Mu Fan and the others were completely enveloped by black mist, unable to see the outside world. Even their sense of direction was obscured.
Jiang Yi was entirely cautious, not even allowing them to know the route.
Inside the black mist, Jiang Yi waved his hand. A large number of black beads floated into the air, suspended before them.
"These are black fiend beads refined by your Master," he said calmly. "Having cultivated the Black Fiend Art, you can inject Qi into them and throw them to detonate. Their power is decent, there are few in the Qi Refining Stage who can withstand them."
" Divide them among yourselves."
Mu Fan took twelve specially made black fiend beads and carefully stored them.
Wang Yang suddenly asked, "Master, will there be other competitors on this trip?"
Jiang Yi paused, then replied, "Back then, I had lucked into a piece of ancient jade, which granted me entry into the Secret Realm, and only four of us survived"
"This time, it will most likely be the chosen of the four. There may also be others who have obtained other pieces of ancient jade."
A map and a piece of ancient jade appeared before each of them.
Mu Fan glanced at the others, everyone had received the same.
It seemed that possessing an ancient jade token was the prerequisite to enter the Secret Realm.
Back then, Jiang Yi and the others must have killed their competitors, concentrating most of the tokens in the hands of the final survivors.
To survive such a trial where everyone had the same strength… their methods must have been impeccable . Those same people were likely now at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, or perhaps even had stepped into Core Formation.
As Jiang Yi guided the black mist through the air, he continued explaining details of the Secret Realm.
Afterward, the five sat down to meditate, conserving their strength as they waited.
⸻———X——————
Two months later.
The black mist came to a halt.
Mu Fan opened his eyes, but the mist still hadn't dissipated. He could only hear voices from outside.
"Hahaha! I knew you'd be the last to arrive, Jiang, and right at the deadline too."
"Retched woman, Are you asking for a fight?"
"Enough. So many years have passed, and you still cling to old grudges?"
"You hypocritical smiling fox… once inside, we'll still be competing. Don't tell me you warned your disciples not to kill? That would be amusing."
Inside the mist, Mu Fan listened carefully.
Two men and Two women.
Judging from their tone… none of them seemed to have reached Core Formation.
"Late Foundation Establishment Stage… all of them?" Mu Fan frowned inwardly. "Their strength seems… too balanced."
They had all obtained opportunities, so why had none advanced further to dominate the others outright?
Something about it felt off.
The four continued exchanging a few words before falling silent.
Jiang Yi showed no intention of revealing Mu Fan and the others, likely to prevent the others from gauging their strength.
The next day.
The black mist suddenly trembled.
Outside, Qi surged violently, clearly, Jiang Yi and the others had begun opening the Secret Realm.
Mu Fan steadied himself.
Then Jiang Yi's voice rang out:
"Go."
The black mist instantly dispersed and Light flooded in, in the next moment, it twisted into seven-colored radiance.
A powerful force seized Mu Fan and pulled him away.
At the last instant, he turned his head.
He couldn't see the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, only Jiang Yi, who seemed about to make a move.
Then came startled voices:
"Where did that little mouse come from?"
"He actually slipped in!"
"That boy has a treasure that conceals his presence"
[Inside the Secret Realm.]
The sky was bright and clear.
Green mountains surrounded the area, dozens of peaks encircling a vast basin.
Mu Fan stood at the edge of a clear lake, with a forest stretching behind him.
He looked up at the sky, then toward the distant mountains.
At first glance, everything seemed real, but upon closer inspection, there was a faint sense of illusion.
"So this is the Secret Realm…"
With a flick of his sleeve, a bright silver spear appeared in his hand.
He touched the inner armor beneath his robes, then took out a short blade and fastened it at his waist.
Using the lake as a mirror, he inspected himself.
Black Scale Armor, Wind-chasing boots and the bright silver spear.
All Intermediate Magical Artifacts.
Fully armed.
Seeing no flaws, Mu Fan muttered, "Master Jiang really is unreliable. The information he gave doesn't match this place at all."
Staying cautious, he stepped back from the lake and extended his spear to probe the surface.
The moment the spear touched the water A swarm of densely packed, transparent flying insects burst into the air!
They gathered almost instantly, forming a massive, translucent insect shape.
Mu Fan's scalp tingled.
He had only tested the water out of caution, he hadn't expected it to actually be dangerous.
The lake surface, which had appeared crystal clear, was in truth covered by these insects. Beneath them, the water was murky and black.
Without hesitation, Mu Fan struck with his spear.
The blow landed but it felt like hitting a taut, flexible membrane. It dented, but did not break.
Worse, when the force rebounded, a sticky resistance clung to the spear.
Mu Fan yanked it back sharply, abandoning the idea of close combat.
"This stickiness… it'll disrupt my flow completely. If I get surrounded, I'm finished."
With flash of light a fireball talisman appeared in his hand.
He activated it and threw it out.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
The explosions linked together, forming a curtain of fire that blocked the swarm.
Mu Fan turned and ran.
But after only a few steps, his expression changed.
The insects broke through the flames almost completely unharmed.
"Not afraid of fire… or the talismans aren't strong enough?"
He had no time to dwell.
He activated his wind-chasing boots and dashed forward at full speed.
Behind him, the insects shifted formation, turning into a spear-like shape as they gave chase.
Mu Fan gritted his teeth and pulled out another talisman.
Explosive flame talisman.
"Go!"
A more violent explosion erupted—but it only slowed them for a moment.
They caught up again.
This time, Mu Fan focused sharply on their structure.
A thin, transparent membrane covered their bodies, serving as both camouflage and defense.
Whether they resisted fire no longer mattered.
He abandoned all thoughts of fighting.
Fully activating his boots, he fled with everything he had.
⸻
After fleeing for six to seven miles, deep into the forest, the swarm finally gave up pursuit and turned back.
Mu Fan slowed to a stop.
While scanning his surroundings, he waited for his Qi to recover.
With his current physique, minor consumption recovered quickly.
He was now deep within the forest.
Recalling his path, the trees had grown denser the deeper he went.
The patterns on their trunks and leaves were strange, staring at them too long caused dizziness. Even probing with Divine Sense brought slight disorientation.
"Good stuff…"
Without hesitation, Mu Fan struck a branch with his spear, breaking it off and storing it.
"This could be useful in refining… something that interferes with vision and Divine Sense."
As he collected materials, he continued moving deeper.
There was no way he was going back toward that lake.
"Those insects… numerous, fast and with high defense. How Ridiculous."
"They might be rare insects, but not larvae. Would be hard to domesticate."
"I only disturbed a small portion. The lake is still full of them… definitely not something to provoke."
He poked another branch with his spear…and instantly felt something wrong.
Not wood.
He hit something soft and flexible.
Like flesh.
Mu Fan's expression darkened.
He retreated two steps in an instant, spear held horizontally in his right hand, and a stack of talismans appearing in his left