He Ya agreed.
"I agree with Lu Ming. Rather than waste time on the outskirts, we should head straight for the core. If a powerful being has already occupied the core area, we can join forces to clear it out. If there's no immediate danger, we can search carefully. Afterward, we can explore outward from the core, making sure we don't miss anything important."
Carlos pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"All right, it's settled. Our target is the heart of the secret realm!"
All five were experienced explorers, and they quickly reached an agreement.
"No time to waste. Let's go!"
Lu Ming kept it brief.
With the decision made, the five didn't delay. They became five streaks of light, suppressing most of their auras as they sped toward the core of the vast continent, where the energy was most intense, following the direction Carlos had sensed.
They were moving more than ten times faster than before. Clearly, they had been holding back earlier to observe their surroundings.
The farther they went, the denser the Cosmic Force in the air became. A faint mist even began to form.
The mountains and rivers below grew stranger and more treacherous, and the auras of the vicious beasts they encountered grew stronger. Now and then, they sensed a few obscure fluctuations that made even Man Ji and Shadow Shuttle frown slightly. Those were undoubtedly Domain Lord Level beings.
However, the vicious beasts seemed to have their own territories. As long as Lu Ming and the others didn't trespass or provoke them, the beasts didn't swarm to attack.
Relying on their formidable strength and skillful concealment, the five pressed deeper, encountering danger but never coming to harm.
After flying for several days, they had already traveled countless miles into the continent at their speed.
Yet this secret realm continent was truly vast.
Even at their speed, they felt as if they had covered only a small stretch of its boundless expanse.
Moreover, although the energy concentration increased overall, it was unevenly distributed. In some areas, the energy shimmered like rosy clouds; in others, it was relatively thin.
If they continued traveling together, their efficiency would indeed be too low.
That day, the five stopped to rest once more in a secluded valley.
Carlos spread his hand, and a simple map appeared, marking their approximate route and the energy nodes they had sensed.
"Everyone, at this pace, it'll take us several more days, maybe even longer, to reach the true core. This secret realm is larger than we imagined!"
He Ya mused.
"That's right. This secret realm is bigger than we expected. Traveling as a group is safe, but our exploration is too slow."
Man Ji scratched his bald head.
"Then what do we do? Split up? This place isn't safe. If someone gets surrounded by a few Domain Lord Level vicious beasts, it could be a real problem."
Shadow Shuttle's voice came from the shadows. "We can explore separate sectors. Divide up neighboring areas and stay in constant contact. If anyone encounters danger or discovers a treasure, they can call for help right away. The others just need to be able to reach them quickly."
Lu Ming nodded. It was a fairly reliable plan.
"I agree. We can use our current position as a starting point and fan out ahead of us. Each person takes a sector, with our territories adjoining one another. If anything happens, we can contact each other through the Virtual Universe, then fly over quickly in our ships. That way, we'll cover more ground while still looking out for one another."
He looked at Carlos. "Little San, your senses are the sharpest, so stay in the middle and coordinate. Monitor energy fluctuations over a wider area, and let everyone know as soon as you find anything."
Carlos nodded. "No problem. Leave it to me."
"Good!"
"Let's do it!"
No one objected to the arrangement.
They were all powerful enough to handle things on their own and were used to traveling alone. They just needed to be more cautious in an unknown secret realm.
Before long, the five had divided up their exploration areas.
"Everyone, stay in touch and be careful."
Lu Ming spoke in a low voice.
"Haha, don't worry! I'm itching for a fight anyway. Let's see if I can kill a few Domain Lord Level vicious beasts for fun!"
Man Ji rubbed his fists together.
If they ended up with few other gains, killing a few Domain Lord Level vicious beasts could still earn them a hefty profit.
He Ya and Shadow Shuttle nodded as well.
Then the five figures became streaks of light and sped toward their respective fan-shaped sectors.
Lu Ming was responsible for the area on the left.
He became an almost imperceptible streak of light, flying slowly through his assigned sector as his powerful spiritual force spread outward like an invisible tide, carefully scanning the mountains, rivers, forests, and valleys below.
"This secret realm is clearly more than just a low-level one."
Lu Ming wondered to himself.
"With a space this vast, it must be close to a mid-level secret realm. Carlos's earlier exploration probably only gave us a glimpse of the whole picture."
Now it seemed that they might find an even greater surprise this time.
That also made him more vigilant. The higher a secret realm's level, the greater its potential dangers might be.
Time passed slowly, and half a day went by.
Lu Ming had already explored a considerable area and found several unusual energy spots. But after investigating them closely, he found that most were just lairs of Universe Level vicious beasts or ordinary mineral veins. They were of little value to him, so he hadn't disturbed anything.
Just as he was preparing to move on to another area, the edge of his spiritual-force scan suddenly picked up an extremely obscure fluctuation that stood out from its surroundings.
Lu Ming stopped abruptly, hovering in midair. Frowning, he concentrated all his spiritual force and carefully sensed the direction of the fluctuation.
"This feeling..."
"I'll go take a look!"
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and headed straight toward it.
The closer he got, the clearer the obscure fluctuation became. The immense life force it contained made his heart skip a beat.
A moment later, he stopped above a particularly dense primeval forest where ancient trees towered into the sky.
"This is the place!"
Deep in the forest below, the source of that life energy stood out like a torch in the night!
The life force was so dense that the surrounding trees seemed especially lush and vibrant, and a faint fragrance filled the air.
"Such terrifying vitality... Could it be a Life Fruit? Or some other cosmic treasure of the same level?"
Lu Ming felt a surge of excitement.
He suppressed the urge to rush down at once and released his spiritual force!
A treasure like this would surely have a guardian nearby!
Sure enough!
The instant his spiritual force touched the heart of the area where the life energy was concentrated,
BOOM!!!
The seemingly tranquil ground below suddenly exploded, sending soil and rocks surging upward like a waterfall!
A huge shadow burst from the earth, bringing with it a suffocating stench and terrifying pressure as it lunged straight at Lu Ming in midair!
It was a Giant Python that seemed to be made entirely of dark brown rock!
Its body was over a hundred meters in diameter, and its length was impossible to estimate. The part exposed above the ground alone stretched for several thousand meters!
It had no eyes. Its head held only a gigantic maw lined with spiraling fangs. Its entire body radiated a heavy, mountain-like aura of savage brutality. It was unmistakably at Domain Lord Level Seven!
The rocky Giant Python moved at astonishing speed. In an instant, it coiled around Lu Ming, trying to crush him outright!