Chapter 18

Today is the day when the secret realm of Mushan opens, and the inner demon got up very early.

As soon as Chu Jinglan opened his eyes, he found that the inner demon was sitting at the table, staring at him with two bean-like eyes.

Chu Jinglan couldn't help but look at the sky to make sure he didn't oversleep.

Chu Jinglan got up in a hurry and put on his outer clothes. Today he was wearing the moon-white costume of a direct disciple of the Chu family, with bamboo patterns on it, silver armbands, and a jade belt to tie his hair. He looked heroic and unparalleled in the world.

The inner demon An An was silent, but Chu Jinglan could sense that his eyes were fixed on her. After getting ready, Chu Jinglan couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"

What does it mean to get up so early and stare at me without blinking?

The inner demon blinked his eyes, but his emotions were not obvious. He just looked dazed. After a while, I heard his muffled voice: "This is my first time in the secret realm. I couldn't sleep, so I got up early."

Just like on the day of the secret realm selection, getting up early to join in the fun?

Chu Jinglan felt that he understood.

He had been to some secret realms, and it seemed that his inner demon had no relevant memories. However, the Mushan Secret Realm only opened once every thirty years, and this was Chu Jinglan's first time there.

The clan explained that there are three levels in the secret realm, and the treasures that can be obtained are mainly monster elixirs and spiritual plants. Monsters in the world of cultivation are divided into levels one to nine, and only level two monsters have appeared in the Mushan Secret Realm. Monsters in the foundation-building stage can be killed, and it is still dangerous for others. But for Chu Jinglan, the Mushan Secret Realm is simply a piece of cake.

Chu Jinglan thought it was just another whim of his inner demon and didn't take it to heart. He put on his sword, pushed the door open and walked out. Xiao Mo flew silently to his shoulder.

The little man was lying on his shoulder. He didn't have any spiritual power at the moment and couldn't touch any solid objects. If he could have touched anything, the clothes on Chu Jinglan's shoulders would have been wrinkled by the little man's short hands.

Because at this moment the inner demon's hands were clenched very tightly, very tightly.

Xiao Mo knew what Chu Jinglan would face next.

Disciples from various families gathered at the entrance of the Mushan Secret Realm, waiting for it to open. Today, the disciples of the Chu family did not distance themselves from Chu Jinglan. After all, among the disciples who were going to enter the secret realm, Chu Jinglan was the only one who had reached the Golden Core stage, and people from outside could not interfere in the secret realm. Without someone powerful enough to do something dirty, Chu Jinglan was undoubtedly the number one person in the secret realm.

It is of course safest to follow him.

Chu Yusheng would not risk his life at such a time, so he stood behind Chu Jinglan with his nose pinched. The Su family disciples who were on good terms with the Chu family stood with them, and Su Baimo naturally stood next to Chu Jinglan.

Chu Jinglan's aura became more and more harmonious, and it shouldn't take too long for the baby to be born.

Su Baimo secretly thought that he must make Chu Jinglan like him, otherwise he would not cancel the engagement!

All the disciples added up to about a hundred people. Under the eager gaze of the young people, several elders worked together to cast the seal. Each of them held a key to the secret realm, which could only be opened when they gathered together.

The elders shouted loudly: "Open!"

Outside the evening mountain, clouds were surging, the mist in the sky was trembling slightly, and the sunlight penetrated the invisible barrier and scattered into a sky full of colorful light, which was as dreamy as a dream. The light curtain seemed to come from the sky, crossing the sky, like a god descending, and the gorgeous ground was paved all the way to their feet, as if they could soar into the sky and reach the ninth heaven by stepping on it.

All the disciples were amazed.

Among all the secret realms that Chu Jinglan had seen, this kind of scenery could be ranked among the best.

He tilted his head slightly and looked over his shoulder to see how his inner demon would react.

Will you be surprised? Will you be excited?

But the inner demon just sat on his shoulder, not moving at all.

Chu Jinglan was stunned for a moment, then frowned slightly.

...The inner demon is not right today.

Even a venue like the competition can make the inner demon happy, so I shouldn't be indifferent to the scene today.

Chu Jinglan immediately thought of various reasons in his mind.

He had spent the past month preparing for the Secret Realm of Dusk Mountain, listening to the elders' lectures in the family library, with Inner Demon accompanying him. The information they had received did not mention that there would be anything in the Secret Realm of Dusk Mountain that would be detrimental to Inner Demon.

Today's breakfast was very rich. The inner demon stayed beside a plate for a long time. He must have liked it... No, could it be that he started to be dazed again from then on?

What happened?

But there were people all around, and Chu Jinglan was so shocked that he couldn't open his mouth to ask.

"Brother Jing Lan?"

Su Baimo's concerned voice rang out, and Chu Jinglan came back to his senses. He saw his own frowning expression in Su Baimo's pupils. Chu Jinglan restrained his expression, nodded to him, and indicated that everything was fine.

In the past, for Chu Jinglan, the inner demon would quietly cause trouble again, and he would just be on full guard, but now... Chu Jinglan focused and pressed on his palm.

The most important thing now is the experience in the secret realm of Dusk Mountain. Everything else should not disturb his mind for the time being.

"The Secret Realm of Dusk Mountain opens once every thirty years, and only those under the age of nineteen can enter. Therefore, everyone has only one chance in their lifetime. This is your chance, and everyone must seize it, for the family, and for themselves!"

Once you enter the secret realm, the outside world of life and death cannot interfere until the secret realm opens seven days later and you can leave.

Disciples from each family carried jade communication tokens so they could keep in touch if they got separated in the secret realm. Chu Jinglan, as the leader of the disciples from the Chu and Su families, did not rush in with them immediately. Instead, he turned around and drew a talisman in the air with his spiritual power.

Then he waved his hand, and the talisman broke into twenty small seals, which were imprinted on the hands of the disciples of the Chu and Su families.

Chu Jinglan stopped and said, "With this seal, you can sense the direction of your companions after entering the secret realm. We will meet at Nanlinyu Cong. Do you have any questions?"

After entering the secret realm, everyone will be randomly teleported, disrupting their positions. There is cooperation but also hatred between the families. Whenever the Mushan Secret Realm is opened, more people die at the hands of humans than at the hands of the secret realm. Therefore, it is safest to form a group as soon as possible.

Now that there is a monster like Chu Jinglan, many people are probably praying that they will never meet him.

Everyone nodded without objection, even Chu Yusheng didn't say anything.

The elder of the Chu family watched from afar, nodded with satisfaction, and was very satisfied with Chu Jinglan.

Chu Jinglan didn't say anything else: "Let's go."

The crowd rushed into the secret realm under the rosy glow. Xiao Mo only felt a dazzling light enveloping his whole body. The world seemed to be suspended upside down. He could not help but close his eyes. The world was spinning around. Xiao Mo felt his body suddenly falling down. His heart skipped a beat and he immediately steadied his body and floated up.

He hated the feeling of falling.

When the dizziness subsided, the world before my eyes had completely changed.

This is a dark and gloomy place. There are thick and huge stalactite columns hanging overhead, with water dripping down bit by bit. The ground is full of puddles and rugged rocks. It must be a cave.

Xiao Mo was floating in mid-air, with no one around him.

Even Chu Jinglan was not there.

The connection with his original body had been cut off. He had gotten used to that feeling these days and usually didn't pay much attention to it. But when it was suddenly cut off, it was as if a hole was left in his heart. Xiao Mo was at a loss for a moment.

He immediately tried to return to his sea of ​​consciousness, but found that he was blocked by a layer of membrane and could not get through no matter what he did.

Xiao Mo pursed his lips, and the little man in black mist suddenly turned his head and flew out.

After flying over a hundred meters, which was definitely beyond the limit distance between the main body and the inner demon, there was still no sign of Chu Jinglan.

The darkness seemed to have no boundaries, and he was the only one left behind in the whole world.

Xiao Mo felt panicky.

But whenever he encountered something dangerous or frightening alone, Xiao Mo's protective mechanism would always allow him to suppress his helplessness in his heart and never let others see it. He still did so at this moment and kept his voice steady.

"System."

"Yes, yes, I'm also looking for the reason!"

The system obviously understood what had happened. After a series of inquiries, it concluded: "It has something to do with the impending collapse of the secret realm."

The system consulted a vast amount of data on the world of cultivation, covering the three realms, and came up with a more detailed picture than what the noble families in Mu City had known for thousands of years.

"Before the lower world became the barren land it is today, there were many talented people and immortals. This secret realm was originally opened by the realm master to fight against the inner demons. After he won, he changed it into a training ground. Although a long time has passed, it still has an impact on those who have inner demons."

System: "But don't worry, although you and the main body are temporarily separated, the main body will definitely not be able to hurt you at this time!"

Xiao Mo thought that would be so boring, it would be better to let Chu Jinglan kill him now, fix the bug and complete the task, and everyone would be happy.

After learning the reason, Xiao Mo calmed down a bit and was no longer in a hurry to leave. However, he didn't like the scenery in the cave, so he flew out slowly. The system asked, "Are you going to look for Chu Jinglan?"

Xiao Mo said, "No."

The disciples will be training in the Secret Realm of Dusk Mountain for seven days, but it won't be long before they discover that something is wrong with the secret realm.

The poisoning of spiritual plants and the appearance of third-tier ferocious beasts will force all the disciples inside to temporarily put aside their family grudges and escape together, but a large number of disciples in their teens will still die tragically in the secret realm.

About a hundred people entered, but how many left in the end? Xiao Mo couldn't remember.

What makes them most desperate is that after fighting bloody battles and finally holding on to the seventh day, they are looking forward to the secret realm opening so that they can quickly escape, but at that time they will be hit hard.

The gate can't be opened and the secret realm is about to collapse.

After finally holding on with a breath, thinking there is finally hope, the result is still a dead end, and the huge despair will engulf people's hearts.

Next, it was Chu Jinglan's turn.

Xiao Mo flew out of the cave, the sky was suddenly bright, and lush vines were entwined around the trees like giant snakes. There were two sharp screams in the air, and three-level ferocious beasts that shouldn't have appeared in the secret realm whizzed past. Xiao Mo stared at them with his dark eyes until they flew away, then floated to a tall vine and sat down.

Flying to a place with light, Xiao Mo's panic gradually faded away, replaced by another emotion.

The inner demon's legs shook and he sat among the leaves, as small as dust.

"Since I will recover once I leave the secret realm, I will wait here for it to open. If I don't go looking for Chu Jinglan, I won't have to see his miserable state of being crippled."

Xiao Mo: "I don't have a habit of watching people being tortured."

Of course the system doesn't care. It's such a small matter, the host just has to say it.

Xiao Mo decided to practice on the spot and cultivate his mental skills first.

Whenever he was immersed in the cultivation of his mind, time would always pass very quickly. Xiao Mo wanted to spend most of the seven days in this way.

Unfortunately, although his idea was good, it was not very smooth to implement.

The state of practice that he could enter easily before was a bit difficult to enter this time. After finally entering it, less than an hour later, Xiao Mo was forced to exit the state of meditation.

Originally, the state of mental meditation would be very mysterious and comfortable, flying and soaring, being in the universe and seeing everything, instead of being filled with noisy and chaotic sounds in the ears.

Xiao Mo adjusted his breathing, refused to believe in evil, and entered into a state of meditation again.

This time it was worse.

He closed his eyes, but the darkness in front of him gradually turned into a blood red. The muddy and sticky air made it hard for him to breathe. The sounds in his ears became louder. There were men, women, young and old. He couldn't make out all of them, but all of them were filled with malice, and were directed at him.

"Bastard!"

"Without a father or a mother, you will only be a burden to others!"

"How nice it would be if he died?"

Xiao Mo angrily said, "Get out of here!"

He doesn't want to die. It's not like he wants to be covered in blood. He is not a bastard, just an ordinary person. What's wrong with him wanting to live?

"Host!"

Xiao Mo suddenly opened his eyes, his heart aching so much that he almost fell off the tree. He held onto the trunk and gasped for breath.

"You almost went crazy just now."

The system said softly: "You can't mess up your mental skills. If you don't calm your mind, forcing yourself to practice will only hurt yourself."

Moreover, the Demonic Sound Book is a spell that acts on the mind, soul and consciousness, and requires a higher level of concentration.

Xiao Mo slowly calmed his breathing and hummed softly.

He knew he was acting too hastily.

He just wanted to find something to do... so that he wouldn't have time to think about unnecessary things.

For example, where is Chu Jinglan now? Has he discovered that there is something wrong with the secret realm?

He didn't want to care about it, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it.

But the first thing that comes to mind is Chu Jinglan.

Is it because after coming to this world, I have been almost inseparable from Chu Jinglan and it has become a habit?

Without Xiao Mo's voice, the surroundings became quiet again.

However, apart from Chu Jinglan and cultivation, Xiao Mo seemed to have nothing else to think about.

No matter how much he missed the past life, he couldn't go back to it, and he couldn't do anything about Chu Jinglan's problem. Why was it that in the end, no matter what he thought about, it was all in vain?

Xiao Mo laughed at himself.

You are quite a boring person, Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo gave the little man's body spiritual power, and raised his hand to try to pull a leaf down from the side.

He wrapped the leaves in a breath of black mist and tried to blow it.

If you can't practice the mental method, then you can practice the martial arts method. The flute cannot be taken out from the sea of ​​consciousness, so you can only use tree leaves as a substitute.

Although he could barely make contact with things in the outside world with his spiritual power, no one could hear the sounds he made except Chu Jinglan.

I can't even play the flute well, let alone the leaves.

One (beep) flash (pop) one (hiss) flash——

A song called Twinkle Twinkle Little Star made me cry.

Due to too many distracting thoughts, for the next two days I could only try to practice the mental method only when I thought I was calm and peaceful. Each time was very short, which was equivalent to not practicing at all. In the jungle, the music that no one could hear was sobbing and choking, intermittent, so harsh and burning, yet silent.

Xiao Mo originally wanted to chat with the system to kill time, but he either didn't know what topic to start with, or he would become dazed while chatting.

He was in a daze and the system paused the topic. No one felt awkward, but the conversation was really dull.

No matter how similar the system is to humans, it is not a human after all.

Giant trees towered into the sky, and weeds grew deep into the ground. Between heaven and earth, he was all alone, lonely.

On the third day, a second-level monster passed under the tree. The inner demon finally stopped growing on the tree and landed on the top of the monster with a light movement.

The monster had a deer-like head. Xiao Mo leaned on its horns and ran along with the monster. The sound of wind whistled past his ears. Xiao Mo didn't know where it would go, but he just wanted to touch a living creature again and then change places.

Otherwise, he would be trapped in the body of a villain forever, ignoring everyone else, rising and falling day and night, and he would almost be in a daze and couldn't tell who he was.

People can get into problems if they are too depressed.

The wind also made Xiao Mo's heavy head a little clearer.

Just run wherever you can. If you can run into someone...

Just as he was thinking about it, the running monster suddenly let out a dying cry. Xiao Mo turned his head abruptly, and saw a very familiar sword light slashing down from the air. He had seen this light many times in the Bamboo Forest Sword Field. It was a cold and chilling edge, filled with murderous intent.

The second-tier monster was cut in half by Lazy Waist while running, and its upper body including the head fell forward due to inertia, throwing Xiao Mo off. Just as he was about to fly, a hot hand came across and grabbed him in its palm.

Xiao Mo lay at the tiger's mouth, staring blankly at the person who caught him.

Chu Jinglan's body was half covered in blood, his moon-white disciple uniform was stained with spots, he was as sharp as a blade, cold and sharp, with bloodshot eyes and murderous aura still in his eyes.

Like a Shura crawling out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

Only when he saw the villain in his hand did the murderous intent recede like the tide.

"...I found you." Chu Jinglan said in a hoarse voice.