Chapter 429: Xuanqi Secret Realm

Yan Buji looked at the blood‑nurturing pure‑essence paste, his heart pounding, and immediately clasped his hands, saying, "I am willing to serve the True Lord!"

After that, Yan Buji stayed to work at the Island Lord's residence.

A few months later, after Yan Buji left with the blood‑nurturing pure‑essence paste, hearing again of True Yellow Island and the Sunken Dragon Society was already many years later.

After training in the Boundless Sea for several years, Yan Buji found an uninhabited trench and settled there to cultivate under the sea.

There was no help; the farther one went outward, the more cultivators seemed to appear. He didn't know what had changed recently, but cultivators from the Turbulent Sea liked to head to the Boundless Sea.

After a while.

Yan Buji had just finished absorbing that blood‑nurturing pure‑essence paste, his power surging, and was about to go out to adapt.

"Quick, catch her!"

"Catch her!"

Hm?

Yan Buji's head half‑emerged from the water, looking ahead.

It seemed that Foundation Establishment Cultivators were hunting someone.

Yan Buji stared, looking puzzled: "Why did the Snow People run here?"

"You can't catch me; I'm a Snow Person, I'm the Snow People clan chief's...."

Before the Snow Person could finish, several Foundation Establishment Cultivators simultaneously cast a restriction, trapping him.

"Phew, finally caught her."

"There have been many Otherworldly Race infiltrators lately; we must be extra vigilant."

Hm?

Yan Buji looked puzzled: what major event had occurred in the Boundless Sea?

He had come from True Yellow Island, intending to train and cultivate along the way, preparing to fuse three manuals into his Martial Avatar's mysterious art for a breakthrough, but never expected to encounter this.

Of course, if it were for the benefit of the Dragon People, he could follow and take a look.

To put it nicely, that's how it is.

Yan Buji squinted, followed those human cultivators along, and discovered many cultivators on a small island.

Sensing the aura of many Golden Core Cultivators among them, Yan Buji did not rashly approach.

After night fell, Yan Buji finally made full preparations and disguised himself to go ashore.

Reaching the shore, Yan Buji overheard nearby cultivators talking.

"Is it true that the Xuanqi Secret Realm has emerged?"

"Who knows?"

"But why are we supposed to capture these Otherworldly Race?"

"It's because the great sects and powers from the Turbulent Sea demand it; perhaps they've seen many humans and want to see other kinds."

"Is it really just to observe?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Tsk! Hehe."

Yan Buji pinched his chin and kept moving.

From the cultivators' talk, Yan Buji gathered that these people didn't seem to belong to a single faction; rumors from the Turbulent Sea claimed that the Boundless Sea harbored an extremely powerful secret realm about to emerge, so they rushed over hoping to enter and treasure‑hunt as soon as it appeared.

"Xuanqi Secret Realm?"

According to the cultivation world, the Xuanqi Secret Realm is a realm that has existed since the Primeval Age, but now most of them are said to have been destroyed, leaving only fragmented ruins.

It's very dangerous, yet one might find Primeval Age treasures!

For cultivators, exploring secret realms is part of cultivation: they can gather treasures, broaden knowledge, even accumulate combat‑method experience, and so on.

Of course, only those who survive are qualified to comment.

Taking advantage of the night, Yan Buji located where the Otherworldly Race were imprisoned, seeing them like exotic beasts confined in cages with their power restrained; after a thought, he chose not to rescue them.

Besides, even if he saved them, what would it achieve? He wasn't responsible for sending them back.

He's not a nanny.

However, Yan Buji guessed that other Otherworldly Race might come to free their kin, so he would just wait and watch the drama.

For several consecutive days, Yan Buji quietly investigated, gaining a rough understanding of the composition of cultivators now arriving at the Boundless Sea.

Aside from lone cultivators, few who reach the Boundless Sea are at the Foundation Establishment Stage; most are at the Core Formation or Golden Core stage, and no Nascent Soul cultivators have been reported.

Some went to True Yellow Island to prepare resource exchanges, but most seem to linger in this sea, waiting to enter directly as soon as the secret realm emerges.

Tonight, Yan Buji rose from the water's surface, watching battle flames flare over the islands, realizing human cultivators and Otherworldly Race had likely clashed.

"It has nothing to do with me."

Saying that, Yan Buji dived back into the depths to await the secret realm's opening.

"Go quickly!"

"We can't go! They stole my key; without it we can't get in!"

"You! You damned scoundrel!"

Bang!

Hearing that, Yan Buji immediately poked his head out of the water, looking ahead.

He saw the previously captured Snow Person covering his face, eyes reddened with deep shame.

The few Otherworldly Race beside him wore grim looks, asking the Snow Person, "Who stole the key?"

"A human female cultivator named Song Ziyue, she has Golden Core‑stage combat power!"

Hm?

Yan Buji furrowed his brow: Song Ziyue?

No, if that guy showed up around here, I couldn't possibly not notice at all.

Those Golden Core stage Yan Buji on the island have all investigated; there are no female cultivators, all male—is what that snowman said true or false?

Or is he deliberately leading them away to set a trap for them?

"Go!"

"I'll go with you guys..."

"You wait here until we come back, then we'll talk."

Those few people looked anxious, hastily flying toward the island.

Yan Buji narrowed his eyes, watching the snowman turn and fly away, then immediately followed.

"It's clear those strangers are probably working with the snowman; just having the key probably isn't enough, otherwise I wouldn't abandon her to go look for it; or if only the key were needed and nothing else, that snowman would have died long ago.... Speaking of which, what exactly is that key?"

Yan Buji pondered for a long time, secretly following the snowman all the way to a hidden floating island.

"Wang Daoist Friend, Wang Daoist Friend?"

"Isn't that Xue Ping Daoist Friend? Looks like the matter is settled."

A familiar voice sounded, and Yan Buji raised his eyebrows.

Wang Tian Sheng, enveloped in a water sphere, suddenly sensed something and shouted: "Which Daoist friend is acting so sneaky? Why not come out and meet?"

"Wang Daoist Friend, my apologies—I didn't expect you to be here."

"You! Who are you?!" Xue Ping's face turned shocked.

Wang Tian Sheng narrowed his eyes: "Yan Daoist Friend? How are you here?"

"I just happened to come by after hearing the secret realm had emerged, wanting to join the fun. Wang Daoist Friend, aren't you supposed to go cause trouble for those human cultivators? How did you end up in the Boundless Sea?"

"Hmph."

Wang Tian Sheng didn't say more, while Xue Ping beside him asked softly: "Wang Daoist Friend, who is this?"

"This is Yan Buji of the Dragon People, Yan Daoist Friend; previously I had explored a secret realm with him. Yan Daoist Friend, you came following Xue Ping—what did you hear?"

Xue Ping's face looked grim, her hidden power fully erupted, and she coldly stared at Yan Buji.

Yan Buji smiled and clasped his hands: "My apologies—I only heard some movement here, and out of curiosity I inadvertently overheard something about a secret key, so I came to check the situation."

"Then may I consider Yan Daoist Friend to harbor ill intentions?" Wang Tian Sheng said lightly.