Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm

The instant that voice fell.

Chen Qiu instinctively swept his gaze around. Other than the two of them, there was no one in this bamboo forest. It was as though the voice had sounded directly inside his mind—deep and heavy, yet carrying an ethereal quality.

"It's a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!"

Fat Dragon, who had been about to say something else, immediately sprang up in excitement upon hearing the voice. "I never thought we'd be this lucky, actually running into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!"

"There are many kinds of secret realms. Some are naturally formed through the Heavenly Dao's response, while others were set up by senior experts before they died. There are all sorts of them. Heavenly Dao Secret Realms don't offer the greatest rewards, but they're the safest."

"And everything follows the rules. There's nothing deliberately set up to trap and kill you. They're perfect for little nobodies like us."

"I've been transported here for several months, and I've only encountered one once. That time, it let me break through from the Fourth Level of the Qi Refining Realm to the Fifth Level of the Qi Refining Realm."

At the same time—

A white vortex, slowly rotating and standing two men tall, abruptly appeared three zhang away from them.

This was the entrance to the secret realm.

This so-called voice of the Heavenly Dao was likely the regional announcement Fat Dragon had mentioned.

"Secret Realm Name": Bean Stalk Small World.

"Secret Realm Restriction": Only cultivators at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm and below may enter.

"Secret Realm Type": 'Slaughter'.

"Secret Realm Introduction": A Minor World lies within, concealing cultivation techniques, spirit herbs, and other treasures. At most 100 cultivators may enter. When dawn arrives, the surviving cultivators may return safely to the greater world.

Fat Dragon had eagerly rushed toward the white vortex's entrance, but after seeing the secret realm panel enveloped in mist before it, he stopped with an ugly expression and instinctively retreated several steps.

"Looks like our luck isn't all that good after all."

"It's a rare 'Slaughter'-type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."

"These Heavenly Dao Secret Realms are basically slaughterhouses. They're extremely bloody, and the death rate is terrifyingly high."

Standing at the secret realm entrance, Chen Qiu could already hear a mass of footsteps approaching from outside the bamboo forest. Clearly, quite a few cultivators were rapidly converging on this place. He looked at the secret realm panel before him.

He had chopped firewood in this world for thirty days, yet he had never imagined that such things existed here.

Still, he quickly accepted everything before him.

"You seem pretty scared. Aren't you at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm? That's already the highest cultivation level this secret realm allows. Logically speaking, once you go in, shouldn't you be the sort who slaughters everyone in every direction?"

"Heh heh."

Fat Dragon forced out a smile, his expression somewhat unsightly. "Brother Chen Qiu, you're giving me a little too much credit. I may be at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm, but I basically don't have any offensive means."

"No cultivation techniques, no spirit weapons."

"Just a few talismans I've accumulated over these past days, enough to save my life."

"They're completely insignificant in there."

"The Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm is a threshold. Only after breaking through it does one's physical strength receive a massive boost. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, spiritual energy can be released externally, protecting the body or attacking others. That's when you become a true immortal."

"To put it bluntly, the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm isn't much stronger than the First Level. At most, you can fight three or four First Level cultivators—and that's in an arena battle. In a group fight, you couldn't even handle three or four of them."

"If we run into a Sixth Level cultivator in there with a thick family fortune, cultivation techniques, and spirit weapons, then both of us will have to leave our lives in this secret realm."

"We shouldn't even consider this secret realm. Let's find another one."

"Is that so?"

Chen Qiu glanced at the first group of people arriving beside them and said casually, "But it seems we don't have the option of staying out now."

The first group to arrive all wore black hemp clothes. Each of them carried a woodcutting blade, with white cloth strips wrapped around their calves. They looked sharp and sturdy.

Every one of them was powerfully built, their faces full of brutish flesh.

The lead brawny man stared at Chen Qiu with a vicious, savage expression and sneered. "Kid, who would've thought we'd catch you here? You killed one of our brothers and vanished without a trace. We've been looking for you for an entire day."

"Enemies really do meet on a narrow road!"

The group then pressed closer, step by step.

Chen Qiu said nothing. He merely reached into his robes and took out his woodcutting blade, then pulled out a strip of cloth and tightly bound the hilt to his right hand. Only then did he loosen his limbs and glance at the village thugs gradually closing in on him.

Yesterday, he had chopped down a village thug who had been alone.

There had been only one witness at the scene: a woman who claimed to be three months pregnant, another unfortunate soul tortured by the village thugs. After she had begged for mercy for a long while, his heart had softened.

Yet at this moment, that woman stood among the group, staring at him with malice in her eyes. She too held a woodcutting blade in her arms, and she did not look three months pregnant in the slightest.

Fine. He would treat it as paying for a lesson.

If there was a next time, he would treat it as buy one, get one free.

He said nothing more and simply walked straight into the white vortex beside him, vanishing from the spot at once. If he did not enter the secret realm, a fierce battle definitely awaited him. If he entered, there was still a sliver of hope.

Windward City's soldiers were maintaining order at the city gate and had no time to concern themselves with this place.

"Uh..."

Seeing the group crowd ever closer, Fat Dragon swallowed uncontrollably. He raised both hands, his face full of bitterness, his trembling voice tinged with tears. "If I said I don't know him, would you believe me?"

"You can't hurt innocent people!"

"What do you think?"

"Got it."

Seeing that things had come to this, Fat Dragon knew he definitely could not escape alone. Gritting his teeth, he let out a loud roar and strode into the white vortex before him. He was timid by nature, and with his temperament, he would never have voluntarily entered a Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

But there were wolves behind him.

"It's a Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."

After seeing both men disappear into the secret realm, one of the underlings inspected the secret realm panel, then jogged over to the lead man and hesitantly asked, "Boss, should we chase them in?"

"Enter my ass!"

The lead man sneered. "A Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Out of a hundred who enter, whether fifty can come out alive is unknown. It's nothing but a bloody slaughterhouse. We just need to wait outside."

"Even if those two lucky bastards come out, they'll definitely be heavily injured. Then we can avenge our dead brother."

"If they die inside, then our brother's vengeance will have been taken too."

"Boss is wise!"

Hearing this, the group behind him all unconsciously let out long breaths. They truly did not want to enter a Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. This was not their usual business of carrying blades around to intimidate people—they would have to fight for their lives for real.

They were only village thugs.

They did not particularly want to risk their lives.

"Say, Brother Chen Qiu."

The instant he entered the secret realm, Fat Dragon saw Chen Qiu looking around nearby. With a mournful face, he said helplessly, "How did you provoke a whole gang of village thugs? Even if we get out alive, they'll definitely be waiting for us at the entrance. We still won't escape death then."

"Mm."

Chen Qiu said nothing. He merely held his woodcutting blade and surveyed this Minor World.

There were forests, grasslands, thickets, and even deserts.

It was not small.

His plan was actually very simple. During his earlier conversation with Fat Dragon, Fat Dragon had told him quite a few ways to improve one's cultivation. One of them was killing demon beasts.

He only needed to quickly break through to the Second Level of the Qi Refining Realm. That way, he could obtain a new trait. If he could gain a combat-type trait—

Then it was not as though they had no chance of surviving.