Three days later, the flying vessel landed in a valley rich in spiritual energy. Just as the group of five stepped off the vessel, an elderly man at the Nascent Soul Stage came forward to greet them.
“You must be tired from your long journey, young friends. I am Zhao Yun, the sect master of the Wuling Sect.”
“I am truly ashamed to have troubled you all to make this trip for the matter regarding our sect's forbidden area.”
The Wuling Sect was a subordinate sect of the Qingyun Sect. Recently, some bizarre incidents had occurred in the forbidden area of their back mountain. Unable to resolve the issue, they had requested the main sect to send people to investigate.
Although none of the five had a higher cultivation level than Zhao Yun, if a fight were to actually break out, Zhao Yun might not be a match for Zhou Yuanshen or Lin Yunan.
Golden Core Stage cultivators trained by a major sect were far superior to a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from a minor sect, not only in terms of experience and techniques but also in their life-saving treasures.
“Sect Master Zhao, you are too polite. My martial siblings and I have only come to conduct a preliminary investigation. If we cannot resolve it, the sect will naturally send a Daoist Lord.”
“Without further ado, let us go take a look.”
After Zhou Yuanshen spoke, Zhao Yun looked troubled.
“Young Friend Zhou, there is something you do not know. The black hole in the forbidden area appears and disappears unpredictably. A disciple just reported that the place has returned to normal again.”
Wen Jingshu was stunned when she heard Zhao Yun's words.
A black hole that appeared and disappeared unpredictably?
Why did that sound so much like a spatial leak from a secret realm?
“No matter.”
Receiving Zhou Yuanshen's response, Zhao Yun no longer hesitated and led the group to the valley's forbidden area.
Though it was called a forbidden area, it was more like a canyon with beautiful scenery.
The spiritual energy inside the canyon was so dense that it formed mist. The spiritual plants grew lush and green, and with mountains and flowing water, the place was secluded and beautiful.
Wen Jingshu sensed the surrounding spiritual energy and instantly noticed something was off.
In addition to spiritual energy, there was also a purer power mixed in, but it was a power that cultivators could not absorb.
Since Wen Jingshu had sensed the anomaly, Zhou Yuanshen and Lin Yunan naturally felt it too.
Lin Yunan took out a compact formation plate. Pinching a few hand seals with his other hand, he channeled spiritual energy into it. The formation plate spun, indicating an anomaly.
“This is...”
Lin Yunan looked up at Zhou Yuanshen. Understanding his look, Zhou Yuanshen turned back and said to Zhao Yun:
“Sect Master Zhao, we now have a clear understanding of the anomaly in the forbidden area. We must first set up a formation here to temporarily seal it, then wait for a Daoist Lord from our sect to come and confirm.”
Hearing Zhou Yuanshen's words, Zhao Yun's expression flickered several times before he finally smiled and said, “In that case, I shall trouble you, Young Friend Zhou.”
They had arrived quickly and made their determination just as fast. In Zhou Qi's eyes, it felt like they had merely come for a brief stroll.
It was not just Zhou Qi; even Wen Jingshu felt the same way.
Seeing that Zhou Yuanshen and Lin Yunan were about to leave, Wen Jingshu spoke up, “Senior Brother, I want to observe this place a bit more.”
Relying on her thousand years of experience as a talisman cultivator, she had already deduced a thing or two about the anomalous fluctuations here—there was a fluctuation of spatial power. If she was not mistaken, this was likely an undiscovered minor secret realm.
A secret realm that no cultivator had ever set foot in! How rich must the resources inside be?
The thought made Wen Jingshu's heart stir with excitement.
Seeing the young girl's curious expression, the two young men did not stop her. Instead, they decided to stay and accompany her.
“Very well, we will stay here with you.”
Cultivators were not picky about where they rested; a period of ten days to half a month was nothing more than a brief nap to them.
Knowing she could not change their minds, Wen Jingshu thanked them obediently.
Zhou Qi and Li Wanwan had no intention of staying. After bidding them farewell, they promptly made their way down the mountain.
Wen Jingshu pretended to wander around aimlessly, but she was actually quietly channeling her wood spiritual energy to investigate the surroundings.
The moment she channeled her wood spiritual energy, the Muyuan Bead reacted.
Suppressing the joy in her heart, Wen Jingshu followed the guidance of the Muyuan Bead and walked toward a dense forest.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuanshen and Lin Yunan found a pavilion to sit in, continuing to discuss the Dao and sip tea.
As Golden Core Stage cultivators, they did not need to keep their eyes glued to Wen Jingshu. They could simply use their divine sense to keep track of her location and ensure her safety.
Walking and stopping along the way, Wen Jingshu eventually arrived at a small waterfall.
The Muyuan Bead's reaction to the fluctuations here was particularly strong. If Wen Jingshu was not mistaken, the entrance to the minor secret realm should be right here.
However, her cultivation level was currently too low. Even though she possessed a wealth of resources, she did not dare to rashly barge in.
In that case, she might as well use this discovery to claim credit and secure a spot in the first batch of cultivators to enter the minor secret realm.
Having made up her mind, Wen Jingshu was just about to find Zhou Yuanshen and Lin Yunan to explain the situation when a massive suction force suddenly erupted behind her, pulling her directly into a spatial crack.
“Oh no!”
Zhou Yuanshen and Lin Yunan rushed over immediately, only to witness the scene of Wen Jingshu vanishing into air.
Lin Yunan immediately contacted Beili to check Wen Jingshu's soul lamp.
Upon learning of this, Beili immediately contacted Wen Shuyi to explain the situation.
Without a second word, Wen Shuyi rushed toward the Wuling Sect in a burning panic.
She knew that the path of cultivation relied entirely on oneself, but upon hearing that Wen Jingshu was in danger, she could not help but worry.
Wen Jingshu had no idea how many people were worrying over her disappearance; at this moment, she was experiencing immense agony.
The Muyuan Bead had broken free from her control, floating excitedly above her body as it frantically absorbed the surrounding immortal qi.
As its master, Wen Jingshu also felt the immortal qi rampaging wildly through her body.
The pain of immortal qi entering her body was hundreds of times more excruciating than when she had opened her hidden dantian.
She desperately gulped down Rejuvenation Pills while struggling to accept and absorb the immortal qi.
Her wood spiritual root also went to work, frantically repairing her meridians that had been ravaged by the immortal qi.
In just half an incense stick's time, Wen Jingshu was completely drenched in blood.
She summoned every ounce of her concentration, being extremely cautious at every step, but an accident occurred nonetheless.
Unable to bear the burden, her wood spiritual root let out a sharp crack as a fracture appeared.
Wen Jingshu coughed up a mouthful of essence blood and lost consciousness, unable to hold on any longer.
Before her consciousness faded, Wen Jingshu smiled bitterly in her heart. The privileges of being a second-generation cultivator combined with the blessing of being a genius had still made her forget just how cruel the path of cultivation truly was.
She had been conceited, after all.
Wen Jingshu's severe injury slowed down the Muyuan Bead's absorption of the immortal qi. The emerald-green bead slowly descended to float just above her, beginning to use its own power to nourish her body.
Under the suppression of the Muyuan Bead, the immortal qi inside Wen Jingshu's body grew docile, beginning to gather in an orderly fashion toward her hidden dantian.
However, the fractured wood spiritual root only developed more cracks upon contact with the immortal qi. With another series of sharp cracks, the wood spiritual root shattered completely, causing Wen Jingshu to cough up another mouthful of essence blood even in her unconscious state.
Wen Jingshu was jolted awake once more by the excruciating pain.
Yet there was nothing she could do this time; she could only let the Muyuan Bead take control of her fate.
The inhumane torture lasted for an entire day and night before the Muyuan Bead finally slowed to a stop, swooshing back into her hidden dantian.
Wen Jingshu lay limp on the ground for a long time before she managed to mobilize her wood spiritual energy bit by bit to repair her body.
Midway through the healing process, Wen Jingshu belatedly realized that something was wrong.
Hadn't her wood spiritual root shattered? How was she still able to mobilize wood spiritual energy?
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