Chapter 223: Luotian Secret Realm (Part II)

Just then.

Suddenly, several streams of light shot from within the Cloud Sea.

Everyone was drawn to these streams of light, and most Foundation Establishment Cultivators' pupils involuntarily contracted upon seeing the two streams.

They were all Yuan Ying Cultivators!

Even the normally composed red-haired youth and the grey-robed elder of the Cloud Upper Palace had their gazes grow solemn upon seeing those two streams.

First emerging from the streams of light was a middle-aged cultivator wearing a patchwork robe of many colors, like a hundred-family garment, tattered as if stitched from rags, his head crowned with a ill-fitting Daoist cap, his large half-body swallowed by the ragged clothes, making him appear somewhat corpulent, a plump Daoist.

"Wuxingzi, I didn't expect you to come too."

The voice came from another stream of light.

After the evasive light faded, a hunched old woman emerged, leaning on a withered wood cane, her frame extremely thin, like a candle in the wind, yet she gave off an aura of extreme danger.

Upon hearing this, Wuxingzi pulled a wooden-colored wine gourd from his tattered five-colored robes, gulped two mouthfuls, his face flushed, he belched, landing on the last leaf, then grinned and said:

"You old ghost hag have come as well—how about it? Did I scare you, poor Daoist?"

"Hmph."

The hunched old woman snorted coldly, also landing on that last leaf, showing utter disdain for Wuxingzi's words.

Beneath her disheveled hair, her gloomy eyes swept over the remaining leaves.

When her gaze swept over Yunhe, he felt the corpse soul worms on his body become unusually agitated.

This feeling gave Yunhe a sudden jolt; he hastily lowered his gaze while restraining the corpse soul worms from showing too obviously.

Fortunately, the old ghost hag's gaze did not linger on him long; she turned to the grey-robed elder of the Cloud Upper Palace, her eyes narrowing, then swept over the red-haired youth, revealing a mouth with only two or three teeth left, and said, "Hehe, quite a few acquaintances this time."

Wuxingzi pursed his lips.

"But they're just a bunch of immortals seeking a sliver of life."

"Wuxingzi? Old ghost hag?"

Hearing their titles, Yunhe blinked in surprise.

He then realized.

This Wuxingzi is likely the Supreme Elder of the Five Elements Sect, one of the major sects of the Cloud Upper Realm, while that old ghost hag is probably an ancient monster from one of the seven major Demonic Path sects.

Although the Luotian Gourd Vine in the Luotian Secret Realm is now considered half-destroyed, it still managed to attract so many Yuan Ying Cultivators.

It's hard to imagine how many Yuan Ying old monsters would have come if the Luotian Gourd Vine had been intact originally.

Perhaps the opening of this secret realm could be counted as a major event in the Cloud Upper Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, those two are the Supreme Elder of the Five Elements Sect, Wuxingzi the Daoist of the Five Elements, and the Supreme Elder of the Hundred Ghosts Sect, Ghost Hag."

Li Yuanfan quietly introduced them to him via voice transmission.

"Huh?"

Yunhe looked at him somewhat unexpectedly.

But Li Yuanfan wore a solemn expression; noticing Yunhe's gaze, he involuntarily showed a bitter smile: "Although my cultivation base is low, I have lived in vain for hundreds of years, so I have some understanding of this."

Upon hearing this, Yunhe nodded, also finding it normal.

If he were to live a few more hundred years in the Cloud Upper Realm, not knowing these things would likely be difficult.

Suddenly.

A lingering drumroll sounded from afar, golden light flickering on the horizon; a troop of soldiers wearing golden helmets and armor, resembling heavenly generals, wielding polearms, escorted an extravagantly luxurious golden beast carriage flying this way, pulled, astonishingly, by two flood dragons that had reached the third rank.

Faint celestial music accompanied, cloud cranes dancing; several female cultivators holding flower baskets at the front scattered petals, and behind the carriage followed palace maids playing the zither.

It bore the grandeur of an emperor's procession!

This sight left the gathered Foundation Establishment Cultivators staring blankly.

What a grand spectacle, what magnificence!

Yunhe's heart was equally astonished, yet outwardly he remained fairly composed.

"Yun, Yunluo State's King Qian!"

Li Yuanfan's voice, filled with shock, rang in his ears.

"Yunluo State's King Qian?"

"Hahaha——Wei someone has managed to catch up."

With a hearty laugh, the luxurious dragon carriage's curtain stirred, and a male cultivator flew out, wearing an ornate nine‑chapter imperial robe, his chest embroidered with a vivid red python, headdress of jade nine‑pendant crown, a three‑inch beard, exuding great presence.

Seeing this person, not only did Yunhe and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators change color, but even the several Yuan Ying Cultivators already on the leaves could not help but grow solemn.

Noticing this, Yunhe's heart leapt.

Could he be a mid‑stage Yuan Ying Cultivator?!

He doesn't know about others, but Wuxingzi is an early‑stage Yuan Ying Cultivator, no secret.

And his attitude toward others versus toward this Yunluo State King Qian inevitably made Yunhe suspect.

He had some knowledge of the Yunluo State, whether as the ancestral founder of the He family or not.

Because, if one were to count it truly, the so‑called Yunluo State is actually the biggest cultivation clan in the entire Cloud Upper Realm.

However, they have already transformed from a clan model into a nation.

And the royal family of that nation all bear the Wei surname.

Without exaggeration, the Yunluo State is the ultimate goal of all cultivation clans in the Cloud Upper Realm—to turn one clan into a nation, a direction all such clans aspire to.

That King Qian glanced with tiger eyes, his expression turning slightly odd, and he spoke lazily with a touch of teasing:

"I didn't expect that this time there would also be a fellow Daoist with such a hobby."

Having spoken, he actually descended onto a leaf where many Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood.

This action caused the Foundation Establishment Cultivators on that leaf to drastically change color, all retreating to its edge.

Yet see, the King Qian swept his wide imperial robe, and upon the leaf a terrifying shockwave erupted.

Immediately afterwards, he heard him let out a low shout:

"Get out!"

In an instant, the Golden Core cultivators on the leaf were not only not angry, but, as if pardoned, scattered and flew out, reaching other leaves before the leaf fully curled.

Only a white‑haired youth in black robes, hands behind his back and face pallid, remained; though he was merely a mid‑Golden Core cultivator, upon seeing the falling King Qian his expression darkened, yet he did not flee.

"Wei Qiyuan" the white‑haired youth moved his lips and uttered three words.

"Hahaha—Xuanming, you old coot still love hiding your head and showing your tail; what I despise most are guys like you." King Qian Wei Qiyuan laughed loudly, as if he completely disregarded the white‑haired youth before him.

But his words were heard by all the cultivators present.

Xuanming?

And then everyone showed a look of surprise and doubt, especially the Golden Core cultivators who had previously stood on the same leaf as the white‑haired youth, each turning pale with lingering fear.

This person is actually the Hall Master of the Corpse Sha Hall, Ancestor Xuanming!

If just now they had entered the secret realm together with this cultivation‑concealing Ancestor Xuanming from the same leaf, who knows what might have happened.

In an instant, the Golden Core cultivators who had previously harbored some resentment toward King Qian Wei Qiyuan's actions now all cast grateful glances.

Who would have thought that among those Nascent Soul old monsters, there actually exists a fondness for hiding one's cultivation and pretending to be a Golden Core cultivator?

Faced with Wei Qiyuan's provocative behavior, Ancestor Xuanming merely gave him a deep look, then walked aside and sat cross‑legged, daring not to contend with him.

Seeing this, Wei Qiyuan chuckled lightly, flicked his sleeve, and a luxurious chair appeared, upon which he seated himself.

Likewise witnessing this scene, Yunhe, secretly startled, withdrew his gaze and glanced at Mu Haitang on another leaf.

He saw her pretty face tense, her jade hand gripping the heavy sword turning slightly white.

She had escaped from the Corpse Sha Hall, stolen its cultivation arts, and to this day is still being hunted by the Corpse Sha Hall with a bounty order.

Could Ancestor Xuanming have come here especially for her?

"It's not impossible."

Although, for a Nascent Soul old monster to make a special trip to a secret realm just for a mid‑Golden Core cultivator does sound a bit exaggerated.

But Yunhe knew, however, that Mu Haitang's body still hid a great secret, even more—

"It's for that old monster on Mu Haitang's body."

It's because of that old monster on Mu Haitang's body that they came.

"Why not simply stand on the same leaf as Mu Haitang? Wouldn't that make it easier to strike?"

He, however, felt no great pressure.

After all, they weren't coming for him.

Boom—

The enormous vine emitted a deep, rumbling roar.

The originally curled leaves finally fully enclosed, completely wrapping the cultivators on them; the vine spanning the cloud sea slowly retracted, ultimately vanishing completely into the cloud sea.

The cultivators within the leaves all took out their Heavenly Net Tokens, and only under the faint light they emitted were they not rejected by the leaves.

But Yunhe felt a strange sensation arise in his heart.

Although he waited silently like the other cultivators, his gaze remained fixed on the leaf that had been rolled up beside the platform.

He couldn't help but reach out and lightly touch it.

It felt icy cold to the touch, like touching cold jade.

Yet he could faintly sense that beyond the leaf, an invisible force was raging, though, protected by the leaf, they suffered no erosion from it.

But he could faintly feel that, outside the leaves, there was an invisible force rampaging; however, under the protection of the leaves, they had not suffered its erosion.

Yunhe's heart stirred; he seemed to grasp something.

This force bore considerable resemblance to what he felt when studying the Dragon Scale Pattern.

Immediately afterwards.

Everyone felt a wave of dizziness and vertigo; Yunhe was no exception, but perhaps from repeatedly enduring dizziness while learning the Dragon Scale Pattern he had gained tolerance, or perhaps his powerful divine sense protected him, allowing him, despite the vertigo, to involuntarily circulate his internal energy.

Everyone felt a wave of dizziness, Yunhe included, but perhaps his repeated endurance of dizziness while learning the Dragon Scale Pattern had given him adaptability, or perhaps his powerful divine sense protected him, causing him, despite the dizziness, to involuntarily circulate his internal mana.

Seeing this, Yunhe showed a look of surprise and joy.

He could feel that although his energy wrapped the silver thread, it seemed able to completely ignore his energy's obstruction and was about to burrow back out of the leaf.

At this moment Yunhe had a sudden inspiration; he turned his thoughts, took out the Cloud Escape Talisman from his storage bag, and wrapped the silver thread in it.

Unexpectedly, it actually worked—the silver thread was indeed taken in by the Cloud Escape Talisman.

And the Cloud Escape Talisman likewise flashed a faint light and then retracted inward.

Upon close inspection, one could see that the Cloud Escape Talisman was now stained with that silver thread.

This made Yunhe a little curious.

"Will the Cloud Escape Talisman change because of this?"

When he again tried to draw a wisp of silver thread, however, he found he could not; it seemed his previous action had been mere coincidence.

For this, Yunhe could only silently put away the Cloud Escape Talisman, thinking he would investigate further after entering the secret realm.

Fortunately, the cultivators inside the leaf were all resisting the dizziness, so no one noticed his actions.

No one knew how long had passed—perhaps just an instant, perhaps several days—when the leaf shuddered like a spring and flung all the cultivators inside it out in a body.

When Yunhe's vision cleared, he found himself already in a desolate wasteland.

All around was empty; the whole world seemed extremely quiet.

He suddenly lifted his head and gazed far into the distance, seeing a huge phantom vine retracting at great speed.

On it, some leaves had already unfurled, while others remained curled.

Above, a few leaves have already unfurled, while a few others remain curled.

"This is the Net Heaven Secret Realm?"

(End of chapter)