A gentle breeze rustled through the mountain, the vast green bamboo thriving and shimmering in the wind, creating a refreshing, lively atmosphere. The faint scent of blood hung in the air as Wang Xuan sat there, bare-chested, carefully examining his injuries through his spiritual realm.
He had a bloody hole in his chest, with four terrifying wounds in his right lung lobe, which had been torn apart. His back was mangled, with ribs faintly visible beneath the shredded flesh. He reflected silently; since embarking on the path of the Old Techniques, he had faced many dangers, but nothing so brutal. He had narrowly escaped being shot from a distance without ever making direct contact with his enemy.
Had he been too careless? Not at all. He had been extremely cautious, giving an early warning and escaping in time. In the end, it was simply a matter of lacking strength. Even his usually reliable Body of Gold technique could not withstand the opponent's transcendent arrows. He had never suffered such a significant setback before.
Zhao Qinghan crushed the remaining spiritual herbs and applied them to Wang Xuan's external wounds. These injuries were severe, but even more serious was the internal damage—his organs had been shattered into pieces. For an ordinary person, such injuries would be fatal.
"Don't think too much; focus on healing first," she said gently as she helped him bandage up.
Not far away, the Great Horse Master was whinnying in pain, blood seeping from its wings and legs, clearly cursing the attacker. It had firmly remembered the person who shot it, vowing to take revenge once it reached the transcendent level; it would make sure to stomp that person into meat paste!
Zhao Qinghan walked over and applied the remaining spiritual herbs to the Great Horse Master.
"That was a close call," Wang Xuan remarked, feeling fortunate to be alive. Without the protection of his Body of Gold technique and the help of Zhang Daoling's techniques to wipe out most of the symbols on the arrows, he would have been obliterated!
He profoundly understood the gap between himself and the transcendent level. Even though his physical body had reached the pinnacle of mortals, it could not resist the forces of that realm. Perhaps he was not even at the pinnacle of mortals yet?
"There's a flock of black abyss crows flying away in the distance!" Zhao Qinghan said, standing outside the bamboo forest and gazing towards the mountain range.
The leader of the crow flock was at the quasi-master level. These gregarious predators hunted live prey and scavenged carrion, flocking to any corpse they found.
"There are also some monsters fleeing in the adjacent mountain area," Zhao Qinghan observed carefully, noting the unusual activity in regions that usually remained quiet.
Wang Xuan stood up, noticing movement in yet another direction, his expression changing slightly.
"We need to leave!" He patted the Great Horse Master, signaling it to take off.
"Did those three chase us down?" Zhao Qinghan asked.
When the ferocious beasts in the forest stirred en masse, it usually indicated the presence of a transcendent being.
"It's possible!" Wang Xuan nodded.
The Great Horse Master endured the pain, swearing in horse language that one day it would kick those men to death. It took off into the sky, carrying the two of them.
Wang Xuan scanned the area from above and indeed saw the man with the large bow standing atop a mountain peak, looking this way. Soon, the other two men appeared alongside him.
Wang Xuan's eyes turned cold as he watched them from a distance, a flame of anger igniting in his chest. These three had actually targeted him, chasing him down and plotting to kill him.
Were they after the strange mist on him, or did they simply want to save face after their failure and try to shoot him again?
All three had reached the transcendent realm but returned to the external area to seize opportunities. According to Wang Xuan's understanding, this violated the rules. He wondered if any forces existed to correct and restrain them.
He felt a surge of killing intent rising. The three transcendent beings were repeatedly targeting him for assassination; he did not need anyone else to correct their behavior. He prepared to settle the score soon!
On the mountain peak, the three watched the flying horse retreating.
"If we don't release our transcendent aura, we will be attacked by numerous monsters, but if we do release it, we will scare off all the ferocious beasts in the forest and alert that young man," one of them said.
"Xiong Kun, is it necessary to return and kill him?" a companion asked, looking at the bowman.
"His last glance before he left made me uneasy. I fear he may become a person like my grandfather. You see, he does resemble him a bit, having tamed a beast too," Xiong Kun, the bowman with wild black hair, replied with a fierce glint in his eyes. He hailed from Heluo Star.
"We should hurry back. Although this area is under the black corner beast's jurisdiction, if our presence is discovered by that white peacock, it could be dangerous," another warned.
"Exactly. If it finds out we killed someone who hasn't reached the transcendent realm, we could be in serious trouble," Xiong Kun added. "We won't have issues in the black corner beast's territory. We should pay it a visit."
He knew that the metal tokens in the external area had not yet concentrated in one person's hands, leaving him with opportunities!
A century ago, his grandfather had also participated in the competition at the Secret Realm, acquiring the strange mist left behind by the Immortals. This had changed his bone structure, allowing him to reshape his organs and rise rapidly in Heluo Star, becoming a well-known figure.
Thus, Xiong Kun was aware of the Inner Landscape treasures' location and understood the incredible effects of the strange mist. He sought to intercept it, daring even to swallow the opponent's blood and marrow to extract its medicinal properties. His grandfather was a living example; anyone who obtained the strange mist would surely soar!
In the past, his grandfather had saved a creature—the black corner beast—on the outskirts of the Secret Realm. The two had traveled together for many years. Now, a century later, the black corner beast had become a formidable monster in the transcendent realm, ruling over a territory.
Over the years, Xiong Kun's grandfather had returned to the secret land multiple times, maintaining a close bond with that creature.
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This time, Xiong Kun had broken the rules by entering the external area of the Secret Realm, relying on the black corner beast, which turned a blind eye to his actions.
"At first, I didn't think much of it, but now I'm suddenly uneasy. Could he be trying to replicate my grandfather's path?" Xiong Kun mused, his long black hair flowing like a waterfall as a wild and feral aura radiated from him.
At a considerable distance, Master Ma came to a halt, its wings dripping with blood, and its horse legs stained crimson. The wounds had burst open, and it looked a bit weary.
Wang Xuan sat on a green stone, channeling mysterious substances to repair his shattered right lung. He was confident he could heal, but it would take at least five days or more. The lung had ruptured, yet he believed it could heal and be nearly restored in five to six days—if this news got out, it would surely leave people astounded.
The main reason he could recover quickly was that he had just emerged from the Inner Landscape treasure, from which he had acquired a significant amount of mysterious substances. Otherwise, he would have had to take his time healing.
Even so, he was not satisfied and wanted to recover faster, for this was the Secret Realm, and every day brought changes, along with potential dangers. His current state made him vulnerable.
Moreover, Master Ma was not in a good condition either; it was somewhat weak, and if they encountered a strong enemy, it might not be able to fly quickly.
"We should go find the Earth Immortal Spring!" Wang Xuan decided, planning to venture deeper into the Secret Realm to cleanse his body with the spring's waters for a swift recovery. Otherwise, in his condition, heading down the path of demise would be akin to suicide.
"Isn't that too reckless? Monsters run rampant in that area," Zhao Qinghan frowned.
"No problem! Even that old man Zhong, who's over a hundred, dared to risk his life and ultimately came out alive, looking decades younger. We're better off than a dying old man, right?"
Zhao, the goddess, was left speechless. Was that old Zhong truly on his last legs? He had clearly endured more than a hundred years of tough training and might be the foremost figure in the Old Technique realm!
"Master Ma, do you want to eat demon fruits? Do you want to recover your body immediately? Do you want to become a transcendent horse? Let's go and drink from the Earth Immortal Spring!"
Master Ma leapt up, its vitality returning as it eagerly grinned, its mouth slightly crooked. It was thrilled that its master would feed it again!
Initially cautious, Zhao Qinghan couldn't help but feel tempted. Drinking from the Earth Immortal Spring could extend one's life by fifty years. For someone like her, who had embarked on the path of the Old Technique for beauty, such temptation was immense.
Thus, the usually composed goddess refrained from discouraging them and instead felt anticipation.
"Is that the Earth Immortal Spring?" Wang Xuan asked as they arrived on a mountaintop overlooking the strange land below. From a distance, he could sense a remarkable spiritual substance permeating the area.
He was somewhat speechless because the Earth Immortal Spring didn't gush forth as he had imagined; instead, it flowed weakly, dripping like rain from a roof, trickling down the cliffs through narrow crevices.
At the base, there was a puddle of crystal-clear liquid, barely two or three liters in volume. The idea of soaking in the Earth Immortal Spring was out of the question—there wasn't enough water even to wash their faces, let alone waste it on soaking their feet.
The Earth Immortal Spring was sparkling and translucent, releasing wisps of mist, creating an extraordinary atmosphere, but the quantity was genuinely too little.
"I wanted to ask you to bathe in the Earth Immortal Spring, but it's just this tiny puddle…" Wang Xuan lamented, as this was not what he had envisioned.
Zhao Qinghan shot him a glare.
Master Ma was equally dumbfounded. There was barely enough water for it to lick up with its tongue, let alone satisfy anyone's thirst!
Soon, they became alert as they noticed some monsters lurking in the area beneath the cliff. A long-haired black lion strolled by, swallowing the entire Earth Immortal Spring in one gulp.
It was over ten meters long, exuding a transcendent energy, and looked like a truly fearsome creature—definitely not something to be trifled with.
That tiny amount of water was hardly enough to quench its thirst.
"I reckon four silkworm snakes combined wouldn't stand a chance against it!" Wang Xuan sighed.
On the cliff, the water continued to drip down through the crevice, eventually filling the puddle again, this time to about two or three kilograms of weight.
This time, the black lion did not reappear, and instead, a snow-white scorpion arrived. In the sunlight, it appeared as if it were carved from white jade, gleaming and stunningly beautiful, yet it was definitely lethal and venomous.
It was as large as a millstone and drained the entire Earth Immortal Spring before slowly departing.
Then, when the puddle was once again filled with radiant liquid, a creature engulfed in flames approached. It resembled an elephant, but its tusks were sharp, and it chewed on the flesh of some other monster. Its entire body glowed red, surrounded by flames, clearly a formidable foe.
Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan noticed that the monsters took turns drinking from the Earth Immortal Spring, each not conflicting with the others, as if they had their own distinct "meal times."
They found it challenging to intervene, as the area surrounding the spring was filled with powerful transcendent creatures—none of which looked easy to deal with.
Master Ma had grown very discreet, watching the line of monsters indulging in the Earth Immortal Spring without daring to complain. It glanced at Wang Xuan, as if to say, "I'm counting on you!"
After observing for a long while, Wang Xuan felt fortunate that there were no flying beasts in the vicinity. However, Zhao Qinghan felt the opportunity was slim; the area was dangerous with too many powerful monsters around.
"It's said that this region may harbor the Earth Immortal Cave, which is why many monsters are gathered here, waiting for the day the Earth Immortal Palace suddenly appears," Zhao Qinghan informed him.
Some transcendent monsters could communicate with people through mental means, and this rumor had circulated long ago. Furthermore, the water flow from the Earth Immortal Spring had been decreasing in recent years, making the monsters even more anxious about the situation.
Wang Xuan sighed, "Old Zhong has half his body buried in the ground, yet he can still perform a miraculous comeback, fighting for his life among the monsters, drinking deeply, and then escaping alive."
He believed Old Zhong must have some special means to draw away the monsters; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to succeed.
"Stop embellishing him. Old Zhong is right here in the Secret Realm; you might encounter him soon," Zhao Qinghan reminded him, knowing Old Zhong was quite powerful but also not very clever.
Wang Xuan nodded, indicating he understood and would not provoke Old Zhong. However, once he transcended, he might seek out Old Zhong in the depths of the Secret Realm for a friendly sparring session—who knew who would end up scaring whom?
"So many monsters are licking that little puddle. Did Old Zhong just rush in and drain it in one gulp?" Wang Xuan imagined the scene.
He had a plan and fixed his gaze on the crevice in the cliff. "Look, that crevice is bulging; I seriously suspect that area holds hundreds or even thousands of kilograms of Earth Immortal Spring. If we can quickly make a large opening there and fill containers to escape, I estimate we'll reap significant rewards!"
Zhao Qinghan shook her head. "Someone tried that long ago; the cliff is incredibly solid and impossible to split. It seems to be made of solar gold ore."
Wang Xuan fell into thought, then shook his head. "It's not true solar gold; it's likely just mixed with some. I don't think it'll be a problem."
He believed he could cut through the cliff; he had previously sliced through Zhong Qing's steel plate with a short sword and had easily severed a sharp thorn, so he felt confident.
In the end, Wang Xuan found a massive wild gourd. After hollowing it out, he felt it could hold at least fifty to sixty pounds of Earth Immortal Spring. However, the wild gourd was not his primary container; his fragment of the blessed land was, as it had an internal space of about two cubic meters.
They observed for a long time, waiting for the right moment when the puddle had been drained and no monsters were around. Then, both Wang Xuan and Master Ma sprang into action at lightning speed.
Master Ma carried them swiftly to the base of the cliff, while Zhao Qinghan held up the freshly hollowed wild gourd, and Wang Xuan suddenly swung his short sword.
Swish!
The cliff face was cleaved open, and fragrant liquid surged out. Zhao Qinghan hurriedly used the gourd to collect it; to her, this was a beauty-enhancing divine liquid!
Wang Xuan felt the opening wasn't large enough. He swung the short sword fiercely, enlarging the hole, and directly reached inside to fill the Earth Immortal Spring using the fragment of the blessed land.
Soon, he sensed that the fragment was full.
"Why is there no more water?" Zhao Qinghan wondered.
As Wang Xuan withdrew his hand, the Earth Immortal Spring surged, nearly filling the wild gourd as well.
"Let's go!" Wang Xuan shouted, as the commotion here was likely to attract nearby monsters.
"Huh?!" He noticed that inside the rock wall, there wasn't much water left, but there were some shiny objects inside, which he quickly pulled out!