Chapter 319 251: Secret Land

「Three days later.」

「Qianzhou.」

The terrain here was a rolling landscape of continuous mountains and rivers. Mountains and hills made up over ninety percent of the land, and with both the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers flowing through, the region was famed for its picturesque scenery, numerous grand mountains, and vast marshes.

The Nine Spirits Mountain Range stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Its peaks were covered in lush, diverse vegetation. Deep within the mountains, poisonous insects, fierce beasts, and toxic miasma were common. Shrouded in bizarre legends and fraught with danger, the locals gave it a wide berth.

At this moment, three figures were racing through the dense mountain forest—Zhao Xuanqi, Wang Sea, and Zhu Yuanfei.

Soon, the three stopped at a high vantage point. Peering into the distance, they could see the general layout of the entire Nine Spirits Mountain Range through the clouds and mist.

"Tiger, Bear, Ape, Deer, Eagle, Horse, Turtle, Ox, Elephant. The nine peaks of the Nine Spirits Mountain Range vaguely take the shape of nine different beasts. No wonder it has the name 'Nine Spirits.' For your Cyan Dragon Sect to use this as your headquarters and Secret Land, it's certainly an auspicious and well-chosen location."

Zhao Xuanqi's gaze swept across the landscape, and he could vaguely discern these details through the mountain mists.

"That's right. The Nine Spirits Mountain Range is also known as the Nine Beasts Mountain Range, precisely because its nine peaks vaguely resemble nine different Beast Forms. That's where it gets its name."

Wang Sea said with a nod.

"The landscape here is certainly unique, but I can't sense anything special about the surrounding magnetic field of heaven and earth," Zhao Xuanqi asked. "I've seen a place with a formation like Eight Dragons and One Pearl, where the magnetic field was intense and shrouded by an Illusion Barrier. Surely the Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land can't be inferior to that?"

"Of course. If our Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land were that easy to figure out, it wouldn't have remained hidden from the outside world for so long. There are mysteries to it. Follow me."

Wang Sea said with a smile. Then, with a single leap, he plunged off the sheer, thousand-foot cliff.

Using both his hands and feet, he nimbly descended the almost ninety-degree rock face with incredible speed.

Wang Sea's Martial Dao did indeed lean toward Spiritual Secret Techniques, making his Physical Ability relatively weak. However, "weak" was a relative term. He was no match for Zhao Xuanqi, of course, but few ordinary Harmony masters could best him in physical prowess. Even the likes of the Sixteen Generals would have found it difficult.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi kept pace effortlessly, following close behind with a relaxed expression. Wang Sea could tell he was holding back a great deal of his strength.

Zhu Yuanfei, trailing behind them, was far weaker. Having only just reached Five Qi Chaoyuan and the realm of Half-Step Harmony, he was struggling desperately to keep up.

Soon, the three arrived before a deep pool nestled within the mountains.

The pool was a dozen or so meters across, shrouded in a faint mist. At a glance, the water appeared immeasurably deep, its color a mysterious, dark blue.

Other than appearing deep, however, the pool had no distinguishing features. Small pools like this were common in Qianzhou, a land of hills, mountains, caves, and well-developed waterways. Throughout the Nine Spirits Mountain Range, there were at least fifty, if not a hundred, pools just like this one.

Wang Sea circled the pool for a moment, as if trying to get his bearings. He then glanced up at the sun, seemingly to determine the time of day.

After a moment, Wang Sea stopped. He looked at Zhao Xuanqi and said, "Stay close. Don't get separated, or things could get dangerous."

With that, he leaped into the pool.

SPLASH!

Zhu Yuanfei immediately followed him in.

'Underwater?'

An interested glint appeared in Zhao Xuanqi's eyes. Without further delay, he jumped into the pool as well.

The three figures dove down as swiftly as fish. Even for someone of Zhu Yuanfei's ability, holding his breath for over half an hour was an easy task.

Soon, they had descended nearly twenty meters. Their view suddenly opened up, revealing that the bottom of the pool connected to the undercurrents of an Earth Vein.

Wang Sea led the way, plunging headfirst into the subterranean current.

GLUG GLUG!!

The subterranean current was not nearly as calm as the pool above. On the contrary, the water flowed with ferocious turbulence. An ordinary person swept into such a current would be washed away in an instant, utterly unable to control their own body.

Even a Half-Step Harmony master like Zhu Yuanfei had to struggle just to maintain his direction in the torrent.

The Power of Heaven and Earth was immense; in its face, the human body was ultimately insignificant.

This was also why Zhu Yuanfei had rarely left the Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land in his entire life.

Without a certain level of strength, it was impossible to even leave the Secret Land once you had entered.

The subterranean environment was even more complex than they had imagined. The currents branched off in every direction, and the area was a dense network of caves and tunnels, making it impossible to tell which way was which.

But Wang Sea seemed to have a special way of navigating. One moment he would drift with a current, the next he would abruptly use a Force Release to halt his momentum and fight against the flow, darting like a Wandering Dragon into a specific cavern and into another current.

Sometimes they rose, other times they dove deeper.

Moreover, Zhao Xuanqi could tell that the path through these currents was likely not fixed. He suspected there was some other method of navigation, as he saw Wang Sea pause briefly at times, as if waiting and thinking.

When he factored in Wang Sea's actions before entering the water, he suspected the path had a great deal to do with the specific hour, direction, and esoteric principles like the Bagua.

The currents themselves were incredibly dangerous; only a true master could even attempt to navigate them. Combined with such a complex route, even a top-tier Harmony expert would be unable to find the destination without knowing the precise path. No wonder the Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land had remained hidden from the world for so many years, undiscovered by all.