Chapter 59 The Cloudrise Secret Realm Reappears

Ji Yao felt unsettled, sensing that something new might have changed in this matter.

Gu Qiu’s voice continued.

“Additionally, the passage to the Cloudrise Secret Realm, which vanished fifty thousand years ago, has abruptly reappeared. Moreover, it seems likely to open soon, possibly at the same time as the Immortal Initiation Secret Realm, judging by the current situation at the site.”

Cloudrise Secret Realm? Disappeared for fifty thousand years and now returns?

Ji Yao couldn’t help but wonder. She refused to believe there was no connection between its disappearance fifty thousand years ago and its sudden return now. What exactly happened back then?

Since fifty thousand years ago, no one in the Micang Realm had been able to reach the Tribulation Crossing stage, let alone ascend. Who was the last person to ascend? When exactly did it happen?

Did the disappearance of the Cloudrise Secret Realm occur before or after that?

Ji Yao felt as if she was beginning to grasp some thread of truth, but she could not clearly articulate it.

That’s right! And the ancient Demon Clan altar! Where exactly is it located?

Remembering what Situ Jing had said, Ji Yao blurted out, “Is the passage to the Cloudrise Secret Realm close to the Immortal Initiation Secret Realm?”

Mo Daoyan, seated above, looked at Ji Yao’s eager expression and replied, “Yes, the entrances to the two secret realms are in adjacent valleys.”

Before Ji Yao could ask more, Mo Daoyan added, “To be precise, that area contains four neighboring valleys.”

“The Celestial Evolution Trial Grounds! The four valleys are the four passages!” Ji Yao looked at Mo Daoyan with hope, waiting for his confirmation.

“If the records about the Celestial Evolution Trial Grounds are true, then judging by the current circumstances, your speculation is plausible.”

Indeed, among those still in the cultivation world, no one had ever seen all four passages with their own eyes. Given that a cultivator at the Tribulation stage could live up to eighty thousand years, those who had truly seen them had either been reincarnated or had ascended to the Immortal Realm.

But what about Situ Jing? She should have seen them, right? Yet, even if she had, it would have been in the ancient era of cultivation. After all, countless years had passed since her ascension and rise to Immortal Venerable.

Moreover, when Situ Jing returned to the lower realm to cultivate anew, it was not ten thousand years ago. By then, only the Immortal Initiation and Cloudrise Secret Realms remained.

Yet now was not the time to dwell on this; what mattered more was the altar.

Ji Yao turned to Gu Qiu, setting aside her pride. “Where exactly is the altar located?”

Gu Qiu, always contemplative, understood from Ji Yao’s words that the altar was the crux of the problem.

As for Mo Daoyan, who had lived far longer than the others and kept the Lingyun Sect stable during his tenure as Head of the Enforcement Hall, he was certainly no less astute. When Ji Yao mentioned the Celestial Evolution Trial Grounds, he had already begun to consider the implications. Though he did not know how Ji Yao could be so certain the four passages were together, it did not hinder him from thinking further.

Combining ancient records, the geographical layout of the four valleys, and the newly emerged entrance to the Cloudrise Secret Realm, the deduction wasn’t difficult. Previously, no one had considered it only because the reference points were insufficient, and no one in today’s Micang Realm had seen it with their own eyes.

Perhaps the realm’s only two remaining Tribulation elders had guessed as much, and the demon clans, who had paid attention to the human cultivators, surely knew as well.

The altar’s location was precisely in the middle, between the valleys where the entrances to the Immortal Initiation and Cloudrise Secret Realms lay.

If the sudden anomaly in the Immortal Initiation Secret Realm was connected to the altar, or if the reappearance of the Cloudrise Secret Realm was related, then caution was absolutely necessary.

While Ji Yao questioned Gu Qiu, Mo Daoyan had already made arrangements and passed down his orders.

“Master, with the opening of the Cloudrise Secret Realm this time, I request permission to accompany the disciples entering the realm to investigate!”

After answering Ji Yao’s question, Gu Qiu naturally noticed Mo Daoyan’s movements and thus did not voice further speculation about the altar, instead making another request.

Ji Yao, who was not far from Gu Qiu, raised her eyebrows in surprise after hearing this.

In her impression, Gu Qiu was always calculating, never acting with a single purpose in mind—he preferred to kill two birds with one stone, if not more. She hadn’t expected he could be so impulsive.

After all, Gu Qiu’s current cultivation was only at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, still a step from the middle stage. Even if he broke through before entering the Secret Realm, in the Cloudrise Secret Realm, where fourth- and fifth-tier demon beasts roamed, it would not be enough—unless he had the strength to challenge those above his level.

Ji Yao, though she had never seen Gu Qiu in action nor heard many tales about him within the sect, knew that as Mo Daoyan’s disciple, he was not to be underestimated.

At least, Mo Daoyan’s other disciple, Mu Boyun, was said to be able to fight opponents at higher tiers. Though only at the early Core Formation stage, he could wield his sword in triumph over his peers.

Once Mu Boyun reached mid-Core Formation, he would likely be invincible below Nascent Soul.

Thinking of this, Ji Yao felt a pang of envy, as if a little imp inside her heart sat in a corner gnawing on a handkerchief to hide her sourness.

She herself was at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, and still had to exhaust every trick to win in the sect competition. When facing Shi Xiuye, a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refinement, she could only use a clever ruse to save her face and withdraw gracefully—how could she not feel envious?

There was simply no comparison! Ji Yao could only comfort herself: they’re all sword cultivators, a group known for challenging those of higher levels! How had she so cheerfully thrown herself into Lingyun Sect, which was filled with sword cultivators?

She’d completely forgotten that the reason she’d considered joining Lingyun Sect in the first place was because Situ Jing had assigned her this task early on. Along the way, all the gossip she heard only strengthened her resolve to enter Lingyun Sect.

At this moment, Mo Daoyan’s timely voice interrupted Ji Yao’s wild imaginings.

“I do not doubt your abilities, but have you considered that if third-tier demon beasts can appear in the Immortal Initiation Secret Realm, what’s to say that sixth-tier beasts won’t show up in the Cloudrise Secret Realm?”

A sixth-tier demon beast was equivalent to an early Core Formation human cultivator.

Though the passages for Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators had yet to appear, if the other two altars were discovered, one could almost conclude that the Celestial Evolution Trial Grounds for Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators would soon emerge.

Thus, the appearance of sixth-tier demon beasts in the Cloudrise Secret Realm was not difficult to understand. Ji Yao herself had suspected as much at first, and she believed Gu Qiu had too.

Mo Daoyan’s words simply highlighted the possibility, and out of concern for his disciple, he felt it was too great a risk.

Gu Qiu, however, had his own reasoning. “Master, I won’t be acting alone. There will be other senior brothers at the peak of Foundation Establishment. I’m not reckless—you know me well!”

“Besides, if I can’t defeat a sixth-tier beast, escaping with my life won’t be difficult for me.”

You’re a sword cultivator, and you dare to make running away sound so dignified? Ji Yao, still feeling the sting of envy, couldn’t help but mock him inwardly.

Mo Daoyan naturally caught the unspoken meaning in his disciple’s words and said no more, which was tacit approval.

“What’s more, when I previously recommended my junior sister to enter the Immortal Initiation Secret Realm, it was for the same reason—she’s just like me.”

Good heavens, Gu Qiu! Can you not drag her into your schemes for a single day?

And who’s just like you?

She was the beloved, pure, and diligent little junior sister—wasn’t she?