Yu City.
A border city of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, it shared a frontier with the Celestial Wind Imperial Dynasty.
The new, large-scale Secret Realm had appeared outside Yu City, within a great mountain range.
If not for the strange phenomena that preceded its emergence—surging Spiritual Qi, rampant overgrowth of flora, and the sudden materialization of Spirit Grass and Spirit Flowers—no one would have discovered the Secret Realm hidden within the mountains.
These phenomena grew, becoming more conspicuous. At the same time, the surge in Spiritual Qi became increasingly distinct, making it even easier for Martial Arts Experts to detect.
This large-scale Secret Realm was first discovered by people from the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. A Medicine Gatherer had entered the mountains to collect herbs, finding that the deeper he ventured, the better the quality of his harvest, with the possibility of finding exceedingly rare Spirit Medicine.
Finding even a single stalk could secure one’s livelihood for a long time, but such ventures were fraught with peril.
After finding a Spirit Medicine, that same Medicine Gatherer reported the strange phenomena in the mountains. Others then went to investigate and discovered the emergence of the Secret Realm.
The nearby Sects were the first to enter and explore the Secret Realm, reaping considerable rewards. However, word quickly spread, attracting droves of people who poured into the Secret Realm in search of their own fortuitous encounters.
They soon discovered that the Secret Realm was incredibly vast. Despite the large number of explorers, they had only managed to scout a small fraction of the area.
However, as they ventured deeper, they discovered that the Secret Realm harbored many dangers.
All sorts of powerful Exotic Beasts roamed the Secret Realm, some even at the level of Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters. Worse still, they moved in packs, deterring subsequent explorers from venturing any deeper.
The power of a single Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster already surpassed the total Combat Power of many Sects, let alone a pack of them, whose combined strength was even more terrifying.
Some who entered also discovered grotto-residences left behind by their predecessors. Inside, they found Jade Scrolls and Silk Books. By deciphering the ancient script, they learned that this Secret Realm was a remnant from ten thousand years ago, connected to the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty.
Among the findings were appointment letters from the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty and information about the Secret Realm itself, which seemed to indicate it was established by a powerful figure from that dynasty.
In the present day, this would be unthinkable. After all, not even an expert at the Martial Saint Level could accomplish such a feat—the creation of a large-scale Secret Realm.
But for the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty of ten thousand years ago, no one doubted the possibility.
After all, ten thousand years ago, the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty was so powerful that beings who had opened their Divine Acupoints served as its ministers. Such beings were regarded as Divine Spirits among mortals.
The Secret Realms discovered in the modern era all seem to be pocket dimensions created by beings above the Martial Saint Realm. However, the origins of a Secret Realm this large were bound to be far from simple.
The news of a large-scale Secret Realm’s appearance was already astonishing. Its connection to the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty only served to attract an even larger crowd.
Someone was also secretly spreading the news, ensuring word of the large-scale Secret Realm traveled far and wide, naturally drawing in even more people.
Gu An was one of those drawn to it. His presence was partly due to an arrangement by the Merak Sacred Land, but he had planned on coming anyway.
A Secret Realm’s appearance guaranteed countless opportunities. He had been involved when the Silver State Secret Realm and Taiyin Heaven emerged. If it weren’t for Liu Xuan’s arrangements afterward, he would have entered that Secret Realm as well.
Now that he knew a large-scale Secret Realm had appeared—one related to the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty, no less—he naturally had to come.
Within such a Secret Realm, there were bound to be countless fortuitous encounters, including legacies left behind by predecessors—all of which were exceedingly rare treasures.
Outside of a large-scale Secret Realm, the chances of obtaining such opportunities were minuscule. Naturally, Gu An wouldn’t let this chance slip by.
Although he was set to enter the Merak Sacred Land in the future, where he had a high chance of breaking through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, he was no longer satisfied with merely reaching that level.
This was especially true after his conversation with Lü Zhenghai.
According to Lü Zhenghai, even though Liu Xuan had already broken through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, there was no telling how long it would take him to complete his first Bone Marrow Cleansing.
This was because Liu Xuan’s Talent, among Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters, was not particularly outstanding. Within the Merak Sacred Land, there were far too many people more talented than him, to say nothing of breaking through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm.
He would only have a sliver of a chance to break through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm if he had access to countless rare Cultivation Resources—and even then, the possibility was minuscule.
After learning this, Gu An naturally placed even greater importance on the newly emerged large-scale Secret Realm.
’My Talent is no match for Liu Xuan’s.’ He knew that. ’You could say Liu Xuan is the most talented of our generation.’ That was why he had become the Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect. He was the first to become an Inner Master, the first to reach the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm, and the first to achieve the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm.
Within the Cyan Yuan Sect, Liu Xuan was already considered an exceptional figure of his generation.
But in the Merak Sacred Land, he was nothing more than ordinary.
He remembered how high-spirited Liu Xuan had been when he left the Cyan Yuan Sect, eager to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint and join the ranks of the Sect’s legends.
After all, since the Cyan Yuan Sect’s founding, countless people had dreamed of breaking through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm and becoming a legend. To succeed would be to become a true icon within the Sect.
However high Liu Xuan’s spirits were back then, that was how great the constraints he now faced in the Merak Sacred Land.
A single mission to suppress an Earth Demon had resulted in heavy casualties among the Cyan Yuan Sect Disciples Liu Xuan had brought with him. Many died in the process, dealing a severe blow to Liu Xuan’s confidence.
And that was just the beginning. Chiyu Peak, their new home, was being targeted from all sides. Even during his time as the Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect, Liu Xuan had rarely faced so many problems.
The situation had left Liu Xuan completely overwhelmed.
Lü Zhenghai had shared all of this with him in a heart-to-heart conversation. In response, Gu An had allowed him to take two Basic Level Pharmacists back with him, because Chiyu Peak’s situation within the Merak Sacred Land was truly dire.
And this was with the Merak Sacred Land as their backer; the Sacred Land had already helped them resolve some of their troubles. Even so, the problems they faced were still numerous.
The more Gu An learned about the situation in the Merak Sacred Land, the more he wanted to accumulate Cultivation Resources before he entered. He knew he would likely face a great deal of trouble there.
The Merak Sacred Land might be a better place for Cultivation, with a higher ceiling for advancement, but it also demanded a greater reserve of Cultivation Resources. Without them, every step would be a struggle, and he could even find himself targeted by others.
’I also need to keep improving my Cultivation before entering the Merak Sacred Land. If I can seize a major opportunity in this large-scale Secret Realm and break through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm ahead of schedule, my situation there will be much better.’
The Merak Sacred Land adhered even more strictly to the rule that the strong are respected. If Chiyu Peak had a Grandmaster who had completed their Bone Marrow Cleansing presiding over it, they would face fewer provocations.
Lü Zhenghai had mentioned this with a sigh. It was the goal of many from Chiyu Peak who remained in the Merak Sacred Land, including Liu Xuan, who was constantly preparing for it.
Gu An naturally wanted to achieve this as well. If he did, Chiyu Peak could secure its position, and in turn, give back more to the Cyan Yuan Sect.
The Cyan Yuan Sect was now one of the Merak Sacred Land’s Affiliated Forces. The higher Chiyu Peak’s status within the Sacred Land, the more support it could provide to the Cyan Yuan Sect.
Take the Cultivation Resources Lü Zhenghai had just delivered, for example. To the Merak Sacred Land, they were nothing special, but for the Cyan Yuan Sect, they were exceptionally rare.
This was the gap between a Holy Land and an ordinary Sect. The resources were just a portion of the reward Chiyu Peak received for suppressing the Earth Demon, and only a fraction of that portion was sent back to the Cyan Yuan Sect. But to the Cyan Yuan Sect, it was a fortune!