[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars":3,"chapter-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-223":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Immortal Path Among the Stars",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320155,4537,"Chapter 223","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-223",223,"\u003Cp>“Did the Ancestor ever come to the Jialan Secret Realm before?” Wang Yu asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not—if my ancestor had entered this secret realm before, why would he have sent me on this trip again?” Xi Men Mei replied without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did the Ancestor instruct Sister to go to a specific place within the realm? That doesn’t make sense.” Wang Yu asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems Brother has many questions—if I don’t explain clearly, you won’t accompany me on this journey.” Xi Men Mei frowned slightly at his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, Sister, but you saw it yourself—there’s now a demonic Foundation Establishment cultivator here, and this entire region is nearly under demonic control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Other areas are one thing, but to remain in this mountain range—even venture deep into its heart—is clearly perilous beyond measure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Sister cannot explain the full reason for this journey, I truly lack the courage to accompany you.” Wang Yu replied solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly thought so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always sought to avoid danger; if he couldn’t assess the risk of Xi Men Mei’s mission, no matter how great the promised reward, he wouldn’t blindly follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well—if Brother insists so strongly, I’ll explain briefly. But what I’m about to say concerns my ancestor’s past experiences—I beg you not to repeat it to anyone after hearing it.” Xi Men Mei hesitated upon seeing Wang Yu’s serious expression, then finally relented, deciding to tell this Wang Brother some truths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally—I’m just a lowly Qi Condensation disciple; how would I dare gossip about a Jin Dan Ancestor’s affairs?” Wang Yu’s heart tightened, and he immediately patted his chest in assurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My ancestor never entered the secret realm, yet knew of certain locations and events within it, because this very Jialan Secret Key was discovered by my ancestor when he was still unrefined, and presented to the Four Symbols Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was this merit that allowed my ancestor to acquire sufficient resources to successfully form his Golden Core.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But in truth, my ancestor didn’t merely discover the Jialan Secret Key—he also uncovered part of Jialan’s legacy. In a sense, my ancestor was, in effect, Jialan’s distant disciple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Within this legacy, one item was mentioned—something my ancestor now desperately needs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What I must do now is retrieve this item and bring it out of the secret realm.” Xi Men Mei spoke slowly, recounting the past of Tian Chan Ancestor; her few words left Wang Yu utterly astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the Ancestor is Jialan’s distant disciple—that explains everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, are you certain the item is stored deep within this mountain range? If you know its location, why didn’t you retrieve it sooner instead of waiting until now?” Wang Yu understood somewhat, yet still asked with lingering doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If possible, I would have retrieved it long ago—but the legacy my ancestor received didn’t specify the exact location; it only left a clue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only after great effort did I find a map elsewhere, from which I deduced the precise location indicated by the clue.” Xi Men Mei clearly hoped Wang Yu would accompany her; as she spoke, she directly withdrew two items from her storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seemingly ordinary jade pendant, and a yellowed scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This pendant is an artifact left by Jialan himself; the scroll was discovered on a small island within the realm. Unroll the map, align the pendant with it, and you’ll understand why I’m certain the item lies deep within these mountains.” Xi Men Mei continued, handing the two items over, watching him with a faint, enigmatic smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu fell silent for a moment, then sighed inwardly and accepted the two objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well that once he took them, he would have no way back—he would be forced to accompany her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, since Xi Men Mei, a descendant of Tian Chan Ancestor, had come to him, he could never have truly refused her request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, once they left the secret realm, he might not even be able to remain in the Four Symbols Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Jin Dan Ancestor wishing to trouble a Qi Condensation disciple needed only to give a hint—countless others would gladly make his life miserable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Xi Men Sister was truly a massive nuisance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wang Yu pondered, he examined the two objects in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendant was entirely pale blue, its surface marked with strange vertical patterns—its purpose unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scroll clearly bore great age; its ends were frayed, its surface a pale yellow, yet it didn’t seem made of ordinary material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu slowly unrolled the scroll. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary landscape painting—mountains, rocks, trees, flowing water, flowers, and grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, turn the map over and look at its back against a bright light,” Xi Men Mei prompted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu followed her instruction, gazing at the painting’s reverse side toward the bright sky above—and let out a soft “Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind, the landscape had transformed into a crude topographical map, clearly revealing the overall regions of the secret realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu silently whispered “Overclock,” and instantly memorized the entire map, comprehending the Jialan Secret Realm’s broad divisions in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the map, most of the Jialan Secret Realm consisted of dense forests and mountain ranges; deserts and lakes occupied only a small fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, now place the pendant atop this map and hold it toward a bright light,” Xi Men Mei urged, then formed a hand seal, murmured incantations, and pointed at the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu felt a gentle breeze lift the map from his hands—it floated motionless in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately raised the pendant and waved it above the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, countless bright lines appeared on the map, resembling another topographical pattern—but far smaller than the scroll’s original.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu’s heart stirred; he slowly moved the pendant across the map, searching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his overclocked perception, he located the matching region effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bright lines cast by the pendant aligned almost perfectly with a specific area marked at the mountain range’s center—and the moment they overlapped, a small bright dot suddenly appeared on the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu shifted the pendant again—the dot vanished. When he realigned the lines, the dot reappeared, eerily glowing once more.\u003C\u002Fp>",1035,"2026-06-20T15:44:32.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","126cad9842f2984226cedca95e29c682b9d8c51b71804e862c7ecd6570d6b4b7","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-224","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-222",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-immortal-path-among-the-stars-cover.jpg"]