Chapter 386 - 61: Secret Realm, Spiritual Medicine Garden, Ancient Bell

"Huu!"

Pei Jingque took a deep breath, a complex expression in her eyes. After another, she looked toward Zhu Ju.

"Let’s go in!"

"This Secret Realm..." Though Zhu Ju wasn’t adept at reading people, he could still sense Pei Jingque’s emotional turmoil.

"Is there a problem?"

’A Secret Realm merely lacking Spiritual Mechanism shouldn’t be enough to make her lose her composure.’

"Mm."

Pei Jingque nodded firmly.

"If my guess is correct, the future of our Bright Void Sect rests within this Secret Realm."

"I’ve always wanted to obtain this Secret Realm from the Seeking Immortal Sect. Back then, I was even willing to trade our Sect’s core inheritance for it, but the Seeking Immortal Sect refused to agree. Now that it’s in my hands, it’s time to see if my theory is correct."

"Let’s go!"

She steadied her breathing and strode into the Secret Realm.

*

*

*

Langya Secret Realm.

A desolate wasteland stretched out before them.

In Zhu Ju’s perception, the Spiritual Qi within the Secret Realm was thin. A Cultivator would be unable to advance their Cultivation in the slightest unless they used Spirit Stones or Elixirs. Staying for a long time could even cause their Cultivation to regress.

A lack of Spiritual Mechanism!

Thin Spiritual Qi was of no consequence to ordinary people; many Mortal cities were not located in areas with dense Spiritual Qi.

But a lack of Spiritual Mechanism was different.

Spiritual Mechanism.

It was indispensable for all living things with a spirit.

In a place like this, it was difficult to conceive and bear children, and even plants and trees would gradually wither.

Eventually, it would turn into a land of death.

Fortunately, the Langya Secret Realm only lacked Spiritual Mechanism; it wasn’t completely devoid of life. One could occasionally see a clump or two of weeds, and Mortals could barely survive. For at least two or three generations, it wouldn’t be a major issue.

Pei Jingque spoke as her Flying Escape continued:

"The Thirty-Six Cave Heavens of the Jade Void Sect are full of famous mountains, spectacular vistas, and brimming with Immortal Mechanism. They are truly rare Spiritual Lands."

"It is said that back in the Ancient Era, if you weren’t a Nascent Soul, you wouldn’t even have been qualified to enter the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens of the Jade Void Sect."

"And the Langya Blessed Land is the most special place among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens. It is scattered across the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, gathering countless Daoist Technique inheritances for the Immortals of the Jade Void Sect to comprehend Wonderful Dharma. It is the very heart of the Dao."

"My lady," Zhu Ju asked.

"Do you know why it has fallen into such ruin?"

The Great Dao was poisoned.

’It killed off the Innate experts and those above the Nascent Soul Cultivator realm, but could it kill off something like a Secret Realm, too?’

"No one knows." Pei Jingque shook her head.

"Those who did know have likely long since departed this world."

"In that case, this Secret Realm seems to be useless, except for storing some supplies," Zhu Ju said.

"Just like the Seeking Immortal Sect did—settling Mortals, hiding from enemies, or using it as a large storage pouch."

As they spoke, the two of them flew over a small city.

Seeing the Tunneling Light in the sky, the common people in the city knelt and kowtowed one after another, calling out, "Immortals."

These were all Mortals who had been either imprisoned or settled here by the Seeking Immortal Sect. The truly outstanding individuals among them had long been taken away by the Sect, leaving nearly seventy thousand common people to be bundled up and given to the Bright Void Sect.

These seventy thousand people were all Mortals; living in a place like this, it was nearly impossible for them to ever step onto the path of Cultivation.

"That’s as it should be." Pei Jingque glanced down at the common people below and continued flying forward.

"However, when calamity strikes, there will always be those who try to find ways to resist. The Ancient Era was not without its clever people, so they left behind contingencies in all the major Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands."

"These things are recorded in the Sect Leader’s inheritance Jade Disc. If you have the time, husband, you should take a look."

"Mm," Zhu Ju nodded.

As they spoke, Pei Jingque landed her Tunneling Light on a mountaintop.

The Langya Secret Realm was immense, filled with rolling mountains, desolate and silent. This particular mountaintop was just as unremarkable.

"We’re here!"

A smile appeared on Pei Jingque’s face.

"I’ve seen this mountain in the Sect’s secret records. That’s why I demanded the Secret Realm from the Seeking Immortal Sect."

"This mountain..."

"Is called Ten Thousand Spirits Peak!"

’Ten Thousand Spirits Peak?’

Zhu Ju looked at the utterly unremarkable mountaintop before him, finding it hard to connect it with such a grand name.

’Never mind ten thousand spirits, I can’t find a single living thing on this mountain.’

There were, however, quite a few twisted and bizarre-looking rocks.

"Be patient."

Pei Jingque took a deep breath, produced the Bright Void Sect’s Sect Leader Token, and with a solemn expression, pressed it forward into the empty air.

"The Bright Void Sect’s Sect Leader Token is actually the symbol of a Core True Disciple of the Jade Void Sect."

"Logically speaking..."

"It’s working!"

VMMMM...

As the Token was extended, it seemed to touch something invisible, and the space before the two of them suddenly trembled.

The mountain in front of them, which had felt so solid and real in Zhu Ju’s perception, began to twist and even fade.

"An illusion?"

’Such a realistic illusion?’

Surprise showed on Zhu Ju’s face, and then his expression froze.

After the mountain vanished, the view before them suddenly opened up, revealing an area of at least ten thousand mu.

Golden halls and jade pillars, purple mansions and grand palaces...

Right before their eyes!

Brilliant light that dazzled the eye, iridescent rainbows that filled the sky...

Right there in front of them!

It was a place of such unparalleled splendor that even Zhu Ju, who had been to other worlds, had never witnessed such a magnificent sight.

For a dazed moment, he almost thought he had arrived in the Immortal Realm; otherwise, how could such a wondrous and beautiful place exist?

"So beautiful!"

Pei Jingque was also captivated, but then her brow furrowed.

"Something’s wrong!"

Zhu Ju also noticed something was amiss.

In the span of a single breath, the rosy glow dimmed, the jade pillars lost their luster, and the abundant Spiritual Qi dissipated at an astonishing rate.

It was as if...

a young man had suddenly grown ancient.

Ten thousand years of arrested time seemed to descend in an instant, stripping everything away.

CRASH...

The jade pillars toppled, and the palaces collapsed.

One moment it was an Immortal Realm, the next it had turned to dust. The hearts that had soared so high instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

"What’s happening?"

"I don’t know."

The two stared at each other, speechless.

The journey from extreme ecstasy to extreme disappointment had taken but a moment, leaving both of them with a vacant look in their eyes.

"The Forbidden Technique must have failed, causing a backlash." Pei Jingque blinked, a bitter smile on her face.

"Don’t tell me we came all this way for nothing?"

Those golden halls, jade pillars, and Glazed Pearls just now—every single one of them had pulsed with abundant, dense Spiritual Mechanism.

Even a single tile was no Mortal Grade item, its value no less than a High Grade Spirit Stone. And those pavilions had more than ten thousand tiles, didn’t they?

And yet...

In the blink of an eye, it all turned into mundane junk!

"No!"

Zhu Ju suddenly shook his head. He threw out The Investiture of the Gods, and in an instant, the Twelve Celestial Star Array enveloped the entire area before them.

"My lady, look! There are Spiritual Medicines!"

WHOOSH...

A fierce wind swept through, blowing away the scattered debris and revealing stalks of Spiritual Medicine glittering with colorful Spiritual Light.

The palaces and pavilions had vanished, revealing a ten-thousand-mu field of medicinal herbs below.

"Spiritual Medicine!"

Pei Jingque’s eyes lit up as she flashed into a patch of herbs.

"Celestial Frost Grass, Fierce Flame Flower, Three-Colored Spirit Vine..."

"A four-hundred-year-old Jade Peach! This kind of Spiritual Medicine is an essential ingredient for refining a High Grade Beauty Pill. A four-hundred-year-old one is incredibly valuable, and there are over a dozen Jade Peach trees here!"

"Snake Spirit Fruit, it bears fruit once every hundred years. It can perform Washing Marrow, turning a Martial Arts reject into a martial genius, and it can also grant immunity to some toxins."

"..."

Standing in the middle of the herb garden, Pei Jingque’s body trembled slightly as she looked at Zhu Ju with tears of joy welling in her eyes.

"Husband!"

"Ten thousand mu of Spiritual Medicine... The Bright Void Sect... its revival is at hand!"

"Yes." Seeing so much Spiritual Medicine, many of which were hundreds of years old, made Zhu Ju’s face flush with excitement, his eyes darting everywhere, not knowing where to look first.

"With so much Spiritual Medicine..."

"Even the Profound Clarity Sect’s Secret Realm is probably no better than this. Within ten years, the Bright Void Sect can pile up enough resources to create ten Dao Foundation Cultivators."

"Within a hundred years, we can nurture at least two Golden Core Grandmasters!"

"No!"

His brow furrowed slightly as he said,

"Don’t flash your wealth. With so much Spiritual Medicine, it would be very difficult for the Bright Void Sect to protect it with its current strength."

Pei Jingque came back to her senses.

"Yes."

"We can’t be careless. Don’t mention this to any outsiders for now. Not even to Junior Sister Liuu."

’Even as a Golden Core Grandmaster, I wouldn’t be able to protect this much Spiritual Medicine.’

’Ten thousand mu of Spiritual Medicine...’

’Even a Nascent Soul True Man would go mad for this!’

"Mm," Zhu Ju nodded, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings before stopping on something in the very center of the ten-thousand-mu field of Spiritual Medicine.

"My lady, there’s a bell over there."

"Yes," Pei Jingque’s voice was filled with hope.

"After so many years, its Spiritual Mechanism still hasn’t dissipated. It must be a treasure."

The two of them immediately flew up and headed toward the bell.

From a distance, it looked tiny.

Only when they got closer did they realize the bell was about ten zhang high, and it would take a hundred people with outstretched arms to encircle it.

"What a huge bell."

Zhu Ju sighed softly and had his Outer Body Incarnation tentatively touch it.

DONG...

A melodious chime rang out, instantly clearing one’s mind of distracting thoughts.

"It has the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit."

Pei Jingque nodded.

"It’s a treasure!"

Besides calming the mind and focusing the spirit, the giant bell probably had other functions, but the two of them couldn’t figure them out for the moment.

"It uses an Ancient Era Refining Method. I can’t make sense of it."

After circling the giant bell once, Pei Jingque shook her head.

"Husband, did you discover anything?"

"My lady, you’re a Tier Two Refiner and you couldn’t find anything. How could I possibly see something you missed?" Zhu Ju said.

"However, this bell is extremely heavy. Even I can’t lift it. If we could achieve its Refinement, it would be a great treasure whether for defense or for throwing at people."