Chapter 396: with translation of chapter title

After the friendly visits among the various races ended, Yan Buji stayed at Qianmu Snow Mountain for two days, and Xueqing sent a message asking him to meet at a designated place.

Leaving Qianmu Snow Mountain, Yan Buji flew to an ice island not far away.

"Yo, isn't that Daoist Yan?" She Juanshu laughed.

"Daoist She, Daoist Wang, you both came too?"

"Fairy Xueqing invited, how could we not come?" Wang Tiansheng laughed.

Yan Buji looked at the other outsiders: a stone person, a fox person, and himself, a half‑Dragon person; in total a group of six, three men and three women.

"Everyone, please introduce yourselves."

"Stone People... Stone Plate." Stone Plate's whole body was covered in thick earth‑colored rock, or rather his body was a massive rock that grew a humanoid shape, standing a full five meters tall.

The fox person beside him smiled slightly: "I am the young lady Hu Xue'er, pleased to meet all Daoist friends."

Yan Buji clasped his hands and said: "Dragon People Yan Buji."

"We're all old friends; everyone should know each other, so no need for lengthy introductions," She Juanshu laughed.

Yan Buji looked at them and asked, "Daoist Xueqing, are all the members assembled?"

"All here," Xueqing said, looking at the group. "Then let's talk as we go."

"Alright."

The group summoned their magical power, or rode Accumulation Devices into the air, following Xueqing toward the secret realm she mentioned.

A biting cold wind blew; Yan Buji looked around, seeing ice floes drifting on the sea surface, occasional distant water spouts rising, as if a sea monster was howling to the heavens, a sense of desolation spreading.

"This secret realm differs from what everyone knows; the Dongxing Sea Region has no large landmass, yet within this realm lies an endless vast forest. Even from a distance I could see it's fraught with danger. Poison Miasma grows thick inside, and there are many venomous snakes and insects; please be careful."

Beside them, Hu Xue'er asked, "Fairy Xueqing, since the secret realm is so huge, do we know whether there are any Nascent Soul‑level demon emperors inside?"

This is a concern for everyone; for us at the Golden Core stage encountering a Nascent Soul‑level demon emperor, we'd probably be utterly powerless.

"I can't guarantee that either; the dangers were warned before we came, and I assume everyone came prepared."

The group nodded silently.

These days, who would dare to explore without some strength?

She Juanshu smiled, "Anyway, as long as it's a secret realm, danger and reward are proportional; cultivation is never that easy. Haven't we all endured hardships along the way?"

"Indeed."

Yan Buji remained silent; they were all emphasizing the realm's danger, which was quite normal.

"In other words, if we get into trouble due to our own carelessness, don't blame anyone for not giving advance notice."

Because of that, Xueqing led the group to the secret realm three days later.

Seeing that the entrance to the secret realm was actually under the sea, the group, curious, each used water‑avoidance methods to plunge into the seabed.

Yan Buji plunged in, and beside him Stone Plate envied, "Dragon people are great, they can even breathe underwater."

"Daoist friend, you're joking; it's just a natural gift. Your own body is incredibly resilient."

"Hahaha."

"Everyone, be careful, there's a beast!" Hu Xue'er suddenly transmitted her voice; a massive dark silhouette suddenly appeared in the pitch‑black water ahead.

Xueqing fixed her gaze and transmitted, "It's a deep‑sea giant squid, everyone be careful!"

"Where did this deep‑sea giant squid come from in this place?"

Yan Buji, after all, is a Dragon person, so he knows the seabed ecology fairly well.

A deep‑sea giant squid shouldn't appear merely a thousand meters below the surface; they should be found almost ten thousand meters down, in the abyss or trenches.

However, this particular deep‑sea giant squid wasn't very powerful; although the seabed is its main battlefield, the people Xueqing summoned weren't ordinary either, and together they quickly shattered the squid's demon crystal.

Seeing the group divide the loot, Yan Buji looked beneath the sea and asked, "Daoist Xueqing, how far is the secret realm still?"

"Almost there, just five hundred meters below."

Yan Buji nodded.

As long as the entrance isn't too deep, this anomalous deep‑sea giant squid isn't much trouble.

Yan Buji worries that some monstrous beast might appear on the seabed, driving the giant squid into the open sea, which would be extremely dangerous.

"Everyone, let's keep moving."

The party rushed to the secret realm's entrance; Yan Buji looked at the lingering formation patterns nearby and turned to Xueqing.

"Is she still a formation master?"

Seeing Xueqing dispel the formation, after a flash of light a stone cave appeared; the group, curious, asked, "Is the secret realm's entrance right here?"

"That's right; once you step inside, you'll be involuntarily teleported into the realm. However, the destination seems random, and to get out you must find the exit within the realm—a small, bright‑red creature resembling a pig; catching it lets you escape."

"So troublesome?"

"Is there no other way to get out?"

Xueqing shook her head: "When I first entered by chance, after months of exploration I nearly became trapped, so I hurried to find a way out. By chance I encountered that little creature, and that allowed me to escape."

The surrounding outsiders nodded, though their thoughts were unclear.

But Yan Buji thought the matter might not be so simple, standing behind them and watching the entrance.

Xueqing said, "Oh, right—if everyone gets teleported in, they won't all end up at the same spot, so try to take higher ground and converge at a towering giant tree in the forest."

"Towering giant tree?" Yan Buji asked, puzzled.

"That tree is visible to the naked eye; I haven't been there myself, but it's the most conspicuous spot in the whole forest."

"Alright."

After the agreement, the group entered the secret realm together.

At that moment, two massive eyes beneath the sea, like stone pillars, suddenly opened!

A whirlwind of sky and earth ensued.

Yan Buji shook his head and looked around at the surroundings.

A gentle breeze came, lightly brushing over the dense forest. The leaves, as if awakened by this tender caress, swayed happily, producing rustling sounds, like a natural symphony, melodious and pleasant.

This forest seemed like a mysterious world, sunlight filtering through layers of branches and leaves casting dappled light, like golden threads woven on the ground. The air was filled with the fresh scent of plants, making one feel refreshed and delighted. Birds sang on the branches, their voices clear and pleasant, as if performing a beautiful concert together with the breeze and leaves.

Wildflowers in the grass vied for beauty, their multicolored petals trembling lightly in the breeze, exuding an enchanting fragrance. Deep in the forest, from time to time came the rustling of creatures moving through the shrubs.

Such a beautiful forest is truly rare.

Yan Buji rose to his feet and looked over there.

"Roar!!"

A demonic beast charged over, Yan Buji's expression remained calm: "I finally managed to feel the land's fragrance; don't disturb my interest."

Bang!

With one punch, Yan Buji watched the demonic beast fly back several hundred meters, then looked at his own fist, somewhat surprised.

"Just a minor demon, so tough? It didn't even explode?"