"According to our prior reconnaissance, the interior of this Void Secret Realm is vast. You will be teleported to random locations within, and no one can guarantee your arrival point will be free of danger."
Before their departure, Xu Canglan, the Sect Leader of the Seeking Immortal Sect, spoke with a grave voice and a solemn expression:
"Once inside, your first priority is to stay alive. Only then should you explore the Secret Realm and gather Spiritual Medicines, Spiritual Plants, and other treasures."
"In one month, the Spirit Talismans on your person will guide you to the portal to return to our world."
"Remember this!"
"The Secret Realm is perilous, and we suspect the presence of Tier Two Demon Beasts. If you encounter disciples from other sects, you should explore together. You must not attack one another, and you certainly must not covet what others have gathered."
"..."
"Yes!"
All the juniors answered in unison.
But just how many of them had actually taken his words to heart was anyone’s guess.
Xu Canglan shook his head at the sight. He knew it was unlikely for them to band together for mutual protection.
Forget about different sects; even among the disciples of his own Seeking Immortal Sect, scheming and infighting were inevitable.
"Depart!"
The Seeking Immortal Sect had the most participants, with twenty in total.
The Hundred Flowers Sect had sixteen, the Zhao Family twelve, the Bright Void Sect eight, and the Wuh Family had a mere six.
Over sixty Innate Qi Refiners filed into the Void one by one, disappearing from sight.
"Heh heh..."
Looking at the now-empty surroundings, Zhao Yongze scratched his head and chuckled.
"With so many people gone at once, it’s suddenly quiet. It’s a little hard to get used to."
"I wonder..."
"Which family will have the biggest haul this time?"
"Hmph!" Dong Yuelan seemed to have it in for him. She snorted delicately and said with a sarcastic air:
"Last time, your Zhao Family obtained a Core Formation Spiritual Object. Let’s hope you’re just as lucky this time around."
"I’ll take that as a good omen." Zhao Yongze cupped his hands.
"I certainly hope so."
"If not for that Core Formation Spiritual Object, the last two decades would have been very difficult for our Zhao Family."
He shook his head repeatedly as he spoke.
The Zhao Family should have had two more Dao Foundation Cultivators, but unfortunately...
They were killed by the hands of the Demon Sect’s Dao Foundation members.
"With the Demon Dao invasion, life isn’t easy for any of us," Xu Canglan sighed.
"I just hope someone can deal with the ’Six Paths’ Demon Monarch."
"Given the nature of Demonic Cultivators, they’d never become a serious threat without the ’Six Paths’ Demon Monarch to unite them."
The others nodded in agreement.
The demonic nature is one of greed.
The Celestial Corpse Sect, the Netherworld Sect, the Joyful Sect—all of them wanted to strengthen their own power.
Without the Six Paths Demon Monarch keeping them in line, the Righteous Sects wouldn’t even need to intervene. They would fall into internal chaos and collapse on their own over the unfair distribution of resources after occupying Dazhou.
That was the way of the Demon Dao.
They might band together for survival when weak, but the moment they grew powerful, they would become greedy and intolerant of rivals.
Unfortunately...
The Six Paths Demon Monarch’s power was simply too terrifying. Even the three great Nascent Soul experts of the Righteous Dao combined were no match for him.
That was the true root of the Righteous Dao’s decline.
"There’s no need to panic, however."
Dong Yuelan’s lovely eyes glinted as she spoke.
"As far as I know, the Profound Clarity Sect already has a plan. Besides, even if the front line collapses, we can always retreat deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains."
"With the Earth Abyss blocking the way, not even those Demonic Demon People would dare tread there lightly."
"The vicinity of the Earth Abyss isn’t safe, and one can’t practice cultivation there. The only way would be to find a stable Void Secret Realm and hide inside to escape the disaster," Pei Jingque said, shaking her head gently.
"I’ve heard that the Celestial Yu Immortal Sect is considering that very option. The top Major Sects have their own Secret Realms."
"That’s right!" The Wuh Family Master nodded.
"Both the Celestial Yu Immortal Sect and the Profound Clarity Sect have their own private Secret Realms. When things get truly dangerous, they can hide inside and ride out the storm. That’s why they don’t seem too concerned about the Demon Dao invasion."
"The Demon Dao is strong now because of the Six Paths Demon Monarch, but that can’t last forever."
"..."
They continued to discuss the current situation, each adding their own thoughts.
The Seeking Immortal Sect and the Hundred Flowers Sect were well-informed, which gave Zhu Ju an even clearer understanding of the situation.
’It’s a complete mess!’
’The mess isn’t just that the Demon Dao is powerful and the Righteous Dao is losing.’
’It’s that in the face of the Demon Dao’s overwhelming onslaught, the Righteous Sects still haven’t managed to form a united front.’
’They’ve chosen to retreat.’
’And wait for the Demon Sect to tear itself apart from within.’
’That’s the plan of all the great Immortal Sects.’
The Righteous Immortal Sects had ceded Dazhou, expecting the Six Demonic Sects to fall into infighting over the distribution of resources.
But no one expected it.
Under the thumb of the Six Paths Demon Monarch, the Six Demonic Sects had actually managed to sit down and calmly negotiate how to divide the spoils.
Now, the Righteous Dao still wanted to retreat.
Retreat to the Earth Abyss, retreat into their Secret Realms—keep retreating until the Demon Sect’s inevitable infighting over unfair distribution began.
The crucial point was, it wasn’t just Major Sects like Profound Clarity Sect that thought this way; even the Seeking Immortal Sect and the Hundred Flowers Sect felt the same.
’If everyone thinks that way, who will be left to put up any real resistance against the Demon Dao?’
"Junior Brother."
Pei Jingque noticed the change in his expression and sent a low-voiced mental message:
"This is how things are. The Righteous Immortal Sects are all fighting their own battles; they’ve never once joined forces to truly fight the Demon Dao."
"Especially the Profound Clarity Sect and the Celestial Yu Immortal Sect. They have an escape route, so they’re even more reluctant to fight a life-or-death battle with the Demon Dao."
"If that’s the case, won’t everyone be too scared to fight?" Zhu Ju shook his head.
"No wonder the situation on the front lines never improves. The Righteous Cultivators are stubborn fools who won’t act until it’s too late."
"You can’t exactly say their approach is wrong," Pei Jingque said.
"It’s true that the Demon Dao is greedy, and the Six Paths Demon Monarch is a Nascent Soul. But look at the Six Demonic Sects—do they have any other Nascent Soul True Men besides him?"
"Not a single one!"
"The Six Paths Demon Monarch has been exploiting the Six Demonic Sects, hoarding the majority of the benefits for himself. Sooner or later, he’ll face a backlash from the other Demonic Cultivators. In the Cultivation Realm, the ebb and flow of demonic power has always ended this way."
"Unless..."
Her lovely eyes twinkled.
"Unless the Six Paths Demon Monarch can take that one step no one has managed in thousands of years, and completely subjugate the Six Demonic Sects."
Zhu Ju knew what she meant.
Divinity Transformation!
The last Divinity Transformation Realm Venerable in this world had been a mysterious senior from the Jade Void Sect, six thousand years ago.
Ever since that person vanished, no other Divinity Transformation expert has ever appeared.
And it wasn’t just Divinity Transformation.
Even Nascent Soul True Men had become exceedingly rare, though the reason for this was beyond their knowledge.
"Everyone."
Xu Canglan suddenly cupped his hands.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I will be taking two of my junior brothers and leaving for a few days. I’ll have to trouble you all to stand guard here."
Without waiting for a response, he led two Dao Foundation Cultivators from the Seeking Immortal Sect into the dense black fog.
Of course, no one dared to stop him.
Xu Canglan was the Sect Leader of the Seeking Immortal Sect and a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator; his strength was undoubtedly the greatest among them.
He wanted to leave, and the others were only too happy to see him go.
Zhu Ju gazed at the Void, his eyes dark and pensive.
The most dangerous period during an expedition into a Secret Realm was undoubtedly near the end, when everyone was either prey or a predator.
The second most dangerous time...
was right after entering.
Suddenly thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment, the slightest carelessness could prove fatal.
Once one adapted, however, the danger lessened considerably.
*
*
*
「Void Secret Realm」
A Female Cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Sect had barely landed before she was besieged by dozens of Tier One Demon Beast Unihorn Rhinoceroses.
She was incredibly unlucky.
Her landing spot was right inside a Demon Beast lair.
"AHH!"
Accompanied by a blood-curdling scream, the expedition into the Void Secret Realm claimed its first victim.
...
「A Swamp Somewhere」
An Eight Acupoints Innate from the Seeking Immortal Sect stood atop a Compass, gliding slowly just above the surface of a miasma-filled swamp.
’According to the information gathered by the sect’s seniors, this should be the Poison Marsh in the northeast corner of the Void Secret Realm.’
His expression was grim, his eyes darting about.
’A Tier Two Demon Beast is suspected to be lurking deep within this Poison Marsh, but the Spirit Plant Thousand-Year Vine also grows here. The sap of the Thousand-Year Vine is an essential ingredient for a certain type of Life-Extending Elixir, and its vines can be refined into Magical Artifacts. It’s incredibly valuable.’
’It’s a shame I’m alone. Exploring the Poison Marsh is too dangerous. If only I had one other person with me...’
"Huh?"
He raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting ahead. Through the dense miasma, he could see the flicker of Spiritual Light.
’A Cultivator from the Zhao Family?’
After a moment of thought, the Spiritual Light from the Compass beneath his feet flared, propelling him forward. Once he had a clear view of the situation, he called out:
"Friend, do you need a hand?"
The Zhao Family Cultivator, currently besieged by a swarm of poisonous insects, tensed up at the sound of the voice before glancing around with a helpless, wry smile.
"I would be grateful for your help, my friend. If I survive this, I will follow your lead for the rest of this month."
"Don’t be so formal. Helping each other out is only natural. I happen to know of a treasure spot here in the Poison Marsh. Perhaps we could team up to investigate it later?"
"Deal!"
Having just entered the Secret Realm, their storage bags were empty aside from life-saving items. There was no need to worry about being killed for treasure. Later, however, it would be a completely different story. Everyone would be on their guard.
...
「A Cliff Face」
Xi Chen used a vine to anchor himself to the rock face. He glanced up at the smooth cliff above him and sighed in resignation.
"What rotten luck!"
"To think I’d land in a place like this. If I hadn’t been quick on my feet, I’d have been smashed into a meat paste."
"But..."
"It came with a pleasant surprise."
He rubbed his chin and pulled out two bright red fruits.
"Hundred-Year Vermilion Fruit. Even if I eat it raw, the Refinement of a single one is equivalent to ten years of my bitter Cultivation."
"This Secret Realm is truly full of resources. I can just stumble upon a Spirit Fruit that’s almost impossible to find in the outside world. If it had a thousand years of medicinal power, I could probably trade it for a Foundation Establishment Pill."
He grinned and, with a flip of his hand, placed the Vermilion Fruit into his storage bag.
The Refinement of a Spirit Fruit wasn’t something that could be done overnight; it would take at least ten days to half a month. Since he only had one month, he naturally couldn’t waste time consuming and refining Spiritual Medicine.
"There seems to be a thousand-year-old Spiritual Plant on the other side of the mountain. I hope my eyes weren’t deceiving me," Xi Chen muttered, pulling on the vine to continue his climb.
...
「A Body of Water」
Three Innate Qi Refiners from the Wuh Family were gathered together.
Anyone else who saw them would have been astonished.
After all, entry points into the massive Secret Realm were completely random. The chances of three people ending up together were practically zero.
"Big Brother."
One of them spoke up.
"It looks like the others aren’t coming. Maybe they’re too far away, or maybe they’ve already met with..."
"Silence!" the leader of the Wuh group snapped, his voice dropping.
"The family paid an enormous price to acquire these Unity Talismans for us, which can determine our respective locations. The Hour Talisman won’t expire for another hour. We will wait a little longer. The more people we have, the safer our subsequent actions, and the richer our rewards will be."
The other two looked at each other and nodded slowly.
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