Chapter 232: with translation of chapter title

Riding the teleportation array, Yunhe was already adept.

When he opened his eyes again, what appeared before Yunhe was indeed a vast expanse of towering mountains, lofty peaks and steep ridges, stretching without end.

This was somewhat different from what he had imagined the central area of the secret realm to be.

However, upon first setting foot here, Yunhe faintly sensed several not-so-obvious threats, and his heart tightened instantly.

It wasn't just him feeling this way; Han Yongzhuo, who entered the teleportation array together with him and set foot in this place, felt the same.

His expression was stern, his sharp gaze sweeping around.

"The Luo Tian Secret Realm opens once every five hundred years; normally, a Golden Core Cultivator gets only one chance in a lifetime to enter this secret realm, and if the timing is wrong, they might not even get one; even a Nascent Soul old monster, with favorable timing, can only enter twice in a lifetime."

Therefore, Han Yongzhuo was just as unfamiliar with this place as Yunhe.

But he, who possessed the information left by his ancestors, still grasped the situation here a bit faster than Yunhe.

However, at this moment, after scanning their surroundings, both of their gazes almost stopped straight ahead, where in the distance a majestic hall loomed faintly through the haze, its outline revealing a sense of vastness that filled both with awe.

After a while, they both came back to their senses, exchanged a glance, and saw solemnity in each other's eyes.

In the Eight Great Territories, given their cultivation base and strength, as long as they didn't actively seek danger, it was still relatively safe.

But here, not to mention the Yuan Ying Cultivators who entered together, the dangers hidden in this secret realm are enough to make them drink a pot.

"Junior brother, let's go," Han Yongzhuo said solemnly.

"Okay!"

The two turned into streams of light and left the place.

Because they were cautious, their escape speed was not fast.

However, thanks to Han Yongzhuo's spirit beast "Zhen Er," they managed to avoid many hidden dangers.

This greatly increased Yunhe's interest in that beast.

It is well known that in secret realms, the greatest dangers are usually the formations and restrictions left behind, and most treasures are protected by such formations or restrictions; possessing such a spirit beast is tantamount to having a near‑foolproof means of avoiding misfortune while exploring a secret realm—truly a "divine beast" of secret realms.

"This should be the place."

Two streams of light hovered in midair.

As the brilliant light faded, Han Yongzhuo in a black robe was revealed, staring down at a mountain ravine below, his eyes flashing with excitement he could hardly contain.

Although he possessed all the information left by his ancestors, the passage of several hundred years and the fact that his ancestors had not reached the secret realm's center from the Desert Territory meant that finding this place still took him considerable time.

Yunhe also stepped out from the five‑colored stream of light, followed Han Yongzhuo's gaze downward, and couldn't help but frown.

Below, there appeared to be nothing at all, and even after sweeping with his divine sense he could detect no trace.

Yet for some unknown reason, Yunhe felt a faint throbbing in his heart—whether it came from the mountain ravine below, from Han Yongzhuo beside him, or from somewhere else, he did not know.

Therefore, Yunhe had to focus all his attention.

At this point, he had to be extra careful about any slight movement around him, even the faintest rustle of grass demanded caution.

"Go down."

Han Yongzhuo glanced at the solemn Yunhe beside him, said nothing more, and flew down.

Yunhe followed behind him, keeping a distance of three body lengths, so that if any sudden situation arose or if Han Yongzhuo had set a trap, he could still react in time.

However, it was obvious that if Han Yongzhuo wanted to deal with him, he could have done so back in the Desert Territory.

The time for them to turn against each other had not yet come.

Pat.

He landed steadily.

The light here was dim, the trees and vegetation relatively sparse, the ground damp, with a thin layer of fallen leaves, and a foul odor of decay and wilting rose from beneath his feet.

Han Yongzhuo looked at the vast ravine before him, and with a flip of his palm a small turtle half the size of a palm appeared in his hand.

Its shell was raised and covered with more than twice the number of plates found on ordinary tortoise‑type demon beasts, its limbs were short, and its head bore four eyes!

Each eye glowed faintly; as its nostrils twitched, it seemed as if some current was being drawn in, and the plates on its back began to wriggle.

"Is this the 'Zhen Er'?"

Yunhe was still seeing Han Yongzhuo produce "Zhen Er" for the first time, never expecting it to be a spirit turtle.

Suddenly, the wriggling of the plates on the turtle's back paused, Han Yongzhuo's eyes brightened slightly, but he did not spell it out, instead saying:

"This is indeed the right place; I wonder if junior brother can find it?"

Upon hearing that, Yunhe glanced at him, walked forward, passed him, and lifted his gaze over the entire ravine, a faint light appearing in his eyes.

Spirit Eyes!

He knew that Han Yongzhuo had called him along precisely to borrow his power to break the seal; if he couldn't even locate the seal hidden here, there was no talk of breaking it.

Yunhe already knew that the seals within this secret realm were founded on the realm's very foundation, built upon the Luo Tian Gourd Vine; as long as the vine did not die, the seal would endure eternally.

Therefore, if he wanted to locate the seal, Yunhe using Spirit Eyes directly would probably fail to find it, but by following the vascular network of the Luo Tian Gourd Vine's roots he stood a chance to locate it by a clever means.

"'Spirit Eyes' also needs to be upgraded somehow."

Thinking this, his gaze began to search from the ground beneath his feet, probing the tangled terrain.

"Found it."

Yunhe's heart stirred, he tapped his foot lightly, and his figure shot out suddenly.

Seeing this, Han Yongzhuo raised his eyebrows and hurriedly followed.

Soon enough.

Before a small pool formed by a gurgling ground spring in the ravine, Yunhe stopped his steps.

Gazing at the pool, he pursed his lips, stepped forward slowly, and reached out his hand.

Bang!!

Suddenly a muffled sound.

Then he saw a flash of light like lightning; Yunhe staggered back two steps, lowered his head to look at his palm, which was now stained with a layer of blackness, accompanied by a sensation of pain.

"Such a strong restriction."

It is quite obvious; this must be a formation that has reached the Fourth Level Tier!

Whether it's the shielding of divine sense, the concealment of illusionary arts, or defensive and even lethal power, it surpasses Yunhe's "Sumeru Thousand Illusions Formation" and the oasis's restrictions by leaps and bounds.

At the same time, the pool before them, constantly bubbling with water flow, seemed to be covered with a special thin film, accompanied by flickering lightning, rippling with wave after wave.

This is the place.

Yunhe turned his head to look at Han Yongzhuo, his eye twitching involuntarily.

Only to see, in Han Yongzhuo's hand, there happened to be a suitably sized small mirror flowing with light and colors, emanating a misty magical power.

When he saw Yunhe's gaze fall upon him, Han Yongzhuo smiled and said, "Brother Yun, surely you wouldn't abandon me after crossing the river, would you?"

He brought Yunhe here; if the restriction were not yet broken and Yunhe couldn't help but act, he too would need to be prepared.

Of course, in his view, with his Late Jie Dan Stage Cultivation Base, facing Yunhe at the Mid Jie Dan Stage, his advantage is still considerable.

This is also one of the reasons he sincerely invited Yunhe.

Yunhe took a slight breath, also showing a smile, and said, "Brother Han, you jest; this formation, relying solely on me, I fear cannot be broken."

Actually.

If the goal were merely to open a gap, Yunhe still has some confidence; at most, it would just take a bit more time.

But...

With Han Yongzhuo standing beside him, he truly cannot calm his mind to solve the formation; perhaps at the moment he is about to break it, a sneak attack will come from behind.

Upon hearing that, Han Yongzhuo showed no surprise, nodding and saying, "If so, then let us wait a moment."

Wait a moment?

Yunhe startled.

He then narrowed his eyes.

"Han Yongzhuo didn't just invite me alone, did he?"

Seeing his confidence, Yunhe took two steps back, leaned against the mountain wall beside the small pool, found a relatively flat stone, and sat cross-legged.

Thus the competitive pressure grows.

Having made up his mind, if he senses that the incoming person is beyond his ability to handle, then let this formation remain unbroken.

Han Yongzhuo gave him a deep look, then said nothing more, walked to a withered tree nearby, closed his eyes, and began to nurture his spirit.

The two did not wait long; about five or six hours later, a commotion came from afar.

Yunhe, sitting on the stone, suddenly opened his eyes, but instead of looking at the swiftly approaching light in the distance, he lowered his gaze to his own palm, his expression turning slightly strange.

In his palm, several corpse-worm gu writhed.

Soon he calmed the corpse-worm gu, then rose and lifted his gaze, only to see, amidst the fleeing light, a graceful figure bearing a heavy sword—Mu Haitang!

Seeing Mu Haitang arrive, Han Yongzhuo smiled, clasped his hands, and said, "Fellow Daoist Mu has arrived."

"Let me introduce you: this is Yunhe Yun Daoist, skilled at breaking formations. Yun Daoist, this is Mu Haitang Mu Daoist, a sword cultivator who excels at sword formations, capable to some extent of weakening the formation's strength here."

Han Yongzhuo was introducing each to the other.

At this moment, Yunhe had already composed his expression, looking toward Mu Haitang, who coincidentally was also looking over.

Unexpectedly, the two shared a tacit understanding and simultaneously clasped their hands, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Mu."

"Fellow Daoist Yun."

But Mu Haitang's appearance caused a hint of helplessness to rise in Yunhe's heart.

If he were only facing Late Jie Dan Stage Han Yongzhuo, he would still have confidence to fight him and a decent chance to seize the treasure within the restriction.

But facing Mid Jie Dan Stage Mu Haitang,

Yunhe already felt a hint of retreat arising in his heart.

Others may not know, but he has somewhat guessed some of the secrets hidden in Mu Haitang's person—an ancient monster who has lived who knows how long; even if only a remnant of soul and spirit remains, it fills him with immense dread.

Moreover, he is not certain whether the opponent truly has only a soul and spirit left.

However, just as Yunhe's thoughts surged, an aged voice sounded in his mind.

"Young friend, do not be nervous; this old one bears you no ill will."

Upon hearing it, Yunhe's mouth corner twitched imperceptibly.

Most so-called "no ill will" are often deceits aimed at naive newcomers.

He has seen too many people claiming "no ill will."

He looked toward the two.

He saw Mu Haitang, expressionless, inspecting the restriction, while Han Yongzhuo stared intently from the side; it seemed no one noticed the voice echoing in Yunhe's mind.

But the other party's next words caused Yunhe to halt his surging thoughts.

"Young friend, perhaps you do not yet know, the Han Yongzhuo before you is not actually a person, is he?"

"!!!"

Yunhe could not suppress the shock in his heart, abruptly lifting his head to gaze at Han Yongzhuo.

His gaze was quickly noticed by Han Yongzhuo, but when he looked over, Yunhe had already withdrawn his gaze, suppressing the shock in his heart.

Not a person?

"What does that mean?"

Before he could comprehend, the voice sounded again: "Young friend, you might consider whether you have offended some old entity."

Offended which old entity.

Yunhe's thoughts flashed like lightning.

Combining the Yuan Infant elders he had seen before entering the secret realm, and Han Yongzhuo's current condition.

His whole body shuddered as if struck by electricity, a deep chill rose behind him, like falling into an ice cellar.

In his mind appeared a youth with blood-red long hair left on his head, sitting alone on a leaf.

Blood Kui Ancestor!

This Han Yongzhuo, is he a human puppet?!

However, little friend, rest easy; even Han Yongzhuo himself is unaware of his condition.

(End of chapter)