The Secret Realm Emerges

Gu Changge nodded: "Not only is the meat his, but the spirit rice you ate was also planted by him."

Shi Wanshan froze in place. Looking at the wild ox exuding a dangerous aura by the spirit field, and recalling the beef and spirit rice he had just eaten, he inexplicably felt a bit of sympathy.

He swallowed hard, cupped his hands toward the Old Yellow Ox, and said in a complex tone, "Brother Ox, I am truly sorry. I didn't know earlier, please don't take offense!"

At this point, feeling a bit guilty, Shi Wanshan couldn't help but try to comfort it: "But I have to say, Brother Ox, your meat is truly delicious..."

As soon as these words fell, the Old Yellow Ox by the spirit field suddenly raised its head. Its cyan-gold eyes glared fixedly at Shi Wanshan, its hooves pawed the ground even harder, and it let out an angry "Moo" from its throat.

Well done, Shi Wanshan, you don't just kill the demon, you destroy its heart!

You really know how to comfort someone...

Xuanyangzi, holding the wooden barrel, also froze when he heard this, then stroked his chin and laughed.

"So, the roast beef I ate earlier was also from it? No wonder it was more tender than other demonic beast meats, it really leaves a lingering aftertaste!"

"Alright, stop talking."

Shi Wanshan looked at the old ox that was about to go mad and cupped his hands again.

"Brother Ox, don't be angry. Next time I'll have the Pill Cauldron Peak stew some spirit herb soup to apologize to you! I guarantee it will be a thousand-year-old purple ganoderma, great for nourishing the body!"

The Old Yellow Ox snorted, flicked its tail, and turned to walk deep into the spirit field, completely ignoring Shi Wanshan's "apology."

Who wants to drink some spirit herb soup?

What it wanted was spirit marrow essence blood!

If it weren't for the fact that it couldn't beat Gu Changge, it would have long since sent these two guys who ate its meat and stole its treasures flying with its horns!

Gu Changge looked at the Old Yellow Ox's resentful back, then at the awkward-looking Shi Wanshan, and shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, stop provoking it. If you really make it desperate, your little tricks won't be enough."

Shi Wanshan nodded hastily, but muttered in his heart: I should have eaten two more bowls earlier...

Gu Changge looked at the Old Yellow Ox drooping its head listlessly and raised his voice toward the spirit field.

"Alright, don't just stand there throwing a tantrum. You won't miss out on the benefits, I'll make it up to you tonight."

As soon as these words fell, the previously listless old ox suddenly stopped. Its cyan-gold ears perked straight up, and its tail quietly wagged.

It hesitantly turned its head, its eyes staring straight at Gu Changge, as if confirming the truth of his words.

Seeing Gu Changge nod at it, the Old Yellow Ox let out a brisk "Moo" from its throat. The previous resentment instantly dissipated by more than half, and it slowly turned around to head deeper into the spirit field.

Seeing the old ox leave, Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan locked their gazes back onto the white jade barrel and began to fight over it.

At this moment, Xuanyangzi suddenly reacted. He took out a communication jade talisman from his storage ring, injected his spiritual energy into it with his fingertip, and spoke with an urgent voice.

"Xuanfeng! Jinghong! Hurry up and come to Purple Bamboo Peak! If you're late, the opportunity will be gone!"

Seeing this, Shi Wanshan also hurriedly took out his communication jade talisman and roared into it: "Jingxian, Mochen, rush to Purple Bamboo Peak immediately! Don't blame me for not warning you if you arrive late!"

Fang Hanyu stood to the side, watching the usually transcendent Sect Master and the steady, majestic Peak Master arguing until their faces were red over two wooden barrels.

His fingertips subconsciously gripped his sword scabbard, his eyes full of maladjustment.

This was simply too far from the image of the aloof elders in his impression.

Xiao Ruobai noticed his stiffness, leaned over, and chuckled in a low voice: "Junior Brother, you'll get used to it!"

Fang Hanyu was stunned. Just as he wanted to ask more, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from afar, accompanied by the shouts of young men and women.

"Master! Martial Uncle! Where is the opportunity?"

Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, Shi Jingxian, and Lin Mochen rushed over in a flurry, all of their eyes shining brightly.

Their gazes swept over Gu Changge, Xuanyangzi, and Shi Wanshan, and finally landed on the white jade barrel that the two were tightly holding onto, their footsteps instantly halting.

"T-this is the opportunity?"

Li Xuanfeng's eyes widened. He quickly stepped forward, able to clearly feel the powerful energy coming from inside the barrel, causing even the spiritual energy in his dantian to become restless.

"What dense spiritual energy!"

Xuanyangzi took out two more barrels, divided the spirit marrow essence blood into four portions, and added some spirit liquid.

The spiritual energy instantly permeated the air, making the four of them breathe rapidly.

Li Xuanfeng was the first to step into a wooden barrel. His spiritual energy instantly circulated, and a faint purple spiritual light shimmered around his body.

Shi Jingxian and Lin Mochen followed closely behind, their movements extremely eager.

Seeing this, Shen Jinghong did not hesitate either, stepping toward the last barrel.

Fang Hanyu hurriedly stepped forward, his tone carrying a bit of hesitation: "Senior Sister, this barrel... is the one Senior Brother Xiao and I just soaked in."

Shen Jinghong didn't even pause her steps, waving her hand crisply.

"Ah, why care so much! As long as my strength increases, what does this matter?"

Before she finished speaking, she stepped into one of the wooden barrels. Her spiritual energy instantly began to circulate, and a faint spiritual light soon shimmered around her body, clearly having begun to absorb the energy in the spirit liquid.

This was an opportunity from Purple Bamboo Peak; only a fool would miss it over such a trivial matter!

Let alone just going in to refine and absorb it, if it really could increase cultivation, I'd even be happy to hold the barrel and take a few sips!

Gu Changge looked at the four people beside the wooden barrels, each immersed in absorbing the spirit liquid, and then turned to Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan, who were still staring at the spiritual light on the edge of the barrels.

"Why did you two Senior Brothers suddenly come to Purple Bamboo Peak today? You didn't just come to fight over these two barrels of spirit liquid, did you?"

Hearing this, Xuanyangzi finally snapped out of the temptation of the spirit liquid. He hastily straightened his robes, putting on the steady appearance a Sect Master should have.

"Of course not! We mainly came to discuss the matter of the Azure Cloud Secret Realm with you."

He paused, then added.

"Over the past few days, I have quietly informed the other Peak Masters about the secret realm, but I made them all swear a Heavenly Dao Oath to never let the news leak out in the slightest. After all, this is a major event concerning the future of the sect; we cannot be careless."

Shi Wanshan hastily nodded in agreement from the side.

"We also specifically selected a total of one hundred disciples from the various peaks. They are all good seedlings with steady temperaments and proper backgrounds, and we are preparing to send them into the secret realm for cultivation.

We came this time just to have you take a look and see if these candidates and arrangements could be made any more secure."

Hearing this, a flash of understanding passed through Gu Changge's eyes. A faint golden light quietly shimmered on his fingertips as his Delusion-Shattering Divine Eyes and divine sense spread out simultaneously, sweeping over the auras of the Peak Masters and the hundred disciples mentioned by Xuanyangzi like a fine net.

Whether it was the solidified Heavenly Dao marks in the Peak Masters' oaths or the pure cultivation thoughts in the disciples' seas of consciousness, there were no anomalies whatsoever.

He retracted his divine sense, his tone becoming a bit more relaxed.

"You have controlled the selection very well. There are no problems with their temperaments or root bones, so there is no need to make any adjustments."

After hearing Gu Changge's words, Xuanyangzi's hanging heart finally settled.

Right at this moment, the communication jade talisman in Xuanyangzi's hand suddenly vibrated gently. He probed it with his fingertip's spiritual energy and clearly saw the contents. The smile on his face instantly froze, immediately replaced by complete astonishment.

"I just received a message from a secret spy. In a canyon ten thousand miles away in the southwest, an ancient secret realm has appeared..."