A chicken or a bird?

As she spoke, Ming Suxin felt a strange sensation in her heart.

Zhong Qing’s position had clearly been closer to the city tower than hers, so why had the Formation only been activated when she rushed over?

Zhong Qing’s expression remained calm; he didn’t reply, but his gaze lingered on Ming Suxin for a moment longer.

Most women were troublesome.

However, this woman’s character seemed rather good.

For instance, during the recent Formation attack, although he didn’t pay it any mind, when Ming Suxin acted, she also dispelled the Formation that was attacking him.

Though, if Ming Suxin hadn’t come over, with Formation Immunity on him, he wouldn’t have triggered the Formation at all.

“Thank you for the reminder.”

He nodded slightly at Ming Suxin.

This indicated that he acknowledged her reminder but didn’t heed it.

Turning his head, he continued forward, passing directly through the city gate.

Watching Zhong Qing’s back disappear through the city gate, Ming Suxin’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing more, stepping forward to follow.

After the two passed through the city gate, they found themselves at the mouth of a valley, which was a sizable fortress-style courtyard with a vast, open plaza.

Presumably, the ancient Sect’s guard forces had been stationed here in the past.

In the center of this courtyard plaza stood a damaged statue.

Although half of it was broken, its outline could still be vaguely discerned: a middle-aged man riding a soaring, large bird.

“This should be some important figure from that Sect, I suppose.”

Zhong Qing’s gaze swept around, and he couldn’t help but murmur to himself. The architectural style here was completely different from what he had seen in the current Northern Region, and he wondered how many years ago it dated back.

Zhong Qing’s gaze fell on the large bird beneath the statue; the more he looked, the more it resembled a large rooster.

But would a normal person ride a chicken?

It should still be some kind of bird, right?

Yet, no matter how he looked at it, it still resembled a chicken.

Zhong Qing fell into contemplation, pondering as he advanced, preparing to cross this plaza and head to the other side of the valley.

The gate on the other side was much grander, nearly a hundred zhang high. From the remaining colors on it and the broken sculptures on the pillars on either side of the gate, it was clear.

This grand gate must have been quite magnificent countless years ago.

It was highly likely that everything they had traversed before was the outer perimeter of the Sect, and only after passing through this formidable gate would they reach the true Sect grounds.

And this place served as a defensive outpost and reception area for external visitors.

Just as Zhong Qing was about to approach the grand gate, a clear and pleasant voice echoed from behind him.

“Don’t go any further.”

“The Formation aura on this gate is much stronger than the previous one.”

Ming Suxin’s graceful figure passed by Zhong Qing, her gaze, tinged with apprehension, fixed on the grand gate.

Then, she extended her slender index finger and gently pointed, a beam of light shot out, landing on the grand gate.

Instantly, golden Talismans lit up all over the grand gate, radiating golden light that transformed into a massive barrier, enveloping the gate.

Zhong Qing was not surprised by this; since it was a Sect gate, how could it not be covered by a Formation?

However, if Ming Suxin hadn’t acted, and he had simply walked through, this Formation would also not have been activated.

Ming Suxin’s expression turned solemn: “This Formation is extraordinary; it seems to be the legendary ancient Jin Yao Guanghua Formation.”

“This Formation is known as impregnable and indestructible. In ancient times, it’s feared that not only you and I, but even a group of Sanyin Realm Cultivators, wouldn’t be able to break it.”

“But now, its power is probably only a fraction of what it once was, and the Mirror Heart Lake Bright Mirror Treasure Scroll that I Cultivate uses water element to manifest a treasure mirror, illuminating the vast world, reflecting the heart to clarify the path. With the mutual generation of metal and water, I might be able to find a way through this Formation.”

“I need to circulate my Cultivation to activate the Heavenly Water Mirror Luo Formation Breaker. Do not act rashly.”

She spoke earnestly.

Zhong Qing didn’t seem to have heard her; his expression remained serious, his eyes deep in thought.

Speaking of that statue…

Was it riding a chicken…

Or something else…

Perhaps ancient Cultivators really did ride chickens?

Or, perhaps there was a very powerful type of chicken in ancient times?

At this moment, Ming Suxin had already begun to circulate her spiritual energy, and the treasure mirror she had used during her battle with the giant ape reappeared in her hand.

She gathered all her spiritual energy, transforming it into bursts of light that condensed onto the treasure mirror.

The mirror’s surface became increasingly transparent and clear, emitting waves of pure light. The mirror surface resembled water, rippling with waves, and a profound aura emerged.

A crisp humming sound emanated from the mirror, and a bead of sweat trickled down Ming Suxin’s jade-like, smooth face. Already quite depleted, activating this technique now was clearly a struggle for her.

But she gritted her teeth and persevered. If this Formation wasn’t broken, they couldn’t continue forward.

This commotion also startled Zhong Qing, who was still contemplating the chicken-riding question.

He looked at Ming Suxin, whose spiritual energy was surging, then at the golden, radiant Formation barrier, seemingly puzzled as to what she was doing.

Then he shook his head, walked directly towards the grand gate, and casually pointed a finger at the golden light.

The dazzling golden light and myriad Talismans vanished simultaneously at that moment.

The impregnable Jin Yao Guanghua Formation was simply gone.

At this moment, Ming Suxin’s Heavenly Water Mirror Luo was only halfway activated, abruptly halting there.

She looked at the empty city gate, then back at Zhong Qing.

Her red lips parted, astonished beyond words.

The grand Formation was broken just like that?

“You… how is this possible?”

However, Zhong Qing didn’t answer her. He merely glanced back at Ming Suxin before turning his head again and stepping through the grand gate.

Ming Suxin regained her composure and quickly followed him.

“How did you do that?”

A blush still lingered on her pretty face, a result of having to abruptly stop her spiritual energy circulation mid-Cultivation, causing her Qi and blood to churn.

But what churned even more was the turmoil in her heart.

If Zhong Qing had been incredibly powerful and directly broken the Formation with a strike, she might have found it easier to accept.

But he seemed to have completely ignored the Formation’s existence. He simply pointed, and not even a spiritual energy fluctuation was felt; the grand Formation simply vanished, which was utterly incomprehensible.

This young man’s methods seemed to be beyond her imagination.

However, Zhong Qing had no intention of answering. He simply continued to explore his surroundings, slowly moving forward.

A hint of annoyance flashed across Ming Suxin’s pretty face, but she still quickened her pace to catch up.

Normally, according to her personality, she would be exploring ahead, but for some reason, she unconsciously followed behind Zhong Qing.

The two continued north, remaining silent throughout the journey.

Although Ming Suxin was still curious about how Zhong Qing had broken the ancient Formation earlier, seeing that he had no intention of explaining, her personality naturally prevented her from pressing the matter.

The closer they got to the Secret Realm’s center, the more ruins they encountered along the way.

Naturally, the dangers also increased.

Soon, another cluster of pavilions appeared on their path forward.

Looking at the dilapidated pavilions and towers, despite their ruined state, one could still vaguely discern from their remaining outlines how magnificent and grand this place must have been in its prime.

This also aligned with Zhong Qing’s conjecture: beyond that formidable gate lay the true Sect grounds.

“Is this the so-called ancient Sect? It looks quite powerful, but since it was so powerful, how did it fall?”

Zhong Qing, who had spoken very little throughout the journey, suddenly opened his mouth, seemingly talking to himself, yet also posing a question.

Ming Suxin fell silent for a moment, then said, “I once heard my Master mention that this White Wind Plains, in ancient times, wasn’t called the White Wind Plains. The Sect that occupied this place seemed to be called the Great Snow Mountain Sect.”

“The Great Snow Mountain Sect was once one of the most powerful Sects in the entire Northern Region, flourishing for a time.”

“Of course, at that time, many of the current Sects in the Northern Region didn’t even exist, and the power dynamics were completely different.”

“It wasn’t until the late ancient period that the Great Snow Mountain Sect seemed to have unearthed something, leading to its demise overnight. But the era is too distant, and the specifics are no longer known.”

“Since then, this place has become a perilous forbidden zone, with few people approaching it for countless years.”

Zhong Qing’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he asked, “Then where did the so-called Secret Realm come from, and how did you know about it?”

Ming Suxin shook her head: “The appearance of the Secret Realm was long after the Great Snow Mountain Sect’s demise. I don’t know exactly when it appeared.”

“But over the past few millennia, predecessors have come here to investigate and attempt to enter the Secret Realm.”

“It’s just that the six Secret Realm fragments have never been gathered before, so no one has been able to fully open the Secret Realm and obtain its greatest Opportunity.”

As the two conversed, they had already entered the ruins.

At one point, Zhong Qing suddenly stopped and looked towards a certain spot in the ruins.