Chapter 431: Three Parties Converge

Cheep—!!

Little Chicken dug out several Poison Insects from the ground and ate them contentedly, not even sparing the insects' eggs.

Yan Buji then unearthed a good number of Spiritual Stones from the soil where the Poison Insects had been lurking, a modest gain.

Besides that, replenishing various Spiritual Materials is also a boon for Yan Buji, so after leaving he can refine pills to obtain the resources he wants.

However, he currently has no urgent need for Spiritual Materials; his magical cultivation only requires accumulating Spiritual Stones.

Cheep cheep cheep!!

Little Chicken flapped its wings and hopped onto Yan Buji's shoulder; its aura seemed to have leapt past the First Transformation, reaching the Second Transformation level, which, by the demonic race's standards, would make it a great demon.

Only, Little Chicken's upgrade speed is far faster than Yan Buji imagined; ever since he Devoured so many Poison Insects and a Frost Centipede in the Tree Sea Secret Realm, the accumulated power slept for a while and, upon waking, it leveled up.

Truly enviable.

Yan Buji raised his hand, plucked an emerald‑green green worm from a nearby tree, and placed it before Little Chicken's beak.

Little Chicken happily swallowed the green worm and let out a few satisfied chirps.

There are indeed many Poison Insects around here.

The Poison Insects adapted to the climate sometimes possess a lethal strike even against foes stronger and larger than themselves; even Yan Buji must handle their venom with care.

But Little Chicken seems unfazed by poison; on the contrary, it eats joyfully.

Sometimes, when Yan Buji fails to notice a Poison Insect bite, Little Chicken automatically glows, helping Yan Buji cleanse the toxins on his body.

Even though those toxins don't trouble Yan Buji much, Little Chicken's purification effect is indeed powerful.

Yan Buji has tried it: toxins up to Fourfold Transformation are instantly purified by Little Chicken, and even Fourfold Transformation toxins can be effectively suppressed.

With it, he no longer needs to constantly swallow Detox Pills.

"This place is..."

Thinking that, Yan Buji suddenly saw ahead a ruin of broken walls overtaken by vines and moss.

He walked over, examined closely, and found signs that humans had once lived here, with obvious human activity traces.

Does this imply that the secret realm might still harbor original human inhabitants?

Yan Buji glanced at the surrounding pots and pans, then happened to pick up a Stone Tablet from the ground, brushed off the moss, and inspected it closely.

"Pictographic script? Isn't this from the Human Emperor era?"

During his mortal period, Yan Buji realized the importance of culture, so after entering the cultivation world he constantly collects books to enrich his knowledge reserves.

In such a situation, Yan Buji rummaged through his Storage Accumulation Device and found a yellowed ancient book, which he studied carefully.

"Penglai... Wangxian... Jingyu..."

Yan Buji puzzled after half a day of decoding, asking, "Does it refer to the tribe being named Penglai or the place being called Penglai? Is it about immortal guidance watching the Immortal Mountain?"

What does it mean?

After all, these are matters from a very ancient era, and Yan Buji cannot fully grasp what is recorded on this Stone Tablet.

Of course, it can at least be taken as a relic.

After leaving, Yan Buji saw many more dilapidated houses along the way, though they have long been overtaken by the vast forest.

Vines crawl up the walls, moss covers the ground.

A month later, while gathering Spiritual Materials, Yan Buji soon caught sight of the foot of the Immortal Mountain.

At this moment, it seemed that cultivators had been waiting beneath the Immortal Mountain, awaiting at the ancient cave entrance.

"These are indeed impressive figures; we've encountered many demon kings along the way, yet there are still this many people."

Yan Buji hid nearby, wanting to see what they intended.

The secret realm is unsafe; many people like Yan Buji, who are hurried or lagging, have gone, but those faster than him, even if a clash can't determine superiority, are certainly not weak.

Moreover, it's unknown how many people are hidden nearby waiting for their moves; perhaps some, like Yan Buji, are also unclear about the secret realm's specifics and are still watching.

Add to that the abundance of demon kings in the secret realm; Yan Buji had to exert effort to sneak through, so he dared not act.

And at this moment.

Beyond the ancient cave entrance, the people seemed divided into several groups, each watching the others warily.

"When did the Otherworldly Race dare to treasure‑hunt in my Human Race Secret Realm?" a young man in yellow, with sword‑shaped eyebrows and star‑like eyes, said, brandishing his sword to the side.

Wang Tiansheng sneered, "This secret realm was created by your human race? Using traces of human activity from ten million years ago to claim this as your territory is absurdly laughable."

"But this immortal cave residence was left by our human ancestors; you armored, hairy brutes still want a share?!" the yellow‑clad youth said coldly.

"You!" Xue Ping glared at the opponent, while She Junshu gestured and then laughed, "We may be armored and hairy, but we understand that the strong remain strong and the capable occupy their place; you humans call yourselves the rulers of the Five Domains, as if having ancestors above makes you such figures? Know that saints are saints, and petty people are petty."

"You!" the yellow‑clad youth's face changed; wasn't that an accusation of borrowing another's prestige?

"Enough!"

Two youths stepped out, a man and a woman; Wang Tiansheng stood aside, his face darkened, eyes filled with murderous intent.

Yan Buji, seeing this, naturally recognized them as the ones who once forced him into a corner.

The yellow‑clad youth furrowed his brows, sword in hand, fists clasped, "So it's fellow cultivators Song Xing and Song Ziyue."

Seeing three Golden Core corpse‑refining bodies nearby, the surrounding human cultivators were stunned and whispered among themselves:

"That Song Xing can't be the young lord of Tianheng Island, can he?"

"And Song Ziyue is also the island lord's niece of Tian Shu Island, and those three corpse‑refining bodies beside them are also the island lord's methods!"

"The Song family of Sun‑Moon Palace is indeed formidable."

"I heard they previously went to the Winter Ocean and obtained treasures from Wenxu Palace, though it's unclear if that's true."

From his side, Wang Tiansheng snorted coldly and transmitted his voice to She Junshu, "Sister She, you go negotiate with them; I cannot rashly act on murderous thoughts now."

"No problem, these two are the ones who previously broke into the Water Sprite Race, right?" She Junshu asked.

Seeing Wang Tiansheng nod, She Junshu laughed, "What guidance does this young Sir Song seek?"

"Pah!" Song Ziyue crossed their arms, "You disgusting snake‑person, don't use that disgusting voice to speak to my elder brother!"

"Ah, this little sister is being stingy, but sister still likes this young man a lot." She Junshu covered her face with a folding fan, revealing eyes as charming as silk.

Song Ziyue showed a look of disdain, while Song Xing beside her remained calm: "Since fellow cultivators of the Otherworldly Race also wish to enter, we should cooperate sincerely; you all also hold a key, why not each produce your key and go in together, afterwards each relying on their own abilities?"

She Junshu smiled and said: "We have no objections."

The yellow-clad youth beside them nodded: "Out of respect for Fellow Daoist Song, this can also be done."

All three sides clearly know that without the key they cannot get in; however, they are not from the same faction, so someone needs to give them a leg up, and Song Xing's appearance is just timely.