Chapter 146: Advancing Toward the Secret Realm

Returning alone while leaving Lu Yanchang behind made Hong Jian feel a bit uneasy. Although Hong Jian had shown him the "Hollow Sword" gifted by Guan Yibai, Lu Yanchang was much more eager to know what that old fellow had said to Jiang Yan in private.

He suggested, "Behind closed doors, there could be no good words. Hurry, let's sneak back using the 'Immortal Rainbow Glow' to eavesdrop. Otherwise, how can I be at ease letting you enter the mystic realm alone?"

Hong Jian laughed in spite of herself and refused, "Rest assured, it's fine. Besides, Jiang Yan will be back shortly, you can just ask him."

Although Lu Yanchang had imparted the entire art of the "Wise-Heart Sword," he did so purely for Hong Jian's sake. Having long passed the age of bestowing one's life upon a kindred spirit at first sight, he had not yet developed such profound trust in Jiang Yan after merely a few days of contact.

However, since Hong Jian refused to cooperate, Lu Yanchang had no other choice. He could only advise her once more, "When you enter that mystic realm, just take a casual stroll. There is no need to fight to the death with the Golden Core cultivators of the Rune Chart Sect. Once that fellow surnamed Pu comes out, I will find an opportunity to deal with him."

Hong Jian smiled dismissively, "I cannot avoid them forever. In the mystic realm, his cultivation will be suppressed, which is a rare opportunity."

Finding his advice futile and growing rather exasperated, Lu Yanchang said, "Look at how capable you think you are! What would be wrong with hiding for a bit? Why don't you go challenge a Nascent Soul cultivator instead?"

Hong Jian did not retort. She merely smiled at Lu Yanchang. With her features completely altered by disguise, her appearance was far from striking, yet Lu Yanchang was utterly helpless against her bright eyes and could only raise his hands in surrender.

Seeing him finally yield, Hong Jian felt a tiny surge of triumph. She gestured playfully with the "Hollow Sword" in her hand, looking quite spirited, "One must act within one's capabilities. Let's start by eliminating the small fry first."

Noticing her rare burst of high spirits and lacking the heart to say anything more, Lu Yanchang choked back his words for a long moment before asking, "What if you run into someone from the Danya Sect?"

"Zhang Yu? He hasn't offended me. We'll see how circumstances unfold." Having said that, Hong Jian added with a hint of regret, "Why didn't Fei Chengji also suppress his cultivation to enter the mystic realm?"

Since Lu Yanchang had brought up the topic, he could only comfort her, "You were just saying you wanted to start with the small fry. If you truly detest him and don't wish to endure it, aren't I still here?"

Fei Chengji was already at the Great Circle of Golden Core. Hong Jian figured that even with top-tier techniques, Lu Yanchang might not necessarily bridge such a massive gap in cultivation. Fearing that uttering such thoughts would sound like a challenge, she quickly replied, "No, I can endure it. I'll settle accounts with him after I reach the Golden Core stage. For now, I'll deal with this fellow surnamed Pu to collect some interest."

Jiang Yan did not linger long before returning to their quarters. Observing him closely, Lu Yanchang could detect nothing unusual. He asked directly, "What did your grand-uncle keep you behind for? Did he figure anything out?"

Jiang Yan answered with complete candor, "Grand-uncle gave me a magical artifact. He also said, 'Your friend harbors a heavy intent to kill. By bringing her into the sect's mystic realm, you are already making the sect bear a massive risk. As for what she chooses to do once inside, you are not to assist her.'"

Although Lu Yanchang had long anticipated this outcome, hearing Jiang Yan confirm it himself still left him somewhat displeased. He thought to himself, *They can't even protect their own sect's mystic realm, yet they remain stubbornly intent on acting like turtles hiding in their shells, blindly waiting for others to make the first move.*

With a hint of disdain in his tone, he asked Jiang Yan, "And what did you say?"

Jiang Yan scratched his head and replied, "I told grand-uncle that I would play it by ear when the time comes. I am the only one from the sect entering this time, but as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator who hasn't even formed a core, I cannot represent the entire Soaring Cloud Sect. If I cause trouble beyond repair, the worst they can do is expel me from the sect."

Lu Yanchang knew Jiang Yan was fiercely loyal, but he never expected him to utter such words, leaving him momentarily speechless. He could only pat Jiang Yan on the shoulder.

Hong Jian hurriedly chimed in, "You should still heed Senior Guan's words. It was already extremely difficult for him to give me the 'Hollow Sword' for your sake. The day after tomorrow when we enter the mystic realm, you must act as though you do not know me and treat me just like any other rogue cultivator." Considering the existence of Ji Youyun and the *Great Calamity Scripture*, and out of concern for Jiang Yan, Hong Jian dared not let him get too deeply involved.

Pre-planning could only go so far; Jiang Yan merely said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

With a little over a day remaining, Hong Jian dedicated the time to familiarizing herself with the "Hollow Sword." She asked Lu Yanchang to help her test it. True to her expectations, the metal-attribute genuine Qi absorbed by the Myriad Streams Return to Source technique did not require divine spiritual energy for conversion; it could directly drive the "Hollow Sword," instantly imbuing the flying sword with the indestructible characteristics of metal-attribute techniques.

Caught completely off guard, Lu Yanchang narrowly avoided disaster. Startled into letting out a cry, he broke out in a cold sweat and shouted, "This actually works? This magical artifact really feels like it was custom-made for you."

Hong Jian nodded. Having practiced the *Great Calamity Scripture* from an early age, her spiritual sense and genuine Qi far surpassed those of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. With the "Hollow Sword," although the artifact consumed a massive amount of energy, she was fully capable of sustaining it. By this point, her confidence in her upcoming journey into the mystic realm was absolute.

The entrance to the Soaring Cloud Sect's mystic realm was located near the martial arena—a steep peak shrouded in clouds and mist. Whenever the mystic realm opened, the peak would shift outward to both sides, revealing a one-foot-wide fissure in the middle for people to enter.

Over thousands of years, the mystic realms of major sects had followed a fixed pattern: waiting for the opportune moment to confuse space by altering the natural laws at the intersection of the two realms, thereby connecting to the mystic realm.

The reason why this year's Soaring Cloud Sect mystic realm attracted such widespread attention was precisely because, ahead of schedule, increasingly dense white mist had begun seeping continuously from the usual entrance. Such a phenomenon only occurred when a rare treasure was born within the mystic realm and could not wait to manifest itself.

Because the eighty rogue cultivators entering the sect's mystic realm were required to sign life-and-death waivers, the vast majority were in the late or great circle stages of Foundation Establishment, with only a handful at the intermediate stage.

Hong Jian had long been aware of this situation. She merely used the "Immortal Rainbow Glow" to alter her aura without concealing her cultivation level. With her ordinary appearance and late Foundation Establishment cultivation, she looked entirely unremarkable mixed within the crowd.

In stark contrast to her was Qi Xiuning—the personal disciple of the Nascent Soul expert Dai Mingchi, and a young female Water-attribute Golden Core cultivator. These titles alone were enough to draw attention, and coupled with her striking looks and icy demeanor, she was immediately surrounded by members of the Danya Sect and Immortal Mist Cavern, instantly capturing the gazes of all the rogue cultivators.

Upon learning that this beautiful female cultivator would not be entering the mystic realm, and that the Rune Chart Sect was instead sending the bald, fat man by her side, Hong Jian immediately heard a flurry of whispers erupting around her.

In truth, they were unaware that the bald, fat man was actually a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, making him even more difficult to deal with than Qi Xiuning.

Calculating the time, Hong Jian realized she had not seen Qi Xiuning for nearly thirty years. Standing amid the crowd and observing this former companion from afar, her emotions were deeply complicated.

She had spent the vast majority of those thirty years imprisoned in the Demon-Suppressing Dungeon, feeling as though she had practically transformed into a different person. Meanwhile, Qi Xiuning's complexion was pale, her brow tinged with a dark grayish-blue, exuding a fierce and unyielding aura that made her look unapproachable. Time always effortlessly twisted innocent youths beyond recognition.

As she lingered a moment too long in her appraisal, Qi Xiuning seemed to sense something and glanced in her direction. Hong Jian did not deliberately avert her gaze. The illusions of the "Immortal Rainbow Glow" could deceive even Nascent Soul entities, let alone Qi Xiuning, who had only just formed her core.

Sure enough, Qi Xiuning's indifferent gaze swept over the area around Hong Jian, found nothing unusual, and shifted elsewhere.

Today, Yin Quan, the sect master of the Soaring Cloud Sect, was entirely absent. Madame Duan grew extremely nervous upon witnessing the chaotic scene, and pulling Zhu Xian aside, she asked urgently, "Oh, Elder Brother Zhu, are all these rogue cultivators actually going to be allowed into the mystic realm? My Qiurong is only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment; how can this possibly work? How can the dignified Soaring Cloud Sect's mystic realm let in cultivators of unknown origin? How will this end if something goes wrong?"

Zhu Xian replied unhurriedly, "What could possibly go wrong? They have all signed life-and-death waivers. Even if they all die inside, it has nothing to do with our major sects."

Hearing this, Madame Duan turned pale. Although she had previously heard Fei Chengji and others mention that the Soaring Cloud Sect had recruited a batch of rogue cultivators, hearing about it and seeing it with her own eyes were two entirely different matters. This dark, massive horde contained very few female cultivators; at a glance, they were all rough-looking, fierce men resembling starving wolves, and their cultivation levels were all higher than her daughter Duan Qiurong's. How could she possibly rest easy?

Zhu Xian kindly advised her, "Isn't Zhang Yu from the Danya Sect also at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment? The heritage accessible to rogue cultivators is ultimately limited; they won't cause any major trouble. However, if you are truly worried, you might as well just keep Qiurong from going in. Your respective factions all agreed that life and death would be disregarded; naturally, there is a certain degree of danger involved."

Madame Duan stamped her feet in anxiety. Pu Pingping let out a cold snort and said, "Elder Zhu, is your Soaring Cloud Sect short of spiritual stones? If so, once my junior martial aunt and I return to report to the sect master, his venerable self will surely help your esteemed sect resolve its difficulties. As for these rogue cultivators, I'm afraid they are bound to be disappointed—that is, if any of them manage to come back out alive."

With Yin Quan absent, Zhu Xian handled the remark with ease, smiling slightly, "I will be sure to relay those words to Sect Master Yin."

Attired in martial garb and wearing a stern expression, Jiang Yan stood quietly behind Zhu Xian. Watching Pu Pingping behave with such arrogance, anger surged within his chest.

At that moment, a unified shout erupted from the ranks of the rogue cultivators, and Xi旭 (Xi Xu) nearby interrupted the confrontation between the factions, announcing, "The mystic realm is about to open."

True to his words, the sect's mystic realm required no intervention from the Nascent Soul experts this time. As time progressed, the mist ceased seeping out in wisps and instead billowed in massive billows from the fissure in the middle of the peaks. The mountains shook, the earth trembled, and the fissure gradually widened as the entrance to the mystic realm opened of its own accord.

Seeing this, Zhu Xian took a few steps back and proclaimed in a clear voice, "Those entering the mystic realm, seize the time now to enter in order. Members of the major sects go first; the rogue cultivators will wait a moment."

Disregarding the others, Pu Pingping exchanged a word with Qi Xiuning before flashing forward, piercing through the dense fog, and entering the mystic realm through the mountain fissure.

Those who entered first would naturally seize the initiative. The young man from Lesser Yingzhou did not dare to dally and followed closely behind. Shortly after, the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Three Pure Ones Sect and Zhang Yu also entered the mystic realm.

Jiang Yan asked, "Master?"

Zhu Xian nodded, "Go ahead, and exercise utmost caution!"

Madame Duan had already learned from Zhu Xian that the Soaring Cloud Sect had rejected the marriage alliance between the two factions. Having lost her warm attitude toward Jiang Yan, she cast a cold glance at the young man as he entered the mystic realm without a sideways glance. Curling her lip, she said to her daughter Duan Qiurong, "Forget it, this Soaring Cloud Sect mystic realm is utterly boring. You might as well go keep Miss Qi company instead."

*(PS: The New Year holiday has ended. Is everyone ready for work? Barring any unexpected circumstances, there will be another chapter tonight, though it will be very late.)*