In the early morning, Wang Xuan set out toward the rising sun, on a quest to find his old friends from the new star. He thought of Wu Yin, who had been captured by monsters and had not been heard from since.
"I'm not far from transcending; I will go to that great canyon," he resolved. Once he transcended, he would definitely take a look at it.
That morning, others also entered deeper into the Secret Realm, away from the external areas.
"Old Zhong, I didn't expect you to care so much for the younger generation," the old man from the Song family remarked, glancing at the scene not far away. At that moment, Zhong Qing and her brother Zhong Cheng were roasting rat meat. Despite it being a supernatural creature, their expressions were still dull. This was the first time in their lives that they were forced to eat rat!
Zhong Yong sighed, "My son and daughter are unreliable now, so I can only cultivate the fourth and fifth generations."
The old man from the Song family sneered, "You're such a coward, only seeking safety. You aim for the Five-Color Golden Pill. I think if these two kids don't step into the transcendent realm, you'll just wear them out!"
Zhong Yong replied, "Little Song, I'll leave these two to you from now on. Take them to the ruins of the Earth Immortal City and don't come out for a while." They never expected the Secret Realm to be so mysterious, with people from transcendent planets coming here to compete.
A white peacock told them that it was not easy to reach the level of the transcendent. If they didn't want to participate in the battle, they could stay in the Earth Immortal City and not be attacked.
People from the new star had been exploring the Secret Realm for many years, but they had never known there was an ancient ruin where Earth Immortals once lived.
The old man from the Song family advised, "Old Zhong, take it easy; you're over a hundred years old now. What more do you want? Why do you need to participate in the transcendent battle? Sometimes, I just don't understand you."
At the time Zhong Yong made his decision, Old Song was shocked. In his impression, the Zhong family always avoided danger, aiming to live longer. Now, seeing Zhong Yong's ambition to participate in the transcendent battle was astonishing!
"If I don't take one last risk, I'll really grow old!" Zhong Yong said, gazing at the horizon.
Old Song looked at his middle-aged face, which looked to be in his forties or fifties, and wanted to curse, "You just escaped in a life pod not long ago, having just extended your life, and now you're already saying you're old?"
"Old Zhong, if you don't get old, your family will go crazy!" Old Song sighed.
Zhong Yong shook his head and said, "What I mean by old is in terms of cultivation. If there's no way out and no means to significantly improve anymore, then my path in this life will come to an end."
Old Song said, "You don't have to participate in the transcendent battle; it's too dangerous. The people from those three transcendent planets are not easy to deal with."
"I'm not easy to deal with either. The techniques I practice are better than theirs, and my foundation is much deeper after more than a hundred years. I don't need to fight for the top ten; I just want the reward for coming in last, the twentieth."
Zhong Yong said confidently, with a clear understanding of his own position. His greatest regret was that there were no transcendent materials on the new star; he had missed too many opportunities.
Old Song had nothing to say. To be honest, while the new star was not a transcendent planet, Old Zhong had collected an astonishing batch of scriptures, from the secrets of the Daoist ancestors to the legendary Five-Color Jade Book, and even the Golden Pill Path of Chen Tuan—all were included in the Zhong family's collection.
"I seem to have spotted a familiar face. Little Song, you take the two kids into the Earth Immortal City ahead, and I'll go take a look!" After saying this, Zhong Yong dashed off.
Old Chen quickly disappeared. He had not expected to see Old Zhong in the depths of the Secret Realm. By now, he had come to believe in the legend that Old Zhong had cultivated for over a hundred years and was a top-tier figure in the Old Technique realm!
"Little Chen, I see you! I knew you weren't dead; I didn't expect to reunite here. Don't run; let's team up and work together to seize the opportunities of transcending!" Zhong Yong stretched his long legs and quickly chased after him.
Old Chen felt uncomfortable; in this era, only this old monster from the new star dared to call him Little Chen!
---
Deep within the Secret Realm, there was an Earth Immortal City that could shelter those who chose to withdraw from the transcendent battle. No conflicts were allowed within the ruins, ensuring everyone inside remained unharmed. However, no such protective measures existed in the external regions.
Those who had not entered the transcendent realm were unprotected and were generally regarded as mortals, receiving little attention from the transcendent civilization.
Wang Xuan rushed along, encountering several people from the three transcendent planets along the way, but he ignored them, sprinting through the forest.
"This person from Oula Star is quite formidable!" someone said from a distance, clearly wary and not daring to act.
Wang Xuan was now wearing a delicately crafted hollow armor and a metallic combat suit, making him mistaken for a young powerhouse from one of the four major organizations of Oula Star.
Wang Xuan searched for a long time without seeing anyone from the new star. All he saw were some bloodstains, which weighed down his heart.
The people from Oula, Yuhua, and Heluo—three transcendent planets—had sent several groups. Ultimately, there would be twelve organizations and one hundred twenty young powerhouses roaming the external area of the Secret Realm, making it the most dangerous time.
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However, Wang Xuan had already eliminated one organization from Oula Star.
The external and deep regions of the Secret Realm were divided based on energy density. Although the external area was relatively thin, there were still terrifying monsters.
After a day and a night, it was hard to predict what might happen.
"Master Ma is very cautious; most of the time, he moves silently, which means it's difficult to find him."
Without hoofprints, there were no clear clues. Unlike Wang Xuan, whose powerful strides covered twenty meters with each step, leaving a very obvious trail.
In the afternoon, Wang Xuan finally discovered Master Ma's hoofprints. The ground was shattered, and cracks surrounded the hoofprints.
Wang Xuan's expression changed. This proved that Master Ma was in danger, having run away in panic, which was not good news.
This time, he followed the tracks. Occasionally, Master Ma's hoofprints would disappear, indicating that he was indeed using his spirit to conceal his traces after running for a distance.
Before sunset, Wang Xuan saw Master Ma in the dense forest from a distance. His heart sank as he noticed the white stallion had some injuries, particularly a wound on its rear that looked as if it had been hit by an arrow, and it was still bleeding.
Where was Zhao Qinghan? Was something wrong?!
Master Ma, with his nose glowing, was angrily munching on fresh grass, as if he was harboring a lot of frustration.
Wang Xuan quickly approached, and being a mystical beast, Master Ma had an extremely keen sense of awareness; he abruptly raised his head and looked in Wang Xuan's direction from quite a distance.
At the same time, through the dense forest, Wang Xuan used his mental field to sense Zhao Qinghan in that area, which relieved him greatly.
When he arrived nearby, Master Ma raised his head, gave him a sidelong glance, and then gestured toward Zhao Qinghan not far away, as if showing off.
Then, he nudged his large head closer, seemingly asking for something.
Wang Xuan shoved his massive head aside and walked forward, making noise with his footsteps.
Zhao Qinghan was collecting some medicinal herbs, currently grinding them on a stone to prepare a poultice for Master Ma. Hearing footsteps suddenly, she became alert, nimbly dodging and hiding behind a large tree with a metal dagger in hand.
"Wang Xuan!" Her beautiful eyes instantly sparkled with joy. After experiencing so many dangers over the past day and night, seeing someone familiar brought her great relief.
She had never faced such situations in New Star, always calm and composed, mostly cold and aloof. Even when she smiled brightly, she rarely revealed her true emotional fluctuations. In this Secret Realm, filled with monsters and the threat of foreign pursuers, she no longer concealed her emotions.
"Are you hurt?" Wang Xuan asked her.
"I'm fine, but one of the explorers died, and the white steed was injured by an arrow," she sighed lightly.
The foreign archer was terrifying; Master Ma had carried another injured female explorer far from the archer's line of sight, yet still, the arrow hit the white steed. That female explorer had also been shot down. If they hadn't been so far away, she and Master Ma could have been killed.
Zhao Qinghan was not a weak woman; after a brief moment of sorrow for that female explorer, she quickly composed herself.
"Why are you wearing foreign clothes? You're not hurt, are you?" Zhao Qinghan approached, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"I encountered some extraordinary creatures, and a group of foreigners was wiped out. I barely escaped from near their lair," Wang Xuan explained.
At that moment, Master Ma leaned in, glaring at Wang Xuan with an unfriendly expression, as if he had something to say.
Wang Xuan pushed Master Ma's head aside to continue talking to Zhao Qinghan.
Master Ma grew furious, stubbornly pushing his head between the two of them, staring at Wang Xuan.
Zhao Qinghan couldn't help but laugh and said, "He's thinking about the worms you promised him."
Her protective suit was torn by thorns, and leaves were stuck in her hair, but despite her disheveled state, Zhao Qinghan's appearance remained remarkable.
In contrast to her tattered suit, her tall and graceful figure, straight long legs, and delicate, fair face exuded an unusual beauty.
Master Ma nodded, indicating that Wang Xuan should hurry up and fulfill his promise.
"I've already used the worms…" Before Wang Xuan could finish, Master Ma attempted to kick him!
Wang Xuan quickly pushed him away and said, "Hold on, I have something good for you."
He took out four golden fruit seeds and moved to feed them to Master Ma.
"Do you know what these are? They're demon fruit seeds, the leftovers I saved for you."
Master Ma's eyes widened in shock and then fury. Where was the fruit? You ate it and left me only the seeds? This was too much!
His eyes burned with anger as he lunged at Wang Xuan's fingers, feeling deeply insulted.
Wang Xuan swiftly dodged.
To be fair, Master Ma was becoming quite clever, signaling Zhao Qinghan to mount him, wanting to carry her away and not leave her with Wang Xuan.
Zhao Qinghan quickly calmed him down and treated his wounds.
Despite having faced numerous dangers, she still smiled with a youthful and radiant charm, her big eyes sparkling, and her beautiful face radiated warmth.
"Old horse, you really are becoming clever, trying to kidnap a person?" Wang Xuan playfully slapped him and said, "This is demon fruit; do you think I would dare eat the flesh? I risked my life to get you these seeds. They contain some extraordinary energy; if you don't want them, I'll feed them to the wild beasts."
Crack!
Master Ma bit into one of the seeds, chewing rapidly, and then his eyes widened in surprise; he fell under the allure of the deliciousness.
The next moment, he gobbled down the remaining three seeds and ran off to devour them.
It had to be said that demon fruit had an astonishing effect on creatures with extraordinary bloodlines. That night, Master Ma was restless nearby, glowing with energy as his power increased.
Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan sat by the campfire, roasting some game and picking berries, chatting as they ate.
Wang Xuan decided that he would take Zhao Qinghan far away from this area at dawn, leaving the battlefield to the people from those three extraordinary planets. He would not participate in the fight.
However, in the final moments, he would return to collect his debts!
These people were after Zhao Qinghan, injuring Master Ma and killing some explorers.
In the external regions, treasures left behind by the immortals that could change one's fate would not be given to those from the three extraordinary planets.
After finishing their meal, the two lay side by side on the grass, just half a meter apart, gazing at the starry night sky. Master Ma, glowing like a lamp, was slowly undergoing a transformation.
"Those foreigners are powerful; any one of them could threaten the white steed, meaning they are all grandmasters…" Zhao Qinghan remarked, her clarity overshadowed by concern. So many young grandmasters made her fear they might never return to New Star.
Wang Xuan reassured her, "Don't worry; it won't be long before we safely leave the Secret Realm and return to New Star."
Zhao Qinghan turned to look at his face and found his eyes shining with confidence as he gazed at the starry sky, which brought her a sense of comfort.
In the early morning, as the red sun rose, the energy drifting through the forest was illuminated in vibrant colors, creating a beautiful sight.
Wang Xuan suddenly stood up; he sensed someone approaching. They must have spotted the eye-catching Master Ma from a distance and were now closing in.
Master Ma sensed it too, his nose glowing with unease, restless.
Zhao Qinghan woke up, slowly sitting up and adjusting her clothes. She soon spotted the approaching foreigners.
One appeared in each direction, including that archer, who was holding a large bow with an iron arrow already nocked!
She felt nervous but gradually relaxed, standing next to Wang Xuan and saying, "In the end, we still couldn't escape."
Wang Xuan didn't respond; instead, he pulled her behind him, focusing on the bowman, the only one he needed to watch out for to avoid a sudden shot.
"You've once again come to my side in a life-threatening situation, standing in front of me," Zhao Qinghan whispered. Usually sharp and calm, she rarely showed such emotional vulnerability.
With a sigh, she gently hugged Wang Xuan from behind, then let go and said, "Thank you."
Afterward, she wanted to step out and stand beside him. If the ending was destined to be cruel, there was no reason to hide.
"Don't move," Wang Xuan warned her, unconcerned about the others, solely focused on the bowman!