Chapter 48: Entering the Secret Realm
“I heard that the Holy Master of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land recently accepted a sixteen-year-old Great Brook Realm cultivator as a personal disciple…” the arrogant young man who had dismissed the other cultivators looked at Mingyan intently. “The rumors can’t be true. That person must be stronger than Great Brook Realm… Otherwise, a Holy Master wouldn’t be interested… let alone make an exception and accept him as a disciple.”
The young master’s expression turned thoughtful. “Fellow Daoist… could you be…?”
The other talented cultivators nearby also looked at Mingyan with renewed interest, their minds racing.
Mingyan closed his eyes, neither confirming nor denying.
The young master smiled. “Regardless of whether Fellow Daoist is that lucky chosen one, once we enter the secret realm, it’s fair game. Opportunities are for those who can seize them. I’m sure Fellow Daoist agrees.”
Mingyan opened his eyes and nodded. This was a subtle warning, telling him they wouldn’t hold back in competing for resources, regardless of his status. His master likely wouldn’t want him to rely on his status to complete this trial. Yue Wu Xia had said strength was more important than status. In the cultivation world, power was everything.
The young master nodded, smiling. Seeing Mingyan’s reticence, he didn’t press further.
As the restriction on the tombstone weakened, more and more people arrived. However, anyone below the Yin Tomb Realm was driven back by the arrogant young man. No one dared challenge him.
He was around Mingyan’s age but already at the peak of the Yin Tomb Realm. Even Rain Terrace Blessed Land didn’t have such a talented disciple. Although they had some Yin Tomb Realm cultivators, they were only at the early stage and already adults, far inferior to this young man.
More people arrived, some approaching directly without being stopped by the young man. They must have reached the Yin Tomb Realm. Mingyan noticed some of them looking at his token with serious expressions, seemingly recognizing its significance.
He wondered how he could compete with these stronger cultivators and obtain resources that would satisfy his master…
Perhaps he could use their misconception about his cultivation level to his advantage. Since they weren’t sure of his true strength, he had more options. But he couldn’t overdo it, or he might be exposed.
Mingyan pondered. After some time, the crowd became agitated.
He looked towards the tombstone and saw the runes almost completely dissolved. If this restriction was truly set by a Rotating Core or Human Gateway Realm cultivator, why was it so weak? How could these cultivators break it so easily?
Strange… Mingyan’s eyes flickered. “Fellow Daoist, how was this place discovered?”
“There was a large earthquake in this area recently. This place appeared after the earthquake. The restriction was significantly weakened by the earthquake. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to enter with our current strength.” The young master, hearing Mingyan speak, smiled and explained, “According to the information I received, this is likely the tomb of a peak Rotating Core, half-step Human Gateway, or Human Gateway Realm cultivator, likely a rogue cultivator, not affiliated with any major Sacred Land or family. He probably perished here during a golden age without a Great Emperor.”
A golden age without a Great Emperor… Mingyan remembered Yue Qingying’s story about the founders of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land, Great Empress Yue Ying and Human King Feng Ling.
She had said that when someone achieved enlightenment and became a Great Emperor, the Heavenly Dao would suppress other cultivators, preventing them from reaching the same level. This was an uncontrollable force, even the Great Emperor couldn’t stop it. Great Empress Yue Ying had given up her second life, choosing to perish with her husband, showing their deep love. Didn’t they want to spend another ten thousand years together? But the Heavenly Dao was cruel. Only one Great Emperor could exist at a time. Once someone became Emperor, no one else could.
This suppression also affected other cultivators. Currently, only Sacred Lands and prominent families with deep foundations could cultivate Human Gateway Realm Holy Masters. It was almost impossible for rogue cultivators to reach such a level. But in golden ages without a Great Emperor, rogue cultivators reaching the Human Gateway Realm wasn’t unheard of.
Yue Wu Xia had told him he was destined to become a Human King. He wondered if he would be affected by the Heavenly Dao’s suppression.
“The restriction is almost gone. Fellow Daoist, we should prepare to enter,” the young master said, watching the runes on the tombstone disappear completely.
As the last rune vanished, the ground trembled, and a staircase, wide enough for several people, emerged from behind the tombstone, revealing a dark, deep tunnel.
The arrogant young man was the first to rush into the tunnel, followed closely by the young master. Mingyan also entered without hesitation.
The Wind Spirit Scripture contained several movement techniques, which, combined with his strong physique, made him incredibly fast, almost as fast as the young master, who, seeing Mingyan keeping pace, became even more convinced he was hiding his true cultivation level and grew wary of him.
The other onlookers also tried to enter, but those who had broken the restriction stopped them. “Stay back. With your cultivation levels, entering is suicide.”
“Why do you say that? This secret realm isn’t yours. Why can’t we enter?” A disgruntled Illuminating Sea Realm cultivator, who had been prevented from approaching earlier, protested. Now that the arrogant young man was inside, he saw an opportunity.
The cultivator who had broken the restriction looked at him coldly, then withdrew his hand. “Do as you please. Don’t blame us if you die.”
Most of the onlookers rushed in. Only a few, seeing those who had broken the restriction remaining outside, hesitated and stayed back.
The tunnel walls were covered in glowing moss, illuminating the damp and chilly passage. Mingyan followed the young master, then noticed he was slowing down. Mingyan even overtook him, which he found strange.
“There are laws within this tunnel suppressing our cultivation!” the young master said, his voice filled with surprise.
Suppressing cultivation? Mingyan sensed his surroundings but felt no suppression. This was even stranger.
They soon caught up to the arrogant young man. Seeing them approach, he spoke. “Do you also sense the laws within this tunnel affecting us?”
“Yes…” the young master nodded. “You too?”
“Hmph… I don’t know what kind of laws they are, but my strength has decreased slightly. It’s not a significant hindrance.”
“Decreased slightly?” The young master pondered, then smiled. “It’s not affecting me much either… Fellow Daoist, are you also affected?”
Mingyan nodded. “Yes.”
He wasn’t actually affected, but he didn’t reveal this. He didn’t know what was happening to them, but their weakened state was advantageous for him.
“It must be a restriction left by the tomb’s owner, weakening those who enter,” the young master said. “So, everyone inside this secret realm will be affected.”
He glanced at Mingyan. His own speed had decreased due to the suppression, but Mingyan’s hadn’t. This meant Mingyan was likely stronger than him and therefore less affected. He grew wary. This person’s true strength was probably at least at the early Yang Tomb Realm, perhaps even higher.
“…I smell blood…” the young man frowned, detecting a faint metallic scent. “No one should have entered this place for many years…”
“Perhaps the earthquake injured or killed some creatures living within the secret realm,” the young master suggested. “Let’s continue. We don’t know what dangers lie ahead. Be careful, both of you.”
“Don’t worry, even if you die, I won’t,” the young man sneered and continued onward.
Mingyan followed silently.
The tunnel, initially narrow, gradually widened. The three of them maintained a similar pace. Although Mingyan was faster, he didn’t rush ahead, choosing to stay with the other two. Although he suspected they might have ulterior motives, having two companions would be helpful if they encountered any danger. Rushing ahead alone could make him a pawn, a test subject for them to gauge the dangers. Although he was kind, he wasn’t foolish enough to do that in this situation.
The tunnel sloped downwards, winding deeper into the earth. As they continued, it widened further, the air growing thinner and the spiritual energy weaker, but the smell of blood intensified.
The young man frowned. “This blood is fresh. The earthquake was several days ago. If it was from creatures injured or killed during the earthquake, it should have started to decompose by now…”
The young master cautiously scanned their surroundings. “This place is strange. If it’s a tomb, why is it so deep?”
“Something is watching us,” Mingyan said. His sharp senses detected something lurking in the darkness.
“…I don’t sense anything…” The young master closed his eyes, then shook his head. “Perhaps you’re mistaken, Fellow Daoist.”
The young man also shook his head. “I don’t sense anything either. Are you scared?”
Mingyan looked around, seeing their disbelief, and didn’t say anything more, but he remained vigilant.
They continued deeper. The glowing moss on the walls couldn’t fully illuminate the widening tunnel, and it grew darker. The young master waved his hand, and a butterfly formed from spiritual energy flew ahead, lighting their path.
The tunnel walls were uneven, with many crevices and holes large enough for an adult to pass through, their destinations unknown. The other two also noticed this.
“…Something feels wrong…” The air grew colder, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the tunnel. The young man became wary. “The smell of blood is getting stronger.”
“It’s human blood,” Mingyan said. He had sensed something following them since they entered the tunnel. Now, sniffing the air carefully, he recognized the scent of human blood. As a hunter, he could easily distinguish between animal and human blood.
“What’s that?” The young master noticed something protruding from one of the holes in the wall and directed the butterfly towards it. Before it could approach, something fell out of the hole and landed on the ground, motionless.
The stench of blood intensified. They couldn’t see clearly in the darkness. The young master guided the butterfly closer, illuminating the object… It was a corpse!
“A corpse?” The young man looked puzzled. It seemed to be a human body, lying face down, the ground beneath it wet and sticky. He approached and turned the body over, then stumbled back in horror. “This! This!”
The corpse’s abdomen had been ripped open, its organs missing, leaving only mangled flesh and blood. The expression on its face was one of pure terror, as if it had seen something horrifying before dying.
“I think I saw this person earlier. He was watching us from the side. How did he get ahead of us? And how did he die?” The young master’s eyes widened in shock as he recognized the corpse. “How is this possible?!”
“He hasn’t been dead for long,” Mingyan said, examining the body, his brow furrowed. “Less than half an hour… There are bite marks all over his body… He must have been captured and devoured by something… There’s something terrifying living in this tunnel…”
“Didn’t you say something was following us earlier?” the young man asked, taking a deep breath.
Mingyan nodded. “Yes… It’s likely the creature that killed this person… These holes in the wall must be its doing, allowing it to move around… It probably captured and killed this person while we were approaching and brought the body here… Those holes are probably shortcuts…”
“…Since it’s only following us and hasn’t attacked, it must consider us a threat.” The young man pondered, then his eyes hardened. “I’m going to continue. If you’re scared, you can go back.”
“I should be the one saying that.” The young master’s expression turned serious. “But I suggest we stay together. We don’t know that creature’s strength… It’s safer to travel as a group. We can discuss the treasures later, after we’ve dealt with any potential dangers.”
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