Secret Realm

Deep in Black Mud Marsh stood a small, raised mound.

"We're here."

The group climbed onto the mound.

The two men in the lead dumped Old Zhou and Wei Wuyan on the ground.

One of them told Wei Wuyan, "Open the passage! And remember, we know you rob tombs and understand mechanisms... but we have the man who saved your life. Try anything, and we'll kill him first, then you!"

"I know..."

Wei Wuyan was covered in wounds. Originally, no matter what methods these people used, they had failed to pry a word out of him.

But then they had captured Old Zhou, leaving him no choice but to talk.

Though Wei Wuyan was short, ugly, and unsavory-looking, he valued loyalty and friendship. Old Zhou was both the distributor of his Peach Blossom Brew and the man who had saved his life.

Without Old Zhou, he would have died at White Horse River long ago. He would never have discovered Peach Blossom Spring, much less obtained the Jade Flat Peaches.

Unfortunately, he was a tomb robber by trade. When it came to robbing tombs, he was an expert among experts-otherwise, he could never have discovered the hidden formations and mechanisms in Black Mud Marsh.

But his aptitude for martial arts was truly abysmal!

His innate potential was utterly dreadful!

Even after eating a Jade Flat Peach, he could absorb only a tenth or two of its energy. The rest went to waste, squandering a priceless treasure. That was why he had thought of brewing wine with an ancient method to exchange for money.

Recently, he had sensed that someone was watching him. Worried that something might happen, he had deliberately left a letter canceling their transaction. He had never expected Old Zhou to realize he was in trouble and enter the Red Sleeve House to rescue him, only to fall into an ambush...

Now both men had their acupoints sealed and their governing vessels blocked. Unable to use their internal energy, they could only obey for the time being.

Clutching his wounded arm, he slowly walked to a stone in the center of the mound and heaved it aside, revealing a Myriad Mechanisms Compass beneath it.

The five elements, eight trigrams, nine palaces, and stellar mansions were all marked on it.

Following the contours of the mountains and waterways around White Horse River and Black Mud Marsh, he set the stellar mansions, arranged the nine palaces, aligned the eight trigrams, and positioned the five elements in order. Then the compass sank, and the ground split open to reveal an underground passage.

The people behind him were ecstatic!

This was the entrance to Peach Blossom Spring!

A legendary secret realm!

Secret realms had existed since ancient times. Heaven and earth were impartial, treating the countless living beings beneath the sky equally; yet they were also partial, distributing spiritual veins unevenly. There were blessed lands and heavenly sanctuaries, but also barren mountains and treacherous waters.

Barren mountains and treacherous waters bred unruly people.

Blessed lands and heavenly sanctuaries nurtured spiritual treasures.

Throughout history, countless emperors had desperately sought natural treasures to prolong their lives, countless martial grandmasters had sought spiritual medicines to strengthen their cultivation, and countless practitioners of the Dao had refined pills in hopes of attaining immortality and ascending as immortals.

During the Eastern Jin, Tao Yuanming had entered "Peach Blossom Spring" and obtained three flat peaches that extended his life. He had also spread their seeds throughout the land, bringing peach blossoms to every corner of the realm.

At the height of the Tang dynasty, Li Bai had entered "Heavenly Maiden Mountain" and obtained the divine sword [Green Lotus] and the ancient "Book of the Great Mystery," reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship and looking down upon all other peaks.

How many extraordinary figures had risen to prominence through secret realms? How many spiritual treasures had become renowned because of them?

The one in Black Mud Marsh might have formed when a talented individual of a later era took a peach pit and found a treasured location to plant it. After countless years of nourishment, it had become a small, new Peach Blossom Spring.

It met every criterion for a secret realm: concealed from sight and brimming with spiritual energy.

It simply bore additional traces of human excavation.

"Get inside!"

Su Miaoyun urged them on. "Don't waste time. Madam Feng sent word that someone is following us. We must get the Jade Flat Peaches as quickly as possible!"

"Right."

The two men beside her were Wu Feng and Han Rong, experts from the Red Sleeve House who had played the main roles in capturing Old Zhou. They were equally decisive.

Wu Feng shoved Wei Wuyan, who stumbled and seized the opportunity to exchange a glance with Old Zhou, signaling him with his eyes.

Old Zhou nodded imperceptibly and let a porcelain bottle slip from his sleeve into a crack between the stones at his feet.

Wei Wuyan led the way, followed by Wu Feng, then Su Miaoyun and Han Rong, who held Old Zhou, with the remaining three bringing up the rear.

The eight entered in single file.

Black Mud Marsh fell deathly silent again.

A short while later.

Lu Kunlun and Cao Jinxing arrived beneath the moonlight, swiftly following the group's tracks. Seeing the open passage, Lu Kunlun hurried to charge inside.

Cao Jinxing lagged a step behind and noticed a small porcelain bottle on the ground labeled "Antidote."

Cao Jinxing frowned. Worried that it might contain poisonous fumes, he did not open it rashly, instead keeping a [Holy Origin Pill] ready as a precaution.

The two hurried inside, one after the other.

At the bottom of the passage lay a long corridor.

Red crystals embedded in the walls on either side reflected a fluorescent glow, lighting the passage. Set twenty or thirty meters apart, they continued all the way into its depths.

Lu Kunlun raced ahead.

Jade Flat Peaches were unlike other things. They took a hundred years to bloom and another hundred to bear fruit. Once eaten, they were gone!

If those people ate them first, even killing every last one would gain them nothing... they had to secure the peaches before anyone ate them!

After traveling roughly two hundred meters, he judged from their direction that they should be somewhere beneath the cliff on the eastern side of Lulu Gorge. Ahead appeared a small opening wide enough for only one person.

The fragrance of peach blossoms washed over him. Through the opening, he could see peach groves covering the cavern beyond.

"This is it!"

He darted through, but the instant he emerged, three longswords thrust straight at him!

Their gleaming blades resembled clear autumn waters, swift and tightly woven, covering the vital acupoints all over his body!

Lu Kunlun was startled but remained calm. He had expected this.

"The Chess and Sword Music House's 'Water-Questioning Sword'... heh."

With time pressing, Lu Kunlun could not be bothered to waste effort on them. He unleashed his full power, striking three times with Regretful Dragon using the Yangtze Threefold Wave method.

Each palm strike drove the next forward, their force surging like raging waves and faintly taking the shape of a dragon!

"The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms?!"

The three were knowledgeable enough to recognize it, and their faces paled in terror. Overwhelming force that crushed all finesse was precisely what the Water-Questioning Sword feared most!

The fierce palm force swept toward them. In an instant, all three felt as though a massive boulder had smashed their chests, and they flew backward.

Lu Kunlun had crippled three opponents with one palm attack and was about to press forward when Cao Jinxing suddenly shouted urgently behind him, "Get back!"

Two fiery-red scimitars spun toward him!

Caught off guard, Lu Kunlun hurriedly struck out with his palms, but the scimitars changed direction eerily in midair, suddenly attacking from behind and to the side!

"What?!"

Lu Kunlun was shocked. Before he could defend himself, two streaks of saber light sliced through his shoulder blades, sending blood spraying. Pain tore through him, and he could no longer lift either arm.

The two blades spun back into their owners' hands!

The attackers were none other than Wu Feng and Han Rong!

"This!"

These were not techniques of the Chess and Sword Music House!

Blood streamed down Lu Kunlun's arms. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The Old Man of the Mountain, the Full Moon Scimitar... you're from the Demon Cult Bright Lineage?!"

"So what if we are?"

Wu Feng sneered, holding his scimitar in a reverse grip. He and Han Rong stood on opposite sides, coordinating seamlessly.

With a light flick, the two blades spun toward Lu Kunlun again like balls of fire streaking through the air!

This was the Bright Sect's fifth-grade Saber-Wielding Art.

-the "Radiant Zenith Thirteen Forms."

Saber light led the way.

Two figures followed behind.

Using Phantom Light Step, the pair advanced with roaring flames rising from their palms. Their palm attacks erupted with the violence of exploding volcanoes!

Lu Kunlun had nowhere to dodge.

"I told you to slow down."

Just as the blades were about to strike him, Cao Jinxing appeared before him like a phantom. The longsword in his hand flashed, and two ringing clashes exploded as the scimitars were knocked back!

In that split second.

Behind the saber light, two palm strikes came crashing toward him!

Cao Jinxing inhaled deeply. Moisture within fifty meters converged in an instant, and he thrust out one palm.

Cloud-Discharging Palm: Tearing Sky, Dispersing Clouds!

An enormous palm imprint shot from his hand, slamming into their arms like an iceberg driving forward!

The flames went out instantly. Under the two men's stunned gazes, two sharp cracks rang out as the immense force shattered the bones in their hands...