Entering

The instant they stepped through the ice gate, bone-piercing cold rushed at them head-on. The temperature here was even lower than outside; even Nascent Soul Cultivators felt their blood flowing sluggishly and their spiritual power circulating with difficulty.

As far as the eye could see, heaven and earth were blanketed in white. Ice mountains towered in the distance, while icy forests stretched nearby. Goose-feather snow drifted through the sky, yet when those snowflakes landed on the body, they were as sharp as blades.

"What dense ice-attributed spiritual power." Su Mei'er rubbed her arms. "This place suppresses non-ice cultivators like us far too severely."

Tuoba Shan snorted coldly. An earthy yellow radiance spread across his body, shutting out the chill.

Yin Jiuyou released deathly aura instead, forming a gray barrier around himself.

Qin Yuan circulated the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art. Spiritual power flowed through his body, and the cold naturally melted away.

Just as the five of them were about to proceed deeper, the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly came from behind them.

More than a dozen figures rushed in through the ice gate. At their head was a red-haired young man—none other than Yan Lie of the Crimson Flame Sect!

Seven or eight Crimson Flame Sect disciples followed behind him, along with several cultivators from other sects, all of them from Yellow Earth City.

"Li Qingfeng, you really know how to scheme!" Yan Lie stared coldly at Li Qingfeng. "You secretly opened the secret realm. Were you planning to swallow all the opportunities inside for yourselves?"

Li Qingfeng's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Fellow Daoist Yan, you jest. A secret realm belongs to no one. Whoever can open it gains the opportunity."

"Bullshit!" a crimson-robed disciple behind Yan Lie snarled. "We were clearly the ones who discovered this secret realm first! Your Book Sword Sect sneaked in to steal it, and you still have the nerve to talk?!"

Qin Yuan understood.

No wonder Li Qingfeng had gone all the way to Yellow Earth City to recruit companions—the secret realm lay on the edge of territory controlled by the Crimson Flame Sect. The Book Sword Sect wanted a piece of it, but lacked the strength to contend with the Crimson Flame Sect, so they had resorted to this trick of crossing the sea under cover of darkness.

"Fellow Daoist Li," Qin Yuan said, looking at Li Qingfeng, "you never mentioned this would bring such trouble."

Li Qingfeng smiled bitterly. "There were reasons for it. I hope Fellow Daoist Qin can forgive me. Opportunities in a secret realm depend on one's own ability. They may have more people, but if the five of us join forces, we may not necessarily fear them."

Yan Lie's gaze swept over the five of them, pausing briefly on Qin Yuan. A flicker of wariness flashed through his eyes, only to be swiftly replaced by greed. "Li Qingfeng, I'll give you two choices. First, hand over the Jade Talisman used to open the secret realm, then get out. Second, die here."

Tuoba Shan slammed his massive axe into the ground. "If you want to fight, then fight. Why all the damned nonsense?"

Su Mei'er flicked her long whip lightly. "Fellow Daoist Yan, we are all disciples of the Hundred Sects. Why harm the harmony between us?"

Yin Jiuyou said nothing, but the skull at his waist had already begun to turn.

The atmosphere was drawn taut as a bowstring.

Qin Yuan suddenly spoke. "The secret realm is already open. Let everyone rely on their own ability."

He said it calmly, but Yan Lie's face darkened.

"What a fine 'rely on one's own ability'!" Yan Lie sneered. "Then let's see whether the five of you can withstand more than a dozen of us!"

As his words fell, flames surged around him, and he was about to strike.

At that moment, a long, drawn-out cry suddenly rang out from the depths of the secret realm.

The cry was like a dragon's roar and a phoenix's call, piercing through the wind and snow to reach every ear. It carried a terrifying pressure that made everyone's hearts tremble.

"Is... is that the guardian beast of the secret realm?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

Yan Lie's expression changed several times. At last, he gritted his teeth. "We enter the secret realm first! Opportunities will depend on each person's ability, but if anyone dares stab us in the back—I, the Crimson Flame Sect, will hunt them to the bitter end!"

He led his men and charged toward the depths of the secret realm first.

Li Qingfeng let out a sigh of relief. "Let's go too."

Deeper within the secret realm, the wind and snow grew fiercer.

The five pressed onward against the freezing wind. Along the way, they encountered several groups of ice-attributed demonic beasts, all of which they defeated together. Most of those beasts were at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, with a few reaching the middle stage. Yet bolstered by the secret realm, their combat strength doubled, making them quite troublesome to deal with.

After traveling for about an hour, an ice mountain appeared ahead.

At the foot of the ice mountain stood a cave entrance buried beneath ice and snow. Above it were three ancient seal-script characters: Cold Ice Mansion.

"This is it!" Li Qingfeng's eyes lit up.

The five entered the cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling was more spacious than they had imagined, a massive ice cavern. Countless icicles hung from its ceiling, while the ground was a mirror-smooth sheet of ice. Glowing ice crystals were embedded in the surrounding walls, illuminating the cavern as brightly as day.

At the center of the cavern stood an ice-carved table. Several items lay atop it:

A translucent blue jade slip.

A three-foot-long ice crystal sword.

A bottle of pills, engraved with the words "Ice Heart Pill."

And an ancient beast-hide map.

Li Qingfeng stepped forward, picked up the map, and unfolded it.

The map marked out the secret realm's terrain. A conspicuous red dot was drawn in its central region, with the words: Land of Inheritance.

"There really is an inheritance!" Tuoba Shan said excitedly.

Su Mei'er picked up the bottle of Ice Heart Pills and opened it for a sniff, joy appearing on her face. "Fifth-grade pills. They can stabilize the Nascent Soul and dispel inner demons. Good stuff!"

Yin Jiuyou stared at the ice crystal sword, greed flashing through his eyes—this sword was at least a high-grade earth-rank magical treasure.

Qin Yuan picked up the blue jade slip and sent his Spiritual Sense into it.

The jade slip recorded an ice-attributed cultivation technique, the Cold Ice True Art, which led directly to the Deity Transformation Stage. It was a decent technique, but useless to him.

He set the jade slip down and looked at the map.

The Land of Inheritance marked on the map lay in the deepest part of the secret realm. To reach it, they would need to pass through three dangerous places: Ice Wind Valley, Cold Pond, and Ice Soul Forest.

"As agreed, whatever we obtain will be distributed according to contribution," Li Qingfeng said. "We'll keep this map, the cultivation technique, the pills, and the magical treasure for now, then divide them after leaving the secret realm. Our urgent task is to reach the Land of Inheritance."

No one objected.

After putting away the items, the five left the cave dwelling and followed the map toward the Land of Inheritance.

On the road to Ice Wind Valley, the five encountered their first interception.

It was the Crimson Flame Sect.

They had clearly found a similar map and were heading in the same direction. The two sides met in a narrow ice gorge, where enemies met on a narrow road.

"Li Qingfeng, hand over the items," Yan Lie said coldly.

Behind him, the Crimson Flame Sect disciples had already formed up. Besides them, there were three cultivators from other sects, clearly recruited by Yan Lie.

Eleven people in total against five.

Their disadvantage in numbers was obvious.

Li Qingfeng said gravely, "Yan Lie, opportunities in a secret realm depend on one's own ability. You have more people, but if we truly fight, the outcome is still uncertain."

"Then let's try it!" Yan Lie roared, striking first!

He formed hand seals with both hands, and a fire dragon roared forth, charging straight at Li Qingfeng!

Li Qingfeng spread open his book scroll. Countless words flew out and transformed into a golden barrier that blocked the fire dragon. But Yan Lie was, after all, at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. The fire dragon's power was astonishing, and cracks instantly appeared across the golden barrier.

Tuoba Shan roared and swung his massive axe at a Crimson Flame Sect disciple. That disciple raised his sword to block, only to be sent flying along with his weapon. His chest caved in, and it was unknown whether he lived or died.

Su Mei'er's long whip moved like a serpent, coiling toward another person. Meanwhile, Yin Jiuyou released deathly aura, turning it into gray mist that blanketed the battlefield.

Qin Yuan did not move.

He was observing.

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