Chapter 52: Secret Realm Opened? I

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, in the center of the Tianyuan Imperial Capital, in front of the Tianyuan Hall—which symbolized the supreme power of the dynasty—the massive plaza was already packed with people. The banners of the dynasty’s major factions fluttered in the wind. Golden Core cultivators from all directions stood either alone or in small groups, their auras sharp, profound, or ethereal; there was not a single weakling among them.

The air was thick with a near-tangible tension and anticipation. Everyone’s gaze was focused on the giant stone gate in the center of the plaza—the Gate of the Secret Realm! It stood a hundred zhang tall, was inscribed with countless profound runes, and radiated an ancient, desolate aura.

Lin Xuan stood within the ranks of the Four Seas Trading Company, dressed in a plain cyan robe. He kept his aura restrained at the late Golden Core stage, making him appear unremarkable. The trading company had five spots this time; besides him, there were two men and one woman, all late Golden Core experts cultivated or recruited by the company, possessing steady auras and shrewd eyes. They looked at Lin Xuan with a hint of curiosity and hidden reverence, clearly having heard of the exploits of this "Elder Mu."

Qian Duoduo whispered the final information sync from the side: "Elder Mu, see over there? The one at the very front of the imperial team wearing the bright yellow python robe is the Third Imperial Prince, Li Daoyi. The old man in the black robe beside him is an imperial guest advisor; it is said he is proficient in formations, so be careful. As for the Ye family, Ye Chen has indeed come; his aura seems to have grown even stronger... Saintess Yun Yao of the Floating Snow Palace is still as cold as frost... That old fellow Zhao Song of the Zhao family has a very sinister look in his eyes; he keeps glancing our way..."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping calmly across the plaza, matching the people Qian Duoduo mentioned with the information from his system database. He saw Ye Chen, whose aura was increasingly dense and contained flashes of thunder; he saw the Third Imperial Prince, who was surrounded by others and looked arrogant; he also saw Yun Yao, who was veiled and possessed a cold temperament; and he even noticed the undisguised, venomous gaze of Zhao Song, as well as the few followers beside him whose auras were obscure and did not match the Zhao family's style.

"Spies from the Nether Sect and the Shadow Pavilion, I see..." Lin Xuan sneered inwardly, noting the appearances and auras of those few.

Just then, a vast, boundless pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the entire plaza! The noisy crowd instantly fell silent; one could hear a pin drop.

Only then did several figures appear out of thin air above the Tianyuan Hall. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a nine-dragon imperial robe and a flat-topped imperial crown, his face full of majesty—this was the current Tianyuan Emperor! His aura was like an abyss or the sea; although he did not deliberately release it, the imperial dignity of one who had long held the highest position and his unfathomable cultivation base made every Golden Core cultivator feel a palpitation of the heart. Behind him followed several figures with equally terrifying auras, all of whom were Nascent Soul elders of the dynasty; one of them was, surprisingly, the old man who had once appeared at the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

"The time has come!" The Tianyuan Emperor’s voice was calm, yet it reached everyone’s ears clearly, carrying an unquestionable power. "The Tianyuan Secret Realm was left behind by my ancestors. It contains opportunities, but also hides dangers. I hope that upon entering, you will strictly abide by the rules, help and benefit one another, seek your own fortunes, and also spread the prestige of our dynasty!"

Without further ado, the Emperor and the several elders struck simultaneously, casting brilliant magic techniques that merged into the massive stone gate.

Hum—!!!

The runes on the stone gate lit up one by one, erupting with blinding light! The entire gate began to vibrate violently, and the space within the gate rippled like water, eventually forming a slowly rotating, deep, and dark vortex entrance! A pure and ancient spiritual energy, mixed with a hint of wild and chaotic aura, permeated from within!

"The Secret Realm is open! Those holding tokens, enter!" a Nascent Soul elder’s voice boomed like a bell.

In an instant, the cultivators from all sides, who had been prepared for a long time, turned into streams of light of various colors, scrambling to shoot into the spatial vortex!

"Elder Mu, take care!" Qian Duoduo said solemnly.

"Everyone, be careful inside the Secret Realm. If you need anything, you can contact us using the trading company's mark," said a middle-aged cultivator (at the peak of Golden Core) who was leading the company's team.

Lin Xuan nodded slightly to Qian Duoduo and the other fellow disciples. Without hesitation, he moved, blending into the crowd and flying toward the entrance at a steady pace. He neither rushed to the front to be a target nor lagged behind to arouse suspicion, acting just like a cautious, ordinary late Golden Core cultivator.

The moment he approached the vortex, the Secret Realm token in his robe automatically heated up, emitting a soft halo of light that enveloped him.

Swish!

A powerful suction force arrived, and the scene before his eyes instantly blurred and twisted! The familiar feeling of space-time shifting emerged once again, but it was much gentler than when he had used the Soul-Suppressing Token to tear through space before.

After a few breaths, the feeling of solid ground returned, and the surrounding scene suddenly opened up.

He appeared in a strange world.

The sky was a slightly dull, grayish-blue; there was no sun or moon, yet a faint light of unknown origin fell upon the land. Beneath his feet was hard, dark red soil, as if it had been soaked in blood. In the distance, mountains rolled and twisted in grotesque shapes, and the vegetation consisted mostly of ancient trees and ferns he had never seen before, all deep in color and twisted in form. The air was filled with rich spiritual energy, but this energy was mixed with an indelible, ancient, chaotic, and faint baleful aura.

"So this is the Tianyuan Secret Realm..." Lin Xuan took a deep breath. He could feel that the concentration of spiritual energy here was far greater than in the outside world, but it was also more violent, requiring more effort to refine. He extended his spiritual sense and found that it was indeed significantly suppressed, with a detection range less than one-fifth of what it was outside.

He quickly observed his surroundings and found himself in a hilly area with jagged rocks; there was no one else nearby. Clearly, entry into the Secret Realm involved random teleportation.

He did not act immediately, but first operated his "Turtle Breathing Technique" and "Shadow Concealment Art" to the fullest, restraining his aura to the extreme. At the same time, he activated his "Eye of Truth" to scan the surrounding environment vigilantly.

"System, record current coordinates and scan for high-energy reactions and signs of life within a hundred miles."

[Ding! Coordinates recorded. Scanning... Disturbed by the rules of the Secret Realm, the scanning range has been reduced and accuracy has decreased.]

[Scan complete: Eighty miles to the northwest, there is a strong energy fluctuation, suspected to be a spiritual object manifesting or a powerful demon beast lurking. Fifty miles to the southeast, multiple life reactions detected, moving rapidly. Deep within the hills directly ahead, there is a faint fluctuation of a restriction.]

The information was limited, but sufficient for reference. Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and chose not to join the excitement in the northwest; a struggle had likely already broken out there. There were many people in the southeast, and thus many troubles. He decided to head deep into the hills directly ahead first to investigate the faint restriction fluctuation.

Perhaps it was the former residence of a predecessor, or perhaps some naturally formed restricted area; it might hide some opportunity, and it was relatively remote, making it suitable for him to act alone.

Having made up his mind, his figure flickered, blending into the shadows of the strange rocks like a ghost. He employed "Shrinking the Earth into an Inch" (controlled at a low consumption level) and the "Ghost Shadow Step" he had only recently mastered, stealthily sneaking toward the depths of the hills.

His strategy was clear: keep a low profile in the early stages, avoid large-scale conflicts, use his advantages in concealment and insight to find relatively safe opportunities, and learn as much as possible about the Secret Realm's environment to grasp the movements of all parties.

However, the trees wanted to be still, but the wind would not cease.

Just as he had traveled about ten miles and passed through a forest of dead black trees, intense sounds of fighting and the roar of a demon beast suddenly came from ahead!

Lin Xuan frowned, immediately stopping his steps and hiding behind a giant rock, looking through the gaps in the trees with his "Eye of Truth."

In the clearing in the forest, three cultivators were besieging a strange, massive demon beast that resembled a lizard but had a single eye on its head and was covered in bone armor. The beast’s aura was fierce, comparable to the mid-Golden Core stage; it had thick skin and flesh, and it spat corrosive dark green venom, forcing the three cultivators into a rather sorry state.

These three cultivators—two men and one woman—did not look like members of the top factions of the Imperial Capital; they appeared more like disciples of some mid-sized sect, with cultivation bases ranging from early to mid-Golden Core.

Lin Xuan originally did not want to meddle and prepared to go around. But just as his gaze swept across the edge of the battlefield, his pupils shrank slightly.

At the entrance of the one-eyed lizard beast's lair grew several strange, pitch-black plants with leaves like ghost claws. At the top of the plants hung three fruits, the size of dragon eyes, radiating a faint, ghostly light!

[Ghost Soul Fruit]: A Tier 4 spiritual plant, born from absorbing yin-baleful energy and residual souls. It is a main ingredient for refining elixirs that nourish the soul or cultivate certain soul-based divine abilities. It can also be consumed directly to strengthen spiritual sense (one must resist the yin-baleful resentment contained within).

A spiritual fruit that strengthens spiritual sense! This held great appeal for any cultivator! Especially for Lin Xuan, as both his "Eye of Truth" and Soul Armor Art required a powerful spiritual sense to support them.

The three cultivators were clearly there for these Ghost Soul Fruits as well.

At this moment, the battle was nearing its end. Although the one-eyed lizard was powerful, it lacked high intelligence, and under the coordinated siege of the three cultivators, it was already covered in wounds and moving slowly.

Seeing that they were about to succeed, the good-looking female cultivator’s face showed joy. However, a sudden change occurred!

The mid-Golden Core male cultivator with the highest cultivation base flashed a look of greed and ruthlessness in his eyes. Just as his companions were attacking the beast with all their might and their old strength was spent while new strength had yet to arise, he suddenly turned his long sword, not stabbing at the beast, but slashing fiercely at his early-Golden Core companion beside him!

"Senior Brother Liu, you!" The early-Golden Core male cultivator had never expected to be ambushed by a fellow sect member. His protective spiritual light shattered instantly, and he was pierced through the heart by the sword, falling down with a look of disbelief.

"Junior Sister Wang, my apologies!" After succeeding, the male cultivator known as Senior Brother Liu did not stop; he backhanded another sharp sword qi toward the female cultivator!

The female cultivator was terrified and blocked in a hurry, but she was shaken so hard she spat out blood and flew backward, snapping several dead trees.

"Liu Mang! You actually dare to harm a fellow sect member!" the female cultivator shouted in shock and anger.

"Fellow sect member? Hahaha!" Liu Mang sneered. "Inside the Secret Realm, in the face of opportunity, there is no such thing as a fellow sect member! Once I kill you two, these Ghost Soul Fruits and your storage bags will all be mine!"

He ignored the heavily injured female cultivator and turned to pick the Ghost Soul Fruits.

However, just as he turned around, he saw a young man in a plain cyan robe, who had appeared out of nowhere, standing at the entrance of the lair and examining the Ghost Soul Fruits with great interest.

It was Lin Xuan.

Liu Mang was shocked; he hadn't noticed when this person had approached at all! But sensing that the other party was only at the late Golden Core stage (Lin Xuan had not fully restrained his aura) and that he was a stranger, not a prodigy from a top faction, his fear diminished slightly, replaced by deep vigilance and killing intent.

"Who are you? I found these Ghost Soul Fruits first, please leave!" Liu Mang gripped his long sword and shouted, his voice harsh but his heart fearful.

Lin Xuan acted as if he hadn't heard him, reaching out to gently pick one Ghost Soul Fruit, sniffing it, and nodding: "The quality is not bad."

"You!" Liu Mang was furious, but wary of the other's cultivation, he dared not act rashly. "Fellow Daoist, do you intend to rob me by force?"

Only then did Lin Xuan look up at him, his eyes calm and waveless: "Rob by force? Didn't you just demonstrate that yourself?"

Liu Mang’s face instantly turned extremely ugly.

The heavily injured female cultivator, as if seeing a life-saving straw, hurriedly shouted: "Fellow Daoist! This person harmed his fellow sect members, his heart is as venomous as a snake! Please, Fellow Daoist, uphold justice! We are willing to hand over the Ghost Soul Fruits!"

Liu Mang’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly said to Lin Xuan: "Fellow Daoist, why don't we join forces to kill this woman? We can split the Ghost Soul Fruits equally! She has quite a few good things on her!"

He tried to shift the blame and win Lin Xuan over.

Hearing this, the corners of Lin Xuan’s mouth curled into a half-smile, his gaze falling on Liu Mang.

"Your proposal... is not very good."

Before the words had even faded, Lin Xuan’s figure vanished from the spot like a ghost!

Liu Mang’s pupils shrank. Without a second thought, he retreated violently with all his might while waving his sword to set up layers of sword curtains in front of him!

However, a gray-colored shadow of a ruler seemed to ignore the distance of space, arriving before his defense, easily piercing through the sword curtains and imprinting itself onto his chest!

"Puff—!"

Liu Mang only felt an irresistible, terrifying power carrying an aura of annihilation penetrate his body. His protective spiritual light shattered like paper, and his internal organs were instantly pulverized into meat paste! The shock and unwillingness in his eyes froze, and his body fell down limply.

A one-hit kill!

The heavily injured female cultivator watched, dumbfounded, her whole body turning cold. She hadn't even seen how Lin Xuan had attacked! A mid-Golden Core cultivator had been killed in one hit by a casual strike? Who exactly was this cyan-robed cultivator?!

Lin Xuan didn't even look at Liu Mang’s corpse; he waved his hand to collect his storage bag, then walked to the Ghost Soul Fruits, picked the remaining two, and sealed them in a jade box.

After doing all this, he turned to look at the shivering female cultivator.

The female cultivator’s face was pale, and she struggled to get up to salute: "Th... thank you, Senior, for saving my life! This junior... this junior is willing to offer all the wealth I have, just begging Senior to spare my life!"

Lin Xuan glanced at her indifferently, ignoring her wealth, and simply asked: "Which sect are you from? How much do you know about this area?"

The female cultivator dared not hide anything and hurriedly replied: "Reporting to Senior, this junior is a disciple of the Green Wood Sect. We also just teleported in not long ago; we only know that this area is called the 'Corroded Bone Hills.' It is said that there are abandoned caves left by ancient sects deep inside, but the exact location is unknown, and there are powerful demon beasts lurking..."

Green Wood Sect? A mid-sized sect Lin Xuan had barely heard of. He nodded, asked no more, and with a flash of his figure, he disappeared from the spot, as if he had never appeared at all.

The female cultivator stood frozen in place, only coming to her senses after a long while—she had actually survived! Looking at the corpses of Liu Mang and her other fellow disciple, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. Not daring to stay long, she took an elixir and struggled to leave this place of trouble quickly.

As for Lin Xuan, he was already miles away. He toyed with the jade box containing the Ghost Soul Fruits, his expression calm.

The first lesson of the Secret Realm is often not from demon beasts, but from the human heart.

His journey through the Secret Realm had officially begun in this inconspicuous corner, in a low-key yet ruthless manner.

(End of Chapter 52)