233: All because of desire

Jiang Lan suddenly understood.

So that’s what this was all about.

Then he understood.

As the saying goes, listen to advice and you’ll eat your fill.

No matter what, the girl entering the Spirit Transformation Realm was at least twenty thousand years ago.

If a Senior had specifically warned him, and he still went to seek death, then his death wouldn’t be unwarranted.

The girl looked at Jiang Lan and continued:

“You haven’t had any ideas about it either, have you?”

Jiang Lan shook his head.

He still listened to advice.

Moreover, the girl had said that with the Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth in place, there was no way to Breakthrough from Soul Transformation to Void Return within the Chihong Province continent.

And now, he was already approaching Soul Transformation Perfection.

Even if he went to that Secret Realm, he probably wouldn’t get any benefits.

Since that was the case, it was better to accumulate more lifespan; that was the Righteous Path.

The Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth was powerful, but his System was not to be trifled with either.

Jiang Lan even felt that as long as he had the method for the Void Return Realm, the System could directly allow him to Breakthrough.

As for the Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth or not, could it let him grow from a Mortal who hadn’t even entered the Martial Dao Realm to his current Soul Transformation Peak in one year?

Seeing Jiang Lan shake his head, the girl smiled again:

“Two thousand years ago, his expression was exactly the same as yours now.”

Jiang Lan remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he was quite disdainful.

If he wasn’t going, he wasn’t going.

He really didn’t know if there was anything that could move him.

“Do you know how many other people besides the twenty-four of us have achieved Soul Transformation over the years?”

“How many?”

The girl said: “Not counting you, it’s eighty. Counting you, it’s exactly eighty-one.”

Jiang Lan smiled.

“That’s a good number, auspicious.”

The girl also laughed along with Jiang Lan.

“Don’t be too happy yet; those who died all outwardly agreed not to go to the Secret Realm, but still secretly went. And they all died in the Secret Realm.”

Jiang Lan frowned.

What exactly was this Secret Realm?

One or two would be fine.

But because of one Secret Realm, a total of fifty-six people died.

Other people didn’t have a System.

Jiang Lan believed that those who could Cultivate to the Spirit Transformation Realm were absolutely talented and determined individuals.

After all, if they didn’t have those two qualities, they wouldn’t be able to raise their Cultivation to the Soul Transformation level.

Jiang Lan only needed to speak and inject lifespan to raise his Realm.

But others had to rely on Cultivation to improve little by little.

But if they were people of firm resolve, why would they ignore warnings and insist on venturing into that Secret Realm?

Unable to figure it out, Jiang Lan simply asked directly.

“Then why did they go into the Secret Realm? Even sacrificing their own lives?”

“For their inner desires.”

“Inner desires?” Jiang Lan didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.

“Yes, the Bodhi Secret Realm is not the Secret Realm you imagine it to be.”

Jiang Lan still didn’t understand.

What did that mean? What did she mean it wasn’t the Secret Realm he imagined?

Seeing this, the girl explained:

“The Secret Realm you imagine, isn’t it a specific location where, once you enter, you are considered to have entered the Secret Realm’s scope?”

“Of course.” Jiang Lan almost didn’t hesitate and nodded directly.

In his previous life, the novels and stories he read all described it that way.

It was very reasonable.

The girl, however, shook her head again.

“Most Secret Realms are indeed as you previously understood them. No… it can be said that all Secret Realms except the Bodhi Secret Realm are as you understand them.

“But the Bodhi Secret Realm is an exception.”

Jiang Lan couldn’t help but be curious and asked:

“Can you tell me how it’s an exception?”

He was really curious about what kind of place this Secret Realm was that could trap so many Soul Transformation Realm powerhouses.

“The Bodhi Secret Realm is formless and shapeless, and it has no entrance. No, it should be that anywhere could be an entrance to the Bodhi Secret Realm.”

The girl slowly continued:

“The Secret Realm can perceive the desires in people’s hearts and appear at unexpected times. For example, if you are a gambler, the moment you step through the door of a gambling house, you might already have been pulled into the Secret Realm. Inside the Bodhi Secret Realm, what each person sees is different, but there is one commonality.”

Without waiting for Jiang Lan to ask, the girl spoke to herself and continued:

“That is, the moment they enter the Secret Realm, everyone will have a flash of realization. At the very least, the moment they are pulled into the Secret Realm, everyone knows they have been pulled into the Secret Realm.

“The method to exit the Secret Realm is also very simple. Just take one step back the moment you enter the Secret Realm.”

Jiang Lan: “?”

“That simple?”

This method of exiting the Secret Realm, in Jiang Lan’s opinion, was so simple it was almost abstract.

However, Jiang Lan also knew that exiting the Secret Realm couldn’t really be as simple as he imagined.

If one could exit the Secret Realm by just taking one step back, then surely not so many Soul Transformation powerhouses would have fallen there.

“Yes, to speak of it, it is that simple.” The girl said, “But when you actually encounter it, you’ll know it’s not that simple.”

Listening to the girl, he also might be pulled into the Secret Realm, so while there was someone who knew about it, he definitely had to ask more, lest he enter the Secret Realm in the future and be at a loss.

“Can you tell me more details?”

“No problem.” The girl said, “The moment you enter the Secret Realm, although there is a chance to exit, if the hesitation time exceeds three breaths, that chance is gone.”

“If the time exceeds three breaths, even if you step back, you won’t be able to get out.”

Jiang Lan nodded.

However, he felt that it shouldn’t be just that simple.

Three breaths.

Three breaths of time here, converted to modern time units, is about ten seconds.

Normally, if someone didn’t want to enter the Secret Realm in the first place, they would leave the moment they reacted.

How could they stay in place for ten seconds before making a decision?

Seemingly seeing Jiang Lan’s confusion, the girl smiled and continued:

“This is the power of the Secret Realm. Do you remember what I told you before?”

“Everyone’s deepest desires?”

“Exactly, you’re quite sharp-witted.” The girl said, “It’s desire. If you miss your parents, your parents will appear in the Secret Realm; if you are greedy for wealth, the Secret Realm will be mountains of gold and silver, jewels and jade; if you are lustful, the Secret Realm will be countless peerless beauties, ready for you to pick.”

Only then did Jiang Lan completely understand.

He had wondered what it was.

So it was specifically targeting the desires in people’s hearts.

“This Secret Realm sounds quite terrifying, but what benefits are there after entering?”

“I don’t know.” The girl shook her head again.

“You don’t know?” Jiang Lan stared, somewhat disbelieving.

The girl had an expression that suggested it was only natural, “Don’t look at me like that, I don’t know means I don’t know. In fact, no one has been able to Breakthrough the Secret Realm yet. However, based on our speculation, the Secret Realm might be related to breaking the Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth.”