Heart of the Hidden Realm

So that's how it is.

Seeing Venerable Pantu's demeanor, Lin Xiao knew his guess was right.

He indeed wanted to get out very badly.

Compared to his own freedom, what did a disciple matter?

If he could leave on his own, why would he be in such a hurry to find someone to inherit his legacy?

Thus, Lin Xiao showed him an innocent smile and said,

"Rest assured, Senior. Just wait a moment. I definitely have a way to break your seal and take you out."

It was no wonder Lin Xiao was so confident, because just a moment ago, the system in his mind suddenly chimed:

[Friendly Reminder: Please note that the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm has appeared within one hundred meters of the host.]

He had searched far and wide, only to find it effortlessly! The Heart of the Secret Realm was actually right here!

If he had the Heart of the Secret Realm and controlled this Secret Realm, even a seal set by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could be easily broken, right? Lin Xiao thought this way, which was why he dared to make such a promise to Venerable Pantu.

However, Lin Xiao noticed that from the time they entered this valley until now, he hadn't really moved from his spot, yet the system only gave the prompt now. Why was that?

At the exact moment Lin Xiao was pondering, a flash of light darted across the nearby lake.

If one wasn't paying attention, they might just think it was a normal reflection of sunlight.

But Lin Xiao, who had been keeping an eye on his surroundings, noticed it.

He recalled seeing this same flash of light when they first entered.

Therefore, he made a bold guess: could the reason the system didn't give a prompt back then be that the Heart of the Secret Realm could move?

And when they came in, was it exactly the time the Heart of the Secret Realm left this place?

If so, he had to hurry!

Who knew if the Heart of the Secret Realm would run away again in a moment, or if it would ever come back, and how long that would take.

So he immediately turned his head and said to Venerable Pantu,

"How about you wait a moment, Senior? I'll go find this method right now! My brother will stay here to keep you company for a bit, but don't you dare lay a hand on him!"

Saying that, he turned to Sun Yigao and said,

"Yigao, wait for me here. I'll be right back!"

After saying that, without waiting for the two to reply, he turned around and leaped into the rippling lake.

The two on the shore—or more accurately, one person and one soul—watched Lin Xiao jump into the water, both utterly astonished.

Sun Yigao was surprised by his action, but thinking that Lin Xiao always had a reason for everything he did, he gradually relaxed.

Venerable Pantu's shock, however, was because there had always been a terrifying power in this lake that made his heart palpitate, ensuring that for decades he had never dared to go down and explore this massive lake right beside him.

It was a force that made him feel absolutely terrified. His intuition told him that the moment he entered the lake, he would definitely be completely obliterated by that power.

Furthermore, the sentence he hadn't finished earlier was that over the past few decades, everyone who had intruded into this Spirit Heart Valley had been thrown by him into this extremely dangerous lake.

Since his soul body currently only possessed the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, fighting against those Qi Condensation stage youngsters would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but it would also easily deplete his soul body. Therefore, he generally chose to just throw them into the lake, solving the problem in one move.

None of those people ever came back up.

Not even their corpses floated to the surface.

Now, seeing Lin Xiao jump down just like that, Venerable Pantu believed he was doomed.

Although the lake seemed to have the effect of isolating divine sense, preventing him from investigating the situation underwater or knowing the fate of the boy who had jumped in.

But he figured, how could an eighth-level Qi Condensation kid resist an existence that even terrified him?

Thus, he turned to Sun Yigao and said,

"Your brother is likely dead by now. Now that it's just you left, are you going to become my disciple, or be disposed of by me? After all, I absolutely will not allow the fact that my soul is trapped in this Secret Realm to be leaked."

Sun Yigao felt somewhat helpless.

"Senior, I neither want to die nor become your disciple. I believe my brother will definitely return safely."

Seeing him so stubborn, Venerable Pantu didn't force the issue. Anyway, he had set up illusion arrays all around this area; this seventh-level Qi Condensation kid couldn't escape.

He only coldly snorted at Sun Yigao and said,

"Since you believe in your little brother so much, I will give you one day so you can give up hope. If he hasn't come up after a day and you still refuse, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Meanwhile, inside the lake.

Lin Xiao was plummeting rapidly through the water. He could only barely use the water control spell he had created to keep the water at bay and maintain his breathing.

Just as he entered the lake, he felt a massive suction force pulling at him.

However, before he could figure out a countermeasure, he heard the system in his mind chime:

[Friendly Reminder: Please note that the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm has appeared within fifty meters of the host.]

[Friendly Reminder: Please note that the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm has appeared within ten meters of the host.]

[Friendly Reminder: Please note that the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm has appeared right before the host's eyes.]

Lin Xiao quickly opened his eyes, only to see a piece of green jade as big as his head sizing him up just five centimeters from his face.

For some reason, even though this green jade had no facial features or limbs, Lin Xiao just felt that it was scrutinizing him.

But Lin Xiao didn't care at all. The opportunity was right in front of him. With lightning speed, he threw his hands up and grabbed both sides of the green jade.

Then, the system's prompt in his mind cooperatively chimed immediately:

[Do you wish to collect the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm?]

Feeling the green jade in his hands beginning to struggle, Lin Xiao decisively chose "Yes" without even listening to the full prompt.

As a result, before the green jade could even begin to struggle, it was collected.

[Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm acquired. Do you wish to begin refining it to claim it for your sect?]

Did that even need to be asked? Lin Xiao naturally chose "Yes."

[Beginning to refine the Heart of the Green Field Secret Realm. Friendly Reminder: If refined at the birthplace of the Secret Realm Heart, the refining speed will be faster and the effect will be better.]

Just as Lin Xiao was about to complain about how he was supposed to know where the birthplace of the Secret Realm Heart was, a small pink arrow appeared before his eyes, pointing straight to the bottom of the lake.

Alright then.

He immediately dove toward the bottom of the lake.

Upon reaching the bottom, he found a massive platform formed by a large pile of algae.

Right in the center of the platform was a small indentation.

The size perfectly matched the Secret Realm Heart he had just collected.

So Lin Xiao swam over the indentation and sat down cross-legged.

The system's voice chimed again:

[Beginning to refine the Secret Realm Heart. Because the refinement requires the host to act as a medium, please concentrate during the process. Otherwise, the refinement may fail, the Secret Realm Heart will shatter, and it will take ten years to be reborn.]

The moment the refinement began, Lin Xiao felt as though a bridge was slowly being built between himself and the Secret Realm Heart in his private inventory.