119: Linxian Secret Realm, Li Sanguang

Linxian Archipelago.

This place was surrounded by the sea, and the waves were turbulent.

The sky was a hazy gray; even a flying boat could not penetrate the layer of clouds in the firmament.

There were only two ways to reach the Linxian Secret Realm: either by taking a sea vessel for three months or by relying on a grand teleportation array.

Jiang Yan stood at the edge of an island cliff as the salty sea breeze, mixed with damp mist, blew against his face.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the distant silhouette of the archipelago shrouded in gray fog, looking like a giant beast lying in wait within the vast ocean.

“Three hundred and sixty floating islands, each set with ancient Restrictions.” Li Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his robes flapping loudly in the wind. “Do you see those golden pillars of light? Those are temporary teleportation arrays set up by the various Schools.”

Jiang Yan looked in the direction his Revered Master pointed, and sure enough, several flashes of golden light were faintly visible through the haze.

Further away, several giant multi-decked ships were cutting through the waves, the flags on their bows indicating they were from Sects of different regions.

“Revered Master, over there is...” Jiang Yan suddenly pointed toward the sea surface.

A column of water shot up into the sky, with scales faintly shimmering within it. Nearby ships scrambled to avoid it, and some Cultivators who accidentally fell into the water were swallowed by whirlpools in the blink of an eye.

“The Sea Race.” Li Yi’s face was cold. “Every time the Linxian Secret Realm opens, it is inevitably accompanied by a bloodbath. Therefore, any Sect with the capability will open a grand teleportation array to avoid the fate of those large ships in the sea.”

Jiang Yan nodded and asked, “Revered Master, when will this Secret Realm open?”

“At midnight tonight, the Linxian Secret Realm will open. At that time, you will follow me directly into the upper-layer islands. If we are separated by the Secret Realm, we will meet on the third-layer island. Do not attempt to venture into the top two layers alone,” Li Yi warned.

“What about Martial Uncle Murong and the others?” Jiang Yan followed up.

“Teams two and three are responsible for the middle-layer resource zone. Teams four and five are responsible for guarding the Secret Realm entrance and helping to open the teleportation portal leading to the upper layer,” Li Yi explained.

Jiang Yan nodded thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over the deployments of the major forces in the distance.

He noticed Fire Cloud Sect Disciples setting up Formation Flags on the outskirts of the main island, while people from the Dao Yun Sect were secretly marking specific navigation routes.

“Remember.” Li Yi suddenly lowered his voice and drew a stealth Talismanic Incantation on Jiang Yan’s palm. “The first and second layers of the islands have ‘Spirit-Devouring Mist.’ This Talismanic Incantation can protect you for six hours. If you exceed the time limit...” He gave a meaningful look at the jade pendant on Jiang Yan’s waist, “then crush it. Even if it exposes your position, you must evacuate immediately.”

As they were speaking, the sea surface suddenly churned violently.

Twelve waterspouts shot into the sky, condensing into crystal stairs in mid-air.

Martial Uncle Murong’s voice transmission rang in everyone’s ears simultaneously: “Dao Yun Sect has started clearing the way ahead of schedule! All teams, get in position!”

Jiang Yan’s pupils constricted slightly. Inside those crystal-clear stairs, crimson blood threads were clearly surging.

This was no path; it was a flesh-and-blood trap laid by the Sea Race!

“Go!” A leaf-like green boat flew out of Li Yi’s sleeve. “While the other Sects are acting as pathfinding stones, we will take the ‘Heavenly Rift’!”

He pointed his sword finger toward the firmament, and the cloud layer actually split open to reveal a golden gap.

As Jiang Yan rose with his Revered Master on a flying sword, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of the first batch of Cultivators rushing onto the crystal stairs, being silently... digested and absorbed by the steps.

‘Holy crap, they’re paving the way with their lives!’

What Jiang Yan didn’t know was that the reason the Linxian Secret Realm was called a Great Sect Secret Realm was that it was a path to fortune carved out by the flesh and blood of various Sects.

Any resource that could be brought out of the Secret Realm could be sold for astronomical prices in the outside world. Even a single Dao Source Fruit could trigger a war that could destroy a Sect.

As the “Heavenly Rift” was opened, Qingyun Sect Disciples rushed into the passage Li Yi had created one after another.

When Jiang Yan and the others landed on a floating island, Li Yi turned and asked, “How many Disciples did we lose?”

“Eighteen!” Lü Yang reported.

Li Yi’s face instantly turned as dark as iron, and his fists clenched inside his sleeves until they cracked.

He looked at the distant crystal stairs that were still continuously devouring Cultivators, a flash of blood-red appearing in his eyes: “Eighteen Foundation Establishment elites... I will remember this debt!”

Regarding the hatred for the Sea Race, all Sects could only suffer in silence; after all, it was impossible for them to enter the ocean depths to fight them. The only means of revenge was to continuously excavate the resources of the Linxian Secret Realm; only by doing so could they weaken the strength of the Sea Race.

“Pass down the order: use this floating island as our base camp. When the Secret Realm opens at midnight, everyone will enter according to the plan.” As Li Yi spoke, he tossed a tortoiseshell compass to Hua Yunlan. “You take the third team to collect ‘Nine Netherworld Orchids,’ ‘Snake Tongue Herbs,’ ‘Dao Source Fruits,’ and ‘Ye Yang Fruits.’ Remember...” He tapped heavily on the compass with his fingertip, “if you see these blood patterns, retreat immediately. That thing is not something you can touch!”

“Yes, thank you, Senior Brother Li,” Hua Yunlan said, cupping her fists in gratitude.

“Senior Brother Li, what about us?” Murong Xue asked.

Li Yi smiled and tossed a yellow tortoiseshell compass to Murong Xue, then took out four massive spatial storage chests.

Seeing these four massive spatial storage chests, all the Disciples present were dumbfounded... He wanted to empty out the Linxian Secret Realm!

Li Yi ignored the Disciples’ expressions and said in a serious tone, “Your second team is responsible for collecting mineral deposits. I want you to move every Ore you see, regardless of size. Do not leave a single piece for the Sea Race! If the compass vibrates, immediately move to another mining area.”

“Yes!” Murong Xue cupped her fists and took the order.

Jiang Yan secretly gave Li Yi a thumbs-up, thinking to himself that this Revered Master... was a beast!

‘Good heavens, he really lives up to that nickname, Li Sanguang. He absolutely wouldn’t take a single needle or thread from the masses—but as a result, he left them with nothing but a single needle and thread!’

After the detailed task assignments, the Qingyun Sect Disciples began setting up the temporary camp.

“Revered Master, you were well-prepared for this, weren’t you?” Jiang Yan asked tentatively.

A smile played on the corner of Li Yi’s mouth, and his tone was flat: “When I came in back then, I already thought about this day. It just so happens that the Linxian Secret Realm opens once every sixty years. To empty out this Secret Realm, I have made full preparations.”

Hearing the “beast” Revered Master’s methods, Jiang Yan was speechless. He felt that his own horizons were still too narrow; he simply couldn’t compare to his Revered Master’s devious schemes.

“What about the Secret Realm Legacy?” Jiang Yan asked curiously.

“Only on the fourth day will the Legacy gates of the central island open. This period of time is for us to collect resources.” After Li Yi explained, he also instilled a small technique for sound transmission into Jiang Yan’s Divine Sea.

Feeling the extra bit of memory, Jiang Yan understood the method of sound transmission and then asked, “Revered Master, are there many Legacies?”

“Do you think Legacies are as common as cabbage?” Li Yi rolled his eyes at Jiang Yan, his tone heavy. “Although there are three Legacies, no one has been able to obtain them so far.”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment and then asked, “You didn’t get one either?”

Li Yi smiled and shook his head, his tone full of superiority: “I don’t care for those things. Besides, true Legacies are not that easy to obtain. Moreover, I prefer my own Epiphanies.”

“Pfft!”

Jiang Yan almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. He felt that this “beast” Revered Master was too much of a show-off.

“You brat, you don’t understand anything. All those things I taught you were realized by me personally.” Li Yi tapped Jiang Yan’s head, his expression extremely proud.

Jiang Yan nodded noncommittally, but upon closer thought, the things he used were indeed powerful.

Whether it was making Talismanic Incantations, disguising himself, or even some modified Martial Skills, they were indeed all things Li Yi had figured out himself.

Li Yi was very strong; he was the most impressive Genius Jiang Yan had ever seen. Even if Heartless were compared to Li Yi, Monk Heartless would still be quite inferior. It could even be said that he was unrivaled among his peers.

“Alright, hurry up and pitch a tent for yourself. Save up your energy. Once the Secret Realm opens at midnight, you’ll have your work cut out for you.” As Li Yi spoke, he directly tossed an ordinary compass to Jiang Yan. “There are no directions in the Secret Realm, so use this to distinguish your orientation.”

Jiang Yan was speechless. After watching Li Yi leave, he played with the compass himself and suddenly found that the needle was spinning wildly at his Dantian.

‘Whoa, what’s the situation here?’

He subconsciously began to inspect his Dantian internally, and this look led him to discover something extraordinary.

At this moment, above his Dantian’s Foundation Establishment Platform, a massive mutated Golden Core was rotating, and above the Golden Core was that mysterious Secret Realm Core.

The Secret Realm Core was currently rotating with the Golden Core as its axis. The speed was such that for every rotation the Golden Core made, the Secret Realm Core would also make one rotation.

‘Holy mother, what is going on?’

One should know that when he broke through to the Golden Core stage, the Secret Realm Core was simply floating above the Golden Core. It was nothing like now, where it had strangely begun to orbit it.

He really wanted to go and ask Li Yi what was happening to him, but seeing how busy his Revered Master was, he simply gave up on the idea. As long as it didn’t affect his strength, it wasn’t a big deal.

Ending his internal inspection, he put the compass away, found a patch of empty ground, and began pitching his tent.