Chapter 42

“I assume the five of you are also heading to the secret realm?” A sharp-featured man suddenly darted out from the roadside, smiling as he blocked Jian Huan and her companions. He held a stack of papers in his hand and whispered mysteriously, “Would you like a map of the secret realm? One spirit stone per map, drawn by a cultivator who personally entered the realm three years ago!”0

As Yang Ye had mentioned earlier, the Lotus Square Secret Realm had opened once three years ago, and a group of cultivators had entered back then.0

Jian Huan and her teammates exchanged glances. Poverty often brings people closer, and some words don’t need to be spoken aloud—just a look is enough to understand.0

Jian Huan replied to the man, “Let us discuss it first, alright?”0

The map seller was baffled. “??”0

Wait, they need to discuss whether to buy a map? It wasn’t expensive—just one spirit stone per map. A team of eight earlier hadn’t hesitated at all and bought one each!0

Under a golden ginkgo tree by the roadside, the five of them huddled together in a circle.0

Jian Huan asked, “Should we buy it?”0

Yang Ye pondered, “Some secret realms change every time they open, while others remain the same. This is the second time the Lotus Square Secret Realm is opening, so we don’t know which type it is.”0

If it were the type that constantly changes, buying the map would be a waste.0

Shen Jizhi stood upright, deep in thought, then walked back to the map seller and asked, “Does it cost money to take a look?”0

“?” The seller replied, “...No, it doesn’t.”0

The map was quite detailed, and some cultivators did ask to take a look before buying.0

Shen Jizhi said, “Then let me see it.”0

The seller unfolded the map and showed it to Shen Jizhi, explaining, “Take a look. My map is very detailed, and I guarantee it’s genuine. If it’s fake, may my cultivation path be unstable, and may I never advance in this lifetime!”0

“Thank you,” Shen Jizhi said, withdrawing his gaze. “We won’t buy it.”0

The seller was stunned. “???”0

The map was indeed quite detailed, marking the locations of various demon beasts and spirit herbs.0

Over the next five days, while waiting for the secret realm to open, the group prepared based on the map Shen Jizhi had meticulously redrawn.0

Of course, it was mainly Jian Huan and Yin Yusheng who were busy—one frantically drawing talismans, the other tirelessly refining pills.0

Yang Ye was out gathering information, Wen Jiu was meditating and cultivating, and Shen Jizhi was nowhere to be seen, disappearing for days on end.0

Late at night, in an abandoned temple outside the town, a figure approached from afar at an incredible speed.0

The moonlight couldn’t keep up with his pace, and the shadows on the ground vanished before they could fully form.0

Just as the figure was about to slip into the broken temple, he suddenly paused. A snow-white sword appeared in his hand, but when his eyes caught sight of a familiar bamboo rod, he sheathed the sword mid-air and flipped to the side to avoid it.0

Jian Huan, who had been hiding quietly by the entrance, chased after him. She held the bamboo rod and thrust it forward, its tip pressing against the wall.0

The temple had been abandoned for many years, and the wall was crumbling. A shower of dust and debris fell as the bamboo rod struck it.0

Shen Jizhi glanced at the bamboo rod blocking his path, then casually leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. His gaze settled on Jian Huan’s face. “What is it?”0

Jian Huan raised her wrist slightly, moving the bamboo rod to rest on Shen Jizhi’s right shoulder. She tilted her chin up and asked, “Tell me, were you secretly selling maps?”0

Shen Jizhi’s mouth twitched. “...”0

Selling maps was too slow a way to earn money, and he wasn’t very interested in it at the moment.0

Shen Jizhi denied it. “No.”0

Jian Huan leaned closer, her eyes gleaming. “Then what were you doing?”0

It had to be something related to making money.0

The girl was too close, and a faint scent of ink drifted into his nose, subtle yet unmistakable.0n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Shen Jizhi lowered his gaze, pushed the bamboo rod aside, and gently moved her back a bit. “I took on a few jobs.”0

“Hmph,” Jian Huan retracted the bamboo rod. “I knew it.”0

So while she was working hard drawing talismans, he was out there repairing magical tools for others, making a fortune.0

She shook her head and left with a sigh.0

Shen Jizhi remained leaning against the wall, motionless.0

Though she was gone, the faint scent of ink lingered in the air, surrounding him and stirring up an indescribable restlessness.0

After a while, Shen Jizhi cast several Heart Purifying Techniques on himself.0

Natural secret realms are gifts from heaven and earth, often filled with dense spiritual energy that nurtures countless demon beasts and spirit plants.0

As time passes, the secret realm gradually merges with its surroundings, and at a certain point, an entrance to the realm appears.0

The entrance usually lasts only a few hours before closing. As the saying goes, where there is an entrance, there must be an exit. Within three months of the entrance appearing, an exit will surely open.0

In front of the secret realm’s entrance, Yang Ye reminded everyone, “Once the exit opens, we must leave immediately. If it closes, who knows when it will open again.”0

Jian Huan nodded. After the cultivators ahead of them entered, they followed suit.0

The entrance to the secret realm was like the rippling surface of a lake stirred by a strong wind. The moment they stepped through, Jian Huan felt a slight dizziness. When she regained her senses, she found herself in a vast valley.0

Scattered around were groups of cultivators, and as they looked around, some complaints could be heard: “The map was a waste. This place is completely different from three years ago.”0

“Exactly. I even bought a bunch of talismans and pills, but it looks like they’ll be useless this time...”0

Hearing this, Wen Jiu turned to Jian Huan and whispered, “Good thing we didn’t buy the map. But what about the talismans and pills you and Junior Brother Yin prepared...”0

“It’s fine,” Jian Huan replied, feeling a bit pleased. “We can sell them later.”0

After all, they weren’t bought—they were made by her, and she wasn’t short of buyers at the moment.0

Wen Jiu nodded and didn’t say anything more.0

The cultivators on the scene didn’t want to stay clustered together, so they each chose a direction and scattered.0

As expected, the secret realm was teeming with demon beasts and spirit herbs.0

Not long after entering the dense forest, Jian Huan and her group encountered a few seventh-grade demon beasts that had come to them on their own.0

Demon beasts are naturally ferocious and are mortal enemies of humans. Human flesh is a delicacy to them.0

Once a demon beast reaches the fifth grade, it forms a demon core. At the fourth grade, it can take human form, leave the secret realm, and blend into cities, hiding among humans and preying on them—these are known as great demons.0

On the other hand, the beasts that form contracts with beast-taming disciples are not demon beasts but spirit beasts.0

Spirit beasts are friendly toward humans, and humans cannot harm or kill them indiscriminately. Otherwise, during their tribulation, the karmic consequences could lead to their immediate demise.0

The seventh-grade demon beasts Jian Huan’s group encountered were only at the Qi Refining stage, and it didn’t take long for them to become materials stored in their storage pouches.0

This small secret realm wasn’t very high in grade, so the five of them practically swept through it, cutting down anything in their path. Three days later, the contents of their storage pouches were as follows: 167 seventh-grade demon beasts, 11 sixth-grade demon beasts, 118 seventh-grade spirit herbs, and seven sixth-grade spirit herbs.0

If they hadn’t rented a storage pouch specifically for these items before coming, their small pouches would have been filled to the brim in no time.0

Over the three days, the five of them had barely slept, their eyes bloodshot from the constant fighting.0

That night, the moon hung high in the sky, partially obscured by dark clouds.0

In the dense forest, there was a large tree with lush foliage. The five of them sat around its thick trunk, resting with their eyes closed.0

The wind occasionally rustled through the leaves, creating a soft, soothing sound.0

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, all five of them opened their eyes.0

There were hurried footsteps approaching, and if they listened closely, they could hear faint cries for help, masked by the rustling of the wind and leaves.0

Without hesitation, the five of them silently moved toward the source of the sound.0

As they got closer, the sounds of battle became more distinct, accompanied by the howls of wolves.0

“Sixth-grade Three-Eyed Silver Wolves,” Yang Ye, as a beast-taming disciple, felt he knew more about demon beasts than the others and took the initiative to explain. “They’re comparable to Foundation Establishment third-layer cultivators. One or two aren’t hard to deal with, but here...”0

He looked at the pairs of glowing blue vertical pupils and the crimson third eyes on their foreheads in the darkness and gasped.0

There were about a dozen Three-Eyed Silver Wolves here, which explained why the three cultivators on the scene were covered in blood and likely wouldn’t last much longer.0

Jian Huan leaned closer to Shen Jizhi and asked, “How much is one worth?”0

This would determine whether they would rescue the people and run or stay and fight, as well as their motivation to face the wolves.0

Shen Jizhi had already calculated the answer: “Three-Eyed Silver Wolves are valuable all over. Their fur, teeth, and blood are all premium materials. One is worth between six thousand and six thousand five hundred spirit stones.”0

He was not only well-versed in the people listed on the bounty notices but also had an encyclopedic knowledge of the grades and values of various demon beasts and spirit herbs.0

At the Immortal Storage Tower, there were always cultivators who didn’t recognize the true worth of their items. Some would mistake a sixth-grade spirit herb for a seventh-grade one and sell it at a lower price. Shen Jizhi encountered such situations a few times every year, making a small profit each time.0

Upon hearing this, everyone collectively drew a sharp breath.0

Not all sixth-grade demon beasts were valuable—it depended on how much of their body could be utilized.0

Their efforts over the past three days combined couldn’t compare to the rewards these dozen Three-Eyed Silver Wolves would bring. They didn’t even need a full night; just defeating this pack of wolves would earn them tens of thousands.0

Jian Huan gripped the green bamboo strip in her hand, her heart itching with anticipation. “Shall we go for it?”0

“Let’s do it!”0

Ahead, a silver wolf leaped into the air, its claws slashing toward a cultivator’s chest.0

The cultivator’s eyes widened in terror. Covered in wounds, he had no strength left to flee and could only stare helplessly at his impending death.0

With a metallic clang, Wen Jiu swung her massive black sword, its blade carrying an unstoppable force as it met the sharp wolf claws head-on.0

Before the cultivator could react, Jian Huan appeared beside him. She swiftly placed a teleportation talisman on his back, infused it with spiritual energy, and sent the injured man away from the battlefield.0

No sooner had she sent him off than two wolves lunged at her from front and back. Jian Huan twisted her waist, dodging with such speed that only a blur remained.0

The two wolves, on the verge of colliding, managed to avoid each other at the last moment. But in doing so, they inadvertently found themselves in the path of Shen Jizhi’s snow-white sword.0

His swordplay was simple yet precise, the blade sharp and the angles ruthless. Every strike was calculated to take something from his opponent.0

The sword pierced through the wolf’s tail, and the sixth-grade silver wolf howled in pain, turning its head in a desperate attempt to tear Shen Jizhi apart.0

Shen Jizhi planted his foot on the wolf’s body, yanked out his sword, and retreated without hesitation.0

The wolf chased after him for a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Its body was nearly split in half by the single, devastating strike.0

Nearby, a small pig leaped onto the back of another sixth-grade silver wolf. In an instant, the pig’s body expanded like a balloon, pinning the wolf to the ground.0

Yang Ye, the pig’s owner, easily finished off the wolf with a single sword strike. The pig jumped down, its skin pricked by the wolf’s sharp fur, letting out a pitiful squeal.0

Yang Ye quickly scooped up the pig and retreated to the rear, where Yin Yusheng was tending to injuries.0

After escaping, Jian Huan didn’t bother with the two wolves behind her. Three days of fighting had been enough for the group to develop a seamless rapport.0

Using teleportation talismans, she sent the injured cultivators away one by one, then began to pick off the sixth-grade silver wolves whenever an opportunity arose.0

A ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍faint, fragrant aroma began to permeate the air. The group, having taken Yin Yusheng’s pills earlier, remained unaffected, but the wolves’ movements slowed slightly.0

For the four of them, this was more than enough.0

Jian Huan, standing on her green bamboo strip, darted around like a ghost, occasionally slipping a faint-inducing talisman onto a wolf Shen Jizhi was fighting before appearing beside Wen Jiu in the next moment, throwing up a defensive talisman to block an attack from another wolf.0

Just like in long-distance running, hunting demons had its own rhythm.0

They had started with the right tempo, and as the battle progressed, they became more and more in sync, their morale soaring and their fighting spirit unyielding.0

Before long, the last wolf fell, and the forest returned to silence.0

Yin Yusheng emerged, holding his small incense burner, and asked, “Is that it?”0

“Yeah,” the others replied, reluctantly sheathing their weapons and beginning to clean up the battlefield.0

They collected the wolf carcasses, first taking them to Yin Yusheng to extract their blood, then bundling them up and storing them in their spatial pouches.0

Each person handled a specific task, and the process flowed smoothly, like water.0

When only a few carcasses remained, Shen Jizhi glanced toward the empty space behind them and said to Jian Huan, “You take care of these last ones.”0

Jian Huan frowned. “Where are you going?”0

Shen Jizhi replied, “I’m going to check if we missed anything.”0

Jian Huan looked around but saw no remaining wolf carcasses. The numbers matched up.0

What Shen Jizhi was after wasn’t the carcasses.0

Scattered on the ground were clumps of wolf fur. He picked them up one by one, rolled them into a ball, and stored them in his spatial pouch.0

Yang Ye hesitated, his pig standing behind him, happily munching on a paste Yin Yusheng had provided.0

Yang Ye finally spoke up. “I doubt anyone outside would buy loose wolf fur like this.”0

Besides, there wasn’t much of it. What could it even be used for?0

Shen Jizhi replied, “It’ll come in handy eventually.”0

Once the group had finished packing up, they left the area.0

Not long after, two people sneaked into the clearing.0

They crouched low, using a night pearl to carefully search the area.0

Every secret realm had people like them—low-level cultivators who tailed stronger groups from a distance, waiting for them to leave before scavenging for leftovers.0

Powerful teams were often picky, leaving behind broken bones and lower-grade spirit herbs they deemed unworthy of their time.0

Jian Huan’s group of five had caught their attention outside the secret realm. They all looked like young masters and ladies from prominent families, likely entering the realm for training rather than for demon beasts or spirit herbs.0

In short, following them was bound to yield some decent spoils.0

But as they trailed behind, they found not a single blade of grass or a scrap of bone.0

And now, not even a strand of wolf fur remained!!0

Shen Jizhi: My mouth isn’t just tight—it’s sealed. No matter what I’m eating, not a single grain of rice will escape