Chapter Sixty-One: The Secret Realm of the Great Void

The tribulation clouds above Yixing Peak completely dissipated, and the long-awaited sunlight shone down, but it could not dispel the solemnity and grim atmosphere that permeated the peak.

Master Qingxuan suppressed the turbulent qi and blood within his body caused by the forced activation of his essence and blood. His face was slightly pale, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and he no longer had any of his usual playful old man appearance.

He personally took charge of the central hall of Yixing Peak and activated the highest authority of the peak master.

Amidst the buzzing sound, streams of light rose from all parts of Yixing Peak, weaving together to form layers upon layers of rune arrays and restrictions, completely sealing off the entire Yixing Peak!

Especially in the core area, he personally guarded it, his divine sense seemingly covering every inch of space.

All disciples, regardless of whether they were from the inner or outer sect, were summoned to the plaza.

Master Qingxuan stood high above, his icy gaze sweeping over the silent crowd below. His voice was devoid of warmth, carrying a chilling killing intent:

"All unusual activity within the peak today is a top secret of the sect. Any disciple of Yixing Peak who dares to divulge even a single word of it, whether intentionally or unintentionally, for whatever reason, will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect by my personal action! No mercy will be shown!"

He paused, his voice growing deeper: "Did you hear me clearly?!"

"Disciples obey!" the crowd below responded in unison, their voices filled with awe and fear, and no one dared to voice the slightest dissent.

They knew that the terrifying and bizarre nature of the tribulation they witnessed today was beyond reason. The fact that the sect leader and the peak masters of each peak had come to help, and that Grandmaster Qingxuan was so furious and issued such a strict order, meant that there must be a great deal of involvement involved.

After issuing the strict order, Master Qingxuan's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the direction of Bizhu Garden, where the cultivators had returned to their courtyard to consolidate their cultivation. His eyes were filled with lingering fear and compassion, a mixture of relief and relief after surviving a calamity.

His disciple really had a brush with death this time!

Several days later, the restrictions on the quiet room in Bizhu Garden were slowly lifted.

Fang Li walked out slowly. Her aura had been completely stabilized at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. However, compared to ordinary disciples who had just entered Foundation Establishment, her temperament was more ethereal and reserved, as if she had washed away all worldly impurities.

His eyes were clear, yet deeper and more determined than ever before, subtly revealing a composure born of hardship.

[Host! Congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment! Chaotic Foundation Establishment is awesome! (Voice cracks)] The system excitedly announced, [Although the process was a bit thrilling, the result is gratifying! Now we are also Foundation Establishment masters!]

Fang Li felt the surging power within her body, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up.

This retreat was incredibly rewarding.

Just then, an edict from the Forgotten Dust Palace was transmitted through Sect Master Meng Tianzheng to the peak masters and some elite disciples:

One month later, under the personal guidance of Immortal Venerable Ye Wuyang, the "Tai Xu Secret Realm," which appears only once every hundred years, will be opened to select a group of elite disciples to enter and train!

And Fang Li's name was prominently featured on the list!

Almost simultaneously, the others also received the message.

Shen Yunzhou's sword practice on Lengyou Peak abruptly stopped: "The Taixu Secret Realm... danger and opportunity coexist. She has just established her foundation..." A trace of worry flashed across his cold eyes, which then turned into determination. He began to think about how to secure a spot to accompany her, or to prepare something that could save her life in the secret realm.

Xie Chen paused slightly as he fanned himself, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "The Immortal Venerable is personally leading the team... the Taixu Secret Realm... is quite unexpected. Within the secret realm, the variables have increased..." A meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he began to quickly deduce the possible situations within the secret realm and how he could "just happen" to travel with Fang Li.

Ji Qianqiu jumped up immediately: "A secret realm? A great place to fight and plunder treasures! Junior sister is going too? That's great! I have to go! Anyone who dares to touch a hair on my junior sister's head, I'll smash them to pieces!" He immediately began frantically checking his battle axe and armor, figuring out how to negotiate with his master for a spot.

Fang Li's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this news!

"The Great Void Secret Realm? Sounds amazing! System, don't just stand there! Quickly connect to the internet and download the secret realm guide! Map, monster distribution, treasure locations, hidden quests—you can't miss a single one!" She mentally rubbed her hands together, eager to get started.

"Graduated from the Chaos Foundation Establishment starting area, time to run dungeons and farm gear!"

[Host! This secret realm database is encrypted with multiple layers of restrictions at the highest level of the sect! Danger level: Unknown! Historical survival rate... uh, data is missing! Host, this dungeon seems to be hellish difficulty!] The system's voice became cautious.

[However... with a Celestial Venerable personally leading the team... no major problems. Remember, play it safe and don't be reckless. Stick close to the big shots; our goal is to pick up the scraps! Develop stealthily!]

Fang Li: "..." "Alright, looks like this is a tough dungeon."

The following day, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense in the Qingxin Hall of Yixing Peak.

The disciples were intently holding brushes at their desks, sketching talismans.

Fang Li was among them. She had just finished copying a set of intricate spirit-gathering patterns and was gently shaking her slightly sore wrists, preparing to take a short rest.

Suddenly, the temperature inside the hall plummeted!

A chilling aura suddenly spread out, dispelling the warmth of the sandalwood incense, causing all the disciples to look up, their breaths condensing into a thin white mist.

Immediately afterwards, on the jade table in front of Fang Li, spiritual energy rapidly gathered, and specks of ice crystals condensed out of thin air, blooming into a lifelike lotus flower in the blink of an eye!

The lotus was exquisite and translucent, with distinct layers of petals, each as thin as a cicada's wing, its edges shimmering with a faint icy blue light, radiating a chilling aura.

Most remarkably, at the heart of that ice lotus, a small pinch of golden, glistening, viscous honey rested steadily! The extreme cold and the sweet aroma of honey blended in a strange way, creating a uniquely alluring fragrance.

"hiss--"

A suppressed gasp of surprise rippled through the hall.

All the disciples stared wide-eyed at this unbelievable scene.

The source of the chill was the open, carved wooden window.

Outside the window, a tall, white figure flashed by at incredible speed, but the fleeting glimpse of his profile and the chilling aura of his sword made many people instantly recognize him.

"Is it...is it Senior Brother Shen from Lengyou Peak?"

"What is he doing..."

Whispers rose and fell silent quickly.

No one knows what the purpose was of the chief of Lengyou Peak suddenly appearing in Qingxin Hall of Yixing Peak and creating such a strange ice lotus flower.

Fang Li was also stunned, blinking as she looked at the ice lotus on the table that was still emitting wisps of cold air.

She poked at the ice flower. What... is this?

She muttered to herself, "An apology gift? He didn't seem to have offended me during the Qinghe Town mission... Could it be a new type of hidden weapon? Beautiful on the outside, but deadly inside? System, quick! Emergency scan! Is it poisonous? Does it have any strange sword energy attached to it?... But wait, this honey smells pretty good?"

The system quickly provided feedback: [“Wow! Test complete! No toxic reaction, no energy trap, no curse fluctuations! Composition analysis: Extremely pure water elemental energy condensed into ice, the flower's center contains top-grade spiritual honey, a specialty of 'Jade Bee Ridge,' rich in spiritual energy, extremely sweet, and highly nutritious! Overall assessment: It seems the ice block has finally figured things out? It knows to give flowers! And edible flowers at that! The key is this honey! It's incredibly valuable! ...Pfft, this straight-male aesthetic, freezing honey in an ice block to give as a gift, how adorably clumsy! (Electronic voice desperately trying to suppress laughter)”]

Behind an ancient pine tree not far from Qingxin Hall, Shen Yunzhou almost held his breath, his sword aura was restrained to the extreme, and all his divine sense was focused on the person and the lotus inside the hall.

His ears flushed uncontrollably, and he kept repeating to himself, "...Does she...like it? Does she...find the honey sweet?"

When he caught the words "it smells pretty good" in Fang Li's heart, his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

However, the next second, the five words "cutely stupid" hit his mind like a straight ball!

Shen Yunzhou froze, his fingers gripping the sword hilt tightening involuntarily, and his natal spirit sword, which he never parted with, almost slipped from his hand and fell to the ground!

Stupid...stupid to the point of being cute? A crack appeared on his icy face. That system actually made such a comment about him!

Inside the hall, Fang Li hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the alluring sweet fragrance emanating from the spiritual honey and the fact that the system was "valuable".

She stretched out her fingertip and carefully scraped off a bit of honey-stained ice shavings from the lotus petal, then quickly put it into her mouth.

A sweet sensation instantly melted on her tongue, accompanied by pure and gentle spiritual energy, as well as the refreshing coolness brought by the melting ice shards, perfectly relieving the slight fatigue she had just experienced after drawing the talisman.

Her eyes suddenly lit up!

"Tongzi!" she exclaimed joyfully in her mind. "Quick! Analyze the structure of this ice lotus! See if we can replicate it or find a way to preserve it! It's practically a natural food storage container and a cold drink cup! Imagine how wonderful it would be to put spiritual juices, chilled berries, and the like in there!"

System: [“Alright, host! Structural scanning in progress… Energy circulation mode analysis… Tsk tsk, Ice Lump’s control over ice-type spiritual power is truly precise, and the microstructure of these ice lotus petals is incredibly stable! Replicating it is a bit difficult, but maintaining its shape should be feasible! Shall we try making a base from some cold jade or something similar? Are we going to develop some peripheral products?”]

Fang Li thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible. She carefully licked a mouthful of the spiritual honey, enjoying its sweet taste, and began to seriously consider how to make the most of this "gift".

Behind the ancient pine tree outside the window, Shen Yunzhou, who had been eavesdropping, clearly heard a series of unfamiliar and strange words such as "refrigerator?", "food storage container?", and "cold drink cup?"

Genuine confusion surfaced on his stern face, and his brows furrowed slightly.

A refrigerator? Why put the flowers in a box? Preservation... what does that mean? And cold drinks...?

He couldn't understand the meaning behind these words at all, but he could clearly sense that Fang Li's emotions had changed from initial wariness and doubt to joy and... a kind of eager planning.

This doesn't seem like a bad reaction? It's just that the simple image of her smiling slightly or finding the honey he gave her seems a bit too far off.

His anxious sentiments seemed to have been received, but then flew off in a direction he could never have predicted.