50: Chapter 50 A Chance Encounter by the Well, the Secret Realm is About to Be Unveiled

Deny it? The other party had a steady aura and sharp eyes; clearly, she was not easy to fool. She had already seen his disheveled state from climbing over the wall and the bulging Storage Pouch at his waist (obtained from Xuanbing Pavilion and Yinkui Sect). How could an ordinary Loose Cultivator have such a "harvest"?

Attack suddenly? Her cultivation level was unknown (at least Qi Refining Late Stage), and she carried herself with composure. Faced with a blood-stained stranger who had suddenly broken in, she remained calm and collected, suggesting she had something to rely on. Attacking rashly might lead to an uncertain outcome and could alert the pursuers outside the wall.

Or perhaps play along and go with the flow? Maybe he could learn details about the Secret Realm from her, or even use her strength to escape his current predicament?

In a flash, Lin Ye made up his mind.

He suppressed his churning blood and Qi, forced a look of lingering fear and vigilance onto his face, nodded slightly, and said in a hoarse voice: "Fellow Daoist, you are here too? I was being pursued by enemies and stumbled into this place by accident. I didn't expect to run into a fellow Cultivator."

While speaking, he calmly sized up the woman. Her moon-white robe was of extraordinary quality, embroidered with faint cloud patterns, not the common style of Northern Sects. She held a primitive compass, its needle trembling slightly, pointing toward the dry well. Her temperament was cold and ethereal, not like that of a deceitful person, but rather like a Disciple out for training from a major Sect.

Hearing this, the woman's gaze swept over Lin Ye, lingering for a moment on the Storage Pouch at his waist and the bone ring he gripped tightly in his hand, but she didn't ask further, merely saying indifferently: "Are the people chasing you from the Xuanbing Pavilion and the Yinkui Sect?"

Lin Ye felt a slight chill in his heart; this woman had called it out in one sentence. She was certainly not simple. He nodded silently.

"To be able to escape from those two parties and even make them suffer a great loss, you have some impressive skills, Fellow Daoist." The woman's tone remained flat, with no discernible praise or blame. "However, this is not a safe place either. The City Lord's Mansion guards and the people from the Xuanbing Pavilion will soon search their way here."

She paused and looked at the dry well: "This well is a hidden entrance to the 'Ice Soul Secret Realm'. I have been calculating here for three days, and only today did I determine the exact time the entrance opens—in half an hour."

Lin Ye felt a stir in his heart; as expected! The dry well was the entrance to the Secret Realm! And this woman seemed to have mastered the exact opening time.

"Since you have told me this, may I ask what your intention is?" Lin Ye probed.

The woman glanced at him: "It's not about intention. The opening time for the Secret Realm entrance is short, and after entering, there is random teleportation, so the risk of going alone is too high. I see that your strength is decent, and you have a grudge against the Xuanbing Pavilion and the Yinkui Sect, so perhaps we can travel together and look out for each other. As for the harvest, it depends on one's own Opportunity."

Travel together? Look out for each other?

Lin Ye quickly weighed the pros and cons in his heart. The woman's purpose was clear, her strength was not bad, and she seemed to know a lot about the Secret Realm. Traveling with her might allow him to find the core of the Secret Realm faster and avoid danger. But he also had to be wary of her stabbing him in the back.

"May I ask how to address you, Fairy? And where are you from?" Lin Ye asked.

"My surname is Yun, with the given name 'Yao'. I am from the 'Starfall Pavilion' in the Central Plains." The woman said frankly, appearing not to hide anything.

Starfall Pavilion? Lin Ye was shocked. That was one of the top Sects in the Central Plains, famous for Artifact Refining and Formations, with strength far exceeding the likes of the Qingyun Sect or the Xuanbing Pavilion. No wonder she had such an extraordinary temperament and held a compass for calculations.

If what she said was true, she would be a reliable temporary ally.

"I am Lin Ye, just a Loose Cultivator." Lin Ye also gave a pseudonym, "I think Fairy Yun's proposal is feasible. But I wonder, what is the origin of this Ice Soul Secret Realm? And what are the risks inside?"

Yun Yao seemed somewhat surprised by Lin Ye's straightforwardness, but she didn't dwell on it and explained: "The Ice Soul Secret Realm is a fragment of a Cave Heaven left behind by the ancient 'Ice Soul True Monarch'. It opens once every sixty years, and the location is different each time, with most entrances in the extremely cold regions of the North. The Secret Realm contains the Cultivation Technique and treasures left by the Ice Soul True Monarch, but it is also full of extreme cold Restrictions, ice-type Yao Beasts, and even spatial rifts; it is fraught with danger. What's more troublesome is that this opening of the Secret Realm seems to have attracted the covetousness of many forces. In addition to Northern Sects like the Xuanbing Pavilion and the Cold Moon Sect, the Yinkui Sect has also gotten involved, and I fear their plans are not small."

Ice Soul True Monarch? Fragment of a Cave Heaven? Opens every sixty years?

Lin Ye understood in his heart; no wonder the Xuanbing Pavilion and the Yinkui Sect valued it so much. That dark red piece of metal in his hand was likely one of the pieces of "the key" to unlock a critical location in the Secret Realm.

"So that's how it is." Lin Ye nodded, "Then, may I ask if Fairy Yun has a map or relevant information about the Secret Realm?"

Yun Yao glanced at him, took a Jade Slip from her bosom, and tossed it to Lin Ye: "This is a rough map drawn by a Senior of the Starfall Pavilion after exploring the Secret Realm. It marks some known dangerous areas and potential treasure locations, but it is old and may not be accurate. You can take a look."

Lin Ye took the Jade Slip and scanned it with his Spiritual Qi. Indeed, it was a rough map. Although not detailed, it was much clearer than the markings on the qingming residual map. He quickly memorized the key information and handed the Jade Slip back: "Many thanks, Fairy."

Yun Yao put away the Jade Slip, looked up at the sky, and then at the compass in her hand: "The time is approaching. Fellow Daoist Lin, prepare yourself. The entrance only stays open for three breaths, and we may be randomly teleported to different locations after entering. If we get separated, we can meet at the 'Ice Soul Hall' marked in the center of the map."

Lin Ye nodded, adjusting his state to the best, while secretly communicating with the ancient ring yuan sha and the bone ring, preparing for any emergencies.

The noise outside the wall was getting closer; it seemed the City Lord's Mansion guards had already searched nearby.

Yun Yao's expression remained unchanged, but the needle of the compass in her hand turned faster and faster, finally pointing to the mouth of the dry well.

Inside the dry well, which was originally empty, faint, almost invisible spatial ripples suddenly surged.

"Now!" Yun Yao gave a low shout, her figure flickered, and she leaped into the well, disappearing.

Lin Ye didn't hesitate, followed closely, and jumped into the dry well.

His body passed through a layer of cold, water-like spatial membrane. A feeling of weightlessness came, and the light and shadows before his eyes shifted.

The next moment, his feet touched the ground.

A wave of cold air, even purer and more biting than that of the Beiming Cold Abyss, rushed toward him.

He appeared in a world of ice and snow, surrounded by continuous glaciers, with goose-feather snow falling from the sky and visibility extremely low.

And Yun Yao's figure was nowhere to be seen.

As expected, they were randomly teleported.

Lin Ye took a deep breath of the cold air, and the Ice Soul Sword Art in his body automatically circulated, making him feel incredibly comfortable. The ice-attribute Spiritual Qi here was so dense it was almost tangible!

He first checked himself; his injuries ached under the stimulation of the cold, but it was nothing serious. The two newly acquired Storage Pouches and the dark red metal lump were all still there.

He took out the map Jade Slip given by Yun Yao (he had memorized it, but the physical object was more intuitive), compared it with the surrounding environment, and roughly determined that he was in the "Ice Plain Area" on the outskirts of the Secret Realm.

The map showed that crossing the Ice Plain Area would lead to the "Ice Forest Area", and then to the "Ice Valley Area", with the "Ice Soul Hall" at the center. The route was marked with several dangerous areas, such as the "Storm Eye", "Ice Crack Abyss", and "Snow Yao Beast Nest".

And about a hundred miles to the northeast of his current location, there was a striking red mark on the map with a note: "Suspected 'Yan Yang Hall' ruins, containing earth fire inside, opposite to the Ice Soul Hall, possibly with conflicting Restrictions, enter with caution."

Yan Yang Hall? Opposite to the Ice Soul Hall?

Lin Ye felt a stir in his heart, recalling the cold and heat of that dark red metal lump (starfall cold iron?) and the starfall cold iron fragments.

Could it be that this Ice Soul Secret Realm contained not only the ice-attribute Legacy? But also a corresponding yang-attribute part?

And the "the key" in his hand was likely the key to opening the "Yan Yang Hall"?

He looked toward the northeast, where the wind and snow were raging, but his gaze became increasingly firm.

Go to the Yan Yang Hall ruins first to take a look!

Having made up his mind, Lin Ye identified the direction and, braving the wind and snow, took his first step into the Ice Soul Secret Realm toward the northeast.

The ice plain was vast, and the wind and snow were raging.

The wind and snow here were not ordinary; they were mixed with fine ice crystals, sharp as knives, and contained rich ice-cold Spiritual Qi. If an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator had no means to resist the cold, they would soon be frozen stiff.

Lin Ye circulated the Ice Soul Sword Art, and a layer of light blue frost armor appeared on his skin, isolating the wind and snow outside. He walked steadily, trekking through the knee-deep snow, his Spiritual Qi released to be alert for possible dangers.

After walking about ten miles, a huge ice-cracked area appeared ahead, with bottomless ice fissures crisscrossing like scars on the earth. The map marked it as the "Ice Crack Abyss" and suggested going around.

Just as Lin Ye was about to detour, his Spiritual Qi suddenly captured faint Spiritual Qi fluctuations and... the smell of blood from an ice fissure on his left?

His heart stirred, and he approached quietly.

He saw two corpses lying at the bottom of an ice fissure several zhang wide, wearing the attire of Xuanbing Pavilion Disciples, already frozen into ice sculptures. Beside the corpses were scattered some broken Magical Artifacts and an opened Jade box, which was empty.

It seemed someone had killed for treasure here.

Lin Ye carefully slid down the ice fissure (which was not difficult for him) and checked the corpses. Both were at Qi Refining Level 6, and the cause of death was being pierced through the chest by a Sharp Weapon, with a trace of cold and sinister Qi remaining at the wound, quite similar to the Yinkui Sect's Cultivation Technique.

"People from the Yinkui Sect have also entered, and they are acting fast." Lin Ye frowned. He collected the scattered Magical Artifact fragments (perhaps useful for melting down as Materials later) and the empty Jade box (the quality was not bad). He searched carefully again and found a crude map drawn on animal skin inside the personal clothing of one of the Disciples.

The map seemed to be hand-drawn, marking a relatively safe route from the Ice Plain Area to the Ice Forest Area, as well as several locations where Spiritual Plants or Ore might exist. One of the locations was circled in red, with the note: "Ice Marrow Ganoderma, likely guarded by Snow Yao Beast."

Ice Marrow Ganoderma? A High Grade ice-attribute Spiritual Plant, which had miraculous effects for cultivating ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques and healing.

Lin Ye put away the animal skin map, climbed up the ice fissure, and continued forward.

Following the guidance of the animal skin map, he avoided several obviously dangerous areas (such as the Storm Eye) and encountered attacks from first-order ice-type Yao Beasts (Ice Wolves, Snow Martens) several times on the way, all of which were easily resolved by him.

Half a day later, he arrived at the area marked "Ice Marrow Ganoderma" on the animal skin map—a depression surrounded by huge ice pillars.

In the center of the depression, there were indeed three crystal-clear Spiritual Plants shaped like Ganoderma, emitting a rich cold air; these were the Ice Marrow Ganoderma.

But just as the map indicated, the Guardian Yao Beasts were also there—two Snow Yao Beasts, over a zhang tall, snow-white all over, with fangs exposed, were squatting next to the Ice Marrow Ganoderma, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Snow Yao Beasts, first-order Peak Yao Beasts, possessed immense strength, thick fur, and could control ice and snow, making them quite troublesome.

Lin Ye hid behind an ice pillar and observed for a while.

Fight head-on? Two Snow Yao Beasts, although only first-order, had thick skin and flesh; he was not afraid, but it would inevitably consume his strength and might attract other Cultivators or Yao Beasts.

A trick?

His gaze swept over the terrain of the depression, and he looked at the bone ring and several low-level Talismans in his hand (obtained from the Xuanbing Pavilion Disciple's Storage Pouch), and he had a plan in mind.

He first set up a simple trap at the edge of the depression (using an Ice Explosion Talisman and a tripwire), then detoured to the other side of the depression and deliberately made some noise to attract the attention of the Snow Yao Beasts.

One Snow Yao Beast roared low and walked toward the source of the sound.

Lin Ye immediately rushed out from his hiding place and lunged straight for the Ice Marrow Ganoderma!

The other Snow Yao Beast roared and swung its huge fist down.

Lin Ye did not dodge or evade, pushing his Mystic Jade Body to the limit to withstand the punch, while his right hand's bone ring struck like lightning toward the Snow Yao Beast's relatively fragile eye!

Puchi! The bone ring pierced the eye!

The Snow Yao Beast screamed in agony, struggling crazily.

The other Snow Yao Beast that had been lured away also rushed back, surrounding and attacking Lin Ye with its injured companion.

Lin Ye fought and retreated, leading the two Snow Yao Beasts toward the trap area.

Just as the Snow Yao Beasts stepped into the trap range, Lin Ye triggered the Ice Explosion Talisman!

Boom, boom!

Ice mist exploded. Although it failed to seriously injure the Snow Yao Beasts, it successfully trapped them temporarily.

Lin Ye seized the Opportunity to turn back, quickly picked the three Ice Marrow Ganoderma, put them into a Jade box, and then, without looking back, galloped toward the Ice Forest Area.

Behind him, angry roars of the Snow Yao Beasts came, but Lin Ye had long since disappeared into the wind and snow.

Having successfully obtained the Ice Marrow Ganoderma, Lin Ye was in a good mood. This item was perfect for healing and cultivation.

He took a leaf of the Ice Marrow Ganoderma (the medicinal power was mild), and the pure ice-cold medicinal power melted, nourishing his damaged Meridians. Even the old injury on his left shoulder improved slightly, and his cultivation level advanced a bit.

After resting for a while, he continued toward the "Yan Yang Hall ruins" to the northeast.

The closer he got to the Yan Yang Hall ruins marked on the map, the more the surrounding temperature began to rise eerily. The wind and snow gradually lessened, and although the ice-attribute Spiritual Qi in the air was still rich, there was a hint of dryness.

Finally, after passing through a huge glacier canyon, the scene before his eyes changed dramatically.

Ahead, it was no longer a world of ice and snow, but a strange scene intertwined with deep red and snow white.

The earth seemed to have been scorched by flames, presenting a dark red color, with cracks all over the ground, and red magma flowing faintly in the fissures, emitting a scorching breath. And in the center of this red earth stood a towering but dilapidated palace ruin.

The palace was built entirely of a kind of dark red boulder, out of place with the surrounding ice and snow world. Although most of it had collapsed, one could still see its grandeur in the past. The palace gate had long been broken, and on the lintel, the two ancient seal characters "Yan Yang", though eroded by time, were still clearly visible, emitting a scorching breath.

This was the Yan Yang Hall ruins!

And in the open space in front of the palace ruins, where the red and white met, there were already people!

Not one person, but two parties, confronting each other!

One party consisted of three Cultivators in crimson robes with scorching auras, all at the Qi Refining Late Stage, and the leader had reached the Peak of the 9th level of Qi Refining! Their sleeves were embroidered with flame patterns, appearing to be from a Sect that cultivated fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques.

The other party consisted of two Cultivators in black robes with their faces hidden under hoods—the Yinkui Sect! One of them was actually the "Shadow Envoy" who had fought fiercely with Murong Bai at the inn and fled with heavy injuries! His aura was still unstable at the moment, but the cold, murderous intent in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

Between the two parties was an "Earth Fire Eye" about a zhang in radius, continuously spewing red magma. In the center of the Earth Fire Eye floated a palm-sized crystal, entirely red, as if flames were flowing within it—[Earth Fire Essence]! Beside it grew several red, Ganoderma-shaped plants—[Fire Ganoderma]!

And behind the two parties, in the shadows of the broken walls of the Yan Yang Hall ruins, a third force was lurking—although hidden, Lin Ye's ancient ring yuan sha was extremely sensitive to Evil Qi and vaguely caught a trace of the familiar, cold aura belonging to Murong Bai of the Xuanbing Pavilion!

Murong Bai had actually arrived here too, and seemed to be planning to play the role of the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada!

Three forces were confronting each other here, centered around the Earth Fire Eye and the treasures.

Lin Ye lurked in the shadows at the exit of the glacier canyon, holding his breath and focusing.

Good heavens, it really is a small world!

The Yinkui Sect Shadow Envoy, the Xuanbing Pavilion's Murong Bai, and the unknown fire-attribute Sect...

And his target—the Yan Yang Hall ruins, as well as the potential clues or treasures related to the dark red metal lump (the key), were right before his eyes.

Should he wade into this muddy water, or not?