Chapter 74: Successive Openings of the Secret Realms

A day quickly passed. On the second day at the early hour before dawn, the usually quiet entrance to the Cloudrise Secret Realm suddenly erupted in a burst of white light. In just a few breaths, the white radiance intensified, growing so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open, let alone look directly at it.

“Quick, inform the honored elders! There’s an anomaly in the Cloudrise Secret Realm!” One of the disciples on duty shouted, and another figure from the group sped off toward the camp.

The Cloudrise Secret Realm had opened ahead of schedule!

Though all the sects had estimated when the realm would open, none expected it to be earlier than the Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm. Yet, unexpectedly, something strange happened—the teleportation gate’s light gradually drew inward only after several Nascent Soul elders arrived.

The condensed light converged on a single point, then slowly expanded, forming a disc-sized mirror. Images flickered rapidly across its surface, shifting from shadow to substance and back again. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the image settled on the second scene. A ripple spread from the center as if a drop of water had fallen into a calm pool, and as the wavering scene faded, the disc once again became a mirror. It then stretched vertically, growing into an oval surface taller than a man, finally coming to rest.

The mirror was only as wide as a person standing sideways with one arm extended. Clearly, this was a portal for entering and exiting the secret realm. Although the method differed from the opening of the Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm, the final result was the same: a mirror-shaped gateway.

The Nascent Soul elders standing before the portal exchanged glances and unanimously decided to send a beast in first to test the passage.

This realm had been recorded in ancient texts, but after tens of thousands of years without appearing, its sudden emergence was suspicious. It was prudent to test whether it could be entered safely.

A third-rank beast had a drop of blood essence drawn, which was placed into a disk-shaped artifact. The disk glowed gently as the beast was pushed through the mirror portal.

Half an hour later, the disk’s light remained unchanged. The elder holding it nodded. “Inform the heads of all the sects: the Cloudrise Secret Realm has opened normally. The trial may begin.”

Ji Yao had not expected that, before seeing the Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm open, she would have to watch Gu Qiu and the other Foundation Establishment disciples enter the Cloudrise Secret Realm ahead of her to seek hardship.

No, that’s not right—it was for adventure. Cultivation itself was a struggle against fate; without a spirit for adventure, how could one ascend the immortal path?

Foundation Establishment disciples from all the sects, along with some bold independent cultivators, entered the oval portal one after another. To prevent demons from sneaking in, a Demon-Repelling Array had been placed before the passage; any demonic aura would be instantly expelled.

Those entering were fully on guard. Some had already activated defensive treasures or talismans before stepping through, and even Gu Qiu, among the disciples from the Discipline Hall, gripped her ice-blue Frost Soul Sword tightly.

By the time all Foundation Establishment disciples had entered, the sun was well up. The Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm was set to open at noon. As the time approached, Ji Yao had little energy left to worry about others.

From a distance, she gazed at the entrance to the Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm—a vortex-like portal pulsing with gentle golden light, inhaling and exhaling as if it were a great mouth waiting to open wide at any moment.

It was impossible not to be nervous. This was, after all, Ji Yao’s first true trial. Unlike her time in the Northern Wilderness, where the formidable Situ Jing had kept her safe in Mount Dayu—and outside the mountains, there was scarcely a soul or even a proper beast to encounter—there had been little genuine danger. This time, however, was an unprecedented test, as the entrance teleports were random, and so too were the circumstances one might face inside.

Lost in thought, Ji Yao was startled when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She snapped back to reality to find someone standing beside her.

“The teleportation portal is opening. Time to go.” Dongfang Shun looked at the entrance, his tone brimming with confidence.

Ji Yao glanced at his profile, feeling the itch to tease him again.

“Honestly, can’t you just use your spiritual power to clear away that bruise? This really doesn’t suit you.” Wasn’t he supposed to be the elegant gentleman, the perfect young master? Did he have to let that image collapse so quickly?

Indeed, the spot she’d pinched yesterday had left a small bruise. For a cultivator, such a mark could be cleared instantly with a touch of spiritual power. Yet Dongfang Shun seemed determined to enter the realm with this blemish.

He smiled, hinting at something unspoken. “Really? This way, I can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.”

As they spoke, the portal to the Ascendant Immortal Secret Realm fully opened, stabilizing. Unlike the Cloudrise Secret Realm, this entrance was a circular mirror wide enough for three to walk abreast.

“Shall we enter together or separately?” Dongfang Shun asked for her opinion.

Ji Yao curled her lip. “Does it matter?”

As if luck would have them land in the same place after entry!

That was impossible—countless attempts had shown that everyone was transported alone, even if they were bound together with magical tools beforehand. The moment of entry always separated them.

Thus, to form a team, one had to secure a foothold within the secret realm and find other ways to make contact.

Ji Yao followed Dongfang Shun into the portal. After a brief wave of dizziness, she found herself landing on something springy.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, and her ears caught the sound of multiple creatures chewing.

Her sudden appearance made the chewing halt for a moment, followed by the low growl of a beast and the impatient scratching of claws on the ground.

As Ji Yao regained her senses, the first thing she saw was a pair of deep blue beast eyes. Bared fangs, still stained with scraps of flesh, exhaled a meaty, foul breath.

Her body reacted before her mind. Spiritual power surged through her body, pouring into the Snowdust Sword in her hand. The two plum-blossom-shaped golden bells at the hilt rang out with a crisp “ding,” and for a brief moment, all sounds around her fell silent.

With a step as swift as a startled swan, she leapt, using the branches above for support, and in a few strides reached the highest treetop. Even as she drew her sword in mid-air, she landed on the topmost branch, spun, and slashed downward—a fierce arc of metal energy howled through the air.

She’d guessed right: the blue-eyed Forest Wolf before her was not fooled by the bell’s sound, so her strike failed to land. She realized that the spot she’d landed on had been the wolf’s prey.

As Ji Yao moved, the wolf pounced after her but was a beat too slow and missed its mark. The remaining sword energy, which the wolf seemed to sense instinctively as dangerous, was dodged with a rolling motion. Instead, the blade’s edge struck the prey—a spiritual rhinoceros—cutting it cleanly in two.

The split carcass crashed into two other Forest Wolves, still dazed by the bell, snapping them to alertness.

Not good! In the depths of the forest, one must not linger in battle.

Ji Yao realized that the wolves entranced by the bell were beginning to recover. Without hesitation, she used a light-footed technique to race along the treetops.

When the gaps between branches grew too wide, Ji Yao would drop down, turn, and deliver another slash—always to great effect.

Through spiritual sense, she had already mapped the wolves’ positions and trajectories. Each of her strikes was angled precisely for when they leapt, leaving them without purchase. Two wolves in pursuit were swiftly dealt with after just two blows.

Only the blue-eyed Forest Wolf continued to chase relentlessly, even managing to dodge her sword energy mid-air.

If she was not mistaken, this wolf was a peak second-rank beast, close to reaching the third rank—the likely king of its pack.

Her attacks on the wolf king had all missed, and the distance between them shrank steadily. Soon, the rest of the awakened pack appeared in view.

Ji Yao knew that if she kept fleeing, her energy would be depleted, and her advantage lost. Instead...

She would fight!