BXBX NOVEL Chapter 124: Unexpected Gains
For Lan Chang\'an, time flew by quickly. But for the Immortals of the various factions, it felt like years.
With just an occasional glance, Lan Chang\'an noticed that the faces of the Core Formation Immortals from several sects were becoming increasingly grave.
Especially the white-browed elder "Yuxiao Immortal" from the Flame Departing Palace, who had the demeanor of an immortal.
Huanglong Immortal\'s face didn\'t look any better, the wrinkles on his forehead becoming more pronounced.
"Not good... Xia Fan!"
Half a month later, Yuxiao Immortal\'s expression changed dramatically, and he couldn\'t help but exclaim in disbelief.
His body surged with core power as his daoist robe billowed.
The terrifying pressure of a Core Formation Realm cultivator stirred the wind and clouds in the sky, causing the Foundation Establishment cultivators several li away to feel a chill down their spines."Xia Fan? The Foundation Establishment cultivator from Flame Departing Palace, with high-grade spiritual roots and the grandson of the law enforcement elder."
The Immortals from nearby factions exchanged glances. The law enforcement elder of Flame Departing Palace held a high position of authority and was at the peak of the late Core Formation Realm. In the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom, he was one of the strongest Immortals below the Nascent Soul Realm.
Judging by Yuxiao Immortal\'s reaction, Xia Fan\'s soul token must have shattered.
"Xia Fan was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment and, as the grandson of the law enforcement elder of Flame Departing Palace, he likely had protective treasures. In the secret realm, probably no one could kill him easily."
"Decades ago, there was a rumor that the female disciple from the Xuan Yin Pavilion wasn\'t actually defiled and murdered by Liang Shaotian, but rather framed by Xia Fan."
"These were nothing more than baseless rumors, devoid of evidence, so Flame Departing Palace executed the evil cultivator who spread such slander."
Now that Flame Departing Palace had struck bad luck, the Core Formation Immortals from the other four major sects were happy to watch the spectacle, offering a few superficial words of comfort to Yuxiao Immortal.
...
"I\'m afraid that the death rate of the Green Underworld Mysterious Realm this time is higher than before."
Lan Chang\'an, sitting cross-legged in the distance, didn\'t know what had happened but could make a rough guess in his mind.
Of course, the death rate would only be slightly higher, it wouldn\'t reach such an exaggerated level as to amount to near total annihilation. If that were the case, the Core Formation Immortals from the major sects would have jointly ended this secret realm expedition early.
The dangers of the secret realm were uncertain, and thus, the major sects were willing to sell some of the slots. Besides recouping the cost of opening the secret realm and appeasing the dissatisfaction of other factions, they also wanted to transfer some of the risks.
According to previous statistics, the survival rate of sect Foundation Establishment cultivators was much higher than those from other factions and wandering cultivators. Non-sect Foundation Establishment cultivators often served as cannon fodder for traps or became harvests for others.
"Chen Fuhai is a variable. However, the direct power boost provided by The Hundred Abodes Soul Gu is limited, not enough to allow him to slaughter everyone in the secret realm without restraint." Lan Chang\'an pondered.
A top-notch late Foundation Establishment cultivator from the sects still had some self-preservation ability when facing ordinary Fake-Dan cultivators.
...
A month passed by.
"Open!"
The Core Formation Immortals of the five major forces once again activated the secret realm tokens, infusing them with their True-Dan level mana.
Above the hundred-zhang-high green-black stone wall, a giant dark vortex opened, creating a mysterious passage several zhang wide and tall.
As soon as the passage opened...
Swish! Swish! Swish!
One figure after another flew out.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators emerging from the secret realm were either severely injured, mentally exhausted, or their auras were in disarray.
Thud!
A few pale-faced cultivators collapsed unconscious as soon as they exited the secret realm.
"How did Xia Fan die? Does anyone know?"
Yuxiao Immortal\'s eyes were like the blazing sun, his spiritual sense locked onto the entrance of the passage as he questioned two Flame Departing Palace cultivators who had just come out.
"Reporting to the elder! Senior Brother Xia was fighting a quasi-third-rank exotic beast for a Core Formation opportunity, he was ambushed and injured, and later killed by the evil cultivator \'Li Hai.\'"
"Li Hai? Liang Shaotian\'s first disciple, a genius with earth-grade spiritual roots, managed to sneak into the secret realm?"
The Core Formation Immortals present were astonished.
Before entering the secret realm, the Core Formation Immortals had used their spiritual senses to check the Foundation Establishment cultivators. For Li Hai to disguise himself and get in, he must have had some rare treasure to help.
There was no place for evil cultivators to survive in Liang Kingdom\'s cultivation world. Liang Shaotian\'s evil cult stronghold was eradicated, and he fled to another country years ago.
Who would have thought that Liang Shaotian\'s genius disciple would dare to take the risk of nine deaths and one life to sneak into the secret realm?
"Are you sure it was Li Hai?" Yuxiao Immortal asked sternly.
"A fellow disciple witnessed it with their own eyes. Although he was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his demonic arts were powerful, and he had mastered the \'Black Dipper Demon Flame.\'"
"Is Li Hai still in the secret realm?"
"Yes, before the passage reopened, he was hiding inside the secret realm."
The Flame Departing Palace Foundation Establishment cultivator replied.
"Good! Keep an eye on the exit, don\'t let that demonic thief escape." Yuxiao Immortal commanded, his spiritual sense covering the exit of the secret realm.
Swish!
Suddenly, a disheveled, blood-covered Foundation Establishment cultivator fled from the secret realm, holding a head in his hand.
It was the head of an effeminate-looking man.
"Xia Fan!"
Yuxiao Immortal glared furiously.
Under the pressure of the Core Formation Immortal, the Foundation Establishment cultivator holding the head collapsed in fear, blood seeping from his mouth and nose.
"Immortal, spare me! I was coerced and had restrictions placed on me..."
Before he could finish speaking...
A cold male voice rang out:
"Xia Fan, for dishonoring the female cultivator of the Xuan Yin Pavilion and framing my master, you shall now meet your end!"
Behind the Foundation Establishment cultivator holding the head, a cold, sharp-featured man appeared, holding an ancient jade talisman.
"Courting death!"
Yuxiao Immortal flicked his finger, and thunder rumbled in the sky, forming a cloud-shaped dark purple thunderfire.
Swish!
After crushing the ancient jade talisman, the cold man’s aura and figure disappeared from within a radius of twenty to thirty li.
"Minor Teleportation Talisman!" The Immortals present exclaimed in unison.
The Minor Teleportation Talisman, at least third-rank, was extremely rare throughout the entire Great Qing due to the scarcity of materials and the stringent crafting methods.
"Elder! Li Hai not only killed Senior Brother Xia Fan but also took a main ingredient required for Core Formation." A Flame Departing Palace cultivator reported.
"Wait here for my orders. I am going to hunt down that demonic brat."
Leaving a final instruction, Yuxiao Immortal flew away on a fiery cloud of light in a certain direction.
...
By a distant desert hill.
"How will you track him?"
Lan Chang\'an, sitting cross-legged, curled his lips in a slight sneer.
Yuxiao Immortal was just putting on a show. Using the Minor Teleportation Talisman, one could instantly escape the range of a Core Formation Immortal\'s spiritual sense. Chasing randomly in any direction was just a gamble. Unless all the Core Formation Immortals present joined forces to pursue in all directions.
But that was unrealistic. The various factions were busy receiving the Foundation Establishment cultivators that came out. Over half of the gains obtained by the sect\'s Foundation Establishment cultivators in the secret realm had to be turned over.
A quarter of an hour later.
Lan Chang\'an saw Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan, and he couldn\'t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhao Siyao was seriously injured, her shoulder stained with blood, her face pale, and her flight appeared labored.
Zhang Tieshan was slightly better off, his mana disorderly, his steps somewhat stiff, indicating only minor injuries.
The return passage of the secret realm would remain open for only one day. Those who didn’t come out in the latter half of the day were likely doomed.
The one-day window was meant to give a lifeline to cultivators in special circumstances.
As expected, two hours later, hardly anyone could be seen emerging from the entrance of the secret realm.
Lan Chang\'an noticed that only two of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators that Huanglong Immortal had brought with him had come out.
Of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Beast Taming Zhou Family, only Zhou Qingxuan came out.
She showed no obvious injuries, but her body was weak, and her face was bloodless, suggesting she had used some secret technique that greatly depleted her vitality.
Lan Chang\'an guessed that this young woman\'s survival likely owed to some lifesaving measure provided by the Zhou Family rather than pure luck alone.
For the Beast Taming Zhou Family cultivators, without risking it all, Core Formation would be unattainable; even achieving Fake-Dan was difficult.
"Qingxuan, did you injure your foundation?" asked the Zhou Family\'s old ancestor with concern.
"I\'m fine, I just depleted some vital energy," Zhou Qingxuan replied. "However, after entering the secret realm, the pair of male and female Blood Demon Butterflies, which had been advanced using a secret technique, both died in the battle."
"No matter, those butterflies were at the peak of first-rank cultivation, and after the secret technique elevated them to second rank, they had little longevity left." The Zhou Family\'s old ancestor smiled, then handed her a medicinal pill.
Zhou Qingxuan swallowed the pill, closed her eyes for rest, and glanced toward the distant gray-robed young man.
...
"Eh? It\'s been two hours already, and Chen Fuhai still hasn\'t come out?" Lan Chang\'an observed for some time, surprised.
Among the dozen or so remaining cultivators of Qingzhu Sect, there was no sign of that familiar middle-aged man with his paunch.
After another while, Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan flew over.
They had already handed over sixty percent of their harvest to Jin Yun Valley, and Zhao Siyao\'s injuries had also stabilized.
"Fellow Daoists, what is the situation within the secret realm?" Lan Chang\'an asked directly.
The trio erected a soundproofing barrier before beginning their discussion.
Two unforeseen developments had occurred during this Green Underworld Mysterious Realm.
"Chen Fuhai disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, assassinating several other Foundation Establishment cultivators from various sects within the secret realm—including even members of his own sect. Later, he accidentally gave away his identity, and was surrounded by the crowd of cultivators and hunted to death."
The first development was Chen Fuhai. The manner of his death seemed suspicious to Lan Chang\'an.
In order to obtain the medicinal ingredients necessary for Core Formation, it was suspected that he sneaked up on Xia Fan of the Flame Departing Palace.
The second development involved Liang Shaotian\'s disciple, Li Hai.
During his early days within the secret realm, this individual targeted only loose Foundation Establishment cultivators. Later, he turned on Xia Fan and exposed his identity by deploying techniques such as Black Dipper Demon Flame.
Lan Chang\'an guessed that when Li Hai infiltrated the secret realm, his primary objective was to take advantage of any opportunity that presented itself, killing a few Foundation Establishment cultivators along the way to relieve his anger.
Later, when he discovered the injured culprit who framed his master, it presented a rare chance.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, I must admit, your talismans and puppets were invaluable this time in the secret realm; without them, I may not have survived," Zhao Siyao said with lingering trepidation.
She transmitted the message that one of the two puppets she purchased from Lan Chang\'an had been destroyed, leaving behind only the severely damaged turtle puppet.
"Among the resources collected from the jade slip, Siyao has gathered two." Zhao Siyao handed over a brocade box.
Lan Chang\'an didn\'t open it but scanned its contents with spiritual sense, and his heart stirred.
"Third-rank black iron crystal, commonly used material for crafting magical treasures and puppets, highly versatile."
"Black inkstone, a rare treasure, can be utilized to craft high-quality inkstone and enhance spirit ink quality."
These two items were relatively light and valued at only three thousand to four thousand spirit stones.
After some discussion, Zhao Siyao insisted on selling them for half price. Lan Chang\'an paid half with spirit stones and the other half was offset with second-rank talismans. In addition, Zhao Siyao gave Lan Chang\'an a jade slip containing information about some of the owners of the resources.
Next was Zhang Tieshan\'s turn. During the transaction with Zhao Siyao, he had faced the other direction and obviously didn\'t use his spiritual sense to probe.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, take a look at this item."
Zhang Tieshan smiled as he took out a piece of purple-patterned spirit wood, about one zhang long, its surface shimmering with splendid light.
"Third-rank spirit wood: Purple Radiant Spirit Wood."
Lan Chang\'an was overjoyed; this wood possessed strong spiritual properties, reaching mid-grade of third-rank materials.
With this single piece of third-rank spirit wood, Lan Chang\'an\'s investment in the secret realm had already met his expectations.
"This wood came from the Foundation Establishment cultivator I defeated during my counterattack. The situation was rather perilous. Originally, I obtained two pieces, but the bigger one of them was bought away by Uncle-Master Teng."