Entering the Secret Realm, Fire Spring Sect

Silence...

Desolation...

The passage of time...

These were Shen Zhou's first impressions after entering the Secret Realm.

After passing through the tunnel in the mine and stepping into a curtain of light like a waterfall, Shen Zhou and his group had entered the Secret Realm.

He looked around. The Secret Realm was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

For one thing, he wasn't sure whether the Secret Realm really was a small pocket dimension. When he looked up, he could still see a vast, hazy gray sky. The light inside was much like the sky before dawn, when it was just beginning to grow light, but not yet bright. Still, everyone could see everything around them clearly.

"So this is the Secret Realm!"

Meng Gang and Tang Shan were following on either side of Shen Zhou. Seeing the Secret Realm, they wore the look of men whose horizons had just been broadened, and couldn't help exclaiming in wonder.

Shen Zhou carried his sword in his hand, ready to handle any sudden danger at a moment's notice. As a result, his senses were far sharper than usual.

Ever since he had entered the Secret Realm, he had felt the qi and blood within his body growing more active. The surrounding environment seemed to hold a kind of energy that made their bodies feel much lighter after they breathed it in.

Shen Zhou mentioned this, and Qin Changfeng, the Qin Family's Second Elder, said, "The Young Head of Qin Family's senses are keen. This energy is what ancient cultivators called Spiritual Qi a thousand years ago. It comes from heaven and earth, and its energy is pure beyond compare. Ancient cultivators used it to cultivate themselves, strengthen their secret arts, comprehend the Dao through the workings of heaven and earth, and cultivate all kinds of divine abilities.

"But after the Millennium Cataclysm, this Spiritual Qi disappeared from the outside world. Only a few remnants remain in some Secret Realms, and even there, it's become very thin."

Shen Zhou had always been curious about the Millennium Cataclysm, so he pressed him. "Second Elder, do you know what happened during the Millennium Cataclysm? And why did it happen?"

Qin Changfeng shook his head. "The Qin Family's ancient texts contain no clear account of it, as if no one knew anything about that period of history."

Qin Mingyue added, "Those who knew that history probably all lost their lives in the Cataclysm."

Shen Zhou gazed at the Secret Realm before him and murmured, "Perhaps we'll find some clues about the Millennium Cataclysm here."

After entering the Secret Realm, the people from the Xu Family were also surveying their surroundings.

Xu Baxia's gaze lingered mostly on Shen Zhou. Carrying a massive halberd, his qi and blood were robust, and whenever he looked at Shen Zhou—especially at the Taixuan Sword in his hand—his fighting spirit surged.

Everyone had secrets.

Xu Baxia was no exception.

The battle halberd in his hands was something he had found in a Secret Realm while traveling away from home. It was a Spiritual Weapon, once owned by an ancient cultivator a thousand years ago.

At the place where he discovered the halberd, he had also obtained part of its original owner's legacy. That was why his strength had increased by leaps and bounds, allowing him to fight someone at the Transformation Yuan Eighth Realm without losing, despite being at the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm.

If he fought for his life and used his secret arts, he could even go toe-to-toe with someone at the Transformation Yuan Ninth Realm.

That was why, back at North Mountain during the Grand Tournament negotiations, he had dared to let his fighting spirit show, even though he knew that Shen Zhou's strength soared when he wielded his sword.

If Shen Zhou hadn't later unleashed Heavenly Firmament-level power with his sword, Xu Baxia would have already stepped forward to challenge him.

"Don't be impatient, Young Master Baxia. I know you want to challenge the Young Head of Qin Family. After this operation, once he's without the Taixuan Sword, he'll be nothing but a barnyard dog in front of you. Then you can do as you please. But for now, the family head's plan is what matters most, so you'll have to hold yourself back."

Xu You had been following close beside him.

Although Xu Baxia was leading the group this time, Xu You was the one truly in charge.

Seeing the fighting spirit in Xu Baxia's eyes, he feared it might alert Shen Zhou and ruin their plan. He had no choice but to speak up and remind him.

Xu Baxia took a deep breath. His emotions quickly settled, and his fighting spirit faded with them. He glanced at Shen Zhou again, said nothing, and simply nodded.

Then Xu You walked over to Shen Zhou, wearing his affable smile once more, and greeted him. "Family Head Shen, the other Four Great Families, Flying Bird Academy, and all those rogue cultivators outside are making quite a commotion. Even if our two families join forces, I doubt we can hold them off for long. We should hurry to the sect ruins and search for treasures before more people arrive and get in our way."

Shen Zhou nodded. He had no objections.

The group started along the mountain path toward the sect ruins.

As they went, Shen Zhou noticed weapons scattered along the roadside, as well as bloodstains and signs of fighting.

Third Elder Qin Yihu crouched down to inspect them. Then, knitting his brow, he said, "After the pillar of light erupted but before the Qin and Xu Families sealed off the area, a group of rogue cultivators arrived at the mine first and broke in. These things must have been left behind by them.

"As for the bloodstains and signs of fighting... could they have run into some kind of demon beast in here?"

At the words "demon beast," Tang Shan's expression jolted. "A demon beast?"

Qin Mingyue explained, "It's nothing unusual for a Secret Realm to contain demon beasts. Their bloodlines are powerful, their life force vigorous, and their ability to recover astonishing. That's why, after the Millennium Cataclysm, demon beasts could be found in many Secret Realms. You can even occasionally spot beasts with demon bloodlines in some of the forests outside. Their flesh and blood contain abundant vital essence, making them a powerful tonic for martial artists.

"Pureblood demon beasts are even more remarkable. Nearly every part of them is a treasure.

"Their hides can be made into defensive armor.

"Their flesh is comparable to spiritual medicine.

"Their tendons and bones, when ground up, make excellent materials for refining weapons.

"Demon Cores are especially rare and precious. They contain the essence of the entire demon beast. If a martial artist can endure the torment of the Demon Sha within, swallowing one can greatly increase their strength.

"So even if martial artists who enter a Secret Realm find no treasures, hunting a few demon beasts still counts as a great haul."

Qin Yihu's words broadened the horizons of Shen Zhou and the others once again.

Meng Gang even waved his fists, declaring that if they ran into a demon beast, he would certainly go wrestle it for a test of strength.

The group continued onward, and before long they reached the mountain gate of the sect ruins.

The so-called mountain gate was really just a mountain path, with a stone stele standing beside it. Three large characters were carved into the stone: "Fire Spring Sect."

"Fire Spring Sect?"

Shen Zhou murmured the name of the sect, then asked the Qin Family elders beside him whether they knew anything about it.

The two Qin Family elders both shook their heads.

Old Man Ji and Li Taohua looked at it, too, but had no idea.

Xu You, the Xu Family Elder, stepped forward and said, "In another Secret Realm, our Xu Family once found some ancient books that mentioned the Fire Spring Sect. According to those books, the Fire Spring Sect was a Second-Rate Sect. Its disciples came from all walks of life, and its cultivation methods were bizarre and varied—overbearing and uncanny. Its conduct was neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil, so even many First-Class Sects wouldn't provoke it lightly. It was quite a powerful sect."

After hearing this, Qin Changfeng gave him a second look and praised him. "Elder Xu You certainly is well-read."

Xu You smiled. "You flatter me. I just have a good memory. It's nothing special."

It was only a brief interlude. After learning the sect's history, everyone continued up the mountain. Before long, they found more and more corpses of rogue cultivators and signs of fighting strewn across the mountain path.

They had no idea what peril the dead had encountered—or whether they had found some treasure and turned on one another.

Old Man Ji reminded everyone to be careful, in case there were still sect formations along the way.

Everyone nodded in unison, and their pace slowed.

They hadn't gone much farther when three forks suddenly appeared in the mountain path ahead, each leading toward a different peak. It seemed they were about to reach the sect itself.

Seeing the forks, Qin Changfeng suggested to the Xu Family Elder that they split up. That way, they could search more quickly, and even if either side found a treasure, they wouldn't end up fighting and damaging their relationship.

Elder Xu You was silent for a moment, then agreed.

Before they parted, he even reminded Shen Zhou's group to be careful. If they encountered danger, they could call out a warning, and his group would rush over to help.

The Qin Family members nodded, seeing no problem with that.

Then Xu You and Xu Baxia led the Xu Family members down the rightmost path. Only after they had been gone for a long while did Qin Changfeng let out a breath and say, "I hope the Xu Family really doesn't have any ulterior motives."

Qin Yihu couldn't help asking, "Second Brother, are you still worried that the Xu Family's friendliness toward us is part of some other scheme?"

"Better to guard against people than to harm them," Qin Changfeng said. "I'm only taking precautions. Didn't the Young Head of Qin Family have Mingyue remind us earlier that the Xu Family couldn't possibly be this kind without a reason? I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Shen Zhou thought back carefully. Before the whole-city martial arts tournament at the arena, he had indeed told Qin Mingyue that the Xu Family's kindness toward the Qin Family must have been for some ulterior purpose.

They just couldn't tell what the Xu Family had in mind yet.

Shen Zhou then looked in the direction the Xu Family had gone and waved the Taixuan Sword in his hand. "It doesn't matter. It's best if nothing happens. But even if they're up to something, we don't need to fear them. At worst, we'll just cut them down!"

Shen Zhou was now at the Coagulation Sixth Realm, and with the second level of the Golden Body Art, he had no idea how powerful he could become if he unleashed his Entries with all his strength.

So if the Xu Family dared to make a move, he wouldn't mind testing his sword on them.

Hearing this, everyone shook their heads and laughed.

That was so like Shen Zhou!

Yet, for some reason, they felt a sense of ease deep down.

"Which way should we go next?"

After their smiles faded, Qin Mingyue looked at the path on the left and the one in the middle and asked what everyone thought.

They had just arrived in the Secret Realm, and for a moment, no one could decide which way to go.

After thinking it over, Qin Mingyue said they should take the left path, since a sect's medicine garden, alchemy chambers, and the like were usually on the side peaks.

Tang Shan, however, said the middle path was the main route, and should lead to the most important part of the sect. They could give it a try.

Shen Zhou thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't you two play rock-paper-scissors? If Qin Mingyue wins, we go left. If Senior Brother Tang Shan wins, we take the middle path."

Qin Mingyue: "..."

Tang Shan: "..."

Wasn't that a little too arbitrary?

But they did as he suggested.

Best two out of three. They soon had an answer.

In the end, Qin Mingyue won, so they took the left path.

As they set off, Shen Zhou passed Tang Shan and sighed. "Sigh... Senior Brother, you actually lost to a woman. This... this... sigh!"

Tang Shan froze.

Why did that sound so strange?

He'd only lost at rock-paper-scissors. It wasn't a big deal!

Then Old Man Ji came up beside him and shook his head. "You couldn't even beat a girl. What hope do you have? Sigh!"

Tang Shan was speechless. "Master, not you too..."

Then Meng Gang came over and looked at Tang Shan. "Senior Brother, you're really no good. You..."

Tang Shan snapped. "Get lost!"

Li Taohua couldn't help laughing.

The Qin Family's two elders shook their heads with smiles.

After everyone left the fork, none of them noticed that the Xu Family members who had left a long time ago had quietly returned to the crossroads.

Watching Shen Zhou and his group disappear into the distance, Xu You's earlier affable expression vanished. His face stern, he ordered, "Everyone, be careful. Don't leave any traces. Follow them!"

The Xu Family members all answered in low voices, "Yes!"