Chapter 41: Entering the Secret Realm, Blocked at the Second Layer

After about an hour, almost all the factions had arrived, and the Abyss Secret Realm began showing signs of opening.

The Abyss Secret Realm lay beside an abyss. Many people had explored it while the secret realm was closed, but had found nothing unusual.

The secret realm seemed to occupy a separate space. When it was closed, this was just an ordinary abyss. Only when it opened did a portal appear above the abyss.

The fifty disciples of the Tianyuan Sect were divided into four teams in total. Lin Shimeng led one team, Yao Kaidong led another, Meng Chengren, the Senior Brother of the Immortal Beast Peak, led a third, while Qin Xiao and Yun Man formed a separate two-person party.

In terms of numbers, Lin Shimeng’s team naturally had the most, keeping all eighteen Main Peak members together. Next came the Immortal Sword Peak and Immortal Cloud Peak led by Yao Kaidong alongside the Immortal Artifact Peak, totaling fifteen people.

The team led by Meng Chengren consisted of members from the Immortal Beast Peak, Immortal Medicine Peak, and Immortal Spring Peak, forming a group of fifteen across those three peaks.

Other factions did much the same. Large groups split into teams, while smaller groups joined together.

“Get ready, the secret realm is about to open.”

Seeing a vortex begin to form above the abyss, Wen Yuanying warned them.

Everyone watched nervously as the vortex grew. It stopped expanding once the entrance was wide enough for a hundred people to enter at the same time.

Pure Yang Sect and the Immortal Dao Merchant Association entered first, followed by Mysterious Yin Sect and Tianyuan Sect.

After being plundered for so many years, the first layer held almost nothing of value, making the order of entry largely irrelevant. Moreover, finding treasures depended far more on personal fortune.

“Remember, no fighting among yourselves inside the secret realm. We always lose many disciples in there, and I hope all of you come back alive.”

When their turn arrived, Wen Yuanying delivered her parting instructions.

All the Tianyuan Sect disciples then flew toward the vortex on their swords.

Naturally, Qin Xiao hitched a ride on Yun Man’s flying sword. While his physical strength was sufficient for him to leap across directly, doing so would be entirely unnecessary and far too embarrassing.

As soon as they entered, everything around them changed. Even the sky was gray, and the light was dim. An endless plain stretched around them without a single tree.

None of the other groups were in sight; only the Tianyuan Sect disciples who had entered alongside them were present. Those who arrived through later transmissions clearly landed elsewhere, suggesting the landing points were randomized.

“Junior Brother Qin, since this is your first time here and you are unfamiliar with the terrain, you should join our team.”

Lin Shimeng offered another well-intentioned invitation.

“There’s no need. Since it’s my first time, we’ll just wander around and treat it like a sightseeing trip to broaden our horizons.”

Qin Xiao refused once more.

“Hmph, ungrateful. The Holy Maiden kindly invites you, yet you put on airs.”

Before Lin Shimeng could speak, a junior brother behind her could no longer hold his tongue.

“Disciple, let’s go.”

Ignoring the cultivator entirely, Qin Xiao called out to Yun Man and signaled for them to depart first.

“Yes, Master.”

Without another word, Yun Man summoned her flying sword, and the pair soared away. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.

Lin Shimeng was furious, but she could not lose her temper in front of these disciples. She had to maintain her image as Holy Maiden.

“Let’s move out as well. We’re heading straight for the third layer, and if we get the chance, we’ll check out the fourth.”

Seeing that Qin Xiao had already vanished, Lin Shimeng dropped the matter and set her own plans in motion.

Noticing Lin Shimeng’s departure, Yao Kaidong led his group in pursuit along the direction Qin Xiao had taken.

But how could they catch Yun Man, who was already at Nascent Soul? They chased for a long time without seeing any sign of Qin Xiao.

“Forget it, we’ll let that bastard off for now. We’re heading to the third layer.”

Unable to catch them, Yao Kaidong gave up and decided to look for Fated Chances on the third layer first. The secret realm would remain open for a whole month, so there would be chances to run into Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao had only been bluffing about wandering around the first layer. Who would enter a secret realm just to go sightseeing? There was nothing worth seeing on this layer anyway. He had said it for Yao Kaidong’s benefit, hoping to keep him busy searching the first layer.

Though Qin Xiao had never been here, the sect had visited countless times and had simple maps. Every disciple had one. He planned to use Yun Man’s Nascent Soul speed to reach the fourth layer ahead of the others.

Yet upon reaching the entrance to the second layer, they found over a dozen disciples guarding the passage.

A considerable crowd had been blocked outside, barred from entering.

“Isn’t Mysterious Yin Sect going too far? This secret realm doesn’t belong to you!”

“Exactly! Do you really intend to make enemies of everyone here?”

“Let us through! When I get out, I’ll tell everyone what you’ve done!”

Those barred from the second layer began denouncing Mysterious Yin Sect.

“Are you blind, or are you choosing who to blame? Are we the only ones doing this?”

A Mysterious Yin Sect disciple could take no more and cursed at them.

Mysterious Yin Sect had not decided this alone. Of the eighteen people blocking the passage, six were from Mysterious Yin Sect, six from Pure Yang Sect, and six from the Immortal Dao Merchant Association. Yet the crowd cursed only Mysterious Yin Sect. How could its disciples not be angry?

The situation traced back to their initial entry. As the first three groups to arrive, they happened to land not far from the second-layer passage.

The three groups had reached the entrance almost together and nearly started fighting. Then someone from the Immortal Dao Merchant Association suggested letting their own people go ahead, with each faction leaving five or six people to hold everyone else back. That would give their three factions a head start.

Pure Yang Sect and Mysterious Yin Sect could only accept the proposal. They had no choice: the Immortal Dao Merchant Association had brought an expert this time, Ling Wushuang, the eldest son of the Ling Family.

Ling Wushuang was far stronger than the others. At forty-five, he was already at late Nascent Soul, half a step from its peak. The leaders of Pure Yang Sect and Mysterious Yin Sect were only at mid Nascent Soul. Neither was a match for him, so they could only agree.

That led to the current impasse. While the earliest arrivals initially kept quiet and waited obediently, the growing crowd soon began hurling insults.

The Immortal Dao Merchant Association and Pure Yang Sect were first-tier powers, while Mysterious Yin Sect was a level below them. Everyone therefore cursed only Mysterious Yin Sect, and its disciples refused to take it.

“Everyone, don’t worry. Just wait two hours. After two hours, we’ll open the passage.”

Sensing the situation slipping toward chaos, a disciple of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association finally spoke up.

After hearing that the passage would open in two hours, the others muttered but said no more.

With that settled, all they could do was wait. The guards were stronger than them; they had better behave.

“Disciple, their cultivation?”

Qin Xiao could not afford to wait two hours. The source of this chapter is NovelPing.

“The strongest is at late Golden Core.”

Having established a tacit understanding with Qin Xiao, Yun Man knew precisely what he intended the moment he asked.

“Are you going to step aside yourselves, or do we need to make you?”

Qin Xiao addressed the guards directly.

“The Tianyuan Sect?”

Every participant in the secret realm wore standardized sect attire to make identification easier amidst the large crowds.

“Blame Tianyuan Sect for getting here late. If you’d arrived a little sooner, you might have been allowed in ahead of the others. Now you can wait too.”

The speaker belonged to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association and was their sole late Golden Core cultivator.

“So you’re forcing us to resort to violence?”

Seeing that the guards refused to yield, Qin Xiao decided a beating was in order.

“Master, wait.”

Yun Man hurriedly called out to stop him.

“Disciple, it’s not that I want to offend Ling Ruoxue, but these people are going too far.”

Believing Yun Man wished to avoid unnecessary friction with the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, Qin Xiao offered an explanation, wanting her to know he wasn’t simply looking for trouble.

“That’s not what I meant, Master. Have you forgotten our Supreme Membership Card?”

Yun Man reminded him directly.

“Does that actually work?”

Qin Xiao asked, looking somewhat skeptical.

“Why not try it and see?”

With that, Yun Man reached into her Storage Bag and retrieved the Supreme Membership Card gifted by Ling Ruoxue.

“Does the Immortal Dao Merchant Association recognize this?”

Displaying the card in her hand, Yun Man posed the question to the guards from the merchant association.

“What? A Supreme Membership Card?!”

The man leading the guards recognized it. As someone from the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, how could he not know a Supreme Membership Card?

“Since you are distinguished guests of our association, you may pass.”

Though clearly reluctant, the merchant association disciple acknowledged the token and cleared the path for Qin Xiao.

Since the Immortal Dao Merchant Association had agreed, Pure Yang Sect and Mysterious Yin Sect could hardly object. The association was greater both in influence and in cultivation strength.

The others could only watch, dumbfounded, as Qin Xiao entered the second layer. They had no way to produce a card of that rank.