Entering the Secret Realm

Before Xuanyangzi even finished speaking, he took the lead, tightly gripping the bronze token and injecting his spiritual energy into it.

The golden light in the void of the forbidden ground rippled once more, and the ten-foot-tall portal of light shimmered like water.

"Let's go!"

The First Patriarch stepped forward first, subconsciously retracting his aura as an expert at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, for fear of disturbing the spiritual charm within the secret realm.

The others followed closely behind. The moment they passed through the portal of light, everyone couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

Their bodies were tightly wrapped in warm, nourishing spiritual energy, as if they were soaked in melted spiritual jade. Their exposed skin could clearly feel the tingling sensation of spiritual energy drilling into their pores.

The instant they stepped into the secret realm, the crowd collectively halted, their eyes filled with shock and daze.

"This, this spiritual energy concentration... it's actually a hundred times that of the outside world!"

The Second Patriarch couldn't help but squat down, his fingertips lightly touching the spiritual soil. As soon as his spiritual energy probed half an inch in, it was pushed back by a majestic spiritual charm. He abruptly looked up, his eyes full of disbelief.

"I have cultivated in the Azure Profound Sect for a thousand years, and I have never seen such pure innate spiritual energy. Just standing here, my cultivation base is slowly advancing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the First Patriarch suddenly raised his hand and pinched the Second Patriarch's arm hard.

The Second Patriarch cried out in pain, jumped up abruptly, and glared at him while clutching his arm: "You old thing, what are you pinching me for?"

The First Patriarch wasn't annoyed; instead, he rubbed his hands, his eyes filled with a dazed excitement.

"I, I'm just checking if I'm dreaming! This secret realm... this spiritual energy... is a hundred times more miraculous than the 'Ancient Spiritual Realm' described in the forbidden ground's fragmented scrolls I saw back in the day!"

The Fifth Patriarch was just about to respond when his gaze was suddenly attracted by a spiritual field in the distance.

He quickly stepped forward, brushing aside the waist-high spiritual grass, and gently rubbed his fingertips against a nine-leafed spiritual herb—the leaves glowed with a warm jade-like color, and faint golden light flowed between the veins. It was astonishingly a King-level spiritual herb, the Nine-Leafed Grass!

"This, this is the Nine-Leafed Grass!"

The Fifth Patriarch trembled all over, his voice quivering. "I saw the illustrated records on the Cauldron Peak in my early years. This herb matures once every thousand years and can nourish a King's origin, having a tremendous effect on Kings."

He bent down to examine the root of the herb, only to see the soil glowing with the luster of an innate spiritual spring. The root system of the Nine-Leafed Grass had actually plunged deep into the spiritual vein, and the golden light on its leaves was several times denser than what the records described.

"This age... it actually looks like it's over ten thousand years old!"

"But a thousand years is already considered rare. If no one picks it, it will wither and die. I've never heard of one that could break the thousand-year limit..."

The First Patriarch leaned over to take a glance, but waved his hand: "It's no big deal, don't make a fuss out of nothing."

He swept his hand across the spiritual field, only to see that among the patches of spiritual grass, there were actually quite a few thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruits and various other spiritual herbs hidden.

"This is an innate secret realm. The spiritual energy is so dense that it can make plants sentient. Let alone a ten-thousand-year-old Nine-Leafed Grass, even rarer precious herbs wouldn't be surprising."

Just as he finished speaking, the First Patriarch's gaze suddenly froze, as if he had been struck by a binding spell, stiffening in place.

In the center of the spiritual field, a half-human-tall spiritual herb was glowing with a faint, translucent white light—its petals were as clear as ice crystals, each radiating a holy luster.

A wisp of pale purple soul light floated within the stamen, slowly rotating with the flow of spiritual energy. It was none other than the holy herb recorded only in ancient texts—the Great Void Soul-Condensing Flower!

"The, the Great Void Soul-Condensing Flower!"

The First Patriarch's composure instantly collapsed, his voice suddenly rising in pitch.

He quickly rushed over, carefully brushing aside the surrounding spiritual grass, terrified of damaging the petals.

"Ancient texts record that this herb can condense a scattered divine soul. As long as a wisp of a remnant soul remains, it can be reformed using this! This, this is a holy herb!"

"Ours! It's all our Azure Profound Sect's! Hahahaha...!"

The First Patriarch laughed so hard that the corners of his eyes wrinkled. His hands were still trembling slightly, and his gaze was glued to the Great Void Soul-Condensing Flower, reluctant to look away for even a second.

With this holy herb, even if they encountered unforeseen circumstances, they would have an extra life-saving trump card!

The Fifth Patriarch stood watching from the side, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes as he muttered to himself.

"Just now you were pretending to be so knowledgeable, but seeing a holy herb, aren't you even more excited than me? Tsk, where is your composure?"

Xuanyangzi also leaned in. Looking at the holy herb and King-level spiritual herbs in the spiritual field, he suddenly felt his eyes grow hot—the value of this spiritual field alone was enough to drive the seven great sects of Xuanzhou crazy.

The First Patriarch was still immersed in shock when, in the next second, he abruptly clutched his chest, his face flushing red.

He was already at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, and coupled with eating some holy beast meat and drinking Drunken Immortal Dew earlier, he was already struggling to suppress it.

Now, in a secret realm with such dense spiritual energy, that intertwined power actually began to impact the barrier keeping him at the threshold of the Saint realm. The spiritual energy in his meridians surged so violently that it was almost out of control, and even his breathing became rapid.

"No, no... this spiritual energy is too dense. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back from breaking through!"

The other patriarchs also nodded repeatedly, their faces full of anxiety—their internal situations were similar to the First Patriarch's. The secret realm's spiritual energy, combined with the lingering effects of the wine and meat from before, was impacting their realm barriers.

Gu Changge looked at their tense appearances, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He raised his eyes and looked toward the depths of the secret realm, which was shrouded in a faint, thin mist. A suspended jade platform could vaguely be seen; it was the core of the secret realm, the Dao Enlightenment Platform.

The Dao Enlightenment Platform in the depths of the secret realm was the key.

"Patriarchs, wait a moment. Let's go to the depths of the secret realm. It's more suitable to break through on the Dao Enlightenment Platform."

Hearing this, the crowd hastily suppressed the surging power within their bodies and followed Gu Changge deeper into the secret realm.

The further they walked inward, the denser the spiritual energy became. Eventually, it condensed into substantial spiritual mist, and with every breath, they could feel the Dao charm circulating in their seas of consciousness.

Soon, a massive suspended jade platform came into view. The platform was carved with ancient seal characters, and the center glowed with a golden halo of Dao charm. The spiritual energy was so dense it almost dripped like water.

Standing below the platform, they could feel that ascending power, enough to drive a Quasi-Saint crazy.

"This, this is... the Dao Enlightenment Platform!"

The First Patriarch shakily reached out his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the Dao charm emanating from the platform, he felt a wave of clarity in his sea of consciousness. The chaotic thoughts caused by the surging spiritual energy instantly cleared up.

Gu Changge nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Patriarchs, now is the best time to improve your aptitudes."

"Take the Marrow Cleansing Pill first to elevate your aptitudes. Once your aptitudes are improved, not only will you be able to perfectly receive the secret realm's spiritual energy and the platform's Dao charm, but you will also reduce the bottlenecks when breaking through, and your future cultivation path will have fewer detours."

"Good! I'd like to see just what miraculous effects this pill that can improve aptitude has."

The First Patriarch hesitated no longer. With slightly eager steps, he stepped onto the Dao Enlightenment Platform. When he sat cross-legged, even the movement of his robes brushing against the jade patterns was lightened by three degrees.

He pinched a translucent white Marrow Cleansing Pill from his storage ring. The moment the pill entered his hand, a crisp medicinal fragrance drilled into his nose, relaxing his previously tense nerves quite a bit.

The Second Patriarch, Fifth Patriarch, and the others followed closely behind, sitting cross-legged at the edge of the Dao Enlightenment Platform and taking out their respective Marrow Cleansing Pills from their storage rings.

The translucent white pills glowed with a fine halo under the golden light of the Dao Enlightenment Platform. The crowd's gazes fell upon the pills, carrying an uncontrollable anticipation.

Having lived for a thousand years, they had never heard of a pill capable of improving one's innate aptitude. At this moment, they were both curious and apprehensive, to the point that the fingertips holding the pills were trembling slightly.

Gu Changge looked at the trust and anticipation in their eyes, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips. Inside his sleeve, his fingertips gently stroked a few ancient jade slips.

"Patriarchs, please take them with peace of mind. Once you break through to the Saint Realm, Changge has a few cultivation methods here that will surely be more suitable than the Azure Profound Treasure Scripture you are currently practicing."

"Oh? Cultivation methods too?"

The First Patriarch was just about to place the pill into his mouth when he abruptly stopped, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Changge, what grade are these cultivation methods?"

The next chapter will be released at noon.