179: Zuoqiu Clan of Huaihu

“How much does this thing cost?”

The vendor held up a finger. “One hundred Spirit Stones!”

“That expensive?”

Xu Sanyan frowned. One hundred Spirit Stones wasn't much to him, but in terms of value, this hundred-joint fish had little Spiritual Qi and a single purpose—it was merely an aphrodisiac, certainly not worth one hundred Spirit Stones.

The vendor shook his head. “It’s a business, after all, and haggling is part of it. If you sincerely want it, you can make an offer.”

Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment, then held up three fingers. “Thirty?”

“Deal!”

The vendor quickly gutted and cleaned it, handling it in a blink and presenting it to Xu Sanyan.

“I bought it for too much.”

This was Xu Sanyan’s first thought, then he chuckled and shook his head, pointing at the vendor. “You truly are a talent in business.”

The vendor laughed honestly. “Young Master isn’t losing out. This item is rare and tastes very good. It’s worth buying to try something fresh, and I imagine Young Master isn’t short on Spirit Stones.”

Xu Sanyan didn’t argue with him, turning and walking away. Behind him, Elder Ren took out Spirit Stones and handed them to the vendor, then placed the hundred-joint fish into a Storage Pouch and quickly followed.

In the evening, everyone sampled it. The vendor hadn’t lied; the taste was indeed good, but they didn’t feel much of the aphrodisiac effect.

As night deepened, Xu Sanyan sat on his bed meditating when he suddenly heard an exclamation, “The mist has cleared! Look, the mist has cleared…”

“Saint, the mist has cleared. We can depart now,” Elder Ren said softly from outside the door.

“Mm.”

Xu Sanyan pushed open the door. His gaze swept over the scene; all two hundred-plus members of the Chixin Lineage had arrived.

“Depart!”

Without further ado, the group marched grandly out of the city.

On the dark street, countless people surged out of the city like a flood. Various factions huddled together, clearly distinct from one another.

Venerable He Yu and Flower Maiden were already waiting outside the city, with Tu Wanshan and others behind them.

“There are countless dangers within the Secret Realm. If you come out early, you can wait in Mist City.”

“Yes.”

Everyone nodded. Xu Sanyan had heard Elder Ren say that Mist City was protected by various forces, and no one was allowed to wield weapons within the city, or they would be collectively attacked. This was also how the various forces protected their own Disciples.

“Let’s go.”

In the distance, the thick mist had dispersed, revealing a dark, silent sea. The boundless black sea was like a giant beast opening its maw, waiting for them to walk into its trap.

In the distance, some scattered reefs and small islands were faintly visible, countless in number. Xu Sanyan squinted into the distance, seeing no greenery, only smooth, dark rocks polished by the seawater.

This was the Mist Sea, both feared and yearned for.

People feared the Yao Beasts and ghosts hidden within, yet coveted the countless Treasure Troves.

“How do we enter the Secret Realm?” Xu Sanyan turned to ask Elder Ren beside him.

Elder Ren’s expression was serious. “The Hundred Saints Secret Realm has no entrance, or rather, entrances are everywhere. As long as you step within the Secret Realm’s boundaries, you’ve entered.”

“Mm.”

Xu Sanyan turned to look at the Red Dragon Mountain group. “If we get separated after entering, use the Mother-Child Stone to gather. Everyone remember, preserving your life comes first.”

“Don’t worry, Saint.”

The Hundred Saints Secret Realm was unpredictable. According to previous experience, it sometimes scattered people. Although they were all in the same Secret Realm, they could be very far apart, making it difficult to meet.

At this moment, Xu Sanyan’s group wasn’t the only one by the Mist Sea. Nearby, there were nearly a hundred large and small groups. Some, like the Tongxin Demon Sect, had over four hundred people across their four lineages, while others had only four or five.

“Depart!”

Xu Sanyan stopped thinking. He would know once he was inside.

As he stepped into the Secret Realm’s boundaries, a wave of dizziness instantly swept through his mind. When he regained his senses, the dark sea was no longer in front of him.

The time had also changed from night to day, with a warm sun shining in the sky.

“This is… the Secret Realm?”

Xu Sanyan gazed at the giant city before him, his heart filled with shock.

It was hard to imagine this was a city built by human effort. The towering, boundless city walls seemed to enclose the entire world, and each brick on the walls was the size of a house.

And the ancient city gate, a hundred feet tall, had been worn by countless ages, its original color no longer discernible, leaving only mottled brown.

Through the half-open gate, drifting dust could be seen on the wide road.

“Is this Giant City?”

Xu Sanyan looked up at the plaque above the city gate. It was too far to see clearly, but flying into the air, he saw the three large characters:

“Moyang City”

Xu Sanyan stood in mid-air, his robes fluttering, his gaze sweeping around. The vast plain stretched endlessly, and as far as his eyes could see, there was only this one city.

The key to the Secret Realm must be this city.

Suddenly, a warmth emanated from his chest. He came back to his senses and took out the Mother-Child Stone. Two words appeared on the jade:

“Are you there?”

Xu Sanyan twitched his lips. Which brain-dead person sent that?

The Mother-Child Stone could communicate over ten thousand miles. It consisted of one mother stone and a thousand child stones. Writing on the mother stone with magical power would send messages to all child stones, while writing on a child stone would only be received by the mother stone.

The Materials used for this Mother-Child Stone were not precious; ordinary jade would suffice. What was precious was the Formation carved on it, the Mother-Child Concentric Formation.

The one in Xu Sanyan’s hand was the mother stone; everyone else had a child stone.

Xu Sanyan infused his magical power into it and slowly wrote, “Are you all in a giant city?”

A moment later, replies came back in succession: “Yes.”

“Yes, Saint.”

Xu Sanyan frowned inwardly. Although they were all in the city, they had been separated. The size of this city was unknown, and gathering would be troublesome.

“Saint, I have a stone tablet here.”

Such a message came from the mother stone.

Xu Sanyan replied, “Who are you, and what is written on the stone tablet?”

“Disciple Lin Fan. The stone tablet reads: ‘As night falls and the wind rises, ten thousand Yao Beasts return to life.’”

Xu Sanyan frowned in thought. Interpreting it literally, something bad would likely happen after dark. So, he sent a message to everyone via the Mother-Child Stone:

“Be careful, everyone. Find a safe place to hide after dark. Yao Beasts might appear.”

“Yes.”

Stepping into the city, countless tall, old pavilions stood on both sides, blocking the view, making it difficult to discern direction, and even harder to know what was hidden within the city.

Xu Sanyan also dared not fly recklessly in the air. Flying in the sky would make him too obvious a target, easily attracting attention.

Turning into an alleyway over ten feet wide, Xu Sanyan stopped. He saw a person walk out of a nearby pavilion. The two looked at each other from a distance, both having noticed the other.

His Spiritual Eyes swept over the person, revealing them to be only a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, which greatly reassured him.

“Which family are you from?” Xu Sanyan asked with a gentle smile, slowly approaching.

“Junior Zuoqiu Shen, thirty-first generation Disciple of the Huai Lake Zuoqiu Clan, greets Senior.” The young man’s expression was respectful, but his right hand was behind his back, ready to draw his sword and strike at any moment.

“Huai Lake Zuoqiu Clan…”

Xu Sanyan understood. It was said that their patriarch was a Void Amalgamation Realm grand Cultivator, not to be underestimated.

However, the most famous people of the Zuoqiu Clan were not their patriarch, but the renowned “Huai Lake Seven Heroes”

The Seven Heroes were all women, not only beautiful but also possessing excellent cultivation talent. No male in the Zuoqiu Clan could compare to them.

This extreme imbalance of yin over yang was a topic of much discussion.