88: Secret Realm Revealed

Gu Changge nodded, "Not only is the meat his, but the Spiritual Rice you ate was also grown by him."

Shi Wanshan froze in place, looking at the reckless ox exuding a dangerous aura by the spiritual field, then recalling the beef and Spiritual Rice he had eaten earlier; he felt an inexplicable sense of sympathy.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and cupped his hands in the direction of the Old Yellow Ox, his tone filled with complexity, "Brother Ox, I am truly sorry. I didn't know before, please don't take offense!"

Having said that, Shi Wanshan felt a bit guilty, but couldn't help comforting it, "Truth be told, Brother Ox, your meat is truly delicious..."

As soon as these words fell, the Old Yellow Ox by the spiritual field suddenly raised its head, its cyan-gold ox eyes staring fixedly at Shi Wanshan; it pawed the ground even harder, and an angry "Moo" sound issued from its throat.

You really are something, Shi Wanshan. Killing a beast and then attacking its heart! You certainly know how to comfort someone...

Holding the wooden barrel, Xuan Yangzi was also stunned upon hearing this, then stroked his chin and laughed, "So, the roast beef I ate before was also its? No wonder it was more tender than other Yao Beast meat, it really had an aftertaste!"

"Alright, say no more." Shi Wanshan looked at the nearly frantic old ox and cupped his hands again.

"Brother Ox, don't be upset. Next time I'll have Dan Ding Peak stew some Spiritual Plant soup for you as an apology! I guarantee it will be thousand-year-old Purple Ganoderma, very nourishing!"

The Old Yellow Ox snorted, flicked its tail, and turned to walk into the depths of the spiritual field, not even bothering to acknowledge Shi Wanshan's "apology."

Who wants to drink some Spiritual Plant soup? It wants Spiritual Marrow Essence!

If it weren't for the fact that it couldn't beat Gu Changge, it would have long ago butted these two guys who ate its meat and snatched its treasures into the air!

Gu Changge watched the Old Yellow Ox's back, which was full of resentment, then looked at the embarrassed Shi Wanshan and shook his head helplessly.

"Enough, stop provoking it. If you really make it anxious, your meager skills won't be enough to handle it."

Shi Wanshan nodded quickly, though he was still muttering in his heart: I should have eaten two more bowls back then...

Gu Changge watched the Old Yellow Ox drooping its head listlessly and raised his voice towards the spiritual field.

"Alright, stop standing there throwing a tantrum. You won't be shortchanged on benefits; I'll make it up to you tonight."

As soon as these words fell, the previously listless old ox suddenly stopped; its cyan-gold ox ears pricked up with a swish, and its tail wagged slightly.

It turned its head hesitantly, its ox eyes staring straight at Gu Changge, as if confirming the truth of these words.

Seeing Gu Changge nod at it, the Old Yellow Ox let out a light "Moo" from its throat; the previous resentment dissipated by more than half, and it then sauntered slowly towards the depths of the spiritual field.

Seeing the old ox leave, Xuan Yangzi and Shi Wanshan locked their gazes back onto the white jade barrels and began to scramble for them.

At this moment, Xuan Yangzi suddenly realized something; he took out a message jade talisman from his storage ring, injected spiritual power with his fingertips, his voice filled with urgency.

"Xuan Feng! Jinghong! Hurry and bring them to Zizhu Peak! If you're late, the Opportunity will be gone!"

Seeing this, Shi Wanshan also quickly took out his message jade talisman and roared at it, "Jingxian, Mo Chen, rush to Zizhu Peak immediately! Don't blame me for not warning you if you come late!"

Fang Hanyu stood to the side, watching the usually ethereal Sect Master and the steady, dignified Peak Master arguing until their faces were red over two wooden barrels.

He subconsciously gripped his sword scabbard, his eyes filled with discomfort; this was too far removed from the image of the high-and-mighty elders in his impression.

Xiao Ruobai noticed his stiffness, leaned over, and lowered his voice with a laugh, "Junior Brother, just get used to it!"

Fang Hanyu was stunned; just as he wanted to ask, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from afar, accompanied by the shouts of youths and maidens.

"Master! Junior Martial Uncle! Where is the Opportunity?"

Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, Shi Jingxian, and Lin Mochen came rushing over in a flurry, their eyes shining.

Their gazes swept over Gu Changge, Xuan Yangzi, and Shi Wanshan, finally landing on the white jade barrels the two were clutching tightly, and their footsteps instantly halted.

"Th-this is the Opportunity?"

Li Xuanfeng's eyes widened, and he stepped forward quickly; he could clearly feel the powerful energy emanating from within the barrels, and even the spiritual power within his Dantian began to stir.

"What dense Spiritual Qi!"

Xuan Yangzi took out two more barrels, divided the Spiritual Marrow Essence into four parts, and added some spiritual liquid.

The Spiritual Qi instantly permeated the area, causing the four of them to breathe rapidly.

Li Xuanfeng was the first to step into a wooden barrel, his spiritual power instantly circulating, and a pale purple light bloomed around him.

Shi Jingxian and Lin Mochen followed closely behind, their movements extremely urgent.

Seeing this, Shen Jinghong did not hesitate, stepping towards the last wooden barrel.

Fang Hanyu quickly stepped forward, his tone filled with hesitation, "Senior Sister, this barrel... is the one Senior Brother Xiao and I just soaked in."

Shen Jinghong didn't even pause her steps, waving her hand in a crisp and decisive motion.

"Hey, why care about so much! As long as my strength increases, what does this matter?"

Before the words fell, she stepped into one of the wooden barrels, her spiritual power instantly circulating, and a faint spiritual light soon appeared around her body, clearly having begun to absorb the energy within the spiritual liquid.

This was an Opportunity from Zizhu Peak; only a fool would miss it because of such a small matter!

Not to mention just getting in to refine and absorb it, if it could really increase cultivation, I'd be happy to hold the barrel and take a few sips!

Gu Changge looked at the four people immersed in absorbing the spiritual liquid beside the wooden barrels, then turned to Xuan Yangzi and Shi Wanshan, who were still staring at the spiritual light on the edges of the barrels.

"Why did you two Senior Brothers suddenly come to Zizhu Peak today? Surely not just to snatch these two barrels of spiritual liquid, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yangzi finally recovered from the temptation of the spiritual liquid, quickly straightened his collar, and adopted the steady demeanor befitting a Sect Master.

"Of course not! We mainly came to discuss the matter of the Azure Cloud Secret Realm with you."

He paused and added, "These past few days, I have quietly informed the other Peak Masters about the Secret Realm, but I made them all swear a Heavenly Dao oath never to let the news leak out—after all, it is a major event concerning the future of the Sect, and we cannot be careless."

Shi Wanshan nodded in agreement from the side.

"We also specially selected a total of one hundred Disciples from various peaks, all of whom are good seedlings with steady Heart-Nature and proper roots and foundations, preparing to send them into the Secret Realm for cultivation. We came this time to have you take a look and see if these selections and arrangements can be made even more secure."

Upon hearing this, a flash of understanding crossed Gu Changge's eyes; his fingertips quietly glowed with a faint golden light, and his Eye of Illusory Breaking and Divine Sense unfolded simultaneously, sweeping across the auras of the Peak Masters and the hundred Disciples mentioned by Xuan Yangzi like a fine-meshed net.

Whether it was the solidified Heavenly Dao marks in the Peak Masters' oaths or the pure cultivation intent in the Disciples' Sea of Consciousness, there was not a single anomaly.

He withdrew his Divine Sense, his tone relaxing slightly.

"You have handled the selection very well; there are no problems with their Heart-Nature or foundation, so there is no need for further adjustments."

After hearing Gu Changge's words, the hanging heart of Xuan Yangzi finally settled completely.

Just at this moment, the message jade talisman in Xuan Yangzi's hand suddenly vibrated gently; he probed it with his spiritual power, saw the content, and the smile on his face instantly froze, immediately replaced by full surprise.

"I just received a message from a spy; in a canyon ten thousand miles to the southwest, an ancient Secret Realm has manifested..."