The banyan tree in front of them had become lush and verdant under the nourishment of Fang Xian's spiritual power. The leaves were swaying gently on the branches, making a rustling sound as they rubbed against each other.
"When does the wind come from in the Misty Secret Realm...?" Fang Xuan raised his hand to feel it, then raised an eyebrow. "No, this isn't natural wind; something is moving?"
"The ground is moving." Ji Mo Fan drew his sword and flew up.
He ignored Fang Xuan, whose spiritual energy was depleted, after all, this man had just boasted that he had more magical artifacts than he could use.
As it turned out, his choice was correct. The moment Fang Xuan sensed the movement on the ground, he took out a small flying artifact from his Qiankun bag.
The design is quite strange; it looks like a broom, but the back half has two metal footrests protruding from it.
Fang Xian took a step upwards, and using the footrests, he rose into the air.
Ji Mofan couldn't help but glance a few more times at the thing sitting under his butt.
"What kind of bizarre design is this?" he questioned. "Won't it... be uncomfortable on your butt?"
“But flying like this is faster than riding a sword,” Fang Xuan said.
He bent down, pressing his chest close to the broom handle beneath him, his figure transforming into a streak of light, instantly circling Ji Mofan before slowly drifting back to his original spot.
Ji Mo Fan didn't know whether he should laugh or not.
"......puff."
Unexpected voices came from beneath their feet, attracting all four eyes to look over at the same time.
A little boy with pigtails standing directly below them was covering his mouth and chuckling in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
The ground where the banyan tree had just grown had completely disappeared, and they were now in a strange void beneath their feet. All they could see was the perpetually misty sky of the Dark Mist Secret Realm.
Without the sun, it's impossible to tell the time; all we know is that it's daytime.
The only thing that could be considered a "physical object" was the large banyan tree, and the castle-like building that was entangled by the banyan tree's intricate root system and fixed upside down under the tree.
"Is it an illusion?" Fang Xuan turned to look at Ji Mo Fan.
He admitted that his expertise in formations was not as great as Ji Mofan's.
Ji Mofan casually grabbed at the air, and the moisture in his palm turned into ice crystals, which he flicked lightly and sent flying into the void.
The ice crystal seemed to collide with something halfway through its flight; a flash of pale green light disappeared in an instant, and the ice crystal instantly sublimated into a wisp of white vapor.
"It's an illusion set up by a Nascent Soul stage expert; I can't unravel it," Ji Mofan said honestly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Of course! Our master is the strongest weapon refiner in the history of the cultivation world. How could you two little kids easily break his magic weapons?" The child with the pigtails sticking up came flying through the air, shaking his head and swaying proudly in front of them.
Ji Mofan sized up the child.
With rosy lips and white teeth, she looked about four or five years old, with a round head and a face that resembled the children in New Year's paintings.
"You must be a puppet created by your master," Ji Mofan asked him.
"To be able to live in the secret realm for a long time without any fluctuations of spiritual power or other forces, only a puppet would fit your appearance," Fang Xuan said.
"Huh? You guys are so smart." The child looked at them with surprise. "There have been people who accidentally wandered in before, but they thought I was a mortal child who accidentally fell into the secret realm, and they actually said they would rescue me... It was so funny."
"However, you just said that your master is the strongest weapon refiner in the history of the cultivation world?" Ji Mo Fan pondered for a while, resting his chin on his hand. "Could it be the legendary weapon master, Master Lu Tong, who ascended to immortality three thousand years ago?"
Ji Mo Fan's speculation was made by someone in his previous life, but it was merely a deduction based on the treasures that had been passed down, and there was no real basis for it.
Lu Tong is a legendary figure in the cultivation world. He entered the Dao at the age of twelve, learning the art of weapon crafting. By the age of fifteen, he was able to independently craft quite complex products. At nineteen, he created his first new weapon crafting blueprint. Before he even reached fifty, he had already entered the Tribulation Transcending stage, just one step away from ascension.
After a long period of seclusion, he disappeared without a trace. At that time, everyone in the cultivation world thought that this Artifact Saint must have ascended to immortality. Who would have thought that he would actually perish in the Dark Aura Secret Realm?
"You're quite knowledgeable, young man." The child crossed his arms, raised his chin, and glanced at him from below his eyelids. "Indeed, my master is Lord Lu."
"I never imagined that Master Lu would pass away here." Ji Mofan poked his chin.
"So there must be a way out of here, right?" He turned his gaze to the upside-down castle behind the child. "Is there some secret inside that castle?"
"It's alright to tell you, this castle holds information about the mechanisms and secrets that the master built using all his knowledge and crafting materials." The child's head swayed as he spoke, and his little braid on top of his head swung back and forth.
"If you can make your way from the bottom to the first level, you'll be able to leave this illusion. If not..."
He pointed to the scattered white bones entwined in the roots of the banyan tree, "Then they become nutrients for the tree."
"Interesting." Fang Xuan always enjoyed this kind of game. He didn't even call out to Ji Mofan before taking the lead and approaching on his broom magic weapon.
Ji Mofan pressed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
After we get out, let's ask Fang Xuan for ten golden pheasants as a reward.
He grumbled to himself, but then followed on his sword.
The castle is completely upside down, and the challenge begins at the very top of the tower in a conventional sense.
Because the building is inverted, the ground beneath their feet forms a gradually narrowing cone shape, while the ceiling above their heads is a square shape.
I should have brought Lin Ju'an with me.
As Ji Mo Fan explored the surroundings, he couldn't help but think.
Although Lin Ju'an knew nothing about weapon crafting, he was at least familiar with mechanisms and should have some understanding of this kind of place.
But now that they're already inside, it's completely unrealistic to try and go out to find them, as the sound transmission talisman can't be sent out from this place.
"Click".
He caught a subtle sliding sound from the latch, and Ji Mofan's ears twitched slightly as he subconsciously turned his head to look at the source of the sound.
Fang Xian, gripping the broom handle, poked the eye of the statue in the center of the room.
"Can't you be a little more aware that you're not exploring alone right now!" Ji Mofan's pupils suddenly contracted.
He immediately flew backward on his flying sword, and a gap suddenly appeared in the previously smooth wall in front of him. From the dark cracks, several weapons of various colors burst out, including knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks. They were pulled by iron chains and smashed into Ji Mofan's face.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, his face would be ruined by now.
"Sorry." Fang Xian offered a very insincere apology and then began to touch the statue again.
Ji Mo Fan was forced to draw his sword and solve two more traps.
He knocked down all sorts of hidden weapons, which fell with a clatter to the spiked base.
"Fun." Fang Xuan pressed a few more buttons with great interest.
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