Chapter 131: Xiao Chen – Target: Sword Tomb
"Everyone, the disciples will only be sent out of the Taixu Secret Realm after a month. During these thirty-odd days, why don't we cultivate and discuss the Dao together outside this valley?" King Hengjiang took the lead and extended the invitation.
Time flowed differently in the Taixu Secret Realm compared to the Xuantian Continent—ten to one. A year inside the secret realm would amount to only thirty-six days on the continent.
For cultivators outside, this span of time would pass in the blink of an eye. But for those who entered the secret realm, it was exceptionally precious. That was precisely why all the major powers placed such high importance on the Taixu Secret Realm.
"Agreed."
Chu Feng and the others responded in unison without hesitation.
King Hengjiang took out a palm-sized palace from his storage ring and shouted, "Rise!"
A beam of light shot out from the palace in his hand, and in the next moment, a magnificent palace covering an acre of land appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Please, fellow Daoists."
"Many thanks, King Hengjiang."
Chu Feng and the others followed King Hengjiang into the palace.
Inside, all the facilities were fully equipped. Everyone gathered around a large round table, sipping tea and discussing the Dao.
At the same time, within the Taixu Secret Realm, disciples from various powers, large and small, had already entered.
The first reaction of every cultivator upon landing was to stay on alert and examine their surroundings. Though disciples from the same sect entered together, the internal transmission was random—no one could guarantee they'd end up near their fellow disciples.
Once Xiao Chen confirmed there was no one nearby, he immediately donned his black robe before beginning a careful search.
The area he was in was a lush green mountain peak, rich with spiritual energy—several times denser than that of the Xuantian Continent.
If it were an ordinary time, Xiao Chen's first thought upon encountering such a blessed land would be to cultivate on the spot.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to cultivate this time. Instead, he planned to search the area to see if any opportunities awaited.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, blocking out the sun. Once inside the forest, the thick canopy dimmed the light, leaving only scattered spots of sunlight on the ground.
After walking a few hundred steps, Xiao Chen heard the sounds of fighting in the distance.
Normally, Xiao Chen wouldn't pay it any mind. But since this was the secret realm, the people fighting might be his fellow disciples.
Following the sounds, he soon saw—after the time it took to drink a cup of tea—seven or eight True Fate cultivators from different powers surrounding a white-robed woman wielding a long sword.
Even though she was outnumbered several times over, the woman handled herself with ease. Not far from her was a Blood Spirit Ginseng radiating a potent medicinal fragrance.
"Junior Sister Liu."
Xiao Chen immediately recognized the white-robed woman. The outfit she wore was the same as when the two of them had trained together in Yunmeng Swamp.
Clang!
Without another word, Xiao Chen drew his long sword and slashed toward the group of attackers.
They had only just noticed the danger behind them—but it was already too late.
With a flash of sword light, all the attackers collapsed to the ground.
"Who goes there?"
Seeing all her attackers fall, Liu Yue'er didn't let her guard down. She turned to look toward where the sword aura had come from.
"Junior Sister Liu, it's me."
Xiao Chen slowly stepped out.
When Liu Yue'er saw the familiar figure and heard his voice, joy blossomed in her heart. "Senior Brother!"
"Mhm."
Xiao Chen glanced at the Blood Spirit Ginseng and said with a smile, "Junior Sister Liu, you've got great luck—running into such a thousand-year spirit herb as soon as you arrive."
Liu Yue'er smiled sweetly. "Senior Brother, don't tease me. If you hadn't shown up, I might not have been able to claim this herb. What's curious, though, is that there were no demon beasts guarding it."
Xiao Chen said, "Junior Sister, the Taixu Secret Realm isn't like the outside world. There are hardly any living creatures here, and even if there are, they wouldn't guard spirit herbs like this. I'll protect you—go ahead and harvest it."
"Alright."
Liu Yue'er carefully stepped up to the Blood Spirit Ginseng and gently extracted it.
There was no danger or unexpected resistance.
This made Liu Yue'er feel somewhat unreal—such a precious herb would spark fierce competition in the outside world, yet here, she had obtained it without a hitch.
"Senior Brother, I'll give you half of the Blood Spirit Ginseng."
Xiao Chen replied, "No rush. Let's keep exploring for now. We can divide the spoils after we leave."
"Alright."
Liu Yue'er nodded, and the two began searching the mountain.
Over the course of a day, they didn't find another thousand-year-old spirit herb, only a few that were five hundred years old.
Xiao Chen looked up at the sky and saw the sun setting beyond the peaks.
"Junior Sister, let's find a place to rest for the night. We'll move on tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Liu Yue'er responded.
The next morning, they descended the mountain together. Xiao Chen took out a map of the Taixu Secret Realm from his storage ring.
The map had been pieced together through the efforts of generations of Wendao Academy cultivators. After one glance, Xiao Chen had already chosen their next destination.
Liu Yue'er turned to him and asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, which direction are we heading next?"
Xiao Chen said, "Northeast. Our target is the Sword Tomb in the Taixu Secret Realm. Let's go."
With that, the two headed northeast. The secret realm was filled with towering mountains and dense river networks.
They crossed a mountain and a river before arriving at the base of a towering peak that reached into the clouds.
Unlike the lush, verdant mountains they'd seen before, this one gave off an impression of desolation and ruin at first glance.
Aside from a few patches of wild grass, the mountain was barren, covered in stone and yellow soil. Midway up, a thick mist cloaked the slopes.
The two exchanged a glance before heading up. The moment they set foot on the Sword Tomb, a wave of eerie chill swept over them, and a faint killing intent filled the air.
As they climbed higher, the killing aura thickened. Amidst the barren soil and rubble, broken swords occasionally poked from the ground.
Entering the fog thick with killing aura, neither of them dared to lower their guard and immediately drew their swords.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen sensed a murderous presence rushing at him from within the mist. Instinctively, he swung his sword.
Clang!
As the blade rang out, a scream followed from within the fog.
"Ah!"
A series of shocked shouts echoed nearby: "They're tough—run!"
Liu Yue'er instinctively moved to give chase but was stopped by Xiao Chen. "No need to pursue. These small fries aren't our target."
Xiao Chen walked toward the source of the scream. On the ground lay a decaying corpse, already giving off a foul stench and visibly rotting by the second.
Liu Yue'er frowned slightly. Xiao Chen casually used his sword to pick up the man's storage pouch, then used his divine sense to scan its contents. Without sparing the corpse another glance, he continued forward.
An hour later, night fell completely—and the desolate, silent mountain began to transform.
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