140: Chapter 140 The Secret Realm Awakens

Lin Xuan was awakened by a crisp sound of birds chirping.

It was not the sharp cry of seagulls, but rather a melodious tune like that of an oriole, carrying an indescribable rhythm that seemed to drill into his ears, beat by beat.

He opened his eyes.

What met his eyes was a strange sky.

It was not the grayish-blue of the sky above Chenjiao Island, but a nearly transparent pale purple, as if dyed by faint lightning, or perhaps the haziness of morning mist that had yet to dissipate.

He was lying on a patch of soft grass.

Beneath him was emerald green grass that reached his ankles; the blades were slender, tipped with a hint of purple, swaying gently with every breeze.

Lin Xuan did not rush to get up.

He first moved his fingers, confirming that his limbs were still there.

Then he circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, feeling Spiritual Qi surge from his Dantian and flow smoothly through his Meridians—there were no issues, the circulation of Spiritual Qi was normal, and the thunder seed in his Dantian was stable and bright, its size and color identical to before he lost consciousness.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Propping himself up to sit, he pressed his palm against the grass and felt tiny electric currents jumping between the blades, similar to the sensation of static electricity when stepping on dry fur.

"Crackle."

It was very light and crisp.

He lowered his head to look, and the purple tint at the tips of the grass blades brightened when his palm pressed down, then dimmed again.

Lin Xuan withdrew his hand and began to check his belongings.

The earth fiend bell was still being nourished in his Dantian; as soon as he stimulated it with Spiritual Qi, a dark yellow image of the bell appeared, completely undamaged.

The startling thunder whip hung at his waist, its thunder patterns still clear and without any damage.

The Thunder-Striking Thorn was hidden in his sleeve, cool to the touch and with a sharp blade.

The cloud-piercing shuttle...

He looked inward at his Dantian; the cloud-piercing shuttle was floating quietly beside the thunder seed, the cracks on its body still present but not spreading further.

He would need to find time to nourish and repair it, but there was no rush now.

He looked inward at the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse was curled up under the thunder essence fruit tree, sleeping like a small ball, its tail resting on its nose, breathing steadily.

The Pangolin was rolling around in the thunder-patterned soil area, its scales covered in dirt, looking very leisurely.

The Thunder-Light Bug was hanging on the thunder-attracting vine, its purple light flickering on and off as if it were breathing.

All three Spirit Beasts were safe and sound.

Lin Xuan was completely relieved.

He stood up and looked around.

This was a vast grassland.

The grassland extended to the horizon, with no end in sight.

In the distance, there were a few low hills with sparse trees growing on them; the trunks were dark brown, and the leaves had a faint purple hue.

The air was fresh.

It was not the salty, fishy smell of the seaside, but the unique fragrance of plants mixed with the scent of earth; taking a deep breath made one feel refreshed.

But what concerned Lin Xuan most was the Spiritual Qi.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was extremely high.

It was at least three times that of Chenjiao Island.

Moreover, the proportion of Thunder Spiritual Energy was very large; with every breath, he could feel the Thunder Spiritual Energy surging into his lungs along his trachea, resonating with the Thunder Spiritual Energy inside his body.

He tried to circulate the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art.

The Spiritual Qi flowed through his Meridians, moving nearly twice as fast as usual.

After one cycle, the thunder seed in his Dantian was noticeably brighter.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surprise in his heart.

He was just about to release the Herb-Seeking Mouse to scout the surroundings—

A voice suddenly came from the sky.

That voice had no source.

It did not seem to come from any particular direction, but rather sounded from all directions simultaneously, or as if it appeared directly in everyone's mind.

Ancient, peaceful, and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, it sounded like it was stating a fact.

"Fellow Daoists, welcome to the Venerable Bai Yu Secret Realm."

Lin Xuan looked up abruptly.

He expanded his Divine Sense to its full extent, sweeping in all directions.

Nothing.

There was no trace of anyone within a hundred zhang radius.

The voice continued.

"I am the Formation spirit of this Secret Realm, guarding here under the orders of my master, Venerable Bai Yu. This Secret Realm was left behind by the Venerable before his Ascension, with the intention of cultivating someone to receive his Legacy."

Formation spirit.

Secret Realm Formation spirit.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, committing these two terms to memory.

He had heard of Formation spirits—after a high-level Formation has operated for a long time, the core of the Formation may develop simple intelligence, responsible for maintaining the operation of the Formation.

But a Formation spirit capable of speaking and possessing clear logic must at least belong to a great Formation set up by a Cultivator above the Soul Transformation Stage.

"The Venerable was a Thunder Cultivator. Before his Ascension, he deduced the heavenly secrets and foresaw a great catastrophe coming to this realm. Born in this realm, the Venerable was unwilling to sit by and watch the living suffer, so he left this Secret Realm to find a fated person to inherit his mantle, so that when the catastrophe descends, they might contribute their strength to protect this realm."

The voice paused, seemingly giving everyone time to digest the information.

Lin Xuan stood where he was, motionless.

Venerable Bai Yu.

Ascended Cultivator.

Thunder Cultivator.

Every label of this Secret Realm was closely related to him.

He was a Thunder Cultivator, and the owner of the Secret Realm was also a Thunder Cultivator.

He needed Opportunity, and this Secret Realm was the greatest Opportunity.

But he did not rush to get excited.

A Secret Realm left behind by an Ascended Cultivator sounded like a tremendous Opportunity, but the greater the Opportunity, the greater the risk.

He had to understand the rules.

"The rules of the Secret Realm are as follows," the Formation spirit's voice sounded again.

"First, killing is prohibited within the Secret Realm. Those who kill will be rejected by the Secret Realm, teleported out, and will never be allowed to enter again."

Lin Xuan felt a sense of relief.

Killing is prohibited.

This rule was extremely favorable to someone cautious like him.

His combat power was not weak, but he never actively sought trouble. If someone wanted to attack him, they would be the ones expelled by the Secret Realm.

"Second, there is a Nine-Story Stone Tower in the center of the Secret Realm, which is the place of the Legacy. The stone tower will give different tests according to the Cultivation level of the entrant. Those who pass the tests can obtain the Venerable's Legacy."

Nine-Story Stone Tower.

Place of the Legacy.

Lin Xuan silently noted this down.

"Third, the Secret Realm will close in three years. At that time, all survivors will be teleported out. If the Legacy is obtained, others will be teleported out."

After saying this, the voice fell completely silent.

There was no longer any echo.

On the grassland, only the rustling of wind blowing through the grass and the occasional bird chirping from afar remained.

Lin Xuan stood in place, digesting this information.

Nine-Story Stone Tower, place of the Legacy, three years.

He needed to hurry to the central area and find that stone tower.

But at the same time, he could not be reckless.

Although killing is prohibited within the Secret Realm, Yao Beasts are not protected by the rules. Furthermore, not being able to kill does not mean one cannot steal Opportunity—knocking someone unconscious, stealing their items, and walking away does not count as killing.

Lin Xuan went through these possibilities in his mind and came to a conclusion—act low-key and first get to know the environment.

He released the Herb-Seeking Mouse.

As soon as the little guy came out, it excitedly rolled around on the grass, belly up, tail swinging back and forth, clearly very satisfied with the Spiritual Qi environment here.

Lin Xuan squatted down and patted its head.

"Time to work, look around and see if there are any good things nearby."

The Herb-Seeking Mouse flipped over and raised its nose to sniff.

Its little nose twitched, its whiskers trembling along with it; after a few breaths, it darted off towards the southeast.

It ran for a dozen zhang before stopping, looking back at Lin Xuan, and squeaking twice.

"Follow up."

Lin Xuan stepped forward to follow.

The grass on the grassland was very soft, like stepping on a thick carpet, but the purple tint at the tips of the grass blades would brighten for an instant when stepped on, emitting a faint crackling sound.