Chapter 531

"Roar—"

A terrifying roar, filled with savagery and greed, as if awakened from endless slumber by the surge of life and spatial ripples, erupted from deep within the newly stabilized light gate, from the heart of the ancient forest.

The pressure embedded in the roar sent waves of turmoil through the blood and qi of Master Zhuqing and Ning Zhixi, shaking their spirits.

Immediately after, a massive, dark-green-scaled appendage, tipped with sharp backward hooks—whether tentacle or vine—shot forth like a venomous dragon emerging from its den, lashing through the air with a stench of decay and foul odor, moving faster than lightning, straight toward Master Zhuqing, who was closest to the gate and still maintaining the incantation!

Where the appendage passed, space itself rippled—clearly reaching the Earth Altar Realm's Seeing the Divine, Unblemished level.

More terrifying still, its surface seemed coated in a thick, dripping layer of dark-green fluid, radiating intense corrosive and spiritual pollution.

Master Zhuqing's face darkened; most of her focus was locked on stabilizing the entrance, and caught off-guard, she barely had time to react effectively.

Before the appendage even reached her, the crushing pressure and stench choked her breath.

At the eleventh hour—

Shh!

A blade of light, appearing as if from nowhere, cut between Master Zhuqing and the monstrous appendage.

Chen Mu remained seated atop the rock, fingers poised like a sword, pointing suddenly at the lashing appendage.

A sword qi, sharp enough to shatter all resistance, erupted from his fingertip, striking with perfect precision at the base of the appendage's foremost hook.

Puch!

Like a hot knife through butter.

The sword qi tore through effortlessly, piercing the seemingly indestructible dark-green scales and viscous fluid, slicing clean through the entire thick appendage, emerging from the far end.

"Ssiaow—"

A more furious, pained roar echoed from within the light gate; the lashing appendage froze rigid, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, its tip now pierced by the sword qi—a bowl-sized, charred hole, smooth-edged, no blood, only tissue utterly incinerated and carbonized by the yang-forged sword energy.

The dark-green fluid dripped to the ground, corroding deep pits into the rocks with a sizzling sound.

The appendage, evidently badly wounded and clearly fearful of Chen Mu's sword qi, swiftly retracted into the light gate, vanishing into the thick emerald mist.

The roars from within the gate gradually faded, growing distant, filled with resentment and wariness.

The entrance calmed once more, the light gate pulsing steadily.

Master Zhuqing, still shaken, cast a grateful glance at Chen Mu, then immediately resumed her full effort to stabilize the entrance.

Ning Zhixi also exhaled in relief, continuing to maintain the resonance of the dual keys.

Chen Mu withdrew his hand, his gaze calm as he stared into the depths of the light gate; the fleeting presence had not stirred the slightest change in his expression.

Within the secret realm, danger was indeed extreme—what they had just faced was likely merely one of the outer sentinels.

"The entrance is now stable and can be maintained for approximately one hour."

Master Zhuqing's face was pale, but her voice was firm, "We must enter quickly. Young Master Chen, thank you for your aid just now…"

"No need."

Chen Mu rose, brushed nonexistent dust from his robe, and gazed at the light gate radiating potent life and ancient aura.

"Since the gate is open, let us enter."

He stepped forward first, his form flickering, and passed through the light gate, vanishing into the swirling emerald glow and the vision of the ancient forest.

Ning Zhixi and Master Zhuqing exchanged a glance, hesitated no longer, and followed closely behind, stepping into the Donglin Secret Realm.

……

The instant they crossed the light gate, a faint dizziness of spatial displacement passed, then their feet touched soft, thick earth, saturated with the rich scent of damp decay and fresh vegetation.

Before them unfolded a scene of wild, ancient, yet vibrantly alive grandeur.

An endless, primordial forest, teeming with trees of unimaginable size.

Each tree here required ten to dozens of people to encircle; their trunks stood straight as pillars holding up the sky, bark mottled, carved with the scars of time and natural, mysterious patterns.

Their crowns layered one atop another, weaving into an impenetrable green canopy far above, through which only rare, slender beams of sunlight—like the mercy of a saint—pierced the dense foliage, casting hazy columns of light into the pale emerald spiritual mist blanketing the forest, bringing faint illumination to this dark world.

The air was thick with wood-element energy, nearly solidified into wisps of pale emerald mist; with every breath, it flooded into their bodies, bringing a profound sense of ease and lively true qi.

The ground was a deep layer of humus, accumulated over countless ten thousands of years, silent beneath their steps, covered in countless glowing strange mosses, fungi, and ferns, scattered like a starry river upon the earth.

Yet beneath this invigorating, lush vitality surged a primal, wild, and aggressively dangerous aura.

"Beware—though life flourishes here, it has also birthed countless powerful aberrant beasts and demonic plants; they coexist with this forest and harbor deep hostility toward outsiders."

Master Zhuqing spoke gravely, the "Jia Mu Lingxin" in her hand emitting a soft emerald glow, dispersing the spiritual mist within several zhang and illuminating the path, subtly forming a protective barrier.

The jade's glow pointed steadily toward the northeast, in perfect alignment with the resonance from Ning Zhixi's "Summer" and "Winter" keys and the stone tablet fragment.

Chen Mu nodded slightly; his spiritual sense had already spilled out like liquid mercury.

His Tiangong Realm spiritual sense was still suppressed here, its range and precision diminished, yet it still covered a radius of over ten li.

He "saw" the "Ironwire Ghost Vine," lurking beneath the rotting leaves, its aura rivaling that of a Peak Pre-Nascent Soul cultivator.

The "Phantom Demon Bat," perched among ancient branches, disguised as a tree knot, waiting to strike.

The "Rotheart Demon Tuber," deeply buried underground, weaving death-traps through its root system.

……

Farther out, deep within the forest, faint but powerful, obscure, and violently primal life signatures pulsed; the strongest of them was so overwhelming it made Chen Mu briefly sharpen his focus.

Comparable to early Tiangong Realm!

And brimming with wild power, fused seamlessly with the ancient forest.

"Northeast direction—convergence of the Wood Spirit's origin, but also guarded by a powerful entity."

Chen Mu spoke calmly, "Hurry. Avoid unnecessary entanglements."

The three immediately pressed forward, Master Zhuqing leading with the "Jia Mu Lingxin," Chen Mu and Ning Zhixi guarding either side, racing toward the northeast.

Chen Mu slightly released his sword intent outward; wherever it spread, nearly all low-tier aberrant beasts and venomous insects fled as if avoiding snakes and scorpions.

Occasionally, a ground-altar-level aberrant beast lunged out—only to be crushed by Chen Mu's casual strike, then…

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