sinovels Chapter 178 The Secret Realm Reopens
Chapter 178 The Secret Realm Reopens
Three years later.
Taibai Island, inside the Ice Soul Cave.
"So difficult... so difficult..."
Fang Qing put away the "Fountain of Youth" with a touch of melancholy and sighed.
"Late stage of Dao Foundation... indeed difficult."
Over the past three years, he has been constantly studying the "Fountain of Youth," which has not been entirely without benefit, but he has reached a certain juncture.
That is the bottleneck encountered in breaking through the late stage of the Dao Foundation stage!
"When I tried to break through to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, I even used a 'Life Spring Pill'... but there aren't many good pills for the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm..."
Although the Secret Realm has secret medicines to aid in breakthroughs, they are all formed from blood and qi, and their effects are not very good now.
Fang Qing planned to visit the orthodox sect of the Eastern Taiyi Xuanmen after he achieved the Core Formation and his strength increased dramatically.
Although the ancient Shu had already opened his eyes several times, things should be better on the righteous path's territory... right?
He stepped out of the cave and sent out a communication talisman.
Not long after, a Core Formation level divine sense transmitted: "Young Master, Zhong Lingxiu requests an audience."
"Come in."
Fang Qing nodded, and then saw Zhong Lingxiu enter. She respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, young master."
"Hmm, you haven't returned to the Heavenly Frost Sect for so many years, won't something have happened to you?"
Fang Qing asked casually.
“Young Master Qi… I made arrangements before leaving the sect. Not returning for thirty or forty years wouldn’t be a big problem. After all, Core Formation cultivators are considered high-ranking members of the sect and have a lot of autonomy… It’s common for them to travel for years or even decades… There are even examples of Nascent Soul elders not returning for hundreds of years.” Zhong Lingxiu said, “Unless my soul lamp goes out, or the sect is involved in a great war and I still don’t return after being ordered… then we will investigate afterward.” “I see.”
After confirming that Zhong Lingxiu wouldn't cause him any trouble, Fang Qing asked, "How's the secret realm?"
"It has been confirmed that it will open soon. We, the Core Formation cultivators, have met several times and finally decided... There are fifty Qi Refining disciples and three Foundation Establishment cultivators from each side... If too many Foundation Establishment cultivators enter, it will also make the void rift passage unstable... Therefore, there will be a maximum of nine."
Zhong Lingxiu said respectfully.
"Qi Refining cultivators, choose whichever you prefer... As for Foundation Establishment?"
Fang Qing had already divined that his entry into the secret realm was an "auspicious omen".
If it were ancient Shu, this might not be believable, but in Xiao Huanhai, he had considerable confidence in his family's divination techniques.
"Moreover... I also have the Dao Life Pearl protecting me. Even in the worst-case scenario, if the entrance to the secret realm is destroyed, I can still escape directly to Ancient Shu... In addition, he actually has people in all three forces. Fang Qing naturally knows their plans. They don't want to destroy the secret realm, but are all coveting the huge opportunities within it!"
"I'll take two of those spots."
Fang Qing smiled slightly and transformed into the image of "Fang Jin," a figure in a white robe with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.
His current "Heavenly Escape Sword Technique" has also reached the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment stage, which manifests outwardly as a great sword cultivator in the late or even perfect stage of Foundation Establishment!
Moreover, this identity did not appear out of thin air; there are traces of it in Xiao Huan Hai. He is the nameless sword cultivator who destroyed the Jiang and Lu families of Sanyuan Island back then!
"One of them will be given to this white-clad swordsman; you can just make up any name. The other one..."
Fang Qing smiled and said, "Let's give it to Zhan Hongxiu... This woman has a destiny, and she might gain many benefits if she goes to the secret realm."
Zhan Hongxiu was, after all, a woman of fleeting fortune. Over the years, she has broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
It's right that Taibai Island won a spot, as it's under their command once again.
Besides, when they surrendered back then, they at least used their family as an excuse, so Fang Qing was willing to give them some leeway.
"As for the last spot, you can arrange it yourself..."
He waved his hand, and Zhong Lingxiu respectfully withdrew.
Several months later.
Tianxin Island, a bronze underground palace beneath the sea.
Fang Qing, dressed in white with striking features, followed behind Zhong Lingxiu, watching as she greeted Hei Yuan Zhenren and then confronted Ruan Zhixuan. The Bihai Sect had only sent one Core Formation Realm cultivator this time; it was unclear whether this was a sign of weakness.
Among the three parties, there were also many acquaintances of Fang Qing.
For example, Qin Ruxue, who was adjusting the formation; Tian Ding, who was white-haired and seemed to be nearing his end, following behind Ruan Zhixuan; and Yu Xiang'er from Hei Yuan Zhenren's side...
"If I were to raise my voice now and all the forces turned against me, I wonder if that would be a horror story for those two Core Formation cultivators?" Fang Qing thought to himself with amusement.
But he clearly wouldn't have such a perverse sense of humor, and the identity of "Fang Qing" didn't even show up.
After all, a third-tier alchemy master who is imprisoned must have a higher value in alchemy than in the secret realm, so it's impossible for him to be sent into the secret realm.
It's strange just to be here.
"Tian Ding... his time is not far off. Is he preparing to fight to the death to bless his descendants? No, that's not his personality..."
Fang Qing was suspicious and glanced at the Heavenly Cauldron a few more times, gradually realizing something was wrong: "Huh? This is..."
His gaze clearly caught Tian Ding's attention, and he looked over as well, a hint of doubt on his face: "Fellow Daoist... could you perhaps be the sword cultivator who annihilated the Jiang and Lu families back then?"
"good."
Fang Qing responded aloofly, sparing with words.
Zhan Hongxiu, standing beside him, seemed eager to say a few more words to Fang Qing to thank him for saving her life back then, yet she also felt a strange sense of awe...
"What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling so strange? Could it be?"
She felt quite puzzled and lowered her head, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
Stab it!
Just then, Qin Ruxue waved the array flags, and various runes flew out to stabilize the light arc channel.
"The secret passage has been opened, and this period will last for one and a half months..."
"I need not elaborate on the rules; let fate decide..."
With a flick of his sleeve, Master Heiyuan sent in a stream of demonic disciples, among whom was Yu Xiang'er, one of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators leading the way!
"No wonder, her cultivation is almost at the peak of Foundation Establishment, right? And she's a disciple of True Person Hei Yuan... After I killed that eldest disciple, she was highly valued..." Fang Qing and Yu Xiang'er exchanged glances, then walked into the void passage as if they were just passersby...
Zhou Tian Xing Palace, a secret realm.
With a flash of light, Fang Qing's figure appeared out of thin air.
"This is the secret realm? It is indeed quite mysterious..."
He looked around at his home, which appeared to be a dense forest.
Deep within the dense forest, a second-tier demonic beast was circling.
At this moment, the emerald green python, as thick as a water bucket, coiled up in a circle, wishing its own aura could be reduced to that of an ant.
As a second-tier demonic beast, its innate senses were far more acute, and it knew that Fang Qing was not someone to be trifled with, almost comparable to a third-tier demon king. Whoosh!
Fang Qing naturally had no intention of causing trouble for a snake demon. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and a scroll of black iron map emerged—it was the "Zhou Tian Xing Gong Scroll" I.
"Yes, gathering materials in the outer areas is something that Qi Refining disciples do... Now I don't even need to refine [Kui Wood] magic artifacts to keep for myself, because everything brought out by the Taibai Island side is mine!"
Fang Qing's target has always been the core area behind that dense fog of restrictions!
"First... we should get the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, and then go to the 'Step to Emptiness Hall' where Ancestor Bihai passed away... There are still restrictions deep inside that hall, which obviously contain secrets that even True Person Bihai could not obtain."
"Finally, if there's time, you can explore the other markers on the map..."
With a single gesture, Fang Qing summoned the Killing Wolf sword, which broke through the air in front of him, merging him and his sword into one, transforming into a beam of sword light that sped towards the depths of the secret realm.
Wherever they went, whether it was the original monsters of the secret realm or the disciples of the three major forces who entered, they all bowed their heads and dared not offend them in the slightest.
Before long, a white fog suddenly came into view.
"Um?"
Fang Qing suddenly felt a weight on his body, but did not resist, landing in front of the white mist: "There is an anti-flight restriction? The restrictions here are probably stronger when faced with a strong opponent... The people who built this secret realm were at least Nascent Soul stage monsters, so it is not advisable to resist them head-on."
He landed in the white mist, his body twisting and turning like a dragon revealing its claws, and he moved forward at great speed.
Occasionally, with a light tap of his "Kill the Wolf" sword, wails and screams would emanate from within the white mist, but these did nothing to hinder his progress. "My first target is still the Five Elements Fruit Tree!"
"Even if there are other great treasures and opportunities in this secret realm, what's most important to me right now is successfully forming my core. Everything else is meaningless." Fang Qing's eyes were like swords as he took another step forward.
Whoosh!
A gentle breeze blew, the thick fog dissipated, and the world suddenly became clear, revealing distant peaks and the shadowy, intricate light of the protective barrier.
Referring to the iron scroll of the Zhou Tian Xing Palace, he identified the direction and quickly began to climb...
"As expected... this secret realm is full of opportunities."
Zhan Hongxiu was dressed in a green robe with crimson sleeves, clearly forged into a magical artifact. With a flick of her sleeves, thousands of runes flew out, like red leaves, shimmering and colorful, yet carrying a silent killing intent.
In front of her, a yellow ox lay on the ground, revealing a third-tier thousand-year-old spiritual herb behind it.
Zhan Hongxiu immediately beamed with joy and carefully put away the spiritual herb.
With her current cultivation level, she could easily roam freely in the outer reaches of the secret realm, and thanks to her luck, she often managed to find quite a few good things. "I really have to thank that Master Zhong this time. If it weren't for his strong opposition... how could such a good thing have come my way?"
Zhan Hongxiu was also a little puzzled. There were plenty of Foundation Establishment cultivators on Taibai Island who were closer to her than she was, and there were even more Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators outside who were willing to spend all their money to buy a ticket and take a gamble.
But Zhong Lingxiu ultimately gave the spot to her, much to the envy of her mermaid sister.
"If the peripheral areas are like this, how abundant must the opportunities be in the core areas?"
However, having already taken too many opportunities, Zhan Hongxiu stopped thinking about it and headed towards the dense fog barrier.
"I don't even expect to be able to defeat the late-stage overhauls of the Azure Sea Sect and the Extinction Sea Alliance. I'll be content if I can just find a loophole and pick up a piece of the pie..."
As Zhan Hongxiu thought this to herself, she suddenly felt a stirring in her heart.
"This is... the aura of the 'Turtle and Crane Longevity Mantra'? I clearly placed the Longevity Turtle on Sanyuan Island..."
If the Longevity Turtle were kept in the Spirit Beast Bag, it would definitely count as a Foundation Establishment spot, so there's no such good thing.
However, second-tier puppets without any life force might be able to slip through undetected by hiding them in storage bags.
But at this moment, Zhan Hongxiu actually felt a slight tremor in her own cultivation technique, as if... there was a longevity tortoise in this secret realm who was also practicing the "Tortoise and Crane Longevity Technique"!