75: Heavenly Mystery Realm (Part Two)

Time passed minute by minute. Outside the Heavenly Profound Secret Realm, a strange atmosphere settled. Although everyone appeared to be finding their own spots and even seemed quite relaxed, the tension was palpable. It was as if they were all in a pool of oil; at the slightest spark, it would instantly explode.

Fortunately, this eerie stability persisted. Finally, the Heavenly Profound Secret Realm was about to open. The gateway of the Secret Realm began to flash with light. Everyone became cautious, fearing that something might go wrong.

Once the gateway swung wide, Gu Yuchuan jumped straight in.

Inside the Heavenly Profound Secret Realm was a primordial jungle, lush and green. Towering trees blocked out the sun, with only specks of daylight filtering through the leaves onto the ground. The entire jungle was somewhat dim, but it certainly didn't affect the Cultivators, as they used their Divine Sense to find their way.

Gu Yuchuan instinctively took a deep breath. He could feel all his pores opening, as if an endless vitality was entering his body. His body felt much lighter. The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was indeed much stronger than in the outside world. Cultivating here would yield twice the result with half the effort, and there were bound to be many herbs.

He thought for a moment. There was no rush for the dragon snake fruit, as it was near the Trial Space. The most important thing now was to kill ten Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivators. He observed that there were no more than sixty Qi Refining Perfection Cultivators from the Human Race who had entered. If he delayed his killing, there might not be enough left, and he really wouldn't be able to enter the Trial Space. After all, he didn't want to kill members of the Yao Race here. If word got out, people would definitely gossip about him, and there might even be punishments.

Under normal circumstances, the path of immortality is a struggle for opportunities, and it would be fine for Yao Beasts to kill each other—after all, it's the Law of nature. But now it was a time of war, and these Yao Beasts had come from the army with missions. Killing them now would definitely be inappropriate. Thus, Gu Yuchuan didn't want any trouble; killing Human Race Cultivators would suffice.

He flicked his tongue, carefully discerning the scents in the air. Soon, he detected the aura of a Human Race Cultivator nearby. Judging by the cultivation, it was a Qi Refining Great Perfection. Good, a successful start; he was one lucky little snake.

He activated his Invisibility Talent and slowly moved forward. The Human Race Cultivator he discovered was Song Chang'an of the Green Wood Gate. He had just advanced to Qi Refining Great Perfection. He had heard from a Sect Elder that there were foundation establishment pills inside and wanted to try his luck. After all, his Spiritual Root was just an ordinary triple Spiritual Root. Becoming a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator would be very difficult, so he had to take a gamble.

He was extremely cautious now, with a shield already active on his body and a Flying Sword circling above his head. He had heard that a Secret Realm is the most dangerous place for a Cultivator. One must not only be wary of the inherent dangers within the Secret Realm but also guard against Yao Beasts. Even fellow Human Race Cultivators could not be easily trusted; only those from the same School could be trusted somewhat.

He walked forward slowly. Suddenly, he saw some red fruits, and his eyes instantly lit up. Level one High Grade spirit fruit, Materials used for refining jade sprout pills. This stuff could be sold for over a hundred Spirit Stones outside. He was very happy; he had just entered and already had such a harvest. Indeed, while Secret Realms are full of crises, opportunities are also everywhere.

However, he did not act rashly. He approached slowly, knowing that wherever there are spiritual items, there is danger. Even if these red fruits weren't particularly precious, they were bound to be guarded. Sure enough, after a careful search, he spotted a camouflaged lizard in the shadows.

The lizard was hidden on a rock, its patterns identical to the stone. Had Song Chang'an not been careful, he certainly wouldn't have seen it. Reaching this point, Song Chang'an let out a sigh of relief. The lizard appeared to have only a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, having just entered the Late Stage of Qi Refining. The gap between them was far too large; it couldn't possibly defeat him.

He controlled his Flying Sword and killed the lizard with a casual strike. The lizard leaped up unwillingly, but the gap in cultivation meant their methods were worlds apart; it could only be pierced through by the Flying Sword. Song Chang'an happily went to collect the red fruits, but he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. He turned his head to see a terrifying snake head in front of him, its venomous fangs already in his neck. He spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, and his entire body dissolved into fragments, reappearing ten meters away.

However, his face had already turned purple, clearly indicating he was deeply poisoned. The giant python that ambushed him was, of course, Gu Yuchuan. He hadn't expected the opponent to have such a powerful life-saving item. He looked at the straw man on the ground; that must be a Substitute Strawman. He had only heard of them before, and this was his first time seeing one. A single Substitute Strawman was worth as much as a foundation establishment pill, which showed its preciousness.

Seeing Gu Yuchuan, Song Chang'an was so angry his whole body was shaking: "Prodigy, you lot really are low-life things who only know how to ambush. You're destined to live in the shadows forever."

Gu Yuchuan didn't say anything. He was a bit annoyed that his strike hadn't finished the job. He lashed out with his tail, which struck with the force of ten thousand catties. However, Song Chang'an was also a Qi Refining Perfection Cultivator and couldn't be without other tricks. Even though he was poisoned and injured, he could still resist.

He let out a roar, and several daylilies appeared around him, blocking Gu Yuchuan's path.

Gu Yuchuan didn't want to get bogged down; he had ten people to kill and needed to hurry. He shot out three drops of Heavenly Profound Heavy Water. He knew the power of this Heavenly Profound Heavy Water. Sure enough, the daylilies were instantly shattered into pieces, losing all their mystical properties. The opponent also spat out blood and fell to the ground.

"Enough, I have nothing more to say to you. Just die."

Having said that, he killed the opponent. Vaguely, a voice echoed in his ear: Progress toward entering the Trial Grounds, one-tenth. He had to hurry.

After killing the opponent, he devoured the other's essence. However, since his Bloodline was already that of a Spirit Beast, advancing by devouring was now very slow—unless it was a Cultivator with some kind of Spiritual Body or Divine Body. But those were Saint-level existences in their Sects and were hard to find. Even if he found one, he might not be able to defeat them.

He packed up the red fruits. Although they weren't precious, they shouldn't be wasted; they would be useful eventually. Only then did he begin searching for his next target. However, he searched for several hours without finding another, only coming across a few Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivators. He didn't even drop his invisibility or show himself, as killing them would be a waste of time.