"That's right!"
Upon seeing the scene ahead, the two were both startled.
A huge spatial vortex, as if inlaid on the sacred mountain, slowly rotated.
The spatial vortex was enormous, emanating powerful fluctuations. Humans appeared as insignificant as ants before it.
"This must be the entrance to the newly emerged secret realm. I never imagined it would be so vast."
Feeling the fluctuations emanating from the spatial vortex, Lu Qing finally understood why those forces hadn't blocked the news when they discovered the secret realm was forming.
Because this fluctuation is something that cannot be concealed by human effort.
Even a powerful being at the Nascent Soul stage would appear insignificant before such powerful spatial fluctuations.
Not to mention concealing the fluctuations of the sacred mountain's secret realm, even a top-tier primordial spirit would be unable to do that.
Lu Qing tried to activate his supernatural ability and looked into the spatial vortex.
However, after a while, no message appeared.
Whether it was because the time was too short or the level of this secret realm was too high, just like the Tian Shu Divine Mountain itself, with his current strength, he was not yet able to explore the information within.
As the two approached the vortex, they saw that many figures were floating in the air in front of the huge spatial vortex.
Some sit serenely atop auspicious clouds, others ride in flying boats or other magical treasures, and still others stand seemingly suspended in mid-air.
Some were in groups, while others stood alone in proud solitude.
Without exception, these figures all possessed a powerful aura that inspired awe.
They were all Nascent Soul Realm experts!
However, the fluctuations of the spatial vortex were so vast that they became somewhat inconspicuous.
Sensing the power of those figures, Lu Qing and his companion immediately slowed down their flight.
"Daoist Master, do you think these powerful beings might prevent us from entering the secret realm?" Lu Qing asked.
"Probably not," Wu Bao Daoist said, not entirely sure. "According to the information I gathered from Tian Shu City..."
This secret realm on Tian Shu Divine Mountain is open to all cultivators.
This is an unspoken rule that has been tacitly accepted by various forces over the past tens of thousands of years.
It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, certain forces wanted to seize the opportunities within the sacred mountain.
They joined forces to seal off the sacred mountain, preventing other cultivators from entering and exploring it.
This resulted in widespread discontent among independent cultivators, ultimately leading to an extremely fierce battle.
A fierce battle ensued, with countless rogue cultivators, led by the primordial spirits of many rogue cultivators, uniting together and nearly crushing those major forces.
If it weren't for the Holy Alliance's intervention, they probably would have wiped out the entire sect and clan.
From that time onward, no force dared to openly blockade Tian Shu Divine Mountain.
Independent cultivators are free to enter and leave the sacred mountain, explore, cultivate, and seek opportunities.
These powerful beings wouldn't easily violate this rule.
You see, apart from these powerful beings at the primordial spirit level, there is no one else here.
The independent cultivators of Tian Shu City were also nowhere to be seen.
They must have already entered the secret realm to explore.
"I see."
Lu Qing suddenly realized that this made sense.
If these forces did not allow independent cultivators to enter the secret realm, the news of the upcoming birth of the Divine Mountain Secret Realm would not have spread so widely, and countless independent cultivators would not have flocked to it.
"Let's move closer and see how these powerful beings react."
The two slowly flew towards the spatial vortex. As they got closer, they soon felt many powerful gazes falling on them.
The Five Treasures Taoist stiffened, his expression immediately becoming tense.
Although Lu Qing appeared calm, she was also feeling a bit tense inside.
He even secretly carried a teleportation talisman, ready to escape immediately if he sensed anything amiss.
Still there, those Nascent Soul Realm experts, seeing that they were only two early Golden Core Realm cultivators, didn't pay much attention, their gazes quickly shifting back to the spatial vortex.
Seeing this, Lu Qing and the other person secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He then revealed a respectful expression, circled around, and slowly flew towards the spatial vortex.
Seeing how cautious they were, a powerful being with a primordial spirit couldn't help but chuckle.
Despite the laughter, no one stopped them from approaching the spatial vortex.
Finally, watching their figures disappear into the spatial vortex, a powerful being shook his head with a smile.
"The two little ones must have received the news from somewhere and rushed over here. Now that they're only going in, they probably won't even be able to find a single spirit herb."
A powerful figure scoffed, "Two ignorant brats, only at the early Golden Core stage, dare to come and join the fun? They're probably going to die inside!"
"But you can't say that. Perhaps these two little ones are just very lucky and will get a good opportunity."
You must know that the path of fortune is mysterious and unfathomable; even we are completely unable to fathom it.
Just like this sacred mountain and its hidden realm, we possess the strength, yet we are unable to enter it; this is because we lack the right opportunity.
"How could we possibly be compared to these two mere Golden Core cultivators? Kongmingzi, you are belittling yourself far too much."
...
A group of Nascent Soul level experts were exchanging cryptic remarks, while Qian Lingxiao of the Qiankun Sect gazed thoughtfully toward the direction of the spatial vortex.
"Brother Lingxiao, what are you looking at?"
Gongshu, who was standing to the side, saw him like this and couldn't help but ask.
"I'm wondering if those two people just now were the ones Xiaojing and the others were talking about."
"You mean the cultivator who rescued Junior Sister Xiaojing and the others from Li Motian?" Gongshu Zheng was slightly taken aback. "But didn't they say that after Li Motian fell into the demonic path, his strength had already reached the late Golden Core stage?"
The cultivator capable of killing him must be at least at the late Golden Core stage.
But those two were only at the early Golden Core stage.
"Perhaps he used some kind of extraordinary treasure to conceal his true cultivation level," Qian Lingxiao said calmly. "Yesterday, Junior Sister Xiaojing and Junior Sister Qiaozhu waited for a long time, but the cultivator who saved them did not appear."
In addition, they also mentioned that the man had recently been traveling with a fat Taoist priest.
Those two people just now perfectly matched what Junior Sister Xiaojing and the others described.
"That must be it."
Upon hearing this, Gongshu Zheng nodded in agreement.
Then an amused expression appeared on his face: "But to be able to deceive even our senses, it seems that the treasure this person carries to conceal his cultivation level is quite extraordinary."
"Anyone who can cultivate to the late stage of the Golden Core realm must have some secrets."
If you're interested, Brother Zheng, you might as well investigate for yourself when he comes out.
Qian Lingxiao didn't seem to care much.
“Brother Lingxiao, you are too kind. This man has been kind to your Qiankun Sect, how could I be rude to him?” Gongshu Zheng said with a smile.
"To be honest, Brother Zheng, I have some doubts about this person's background. Although he said he saved Xiao Jing and the others, the timing was too clever."
Furthermore, this person was being secretive about his origins, so I couldn't help but suspect his motives.
However, just as Brother Zheng said, he is now considered a benefactor of our Qiankun Sect, and I should not offend him.
If Brother Zheng is willing to do the work and help probe the area, that would be wonderful.
"It's nothing. If these two can come out of the secret realm alive, I'll help you investigate."
Gongshu Zheng did not refuse.
He was also quite interested in the treasure that the boy had possessed that had managed to evade his spiritual senses.
Lu Qing had no idea that he hadn't done anything, yet he had been targeted by two Nascent Soul Realm experts.
At this moment, he and the Five Treasures Taoist had already passed through the spatial vortex and entered the secret realm.
"This is the interior of the secret realm?"
After clearing their minds of the discomfort they had received, the two immediately began to survey their surroundings.
Then they discovered that they were now in a very vast space.
At first glance, it seems no different from the outside world.
There are flowers, trees, mountains, and meadows, a scene full of vitality.
They were in a sparse grove of trees.
But soon, their expressions changed.
"The spiritual energy in this secret realm is so thin?"
The Five Treasures Taoist priest exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Qing's expression also turned serious.
In his perception, the surrounding spiritual energy was extremely thin.
It was faintly similar to the level of spiritual energy when the first Daoist sound of heaven and earth resounded in my hometown.
Conversely, the laws governing the surrounding space were extremely solid, even giving them a sense of heaviness.
Lu Qing gently waved his arm, cutting through the air and producing a heavy whistling sound.
He immediately realized that this was not an illusion.
The surrounding space was indeed much more stagnant and heavy than the outside world.
As a result, not only will their flight speed be greatly affected, but the amount of mana they need to consume when using the Escape Technique will also increase significantly.
"This is not good." Lu Qing tested it and couldn't help but say, "The spiritual energy in this secret realm is so thin, and the space is so stable."
Whether we are traveling or using Taoist techniques, the amount of magical power we need to consume is several times that of usual.
As a result, the power of Taoist arts is greatly reduced.
The consumed mana can only be replenished with spirit stones.
When cultivators unleash their magical arts and supernatural powers, in addition to activating their own magical power, they often cause the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to vibrate, forming a vast and powerful force, greatly increasing their power.
The spiritual energy in this secret realm is so thin that without the resonance of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, cultivators who rely solely on their own magical power to activate their Dao techniques will not only consume far more magical power, but their power will also be greatly weakened.
More importantly, they still haven't figured out why the environment of this secret realm is so strange.
"Strange, this new secret realm born from the sacred mountain is so strange, the spiritual energy is so thin, this has never happened before."
The Five Treasures Taoist priest standing to the side was also extremely puzzled.
Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Daoist Master, you said that this situation has never occurred before?"
“No.” Wu Bao Daoist shook his head. “These past few days, I have collected a lot of information about the secret realms nurtured by the sacred mountain in the past, but never before has a secret realm had such a thin spiritual energy as this one.”
Most of the secret realms that have appeared in the history of the sacred mountain are filled with terrifying spiritual energy.
This also makes the secret realm a treasure trove; any wild grass picked at random could become a valuable spiritual herb in the outside world.
But now, look.
The Five Treasures Taoist plucked a wild grass from the ground and sensed it.
"This is just the most ordinary wild grass, without any spiritual essence, even worse than the weeds outside."
Lu Qing looked at the weed and could also sense that it was just an ordinary weed.
Even the results he obtained by using his special abilities confirmed this.
“That’s not all,” Lu Qing said with a somewhat grave expression. “Daoist Master, there’s something else you’ve overlooked.”
"What is it?" Wu Bao Daoist was taken aback.
"Look behind you."
The Five Treasures Taoist looked back, but saw no movement behind him; everything was as usual.
Just as he was wondering, Lu Qing said, "When we came in, we went through that spatial vortex. So where is the spatial vortex now?"
Upon hearing this, the Five Treasures Taoist priest's body suddenly trembled.
At this moment, Lu Qing's remaining words reached his ears: "Without a spatial vortex, how will we get out?"
“That’s right!” A look of surprise appeared on the face of the Five Treasures Taoist. “Without the spatial vortex, wouldn’t we be unable to get out?”
But why is this happening? The records left behind by Tian Shu City state that the entrance to the secret realm shouldn't have disappeared!
“There are only two explanations,” Lu Qing calmly analyzed.
"Firstly, when we entered, the spatial vortex randomly teleported us to a location within the secret realm, rather than near the exit."
"The other one is that the spatial vortex can only be entered, not exited. If we want to get out, we will have to find another way."
"But whichever it is, it's clear that staying here won't give us the answers we're looking for."
“Fellow Daoist Chen is right.” As Lu Qing analyzed, Daoist Wubao gradually calmed down.
"Whatever the reason, we must take the initiative to find a solution."
"Then let's go up to the sky and check the situation first," Lu Qing suggested.
"Alright."
So the two of them transformed into streaks of light and flew into the sky.
However, after ascending less than a hundred feet, their expressions changed again.
Because they discovered that flying did indeed require much more magical power than when they were in the outside world, just as they had imagined.
What shocked them even more was that the higher they flew, the heavier the surrounding space became.
To maintain flight, the amount of mana required will increase exponentially.
The amount of magical power required to ascend just a hundred feet is already ten times greater than that on the ground.
When it reaches a height of a thousand feet, the magical power consumed with each breath is hundreds of times greater than that on the ground!
"No, this secret realm seems to prohibit us from flying for long periods of time. We have to go down."
Lu Qing felt the magical power within his body being rapidly consumed, like snow under the sun, and his expression changed instantly.
Although his perfect golden core foundation was solid, his accumulated magical power was far stronger than that of a high-grade golden core.
But if this kind of consumption continues, it will be difficult to sustain for long.
"good!"
As for the Five Treasures Taoist, he was even worse.
Although he had hidden many trump cards, he was already struggling to cope with such a powerful drain on his resources.
He immediately agreed to Lu Qing's suggestion and began to descend.
The two quickly landed on the ground, feeling the pressure of the surrounding space lessen considerably, and breathed a sigh of relief.
When they first entered, they were somewhat unaccustomed to the heaviness of the surrounding space.
But compared to the sky, it's far too easy.
Just now, when they reached a height of a thousand feet in the sky, they felt as if the entire sky was about to press down on them.
"It seems that this secret realm is deliberately suppressing our cultivation methods."
After a short rest, Lu Qing seemed to have an epiphany.
