Family might send more people and leave them outnumbered. So when Shen Zhou suggested that Old Man Ji and the others from White Deer Academy go along, the Qin Family had no objections.

That would give Old Man Ji and the others a chance while easing some of the pressure on the Qin Family.

Whether Old Man Ji and the others could find any benefits or opportunities in the Secret Realm would be up to their own luck.

North Mountain Mine.

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

By the time the Qin Family's carriage arrived at the settlement below the mine, the unaffiliated cultivators from the city had crowded the place so tightly there was nowhere to set foot.

"Brothers, this Secret Realm is our chance to rise as ordinary martial artists. Don't let those great families fool you. All that talk about danger is just an excuse to claim the Secret Realm for themselves. We have to stand together and fight those families to the end. We must win the right to enter the Secret Realm!"

"That's right! Word from the miners says the underground Secret Realm is an ancient sect ruin. It must contain plenty of ancient cultivation techniques, Spirit Stones, and pills from a thousand years ago... Whoever gets their hands on them will grow stronger in no time and become a powerful lord!"

"An opportunity like this can't be allowed to fall into the hands of those great families again..."

"..."

Inside the carriage, Qin Yuanshan and the others listened to the cultivators by the roadside and grew solemn.

Qin Yuanshan frowned. "I didn't expect the news to spread even faster than we thought. Even the city's unaffiliated cultivators know about it now. At this rate, even if the Qin and Xu Families join forces, we may not be able to stop these people from entering the Secret Realm."

Shen Zhou wasn't particularly worried. He merely lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside.

The appearance of the Secret Realm had left the martial artists outside in a state of feverish excitement.

Most of them believed that entering the Secret Realm was the same as finding a shortcut to power. But they had completely overlooked the dangers that might be waiting inside.

That was how people died for wealth, just as birds died for food.

Even if someone tried to warn them now, they wouldn't take it as kindness. They would only assume that someone was trying to keep them from making a fortune.

That was human nature.

Shen Zhou shook his head and said nothing.

The carriage soon reached the Qin Family's outpost at the mine. As soon as they got down, they saw the Third Elder, Qin Yihu, and the Fourth Elder, Qin Suyun.

They'd barely exchanged a few words when the Xu Family Head, Xu Mengfu, came hurrying toward them with Xu Baxia at his side and more than a dozen people behind them.

"Family Head, we meet again."

After arriving, Xu Mengfu greeted Shen Zhou cordially, smiling like a wealthy country gentleman. He carried no airs or imposing presence, making him difficult to dislike.

Shen Zhou responded with equally practiced politeness. "Are you leading the expedition into the Secret Realm yourself, Family Head Xu?"

Xu Mengfu smiled and waved a hand. "No, I won't be joining them. My son, Baxia, will lead the Xu Family's group. With three elders and six or seven clan disciples, they should have enough. After all, the Secret Realm's situation is unknown, and bringing too many people may not be a good thing."

Shen Zhou nodded.

That made some sense.

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

Old Man Ji, Li Taohua, and two disciples who had reached the Transformation Realm, Tang Shan and Meng Gang, made up their group of four.

Now everyone who would be entering the Secret Realm had arrived.

After the three groups discussed it, they decided not to delay any longer. They had to enter the Secret Realm immediately. That way, even if the Four Great Families and Flying Bird Academy arrived later, they would still be a step behind.