Chapter 200: Secret Realm
"Eh?"
San Gui had not expected Li Zhirui to make such a decisive move, but when he scanned with his Divine Sense, he was surprised to find that this Foundation Establishment cultivator was completely unharmed!
Although a self-destructing Spirit Boat could block the attack of a Fierce Ghost, he should have been affected by the blast as well.
Yet Li Zhirui had blocked the attack with just a second-tier Magic Artifact and Talismans, remaining completely unscathed, which was clearly out of the ordinary.
"You little brat, hand over the treasures in your possession, and I may spare your life," San Gui commanded arrogantly.
Li Zhirui did not even bother with a reply and immediately turned around to fly towards the Secret Realm, vanishing in an instant before San Gui could react.
Bo Li and the others had not expected Li Zhirui to choose to enter the Secret Realm, but upon reflection, it seemed the only choice.
After all, with Golden Core Demon Cultivators blocking the path outside, their only chance of survival was to enter the Secret Realm.
As for the possibility of San Gui waiting at the exit when the Secret Realm closed and how they would escape then, it was not something they could afford to consider at the moment. For now, their priority was to find a way to survive.
And there was no time to wonder why the Golden Core Demon Cultivator had suddenly appeared here.
This was because the Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator, who had been searching for the whereabouts of Bo Li and the others, unable to pinpoint their location, could only report the most likely route taken.
And unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon them.
Fortunately, Bo Li and his companions were already planning to enter the Secret Realm, and now they were more eager than ever to step through that closing gate, disappearing one by one in front of San Gui.
"Hmph!" Only then did San Gui notice the Secret Realm portal within the crack, speaking coldly, "I didn't expect you cultivators to have such luck."
San Gui leaped to the portal but found it was only a second-tier Secret Realm, one he could not enter. A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth as he said, "But do you think this means I can't do anything to you?"
He immediately contacted a nearby Immortal City and reported to his Sect about this place, emphasizing that the Secret Realm seemed inclined towards the Demonic Tao and that it might very well be a transformation of a Cave Heaven Blessed Land of demonic powers. He hoped the Sect would send a large number of Foundation Establishment Disciples to explore it.
San Gui held a high position within Yin Wind Cave. Not to mention the discovery of a Secret Realm beneficial to Yin Wind Cave, by that very afternoon, hundreds of Foundation Establishment Disciples were dispatched in grand fashion.
"Senior Brother is indeed fortunate to have discovered such an excellent Secret Realm," said the Golden Core Demon Cultivator leading the team, with envy in his tone.
It was known that within Yin Wind Cave, anyone who discovered a Secret Realm was entitled to 10% of its resources!
Even though this was just a second-tier Secret Realm, and Yin Wind Cave might not use a Boundary Fixing Stone, hence he would not receive resources many times over, it was still enough to make others envious.
Moreover, what if there was a presence of special Spiritual Objects within the Secret Realm? If that were the case, San Gui would strike it rich! His path of cultivation ahead would be smooth, and it would be only a matter of time before breaking through to the Golden Core Late Stage.
"It's just luck," San Gui said with a slight smile.
As for the cultivators like Li Zhirui who had fled into the Secret Realm, there was no need to mention them.
——
"Thank goodness this is a second-tier Secret Realm; that Demon Cultivator can't come in," Li Zhirui said, letting out a sigh of relief once he was settled.
But regaining his composure, a bitter expression crossed his face. Although he had escaped one disaster, the Secret Realm would close one day, and what should he do then?
"Alas!" Li Zhirui sighed deeply, knowing he had no good solution. He could only take things one step at a time and worry about it later.
"This Secret Realm seems quite safe, doesn't it?" He had previously scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense and within a radius of several miles, had not detected the presence of any living creatures.
Spiritual objects were indeed growing in abundance, and their vitality was excellent, it was just a pity that the attributes were too singular, limited to only the Yin and dark attributes.
Li Zhirui vigilantly surveyed his surroundings with his Divine Sense while adeptly harvesting various Spiritual Objects. Although they weren't of high rank, these two types of Spiritual Medicine were quite rare, so they fetched a high price. It was a significant income after all.
"This Secret Realm is so vast!"
This was the exclamation Li Zhirui let out on the third day since he entered the Secret Realm, because so far, he hadn't encountered a single living creature!
Despite their squad being small, it couldn't be that they wouldn't encounter anyone in three days' time, unless there was an expansive area.
"Wait, there are sounds of fighting ahead!"
Li Zhirui had just been thinking of Bo Li and the others when, before long, he faintly heard the sounds of intense combat coming from a distance.
"Could it be that a precious Spiritual Object has been discovered, causing a conflict to erupt internally?"
At this time, Li Zhirui was oblivious to the fact that besides their group of Cultivators, there was a large number of Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators in the Secret Realm—their numbers dozens or even hundreds of times larger than theirs!
So he was very surprised when he followed the sounds and discovered that both parties involved in the fight were Demon Cultivators.
"What's going on?"
Li Zhirui seized the opportunity when one of the combatants had just barely managed to kill their opponent. He boldly made his move, causing countless vines to shoot up from the ground, leaving no chance for the Demon Cultivator to react, and firmly binding him.
"Why are there Cultivators in the Secret Realm?" The Demon Cultivator was stunned upon seeing Li Zhirui emerge and unexpectedly did not answer the question.
"Aaaah!"
Li Zhirui asked with an icy expression, "I ask, you answer, or else you surely do not wish to endure the punishment from just now a second time."
The Demon Cultivator nodded frantically, the vines encasing his entire body were all covered with sharp barbs. The moment Li Zhirui manipulated the vines, those barbs would pierce into his body, causing excruciating pain.
"How did you come to the Secret Realm?"
In order to save his own life, the Demon Cultivator spilled everything he knew, sparing no details.
After listening, Li Zhirui's expression turned exceedingly grim. He had actually forgotten about this fact!
The Golden Core, though he could not enter the Secret Realm, given his status in Yin Wind Cave and the inherent preciousness of the Secret Realm itself, had arranged for a large number of Foundation Establishment disciples to enter the Secret Realm.
But no one could have imagined that a second-order Secret Realm could be so vast. Several days had passed already, and he had only encountered two Demon Cultivators. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
"Spare me! I am willing to serve you, bringing you copious news of the Demon Cultivators," pleaded the Demon Cultivator hastily, fearing that the moment he finished speaking, he would lose his life.
But how could Li Zhirui possibly let him go? Accompanied by a series of shrill screams, all eventually died down to silence.
However, after dealing with the Demon Cultivator, Li Zhirui didn't know whether he was lucky or cursed, as he kept encountering Demon Cultivators one after another, sparking numerous fierce battles.
It had to be said that the Demon Cultivators were rather formidable in battle, especially with their endless array of spells and techniques, which made it somewhat difficult for him to cope.
What Li Zhirui didn't know, however, was that a Cultivator had already died at the hands of the Demon Cultivators at that time.
It was none other than the female Cultivator Li Ning'er who had previously inquired about him. Her luck was poor, and she ran into a Golden Core Late Stage Demon Cultivator. The result was predictable.