Chapter 60 : Entering the Secret Realm
Chapter 60: Entering the Secret Realm
The moment he stepped into the secret realm, Long Tao felt as though he had entered an entirely different world.
Damp, stifling air rushed toward him, making his breathing momentarily hitch.
The air was thick with the peculiar stench of rotting vegetation, interwoven with an unknown floral fragrance.
Several scents mixed together, forming a strange and deeply unsettling atmosphere.
He cautiously scanned his surroundings, then lowered his head to carefully examine the ground.
There were no traces of humans—no footprints, no signs of combat, not even lingering fluctuations of spiritual energy.
This discovery made him wonder whether he and the previous group had truly entered through the same entrance.
Still, Long Tao was not overly surprised.
The internal landing points of a secret realm entrance could randomly change; this was common knowledge in the Cultivation World.
Yet experiencing it firsthand still felt rather unbelievable.
Fortunately, his luck was not bad.
He currently stood in an open clearing overgrown with weeds.
Gazing at the tall, dense forest not far away, he guessed that this was likely the outer perimeter of the secret realm.
Long Tao quickly untied his bundle and took out two porcelain bottles.
From one, he poured out a pill and swallowed it; from the other, he scooped out medicinal paste and carefully applied it beneath his nostrils.
According to sect records, this should allow him to resist the miasma poison of this place.
Just as he hesitated over which direction to proceed, the System—silent for a long time—finally came back online.
The familiar interface unfolded before his eyes, still displaying those few utterly useless parameters, along with the most practical feature of all: the guiding arrow.
“Detected that the Host has entered the mission location: Azurewood Demon Forest Secret Realm. Please proceed to the location of the Yaoguang Azure Phoenix Egg as soon as possible to complete the check-in, and ensure that this Spirit Beast completes its recognition of the Child of Destiny, Nan Yuchen.”
To be honest, when he completed the first task and handed the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma to Nan Yuchen, Long Tao’s heart had been filled with jealousy and reluctance.
But now, he actually felt a trace of sympathy for Nan Yuchen.
He even suspected that while this System was plotting to kill him, it might also be trying to screw Nan Yuchen over to death.
Setting aside the earlier voyeurism mission for now, if this Yaoguang Azure Phoenix Egg was real, then a mere Foundation Establishment kid obtaining the recognition of a quasi–holy beast—never mind the later benefits—just thinking about how much trouble it would attract was enough.
Not to mention external sects; even within the sect, plenty of people would surely become envious and target him.
With Nan Yuchen’s foolish temperament, could he withstand it? When the time came, even True Person Mingzhu would likely face tremendous pressure.
But it was still too early to think about all that.
Whether the mission could even be completed was still an open question.
Long Tao glanced at the arrow given by the System, which indeed pointed toward that gloomy, foreboding forest.
He could not help cursing inwardly at those egg-laying birds.
Couldn’t you lay your eggs somewhere open and safe? Why choose such a perilous place full of demon beasts and demon plants? Weren’t you afraid your own chick would get eaten?!
Grumbling aside, Long Tao still took out a ring-shaped artifact from his bundle—the “Scorching Prairie Ring.” Fire-attribute artifacts were always the top choice for exploring dense forests.
No matter how strange or powerful a demon plant was, as long as it was still a plant, it was ultimately afraid of fire; the only difference was its level of fire resistance.
Thus, most of the artifacts and talismans he had prepared for this trip were fire-based.
He had painstakingly bought these things at low prices before, only to be forced into this godforsaken place.
If he did not use them properly, he would be letting himself down.
Put another way, Long Tao was finally going to fight one of those lavish battles people talked about.
…
After finishing his preparations, Long Tao took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the [Scorching Prairie Ring], and carefully stepped into the forest.
The moment he entered, the first thing that surprised him was that it was not gloomy at all.
Overhead stood towering ancient trees, their canopies layered upon one another, almost completely blocking out the sky.
Yet the light did not seem to come from above; instead, it shone in from all directions.
He glanced at his shadow and, sure enough, it appeared in every direction, all of them faint, as if there was no single strong light source.
He had heard before that every secret realm was essentially a pocket world with its own operating laws.
Now it seemed that was indeed the case.
There was no so-called sun in this sky; the source of light must have come from elsewhere.
That, however, was not important.
As long as it did not affect his actions, it did not matter.
What did concern him was that the smell of decay in the air grew even heavier, and that cloying floral fragrance became even clearer, seeping into his nose from every direction.
Even with the medicinal paste applied, Long Tao still felt his head grow slightly heavy, prompting him to become even more vigilant.
After only a few steps, a sudden change occurred!
A seemingly harmless shrub bearing purple berries suddenly shuddered.
Several thorn-covered vines shot out like venomous snakes, striking straight at his ankles!
“They’re here!” Long Tao was startled, but his body failed to react in time.
Just as the vines were about to hit him, they were knocked aside by some unseen force.
Seizing the opportunity, he forcefully activated the Scorching Prairie Ring in his hand.
“Buzz!”
The crimson ring let out a soft hum and instantly grew scorching hot.
A searing line of fire sprayed out from the ring, precisely sweeping across those demon vines.
Where the fireline passed, the demon vines twisted and curled violently like earthworms scorched by a red-hot branding iron, emitting sizzling sounds akin to burning grease.
They quickly turned pitch-black, sending up wisps of green smoke.
The entire shrub trembled violently, letting out a strange, faint shriek.
The remaining vines recoiled in terror, no longer daring to show themselves.
A burnt, charred odor spread through the air, overwhelming the cloying floral scent.
Long Tao let out a small breath of relief.
The force that had knocked the vines away earlier was likely the True Essence protective barrier that True Person Duanyue had placed on him.
As expected of a Golden Core True Person’s methods—against these low-level demon creatures, it seemed he did not need to worry about being ambushed for the time being.
And the Scorching Prairie Ring was indeed excellent! No wonder it was recommended by sect seniors as the most cost-effective artifact for forest combat.
Its power matched its price.
The only downside, he had heard, was its high Spirit Stone consumption.
Long Tao glanced at the low-grade Spirit Stone embedded as its power source; for now, its spiritual energy was still quite ample.
Even so, he did not dare to relax.
He continued forward cautiously, observing his surroundings with even greater care.
Before long, he witnessed the bizarre and dangerous ecology of the Azurewood Demon Forest.
A massive, brilliantly colored mushroom grew at the base of a tree, with the skeletal remains of small animals scattered around it.
A beetle about the size of a fist tried to approach, but suddenly, from beneath the mushroom cap, the gills sprayed out a cloud of pink spores.
After inhaling them, the beetle immediately began to stagger.
After only a few steps, it collapsed to the ground, its body quickly covered and decomposed by mycelium.
Elsewhere, the branches of several large trees were eerily interwoven, forming a natural cage.
Inside was a dying demon beast of unknown species, its body pierced through by branches as its nutrients were rapidly siphoned away.
Long Tao even saw some faintly glowing moss that seemed alive, slowly creeping upward along damp tree trunks.
Wherever it passed, the bark darkened noticeably.
Everything here—plants, fungi, animals—seemed to exist in an abnormally active and dangerous state of competition and symbiosis.
Every corner could conceal lethal danger.
Following the System’s arrow, he tried to walk along relatively open paths or areas with exposed rock, avoiding regions that looked excessively dense.
The Scorching Prairie Ring remained in a semi-activated state, emitting a faint warmth and red glow that deterred many demon plants from approaching.
During this time, he encountered several more attacks.
None of them were particularly strong, but their frequency and concealment kept his nerves taut and left him mentally exhausted.
Long Tao was secretly alarmed—this was only the outer perimeter.
Who knew what terrifying things lurked deeper within the forest?
Just as he focused entirely on dealing with the dangers ahead, a disturbance suddenly arose from the deepest part of the forest.
At first, there were a few sharp shouts, muffled by layers of dense woodland and hard to make out clearly.
Then came the faint rumble of spells colliding, mixed with the crisp clang of metal striking metal.
The commotion grew louder and louder—clearly, cultivators were engaged in fierce combat.
Long Tao immediately stopped, held his breath, and carefully discerned the direction.
The sounds seemed to come from not far along his intended route—and they were rapidly approaching his position!
Soon, a familiar golden figure burst out of the forest, smashing through several short trees.
It was Luo Yusi’s massive spider body.
Standing atop the spider’s back was none other than Zhu Huaisu.
The Dark Cloud Treading Snow cat on her shoulder suddenly leaped into the air and viciously bit at empty space.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
A vague humanoid outline abruptly appeared in midair! Luo Yusi’s spider silk shot out instantly, attempting to bind this invisible opponent.
The person reacted with incredible speed—cold light flashed from a dagger as it severed the silk, and with a flicker, the figure vanished once more.
Watching from the side, Long Tao was utterly dumbfounded.
Forget the battles between Golden Core True Persons outside—just this Foundation Establishment–level clash alone was already something he could not possibly get involved in!