47: Chapter 47 Secret Realm

The thick scent of blood and rust hung heavy over the town of Yunmeng Ruins, refusing to dissipate.

An Ziyao stood on the open ground in front of the Ghost Foot Gang's headquarters. Beneath his feet was a pool of viscous, blackened blood, reflecting the blood-red sky of the setting sun.

Several twisted corpses lay scattered around, their limbs stiffened in unnatural positions.

A Hu's face, once arrogant and lecherous, was now frozen in fear and resentment.

Droplets of blood dripped from the long saber in An Ziyao's hand. His bronze skin was splattered with dark red spots—some from his enemies, others from his own wounds that had burst open.

Six years.

Those bone-chilling, unforgettable memories surged through his nerves like a tide at the moment his enemy drew his last breath.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the small town that had once brought him so much pain.

The houses were still a dull gray, permeated by a deathly silence that overlapped with the despairing backdrop of his memories.

Revenge... has been taken.

But the hatred that had been bottled up for six years did not bring him satisfaction; instead, it brought an unprecedented sense of bewilderment and emptiness.

"Now that you've fulfilled your wish, why not go pay respects to your mother?"

Su Xuanheng stood with his arms crossed over his longsword, looking at the bewildered youth before him.

An Ziyao snapped out of it and waved his hand, sending several fireballs crashing into the corpses, setting the entire Ghost Foot Gang base ablaze.

The raging fire scorched the broken land, and his cold heart gradually warmed with the temperature of the flames.

An Ziyao nodded slightly and walked out of the Ghost Foot Gang's territory.

The commoners outside were so terrified they all retreated into their homes, not daring to show their faces, fearing that this unknown Cultivator might kill them on a whim if he was displeased.

The fear Mortals outside the Cultivation Market felt toward Cultivators remained as constant as ever.

An Ziyao was used to it; before joining the Su Family, he had held the same stereotypes toward Cultivators.

The two of them arrived at a hilltop outside the town.

An Ziyao knelt before his mother's grave, his calm tone burying years of emotion.

"Mother, your son has avenged you. You can rest in peace now and don't need to worry. I'm doing very well now and have stepped onto the path of cultivation. It's all thanks to the Su Family's help. I hope your spirit in heaven will bless the Su Family."

An Ziyao kowtowed forcefully.

He lit incense at his mother's grave, and the past seemed to drift away like the smoke...

...

Yunmeng Ruins.

The moment they stepped into this place, the bustling prosperity and noise rushed toward them.

This was An Ziyao's first time entering a Cultivation Market. Looking at the busy scene of heavy traffic before him, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Outside was dilapidated and filled with violence and bloodshed.

Yet, just a step away, it was a completely different scene of a golden age.

Even though they were all descendants of Cultivators, they had to suffer and be humiliated outside, dying miserable deaths on the streets.

Meanwhile, the Cultivators inside turned a deaf ear to the outside world, not caring at all whether their descendants lived or died.

"Is this what a Cultivator is?"

An Ziyao murmured to himself.

He didn't know who his ancestors were, nor did he know if they were alive or dead, so he felt no hatred—only a sense of sorrow for such Cultivators.

Su Xuanheng understood his thoughts and patted his shoulder, saying, "As you can see, this is what a Cultivator is. But this is only one side of it. Perhaps in more distant places, the Cultivation World has a different look."

"Isn't the Cultivation World the same everywhere?"

"It's different. That's what Father said."

Su Xuanheng blindly believed his father's words. Hearing this, An Ziyao's expression turned solemn.

Since the Family Head said so, then it must be true!

"Eh?"

Su Xuanheng was about to head to the Qian Family when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. He immediately walked over to the person's stall.

The old man had white hair and eyebrows, and his skin was as thin and withered as a monkey's. He sat silently in front of his stall.

Seeing the two young men approach, he immediately put on a smile.

"Would you two Fellow Daoists like to look at some Medicinal Pills? They were all personally refined by this old man, with plenty of ingredients used."

"Give me a bottle of qi gathering pills."

"Alright, a bottle of qi gathering pills costs one Spirit Stone."

The old man beamed, his aged skin stretching awkwardly like a withered chrysanthemum. From his weak Aura, one could tell he didn't have many days left to live.

Su Xuanheng flicked his finger, tossing out a Spirit Stone, and picked up the qi gathering pills to sniff them.

Still First Tier Medium Grade; his skills hadn't improved at all.

Su Xuanheng couldn't help but shake his head and turned to leave.

An Ziyao followed closely behind, puzzled. "Brother Heng, why buy such a bottle of qi gathering pills?"

Their Su Family could already perform Alchemy, and their own members consumed High Grade pills.

A First Tier Medium Grade qi gathering pill like this was basically sold off in bulk to other Cultivators.

"It's nothing, just an old acquaintance, though he doesn't recognize me."

Su Xuanheng smiled and didn't explain further.

The old man was an acquaintance from his childhood, the former Zhu Family Enshrined Expert—Fu Yuan!

When the Zhu Family was destroyed, Fu Yuan had already left and his whereabouts were unknown.

He hadn't expected to meet him again after all these years.

However, judging by Fu Yuan's state, he probably hadn't had a comfortable life over the years, and his Lifespan was nearing its end.

Su Xuanheng felt sentimental about how things had changed, but he had no intention of revealing his identity.

Over the next few days, the two of them moved around the market, visiting families that collaborated with the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce and trading resources according to the annual custom.

Since they had a long-term partnership, the trading process went quite smoothly.

The real trouble would be after leaving the Yunmeng Ruins, as they were prone to encountering Robber Cultivators.

In the Su Family, only Su Yang and Su Xuanheng dared to come to the market alone; others would bring the Family's Innate Martial Artists when coming to Yunmeng Ruins.

"This trip has reached a Perfection conclusion. It's time to return to the Su Family." Su Xuanheng said solemnly, his Divine Sense alertly scanning the surroundings.

An Ziyao instinctively gripped his scabbard, his body emitting a terrifying Aura.

Before they could leave the market, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.

Su Xuanheng was puzzled, but as he listened carefully, he caught a key phrase.

"Secret Realm! A Secret Realm has appeared outside the market!"

"Secret Realm?" Su Xuanheng was stunned. He wasn't a cultivation novice; although he had never seen a Secret Realm, he knew about them.

In the Cultivation World, there existed some closed Small Worlds. Some were storage spaces created by great experts, while others were shrouded by the Laws of the Great Dao.

These Small Worlds would appear at a certain point in time or under specific rules.

They contained countless Heaven And Earth Treasures and Daoist legacies, and could even have Spirit Stone veins, Yao Beasts, Magic Treasures, and so on.

A Secret Realm was a rare and immense Opportunity that some Cultivators might never encounter in their entire lives.

Su Xuanheng's first reaction upon hearing this was: Could this be a trap?

Many Cultivators present had the same thought, but as the cries of surprise grew, a large number of Cultivators swarmed out of the Yunmeng Ruins.

Seeing this, Su Xuanheng immediately followed with An Ziyao.

Whether it was true or false, the current situation was favorable for them to leave the Yunmeng Ruins; they could blend into the crowd without being noticed.

As the two of them followed the large group out of the Yunmeng Ruins, an indescribable pressure bore down on them, making their hearts feel slightly heavy.

"That is..."

A look of shock appeared on Su Xuanheng's normally composed face.

"Brother Heng, it seems we really have encountered a Secret Realm!"

An Ziyao struggled to maintain his composure. Looking at the strange light blooming within the distant Ten Thousand Mountains, his voice was tinged with excitement.