99: Block the door and withdraw

Before Zhou Yan could ask Shi Suiyan what was going on, a small door appeared out of thin air.

As the door was pushed open, a Cultivator, half-man and half-Sea Horse, slowly walked out, speaking as he went.

"I really didn't expect it."

"Not being in the same space, you can still perceive my existence."

"This era still has..."

"Yuan Chenling!"

Hearing Zhou Yan's command, Yuan Chenling immediately used his Divine Ability and swallowed the opponent whole.

Zhou Yan wasn't idle either, spreading his Feather Kill across the ground.

Seeing the Spell take shape, Yuan Chenling spat out the opponent.

As soon as Old Ma appeared, he took a Divine Ability hit. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was thrown into a cloud of smoke, his body paralyzed.

Zhou Yan moved swiftly, activating his eighteen-fold speed, and shot a string of Silver Bullets with a backhand.

Regardless of the effect, after firing, he pulled Yuan Chenling and Shi Suiyan into the door.

Space rippled, and when everyone reappeared, they were on a hillside.

Zhou Yan took out a light orb and placed it in front of the light door.

A sapling rooted and grew from the light orb, blocking the small entrance.

"Phew—that was close, that was close. I almost got dragged into the plot."

Zhou Yan wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction.

That light orb was none other than the Secret Realm core that Zhou Yan had picked up and never returned.

Since the Elders hadn't asked for it back, he assumed it was his.

Although this little trinket wasn't very useful, its status was extremely high, reaching Rank six. A single core was equivalent to Zhou Yan's Sword Seal and Formation Plate.

It was just a pity that in the hands of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Zhou Yan, it was no different from a rock.

If it were in the Secret Realm of Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, it might grant Zhou Yan partial authority, but at this moment, it could only be used as an ornament.

However, it was a coincidence that although this core was not very useful, its surface was still judged to be a space owned by Zhou Yan.

Although only that thin layer on the surface counted, its size was just right to plant the wealth tree.

After all, the wealth tree only needed one grid of space, and the area of this sphere was just slightly larger than one grid.

This thing might not be good at trapping people, but it was decent at blocking them.

Looking at the constantly rippling light door behind the tree, Zhou Yan nodded in satisfaction.

"Boss, what... what was that situation just now?" Yuan Chenling was still a bit dazed.

He instinctively attacked when he received the command, but only after holding the opponent did he realize something was wrong.

The magic power required to "bite" the opponent far exceeded expectations, indicating that the opponent's cultivation was much higher than his.

"Just a Core Formation Cultivator of unknown origin."

Zhou Yan didn't explain much, just glanced at the opponent's panel.

[Sea Horse?]

[Rank: Foundation Establishment Perfection (Core Formation Early Stage)]

[HP 149748/20000]

[MP 3450/1000]

He was all too familiar with this panel.

No wonder he felt something was off ever since he stepped into this place. It turned out to be these lingering artificial Half-Demons again.

He wondered if they belonged to the same faction as Chen Yan, and what role the Joyous Union Sect played in all of this?

Forget it, since he's here, he'll make the best of it.

Since he already knew there was something strange about the Secret Realm and now clearly knew the opponent's identity, Zhou Yan relaxed instead.

"But Senior Brother, if you block this door, what will the people behind do?"

What could Zhou Yan do?

Should he dismantle the air wall to let the opponent through, then activate a Formation to burn Spirit Stones and kill him?

This time, there was no Yi Sanyi to make up the difference for him.

The last time he faced Chen Yan, just activating the Formation consumed many high-quality Spirit Stones. If he were to truly unleash its power, the consumption would probably be calculated by the second, a thought he dared not entertain.

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; one must believe in the wisdom of future generations."

Zhou Yan walked forward with his hands behind his back, looking profound.

The opponent didn't open the door to pursue, indicating that once this door was passed through, it was difficult to return.

Since he had already come, let him spend more time with those gold and silver treasures.

As for the other Cultivators, once he went to the next level and the sapling and core were taken away, this door naturally wouldn't block them.

After all, it was a competitive relationship. It might be tough for Wang Yao and Mu Qianqiu, but with their strength, they should be fine.

"Junior Sister Shi, is there anything special about this level?"

Zhou Yan turned around and asked.

Shi Suiyan was still regretting that Zhou Yan hadn't played by the rules. She had originally thought she could witness Senior Brother Zhou's true strength.

"Oi~ My boss said..." Yuan Chenling was about to use his boss's prestige, but then he saw Shi Suiyan's eyes narrow.

For some reason, this Qi Refining Cultivator made him feel a bit of fear.

But when Shi Suiyan turned to Zhou Yan, a smile appeared on her face again.

"This place is similar to the middle circle of the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm; it is also a place to test one's Heart-Nature."

"Cultivators who come here will experience scenarios of different difficulties based on what they obtained in the previous stage."

"The more you acquire, the heavier the burden."

"The more precious the gain, the harder the test."

"However, the place you can reach and the final Legacy you obtain after passing will also vary according to the difficulty."

"If there's a difference, it's that people can really die here."

Zhou Yan looked at the village below the mountain, lost in thought.

"Junior Sister, what do you see below this mountain?"

"There is no mountain here; ahead is a river," Shi Suiyan replied.

"Ah? Isn't there a village below?" Yuan Chenling interjected.

What Yuan Chenling saw was the same as Zhou Yan, but Shi Suiyan saw a different scene.

Sigh, can't I just have a good time experiencing the joy of teaming up?

Since that's the case, we can only split up.

Shi Suiyan grabbed him before he left and handed him something like a mirror shard.

"With this, it will be easier for us to contact each other. Since we've reunited, there's no need to lose touch again."

Without waiting for Zhou Yan's response, she had already walked ahead, disappearing in an instant.

"This Junior Sister Shi is truly not simple. It's like she's coming home, even though she mentioned her connection to this place beforehand, her familiarity is still suspiciously high."

Zhou Yan toyed with the shard in his hand.

[Unnamed]

[Quality: Inferior ~ Excellent]

Description: Can communicate with another mirror piece through a mirror surface in a specific environment.

This Junior Sister was too versatile; Zhou Yan wasn't even sure if she was really on his side.

He felt like he was being manipulated by capital.

The Sect pulling from the front, other forces tugging from behind.

Joyous Union Sect, artificial Half-Demons, Shi Suiyan, and other possible arrangements within the Sect... he was just entering a dungeon, was it necessary to involve so many things?

However, this was ultimately not something a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him should worry about.

For now, he still had to take things one step at a time.

Zhou Yan once again felt the cruelty of the real world, far from the beauty depicted in novels.

Why couldn't those high-Rank Cultivators just stay in the new map and appear to give experience after his Rank increased?

They insisted on running around the world, making it seem like no place was unrelated to them.

Currently, the Secret Realm limits cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Stage, but since Core Formation Cultivators had already appeared, who knew what else might emerge later.

Helpless, Zhou Yan could only lead Yuan Chenling down the mountain.

On the third floor, Old Ma didn't wait long.

After he repeatedly tried to cross the gate without success, someone came to help him pass the time.

"Scum of the Truth Cult!"

The newcomer was Wang Yao.

Old Ma looked over upon hearing the sound, confirming that it was indeed the young Prodigy he had seen in the curtain, who fought crudely and had mediocre strength.

"Kid, I have important matters to attend to; I don't have time to play with you."

Wang Yao didn't answer, merely assumed a stance.

"Heh, I've watched your fights. Your backhand is weak, your forehand is unrefined, your footwork is loose, and your reactions are sluggish. Not a single move is decent. And you want to compete with this old man?"

"I don't know what grudge you have with the Truth Cult, and I'm too lazy to care."

"In short, I'm not interested in playing with you right now."

"If you don't know what's good for you, I will kill you as quickly as possible."

Wang Yao did not retreat, his gaze coldly locked on Old Ma.

"Done talking? I'm making my move."

"Heh, how ignorant."

"Are those your last words?"

Before Old Ma could say more, Wang Yao lunged forward with a speed he could barely catch.

This punch was without form, full of flaws, but—it couldn't be dodged!

Wang Yao's straight punch tore through the air.

Old Ma spun, bone spurs growing from his elbow. The bone spurs, like blades, aimed at Wang Yao's wrist, but Wang Yao changed his fist to a palm, his five fingers like iron tongs clamping onto the elbow joint.

"Crack!"

Before the sound of bone cracking faded, Old Ma's knee strike arrived, only to be intercepted midway by an even fiercer knee strike, his leg bone emitting a dull thud.

Wang Yao grabbed Old Ma's collar, swung him up, and slammed him hard against the wall.

Dust rose from the wall as Old Ma slid down, sleeve arrows shooting out instantly.

Wang Yao didn't dodge, the arrow tip plunging directly into his chest.

What happened next chilled Old Ma to the bone.

Wang Yao actually pulled out the poisoned arrow embedded in his chest with his bare hands. Not a drop of blood flowed from the wound, and it healed in the space of a breath.

As for the venom?

Wang Yao spat out a mouthful of steaming black blood onto the ground, completely unharmed.

He stepped forward, his face cold.

Old Ma struggled to get up, but was stomped on the chest, his ribs groaning.

Wang Yao leaned down, his fist raised high.

Just then, he heard a strange hum from deep within Old Ma's chest.