Who wouldn't be tempted by a rare item left behind by the ancient immortals?

Elite seeds from the three extraordinary planets—Ola, Heluo, and Yuhua—risked their lives, fighting and competing with one another as they ventured deep into the starry skies. Their sole purpose was to acquire such treasures to change their fates!

Wang Xuan rubbed the two metal plates with his fingers, examining the engravings, but there seemed to be no hidden secrets within the patterns.

Their value lay entirely in the mysterious energy contained within, injected by the elites from each of the three planets.

"It really sparks the imagination," Wang Xuan thought, his heart uneasy. The plates might actually be related to an Inner Landscape, something he had encountered frequently!

What kind of object could be stored inside an Inner Landscape? He pondered, realizing that this item must be extraordinarily significant and that he absolutely could not miss it.

He was filled with anticipation, determined to find the location and uncover the "black box" left by the ancient immortals, which likely contained a "grand prize" capable of altering one's destiny!

Zhao Qinghan had finished washing all the battle garments and armor, laying them out to dry in the forest. Under the sunlight, the armor gleamed brightly.

Wang Xuan roasted a creature that resembled a deer for breakfast. In the Secret Realm, their primary food sources were meat and berries.

"Have you figured anything out from fiddling with those keys?" Zhao Qinghan asked.

"I have some guesses. Soon, we'll go search. There should be a strange place in this outer area. Once we find it, we'll gain a great opportunity."

As they discussed this over breakfast, they decided to intercept others ahead of time and cut off their path to success.

Zhao Qinghan, surprised by what she learned, began sketching on the ground, roughly outlining a map for him to reference.

The people from Nova had explored the Secret Realm for many years and had a basic understanding of the outer areas, but their knowledge was only general, not detailed.

This planet was extremely mysterious. The dense presence of strange energy disrupted and damaged all sorts of advanced equipment, causing endless frustration.

"It's eating meat!" Zhao Qinghan remarked, looking at the large head that had sidled over.

The Grandmaster Horse silently grabbed what remained of the deer and devoured it in large bites. It tore into the flesh on the grassy field, gulping down the entire thing!

"It's probably going to turn into a demon," Wang Xuan observed. The Grandmaster Horse was still evolving, and growing wings required a significant amount of energy.

As a result, it had now started eating meat!

After finishing its meal, the Grandmaster Horse licked its lips, clearly wanting more. It closed its eyes, savoring the experience, as if it had opened the door to a whole new world.

The sunlight in the Secret Realm was strong, and soon the armor and garments had dried.

The Grandmaster Horse donned two sets of green alloy armor, while Wang Xuan continued wearing his black-gold Ola Star battle suit.

Zhao Qinghan wore a softer black battle suit from Ola Star underneath, with green-gold armor from Heluo Star on the outside for dual protection.

She had always been stunning, but now, clad in armor, there was a different kind of beauty about her—radiant and full of vitality.

"It fits you well, and it has style!" Wang Xuan complimented, his eyes lighting up.

The classical armor on her made her look like a heroic general from ancient times, valiant and charming.

The love for beauty extends to all creatures, even horses.

The Grandmaster Horse, wearing its armor, elegantly trotted over, even spinning around, as if showing off.

Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan both thought the horse looked quite... flamboyant, as if it truly had gained intelligence!

"Not bad!" Wang Xuan praised. Just as the horse was proudly lifting its massive head, he added, "A flying horse that looks like this would be perfect to ride!"

The Grandmaster Horse glared at him. If it weren't for the fact that it knew it couldn't beat him, it would've loved to kick him right then and there!

...

In the outer region of the Secret Realm, some exotic beings spotted Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan and gasped.

"People from Ola Star and Heluo Star have teamed up? They've actually joined forces?"

Some sensed that the situation was serious and required careful consideration.

In most cases, when members of different groups encountered each other, they would fight to the death, as they were bound to be competitors.

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"You're overthinking it. Didn't you see that even the horse is wearing armor? The people from Heluo Star were killed by the person from Ola Star!"

"That woman is truly beautiful. It's a pity she's become the captive of the Ola Star man."

Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan rode together, and although their group was small, when they sped through the dense forest, those tracking them didn't dare pursue too closely. They figured that anyone capable of wiping out a whole squad must be formidable.

This saved Wang Xuan a lot of trouble and effort.

At the start, Wang Xuan had acted alone several times, quietly approaching those exotic beings to use his spiritual domain to understand the conversations they were having.

It was all to gather valuable information.

Eventually, his eyes gleamed as he confirmed that there was indeed a strange place that required the metal plates to open!

"It really exists!" He was now confident, his guess proven right.

That location either held an Inner Landscape or an Inner Landscape treasure. Sealed within it was a rare item, which required a large amount of mysterious energy to unlock.

Unfortunately, those people had not mentioned the exact location of this peculiar area.

Soon after, he realized that twelve metal plates were needed to trigger the induction that would lead to the hidden place.

But Wang Xuan believed he didn't need to rely on the plates to find it.

As long as there was an area rich in mysterious energy, he could sense it.

Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan circled around, avoiding the people from the three extraordinary planets, as they didn't want to engage in unnecessary battles.

Over the next two days, they kept to more remote areas, searching for that strange place.

With two plates in his possession, Wang Xuan wasn't worried about others finding the target first.

Zhao Qinghan observed the terrain and cautioned, "We can't go any further. We're getting too close to the deeper areas of the Secret Realm. It'll be very dangerous inside!"

At sunset, the forest ahead was bathed in vibrant colors, and the energy in the area was indeed denser than in the outer regions.

Wang Xuan felt that the deeper they went, the more his body would grow stronger and more active.

An idea occurred to him. "That old man Zhong, who's terrified of death, took a big risk when he ventured out. Could he have found his rare item in an area like this?"

"Yes, it's extremely dangerous," Zhao Qinghan replied, nodding seriously.

Wang Xuan's expression changed. The rare item the old man had found was extraordinarily valuable, capable of extending his life by another cycle. It was an incredible find.

His curiosity was piqued. Now that they had come this far, should they go explore and investigate?

"What exactly did Old Zhong collect? Do the other financial groups know about it?" Wang Xuan asked.

"Don't go, it's really dangerous," Zhao Qinghan warned him. Her beautiful face looked serious in the sunset, afraid that he might recklessly charge in and encounter an accident.

Wang Xuan nodded. At his current stage, there was no need to be overly aggressive. As long as he cultivated steadily, he could still rise to power.

But the Red-Clothed Demoness was about to enter the mortal world, and that put a lot of pressure on him. He was desperate to grow stronger.

Although Zhao Qinghan didn't want him to take the risk, she still told him the details.

That place held a rare and precious item called the Earth Immortal Spring. Many powerful creatures often went there to drink, making it an extremely dangerous place!

Old Zhong coming out alive was already quite remarkable.

"The Earth Immortal Spring?!" Wang Xuan was moved as soon as he heard the name. Anything associated with Earth Immortals was definitely no ordinary thing.

Zhao Qinghan explained, "It's an exaggerated name. Although it has 'Earth Immortal' in it, it's far inferior to the Earth Immortal Grass."

According to ancient texts, it was the drinking water of ancient Earth Immortals, used for brewing tea, a kind of spiritual spring.

This spring water wasn't particularly valuable to Earth Immortals—just water with spiritual properties.

But to ordinary people, it could extend their lives by fifty years.

"That's why Old Zhong looks much younger," Zhao Qinghan said.

"This is great! We're not Earth Immortals after all. This spring water is practically the Fountain of Life for us," Wang Xuan's eyes glowed with excitement.

"The Earth Immortal Spring can nourish life, but it's not some powerful medicine that can help someone break through. It's gentle, nurturing the body, healing all injuries, and enhancing one's potential—it's a tonic," Zhao Qinghan informed him, her eyes also lighting up as she gazed toward the depths of the Secret Realm.

Who wouldn't want to live longer and preserve their youth? What woman didn't want to stay beautiful? The Earth Immortal Spring could nearly extend someone's life by a generation, an irresistible temptation for anyone.

"There's a glow in your eyes," Wang Xuan teased her.

"Of course, I want to keep my youth for a very, very long time!" Zhao Qinghan admitted openly, her large eyes blinking as she looked toward the depths of the Secret Realm in the glowing sunset.

But she still emphasized, "We can't advance any further right now."

"If even Old Zhong could drink from the Earth Immortal Spring, so can we! We'll go there for a bath next time!" Wang Xuan said.

The Grandmaster Horse immediately perked up its large head, looking eager.

Wang Xuan glanced at it and said, "Don't worry, there'll be some for you too."

The Grandmaster Horse wagged its tail joyfully, its expression filled with happiness.

Wang Xuan added, "After we've had our bath, you can take a dip. Drink it if you like, bathe in it if you want."

The Grandmaster Horse hated them both at times like this, always feeling like they were deliberately targeting it!

Wang Xuan didn't take immediate action. First, he needed to locate some rare areas, and second, he wanted to prepare. He hoped the white foal would grow wings in the coming days, and he wanted Zhao Qinghan to become stronger as well.

Since the Secret Realm was full of spiritual herbs, with few opponents on his level as a grandmaster, he could easily gather some rare treasures.

Not long after, they encountered an opportunity and discovered a patch of fiery red herb called Fire Cloud Grass.

Before entering the Secret Realm, all the expedition members had undergone training, and this rare herb was recorded in the herb books.

Unlike demon fruits, no one from the financial groups on Nova had ever encountered it before, so it wasn't listed.

There was a beast guarding the herb—a golden cat, over ten feet long, nearing the Grandmaster level.

"Huh?" Before Wang Xuan could approach, he spotted two people from Nova in the distance.

"Zheng Rui, Zhou Kun!" Zhao Qinghan exclaimed in surprise. She recognized the two—what were they doing near the deeper part of the Secret Realm?

Zheng Rui stood on a cliff, gazing into the depths of the Secret Realm, while Zhou Kun sat nearby on a green stone, looking listless.

Wang Xuan instinctively felt that something was off about Zheng Rui.

He stopped and signaled Zhao Qinghan to stay quiet.

A short while later, a white peacock flew in amidst the sunset. Even from afar, its terrifying aura was palpable—it was definitely an extraordinarily powerful transcendent creature.

Yet, Zheng Rui remained calm, his expression emotionless as he faced the creature.

"Something's wrong!" Wang Xuan felt his head spin.

"She actually followed us here from Old Earth!" Wang Xuan was shocked. Her ability to intervene in the present world was becoming more astonishing. She had reached the Secret Realm!

In the spiritual realm, Wang Xuan saw a glowing figure hovering above Zheng Rui.

Then, Wang Xuan felt a pounding headache, because that glowing figure turned to look at him—and smiled faintly… stunningly beautiful.