86: Huanyue Sect

With Xuan Yin Valley lurking ahead, and now this unfathomably powerful Saintess of the Hehuan Sect added to the mix, the journey through the Secret Realm had suddenly gained immense variables and pressure.

Fang Lingyao said no more, turned around, and said, "This place is not suitable for a long stay; we must leave as soon as possible."

The further they went, the more ancient the surrounding architectural ruins became, and they could even faintly hear the ethereal sound of Buddhist chanting coming from deeper within. At the same time, traces of conflict became increasingly frequent and intense.

They had once seen the tragic scene of two Cultivators perishing together in front of a massive palm-print ruin, the Storage Pouch beside their bodies having long been looted by those who came after.

They had also sensed powerful fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from afar, clearly indicating that experts at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage were fighting fiercely; the two could only cautiously take a detour.

They even encountered a small-scale outbreak of a Restriction, where golden Buddhist characters manifested out of thin air, strangling a Cultivator who had attempted to forcibly seize an ancient Magical Artifact.

After avoiding a group of rampaging "Golden-Eyed Stone Apes," the two took a short rest in a corner of a relatively intact side hall.

Fang Lingyao took a Yuan-Returning Pill and let her gaze sweep across a stone pillar in the hall that still bore sword marks. Suddenly, she spoke in a low voice, "Along this journey, besides Xuan Yin Valley and the Hehuan Sect, there seem to be traces of another force active here."

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng nodded, "I noticed it too. Some of the residual aura from the spell battles is very unique—cold and pure—completely different from Xuan Yin Valley and the Hehuan Sect. Moreover..."

He paused and pointed to a faint mark on the ground not far away, "The traces left by that footwork are light and elusive, not like those of an ordinary Loose Cultivator."

Fang Lingyao looked in the direction he pointed, identified it carefully for a moment, and her eyes narrowed slightly, "These are the traces of the Illusory Moon Sect's 'Moon-Stepping Footwork.' They have indeed come in as well."

"Illusory Moon Sect?" Lin Feng was slightly stunned; he had never heard of this Sect.

"A mysterious Sect consisting entirely of female Cultivators with unique Cultivation Techniques. They rarely move about in the outside world, but their strength is unfathomable," Fang Lingyao explained, "They act with low profiles, but once they make a move, they are often extremely decisive. Judging by these traces, they also seem to be moving toward the central area, and... their goal is clear; they have barely entangled themselves with other forces along the way."

Lin Feng was thoughtful, "The Hehuan Sect Saintess retreated so readily... she seems quite wary of that group from earlier. This Illusory Moon Sect appears to be more complicated than imagined."

Fang Lingyao heard this and remained silent for a moment. A complex expression flashed in her eyes, but she did not respond, as if she were tacitly agreeing with his guess, or perhaps pondering something else entirely.

She only said in a low voice, "Regardless of the reason, the situation in the Secret Realm is becoming increasingly complex. We need to be even more careful."

The two finished their rest and rose again. As they grew closer to the core area, the surrounding Spiritual Qi became increasingly dense and pure, even beginning to carry a faint, ethereal fragrance that made one's mind feel tranquil, and even accelerated the circulation of Spiritual Qi within their bodies.

"It is the aura of the bodhi tree..." Fang Lingyao was invigorated, "It seems we are not far."

But at the same time, the passageway ahead suddenly opened up, leading to a massive natural stone grotto.

In the center of the grotto, it was not the expected bodhi tree, but a massive curtain of light glowing with golden light and flowing Buddhist characters, completely sealing off the only path to the deeper areas. The pressure radiating from the light curtain was heart-palpitating; it was clearly an extremely powerful ancient Restriction.

Lin Feng and Fang Lingyao quietly arrived at the edge of the grotto, hiding behind a giant rock to observe the situation.

In front of the light curtain, three groups of people were clearly separated, standing in a tripod Formation, seemingly all at their wits' end.

Li Feiyu of Xuan Yin Valley had a face ashen with fury, Evil Qi surging in his eyes. He had clearly already attempted a forceful assault; several of his Disciples had unstable auras, clearly having been severely shaken by the Restriction's backlash.

He stared fixedly at the light curtain, then scanned the other two parties warily, his fists clenched tightly.

On the other side, the Hehuan Sect Saintess leaned lazily against a rock, toying with a strand of hair with her fingertips, watching with a smile as Xuan Yin Valley suffered a setback, "Young Lord Li, if you keep brute-forcing it like this, I'm afraid this turtle shell won't open even when the bodhi seed rots inside. Why not save your energy and think of other methods?" Although she was smiling, there was not a hint of mirth in her eyes, and her gaze flickered toward the light curtain from time to time.

On the other side, the veiled woman from the Illusory Moon Sect stood quietly, observing the arising and ceasing of the Buddhist characters on the light curtain with rapt attention, her fingertips occasionally tracing the air as if calculating something.

The four female Disciples behind her had condensed auras, remaining vigilant against the other two parties and maintaining an absolute defensive posture.

Li Feiyu turned his head upon hearing this. As the Young Lord of Xuan Yin Valley, one of the seven great Demonic Sects of the Canglan Continent, he detested these Hehuan Sect types who only knew how to wag their tongues, "Flower Without Shadow, stop with the snide remarks. Since we belong to the same Sacred Sect, if you have the ability, why don't you break it and show me?"

Flower Without Shadow covered her lips and chuckled, "Oh my, Young Lord Li has quite the temper. Breaking a Formation, naturally, requires brains, not a loud voice."

She changed the subject, her gaze drifting toward the Illusory Moon Sect, "It's just that I don't know... if certain Sects that pride themselves on being aloof have the brains for it."

The Illusory Moon Sect woman acted as if she hadn't heard her veiled insults at all; she didn't even raise her eyelids, remaining immersed in her own calculations. This thorough disregard actually caused the smile on Flower Without Shadow's lips to stiffen for an instant.

Li Feiyu paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped and said coldly to the two parties, "Hmph. Enough nonsense. This cursed Restriction is strange; none of our families can do anything about it alone. If we keep wasting time, no one will be able to get in. How about we temporarily join forces to break this Restriction first, and then fight for the items inside based on our own abilities?"

Flower Without Shadow chuckled, "Join forces? It's not impossible. I'm just afraid some people... say one thing to your face and another behind your back."

Li Feiyu snorted coldly, "I have no interest in playing your roundabout games. Once we get inside, whoever grabs it has the ability."

Both of their gazes turned to the silent woman from the Illusory Moon Sect, waiting for her response.

That veiled woman finally raised her eyes slightly from her calculations, her cold gaze sweeping over the two, her voice calm and ripple-less, betraying no emotion, "Very well."

"It is some kind of extremely powerful Buddhist Restriction," Fang Lingyao said in a low voice after concentrating and observing for a moment, "The aura is seamless and indestructible; my Divine Sense cannot probe into its operating meridians. It seems they are all at their wits' end."

Lin Feng did not speak; the heaven-stealing vine was carefully perceiving the connection of every rune and the strength changes in the energy flow on the light curtain.

Based on the insights of the Formation he had studied on his own, he was frantically calculating a method to break it in his mind.

"No, it is not flawless," Lin Feng suddenly said in a low voice, "This Formation borrows power from the earth veins to circulate endlessly, but when the Spiritual Qi of the earth vein at the Southwest Kun position flows to this point and merges with the top, there exists a subtle, periodic energy trough."

Fang Lingyao looked at him in some surprise. She could only feel the power and seamlessness of the Restriction, but could not see these subtle flaws that Lin Feng mentioned at all.

"Are... are you sure?"

Lin Feng nodded, "Yes. At the moment of that energy trough, it is possible to tear open a gap. It's just that..."