Having made their decision, the group didn't hesitate any longer. They glanced at the distant mountains and rushed downhill! For ordinary people, going uphill is easy but going downhill is difficult, but for cultivators, it's the opposite. They can run and jump all the way down, and even if the path is unseen, it doesn't affect them.
As they approached the edge of the forest, the vegetation thickened, and the mountains were covered with ancient, towering trees, indicating that no human had set foot here for an unknown period of time. Qin Mu even wondered if this place had been isolated from the world since the dawn of humanity.
How did humans come to be?
How can evolution be considered unreliable!
What exactly happened in ancient times?
What kind of power isolates the secret realm?
Qin Mu shook his head, trying to stop himself from dwelling on those unanswerable questions.
Not long after, they encountered another ferocious beast! But this time, the beast was much smaller! It was about the size of a calf! It had a single horn, unlike a rhinoceros, and its bared fangs showed that it was carnivorous.
The beast mistook the tiny creatures for prey, but the prey turned out to be the hunter, and Baili Rou killed them with a single slash.
It was a creature the size of a fox, with long ears, a three-lobed mouth, and red eyes. The group looked at it again and again, and confirmed that it was a rabbit, although it was much larger.
A tiger with horns! Hmm! Bigger than a rhinoceros! It has a king-shaped stripe on its forehead! It must be a type of tiger!
These guys weren't too hard to kill! But when they encountered that dinosaur-like creature, it almost cost them several lives! It was huge! It was incredibly strong, impossible to fight head-on, and it also had very high resistance to spiritual energy attacks! In the end, Qin Mu had to empower Baili Rou with his righteous energy to slowly whittle it down.
"Tsk tsk! What a tragic death!" Baili Bing exclaimed, looking at the beast covered in knife wounds.
"Let's leave quickly, or we'll all be doomed here if another one comes," Qin Mu warned.
"Yes! Yes! Let's go! There was quite a commotion just now. If we wait any longer, some wild beasts might come and take advantage of the situation." Baili Bing's smile faded, and he agreed repeatedly.
Don't underestimate wild beasts. They have keen senses and a certain degree of intelligence. They won't show themselves when there's a big commotion, but they'll come to investigate soon after. Of course! Mainly, they're looking for something to scavenge, picking at the scraps from the mouths of those larger than themselves. Some will even go in packs to distract their prey and steal the spoils.
The group hurriedly left, with Qin Mu deliberately lagging behind. No one looked back, so they didn't notice the beast on the ground had suddenly vanished. There was no other way; the Heavenly Mystery Tower couldn't be exposed, so they could only secretly collect these enormous spoils of war.
Herds of animals, similar to deer, live in the mountains and forests. They can avoid birds of prey in the sky and run up the mountain, making it impossible for predators who are not good at climbing to catch them. The fist-sized insects and the large-headed birds prove that there is a complete ecosystem here.
“Let’s find the entrance and exit! Let’s cultivate here for a while!” Baili Bing suggested, putting down the bone in his hand.
"Isn't there an exchange meeting to attend?" Qin Mu asked.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot! But this place is really nice! If I stay here, I’m confident I can become a Grand Scholar in two years!” Baili Bing nodded.
"This is indeed a good place!" Qin Mu said, playing with the huge piece of astragalus in his hand. He found it while patrolling near the camp. He was shocked when he dug it out. This medicinal herb, which had been growing for who knows how many years, contained enormous medicinal effects. He dared not eat it alone.
Every medicinal herb has its own unique properties, whether cooling or warming. Generally, consuming them is fine; you just need to refine their medicinal properties. However, this herb has grown for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, in a place with such abundant spiritual energy. It's not that simple. Consuming it would either cause the body to explode and die, or it would damage the body's constitution. This is because while spiritual energy can be refined, the medicinal properties of the herbs cannot be completely refined. Unless it is combined with other medicinal herbs to make a pill.
Seeing Qin Mu's expression, Baili Bing became somewhat anxious. He clearly had designs on the secret realm, and it was obvious that it would take a huge price to make him give it up.
Deep in the mountains and forests, there is no shortage of old medicinal herbs. However, medicinal herbs are not only for humans to eat; animals also consume them. Perhaps by chance, or perhaps because the herbs are so attractive to them, animals know which herbs are useful to them. But beasts are beasts after all; they can only find some by chance, especially herbs buried underground, which they will not eat.
Some medicinal herbs have a sweet taste and become food for small animals, which is why medicinal herbs rarely survive for long periods outside the wild. The situation is different in the secret realm, because the ecosystem here is simpler and the herbs are scarcer than outside, resulting in the existence of many ancient medicinal herbs.
In places uninhabited by humans, there are plenty of medicinal herbs. Qin Mu found common angelica and codonopsis, as well as high-grade poria and polygonatum along the way.
On the afternoon of the third day, they arrived at the edge of the secret realm, which resembled an invisible barrier isolating them from the world—a truly magical sight. Continuing along the barrier for another five days, they were finally cut off by an insurmountable chasm.
The abyss was bottomless, shrouded in mist below, where falling rocks went unnoticed. The group stared in astonishment at the abyss before them, which resembled the earth's gaping maw, waiting to devour its prey.
Ahead lies a formidable chasm, and to the right, a barrier. The only way forward is to the left, towards the forest. However, this presents another problem: the other side of the chasm is also empty, presumably another barrier.
"Are we really going to the water source in the forest? Or should we look for those mountains?" Baili Bing asked helplessly. Having stayed in this desolate place, teeming with wild beasts, for almost ten days, he was inevitably feeling somewhat negative. The fact that the path ahead was now so narrow only added to his frustration.
“There are so many mountains, and there are only a few of us. How long will it take to search? A year or ten years?” Baili Rou glared at her older brother and said.
“Let’s try attacking this barrier!” Qin Mu said thoughtfully.
"Good!" Just then, the group noticed that the barrier began to flicker. Faint scenes began to appear outside the barrier.
"Charge!" Qin Mu was overjoyed and shouted, slashing his bronze sword fiercely at the barrier.
Qin Mu had prepared for a counterattack, but unexpectedly he missed his target and felt his body lighten as he passed through.
"Splash!" A sound rang out, splashing water everywhere.
"Thump, thump!" Another series of sounds rang out, and Qin Mu felt several people fall beside him.
Suddenly falling into the water, Qin Mu choked and quickly held his breath, trying to float to the surface.
Emerging from the water, Qin Mu looked around. The scene before him was familiar, and he immediately realized that this was Tianshui Lake.
Immediately afterwards, the Baili siblings and the Bu brothers also surfaced.
"Haha! We're out!" Baili Bing laughed loudly.
"Let's get ashore first!" Qin Mu reminded him.
"There are people on the shore!" Bu Mang shouted as the group swam toward the shore.
There were indeed many figures on the shore, and some were running towards the shore, presumably because they had seen them.
After a while, the group reached the shore, and immediately someone shouted excitedly, "It's the young master and young lady!"
"Young Master! Young Miss!" Someone rushed over quickly and surrounded Baili Bing and his sister.
"Nephew! Where did you come from? Where are the others?" Several middle-aged men rushed over, one of them asking anxiously.
"Uncle Nangong!" Baili Bing bowed, then continued with a troubled expression, "We don't know how we got out! We didn't meet Brother Nangong or Brother Ouyang either, and we don't know how they are doing now."
"Come out? Is this an array or a secret realm?" a refined-looking man with a touch of effeminacy asked. Qin Mu disliked this man intensely because his demeanor was far too similar to that of a gentlemanly swordsman from a certain film or television series.
"It's a secret realm! By the way, Uncle Ouyang, what were you all doing just now?" Baili Bing asked. The barrier's inexplicable shaking just now must have a reason, and the most likely cause was those people outside.
“When we arrived, we found you were all gone. Our investigation revealed a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy here. We initially thought you were trapped by an array and were trying to find it when you appeared,” the middle-aged man surnamed Ouyang said, his eyes gleaming.
After hearing these words, Qin Mu basically understood that these people must have wanted to break the formation by force, which caused the changes in the secret realm.
Upon hearing about the secret realm, everyone's eyes lit up with eagerness, and many even started breathing heavily.
"This must be Young Master Qin! I am Ouyang Qing, the father of Ouyang Jingbian. I met your father once more than twenty years ago," Ouyang Qing said with a smile.
"Greetings, Senior Ouyang." Qin Mu bowed respectfully without making a sound.
As Ouyang Qing took two steps forward, some people around him subtly surrounded Qin Mu.
Bu Mang's expression darkened. He looked around and his hand unconsciously reached for his waist.
"I have long admired Young Master Qin's name, and I also have great respect for the Qin family of Zhen San Guan. Young Master Qin must invite you to my humble abode so that the Ximen family can show you the hospitality of a true host," a well-to-do middle-aged man said with a smile.
"No problem! No problem!" Qin Mu nodded with a smile.
"Brother Qin, I'm relieved to see you're safe and sound," Ximen Gang said, stepping out from behind the portly middle-aged man.
"So it's Brother Ximen! Thank you for your concern!" Qin Mu nodded.
"Brother Qin! Tell me about your experiences these past few days. I'm very interested."
"OK!"
"Brother Qin, this way please! We're in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have much to offer, but here are two cups of tea."
"Brother Ximen, please!"
"Brother Qin!" Seeing Qin Mu following Ximen Gang into the distance, Baili Bing looked anxious and took a step forward, wanting to follow.
"Young Master Baili, why don't you tell us about the secret realm first?" Ouyang Qing stepped forward, blocking Baili Bing's path.
"What are you trying to do? That's the eldest young master of the Qin family!" Baili Bing warned with a grim expression. He knew very well the methods and mentality of aristocratic families; they would do anything as long as there was profit to be made.
"You don't need to worry about that. We adults will take care of it," Ouyang Qing said, frowning.
"Yes! Yes! Nephew, please tell us quickly! We still need to save Ouyang Jingbian and his sister, as well as Nangong Ling!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! This is my young master. Please be mindful of your manners." A dignified middle-aged man stood beside Baili Bing and said.
"Yes! I was just worried about my son's safety, please don't take offense, my dear nephew," Ouyang Qing said with a smile.
Seeing that Ouyang Jingbian and the others had not come out, Baili Bing suppressed his anxiety and began to explain: "This is what happened!..."
“We already know it was Temujin who did it, and we are searching for their whereabouts! Now that you mention it, this secret realm is quite large!” Ouyang Qing said, his eyes lighting up.
“The secret realm is vast, probably spanning over a hundred miles!” Baili Bing nodded.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, this place was already the size of a county town. The people present were even more excited, and many of them looked towards their host family, some of whom couldn't wait to go in and see what it was like.
"No matter what the situation, we must enter the secret realm! Gather more people immediately! Open the secret realm, then seal it off again. We'll explore it fully after the exchange meeting," said Ximen Lin, the portly middle-aged man and father of Ximen Gang.
"A blockade is necessary, and we must keep quiet! Arrange trusted confidants to guard the area! No one who knows the situation is allowed to leave!" Ouyang Qing said solemnly.
"Who is it?" Ximen Lin gestured with his chin toward Qin Mu.
"Please come to my home! We'll see you off after we've finished exploring the secret realm! We'll give you some nice gifts then, and I'm sure Young Master Qin will understand," Ouyang Qing said.
“That’s excellent! Once the exchange meeting is over and our family’s experts return, we won’t have to worry about anyone else,” Ximen Linxian agreed.
"You can't do this! Brother Qin is our invited guest! This is extremely rude!" Baili Bing said angrily.
"Nephew, what do you think we should do?" Ouyang Qing asked.
“I’ll talk to Brother Qin and ask him to keep it a secret. I’ll share the resources of the secret realm with him. He’ll definitely agree,” Baili Bing said.
“Nephew! You are too naive! With such a huge benefit, who wouldn’t be tempted! If the Qin family asks for an exorbitant price, are we supposed to just hand it over?” Ximen Linxian said sternly.
"No need to say anything more! This concerns the interests of our four great families, so it's settled!" Nangong Ling's father, Nangong Shan, said resolutely.
"Hmph!" Knowing that she couldn't change these people's decisions, Baili Bing snorted coldly and walked towards Qin Mu.
"Ignore him! Gather the men! Open the secret realm as soon as possible," Ximen Linxian said, waving his hand.
As soon as Ximen Linxian spoke, some people immediately ran outside.
"Brother Qin, I'm sorry!" Baili Bing walked up to Qin Mu, bowed, and said apologetically.
Watching several people ride away on warhorses in the distance, Qin Mu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Brother Baili, don't worry about it. You should change your clothes first!"
“My father has gone beyond the Great Wall, and my siblings and I are of little influence. We are truly sorry. We will stay by your side during this time and make sure no one dares to harm you,” Baili Bing said resolutely.
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