Chapter 5: The Secret Realm Unlocked (Part 2)

Guo Shier had long heard of Symbol Beasts. These beasts were born with symbolic patterns and possessed symbolic techniques. Symbol Beasts also came in different levels—the lowest being ordinary Symbol Beasts, whose patterns were fairly standard. Though powerful, they were not invincible, and even ordinary squads could easily deal with them.

More powerful were the Mutated Symbol Beasts. These beasts were extremely varied, with their patterns altered for unknown reasons. Some became incredibly fierce, while others were even weaker than ordinary Symbol Beasts—these were the result of failed mutations.

The most powerful type, according to legend, were Symbol Beasts that had developed intelligence. Extremely rare, they were called Spiritual Symbol Beasts, and their strength could rival that of masters.

The purpose of entering the secret realm was to find Symbol Beasts as well as the ancient spellcasters who died there. Everything they left behind was treasure.

Luo Zhan rode over and said, “Elder, we’ve found a way down the mountain.”
Luo Jie smiled and said, “Great! Let’s go! Ha!” He spurred his horse forward. Guo Shier obediently followed behind his master’s horse, with Chen Hong, Huo Bao, Chen Bing, and Hong Shi closely behind Guo Shier’s horse. All four were extremely excited—being able to enter the secret realm at such a young age was sheer luck. Of course, without masters like Luo Jie leading them, entering the realm would not be luck but misfortune.

Descending the mountain was even more difficult; over a dozen warhorses died. Fortunately, they had brought enough warhorses, so it didn’t matter too much.

After a day, the group reached the foot of the mountain. Luo Jie said, “Alright, Luo Zhan, send out scouts. We’ll set up camp. It’s getting dark soon—be careful.”

They had now reached a grassland. The group removed the saddles and supplies from their warhorses, letting them graze freely on the grass, keeping only the warhorses needed in emergencies.

Guo Shier, along with his four friends, spread out a few animal skins, asked their master and Qi Nanshan to sit down, then got busy setting up a large pot. Huo Bao went to fetch clean water. Qi Nanshan said, “Wait before lighting the fire. I’ll go find some fresh meat. Xiao Feng, Da Lin, Xiao Baozi, Shier—come with me!”

Guo Shier pointed at his nose and asked in confusion, “Grandpa Nanshan, are you calling me?”
Qi Nanshan replied, “Go practice skinning and butchering!”

Knowing he couldn’t outrun these martial artists, Guo Shier said, “Okay, Grandpa Nanshan, carry me.” He then said to Chen Hong, “Xiao Hong, start boiling water so everyone can have some hot water to drink.”

Qi Nanshan shook his head with a wry smile and said, “You really know how to be lazy. Come on.”

Guo Shier happily climbed onto Qinan Shan’s back and said, “Grandpa Qinan, I really have no choice. You guys run too fast. Unless I ride a horse, but that would scare the prey.”
The group ran into the distance, with Guo Shier watching the scenery rapidly recede. Xiaofeng and Dalin were both martial artists, with Xiaofeng leading Huo Bao. As they leaped and hopped, the half-human-high thatch was trampled into furrows by their rapid movement.
The sun was setting, its orange-red light illuminating the land. Guo Shier stared at the sunset in confusion, thinking, “What the hell? Is there even a sun in this secret realm?”
Qinan Shan suddenly bent down and whispered, “There’s a herd ahead… um, are those wild bulls? Hairy wild bulls!”
Guo Shier replied in a low voice, “Don’t kill the big ones. Kill the small ones!”
Qinan Shan asked in surprise, “Why?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “The small ones… their meat is tender…” Then he slipped off Qinan Shan’s back.
Qinan Shan scolded jokingly, “You little rascal… such picky tastes! Alright, everyone, pay attention. We need five small wild bulls! I’ll take three, Xiaofeng will hunt one, and Dalin will hunt one.” With that, he dashed forward, charging at the herd without hesitation. His speed was so great that the wild bulls didn’t even have time to react before he struck one of them in the head with a palm.
Thud!
His single palm pierced through the bull’s hard skull. The bull didn’t make a sound, its legs gave way, and it slowly collapsed to the ground, dead. Using the momentum from that strike, Qinan Shan dashed away again.
By then, Xiaofeng and Dalin had also found their targets. Suddenly, a talisman knife appeared in Xiaofeng’s hand. With a flash of green light, he severed the bull’s head in one swing.
Dalin held a talisman staff. He faced a running wild bull head-on, shouted loudly, and saw the staff flash. Crack! The staff hit right between the bull’s eyes. Although its tip was flat, it was like a sharp spear point, piercing into the bull’s skull. He then jumped aside as the bull, driven by inertia, charged at him. Dalin swept his staff horizontally, and with a snap, the bull’s front legs broke, causing it to crash to the ground.
Qinan Shan knocked out three wild bulls with just three palms. For him, killing bulls was as easy as killing chickens—it took no effort at all.
After dragging the five wild bulls together, Qinan Shan said with a smile, “Shier, it’s your turn now.”
Guo Shier looked at the five wild bulls helplessly. Although they were all young bulls about a year old, he was only nine years old. Asking him to deal with five of them alone was a bit excessive. He couldn’t help but say, “Grandpa Qinan, are you sure it has to be me?”

Qi Nanshan really didn’t treat Guo Shier as a child; he always unconsciously saw him as an adult. This kid was truly extraordinary. Subconsciously, he said, “Of course. Is there a problem?”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but shout, “I’m only nine years old! You expect me to dissect five wild bulls? That’s child abuse…”
Qi Nanshan was stunned, while Xiao Feng and Da Lin burst into laughter. Huo Bao said, “Me too… I’ll help you!”
Guo Shier rolled his eyes and asked, “How old are you?”
Huo Bao puffed out his chest and said proudly, “I’m thirteen!”
Qi Nanshan also felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Come on, let me do it. The two of you can handle one wild bull, right? We’ll take care of the rest.”
Only then was Guo Shier satisfied. “Baozi, come help me!”
Fortunately, Guo Shier had excellent physical strength, and Huo Bao was even stronger. They turned over the dead wild bull, and Guo Shier, wielding a cutting knife designed for dissection, began to skin it quickly. In fact, wild bull skin was quite good material for leather, but it couldn’t be taken away. Guo Shier removed the four legs and two rows of ribs, discarding everything else, and put the meat and bones into a storage bag.
Dozens of hyenas had gathered around, along with countless vultures in the sky. A few hyenas tried to approach to steal food but were killed by Xiao Feng’s knife. The rest waited patiently, no longer daring to come forward, realizing the people before them were not easy to provoke.
Qi Nanshan and the others worked much faster than Guo Shier. They stood aside, watching him skillfully cut up the wild bull. After watching for a while, Qi Nanshan asked, “Xiao Feng, do you think Shier is a child?”
Xiao Feng replied, “Yes!” Seeing Qi Nanshan glare at him, he held back his laughter and said, “But he doesn’t act like one when working.”
Qi Nanshan patted his shoulder, almost knocking him over, and laughed, “Exactly. This kid… doesn’t resemble a child at all. So… it’s no wonder I thought of him as an adult.”
Xiao Feng rubbed his shoulder with a wry smile, blaming himself for teasing the old man despite knowing he shouldn’t. It was lucky he only got a slap.
Qi Nanshan said, “Let’s go. The smell of blood here is too strong; it will attract fierce wild beasts.” He carried Guo Shier on his back, along with Xiao Feng and Da Lin, who carried Huo Bao. They left quickly. The hyenas that had been waiting rushed forward, and the vultures in the sky circled and descended, creating chaos.
Nothing happened that night.

The next day, Guo Shieru gazed at the vast prairie stretching as far as the eye could see. Shrouded in a thin mist, the prairie appeared extremely mysterious. Luo Jie stood beside him and said, “Shieru, the environment of a secret realm is unpredictable. It’s calm now, but soon you’ll see all sorts of strange things.”

Guo Shieru asked, “What will we encounter?”

Luo Jie shook his head. “I don’t know either. Hehe, that’s why it’s called a secret realm—unpredictable and impossible to forecast, unless it’s a well-known one already explored. The secret realm we’ve entered this time is completely unknown. Who knows what we might run into? Even I need to be careful.”

Qi Nanshan called everyone to pack up the camp. He asked, “Elder, which direction should we head today?”

Luo Jie pointed in the direction the sun rose from and smiled, “East!”

The others looked at the high-spirited old man in silence. He seemed like a different person—very excited since entering the secret realm. Qi Nanshan laughed and said, “Then let’s head east! Let’s go!” He mounted his warhorse and added, “Luo Zhan, take two people to scout ahead. The rest, stay alert and be careful of attacks from spirit beasts.”

A few warhorses died when they rushed into the secret realm, but it didn’t hinder their progress. There were only twenty-five of them in total, each with four to five warhorses. After mounting their horses, Luo Zhan led two martial artists forward quickly.

After a while, the entire group set off, the cavalry charging through the dense grass.

Flocks of herbivores scattered in fear as the loud clatter of hooves disrupted the prairie’s tranquility.

The wind blowing against them was gentle. Guo Shieru straightened up and shouted happily against the wind. Luo Jie scolded, “Why are you shouting? You scared the old man!”

Guo Shieru laughed, “It feels great! Riding on the prairie… Hehe, it’s wonderful!” He shouted again. Huo Bao found it amusing and joined in with a roar. The martial artists and warriors around them also became excited, shouting loudly, which scared the animals that had run away into fleeing even further in panic.

Qi Nanshan also let out a loud roar, instantly silencing everyone else’s shouts. Then he said, “That’s enough. Stop shouting. If we attract spirit beasts, it won’t be fun anymore.”

Guo Shieru was puzzled. “Aren’t we supposed to kill spirit beasts? Their arrival is perfect—more prey for us. I heard their meat is delicious!”

Qi Nanshan said, “You little glutton, you only think about eating! Are rune beasts that easy to kill? To kill one, you’d better understand the situation first. If it’s an ordinary rune beast, it’s not a big deal. But the worst part is when a mutated rune beast shows up before you’re ready—ha! That’s when things get really interesting!”
Luo Jie said, “Big Mountain! You jinx! You were right!”
A deafening howl came from afar.
Everyone paled in fear, clearly feeling their warhorses trembling beneath them.
Qi Nanshan said, “What does that have to do with me!” Then he shouted loudly, “Protect the old man! Xiao Feng, Da Lin, follow me to hold off the rune beast! Get ready for battle!”