Chapter 499: Poisonous Valley
Director Morrison said, "Wait for news of my negotiations, little Locke."
Immediately, he disconnected from the grey mist slate.
Locke put away the grey mist slate and sat in his office, beginning to write two articles he intended to submit.
Three days later, Locke submitted the two finished articles to southeast and Cloud Marsh respectively. These two journals were considered significant even within the Yunze Wetland.
Locke only needed to wait quietly for the results.
After finishing all this, Locke decided it would be best to redeem his opportunity to enter the Wizard Secret Realm obtained in the Six Towers Land as soon as possible. After all, he might leave the Six Towers Land any day once Director Morrison's negotiation results came out.
Since exploring a secret realm required quite a bit of time, there was no time like the present. He might as well take advantage of his current free time to explore the Poisonous Valley and collect the resources inside this First Ring Wizard Secret Realm first.
Thus, Locke submitted an application to Alicia and Great Wizard Sura. After the application was approved that afternoon, he took the floating lift of the White Dragon Tower down 20km into the earth, heading toward the underground Poisonous Valley Secret Realm.
An ordinary One-Ring Wizard of the Plutarch Family responsible for leading the way bowed respectfully to Locke and said, "Lord Locke, the Poisonous Valley is just ahead. Once you pass through that stone gate, you will have entered the Poisonous Valley. The valley is filled with miasma formed from exotic poisons; merely breathing it can be fatal. Of course, within a Wizard Secret Realm, even if you die, it won't be a true death."
"However, soul damage will occur. Therefore, as soon as you enter the Poisonous Valley, you must deploy your Eternal Defense Field. The Poisonous Valley is a valley formed by the convergence of many bloodline powers, and it is also the final resting place of a Second Ring Wizard of Bloodline Studies from the Basil Family. You must show respect when entering."
"Because the Poisonous Valley is one of the three major First Ring secret realms in the Six Towers Land, wizards from other families also appear here. According to our agreement, we cannot attack each other within the Poisonous Valley."
The One-Ring Wizard of the Plutarch Family continued, "Furthermore, once you enter the Poisonous Valley, you cannot leave by force except through death. The only way to exit is to find five Poison Beads within the valley and place them into the Poison Blood Pool inside; that will open the path to leave the secret realm."
The family wizard bowed to Locke. "Please go ahead. I will wait at the entrance for your return."
"This is the task Lady Alicia entrusted to me."
Locke nodded slightly. "I understand."
Alicia was likely afraid he would be severely injured in the Poisonous Valley, so she had intentionally sent a confidant to meet him at the entrance.
He passed through the entrance of the Poisonous Valley and stepped inside. After passing through a natural stone gate, he felt as if the world itself had changed.
He looked back again, but there was no one on the other side of the stone gate—not the wizard from the Plutarch Family, nor any of the wizards guarding the secret realm. The secret realm application in his hand also spontaneously combusted upon his entry.
It vanished in an instant.
Locke looked around and saw that the sky was a deep dark green. Upon closer inspection, he realized that countless poisonous mists were floating in the sky.
That was what had dyed the sky green.
Locke felt the mana in his body being suppressed. "As expected, just as apprentice-level secret realms are formed by the echoes of deceased One-Ring Wizards, the death of a Second Ring Wizard also produces an echo, and on a much larger scale. This Poisonous Valley is essentially a special echo generated after the death of a Second Ring Wizard."
"The scale of this echo far exceeds the apprentice-level realms I entered before. Entering here is like entering a new world; even the principle of the world has changed slightly."
"Therefore, this Wizard Secret Realm suppresses my mana."
Locke pondered for a moment and understood the reason.
Indeed, a Second Ring Wizard's Great Magic is partially crafted using World Stones, and the echo formed after their death would naturally possess portions of the principles of other worlds.
He wasn't even sure if there were remnants of Great Magic within this secret realm.
Locke walked through the Poisonous Valley, which was filled with barren rocks. There were wells scattered across the rocky ground, but they didn't contain clear mountain spring water; instead, they were filled with dark green poisonous liquid.
Locke instinctively deployed his Life Force Field. A pale green crystalline shield surrounded him, but within the toxins permeating the air, the Life Force Field was actually being slowly damaged.
"There is a toxin in the air capable of infiltrating the Eternal Defense Field." Locke was slightly surprised; he had never seen a toxin before that could infiltrate a One-Ring Wizard's defenses.
Even the elemental infusion of a One-Ring Magic Plant required the use of wood element clusters or a wizard's magical attacks to break the Eternal Defense Field before the infusion could succeed.
Or, one would have to rely on the sheer power of elemental infusion to forcibly shatter a One-Ring Wizard's Eternal Defense Field.
But the special toxin in the air before him didn't use powerful attacks to break his field. Instead, it used a method of contamination, then infiltration, then expansion, then further contamination to rapidly dismantle his Eternal Defense Field.
"As expected of a One-Ring level Wizard Secret Realm, it truly is bizarre." Locke frowned because some of that strange toxin had actually seeped through the Eternal Defense Field into the air he was breathing.
Though extremely thin, it had succeeded.
"A toxin can actually reach this level." Locke's expression changed, and he quickly took out a bottle of Holy Spring Nectar Potion and a bottle of Emerald Potion from his astral ring, drinking them both simultaneously.
His condition returned to its peak, and his mana's magic resistance became active to resist this unknown Second Ring toxin.
"Wait..." Locke's expression became odd. "So that's how it is."
He directly used the Scorpion Girl Ring to cast Berserk, tapping into his bloodline potential to strengthen his physical body. Once his body was initially strengthened, the toxins that had begun to run rampant inside him actually vanished at a visible rate.
"Bizarre," Locke remarked. "The Eternal Defense Field cannot completely block it. The toxins inhaled from the air ignore my magic resistance and begin to constantly replicate and increase their total volume. However, as long as I strengthen my constitution beyond a certain threshold, I can completely suppress this Second Ring toxin."
The Scorpion Girl Ring on Locke's right middle finger flashed with magical light once more. His pupils instantly turned yellow, like those of a beast.
At the same time, his entire skin turned red, as if his blood were boiling.
This was a First Ring Bloodline Studies universal spell—Beast Body.
And another First Ring Bloodline Studies universal spell—Boiling Blood.
With the augmentation of three universal bloodline spells, Locke's eyes were now yellow, his muscles were bulging, and he stood significantly taller. He walked with a powerful, imposing air, and the special toxins in his body had completely vanished.
"This is, after all, a secret realm of a Bloodline Wizard, so the solution from the very beginning must be based on a Bloodline Wizard's spell pool."
Locke thought to himself, "While I don't understand the specific principles of this... Second Ring bloodline toxin, Bloodline Wizards generally possess powerful constitutions. Therefore, in this Poisonous Valley, one must simultaneously enhance their constitution and deploy an Eternal Defense Field."
Locke felt the bloodline power within him seemingly suppressing the toxin continuously.
In this process, his Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat bloodline and his mysterious True Dragon bloodline were both slightly strengthening.
Locke pondered, "Can fighting against the toxin in the air actually increase my bloodline power?"
"As expected of a First Ring Bloodline Wizard's realm."
"Unfortunately, I don't dare to deactivate the Eternal Defense Field. The moment I do, no matter how powerful my constitution is, I would be killed by this mysterious bloodline toxin in the air."
"Without knowing its specific principles, it's better not to act rashly and observe first."
As Locke walked past a well, the dark green liquid inside suddenly surged, and a massive black tarantula burst out, spitting dark green poisonous silk at him.
On the tarantula's back, there was actually a human face. That face, filled with resentment, cried out, "I shall offer you to the great Wizard Basil as a blood sacrifice!"