Right now, the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Azure Rock Sect had fallen into an awkward and difficult dilemma. Tracing back to that fierce match earlier, the strongest contestants on both sides had suffered heavy injuries in the clash, their vitality severely damaged.
One had to understand that in the cultivation world, those stable and resource-rich major secret realms were mostly firmly controlled by major sects and aristocratic families with profound foundations and formidable strength. Entry into them was restricted by quotas; wealth, strength, background, and connections were all indispensable for contending for a single slot.
For sects of middling scale like the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Azure Rock Sect, they neither possessed the uncompromising strength to forcefully break through nor the broad connections and background to serve as support. Wanting to secure a quota to enter a major secret realm could often only be pinned on illusory luck, and the vast majority of the time, they could only gaze at the ocean and sigh, left with pure helplessness.
Normally, minor secret realms became the focal point for fierce competition among numerous small and medium sects. To vie for the limited yet precious resources within the minor secret realms, various factions frequently fought until their heads were broken and blood flowed.
Now, with a rare opportunity laid out before them, giving it up just like that naturally left their hearts full of regret. Yet if they did not give it up, look at the current state of their own side: the strongest fighters were heavily injured and their strength greatly diminished, making their competitiveness appear exceedingly weak in the upcoming secret realm exploration.
As for the hidden risks within? For these resource-starved minor secret realms, danger and opportunity coexisted by nature, and regardless of where one explored, they were difficult to avoid.
Due to the constraints of their own conditions, their usual grasp of intelligence regarding secret realms was extremely limited, and most of the time they already explored secret realms in a state of complete ignorance. By comparison, they were not as cautious and meticulous toward these unknown risks as the major factions were; instead, it was more of a helpless and calm acceptance.
A junior brother from the Heavenly Sword Sect looked at Tan Yin, whose injuries had just stabilized, and tried to persuade him with worry all over his face: "Eldest Senior Brother, you are too badly injured. Why don't you sit this one out? We can handle things on our own, so you just properly recover your health right here and wait for us to bring back good news."
Hearing this, Tan Yin shook his head slightly, his gaze revealing firmness and resolve, while his tone brooked no argument: "No. Before setting out, the Sect Master entrusted all of you to me, and naturally I must take full responsibility for your safety. How can I shrink back at a time like this?"
That junior brother wanted to still persuade him: "But... Eldest Senior Brother, your injuries..."
Seeing this, Tan Yin directly cut off his words, speaking with a solemn expression: "There are no buts."
Having said that, he paused slightly, then softened his vocal timbre and continued, "I must keep an eye on you all, but if you have sufficient capability to deal with the danger, I do not have to make a move."
Upon hearing this, the junior brothers could not help but look at each other, ultimately accepting the proposal. At that moment, a senior brother stepped forward and shouted loudly: "Everyone, cheer up! Don't create trouble for Eldest Senior Brother! With us working together with one heart, we will definitely gain something in the secret realm!"
On the Azure Rock Sect's side, a young disciple wore a troubled expression, his eyes filled with hesitation. He edged closer to the senior brother beside him and whispered hesitantly: "Senior Brother, are we still going? Secret realms have always been fraught with danger, and now Eldest Senior Brother is severely injured. If we go in with just our current situation, I'm afraid..."
Hearing this, the senior brother furrowed his brows tightly, yet a flash of resolute determination suddenly pierced through his gaze. Raising his volume, he said loudly: "We go—why wouldn't we? This is a once-in-a-lifetime secret realm fortuitous encounter! Or is it that any of you are willing to just give up so easily?"
Hearing this, the crowd looked at each other in dismay. For a moment, they fell into a brief silence, with not a single person answering.
Amidst this stillness, everyone knew clearly in their hearts that in this ruthlessly competitive cultivation world, such an opportunity was simply too rare—resembling a fleeting shooting star in the night sky. Once missed, perhaps there would never again be a chance to stand out and change the destiny of the sect.
Wang Rong stood quietly to the side without uttering a sound. Having been injured just now, he knew well in his heart that he was nothing more than a burden now. If it were up to him to make the decision, he certainly would not support his fellow disciples in going in.
Those fellows from the Heavenly Sword Sect, though usually clumsy with their words and dull in nature, possessed solid strength that could not be underestimated.
And just look at this crowd of his own fellow disciples; only they themselves knew how much water was in their cultivation realms. Wang Rong shook his head, letting out an imperceptible sigh.
Witnessing the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Azure Rock Sect sink into such a state of embarrassment, some people among the crowd secretly gloated, their schadenfreude spilling over.
Those who had participated in the match earlier had pushed themselves to the limit for the sake of momentary victory, yet pointlessly caused their own side's combat strength to drop. Now, facing this rare secret realm opportunity, they probably regretted it so much their guts were turning green.
Yet awkward or not, the secret realm still had to be visited. Opportunities were fleeting, and there weren't that many chances to casually give up. Failing to grasp the present meant nobody knew if there would even be a next time.
Before stepping into the secret realm, Gu Yueyao once again solemnly emphasized the potential dangers to everyone. Upon confirming that every single person was clearly aware and still steadfast in their own intentions, Gu Yueyao glanced back at her father and took the lead in stepping through the light curtain.
Lin Mumu also strode forward. Passing by his side, her footsteps paused imperceptibly, and she spoke in a low voice: "I will keep watch."
Gu Yinchen was startled, then revealed a trace of relieved laughter.
"Then I shall thank the maiden in advance."
Only then did the crowd split into groups of twos and threes, entering the secret realm successively with hearts filled with both excitement and tension—
Wen Jian only felt his vision blur abruptly, followed immediately by a bout of dizziness as though the entire world were spinning. When this uncomfortable sensation slowly subsided, the scene presented before his eyes was an extraordinary sight—
Jagged, bizarre rocks of various shapes resembled ferocious giant beasts, either crouching or standing scattered all about. Not far away, towering ancient trees pierced straight into the clouds; their thick trunks required several people to embrace them, and the traces of the ages had left deep and shallow gullies upon them.
Luxuriant branches and leaves stretched out willfully, intertwining together like an airtight net that solidly blocked the sky, allowing only sunlight to filter down through the overlapping leaves in mottled patches of light and shadow.
A faint layer of mist also lingered all around, akin to a thin veil that shrouded the entire space, greatly reducing the field of vision and adding a few points of hazy eeriness to this mysterious place.
Once he recovered his wits, Wen Jian discovered that there were unexpectedly no other people around him. He figured he must have been forcibly separated by the secret realm upon entering.
However, Wen Jian did not panic or rush to look for anyone because of this. As someone obsessed with spiritual herbs and flora down to his very bones, he instead squatted down slowly on the spot, intently inspecting the plants on the ground.
Wen Jian had been fond of various ancient texts since childhood and had read countless related books. For over ninety percent of the flora in the Lingshu Heaven Domain, he could accurately name them and had their traits and uses at his fingertips.
Yet, currently situated within the secret realm, the wild grass before his eyes plunged him into confusion.
He carefully scrutinized the form, color, and texture of this wild grass, rapidly searching his mind for the knowledge he had memorized so well, yet he was completely unable to match it for the moment. This left him filled with both doubt and a strong surge of curiosity.
Is this an outer-realm secret realm? It truly is vastly different from the Lingshu Heaven Domain, Wen Jian mused silently to himself.
Since he had encountered plants he had never seen before, Wen Jian naturally would not let go of this rare opportunity.
He fished out paper and a brush, carefully tracing the appearance of these wild grasses to draw up individual plant diagrams, striving for every single detail to be precise and error-free. At the same time, he recorded in detail the growth environment of these plants, including the texture of the soil, the surrounding sunlight, and humidity information.
Having finished this, he even attempted to dig up a sample complete with dirt and roots to preserve for in-depth research at a later date.
Just like this, Wen Jian proceeded bit by bit along a single direction. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only his light footsteps echoing quietly within this mysterious space.
During this seemingly aimless advance, Wen Jian was abruptly and firmly captivated by a peculiar type of plant.
That plant grew upon winding, twisting long vines that climbed willfully along the bizarre rocks and ancient trees like a giant web. Hanging from the vines were blood-red fruits that, under the interweaving of mottled light, shadow, and hazy mist, exuded an indescribable sense of demonic weirdness.
Looking closely, the shapes of the leaves resembled sharp beast claws, their verdant edges faintly tinged with purple, and every tip seemed to conceal unknown danger, possessing a high degree of recognizability.
Those fruits were merely the size of a fingernail; yet their color was dazzlingly vivid, just like freshly gushing, scalding hot blood, a heart-stopping red.
Even more peculiar was that the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the fruits actually leaped and flickered joyfully in the air like a blazing fire, emitting a captivating brilliance. This radiance alternated between bright and dim, and under the interplay of the light, the fruit itself also shifted between vivid and dull, giving off a sensation of being both beautiful and dangerous.
Just as he was intoxicated by the sight, a shadow abruptly appeared overhead, like a dark cloud pressing down instantly to tightly shroud him. Wen Jian was startled, and subconsciously raised his head slowly, only for the figure of Shen Yuxi with a face cold as ice to appear within his line of sight.
He saw Shen Yuxi raise his longsword high, his stern countenance resembling ice that had not thawed for a thousand years, and his gaze glacial enough to seemingly freeze the surrounding air instantly. The look he cast at Wen Jian was just like gazing at a corpse that had already been sentenced to death, devoid of a shred of warmth.
"...Second Senior Brother?" Shen Yuxi's ice-blade-like gaze caused Wen Jian's heart to tremble violently, as though tightly gripped by an intangible giant hand, welling up a strong sense of unease within him.
In a split second, the longsword in Shen Yuxi's hand descended like lightning. A cold flash vanished in a flash, and the longsword grazed a strand of Wen Jian's hair, piercing straight into the earth behind him.
The longsword drove three inches into the ground, easily piercing the solid earth. The sword body trembled slightly, emitting a low and lingering buzzing sound.
Wen Jian was badly frightened by this sudden turn of events, and hastily turned his head to look behind him, only to discover an arm-thick snake pinned dead to the ground by Shen Yuxi's sword.
The snake's head was inverted triangle-shaped, a typical characteristic of venomous snakes. Its entire body was cyan-green with a pitch-black belly, practically merging with the surrounding grass; if one did not distinguish carefully, it was hard to detect its existence.
At this moment, that snake was struggling fiercely, twisting and shaking its body in an attempt to break free from the sword's restraint. Its snake mouth opened wide, baring sharp fangs and hissing, as if venting its fury.
Naturally, Shen Yuxi would not give it a chance to counterattack. He wore a stern expression as his spiritual energy circulated rapidly, channeling continuously into the snake's entire body through the longsword.
In an instant, the snake's body swelled under the spiritual energy, and accompanied by a muffled explosion, the entire snake's body was blasted to smithereens with flesh and blood scattering everywhere.
"...Many thanks, Second Senior Brother." Only then did Wen Jian snap out of his daze, realizing he had nearly met with misfortune just moments ago, and a lingering fear welled up in his heart.
"Mn," Shen Yuxi responded lightly, then slowly withdrew his longsword, flicking his arm to cast off the bloodstains on the blade.
The cyan-green snake blood splashed onto the ground, instantly emitting a sizzling sound as a wisp of pale smoke rose from the earth as though corroded by strong acid, demonstrating the potency of the snake venom.
Scared me to death! I wanted to scare the Ninth Junior Brother while he wasn't paying attention, but why did an Autumn Leaf Green suddenly pop up?! And so big! Does the secret realm raise spirit beasts like this?! Snakes and the like, get lost out of the Nine Domains!!
Shen Yuxi's unvarnished inner voice exploded unceremoniously in Wen Jian's mind, instantly shattering and tearing the originally tense and frozen atmosphere to pieces.
Second Senior Brother... Listening to this inner voice of Shen Yuxi filled with banter and complaints, Wen Jian could not help but feel a complex wave of emotion well up in his heart.
Although this sudden, teasing display by Second Senior Brother severely ruined the atmosphere, there was no denying that a Second Senior Brother who occasionally revealed such a goofball demeanor was vastly more approachable than his past icy self who always radiated an air of keeping people a thousand miles away.
Throughout this period of time, because they could frequently overhear Second Senior Brother's unconscious inner thoughts, everyone felt the distance between themselves and Second Senior Brother shorten and grow much closer before they even knew it. To the point that Wen Jian had almost forgotten Second Senior Brother's original appearance—the kind that made people look upon him with awe and dare not approach him easily.
Wen Jian steadied his nerves, raised his eyes to look at Shen Yuxi, and asked, "Second Senior Brother, have you seen any other fellow apprentices since you came in?"
Shen Yuxi wore a blank expression as he shook his head slightly, giving a negative reply.
Not knowing whether to consider his luck good or bad, the moment Shen Yuxi stepped into the secret realm, the dense and slightly eerie spiritual energy rushed toward his face in an onslaught.
Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, a strong sense of danger struck him from behind like a sharp arrow. Before his brain could issue clear instructions, his body had already relied on the instincts honed by years of bitter cultivation and actual combat to react swiftly.
He raised his hand with a swish, and the treasured sword at his waist instantly leaped from its scabbard. With a flash of cold light, he turned his wrist and stabbed fiercely backward, executing the motion in one smooth stroke without the slightest stagnation.
Concurrently, Shen Yuxi pivoted on his right foot, spinning his entire body clockwise by a hundred and eighty degrees like a whirlwind, facing the incoming beast in the blink of an eye.
The longsword that had pierced the beast's body now served as the Grim reaper's scythe, sweeping out fiercely as his arm swept horizontally.
Only a muffled tearing sound was heard as the beast was cleanly split in two by that fierce strike. Warm beast blood sprayed out like a fountain, scattering across the surrounding grass and strange rocks.
No, bro, is the welcoming ceremony this enthusiastic? Shen Yuxi furrowed his brows, staring with extreme disgust at the bloody scene before him as he muttered under his breath, using his sword to flip away the beast skin and flesh stuck to the blade. He expertly dug the beast core out of the beast carcass and stowed it into his pouch.
Having done all this, he casually tossed the beast corpse into a storage ring specially designated for storing such materials.
Beasts need to have a sense of boundaries; are we that close that you have to cling and cuddle the moment we meet? You hoodlum, bah!
The secret realm was indeed well-stocked—no, well-stocked with beasts. The beast grade was quite decent, and the beast core, fur, and even the beast meat all looked like they could fetch a good price. Having this kind of harvest right upon entering the secret realm could be considered a good opening start.
After finishing all this, he vigilantly scanned his surroundings with a scrutinizing gaze, quickly and carefully surveying the area.
Thick mist lingered all around like a huge grey curtain, hiding everything within it. The treasured sword in his hand trembled slightly, the bloodstains fouling the blade appearing all the more grim and eerie against the backdrop of the mist.
As a transmigrator, the content he knew regarding this suddenly appeared minor secret realm far surpassed anyone else present.
The most formidable treasures were naturally reserved for Long Aotian; without a bit of destiny accompanying one, one shouldn't bother dreaming of snatching things from Long Aotian, or else one could only meet a tragic end.
As for the other items in this secret realm... this fragment of the Three-Heavens Secret Realm truly did conceal several decent treasures, and he still firmly remembered their general locations.
Nine Domains Encyclopedia:
○ Three-Heavens Secret Realm
Located within the Sky Ruins Illusory Domain, it opens naturally alongside the illusory domain's bloody demonic moon that occurs once every fifty years. Extremely dangerous, yet filled with treasures everywhere at the same time, it is a secret realm capable of yielding bountiful harvests. Basically, seven to eighty percent of the people who enter perish within it every time it opens; those with insufficient strength or subpar luck are not advised to go.
○ Autumn Leaf Green
Snake blood is cyan-green and highly venomous.
The snake's head is triangular, its entire body cyan-green, and its belly pitch-black, approaching the color of rotting leaves and earth. It blends almost seamlessly with its surroundings, using this as camouflage to evade natural predators and hunt.
Its body grows larger with age, becoming increasingly difficult to hide. Once fully mature, the green on its back turns brown, and it transitions from grassy areas to forests, making it impossible for people to guard against.
Complete Compendium of Spirit Herbs:
○ Snakeblood Vine
Likes dark and humid environments with very strong vitality; barring exceptionally arid growing conditions, it is hard for it to die naturally. It will wither and enter a state of suspended animation during drought seasons. The dormant vine branches will recover as long as they receive sufficient moisture nourishment.
The leaves are verdant green with slightly purplish, very sharp edges, shaped like beast claws. There is fuzz on the back side, and both the fuzz and thorns are poisonous.
○ Blood Vine Fruit
The fruit borne by the Snakeblood Vine, merely the size of a fingernail, with a red outer skin. Edible. Soft, juicy, slightly sweet, and highly venomous.
When spiritual energy is abundant, it emits a leaping spiritual light like a flame, causing the fruit to display different colors, but this is merely an optical illusion caused by the light. The fruit's color does not actually change.
The sweet fragrance emitted by the blood vine fruit attracts beasts to feed on it, and the Snakeblood Vine uses this to lure prey. Prey that consumes the blood vine fruit will be poisoned, potentially falling into paralysis, fainting, or dying on the spot. The Snakeblood Vine will tightly entangle these prey items and use them as nutrients.
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