Chapter 221: Chapter 215: This is the Guixi Secret Realm?
Before the sword-light even arrived, an immense pressure bore down from above, making it difficult for Xuanyuan and his party to breathe.
The sword-light dissipated before the sect gate, revealing a gaunt, withered old man.
The old man wore a crimson-gold Daoist robe, the kind exclusive to the elders of the Celestial Furnace Sect.
On the robe, a flame totem seemed to flow and swirl slowly.
His face was gaunt, his eye sockets deep-set, and his eyes held nothing but a cold indifference.
He leaned on a cane polished from the bone of some unknown beast, its tip inlaid with a dull, gray orb.
"Xuanyuan of Qingxu Temple respectfully welcomes... respectfully welcomes Mr. Huohua."
Xuanyuan bowed low, not daring to raise his head and look the man in the eye.
’Why is he here?’
’Isn’t the Celestial Furnace Sect’s Tithing day still more than half a month away?’
’Why have they come to collect the Tithing so early this time?’
Xuanyuan grew wary. A piece of news, jointly released by the neutral sects, uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
’Could it... could it be because the righteous and demonic paths joined forces to plot against the neutral sects and steal the essence of the [Spirit Eye Tree]?’
’Rumor had it that every major sect lost many elite disciples and hidden agents in that battle. The Celestial Furnace Sect’s losses were said to be just as heavy. Is that why the Tithing day has been moved up?!’
A chill ran through him.
The old man known as Mr. Huohua didn’t even spare him a proper glance.
His gaze swept over Qingxu Temple’s shabby gate before he spoke.
"Xuanyuan. It’s a bit early, but the day is near. Is everything ready?"
Xuanyuan panicked. "M-Mr. Huohua... This year’s harvest... it was... it was truly poor..."
"Oh?"
"Are you saying you don’t have it?"
"N-No, that’s not it!" Xuanyuan hastily explained. "I just... I just need a few more days to gather everything..."
As Xuanyuan stalled for time, he prayed frantically in his heart.
’Ye Longtao... you have to succeed!’
...
「Inside the Guixi Sect」
Sunlight fell upon the ancient, simple buildings, casting long shadows.
Yet the light could not penetrate the corridors or window lattices, leaving the interiors shrouded in obscurity.
It made the grand halls, which should have exuded an otherworldly air, look more like a row of tombs.
The entire Guixi Sect was now home only to a crowd of identical-looking "Mr. Qians."
They continued their work at their respective posts.
The Mr. Qian in the Transmission Hall was still sorting through unclaimed jade slips;
the Mr. Qian in the Knowledge Hall was still wiping down deserted tables;
and even the Mr. Qian in the Dining Pavilion was standing before a stove, endlessly repeating the motion of tossing a wok.
This was despite the fact that there wasn’t a single other disciple in the Dining Pavilion.
Or perhaps, the only disciples present were those played by a Mr. Qian?
They were the only things moving in the dead silence, but their actions only made the stillness all the more eerie...
Ye Longtao recalled the bustling scene from his work yesterday, a stark contrast to the dead silence of this moment.
The other disciples all started talking at once, describing the situation they found upon their return.
"Reporting to Mr. Ye,"
"Right after you passed out, the sect opened the [Guixi Secret Realm]."
"The scene..."
"It was... I can’t quite describe it..."
"It seemed like every single disciple of the Guixi Sect swarmed toward the opening of the Guixi Secret Realm the moment it appeared."
"That’s right."
"We brought you back to your room, and by the time you woke up and we came back out, it was like this. Do you think all the disciples went into the Guixi Secret Realm?"
They described the chaotic scene, struggling with their limited vocabulary to convey the spectacle of the great cultivator migration.
As Ye Longtao listened to their description, his horror deepened.
’This... How is this possible?’
’A secret realm... how could it possibly hold so many people?!’
The opening of any secret realm comes with extremely strict limits on the number of entrants and their Cultivation.
The more ancient and precious the realm, the stricter the restrictions.
These measures exist not only to protect the realm’s fragile ecosystem and Spirit Veins, but also to prevent too many Cultivators from flooding in and depleting its resources.
If everyone could get in, why would there be a selection process? Wouldn’t it be better to just let everyone in and let them fend for themselves?
And yet the Guixi Sect had allowed nearly a thousand disciples, regardless of their Cultivation level, to pour into the same secret realm?
It was simply unheard-of!
Appalling, even!
Either... the [Guixi Secret Realm] was of an unimaginably high grade, its internal space and resources vast enough to support an exploration of this scale...
...or these demonic fiends simply didn’t care about depleting resources. Did they just want to throw all the disciples into a bloody free-for-all? With only the survivors being worthy of the realm’s rewards!
But that didn’t feel quite right, either.
Regardless, the Guixi Sect’s resources and sheer madness were far beyond his imagination.
Still, since this was the ancient demonic sect his master had spoken of, it was only natural that some things would be beyond his comprehension.
Suddenly, however, a flash of inspiration struck Ye Longtao.
On second thought, the astonishment in his eyes began to fade.
In its place grew an excitement and greed that stemmed from the bottom of his heart.
’Wait... This might be... an opportunity!’
He looked around. In his eyes, the empty sect had become an unguarded treasure vault!
Most of the fiends had already entered the [Guixi Secret Realm].
The only ones left behind were those "Mr. Qians"—mere puppets of flesh and blood.
’What did this mean?’
’It meant that the defenses of the massive Guixi Sect were at their absolute weakest!’
’And the easiest to investigate!’
’This was an opportunity!’
’A perfect chance to probe deeper into this demonic sect and gather some intelligence!’
He remembered the humiliation he had endured over the past few days—the endless sweeping, fetching water, and chopping wood...
The repetitive labor had left him with no time to dig up any valuable information.
But now, his chance had come!
His mind raced, calculating the possibilities.
’As long as I’m careful and avoid any important areas... if I just pilfer a few books or items that aren’t significant enough to draw attention, I should be... safe, right?’
...
「The Guixi Secret Realm」
Inside the secret realm was another world entirely.
When Su Ling’er’s vision recovered from a brief moment of distortion and weightlessness, the fresh scent of grass and trees flooded her senses.
They appeared to be in the middle of a vast, boundless, primeval jungle.
Towering, ancient trees stood behind them, their massive canopies obscuring the sky.
The air was filled with the chirping of countless insects and the roars of unseen beasts.
’This... this is the [Guixi Secret Realm]?’
She thought she could make out a figure up ahead.
Dong Changsheng was standing at the very front of the group, and around his neck, shockingly, was a... leash that glowed with a faint spiritual light?
The other end of the leash was held in the hand of their Eldest Brother, Lin Qingfeng.
Su Ling’er: "????"
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