166: Chapter 166 The Ancient Secret Realm from Ten Thousand Years Ago!

...

At the summit of Zixiao Peak, thunderclouds hung low.

Elder Rat drilled out from underground, brushed the dirt off his grayish-black fur, and held the red Jade Slip high above his head with both hands.

"Old Ancestor, a heaven-sent Opportunity!"

Shi Jian lay prone by the edge of the Thunder Pool, not even lifting an eyelid.

"Speak."

"Shi Yin has sent back definitive news. There is a Nascent Soul Secret Realm hidden beneath Di Province called 'Nine Winds Valley.' Inside, there is qi of the wind dao and a vast amount of wind-attribute Spiritual Materials. Furthermore, due to the Secret Realm's Law Restrictions, no one above the Golden Core stage may enter."

heaven and earth qi.

These four words were enough to drive any Foundation Establishment Cultivator into a frenzy.

Shi Jian opened his Thunder Pupils, glanced at the Jade Slip, and his vast Divine Sense swept through its contents.

A moment later, he closed his eyes again and snorted, clearly uninterested. A Secret Realm opened by a Nascent Soul and one opened by a Soul Transformation expert were two entirely different concepts.

"A Nascent Soul Secret Realm... it's just so-so."

"Although a Nascent Soul Cultivator can open a space, they are limited by their cultivation. At most, they can only create a small Secret Realm with a radius of about thirty miles."

Shi Jian's voice was flat and lacked interest. "To me, this place isn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. It won't produce any particularly rare resources."

He had already touched the threshold of the Golden Core Middle Stage, and the Thunder Pool Blessed Land was fully formed.

qi of the wind dao was useless to him.

He cultivated the Way of Thunder; his path was set, and biting off more than he could chew would only lead to trouble.

"But this is heaven and earth qi after all, Old Ancestor..."

"I know."

Shi Jian interrupted him. "This place is temporarily useless to me, but it is an Opportunity for you all. For the Foundation of the Yao Race, having an extra path means having an extra way out."

Shi Jian raised his right claw and tapped the Void Realm.

A streak of purple-gold thunder-light sank into Elder Rat's brow...

"I leave you in full charge of this matter."

"Kuang Dou is in secluded cultivation at the Chijiang Pool, so the Black Dog lineage doesn't need to go. Go and call all the Foundation Establishment members of the five Bear Clan lineages."

"Remember, do not bring those Qi Refinement Stage burdens."

"Ten Foundation Establishment Great Demons will go together. Resolve it quickly and empty out everything that can be moved. I intend to continue my seclusion and have no time for these trifles."

The water in the Thunder Pool surged, and the purple-gold light intensified.

Shi Jian's body slowly sank to the bottom of the pool, and there was no more sound.

Elder Rat knelt on the spot and kowtowed heavily three times.

"Rest assured, Old Ancestor, this servant will definitely scour that Secret Realm to the very last inch!"

...

Northern Mountain Range, an underground karst cave.

A chilling Yin Qi permeated the air.

Ten massive figures gathered around a Profound Ice round table, exuding an intense sense of pressure.

Lei Nu, Lei Zhen, Lei Bao, and Lei Kuang—four Thunder Bears—sat side by side. Arcs of electricity danced around them, and the violent aura of thunder made the surrounding air feel scorched.

Shi Mo sat opposite them. His dark-gold fur was like steel needles, and his physique was the most stalwart among this group of bear demons, looking like a metallic iron tower.

Shi Pan wore a suit of thick, earthy-yellow armor, his aura as steady as an abyss.

Xiong Shan represented the Primitive Lineage, shrinking into a corner and appearing somewhat restrained.

The representative of the Frost-Snow Lineage was an Icefield Bear who had recently advanced to Foundation Establishment, named Shuang Yu. Cold air emanated from his body.

Along with Elder Rat and another Early Stage Foundation Establishment Yin Spirit Rat he had brought.

Exactly ten Foundation Establishment Great Demons.

If this force were placed outside, it would be enough to easily level several cultivation families in a county. Among them, Shi Pan, Shi Mo, Lei Zhen, and Lei Nu were all Rank 4 Yao Beasts, comparable to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Everyone is here," Elder Rat said, standing at the head of the table and looking around.

"By the Old Ancestor's decree, I will coordinate everything for this operation. Our target is the Nine Winds Valley Secret Realm in Di Province, one of the Six Provinces."

Lei Nu grinned, revealing sharp fangs. "Elder Rat, stop beating around the bush. How do we fight? Just charge straight in?"

"Charge in your head!" Elder Rat glared at him.

"Di Province is the heart of the Qingcang Kingdom and the former site of the Wandu Sect."

"The Shangqing Sect has a branch altar there with a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor presiding. If you lot walk in openly, you'll be skinned and de-boned halfway there!"

Shi Mo spoke in a muffled, booming voice, "Then how do we go?"

Elder Rat took out a Jade Slip and tossed it onto the table.

"This is a Breath-Concealing Secret Technique sent back by Shi Yin. You lot have three days to learn it."

"This secret technique can completely lock your Demonic Qi within your body. As long as you don't use your full strength, even Golden Core Cultivators won't be able to tell the difference."

"We will break up into small groups and infiltrate Di Province in batches."

"No minor demons, just the ten of us."

"Once we arrive at the location, follow my orders. If anyone dares to act on their own and ruins the Old Ancestor's great task, don't blame me for being heartless!"

The demons were solemn.

They knew the Old Ancestor's rules better than anyone.

Three days later.

The night sky over the Northern Mountain Range remained calm.

However, ten dark shadows silently left the Yunjian Mountain Range, speeding towards the southeast. The demons did not disturb anyone, and even the Cultivators of the Sun and Zhao families didn't notice a thing.

...

Di Province, Wandu Mountain Range.

This was once the Foundation of the Wandu Sect.

During the national war over a decade ago, the Shangqing Sect's army had razed this place to the ground.

The Poison Miasma Forest, which was once filled with toxic fog, had now been mostly purified by Formations. The Qingcang Kingdom had established the Di Province capital here and taken over the underground Spiritual Vein.

Even now, the population here was sparse. Even after ten years, Di Province had yet to recover from the chaos of war.

At this time, deep within the Wandu Mountain Range.

In a remote canyon called "Soul Severing Ravine," the sun never reached the bottom, and the steep rock walls on both sides were devoid of life.

Just then, the earth shifted.

Elder Rat's head poked out, his long, thin nose twitching twice.

"I didn't take the wrong path; it's right here."

He sent out an extremely faint Divine Thought.

A moment later, from behind the rocks and within the shadows around the canyon, nine stalwart figures emerged one after another, each Great Demon revealing its fierce appearance.

Lei Nu stretched his stiff neck and lowered his voice, "This breath-concealing method is stifling. I can't exert even half of my strength."

"Enough, Lei Nu. Official business is more important."

"We mustn't delay the Old Ancestor's great task. Everyone, please work together."

With that, Elder Rat walked to the end of the canyon and stared at a smooth stone wall.

The stone wall was covered in dark red moss and showed no signs of anything unusual.

But Elder Rat's Bloodline vaguely sensed the fluctuations of a special aura. There was definitely something hidden behind this stone wall.

"Shi Yin's intelligence was correct; the entrance to Nine Winds Valley is behind this stone wall. The people of the Wandu Sect back then likely failed to discover this layer of spatial Restriction, which is why this Secret Realm has remained until now."

Shi Mo took a step forward and raised his dark-gold bear palm:

"Let me smash it open."

"Wait!"

Elder Rat suddenly raised his hand, his small eyes narrowing into slits.

He stood up on his hind legs, his ears pricked to listen. After listening for a moment, he said:

"Someone is coming. They're still far off. Hide first."

Hearing this, the demons quickly retreated, vanishing into the shadows of the canyon. Their auras were completely retracted, making them seem like lifeless stones.

Half an incense stick later.

Two sword lights descended from the sky, landing at the entrance of the canyon.

The light faded to reveal a male and a female Cultivator.

The male Cultivator wore the inner Disciple attire of the Shangqing Sect. He had a handsome face and looked quite young, yet his cultivation had surprisingly reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

The female Cultivator wore a purple dress and had a glamorous appearance, with a cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Both appeared to be elite inner Disciples of the Shangqing Sect.

"Senior Brother Wang, are you sure it's here?"

The purple-dressed female Cultivator looked around, her face showing a hint of distaste. "This Soul Severing Ravine is filled with eerie Yin Qi. Where could there be a Secret Realm?"

The Cultivator surnamed Wang curled his lips into a slight smile and said rather proudly:

"Junior Sister Lin, rest assured. When my grandfather participated in the purging of the Wandu Sect, he ransacked their library and accidentally found a partial map."

"Later, I spent several years piecing the map together and deciphering the hidden messages..."

"This Nine Winds Valley Secret Realm is the place where an ancient Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator passed away. It can be traced back ten thousand years. There are bound to be great treasures hidden inside."

"At that time, even the three states of Jin, Wei, and Liang hadn't been established yet."

The Cultivator surnamed Wang clearly knew more. He walked to the moss-covered stone wall, a bronze Formation Plate appearing in his hand.

"The Restriction at this entrance is extremely sophisticated. Without this Restriction-breaking Formation Plate, anyone below the Golden Core stage wouldn't even find the way in."

He injected his magic power into the Formation Plate, and the bronze plate emitted a soft glow that shone onto the stone wall.

The moss on the surface of the wall quickly withered, revealing intricate Formation lines.

As the lines flowed, a spatial vortex about ten feet high gradually appeared in the center of the stone wall, with the sound of shrill winds echoing from within.

"It's a success!"

The Cultivator surnamed Wang looked delighted.

"Junior Sister Lin, let's go."

"The Secret Realm's opening time is limited. We must find that qi of the wind dao as quickly as possible."

The two did not hesitate for a moment, their figures flashing as they vanished into the spatial vortex.

The canyon returned to a deathly silence.

In the shadows.

Elder Rat slowly walked out, his lips curling into a cruel arc.

"To think there would be other Cultivators?"

"Didn't that fellow Shi Yin say that only he knew about this?"

"Could it be that the information regarding this Secret Realm's Legacy isn't unique..."

Lei Nu poked his massive head out from behind a rock, a fierce light glinting in his purple-gold Thunder Pupils.

"Elder Rat, what do we do? Go in and slaughter them?"

"No rush."

Elder Rat waved his claw.

"We're still not clear on the situation inside the Secret Realm. Since we have free pathfinders, it would be a waste not to use them."

"Wait until they've triggered most of the Formation traps inside and found the good stuff."

"Then we'll make our move."

Elder Rat glanced at the slowly rotating spatial vortex.

"Ten Foundation Establishment Great Demons against two human Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

"The advantage is ours."

"Let's go!"

Elder Rat's figure flashed as he was the first to charge into the vortex.

Lei Nu, Shi Mo, and the other nine bear demons followed closely behind.

The moment they crossed the vortex, ten terrifying bursts of Demonic Qi were completely released.

In Nine Winds Valley, the winds were about to rise!

...