60: Tianyuan Secret Realm

Demonic clouds rolled and churned.

Jiang Lie, the Sect Head of the Corpse Fiend Sect, stood atop the clouds. His towering Evil Qi dyed half the sky a crimson red.

Disciples from the sixteen peaks of the Corpse Fiend Sect gathered together, kneeling on the ground. Their eyes were filled with fervor as they looked up at Jiang Lie.

This was Fang Huai's first time coming into contact with a Core Formation Cultivator. Shaken by the man's world-shaking Aura, he couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning, his heart filled with anticipation for his future path of cultivation.

However, when his gaze swept over Jiang Lie's labels, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

【Jiang Lie】

【Early Stage Core Formation】

【Evil Qi Piercing the Firmament (Black)】【Ninth-Grade Core Formation】

【Evil Qi Piercing the Firmament: Devilish Qi manifests as physical Evil Qi that shoots straight into the sky, capable of suppressing the Spiritual Qi of surrounding Cultivators.】

【Ninth-Grade Core Formation: A Ninth-Grade Golden Core is of inferior quality; progress in cultivation is difficult.】

Ninth-Grade Core Formation?

Does this mean the Golden Core has different grades?

Jiang Lie's eyes burned brightly. "The Tianyuan Secret Realm has been dormant for three hundred years. You all know what that means, right? It means there are countless Heaven And Earth Treasures that have matured inside!"

The Disciples' hearts grew hot with excitement, and Fang Huai's eyes narrowed as well.

"In the Secret Realm, as long as you don't waste them intentionally, you have the right to keep any Spiritual Plant you get your hands on. How much your cultivation grows depends entirely on your own ability!"

As expected of a demonic Sect, Fang Huai thought to himself in surprise. If it were any other Sect, they wouldn't have such treatment.

But it made sense upon further thought. This Secret Realm trip was the perfect chance to strengthen the Disciples' cultivation so they could make a name for themselves at the True Dragon Assembly five years from now.

"Furthermore, you may keep one-tenth of all the harvests you bring out. The top thirty will be rewarded with a strange fiend; the top ten will receive Inner Sect treatment; and the top three can join the Sect Masters Lineage!

One more thing: if you find any Cultivation Technique, Spirit Treasure, or strange fiend in the Secret Realm, you don't need to hand them over. You can take them for yourselves!"

Hearing Jiang Lie's words, the Disciples' emotions reached a boiling point. Even Fang Huai's mouth felt dry with anticipation.

He didn't consider the Sect Masters Lineage because there were too many geniuses there, making it unsuitable for him to develop quietly.

But the Inner Sect treatment truly caught his eye.

By becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, one could receive a high amount of contribution points every month and get discounts for using the Cultivation Room.

Besides that, one could rent an independent Immortal Cave, would not be assigned messy mandatory missions, and could travel freely within the State of Chen.

"This Secret Realm was opened by our Old Ancestor. Cultivation levels upon entry are suppressed below Foundation Establishment, so no Foundation Establishment Cultivator will help you or restrict you.

However, if anyone commits senseless slaughter without reason inside, don't blame the Law Enforcement Hall for being heartless once you come out.

You should all know the power of the lesser karma mirror, right?"

After Jiang Lie finished speaking, the crowd's noise quieted down a bit, but the killing intent in their eyes did not diminish.

Fang Huai also clenched his fists. The lesser karma mirror was a wondrous item of the Corpse Fiend Sect.

Although it couldn't detect exactly who a Cultivator had killed, it could determine if they had killed recently, how many people they killed, and the approximate cultivation level of the deceased. It was a Sharp Weapon for the Sect to track down killers.

Jiang Lie's words seemed like a warning, but in reality, they told everyone that as long as they didn't kill their fellow Disciples, they were free to plunder as they pleased.

This was like raising Gu, nurturing the strongest thirty people to shock the State of Chen in five years.

To redistribute the cultivation resources of the State of Chen, the Corpse Fiend Sect was going all out.

As he was thinking, Jiang Lie gave the order. Over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators sat cross-legged around a golden formation, chanting incantations and injecting Spiritual Qi together.

Accompanied by the sound of obscure incantations, several spatial rifts several yards wide were torn open in mid-air.

Everyone was shocked by the great power of the formation, and for a moment, no one moved.

Jin Xiaoxiao leaned toward Fang Huai and said, "Senior Brother Fang, one must always be wary of others. In the Secret Realm, never trust anyone easily. If I have the chance to find you, I'll team up with you."

Fang Huai nodded. "You be careful too. After all, you're only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Focus on concealment and sneak attacks."

Jin Xiaoxiao laughed. "I have a special concealment Cultivation Technique, so I won't be exposed easily.

As for you, keep your life. Don't make that delicate little wife from the Profound Sword Sect back home cry her eyes out."

With that, she leaped up, becoming the first among the thousands of Late Stage Qi Refining Disciples to fly into the Secret Realm entrance.

Fang Huai couldn't help but shake his head. Last night, when Li Sirou heard he was going into the Secret Realm, she hadn't slept at all. When he saw her this morning, her eyes and nose were swollen from crying.

With Jin Xiaoxiao leading the way, the Disciples leaped up frantically. After all, whoever entered first would have the initiative.

Seeing the crowd grow denser, Fang Huai mixed in with them, picked an entrance with fewer people, and rushed in.

A dizzying sensation followed, as if his body were being torn apart, and his consciousness began to blur.

When his vision cleared, he seemed to be standing in a lush green meadow.

clear spirit grass?

There were at least two hundred stalks.

Fang Huai's eyes widened. Spiritual Plants that were hard to find in the Miasma Valley were actually abundant here.

As expected of a Secret Realm that hadn't been opened for three hundred years; it truly contained treasures.

Fang Huai's mind wasn't on this, however. These low-level Spiritual Plants weren't worth his excessive attention, and he was afraid he might encounter other Cultivators at his starting location.

After swallowing a few stalks, he leaped up, lightly tapping across the treetops before disappearing into the dense forest... In fact, Fang Huai's worries were unnecessary.

Although there were only a few entrances to the Secret Realm, the Cultivators who stepped inside would be randomly teleported to various locations.

Once inside the Secret Realm, their Identity Tokens would automatically sense the location of the exit. As long as it was within a month, they could find the exit to leave.

His landing spot was considered lucky. In contrast, other Cultivators might not have such good fortune.

Some were tightly wrapped by poisonous miasmas and evil vines the moment they appeared; others appeared directly in a Yao Beast's nest, becoming nourishment for the beast before they even had time to react.

"Insect Concealment Art!"

Fang Huai let out a low shout, his fingers moving slightly to form an incantation.

Under his command, the Small Corpse Meteor Worm released its suppression of the Blood Jade Worms.

Following Fang Huai's incantation, the Blood Jade Worms gathered collectively on the surface of his skin, cleverly masking his presence.

【Insect Concealment Art Level 1: 3/100】

"It was worth spending two months practicing this method."

The Insect Concealment Art was given to him by Feng Wuwang, who said that with his strength, Cultivators below Foundation Establishment would find it difficult to detect his presence after practicing it.

After traveling for a while, he saw a delicate green branch with red berries on the ground.

【Hundred-Year Spirit Ginseng】?

Is my luck really this good!

Just as Fang Huai was about to step out from concealment, he heard faint footsteps nearby.

An Eighth Layer of Qi Refining female Cultivator approached cautiously. When she was less than two yards away from the Hundred-Year Spirit Ginseng, she pounced forward and grabbed the exposed stem and leaves.

The Spirit Ginseng was yanked out of the ground, its body twisting as it let out a piercing scream.

Afraid that others would hear, the female Cultivator hurriedly covered the Spirit Ginseng's mouth and nose with her hand.

That Spirit Ginseng was no pushover either; it bit down directly on the woman's hand, causing her to break into a sweat from the pain.

Fang Huai clicked his tongue, not expecting this Spirit Ginseng to be so sentient. While he was hesitating whether to snatch it, he heard a "whoosh" by his ear.

A golden light shot toward the female Cultivator. Unable to dodge in time, she was struck in the back by the sword light.

With a cold snort, she threw the Spirit Ginseng far away and then fled in the opposite direction.

The Spirit Ginseng happened to be thrown right next to Fang Huai.

Fang Huai was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; he scooped it up, stuffed it into his Storage Pouch, and then quickly hid himself again.

The person who ambushed the female Cultivator couldn't sense Fang Huai's cultivation level. After a moment of hesitation, they didn't give chase and also hid within the jungle.