270: If I can't have it, then I shouldn't want any of it!

"The Xuan Ling Secret Realm opens once every thousand years, and its location is always unpredictable."

Lu Ming caught this information in Mu Han's memory and sneered, "No wonder. If it were a fixed location, it would have been claimed as private property by those Seven Grotto-Heavens long ago."

"But then again, the Xuan Ling Secret Realm is pretty much their private property now anyway."

As for the Secret Realm's opening time... "More than nine hundred years have passed since the last opening of the Secret Realm..."

Lu Ming felt quite speechless when he found this memory.

More than nine hundred years?

Nine hundred and one years is "more than nine hundred years," and nine hundred and ninety-nine years is also "more than nine hundred years."

With such a vague statement, who knows exactly how much longer it will be.

Perhaps the Secret Realm will suddenly open tomorrow, or it might still be nearly a hundred years away.

Therefore, Lu Ming naturally didn't hold much hope for such an uncertain Opportunity.

"What I get is my destiny; what I lose is my fortune."

Even if the Secret Realm truly opened, he wouldn't be obsessed with obtaining the "Profound Yin Jade Marrow."

After all, by reviewing Mu Han's memories, it was clear that no Loose Cultivator in the Profound Spirit Domain had truly obtained this Opportunity in ten thousand years.

Oh, that's not precise enough!

It's that no one else, apart from the Seven Great Sects, had ever obtained this Opportunity.

Even if someone fortunately got their hands on it, they would later "voluntarily donate" it to the Seven Great Sects, and then that person would disappear without a trace.

So, how is this an Opportunity? It's clearly a hot potato.

Moreover, although the Xuan Ling Secret Realm restricts Nascent Soul Cultivators from entering, there are many Immortal Masters at the Late Golden Core Stage, and even Golden Core Perfection, within it.

Although Lu Ming eliminated Mu Han, it didn't mean he could truly contend with these veteran powerhouses who had been immersed in the Golden Core realm for hundreds of years.

He knew very well that he had merely taken advantage of Mu Han, and it was by no means an overwhelming display of strength.

If he were to clash head-on, he would be the one to suffer.

Therefore, Lu Ming adopted a casual attitude towards the Xuan Ling Secret Realm.

It would naturally be good if he had the chance to gain some benefits, but it didn't matter if he didn't.

After all, he didn't rely on these things for his livelihood. The Secret Realm's Opportunity was merely icing on the cake for him.

He even had a dark thought flash through his mind: "Since I hold two Secret Realm tokens, why not hide them completely?"

Anyway, if the tokens aren't gathered, the Secret Realm can't open.

If I can't have it, then no one gets in!

"Hehehe..."

Lu Ming gave a sinister smile, then put the tokens back into his Storage Pouch.

Next, he turned his attention to the Cultivation Techniques and secret arts in Mu Han's memory.

Earlier, he hadn't found any decent Legacies in Mu Han's storage space, but as a Late Golden Core Stage Immortal Master of a Nascent Soul Demonic Sect, Mu Han's Sea of Consciousness must contain Fourth-tier Cultivation Techniques.

However, just as Lu Ming had the thought to investigate, Mu Han, who was already a Banner Spirit, suddenly trembled violently. A hidden Restriction in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness flashed with light, firmly sealing off his relevant memories.

Lu Ming was unwilling and tried to forcefully break through this Restriction.

But the result was that this Restriction immediately began to dissipate destructive energy. Seeing that the Banner Spirit was about to collapse, Lu Ming immediately stopped his actions, his brows tightly furrowed as he observed the Banner Spirit before him.

"As expected, there's a Restriction!"

Lu Ming had actually anticipated this outcome.

After all, this involved a Nascent Soul-tier Legacy. It was only natural for a Demonic Sect to set up Restrictions in the Sea of Consciousness of its Core Disciples to prevent leakage.

But Mu Han was already at the Late Golden Core Stage!

And even after being refined into a Banner Spirit, he still couldn't bypass this Restriction.

"But it makes sense when you think about it. The soul devouring banner is, after all, a Magical Artifact of the Soul Devouring Demonic Sect, so they would naturally be prepared for this."

It seems these great Nascent Soul Sects have extremely strict control over their subordinates, almost plugging all loopholes.

Lu Ming sighed and didn't dwell on this issue for too long.

However, at this moment, he also remembered the soul devouring banner that Mu Han had used.

After the battle, that soul devouring banner had been collected by him and left untouched in his Storage Pouch.

Lu Ming hadn't thought of refining this banner; after all, he already had the human emperor banner, and another one would simply overlap in function.

So his plan was to extract the soul devouring banner's spirituality and inject it into the human emperor banner, thereby raising the grade of his Natal Magical Artifact.

After all, the soul devouring banner was a High Grade Third-tier Magic Treasure, and with Mu Han, a Late Golden Core Stage Banner Spirit, if successful, the human emperor banner might even Break through to the peak Third-tier level.

But as soon as this thought arose, a trace of doubt appeared in Lu Ming's heart.

If a Nascent Soul Sect could set up such strict Restrictions in a Disciple's Sea of Consciousness, how could they not have a backup plan for their "natal" Magic Treasure?

Although he had renamed the soul devouring banner to "human emperor banner," he hadn't fundamentally re-refined its core Restriction, and he didn't possess the skill for that.

So Lu Ming was also worried that if he cultivated the Magic Treasure too strongly, it might attract the attention of the Soul Devouring Demonic Sect, or even be counter-controlled by a backdoor left within it.

However, he couldn't let this deter him and give up the Opportunity to improve his strength.

"It seems I still need to make a trip to Cloud Thunder Pavilion and see if I can find a solution from their Legacy."

After all, Cloud Thunder Pavilion is famous for its dual mastery of alchemy and Artifact Refining, so they naturally have unique insights into the Dao of Artifact Refining.

He didn't expect to completely resolve this hidden danger, but merely getting some ideas would be enough.

"Perfect, Ancestor Yun Chen also agreed to my request to consult the Scripture Pavilion."

Thinking of this, Lu Ming no longer delayed, rising to leave his Immortal Cave.

He waved his hand, releasing the white jade spirit boat, and with a flash of his figure, he transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the horizon... Cloud Thunder Pavilion.

On this day, a streak of light whistled from the horizon, and a vast Spiritual Pressure surged like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire mountain gate.

Countless Cloud Thunder Pavilion Cultivators were shaken by this Spiritual Pressure, and those with weaker cultivation turned pale, barely able to stand steady.

"Fellow Daoist Han, what brings you here with such an imposing Aura?"

At this moment, Old Ancestor Ancestor Yun Chen, dressed in a white robe with cloud patterns, stepped out into the air. With a sweep of his sleeve, like a gentle breeze across a lake, he quietly dispelled the suffocating Spiritual Pressure.

But despite his outwardly calm demeanor, his heart was already churning with tumultuous waves.

How much time had passed? This person had actually Broken through to the Mid-stage Golden Core!

If anyone knew Lu Ming's cultivation progress best, it was none other than his Cloud Thunder Pavilion.

Because Lu Ming had formed his Golden Core in the Cloud Thunder Pavilion's territory, attracting heavenly phenomena witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people. Mo Ningxin, the Market City Lord, had even reported the news to him immediately.

But how long had it been? How could Breakthroughs in the Golden Core realm become so trivial!

However, despite his inner shock, he remained composed, maintaining the dignity of a Golden Core Ancestor.

"Fellow Daoist Ancestor Yun Chen, have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

Lu Ming's voice was flat, betraying no emotion, but the sharpness in his eyes had firmly locked onto Ancestor Yun Chen.

If he dared to say "no," he would dismantle this Cloud Thunder Pavilion with his bare hands today.

Did he really think Lu Ming's accounts were so easily dismissed?