Three Heavens (3)

At this moment, the Heavenly Sword Sect and Azure Rock Sect had fallen into an awkward dilemma. Looking back on that fierce competition, the strongest contestants on both sides had suffered severe injuries in the clash, their vitality greatly depleted.

One had to know that in the cultivation world, those stable, resource-rich great secret realms were mostly firmly controlled by powerful major sects and aristocratic families with deep foundations. Entry quotas were limited, and wealth, strength, background, and connections were all indispensable if one wished to fight for a spot.

For sects of middling size like the Heavenly Sword Sect and Azure Rock Sect, they neither possessed the overwhelming strength to force their way through nor had broad connections and influential backing to support them. If they wanted a place in a great secret realm, they could usually only pin their hopes on ethereal luck. Most of the time, they could only gaze at the ocean and sigh, left with nothing but helplessness.

In ordinary times, small secret realms became the focus of fierce contention among countless small and medium-sized sects. To fight over the limited yet precious resources within them, the various factions often battled until their heads were bloodied.

And now, a rare opportunity lay right before them. If they gave it up just like that, their hearts would naturally be filled with regret. Yet if they did not give up, then looking at their current condition—their strongest members severely injured and their strength greatly diminished—their competitiveness in the coming secret realm exploration seemed exceedingly weak.

As for the risks hidden within? For these resource-starved small sects, secret realms had always been places where danger and opportunity coexisted. No matter where they explored, such risks were unavoidable.

Limited by their own circumstances, they normally possessed extremely little intelligence about secret realms. More often than not, they entered them knowing nothing at all. Compared to the great powers, they were instead less overly cautious about such unknown dangers, carrying more of a helpless acceptance.

A junior brother from the Heavenly Sword Sect looked at Tan Yin, whose injuries had only just stabilized, and urged him with a face full of concern, "Eldest Senior Brother, your injuries are too severe. How about you don't go in? We can handle things ourselves. Just stay here and recover properly, then wait for us to bring back good news."

Tan Yin shook his head slightly. His eyes revealed determination and resolve, and his tone allowed no doubt. "No. Before the Sect Master left, he entrusted all of you to me. Naturally, I must take responsibility for your safety to the very end. How can I shrink back at a time like this?"

That junior brother still wanted to persuade him. "But... Eldest Senior Brother, your injuries..."

Tan Yin cut him off directly, his expression stern. "No buts."

After speaking, he paused briefly, then softened his voice and continued, "I must keep an eye on all of you. But if you have sufficient ability to deal with danger, I need not act."

The senior and junior brothers could not help looking at one another. In the end, they accepted the proposal. At that moment, one senior brother stepped forward and shouted, "Everyone, perk up! Don't cause trouble for Eldest Senior Brother! If we work together, we'll definitely gain something in the secret realm!"

Over on Azure Rock Sect's side, a young disciple looked troubled, his eyes full of hesitation. He leaned toward the senior brother beside him and murmured, "Senior Brother, are we still going? Secret realms have always been fraught with danger, and now Eldest Senior Brother is seriously injured too. With our situation, if we go in, I'm afraid..."

Hearing this, the senior brother furrowed his brows tightly, but a resolute determination suddenly flashed through his eyes. He raised his voice and said, "Go. Why wouldn't we? This is a once-in-a-thousand-years secret realm opportunity! Or are any of you willing to give it up so easily?"

The crowd looked at one another, and for a moment, they fell into silence. Not a single person answered.

Amid that silence, everyone understood perfectly well. In this brutally competitive cultivation world, such an opportunity was far too rare, like a fleeting meteor in the night sky. Once missed, they might never again have a chance to rise above the rest and change their sect's fate.

Wang Rong stood silently to one side without speaking. Injured as he was now, he knew clearly that he was nothing more than a burden. If it were up to him, he definitely would not support his fellow disciples entering.

Those fellows from the Heavenly Sword Sect might usually be clumsy with words and dull in manner, but their genuine strength was not to be underestimated.

Then looking at his own group of fellow disciples, only they themselves knew how much water their cultivation levels contained. Wang Rong shook his head and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

Seeing the Heavenly Sword Sect and Azure Rock Sect trapped in such a difficult situation, some among the crowd secretly rejoiced, their gloating written plainly across their faces.

Those who had participated in the competition earlier had exhausted themselves for a momentary victory, only to weaken their own side's combat strength for nothing. Now, faced with this rare secret realm opportunity, they were probably regretting it until their intestines turned green.

But no matter how awkward it was, they still had to enter the secret realm. Opportunities vanished in the blink of an eye; there were not so many chances to abandon at will. If they did not seize this moment, no one knew whether there would be another.

Before stepping into the secret realm, Gu Yueyao once more solemnly emphasized the potential dangers to everyone. After confirming that every person understood clearly and still remained firm in their decision, Gu Yueyao looked back at her father once before taking the lead into the curtain of light.

Lin Mumu also stepped forward. As she passed him, her footsteps paused almost imperceptibly, and she said softly, "I'll keep watch."

Gu Yinchen froze for a moment, then revealed a relieved smile.

"Then, I'll thank you in advance, Miss."

Only then did everyone enter the secret realm in twos and threes, their hearts filled with both excitement and tension—

Wen Jian only felt his vision suddenly blur, followed by a wave of dizziness, as though the entire world were spinning. Once that discomfort faded slightly, an extraordinary sight appeared before him—

Jagged strange rocks took countless forms, like ferocious giant beasts lying or standing as they scattered about. Not far away, ancient towering trees pierced the clouds. Their trunks were so thick that several people would be needed to encircle them, while the marks of time had carved deep and shallow ravines across their bark.

Lush branches and leaves stretched freely, interweaving like an impenetrable net that tightly blocked out the sky. Sunlight could only filter through layer upon layer of leaves, casting mottled shadows.

A faint mist also permeated the surroundings, like a thin veil shrouding the entire space. It greatly narrowed visibility and added several touches of hazy strangeness and eeriness to this mysterious land.

After regaining his senses, Wen Jian discovered that no one else was beside him. It seemed they had been forcibly separated by the secret realm upon entering.

However, Wen Jian did not panic and rush to find the others. As someone obsessed with spiritual medicines and spirit plants to his very bones, he instead slowly crouched down where he stood and began examining the plants on the ground with complete focus.

Since childhood, Wen Jian had been unable to put down all sorts of ancient texts. He had read countless related books, and he could accurately name over ninety percent of the plants and trees in the Lingshu Heaven Domain, knowing their properties and uses like the back of his hand.

Yet now, within the secret realm, the wild grass before him left him perplexed.

He carefully studied the grass's shape, color, and veins, rapidly searching through the knowledge engraved in his mind. Yet for the moment, he could not match it to anything at all. This filled him with confusion, but also stirred a powerful curiosity within him.

So this is an outer-domain secret realm? As expected, it is vastly different from the Lingshu Heaven Domain.

Having encountered plants he had never seen before, Wen Jian naturally would not let this rare opportunity pass.

He took out paper and brush, carefully sketching the appearance of the wild grass and drawing one draft after another, striving to make every detail precise. At the same time, he meticulously recorded the plants' growing environment, including the texture of the soil, the surrounding light, humidity, and other information.

After finishing this, he tried digging up a sample with its roots and soil intact, preserving it for future study.

In this manner, Wen Jian slowly advanced in one direction. The surroundings were so quiet that they felt somewhat eerie, and only his faint footsteps echoed softly through this mysterious space.

During this seemingly aimless journey, Wen Jian was suddenly firmly drawn to an unusual plant.

The plant grew upon winding vines that climbed freely over strange rocks and ancient trees like a massive net. Blood-red fruits hung from the vines one after another, carrying an indescribably demonic air beneath the interwoven mottled light and hazy mist.

Looking closely, its leaves resembled sharp beast claws. The emerald-green leaves had faintly purple edges, and every pointed tip seemed to contain unknown danger, making them highly distinctive.

The fruits were only the size of fingernails. Yet their color was as dazzling and vivid as freshly erupted, scalding blood, red enough to make one's heart tremble.

More strangely, the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the fruits were like blazing flames, dancing and flickering joyfully through the air as they gave off a soul-stirring glow. That radiance brightened and dimmed by turns. Under its illumination, even the fruits themselves seemed alternately vivid and dark, giving them a beauty that was nevertheless dangerous.

Just as he was immersed in it, a shadow suddenly appeared overhead, like dark clouds pressing down in an instant and completely enveloping him. Wen Jian's heart jolted. He instinctively raised his head slowly, only to see Shen Yuxi's face, cold as frost.

Shen Yuxi held his longsword high. His stern face resembled ice that had not melted for a thousand years, while his gaze was so cold that it seemed capable of freezing the surrounding air in an instant. The way he looked at Wen Jian was like staring at a dead man already sentenced to death, without a trace of warmth.

"...Second Senior Brother?" Shen Yuxi's ice-blade gaze made Wen Jian's heart shudder violently, as though an invisible hand had clenched it tight. A powerful unease surged within him.

In an instant, Shen Yuxi's longsword fell like lightning. A flash of cold light vanished at once as the blade grazed a strand of Wen Jian's hair and stabbed straight into the ground behind him.

The sword sank three inches into the earth, easily piercing the hard ground. Its blade trembled slightly, releasing a low, lingering hum.

Wen Jian was badly startled by this sudden change. He hurriedly turned to look behind him, only then discovering that a snake as thick as an arm had been pinned firmly by Shen Yuxi's sword.

Its head was an inverted triangle, a typical characteristic of venomous snakes. Its entire body was green, with a black belly, blending almost perfectly into the surrounding grass. Without careful inspection, it would have been difficult to notice its presence.

At that moment, the snake was twisting and thrashing desperately, trying to free itself from the sword's restraint. Its mouth gaped open, revealing sharp fangs as it hissed, as though venting its fury.

Naturally, Shen Yuxi would not give it a chance to strike back. His expression remained cold as spiritual energy swiftly circulated through him and flowed continuously through the longsword into the snake's body.

In an instant, the snake's body swelled from the spiritual energy. Accompanied by a muffled explosion, its entire body was blown to pieces, blood and flesh spraying everywhere.

"...Thank you, Second Senior Brother." Only then did Wen Jian awaken as if from a dream and realize that he had nearly met with disaster just now. A wave of lingering fear rose in his heart.

"Mm." Shen Yuxi answered softly, then slowly withdrew his sword. With a flick of his arm, he shook the blood from its blade.

Green snake blood splashed onto the ground, instantly producing a sizzling sound. A plume of green smoke rose from the earth as though it had been corroded by strong acid, showing just how vicious the venom was.

That scared me to death! I was even planning to scare Ninth Junior Brother while he wasn't paying attention. Why did such a huge Autumn Leaf Green suddenly show up? Does this secret realm raise demon beasts like this? Snakes should get out of the Nine Domains!!

Shen Yuxi's completely undisguised inner voice exploded unexpectedly in Wen Jian's mind, instantly tearing the previously tense, frozen atmosphere into fragments.

Second Senior Brother... Listening to Shen Yuxi's inner thoughts, so full of teasing and complaints, Wen Jian could not help feeling a complicated swell of emotion.

Although Second Senior Brother's sudden amusing behavior had thoroughly ruined the mood, there was no denying that this Second Senior Brother, who occasionally revealed such a silly side, felt far more approachable than the old Shen Yuxi who was always icy and radiated an aura that kept people a thousand miles away.

During this period, because they could often hear the unconscious thoughts Second Senior Brother revealed, everyone felt that the distance between them and him had gradually shortened without their realizing it. They had become much closer. Wen Jian had nearly forgotten how Second Senior Brother used to look—so intimidating that no one dared approach him lightly.

Wen Jian steadied himself and looked up at Shen Yuxi. "Second Senior Brother, after entering, did you see any other fellow disciples?"

Shen Yuxi lightly shook his head without expression, giving a negative answer.

Whether it counted as good luck or bad, the instant Shen Yuxi stepped into the secret realm, the dense and somewhat eerie spiritual energy around him rushed straight at him.

Before he even had time to catch his breath, an intense sense of danger suddenly shot at him from behind like a sharp arrow. Before his mind could issue a clear command, his body had already reacted swiftly on instinct, honed through years of bitter cultivation and real combat.

With a swish, he raised his hand. The treasured sword at his waist instantly left its sheath. A cold flash streaked past as he turned his wrist and thrust fiercely behind him, the motion completed in one fluid breath without the slightest pause.

At the same time, Shen Yuxi used his right foot as a pivot and spun his entire body clockwise one hundred and eighty degrees like a whirlwind, facing the attacking demon beast in the blink of an eye.

The sword embedded in the beast's body was now like Death's scythe. As he swept his arm sideways, it slashed through with savage speed.

A dull tearing sound rang out. The demon beast was cleanly cut in two by that fierce strike. Warm beast blood sprayed out like a fountain, scattering over the surrounding grass and strange rocks.

No, buddy, was the welcome ceremony really this enthusiastic? Shen Yuxi frowned, looking at the bloody scene before him with utter disgust. As he used his sword to pick away hide and bits of flesh stuck to the blade, he muttered inwardly. He skillfully dug the beast core from the demon beast's corpse and put it away.

After finishing all this, he casually tossed the demon beast's corpse into a storage ring specially meant for holding such materials.

Beasts should have a sense of boundaries. Are we even that close? Coming right up to stick to me and hug me—pervert! Pah!

This secret realm truly was good at raising people—no, raising beasts. The demon beast's rank was not bad. Its beast core, fur, and even its meat looked like they could fetch a good price. Gaining such spoils upon entering the secret realm counted as an auspicious start.

After finishing everything, he vigilantly surveyed the surroundings, rapidly and carefully examining every direction with a scrutinizing gaze.

Thick mist filled the surroundings, like a huge gray curtain concealing everything within it. The treasured sword in his hand trembled slightly, and the blood staining its blade looked increasingly sinister and eerie against the mist.

As someone who had transmigrated into a novel, he knew far more about this suddenly appearing small secret realm than anyone else present.

The greatest treasure was naturally reserved for Long Aotian. Without some fortune supporting one, one should not dream of stealing Long Aotian's things. Otherwise, one could only end up in a miserable state.

As for the other things in this secret realm... this fragment of the Three-Heavens Secret Realm indeed hid several decent treasures, and he still remembered their approximate locations firmly.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Three-Heavens Secret Realm

Located in the Sky Ruins Illusory Domain, it naturally opens once every fifty years along with the Illusory Domain's Blood-Red Demon Moon. It is extremely dangerous, yet treasures cover the ground at the same time, making it a secret realm where bountiful gains can be made. In nearly every opening, seventy to eighty percent of those who enter die within. Those lacking strength or fortune are advised not to go.

○ Autumn Leaf Green

Its blood is green and highly poisonous.

Its head is an inverted triangle, and its entire body is green with a black belly, close to the color of rotting leaves and earth. It almost blends into its surroundings, using this as camouflage to avoid natural enemies and hunt.

Its body grows larger with age, making it increasingly difficult to hide. Once fully grown, the green on its back turns brown, and it shifts from grasslands to forests, making it impossible to guard against.

Complete Compendium of Spirit Herbs:

○ Snakeblood Vine

It prefers dark, damp environments and possesses great vitality. Unless its growing place is particularly arid, it is difficult for it to die naturally. During droughts, it withers and enters a state of suspended death. Vines in suspended death will recover once sufficiently nourished by moisture.

Its leaves are emerald-green with faintly purple edges. They are very sharp and shaped like beast claws. The undersides are covered in fuzz, and both the fuzz and thorns are poisonous.

○ Blood Vine Fruit

The fruit borne by Snakeblood Vine. It is only the size of a fingernail, with red skin. It is edible. Soft, juicy, slightly sweet, and highly poisonous.

When spiritual energy is abundant, it emits flame-like, dancing spiritual light, causing the fruit to appear in different colors, but this is only an illusion created by the light. The fruit's color does not actually change.

The sweet fragrance emitted by Blood Vine Fruit attracts demon beasts to eat it. Snakeblood Vine uses this to lure prey. After consuming Blood Vine Fruit, prey becomes poisoned and may fall into paralysis, unconsciousness, or die on the spot. Snakeblood Vine tightly coils around this prey and uses it as nourishment.