On the North Siberian Plains, the grass remained lush and green.
After a long and arduous journey, a motorcade finally arrived at their destination—a gently sloping hill at the foot of the endless Kamba Mountains.
Rubber tires crushed roughly across the grass as tents were swiftly erected. Armed Russian soldiers patrolled around the campsite, observing their surroundings and conversing in hushed tones with Huaxia personnel dressed in camouflage.
This was an expedition team of a thousand people. This exploration of the secret realm was led jointly by the authorities of Huaxia and Russia, assisted by the Five Families of Beidong.
Of course, that was only the official statement. In reality, everyone knew full well that the Five Families of Beidong were bound to fight tooth and nail in these murky waters.
Hu Manni hurried into the tent. Perched on her shoulder, Hu Cuiying rolled her eyes at the Huang family's tent in the distance:
“What are those Russians babbling about? I can't understand a single word. Say, Qin Yue, are the authorities really going to collaborate with those utterly rotten scoundrels from the Huang family?”
Inside the tent, Zhang Daowei sat upright to one side, while Lyu Dongfang, Liu Guansheng, and Xu Keji sat cross-legged playing poker, dozens of white paper strips plastered all over each of their faces.
“We also hope the Huang family isn't talking out of their backsides.”
Wearing a camouflage uniform, Yu Lan raised her binoculars, catching sight of the breathtaking view concealed beneath the cloud layer.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the evening glow pierced through the layered clouds, tinting the mountain slopes a soft carmine hue:
“The Huang family's leverage is that strange token in their hands that can open the secret realm's entrance. If they want to pull something on us inside, it wouldn't be impossible. After all, we know next to nothing about this newly emerging secret realm, putting us at a huge disadvantage.”
“Secret realms aren't actually as terrifying as people imagine. They're just more like primordial worlds where everything depends on one's own strength.”
Qin Yue crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed to rest:
“I heard the Huang family originally planned to use this opportunity to lure and kill the Southwest Demon King, severing ties with the other four families once and for all. But the White Tiger Demon King didn't seem interested in the affairs of the Five Families of Beidong and announced a secluded cultivation session a few days ago. With their scheme completely falling through and the other four families pressing hard, the Hu family has retaliated over the past two months and seized a lot of their territory. It's only natural for them to seek cooperation with the authorities.”
—Over the past few months, Qin Yue had been busy clearing out demon beasts that made landfall along the coast. Having not seen her in days, she now carried an edge of killing intent, her skin tanned to a healthy wheat tone.
“Punching a lump of cotton—the Huang family must be spitting blood from frustration.”
Yu Lan then furrowed her brows, suddenly leaning forward with her binoculars raised:
“What... is that?”
Her voice abruptly rose. Puzzled, everyone unconsciously walked over to the window and looked outside.
“Babushka, it’s a miracle! A miracle bestowed by God!”
“It's the immortal realm! There really are immortals in this world! Hahaha!”
“My God! Is such beauty real in this world?”
“Astounding. This is so much more magnificent than Thailand!”
Throughout the camp, everyone involuntarily looked up, their faces filled with astonishment.
The clouds and mist dispersed, revealing a fiery sunset glow spanning the sky like vivid crimson blood. Faint phantoms of immortal palaces, jade pavilions, and golden throne halls shimmered indistinctly.
Enormous white cranes soared with spreading wings, and long-tailed birds raised their voices in song. Layer upon layer of mountain paths connected one after another, leading down winding, tranquil trails directly into a mountain gate.
Behind the billowing, ethereal clouds lay an endless expanse of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains stretching beyond the horizon.
Among them was the spring vitality of pink-and-white peach blossoms, the quiet serenity of summer springs and ancient trees, alongside the golden hues of ginkgoes and layers of piled snow.
The four seasons seemed to coexist simultaneously in this domain, flowing harmoniously in nature.
Enduring atmospheric aura, where Dao follows nature.
The commotion in the crowd was quickly quelled, but Old Master Huang grinned, revealing an eerie and sinister smile:
Laugh all you want.
Once we enter the secret realm, all of you will merely be stepping stones for our Huang family to ascend to immortality.
The old man possessed by him was helped to the front of the crowd. He shook the fur across his body, the flesh on his face twitching uncontrollably.
“True Immortal above!”
Old Master Huang seemed thrilled to no end. He hurriedly took out a palm-sized token and raised it above his head:
“This little demon seeks the traces of the True Immortal. May the gatekeeping immortal grant passage...”
The secret realm's imagery abruptly faded. In the next moment, a beam of rosy glow suddenly plunged downward, rapidly scattering wisps of golden light. Then, not far from the camp, a burst of golden brilliance expanded outward, transforming into a light gate wide enough for one person to pass through.
Covetousness, greed, urgency, shock...
Innumerable emotions surged overwhelmingly. A flicker of doubt arose in Old Master Huang's heart:
Before... there was never such an omen.
Could it be that the secret realm changed, and the immortals were moved by my sincerity?!
At that thought, his breathing grew heavier.
In the face of immense profit, Old Master Huang no longer cared about the standing of the Five Families, nor did he look back at the Huang family descendants behind him, plunging headfirst straight into the ring of light!
As Old Master Huang entered, the ring of light showed faint signs of shrinking. The expressions of everyone present changed drastically, and they bolted forward at maximum speed!
“Quick!”
“The old weasel is making a run for it—don't let him get away!!”
“Great-Grandpa! Wait for us!”
“These dishonest monsters! They want the treasures all to themselves!”
“After them!”
As if a switch had been flipped, countless figures surged forward, plunging into the ring of light like dumplings into boiling water!
“I'll go ahead.”
Zhang Daowei was exceptionally fast, vanishing from sight after leaving behind only those words.
Qin Yue exchanged a look with Hu Cuiying. The former grabbed the scruffs of Lyu Dongfang and Liu Guansheng, while the latter seized Xu Keji and Yu Lan, leaping forward and diving straight into the light gate as well!
Zzzzt...
The light gate gradually dissipated. Unwilling to give up, a little demon reverted to its true form to squeeze through, but in the next second, half of its body violently exploded into a mist of blood!
Thump, roll, roll...
A massive weasel head rolled three times across the ground, its unblinking eyes wide open, filled with utter disbelief.
Dead just like that?!
Overcome with terror, everyone subconsciously took several steps back as they stared at where the light gate had vanished.
...
Inside the secret realm, chaos reigned in the hazy air. Though no sun was visible in the sky, it was as bright as day. Across the crisscrossing chessboard, countless stone sculptures of varying sizes and races were scattered everywhere.
The two stone immortals still sat on either side of the chessboard—one resting its head in contemplation, the other stroking its beard with a smile.
Vivid and lifelike.
Those who entered through the light gate felt an overwhelming sense of profound wonder.
One second they had been on the boundless grassland, and the next, they had appeared in an alternate dimension beyond Earth.
An independent, isolated small world that existed outside Earth's biosphere.
Even modern humanity's most advanced science and technology could never accomplish such a feat.
On the chessboard, countless stone sculptures held varied expressions, and the ground was littered with innumerable gold and silver utensils, jewels, and precious jade.
These items were enough to make the world's top collectors shriek with joy.
Pigeon egg-sized sapphires, ox eye-sized lustrous pearls, massive chunks of emerald-green jade, bracelets and circlets cast entirely of solid gold, jade whisks, writing brushes...
All these treasures shimmered with phosphorescence, glittering brilliantly across the monotonous gray chessboard.
...
Roughly a hundred people had made it through the light gate, mostly Russian soldiers and members of the Five Families of Beidong; those from the Huaxia authorities were few and far between.
Such astounding wealth was right before their eyes, ripe for the taking.
“This is wealth! Wealth given to us by God! Mama! Misha! We’re going to be rich!”
Seeing these treasures, a Russian soldier ecstatically kissed his fingertips, overwhelmed with excitement:
“This is a great miracle! This is the glory of the Siberian Plains, my friends!”
“Does your God use writing brushes and whisks?”
Hearing Yu Lan translate the last sentence, Hu Manni couldn't resist retorting. Who knew that in the next second, several Russian soldiers raised their firearms:
“I repeat once more, this is a miracle on the Siberian Plains! Everything discovered here, in accordance with the customary international law, belongs to the great motherland of Russia! No one is permitted to desecrate or steal it!”
The black muzzles were trained on everyone who wasn't Russian. In terms of sheer numbers, the Huaxia authorities were at a distinct disadvantage.
“My friends, we will not act rashly. Do not forget that we came here to collaborate.”
Yu Lan raised her right fist and made a swift gesture. The soldiers behind her moved with practiced synergy, instantly assuming combat positions.
While the two human sides were locked in a standoff, on the other end, more than a dozen weasels, foxes, snakes, rats, and hedgehogs reverted to their true forms, dividing into two opposing camps, glaring at each other with hostility.
“Hu Big-Ears, you finally found the courage to show your face.”
Old Master Huang's true body was a massive weasel with golden fur and white hairs on his head. His jaw was sharp and thin, bearing a slight resemblance to a mountain wolf at first glance.
Lined up behind him stood Huang Shiduo, a large gray rat, a plump monkey, and five or six sturdy Huang family descendants.
“Cut the crap. Weren't you planning to kill me in the secret realm and then hole up in here forever without going back out?”
Relying on his immense speed, Hu Ban'er had also plunged inside. Hearing the old weasel's taunt, he instinctively fired back:
“If it weren't for weeding you out root and branch, I wouldn't have even bothered giving you the time of day. You really opened my eyes today—running faster than a rabbit! What, abandoning all your children and grandchildren outside?”
“What do you know?”
Old Master Huang smiled smugly, waving the token in his hand:
“You ran off to cling to an unweaned brat—what's so great about that? This item is the real treasure that grants grand fortuitous encounters!”
—Back then, the Huang family had been digging through ancient graves and chanced upon this token. After multiple twists and turns, they located this secret realm, sacrificing the lives of many descendants in the process.
After combing through ancient texts, Old Master Huang finally figured out how to use this item.
It was an entry token used by an immortal sect to select disciples!
Possessing this token granted the chance to join an immortal sect, become a true cultivator, and ascend to the Great Dao in the future!
At that thought, the gaze Old Master Huang directed at Huang Shiduo turned increasingly gentle.
Huang Shiduo possessed a spiritual calling destined for immortality, certain to ascend in the future.
And the Huang family held the immortal's token—was this not a match made in heaven?
The token in Old Master Huang's hand shone with a soft glow, resonating with the two stone immortals from afar.
What would happen without the token?
“Aaaaargh!”
Not far away, a Russian soldier suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. In his panic, his weapon discharged accidentally, firing off crisp bursts:
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just as the gunfire subsided, the gigantic stone statues slowly began to move, the stone immortals casting their gazes downward.
In the next second, the world spun. Ninety-nine intersecting lines crisscrossed around them like a dense constellation, trapping everyone squarely within the chessboard!
In an instant, tongues stiffened, blood congealed, and fingers grew numb. Everyone could feel stony texture creeping up from beneath their feet inch by inch.
Starting from the toes and spreading slowly upward, petrification set in—calves, knees, lower abdomen, chest... Their flesh-and-blood bodies were gradually turning into solid stone.
They could even hear the loud, heavy gurgling of blood struggling to flow through their veins.
The Russian soldiers and various demons couldn't react in time; their feet had already transformed into stone, firmly rooted to the ground. They struggled frantically, yet nothing could alter this despairing reality.
—Only those standing close to Old Master Huang were completely unaffected.
“There's something off about this old weasel!”
Hu Ban'er morphed his paws into claws and pounced forward with all his might, biting off half of Old Master Huang's golden fur in one snap. A foul stench filled his mouth, but when he looked down, his jaws clamped onto nothing but air and a pungent, foul musk.
Not good!
There's a mechanism on this chessboard!
It's weasel urine!
Catching sight of the stone sculptures of weasels of all sizes petrified all around, Hu Ban'er understood instantly.
So that's where this shameless old bastard got his confidence!
He planned to use everyone else as sacrificial pawns to map out the safe tiles and walk across this stone chessboard!
“Step on the tiles the weasel peed on! Move!”
Having consumed a demon core, Hu Ban'er possessed cultivation far superior to Old Master Huang. A second before his own feet petrified, he clamped his jaws onto the old weasel hiding behind a stone sculpture, violently tearing off half a leg!
Screeech—!!
The old weasel writhed in agonizing pain as blood gushed out. He snapped his jaws to bite Hu Ban'er back, and the fox and weasel tangled in a furious brawl, shattering stone sculptures all around them—
Crash! Clatter!
Clatter!
“Manni!”
Having received the vital information, Qin Yue shouted at the top of her lungs. Hu Manni dropped onto all fours, leaping ten feet like a small beast.
Landing on the ground, she blazed a trail ahead, specifically landing on tiles marked with the foul, musky scent. Sure enough, once standing on the correct squares, the petrification effect vanished!
“What a sinister move!”
Narrowly escaping with his life, Liu Guansheng carried Lyu Dongfang—whose legs were petrified up to the calves—into the safe zone, then turned around to retrieve the others.
Unexpectedly, the stone board suddenly began to sink, and the two colossal stone immortals reached out their massive hands, slamming them down with crushing force!
Whoosh!
“The stone statues!”
Zhang Daowei had the fastest reflexes. Forming hand seals with both hands, four talismans flew from her grip, landing on the backs of Yu Lan and Qin Yue. However, this only delayed the rate of petrification for a split second.
Qin Yue instantly retrieved the Bone-Piercing Mirror, firing two beams of golden light straight toward the eyes of the stone immortals—
Yet those two sparks of fire were as feeble as fireflies before the hundred-meter giants, vanishing in an instant!
The stone immortals didn't react at all, completely ignoring the two sparks. Their heavy stone palms slammed down, directly engulfing both Hu Ban'er and Old Master Huang beneath them!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rumble!
Gravel shattered across the stone board, sending fragments of sculptures flying. When the giant palm lifted, a sticky pelt of animal fur and indistinguishable flesh was left plastered to the ground.
“Great-Grandpa!!”
“Grandpa!”
“!!”
Everyone was horrified. Possessing Hu Manni, Hu Cuiying was devastated, her eyes bloodshot as she nearly reverted to her beast form to charge forward and fight the stone giants to the death!!
Just at that moment, from the far end of the chessboard came the melodious strains of brisk, cheerful music. The ensemble of guqin and xiao flute flowed like a babbling brook. Hearing this music, the stone immortals overhead actually halted their attacks, once again reverting into two motionless stone statues.
“Grandpa!”
Hu Cuiying shrieked, but Qin Yue held her back tightly. Moments later, the music drew nearer, as if parting the dense mist to reveal the light:
At the edge of the stone board, a floating giant sword pointed downward, towering above the vast sea of mist.
Beside the chessboard, a gnarled ginkgo tree gently rustled, shedding bright yellow leaves. Underneath the tree stood a man and a woman—one playing the xiao flute, the other plucking the zither.
The man wore sheer gossamer that half-revealed his fair chest, teasing and provocative. His features were strikingly gorgeous, with narrow fox-like eyes brimming with charm, and a Hehuan flower sash cinched at his waist.
The woman was equally matchless in beauty, wearing a yellow ginkgo forehead ornament between her brows and a moon-white gown whose hem draped loosely onto the ground.
Stray ginkgo leaves and twigs twined around the hem of her dress, her shoulders, and her hair.
Nearby stood a dark-skinned man in plain hemp clothes who looked just like an honest old farmer, holding a large, plump fox missing half an ear by the scruff.
—The fox had merely passed out, and the old farmer grinned warmly at Hu Manni:
“Little child, do not be afraid. Your grandpa was merely frightened into unconsciousness by this formation. He is a demon after all; he will recover after resting for a few days.”
The sobs caught in Hu Cuiying's throat were choked back instantly.
Rate on N.U.
