The Secret Realm Opens

Though it had only been an instant, Ye Fei was certain that person was Liu Qianqian.

The woman who had grown up with him as his childhood sweetheart, only to leave him because he had no spiritual root.

He would never forget that scene, nor could he allow himself to forget it.

At that moment, towering waves also surged through Liu Qianqian's heart.

She simply could not believe that Ye Fei, who had possessed no spiritual root back then, was now a Qi Refining ninth layer cultivator, just like her.

After all, she possessed a dual spiritual root, a talent seen only once in a hundred years.

Ye Fei, on the other hand, was nothing but a useless wretch.

Did I make the wrong choice back then?

A jumble of emotions suddenly filled Liu Qianqian's heart, leaving her with an indescribable ache.

After only a moment of stunned silence, Ye Fei drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Luo Ying had watched every part of his reaction.

She had vaguely guessed something. Though she did not know the details, she was very pleased with Ye Fei's response.

Thus, she asked no further questions.

As time passed, more and more flying ships gathered around Divine Feather Valley.

Half a day later, their number had reached twenty.

Aside from these large flying ships, quite a few rogue cultivators had gathered nearby.

Most of these rogue cultivators had come alone. Their cultivation varied, though the majority were in late-stage Qi Refining.

Altogether, there were quite a few of them-a full five or six hundred.

"So many people!"

Looking at the densely packed sea of heads around him, Ye Fei could not help exclaiming.

"Ah! There won't be this many when they come out."

Luo Ying, who had been regulating her breathing with her eyes closed, quietly opened her beautiful eyes and sighed.

"Aren't there plenty of spirit medicines inside? Why must cultivators fight each other to the death?"

Ye Fei asked in confusion.

"Plenty?"

"How much counts as plenty?"

Luo Ying asked meaningfully.

"Well..."

Ye Fei was momentarily at a loss for words.

Indeed, how much counted as plenty?

Cultivators defied the heavens all along their path. Beyond Qi Refining lay Foundation Establishment, beyond Foundation Establishment lay Core Formation, and beyond Core Formation lay Nascent Soul.

And after breaking free of the Nascent Soul and ascending, did it end there?

No!

Beyond Nascent Soul, still higher realms awaited.

There were only so many resources in total. To seek immortality, to travel farther along the boundless path of cultivation, one had no choice but to fight for resources.

If you neither fought nor seized anything, you could only fade into oblivion along that boundless path.

"Does it seem cruel?"

Seeing Ye Fei's troubled expression, Luo Ying sighed inwardly and asked again.

"A little."

Ye Fei nodded.

"Then will you give up?"

Luo Ying looked at Ye Fei with a faint, enigmatic smile.

"No!"

Ye Fei nodded again, a glimmer of understanding dawning in his heart.

"You rogue cultivators, stop blocking the way! Scatter now, or this flying ship might ram you to death!"

While the two were talking, a harsh shout rang out from the distant sky.

Immediately afterward, a black flying ship appeared on the horizon and sped toward Divine Feather Valley.

As the ship rapidly approached, someone among the rogue cultivators shouted:

"The Rakshasa Gate is here! Get out of the way, or you'll be in trouble!"

Hearing this, the rogue cultivators dared not hesitate. They hurriedly scattered to either side, clearing a passage more than ten zhang wide.

The moment the passage opened, the flying ship swept over and came to a steady stop above it.

"Hmph. At least you know what's good for you. Otherwise, once we entered the secret realm, I wouldn't spare a single one of you."

As soon as the ship stopped, a pale-faced young man in a black cloak flew down from it on a flying sword.

His face was full of disdain as he surveyed the rogue cultivators on either side.

Ye Fei recognized him. He was Huo Qiuyang, whom Ye Fei had met in Qingyuan Town.

Though Huo Qiuyang was so arrogant, none of the rogue cultivators dared utter a word. They all retreated farther back.

They put distance between themselves and the Rakshasa Gate's flying ship.

This was no joke. It was the Divine Feather Kingdom's foremost demonic sect. Who would dare provoke it?

Never mind these rogue cultivators-even among the twenty-odd sects present, the number that truly dared provoke the Rakshasa Gate could be counted on one hand.

To everyone's surprise, Huo Qiuyang rode his flying sword straight to the Free and Easy Gate's ship.

"Which one of you is Ye Fei? Get out here!"

Hovering before the Free and Easy Gate's ship, Huo Qiuyang completely ignored Luo Ying and shouted toward the vessel.

Seeing Huo Qiuyang's arrogance, Ye Fei's expression hardened, and he was about to step forward and rebuke him.

"Hehe, Sect Master Huo, this son of yours certainly has some nerve. Isn't he afraid a strong wind might twist his tongue?"

Before Ye Fei could step forward, Luo Ying opened her beautiful eyes, gave a lilting laugh, and glanced at the Rakshasa Gate's ship.

Her tone seemed mild, but she quietly released a wisp of spiritual pressure.

Feeling that pressure, Huo Qiuyang began trembling uncontrollably atop his flying sword.

"What is the meaning of this, Fairy Luo? Are you bullying a junior with your seniority?"

A black-robed man quietly emerged from the cabin of the Rakshasa Gate's ship.

With a gentle sweep of his broad sleeve, Huo Qiuyang, who had been trembling nonstop, instantly felt his body lighten and returned to normal.

"Bullying a junior?"

"You jest, Sect Master Huo. If I were bullying him, he would already be a corpse."

"I'm merely teaching him on your behalf that one should keep a low profile, especially before one's elders, lest others say a crooked upper beam makes the lower beam crooked too."

Luo Ying smiled calmly, her words carrying a pointed meaning.

"Qiuyang, come back. Whatever business you have can be settled in the secret realm. Someone here shields her own, but inside the secret realm, you can play to your heart's content."

Hearing Luo Ying's roundabout insult, the gray-robed man did not become angry. Instead, he spoke with deliberate meaning.

At the black-robed man's summons, Huo Qiuyang flashed Ye Fei a wicked smile, then flew back to the Rakshasa Gate's ship.

Clearly, he had recognized Ye Fei long ago. His earlier actions had merely been intended to disgust the Free and Easy Gate.

"Quite right, Sect Master Huo. Out here, someone protects his cub, but things will be different inside. Whether anyone makes it out alive will depend on their own abilities."

The corners of Luo Ying's lips lifted as she spoke meaningfully.

"Good! Then let us wait and see."

The black-robed man gave a sinister smile, as though victory were already in his grasp.

Their exchange reeked of gunpowder. Hearing it, the Nascent Soul old monsters aboard the other ships could not help looking grim.

After weighing the pros and cons, they began giving their disciples various instructions.

Aboard the Free and Easy Gate's ship, Luo Ying gave Ye Fei no instructions at all.

She knew he would surely understand the meaning behind her words.

"Get ready. The secret realm is about to open."

Half a day later, Luo Ying, who had remained seated cross-legged on the deck, suddenly opened her eyes and warned them.

The instant her words fell, the spatial barrier above Divine Feather Valley suddenly trembled.

A rift slowly appeared in it.

Then the rift grew wider and wider. In just a dozen or so breaths, it became a Five-Colored Light Gate roughly one zhang wide.

"Go!"

The moment the light gate stabilized, Huo Qiuyang stepped forward and flew straight into it on his flying sword.

The Rakshasa Gate's disciples followed closely behind him, numbering a full ninety in all.

With the Rakshasa Gate entering, the other sects refused to fall behind. Their disciples mounted their flying swords and followed them inside.

The Free and Easy Gate's disciples were no exception. Once assembled, they flew into the Five-Colored Light Gate under the lead of a white-robed disciple.

Naturally, Ye Fei and Jiang Yiyun were among them.

The moment he flew into the light gate, Ye Fei's vision blurred. In the next instant, he appeared in another space.

He stood in a dense forest. His surroundings were exceedingly quiet, with no other cultivators present.

Not only that, there were no demon beasts either.

Seeing this, Ye Fei stirred his divine sense and entered the Azure Dragon Sword.

"Who are you?"

As soon as he entered the Azure Dragon Sword, Ye Fei looked in surprise at a white-robed woman beside the Azure Dragon Pool.

He realized he did not recognize this woman. She was not Jiang Mengyun, whom he had brought inside earlier.