SQLJBFDTW Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Secret Realm (2) Almost Kneeled to My Junior Brother

Flying like shooting stars, several streams of sword intent streaked across the sky towards Water Moon Valley. Chao Jianxue desperately clung to his Senior Brother from Miao Xuan Mountain, refusing to let go. When they landed, he was still dizzy, his face numb from the wind.

Barely having set foot on the ground, an even stronger wave of dizziness hit him, and Chao Jianxue collapsed. He looked down and realized he was standing on a constantly swaying and rippling water surface. Although he wasn’t sinking, the violent shaking made it impossible for him to stand.

To his dismay, everyone else, including Yu Wei, stood firm.

Yu Wei looked at him and said, “It would be best to go back.”

Entering the secret realm also required a selection process. If he couldn’t even take a step here, the road ahead would undoubtedly be fraught with danger.

More cultivators arrived one after another, but a large portion of them couldn’t even stand on the water and had to retreat to the sidelines as spectators.

Chao Jianxue refused to be looked down upon, gritting his teeth to adjust his center of gravity and trying to stand up again. Unfortunately, he was once again knocked over by a wave.

This fall sent him sprawling right in front of Yu Wei, practically bowing down with his rear end in the air.

Several senior brothers laughed, saying, “We told you not to come, but you insisted. Now that you’ve seen the power of the secret realm, you should be sensible and go back.”

“Hey, I’m already here, I don’t want to go back.” Chao Jianxue forced a smile, but his movements remained tenacious, supporting himself as he tried to get up.

Seeing him being careful this time, using both his legs and hands, they realized that he actually managed to squat down, as if he could really stand up.

However, in a secret realm of this scale, the spiritual energy fluctuations were something that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him couldn’t completely resist. “Lu Renyi” was once again prostrating on the ground.

“Forget it, forget it, I’ll send you out,” the Senior Brother from Miao Xuan Mountain said kindly, reaching out to pick him up.

Chao Jianxue, unwilling to admit defeat, repeatedly said, “One more try!”

His feet were shaking too much, and he felt his limbs weaken. If not for his stubbornness, he would have been rolling on the ground long ago.

The others shook their heads, “Forget it, let him try. The fluctuations will stop once the secret realm gate closes.” They then said to him, “Just wait for us at the Fuxiang Restaurant.”

Chao Jianxue struggled on the ground, miserably listening to the sound of footsteps fading away, leaving only the sound of rushing water.

He felt a sense of weakness and powerlessness, remembering that Lord Qishan had told him to secretly follow along and pick up any scraps. He never thought he wouldn’t even be able to seize this opportunity, not even having the qualifications to take a look inside.

He was truly a useless good-for-nothing.

In the distance, another crashing sound echoed, and the waves rose high, creating a flurry of snow, before suddenly tearing open a gap amidst the shaking. Eager cultivators rushed in, fearing they would fall behind.

Chao Jianxue had already lost most of his hope, but no matter what, being unable to get up was too embarrassing. Wasn’t there any way to avoid losing face like this?

A shadow suddenly blocked the moonlight ahead, and Chao Jianxue’s eyes darkened.

He stared blankly upwards, Yu Wei was crouching in front of him, he hadn’t left after all.

Despite the condescending position, Yu Wei didn’t seem superior. His gaze was indifferent, no different from looking at a blade of grass or an animal.

Yu Wei reached out his hand towards him, his fingers slightly spread. Above the jade-white fingertips were eyes more clear than moonlight, reflecting his helpless self.

Chao Jianxue’s heart skipped a beat.

He pursed his lips, not taking the hand, and asked, “Is there any way to stand up?”

Yu Wei said, “Gather your qi in your dantian and channel your spiritual energy to your limbs.” There was nothing special about it. For cultivators above the Golden Core stage, this was already a natural state, but he showed no impatience that implied “you should know this.” In Chao Jianxue’s eyes, it was just like that day in the Scripture Pavilion.

He would try this one last time!

Chao Jianxue tried his best to guide the wildly wandering spiritual energy in his meridians. His tight muscles tensed, and his body felt as heavy as lead.

Under Yu Wei’s increasingly surprised gaze, Chao Jianxue breathed calmly, concentrating only on controlling his heavy limbs. Slowly, he actually managed to climb up from the rolling water surface and stand his ground.

Once standing, his body instantly felt lighter. He walked left and right in disbelief. He wobbled a bit at first, but was soon able to walk on it as if it were flat ground.

He couldn’t help but grin, jumping up and down a few times.

Yu Wei asked, “Do you want to go back?”

Chao Jianxue stubbornly said, “I want to enter the secret realm too.”

“If we encounter danger, we may not be able to save you.”

Chao Jianxue said, “There’s no need to save me.”

Yu Wei stared into his eyes for a moment, then nodded, “Let’s go.”

Before Chao Jianxue could react, Yu Wei grabbed him and leaped into the secret realm rift as quick as lightning.

Seeing him following them again, the others exchanged glances and joked, “It’s rare to see such a stubborn disciple.”

With such cultivation, being without protection was no different from courting death.

Outside the secret realm was a seamless blend of water and sky, but inside was a dense forest shrouded in thick fog, the light was dim, the rustling of leaves moaned in the wind, and branches often caught on people’s sleeves and hair.

Chao Jianxue had already decided to follow behind Yu Wei, hoping to share a bit of his good fortune. But every time he looked up at Yu Wei’s profile, he became restless, constantly replaying that moment from earlier.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on the subtle emotion. It was as if he was being illuminated by the light emanating from Yu Wei. Like an old man helping a centenarian, but was Yu Wei really that old?

His thoughts wandered as he followed along, sometimes stopping and starting. One moment, he was watching Yu Wei cleverly open an array mechanism, and the next, he was shrinking behind a bush, watching his senior brothers and sisters fight monsters.

Everyone else was focused and on guard, wary of the secret realm monsters that might pounce out of the shadows at any moment, but he was secretly glancing at Yu Wei, feeling annoyed at his own inexplicable absentmindedness.

After thinking about it, he concluded that Yu Wei must have used some kind of bewitching technique on him, which was why he felt so moved. It must be!

Lost in thought, Yu Wei’s gaze shifted over, his handsome eyebrows furrowed with a breathtaking intensity.

And it truly was breathtaking, as Yu Wei’s sword grazed the right side of Chao Jianxue’s neck. The sword cry was like a dragon’s roar, sharply pinning down a wild monster that was trying to sneak up from behind.

Chao Jianxue’s right ear went numb, and he turned his head blankly. Beneath the gleaming Wei Yi sword was a long-tongued black shadow gradually dissolving into fragments.

Footsteps crushing withered branches passed him. Yu Wei lightly pulled out his Wei Yi sword, turned, and calmly said to him, “Be careful.”

Chao Jianxue almost knelt. He touched his neck and found that he hadn’t even scratched his skin.

Unconsciously, he followed Yu Wei even more closely.

At this moment, the thick fog gradually dissipated, making the treacherous forest appear much clearer, and other disciples from different sects began to appear.

The teams simply exchanged brief greetings without much conversation, as the competitive atmosphere meant that their first priority was to be wary of each other.

They continued to move forward through the forest. Chao Jianxue, recalling the legend of Water Moon Valley, asked, “Who exactly was Immortal Fuheng?”

“Didn’t you pay attention in history class? Immortal Fuheng was the first demon cultivator to become an immortal.”

“A demon cultivator?”

“Don’t assume that human and demon cultivators have always been at odds. In the past, they lived together, and Immortal Fuheng was highly respected among human cultivators. Fuheng ascended as a Nine-tailed Fox, and was heavily wounded during the ancient Demon Subjugation War, which is why he died here.”

“This place used to be a battlefield of the Demon Subjugation War. Fuheng cleaved this mountain open, creating Water Moon Valley.”

A senior brother added, “It’s said that the demon realm has always coveted Water Moon Valley, but the demon race has been declining in recent years, otherwise they would have openly invaded.”

“We still need to be careful. There’s no guarantee that some demon cultivators haven’t snuck in.” Another person said.

Chao Jianxue thought to himself, since it was the possession of the demon immortal Fuheng, it was only natural for demon cultivators to come and snatch it. If Fuheng’s remnant soul was still here, seeing the people he sacrificed to protect and the demons fighting tooth and nail for his inheritance, he wondered what he would think.

It wasn’t just Fuheng, all the fallen immortals would have this moment. A place of sorrow turning into a blessed secret realm could be considered a whale fall nurturing all things.

“Hey, what’s that ahead?”

Red light was vaguely visible through the dense gaps in the forest leaves. The group quickly pushed aside the bushes, and the person at the front stopped. Chao Jianxue was about to ask “what’s going on” when he tilted his head to look, and was immediately struck by the scene before him. His body trembled, his feet felt icy, yet he was rooted to the spot as if nailed there.

It was an enormous red sun, so red it was almost black, like a bloodstain on the sky, capable of triggering primal fear and terror.

Below the slope was a thousand miles of yellow sand, with countless white bones lying in silent desolation, skeletons standing in rows. The bones were larger than the remains of any creature. Directly below the red sun, a massive animal skull stood alone, its eye sockets empty, like a bottomless abyss of death.

Someone swallowed hard and said, “Immortal Fuheng, wasn’t he said to be a very easygoing person?”

“You believe records from thousands of years ago?”

“We’ve already come this far, let’s go down.”

Many steps that people dare not take, can be taken by just saying “we’ve already come this far.”

Chao Jianxue followed closely behind Yu Wei, making sure his feet landed where Yu Wei’s had, afraid of accidentally straying off course.

He had just pulled his foot out of the deep sand when he suddenly heard a shrill, heartbreaking scream. His heart leaped into his throat, and he anxiously looked around.

He saw Yu Wei pointing to a black shadow of a strange bird flying in the distance. “Rakshasa bird, feeds on lingering death energy, afraid of sunlight, can mimic human speech.”

“It also eats people and pecks out their eyes! If it swoops down, remember to protect your eyes!”

“…”

Chao Jianxue immediately covered his eyes.

Yu Wei said helplessly, “Senior Brother, don’t deliberately scare people.”

Chao Jianxue lowered his hands and awkwardly said, “I was just playing along, I wasn’t scared.”

The area was boundless. The more he looked up at the red sun, the more it felt like a paper prop, frighteningly red, but without any warmth. The wind that flowed around them was chilling.

“Strange…” After walking for a while, Yu Wei suddenly muttered.

“It is a bit strange…” Several senior brothers and sisters agreed, “We encountered several groups of people in the forest earlier. This place has a clear view, we should be able to see other disciples who came in.”

But looking back and forth, the end of the white bones was still just more white bones.

Many ghost stories flashed through Chao Jianxue’s mind. He looked at the others with hopeful eyes, hoping they could offer insightful experience and analysis.

But the others came to a consensus: “I don’t know, who cares, let’s go check out that skull up ahead!”

“The secret realm left behind by a true immortal shouldn’t be a particularly dangerous place, otherwise, why would our masters dare to let us come on our own?”

Chao Jianxue thought it made sense, but then he thought, maybe the masters thought, if you dare to come, then you must be confident in your cultivation, right?