83: Zenyin Temple Ruins

Even Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism, who had been sitting at the head of the room with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent, opened his eyes at this moment. His gaze fell upon the medicine boy puppet in front of Lin Feng, and a trace of surprise and appreciation flashed deep within his eyes.

His fingers, which had been stroking his beard, paused slightly, then returned to their natural rhythm.

"Hmm." Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism spoke indifferently. "Your control of Divine Sense is passable. Success on the third attempt... that's not a waste of Materials." He waved his hand. "Take your Puppet and go. The contents of the Jade Slip must not be spread to others."

Lin Feng suppressed the excitement in his heart, bowed solemnly, put away the Jade Slip and the medicine boy puppet, and respectfully retreated from the quiet room.

Not until Lin Feng had left did Wu Chen manage to whisper, "Revered Master, he..."

Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism raised his hand to interrupt him, his gaze fixed on the direction Lin Feng had left, a flash of light appearing in his eyes. "This child truly has some talent in the way of Divine Sense. It seems his performance in the last grand competition was not just luck."

Early that morning, just as Lin Feng finished a cycle of cultivation, he sensed a familiar aura outside the door of his Immortal Cave. Surprised, he stood up and opened the Restriction.

Stepping out of the Immortal Cave, he saw Fang Lingyao in a green dress, her posture tall and elegant, her expression as cold and aloof as always.

"Junior Brother Lin," she said, her tone calm. "You haven't visited my Yunni Peak in a long time. Are you free recently?"

"Please speak, Senior Sister Fang." Lin Feng scratched his head.

Fang Lingyao skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point. "I have learned that a Secret Realm is about to open. Inside, there are good things that can solidify one's dao foundation and aid in Core Formation."

She paused and looked at Lin Feng. "The Secret Realm has ancient Restrictions; only Foundation Establishment Cultivators and below can enter. How about it? Do you want to try your luck with me?"

Lin Feng felt a stir in his heart. Heaven And Earth Treasures that could aid in Core Formation... This was truly extremely attractive for his current goal of solidifying his foundation and seeking a Breakthrough.

"What Secret Realm is it?" he asked.

"It is a relic of the ancient Buddhist sect, 'Zen Sound Temple'." Fang Lingyao's expression remained unchanged. "It is certainly not peaceful inside. However, with great risk comes great Opportunity." She paused, adding, "I believe that if we join forces, we will be able to handle it."

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. When do we depart?"

"In three days, we will meet outside the 'Wind-Wailing Stone Forest' in the Western Desert. The specific location is in the jade talisman." Fang Lingyao left behind a jade talisman and turned to leave.

Over the next two days, Lin Feng went to some nearby markets and bought a few handy Magical Artifacts, which put his mind slightly at ease.

Three days later, in the Wind-Wailing Stone Forest of the Western Desert. Strange rocks stood tall here, and the gale winds passing through the gaps in the stones made a wailing sound.

Following the guidance of the jade talisman, Lin Feng found an ancient altar half-buried by wind and sand. Fang Lingyao was already waiting by the altar; seeing him, she merely nodded slightly as a greeting.

"Is this the place?" Lin Feng examined the inconspicuous entrance.

"Yes. This is an ancient teleportation array; not many people should know about it." Fang Lingyao nodded. "Prepare yourself, the teleportation might be a bit bumpy."

The two said no more and stepped onto the altar simultaneously. Fang Lingyao took out a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and pressed it into the groove. The blurred runes carved on the altar lit up one by one, light enveloped them, and a strong sensation of spatial pulling followed.

...After a dizzying spin, Lin Feng found himself standing in a deep, silent corridor made of bluestone, the air damp.

The murals on the corridor walls were mottled and peeling, and the faces of the depicted Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were blurred.

It was terrifyingly quiet all around. Fang Lingyao was not by his side either.

He immediately concealed his aura and probed outward with his Divine Sense. The corridor was winding, and there seemed to be forks ahead.

He recalled the simple map Fang Lingyao had given him, identified the direction, and was just preparing to move toward the first agreed-upon rendezvous point when extremely faint footsteps came from around the corner ahead.

Lin Feng instantly vanished into the shadows of the wall corner, a Fire Dragon Talisman gripped in his hand.

A cold and aloof figure turned the corner; it was Fang Lingyao. Seeing Lin Feng, the vigilance in her eyes faded slightly, and she shook her head gently to signal that it was safe.

"Our luck isn't too bad; the teleportation point is not far away." She walked closer, her voice lowered. "But this Secret Realm is livelier than expected."

Lin Feng looked at her, slightly stunned.

"When I just arrived, my Divine Sense scanned another passage and detected fluctuations of a fight, with very heavy Evil Qi. It looked like the style of Xuan Yin Valley." Fang Lingyao seemed to see Lin Feng's confusion. "Moreover, there are several new marks on the corridor walls; more than one group has passed through."

She paused and frowned slightly. "This smell... it seems to be mixed with a trace of very faint cosmetic scent."

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng carefully perceived it. That trace of sweet, cloying fragrance was faint and elusive, yet it carried a unique, weak spiritual aura that could stir the mind.

His expression tightened slightly; this scent... he remembered it.

'This fragrance... it's a bit like the scent on that Saintess when I encountered the Hehuan Sect at the border of the Chiyan Sect. Although it is much fainter.' His brows furrowed even tighter. 'Could it be... that she has also entered?'

Fang Lingyao was somewhat surprised, then continued, "It seems that the number of people who know about this Secret Realm is far greater than we estimated. I fear there is more than one entrance."

"Senior Sister, what exactly is the treasure here?" Lin Feng was a bit confused.

"It is said that there is an Innate Spiritual Root, the 'bodhi tree'. It bears fruit once every fifty years, and the 'bodhi seed' it produces contains pure wood spiritual Origin. It is of great benefit for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to refine their dao foundation, improve their cultivation, and even for Core Formation." Fang Lingyao looked toward the depths of the Secret Realm.

"No wonder. The temptation of this bodhi seed is too great." Lin Feng said.

A spiritual object that helps with Core Formation and fruits once every fifty years is enough to attract covetous eyes from all sides.

"Let's go, hurry up." Fang Lingyao said no more, her figure moved, and she swept forward. Lin Feng followed closely behind, the two maintaining a distance of several zhang, one after the other, exploring along the deep corridor toward the depths of the Secret Realm.

Not long after, muffled sounds of spiritual power colliding and a suppressed angry shout vaguely came from the corner ahead.

Both of their footsteps paused simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, tacitly concealed their auras, pressed their bodies against the cold corridor wall, and quietly approached the source of the sound.

Through a gap formed by a collapse, they saw the scene of a slightly spacious, dilapidated hall.

Inside the hall, three Cultivators dressed in black and red, with ferocious ghost head patterns embroidered on their hems, were besieging two plainly dressed Loose Cultivators. A corpse already lay on the ground, blood staining the floor tiles red.

The leading Disciple's attacks were ruthless and tricky, and his cultivation was already at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, suppressing the two Loose Cultivators into a precarious situation; they were on the verge of being unable to hold on.

Fang Lingyao's gaze tightened as she recognized the unique clothing and characteristics of the Cultivation Technique. She transmitted her voice to Lin Feng, her tone becoming a bit colder:

"It's the people from Xuan Yin Valley; the leader is their Young Lord, Li Feiyu. It really is them; they are still acting so overbearing and vicious."

The two Loose Cultivators were already at the end of their rope, their faces filled with despair.

Fang Lingyao tilted her head slightly and gave Lin Feng an inquiring look. Lin Feng quickly swept his gaze across the entire battlefield, assessing the situation.

His eyes were calm, and he shook his head slightly at Fang Lingyao. At the same time, he glanced toward a side path, signaling to leave quietly from there.

Fang Lingyao instantly understood his meaning and nodded. The two were about to retreat and leave this place of trouble via that side path.

However, just at this moment, Li Feiyu, who was in the midst of the intense fight, seemed to detect some unusual aura. With one strike, he repelled the Loose Cultivator who was struggling to hold on in front of him, swept his gaze toward the shadow corner where Lin Feng and the other were hiding, and shouted sternly, "You rats hiding your heads and showing your tails. Get out here!"