Manufacturing a Secret Realm

Late at night, deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

In the pitch-black night, a hundred-zhang-tall mountain was moving swiftly, an exceedingly bizarre sight. Looking closely, someone was carrying a mountain through the air.

The Ten Thousand Mountains were a dangerous place. Yet someone was actually moving about here?

Looking more carefully, it was Azure Cloud Master.

"Hehe, with this mountain as a foundation, this secret realm will finally look somewhat decent."

Azure Cloud Master held up a great mountain as though it were a toy.

The vast Laws of Heaven and Earth wrapped around the mountain in his hands. The hundred-zhang mountain gradually shrank beneath those Laws, finally reducing to roughly a tenth of its original size and becoming a small mountain only ten zhang tall.

Then Azure Cloud Master placed the compressed little mountain into a scroll in his hand.

Amid the roaring of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the little mountain was forcibly embedded into the scroll.

"The secret realm's prototype is complete." Azure Cloud Master looked at the scroll, now fused with a mountain peak. "This secret realm is too monotonous... I heard that deep in Cloud Dream Marsh lies a Spirit Lake containing the rare Rainbow Fish. I might as well move that Spirit Lake here too. One mountain and one body of water will look much more harmonious. Right, how can a secret realm lack demonic beasts? I'll capture some demonic beasts as well..."

Azure Cloud Master's figure flashed away. When he appeared again, he was already extremely far from the Ten Thousand Mountains.

He traveled all the way into the depths of the southern Cloud Dream Marsh and arrived before that Spirit Lake. Reaching out with both hands, he plucked a lake spanning ten li out of thin air, leaving behind an enormous pit. Then, under the pressure of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the Spirit Lake gradually shrank into a "pond" and merged into the scroll.

Immediately afterward, the demonic beasts deep within Cloud Dream Marsh rose into the air one after another and vanished into Azure Cloud Master's scroll.

Two days later, an old Daoist arrived at Cloud Dream Marsh.

"It's been so long since I last ate Rainbow Fish. I've missed them terribly. Since I'm passing through Cloud Dream Marsh this time, I have to catch a couple to satisfy my craving... Holy shit, where's the Spirit Lake?"

The old Daoist stared at the enormous pit, unable to speak for a long while.

"This... which fellow Daoist was bored enough to move away the entire Spirit Lake?" The old Daoist stamped his feet and beat his chest. "This is truly going too far! Things nurtured by Heaven and Earth—how can you just snatch them home?

Without the nurturing Laws of Heaven and Earth in Cloud Dream Marsh, these Rainbow Fish lose their flavor. What a monstrous waste.

Fellow Daoist, what you have done is truly too much."

The old Daoist cursed furiously for a while, then performed a divination, but got no result whatsoever.

In the end, he could only mutter to himself as he left.

He simply could not understand who could be so bored as to come to a dangerous place like Cloud Dream Marsh just to move away the Spirit Lake.

Meanwhile, Azure Cloud Master had already returned to the Azure Cloud Sect.

He opened the scroll and began sketching upon it like a master painter at the very peak of his craft.

"Done. It's only a secret realm for Golden Core Realm cultivators to explore—how could it possibly stump me?" Azure Cloud Master clapped his hands smugly. Then he studied the scroll for a long while before finally saying, "That brat Zhang Yang is also in the Golden Core Realm. If he explores the secret realm, he may enter it as well.

This Chaos Golden Core... I need to add some spice to this secret realm. I need to add something special.

Old Devils, don't blame me for not giving you an opportunity. Why not split off a few of your Demon Seeds, so you can experience the world outside?"

"Do you dare?" An ethereal voice emerged from deep underground.

Azure Cloud Master smiled faintly. "Am I not inviting you? I want Demon Seeds that you have earnestly forged, preferably carrying a little of your Demonic Dao Laws. Anything too weak would be no fun."

"Jiejiejie, as you wish!"

Several hazy figures carrying an incomparably cold aura emerged from the ground, then Azure Cloud Master stuffed them into the scroll.

Azure Cloud Master dusted off his hands. "All right, now the secret realm is truly complete."

He came to a canyon in the back mountains of the Azure Cloud Sect and opened the scroll.

Amid the roaring of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the scroll merged into the earth and vanished.

Azure Cloud Master returned to the sect, found Zhang Yang, and tossed something into his hands. "The secret realm you wanted! This is the key. Use it to open the secret realm!"

"Master?" Zhang Yang looked at Azure Cloud Master in astonishment. "The Azure Cloud Sect really has a secret realm?"

If there was a secret realm, why was the sect poor as hell?

Azure Cloud Master said earnestly, "These are all foundations of the Azure Cloud Sect. I originally did not intend to hand them over to you so soon. But from what has happened recently, I can see that you possess a certain degree of ability. I can rest easy entrusting the secret realm to you."

He glanced at Zhang Yang, then continued, "For thousands of years, the Azure Cloud Sect has never had a 'Blank Golden Core' become sect master. You are the true disciple I selected with great care, and you are destined to become sect master in the future. I hope you put more effort into this. Do not exhaust yourself merely over these affairs; cultivating as soon as possible is what truly matters."

Against his conscience, he continued to fool Zhang Yang about the Blank Golden Core.

Zhang Yang nodded. "Rest assured, Master. I will definitely achieve results in my cultivation."

His comprehension had already been tested. There was absolutely no problem with it.

It was simply that his Golden Core consumed too many resources. As long as he earned more money and kept feeding it, he would definitely enter the Nascent Soul Realm.

Azure Cloud Master shook his head with a sigh. "I have a Primordial Golden Core, while your martial uncles all possess Great Dao Golden Cores. None of us have experience with a Blank Golden Core. Still, we have cultivated for many years. If there is anything you need our help with during cultivation, we will do our best to help."

He truly had no idea how a Chaos Golden Core should be cultivated, lest Zhang Yang raise questions later that he could not answer.

Zhang Yang said with a smile, "Over this period, I absorbed a great number of Spirit Stones and finally made my Golden Core... a little thicker-skinned. I believe that if I keep filling it, I can definitely stuff the Golden Core full."

Azure Cloud Master pondered this. "Would you like to try filling it with other kinds of Power of the Great Dao? There is nothing inside your Golden Core anyway. Perhaps if you stuff some Power of the Great Dao into it, it might gain other kinds of Power of the Great Dao?"

Based on the characteristics of the Chaos Golden Core, he proposed a possible method.

"Should we try it?" Zhang Yang looked somewhat tempted as he gazed at Azure Cloud Master. "Master, give me some of your Power of the Great Dao."

Azure Cloud Master nodded firmly. "I'll give you just a little. Try it. Don't worry, I'll keep my Power of the Great Dao under control."

Then, controlling his Power of the Great Dao, he sent it probing toward Zhang Yang's Golden Core.

Allowing one's Golden Core to bear another person's Power of the Great Dao was essentially placing one's life in another's hands. It was an extremely dangerous act.

But Zhang Yang was certain Azure Cloud Master would not harm him, so he calmly allowed his Golden Core to receive Azure Cloud Master's Power of the Great Dao.

"Get ready. I'm going in."

"Rest assured, Master. I'm ready."

A moment later, Zhang Yang asked in surprise, "Master, did you go in?"

"I went in ages ago!" Azure Cloud Master snapped irritably. "Didn't you feel it?"

Zhang Yang stared at Azure Cloud Master in astonishment, and Azure Cloud Master stared back at Zhang Yang in equal astonishment.

Why had he not sensed any Power of the Great Dao?

At this moment, Azure Cloud Master was also somewhat baffled.

His Power of the Great Dao had passed through Zhang Yang's Golden Core and explored toward its interior, only for the connection to abruptly break.

A portion of his Power of the Great Dao had also disappeared.

To him, that tiny amount of Power of the Great Dao was nothing.

But what realm was he in? What realm was Zhang Yang in? How was there not the slightest reaction?

This Chaos Golden Core really was a freakish thing!