243: Chapter 243 Entering the Secret Realm

Ye Yisong followed Zhao Zuoxiang to an open clearing in the northeast corner of the Zhao Family, where thirty or forty people had already gathered, all wearing standard robes, chatting in small groups.

On the way, Ye Yisong had already learned from Zhao Zuoxiang about the Zhao Family's selection for the trip to the Wangchuan Secret Realm.

The strongest among them was Zhao Zuoyang, a Nine-Star Martial Ancestor expert, whose Mental Energy had already broken through to the fifth stage, and he had even realized the rudimentary form of a Domain; this trip to the Wangchuan Secret Realm was to search for a fifth-stage precious herb in preparation for going into seclusion to attempt a Breakthrough to the Martial King realm.

Next were Zhao Zuoyuan, Zhao Zuojin, and Zhao Qingyan, all of whom were Nine-Star Martial Ancestors whose Mental Energy had also reached the fifth stage.

Most of the remaining thirty-plus people were Late Stage Martial Ancestor experts, with only a small number of six people at the Middle Stage Martial Ancestor level, though they were all Six-Star Martial Ancestors, and their strength could not be underestimated.

Out of the fifty spots for the Zhao Family to enter the Secret Realm, nine were given to in-laws, and Ye Yisong was one of these nine.

Ye Yisong did not recognize any of these forty-plus people, so upon arriving at the clearing, he stood silently in a corner, waiting for everyone to gather.

"Brother Ye, greetings." During the wait, a Zhao Family Disciple proactively came over to chat with a kind smile.

"May I ask how to address you, brother?" Ye Yisong returned the greeting.

"Zhao Qingyan," Zhao Qingyan introduced himself. "Uncle Xiang has mentioned you quite a bit in my ear over the past two months, saying you are a young Prodigy."

"Uncle Xiang is too kind. In front of Brother Qingyan, how could I dare to bear the title of Prodigy?" Ye Yisong quickly declined.

"Uncle Xiang doesn't praise people easily." Zhao Qingyan didn't dwell on this issue. After chatting for a few more sentences, he turned and left, returning to the core circle he had been in, but before leaving, he assured Ye Yisong: "In the Secret Realm, I'll cover you."

He was quite a warm-hearted person.

Ye Yisong muttered to himself, continuing to look around, wondering who they were waiting for.

Forty-nine Martial Ancestors had arrived; only one remained. What airs they were putting on.

"This old man is late." An old man in fire-red robes, accompanied by a dark-skinned, thin young man, flew in from afar at high speed; the voice arrived before the person did.

"Brother Chi (Uncle Chi)," "Greetings, Elder." The Zhao Family members bowed one after another, their tones revealing an invisible sense of respect.

Ye Yisong couldn't help but look over with curiosity. Judging from the aura the old man exuded, he was roughly a Late Stage Martial King expert.

Including this red-robed old man who arrived last, the Zhao Family had dispatched a total of five Martial King experts for this trip to the Secret Realm: one at the Late Stage and four at the Middle Stage; the lineup was incredibly luxurious.

This was understandable, as many of the Family's young Prodigies were gathered here; if anything went wrong, the sky would fall for the Zhao Family.

"Let's set off." The red-robed old man waved his hand, and an exquisite small flying boat appeared before everyone. The Disciples below, led by the Elders they were familiar with, stepped onto the flying boat and found a place to rest on the deck.

As for the five Martial King experts, they entered the cabin to discuss confidential matters.

"Congratulations, Uncle Chi, on finding a talented recruit," Zhao Zuoxiang said with a chuckle.

"Hahaha." Grandfather Zhao Fengchi was clearly extremely happy; among his own Bloodline descendants, another piece of uncut jade had emerged, and it was about to be carved into shape.

"Is that the boy Fenghua recruited as a husband for the girl Xue?" asked the grey-robed old man sitting next to Zhao Zuoxiang, pointing at Ye Yisong outside.

"Yes. Some time ago, that child Siyuan encountered some trouble in Cangjiang Prefecture and asked me to go over to hold the fort for him, and I discovered this child by chance." Zhao Zuoxiang recounted the sequence of events to the other four, then said with unwillingness, "If it weren't for the fact that I don't have a suitable girl among my descendants, how could I let Uncle Hua get such a bargain?"

"Is this child truly so remarkable that you think so highly of him?" Zhao Zuoqiu, who had not spoken until now, glanced indifferently at Ye Yisong outside and said noncommittally, "His Mental Energy is quite strong, but his cultivation is just so-so."

"Brother Qiu, do you know how old this child is this year?" Zhao Zuoxiang asked with a grin.

"Looking at his appearance, he probably just broke through to the Martial Ancestor realm early, making him look young. Fifty?"

"Sixteen."

The four of them gasped, all shocked by Zhao Zuoxiang's calm words.

"Really?" Grandfather Zhao Fengchi asked, rarely confirming anything.

"Absolutely true!" Zhao Zuoxiang said firmly.

"After the Secret Realm, bring him to see me." Zhao Zuoqiu, who had just been slightly disdainful, had eyes like lightning, staring intently at Ye Yisong, who was sitting cross-legged on the deck outside, as if trying to see right through him.

"You'd better ask Uncle Hua about that yourself. I wouldn't dare make that decision," Zhao Zuoxiang scoffed. Daring to snatch food from Zhao Fenghua's mouth—besides the Old Ancestor, only those two big shots could do it.

The flying boat flew in a southwest direction for two days and one night, and everyone finally arrived at their destination: Wangchuan Valley.

When Ye Yisong stepped off the flying boat, he saw a huge stone tablet standing at the entrance of the valley, hundreds of meters high, with two seal-script characters on it—Wangchuan—exerting an invisible pressure on everyone.

The stronger one's strength, the greater the pressure felt; the steps of the several Martial King leaders were significantly heavier than before.

When the group walked into Wangchuan Valley, they found that seven factions were already distributed in various positions, quietly waiting for the arrival of the other two parties.

Ye Yisong looked up and found that the other three major families of Donghai—the Hu Family, the Wu Family, and the Li Family—were distributed in the north, east, and other directions.

The three major sects of Donghai—the Yunhai Sect, the Dan Jian Sect, and the Lihuo Sect—along with a group of Martial Artists in various attires, were positioned in the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest directions respectively.

The arrival of the Zhao Family did not break the calm scene; the conversations of the major factions were limited to their own camps.

Ye Yisong found Brother Shen Jun in the crowd of people with various attires. The two nodded to each other from a distance, both understanding what the other meant.

"Since everyone is here, let's begin." Only half an hour after the Zhao Family arrived, the last faction descended from the air, stepping on a giant sword, and steadily occupied the central core area.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a four-clawed Dragon robe; he was the Heir of the King of Donghai.

"We obey the Heir's order." The leaders of the eight factions stepped out together to salute, then each of the eight people took out a key and placed it into the groove of the jade pillar in their respective positions.

As the Formation was activated, the nine beams of light merged, opening an entrance at the bottom of Wangchuan Valley. Looking inside through the opening, one could vaguely see several towering mountain peaks, with Spiritual Qi drifting ethereally.

"Go in. Remember the teachings of your Elders at home and act according to the plan." After the group of people under the King of Donghai entered the Secret Realm, Grandfather Zhao Fengchi raised his hand to signal everyone to enter the Secret Realm.