132: Heading to the real second floor, Li Yi's backup plan.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Elders from various sects turned pale instantly.

Only then did they notice that the palace walls were densely engraved with names—all of them were Cultivators who had gone missing in the Secret Realm over the past century!

"The true core of the island's Secret Realm is somewhere those of the Sea Race cannot enter yet." Li Yi flicked his sleeve, and the teleportation Formation glowed brilliantly. "It requires the pure Bloodline of the Human Race as a key."

The sword soul on his chest suddenly emitted a burst of deep blue light, projecting the phantom of a giant bronze gate before the teleportation Formation.

Seeing this phantom, the Elders of each sect exclaimed, "A miracle!"

"Everyone, the true Secret Realm Legacy has opened. Please return and inform those from your sects who seek the Legacy: the showdown will be at the island in the center of the lake on the second floor!"

*Boom!*

The phantom of the giant bronze gate slowly opened, and a torrential amount of Spiritual Qi surged out like a tide.

Behind the gate, a small emerald island suspended in the center of the lake was faintly visible, with twelve pillars of light in various colors soaring into the sky!

The eyes of the Elders from various sects widened; those were clearly twelve different ancient legacies!

"Quick! Send word back to the base!"

"Notify all Disciples to rush to the island in the center of the lake immediately!"

The streaks of light from the Jade Slip transmissions instantly filled the sky, yet Li Yi remained standing still, looking meaningfully at the twelve pillars of light.

He knew very well that the twelve pillars of light were merely twelve Legacy techniques and not the actual ancient Legacy itself. The true ancient Legacy was located within the ancient palaces of the two islands on the first floor of the Secret Realm!

On the third floor of the Immortal Island Secret Realm, a large number of Cultivators skilled in Formations were debugging the teleportation Formation.

Jiang Yan and Heartless could only stand aside and wait for news, as neither of them was proficient in Formations.

Just as everyone was waiting anxiously, the teleportation Formation suddenly emitted bursts of pale blue light.

"It's open! It's open!" a Disciple who understood Formations shouted.

As the Disciple finished speaking, several Elders suddenly stepped out of the teleportation Formation, followed by the silver-haired Li Yi appearing before everyone.

"Revered Master, your hair..." Jiang Yan looked shocked, as Li Yi appeared slightly older now.

Li Yi's silver hair was as white as snow, shimmering with a faint cold light under the dim glow of the Secret Realm. He raised a hand to brush the long hair over his shoulder, his lips curling slightly. "What? Do you think your Revered Master has grown old?"

Although he was joking, the sharp Sword Intent surrounding him caused the nearby Cultivators to instinctively take three steps back.

Jiang Yan hurriedly waved his hands. "I wouldn't dare! Revered Master, this is... uh... looking quite ethereal!"

Heartless pressed his palms together to the side, his eyes shining. "Senior Li must have obtained a great Opportunity. I presume your cultivation has reached a higher level?"

Li Yi smiled without answering. With a flick of his fingers, two streaks of sword light sank into the foreheads of Jiang Yan and Heartless. "The second floor of the Secret Realm has opened, but remember..."

Li Yi's voice pierced into their Sea of Consciousness like frost. "If you see a bronze palace, crush this Sword Qi immediately. What is locked inside that bronze palace is not a Legacy..."

The Sword Qi at his fingertips felt slightly warm on their foreheads, faintly projecting an image.

In the image, twelve bronze pillars stood in the hall, each with a dried corpse shackled to it. Beneath the shriveled skin, blue patterns writhed like living creatures!

Jiang Yan's pupils constricted as he instantly understood his Revered Master's hint. Immediately after, he sent a transmission to Li Yi, exchanging the secrets he had discovered with him.

When Li Yi learned that Jiang Yan had once been teleported to an altar, a look of shock flashed in his eyes.

What he hadn't expected was that, in addition to this outer layer of the Secret Realm, even the underlying Secret Realm had been covered with a fake layer by the Sea Race.

Heartless, who had been listening in, widened his eyes. Was this something he was supposed to hear?

The Sea Race actually held such a massive secret?

"Revered Master, Martial Uncle Murong and the others won't be in trouble, will they?" Jiang Yan asked via transmission.

Li Yi replied via transmission, "Likely not. After all, the Sea Race won't waste their energy on human Cultivators who can't achieve much. Everything they do is for their descent into the human world. Thus, they will only try to control Genius Cultivators or powerful ones with significant backgrounds as much as possible."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan understood immediately and asked via transmission, "Then, should we still enter the second floor?"

"Of course we enter." Li Yi's transmission echoed in Jiang Yan's Sea of Consciousness with a chilling smile. "It would be a pity not to see the trap the Sea Race spent so much effort setting up. Besides, there are twelve techniques on the second floor; learning a few more wouldn't hurt."

The Buddhist beads in Heartless's hand suddenly grew hot. He whispered, "This humble monk's Rebirth Mantra toward these things..."

Li Yi interrupted meaningfully, "Cannot be transcended."

His silver hair moved without any wind. "Because they aren't even considered dead things."

Suddenly, a clamor came from behind.

"Look! The entrance to the second floor of the Secret Realm has stabilized!"

Watching the crowd of Cultivators swarm forward, Li Yi nodded to Jiang Yan.

"Go on."

Li Yi flicked his sleeve, and an invisible force sent Jiang Yan and Heartless steadily into the center of the teleportation Formation. With a wave of his finger in the air, two deep blue Talismans were quietly placed into their sleeves.

"This 'Source-Tracing Talisman' will protect you from being deceived by illusions and can also dispel the pollution within the pillars of light."

He paused, then transmitted, "Remember, among the twelve techniques: red is for Artifact Refining, purple is for Alchemy. Do not touch any other colors!"

Just as he finished speaking, the teleportation Formation glowed brilliantly.

The last thing Jiang Yan saw was his Revered Master's eyes, which had suddenly turned sharp and cold amidst his flowing silver hair.

Li Yi was staring intently at a certain Cultivator mixed in the crowd; on that person's waist... was a deep blue token!

"Come out quickly..."

Before Li Yi could finish his sentence, the teleportation Formation had already begun to rotate.

*Boom!*

The blue light erupting from the teleportation Formation soared into the sky like a furious dragon, but cracks appeared the moment it was about to reach the second floor of the Secret Realm.

*Crack!*

The entire teleportation Formation suddenly fractured!

The Cultivators within the Formation discovered to their horror that they were being swept away by the blue pillars of light, falling toward the bottom of the island in the center of the lake!

At the moment the sensation of weightlessness hit, Jiang Yan finally spotted the Sea Race member disguised as a human Cultivator!

"Oh no!"

Jiang Yan's pupils constricted; he saw it clearly.

The "Cultivator's" face twisted and deformed in the blue light, the corners of its mouth tearing open to its ears, revealing a mouth full of fine, sharp teeth! Even more terrifying, the deep blue token at its waist was transforming into countless threads, frantically coiling around the necks of the surrounding Cultivators!

"Sea Race scum!" Jiang Yan roared, and his Spirit Treasure longsword unsheathed with a bang!

The moment the sword edge slashed out, the Sword Qi left by Li Yi erupted simultaneously, actually carving a gap in the falling blue pillar of light!

"Monk! Save them!"

Heartless had already been forming hand signs and chanting incantations. The Buddhist beads in his hand transformed into eighteen streaks of golden light, accurately looping around the nearest few Cultivators. But just as he exerted force to pull them...

*Pfft!*

The disguised Sea Race member suddenly self-destructed!

Deep blue liquid rained down from the sky; every drop twisted into the shape of a small insect in mid-air, frantically burrowing toward the Cultivators' facial orifices!

The Sword Qi on Jiang Yan's chest flashed wildly as Li Yi's voice suddenly exploded in his Sea of Consciousness: "Use the sword soul as a guide to slay all sea filth! Use the Bright Talisman to save people, and the Suppression Talisman to protect the foundation!"

Jiang Yan grasped the instruction. Driving the sword soul with his Spirit Treasure longsword, he quickly slashed at those blue threads.

"Bright Heart Talisman, rise!"

Jiang Yan bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of Essence Blood into his palm, using the blood as ink to draw Talismans in the air. Golden light suddenly appeared as twelve "Bright Heart Talismans" shone like the midday sun, leaving the sky full of blue insects with nowhere to hide!

"Sea-Suppressing Talisman, fall!"

Heartless simultaneously threw eighteen Buddhist beads. Each bead transformed into a golden Demon-Suppressing Monument in the air, tightly protecting the rescued Cultivators.

As the inscriptions on the monuments flowed, the blue insects that had burrowed into the Cultivators' bodies let out shrill screams and were forced out!

"Slash!"

Jiang Yan took the Opportunity to swing his sword. The Spirit Treasure longsword channeled Li Yi's Sword Qi, tracing a mysterious trajectory in the air.

Wherever the sword light passed, the blue insects burst one after another, actually igniting a sea of ghostly blue fire in mid-air!

A deafening roar came from the bottom of the lake, and the entire body of water began to boil. Something gargantuan was waking up!

Heartless suddenly grabbed Jiang Yan's shoulder. "Look at the lake surface!"

On the foreheads of the rescued Cultivators, a deep blue sword seal emerged—it was exactly the trump card Li Yi had left behind!

Jiang Yan realized. "Revered Master is truly awesome; it turns out he was prepared all along..."

Before he could finish, all the sword seals erupted simultaneously, transforming into streaks of light that wove into a net, forcefully suppressing the boiling lake surface!

"Let's go!"

Taking advantage of the gap, Jiang Yan pulled Heartless and retreated quickly. As he turned, he caught one last glimpse of the bronze palace gates at the bottom of the lake—the twelve chains had all snapped.

*Revered Master is the GOAT!*

"Phew..."

Everyone slumped on the sandy beach of the second-floor island, still shaken. Jiang Yan looked back toward the center of the lake, which was now shrouded in a massive blue mist. He could faintly see Li Yi's Sword Qi weaving through the mist like a swimming dragon.

While everyone was resting, a rescued Xuantian Sect Disciple suddenly coughed violently and spat out a deep blue scale!