346: Chapter 346: Attraction

The next day.

Su Qinghan was awakened by a burst of urgent knocking on her door.

When she threw off the quilt and sat up, the daylight was just beginning to filter through the window paper, casting a greyish-white glow.

The knocking outside continued, accompanied by Xiao Chan's hushed voice: "Sister Qingyan! Sister Qingyan, are you up yet? Something big has happened!"

Su Qinghan threw a robe over her shoulders, got out of bed, and opened the door.

Xiao Chan stood on the steps, her round face flushed red. Seeing Su Qinghan, she immediately rushed forward.

"Something big has happened!"

Xiao Chan grabbed her sleeve, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"The news came down from the sect last night—a primordial Ling Sha Secret Realm has been discovered at the border!"

"The Alliance Master said they are selecting elite Disciples to explore it, and Fairy Hehuan nominated you first thing this morning!"

Su Qinghan was slightly stunned: "A Ling Sha Secret Realm?"

"That's right! I heard it's an Immortal Cave left behind by an ancient Cultivator, or perhaps a battlefield—there are so many good things inside!"

"Ling Sha Crystal Cores, ancient Cultivation Technique Incomplete Manuals, and even Ling Sha Springs for Body Tempering!"

Xiao Chan counted on her fingers, becoming more excited as she spoke.

"So many people are fighting to go this time, but Fairy Hehuan specifically mentioned you first!"

The string in Su Qinghan's heart tightened once more.

A Ling Sha Secret Realm.

This was a ruin left by an ancient Cultivator, and it would surely be filled with dense Ling Sha Qi.

Her Mystic Yin Returning Essence Body had a natural affinity for Yin Sha Qi. If objects for Body Tempering like Ling Sha Springs truly existed in the Secret Realm, perhaps she could use this Opportunity to force out her Heart Demon.

But it could also have the opposite effect.

Ling Sha Qi shared the same source as vengeful spirits; if the Heart Demon seed were nurtured and strengthened in that environment...

"When do we depart?" she asked.

"The morning after tomorrow!"

Xiao Chan counted on her fingers. "I heard Poison Lady is also on the list, along with several experts from the Youyun Sect. The Alliance Master is leading the team personally!"

Su Qinghan's heart skipped a beat.

Xiao Ran was going too.

She lowered her eyes, pressing her surging thoughts into the deepest part of her heart.

"Alright, I understand. I will go and prepare."

After Xiao Chan left, Su Qinghan closed the door and sat with her short blade laid across her knees for a long time.

The Ling Sha Secret Realm might contain what she wanted.

The Ling Sha Spring that could force out the Heart Demon seed, the Opportunity that could allow her to achieve a Breakthrough in her cultivation, or perhaps even clues hidden regarding the true schemes of the Demonic Path.

But Xiao Ran was there, and Poison Lady was there too.

Meeting in the narrow confines of the Secret Realm, everything would become uncontrollable.

She looked down at the golden pattern on the blade's surface and said softly: "I'll take the gamble."

...

Two mornings later, more than twenty people gathered in front of the Eternal Night Demon Sect's mountain gate.

Su Qinghan stood towards the back of the group, her gaze sweeping over the rows in front.

Poison Lady was in the front row, her dark green robes motionless in the morning breeze, her expression cold and stern as she looked ahead.

Four or five people from the Youyun Sect had come, led by a pale-faced middle-aged man with a string of bone bells hanging from his waist.

Aside from her, the Hehuan Sect was represented by Fairy Hehuan herself and a taciturn young woman.

Xiao Ran stood at the very front of the group, his back to everyone, speaking in low tones with an old man in grey robes.

He had changed into a black martial outfit today, making him look a bit sharper than usual.

As if sensing something, he tilted his head slightly and swept a glance toward the back of the group.

His gaze landed precisely on Su Qinghan.

That glance was very brief, so fast that one might think it was an illusion.

But Su Qinghan saw it clearly.

The corners of his lips curved upward in the faintest arc.

Then Xiao Ran turned back and raised his hand to the group: "Let's go."

Heading north, the group traveled for about half a day before entering a desolate hilly region.

The terrain became increasingly rugged, the soil changing from withered yellow to greyish-black, devoid of any vegetation, and the air was filled with a faint, lingering smell of burnt rot.

The further they went, the stronger that scent became.

Eventually, it almost condensed into a tangible mist, pressing heavily over everyone's heads.

Xiao Ran reined in his horse before a low-lying valley and dismounted.

The air in the center of the valley seemed to have been torn apart; a vertical black rift hovered in mid-air, its edges shimmering with dark purple electric arcs, and the interior of the rift churned with the colors of Chaos.

Grey, black, ochre-red, dark gold—like a pot of mashed-up paint.

"The entrance to the Secret Realm."

Xiao Ran raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.

"The spatial rift is unstable. I will use my Divine Sense to open a path. Follow closely and do not get separated."

After speaking, he walked toward the rift first, releasing his Integration Stage Divine Sense from his brow, condensing it into a transparent barrier that slowly probed into the rift.

The dark purple electric arcs crackled upon striking the barrier, and the rift was pried open into an opening wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Enter."

The group filed in one by one.

Su Qinghan was in the middle of the line. The moment she stepped into the rift, a wave of intense dizziness washed over her, and everything before her eyes was stretched into thin streams of light.

By the time she regained her footing, she was standing on an entirely different surface.

The world inside the Secret Realm was inverted.

Above were deep red clouds, and beneath her feet was cracked black rocky ground. In the distance, countless broken stone pillars jutted out of the ground at angles, like a Stone Forest snapped by a giant's hand.

The Spiritual Qi and Ling Sha Qi in the air were so dense they had almost condensed into mist; every breath felt like swallowing water mixed with rust.

Su Qinghan's Mystic Yin Returning Essence Body began to hum the moment she entered the Secret Realm.

She was far too familiar with this Yin Sha Qi—so familiar that every pore on her body was greedily absorbing it.

Her body craved more Ling Sha, but the Heart Demon deep in her Sea of Consciousness also became excited, swelling slightly like a seed that had been watered.

She suppressed that urge, concealed her aura, and disguised herself with the reactions expected of an ordinary Soul Transformation Cultivator.

She frowned slightly, feigning discomfort.

The group advanced along the edge of the Stone Forest. The further in they went, the denser the Ling Sha Qi became, and occasionally, scattered bone fragments and broken weapons could be seen on the ground.

A Disciple from the Youyun Sect picked up a sword hilt and examined it for a moment, then suddenly shuddered, his face turning deathly pale as he threw it away.

The sword hilt was wrapped in visible black threads that were wriggling like living things.

"Do not touch anything."

Xiao Ran walked at the very front without turning his head, his voice low but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"This Secret Realm is completely different from previous ones; the Spiritual Qi here is too heavy."

"Furthermore, many people have died here. Their lingering resentment clings to the objects; if you touch them, your Sea of Consciousness will be gnawed away."

Su Qinghan stepped on a piece of rubble to leap onto a low slope and looked ahead.

At the end of the Stone Forest was an open depression. In the center of the depression was a massive chasm, and from the depths of the chasm, a faint blue light shone, as if something were breathing beneath it.

Just as she was observing the terrain, the rock surface beneath her feet suddenly began to shake violently.