Chapter 293: Dark and Mysterious
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
This is the key to the mystic realm, originally held by the Long Rainbow Sect.
As the entrance to the mystic realm in the distance opened, the jade plaque here also trembled slightly. Faint rays of light emanated from the jade plaque, creating ripples in the air.
“The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect has entered!”
Wu Yongzhao observed the movement of the jade plaque and then turned to look at Quan Chengming. Quan Chengming remained silent, his hands forming seals as he manipulated the power of the altar. The surrounding spiritual energy fluctuated and surged toward the altar’s center.
Although the matter of the second-level mystic realm hadn’t been widely publicized among the sects, the commotion caused by so many people couldn’t escape the Divine Flame Sect’s scrutiny.
Facing this newly-born second-level mystic realm, both the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the Divine Flame Sect were naturally interested. However, it was clear that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect wouldn’t bring the Divine Flame Sect along with them.
The Divine Flame Sect had set its sights on the mystic realm key originally held by the Long Rainbow Sect.
Normally, this mystic realm key should have been used at the location in the valley. However, this was clearly not possible, hence the existence of this altar. By using this altar, they could remotely tear through the barrier of the mystic realm, allowing members of the Divine Flame Sect to enter.
As the altar spun faster and faster, the radiance on the jade plaque grew increasingly intense. It seemed as if a gateway was about to open, yet it remained elusive.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
The elemental stones on the ground shattered one by one, and the power extracted by the altar flowed continuously into the jade plaque. However, the entrance to the mystic realm had still not manifested.
Quan Chengming furrowed his brows. Opening the gateway here, unlike at the mystic realm’s entrance, was much more challenging. Quan Chengming moved his right hand slightly, and a spiritual weapon at his feet flew into the altar.
The curved blade-like spiritual weapon quivered slightly, as if lamenting, and its entire spiritual essence surged, then was drawn into the altar.
With the infusion of this spiritual essence into the entire altar, it emitted a dazzling light. The mystic realm jade plaque vibrated intensely, and a beam of light shot out, casting onto the air ahead.
The air was violently stirred, and ripples continued to spread.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
A harsh sound echoed as a crack appeared under the light. Through the crack, you could vaguely see lush greenery and mountains, with dense spiritual energy escaping from it.
The members of the Divine Flame Sect were excited. However, before they could show their delight, the crack suddenly stopped after opening for a moment, then unexpectedly began to close.
“What’s going on?” Wu Yongzhao looked puzzledly at Quan Chengming. Wasn’t the entrance to the mystic realm being torn open? Why was it starting to seal up again?
“They tampered with the other three mystic realm keys; they were guarding against the Long Rainbow Sect’s key,” Quan Chengming furrowed his brows.
There were four complete keys to the mystic realm, each originally held by one of the four sects.
To open the mystic realm seamlessly, it was best to have all four keys present to avoid any issues. However, in special circumstances, two keys could barely suffice.
The opening of the mystic realm had an interplay between each key, preventing any sect from secretly entering the realm in previous years. For a first-order mystic realm, it wasn’t worth any sect’s clandestine efforts.
Six months ago, when the Long Rainbow Sect was wiped out, the three other sects couldn’t find the key that belonged to them. So, they collectively decided to modify the access method of the keys.
The key in the valley alone would have had a hard time opening the mystic realm, and after the three sects further tampered with it, there was almost no possibility of entering the realm.
Now, the chance of opening the mystic realm several tens of miles away had become significantly lower, and it could be said that, under normal circumstances, with this key alone, it was impossible to enter the realm.
“Is there no other way?” Wu Yongzhao furrowed his brows.
For this expedition to the mystic realm, the Divine Flame Sect had specifically gathered enough Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators, all with the purpose of ambushing members of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect inside the realm.
The last time, the Divine Flame Sect had been ambushed and lost more than ten Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators, which had left them at a disadvantage and with a lingering grudge.
Now, they planned to take advantage of this opportunity to catch the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect off guard.
But if they couldn’t even enter the mystic realm today, this plan would become a joke. If they couldn’t get through the door, how could they talk about killing anyone?
Don’t worry!” Quan Chengming’s right hand moved slightly, and another spiritual weapon flew into the altar. Spiritual essence was once again drawn out and infused into the jade plaque.
The jade plaque vibrated intensely, and the crack in the mystic realm, which had been rapidly shrinking, slowed down.
Quan Chengming’s figure swayed, and he arrived at the edge of the crack. He took out a jade bottle from his pocket, appearing somewhat hesitant. After a moment of contemplation, he opened the bottle and poured its contents onto the crack.
“Chirp!”
As if something had been corroded, the contents of the bottle turned pitch black, making it nauseating to look at. Even their minds were covered in a layer of black fog.
At this moment, this black substance adhered to the crack in the mystic realm. The crack suddenly softened, like steel melting in heat, becoming pliable.
Quan Chengming returned to the altar in a flash. Over a hundred pieces of elemental stones were cast into the altar, causing it to tremble continuously as it drew in elemental energy from all directions. Cracks began to appear on the jade plaque, but the emitted radiance reached its peak.
The crack in the mystic realm was suddenly torn open, revealing an entrance for people to enter.
Good!
A smile appeared on Wu Yongzhao’s face. He was about to step into the mystic realm when he was halted by Quan Chengming, who stood nearby. Wu Yongzhao looked at Quan Chengming in confusion.
“At the Aperture Tempering Realm, only seven people can enter at most. If we exceed this limit, the key will shatter. This key has been collectively modified by the other three keys,” Quan Chengming explained, his expression somewhat grim.
After all the hard work, hundreds of elemental stones, two low-grade spiritual weapons, and even the treasure bestowed by the sect leader had been consumed. Yet, the number of people who could enter was still limited!
Wu Yongzhao’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Being restricted to only seven people at the Aperture Tempering Realm meant they were in a similar situation to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. In that case, what advantage did they have?
“But how did they manage to get so many people inside?”
“Because their entrance is the normal one, while ours is not,” Quan Chengming sighed.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had long been on guard against them. Although they had managed to tear open the barrier of the mystic realm, they still had to adhere to the rules set by the other three keys.
Otherwise, if the key shattered, without its guidance, the moment they entered the mystic realm, they would be randomly transported by turbulent flows, ending up somewhere unknown, but definitely not inside the mystic realm.
“Once inside the mystic realm, the positions are randomized. And I’ve concealed the key’s fluctuations using the altar. They don’t know we’ve entered, so there might still be a chance. But ultimately, the decision is up to you,” Quan Chengming withdrew his hand and looked at Wu Yongzhao.
“Is there really no other way?” Wu Yongzhao was reluctant.
Inside the mystic realm, it was either the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect or their allies. If the people from the Divine Flame Sect didn’t have a numerical advantage, they might end up being pursued by everyone.
Outside, the other sects didn’t dare to take any action against the Divine Flame Sect, fearing retaliation.
But inside the mystic realm, as long as they covered their tracks and shifted all blame onto the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect afterward, the Divine Flame Sect wouldn’t have any grounds to speak.
In essence, everyone inside the mystic realm was an enemy. If they went in like this, they wouldn’t be chasing after the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect in the secret realm, but the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect would be chasing after them.
“There’s no other way. The key is too fragile,” Quan Chengming shook his head.
Wu Yongzhao’s face darkened as he stared at Quan Chengming. He spoke in a deep voice, “Then is there any way to destroy this mystic realm?”
“This… I can’t do that,” Quan Chengming hesitated, then shook his head.
Wu Yongzhao clenched his teeth, thinking about Jian Jinsheng’s temperament. He knew that going back like this would probably not result in a simple reprimand. After all, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect might be on the verge of gaining control over another second-order mystic realm, which would be highly detrimental to the Divine Flame Sect.
Wu Yongzhao looked at the high-grade spiritual weapon in his hand. If he could find an opportunity to kill Liao Hanqin from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, their strength within the mystic realm would undoubtedly be greatly reduced. This might dissuade the other sects from targeting the Divine Flame Sect.
After all, if they didn’t leave any members of the Divine Flame Sect inside the mystic realm, the sects that took action would face severe consequences. Such actions could easily lead to the annihilation of a sect, making everyone cautious.
“You six, follow me, let’s go in!” Wu Yongzhao turned and pointed to six individuals.
He then gave a stern shout and rushed into the mystic realm. Several Divine Flame Sect members exchanged glances and followed Wu Yongzhao into the realm.
Inside the mystic realm:
As Chen Fei stepped through the entrance of the mystic realm, for a moment, he lost all sensation of his own body. Fortunately, this sensation was only momentary, and it quickly returned to normal. When Chen Fei opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a mountainous depression.
A deep, oppressive atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. Chen Fei furrowed his brow and instinctively looked up, where a towering mountain loomed before him. He was standing at the foot of this mountain.
Compared to this towering mountain, Chen Fei felt incredibly small.
Not only was he physically dwarfed by its grandeur, but the aura emanating from the mountain sent shivers down his spine. Even though Chen Fei had reached the Aperture Tempering Realm, he couldn’t help but feel extremely uncomfortable.
“Half-Bottle Mountain?”
Chen Fei gazed at this strangely familiar mountain peak. It bore some resemblance to the Half-Bottle Mountain he had encountered during his first entry into the mystic realm, but there were many differences.
Not to mention other aspects, the Half-Bottle Mountain he saw initially, although mysterious and astonishing, didn’t have the same level of eerie and terrifying aura that it exuded now.
Chen Fei’s figure flickered as he transformed into a shadow, leaving the base of this mountain peak. After a quarter of an hour, he halted and turned back to look.
At that moment, Chen Fei confirmed that this mountain was indeed the same Half-Bottle Mountain he had encountered before.
“The advancement of the mystic realm has changed Half-Bottle Mountain so much. What secrets does this mystic realm hold?” Chen Fei’s eyes revealed astonishment. He had initially thought that the advancement of the mystic realm wouldn’t pose much of a threat to him given his current strength, but it seemed he had been overly optimistic.
Just the oppressive aura emanating from Half-Bottle Mountain made Chen Fei reluctant to ascend it casually.
The secrets of the mystic realm were likely hidden on Half-Bottle Mountain, but Chen Fei hadn’t decided whether he should venture up yet. After all, the danger was palpable.
Let’s find Baka first!” Chen Fei contemplated for a moment and headed in a particular direction..