Chapter 10: Li Ran (Part 2)

Luo Jie was stunned and asked, “Is that the Land of Deathly Silence? Then… what is that sand veil?” He had always been puzzled by that sand veil, not knowing what it was or why it was so powerful.
“Sand veil? Oh… I see now. It’s not a sand veil at all. It’s a wave of death energy. Once touched, you’re done for. You’re lucky to not have encountered it. If you had…”
“A wave of death energy?”
Li Ran said, “It’s also called a death tide. No life can survive in it. The death energy mixed in the storm can quickly strip away any life.”
Guo Shier said, “We encountered it. Hehe, but we ran fast and escaped.”
Li Ran sighed, “Good luck.”
Luo Jie asked, “What’s on the other side of the mountains?”
Li Ran said, “That side… hehe.” He glanced at everyone and said, “With your skills, you might be able to go there, but be careful. That place has been unstable lately. There are many skilled hunters there. Going in… is a bit risky.”
Luo Jie frowned slightly and asked, “Hunting? Who is hunting?”
Li Ran replied calmly, “It’s not people from your area. They’re skilled individuals from other places who came here. Well, you guys seem good at spells, but it’s a pity…”
Guo Shier felt curious and asked, “Brother Li, what’s a pity about?”
Li Ran smiled slightly and said, “Nothing much… You’ll understand later. You’re still too weak. Even your master… isn’t strong enough.”
Guo Shier wasn’t convinced. Luo Jie was a great spellcaster, considered one of the best in their area. If Li Ran said he wasn’t strong enough, then what level would count as strong?
Neither Luo Jie nor Qi Nanshan got angry. They were well-informed and knew Li Ran wasn’t talking nonsense. If this guy really was 600 years old, he must be extremely powerful.
Guo Shier thoughtfully asked, “People from other places? Where exactly?”
Li Ran couldn’t help but smile. He found this kid smart and asked, “Can’t figure it out?”
Guo Shier nodded and honestly replied, “Yes, I don’t understand.”
Li Ran smiled, picked up the teapot, and placed it in the center of the jade table. He then picked up two teacups and placed them on either side of the teapot, saying, “This teacup represents the place where you live, while this mountain represents the secret realm now. You’ve moved from the position of this teacup to the teapot here. Then, the people at the other teacup… can also reach the teapot here. Hehe, do you get it?”

Guo Shier was shocked and said, “Is this really a public place?”
Li Ran laughed heartily. “Haha, exactly. It’s just a public place—anyone can come in.”
Guo Shier quickly thought of a crucial question and asked, “We came in… by accidentally finding the entrance to the secret realm. Is that how they got in too?”
Luo Jie’s eyes lit up. That was a sharp question.
Li Ran replied, “They can come in and go out at any time.”
Guo Shier asked, “Can Brother Li do that too?”
Li Ran smiled. “You little rascal, so cunning! Not only can I leave, but also…” He picked up four other cups and placed them beside the teapot, saying, “…I can enter and exit any of these cups as I wish, as long as I know about it. Do you understand?”
Li Ran’s words made Guo Shier realize that the secret realm could lead to many worlds. He exclaimed in shock, “How is that possible?”
Li Ran laughed. “Why not?”
Guo Shier held his head and said, “This world is absolutely crazy.”
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan exchanged a glance and shook their heads with wry smiles. They also understood and were equally shocked. If they hadn’t met Li Ran, they might never have known this secret.
Qi Nanshan said, “Mr. Li, may I ask… could you tell us… how you enter and exit the secret realm? If it’s inconvenient, haha, no need to say anything. Please forgive my boldness.”
Li Ran found it amusing. He said, “It’s not some secret. The method to enter and exit the secret realm easily is to have a small talisman gate. Strange, you guys probably don’t even know what a talisman gate is, right?”
Luo Jie’s face turned slightly red. “We really don’t know about such things. I’ve been to many secret realms, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a talisman gate…”
Li Ran said, “There are many types of secret realms—fixed, unfixed, and those that appear by chance… countless in number. But there’s one very rare type, the Tongyou Secret Realm. Haha, you’re lucky to be in it now. This kind of realm can connect to many places. With a talisman gate, you can reach even more places.”
Everyone understood what this meant, and their hearts burned with excitement.
Guo Shier grew impatient and asked, “Brother Li, where can we get a talisman gate, or the method to make one?”
Li Ran smiled. “Talisman gates aren’t worth much, but for you guys, they’re extremely valuable. Haha, I do have quite a few here, but I can’t give them to you.”

Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan couldn’t help but sigh bitterly.
Guo Shier, however, became excited. He said, “Oh, can’t give it away? Does that mean it can be exchanged?”
Li Ran nodded in approval with a smile. “Mm, it can be exchanged. If you can come up with something that impresses me, you can get a Fumen.”
Guo Shier thought about the items he had on him and felt a bit disheartened. He knew he didn’t have anything valuable. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Brother Li, is there anything you need?”
Li Ran smiled. “Materials from mutated talisman beasts at level five or above, spirit talismans, or ancient talismans… Mm, I guess you don’t have any true treasure talismans either. As for true spirit talismans… well, there’s no need to mention them.”
Guo Shier’s heart stirred slightly. He took out a few bones from a great earth dragon and asked, “What level of mutated talisman beast are these bones from?”
Li Ran was surprised. “Huh? You actually managed to hunt a level seven mutated talisman beast? These can be exchanged!”
Guo Shier hurriedly said, “These weren’t hunted by us. We just found these bones, and there aren’t many.”
Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that their discovery of a great earth dragon would be revealed. Fortunately, Guo Shier was clever. In a place full of bones, it was normal to find bones from level seven mutated talisman beasts.
Guo Shier took out a pile of broken bones of varying sizes—some as big as a face, others as small as a rice bowl. These had been slightly processed.
Li Ran sighed. “You could even find these. I have to admire you. Hehe, a level seven mutated talisman beast—even I need help to kill it. The key is that it’s very difficult to find such high-level beasts… Mm, fine, I’ll exchange them! With so many talisman bones, you can get four Fumens. Hehe, of course, if you don’t need that many Fumens, you can choose other things. I have spirit talismans and ancient talismans here.”
Guo Shier said, “I just need one. Master, you can choose the rest.”
Luo Jie felt a bit upset. His talisman bag contained plenty of materials from great earth dragons, but he didn’t dare take them out. Thankfully, his disciple was smart and didn’t arouse Li Ran’s suspicion. At this point, he could only exchange using what Guo Shier had brought. He said, “I just need one too. Let’s exchange the rest for ancient talismans.”
Li Ran smiled. “If you exchange for spirit talismans, you can get two. For ancient talismans, only one. Are you sure you want to exchange?”
Ancient talismans were one level higher than spirit talismans. Even great talisman masters found it difficult to use them. Ancient talismans were highly powerful spells. In the Northern Fumen, they were almost top-tier talismans and the most precious.

Luo Jie nodded and said, “Hmm, exchange for ancient talismans.”
Li Ran put away the spirit talisman and swiped his hand on the jade table, revealing a row of ancient talismans. Luo Jie’s eyes almost popped out—this was astonishing. At the Northern Talisman Sect, anyone who obtained an ancient talisman would keep it hidden, fearing others would find out. Yet here, Li Ran had displayed a whole row of them. He said, “Choose one yourself. Hehe, but I won’t explain what kind of ancient talisman it is. After you get it… I’ll give you the method to use it.”
Guo Shier looked at Li Ran pitifully and said, “Sigh, I still don’t have a life talisman. Big Brother Li, do you have any good life talismans?”
Li Ran smiled and said, “Yes, bring something in exchange!”
Guo Shier didn’t know where to find something to exchange. After thinking for a while, he said, “Big Brother Li, how about… I cook a meal for you. If you like it, you give me a life talisman. If not… well, forget it!”
Li Ran asked, “Is it talisman food?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “It’s not exactly talisman food… I can’t really describe it. You’ll know once you try it. Want to give it a shot? It’s really delicious.” He promoted it enthusiastically.
Li Ran said indifferently, “Alright, let’s give it a try. If I don’t like it, you’ve wasted a chance.”
Guo Shier was overjoyed. Anyway, having a chance was better than doing nothing. He immediately said to Xiao Feng, “Uncle, please go get a talisman storage bag from Chen Hong. Tell her it’s the one used for tableware.”
Qi Nanshan said, “Xiao Feng, also tell everyone we’re safe here. Have them rest by the pond.”
Xiao Feng nodded and left.
Luo Jie looked at the ancient talismans on the jade table with a wry smile. This was tough—each talisman was different, and it was unclear what type they were. He counted them: there were eight in total. He said, “Sigh, this is really hard. Hehe, can you give any hints?”
Li Ran shook his head silently. Luo Jie sighed deeply—this was too frustrating. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Shier, help master pick one. Just pick any… Master relies on your luck.”
Guo Shier frowned and smiled bitterly. If he picked an inappropriate talisman, his master would be disappointed. He said, “Master, this has nothing to do with luck, right?”
Luo Jie said, “Stop talking nonsense. Go pick one!”

Guo Shier had no choice but to reach out and grab a random ancient talisman. Suddenly, he sensed a ripple in a soul—a sense of sneering. He quickly moved his hand aside and detected a hint of tension. It was this one. He snatched it up and said, “It’s either good or bad now!”
Li Ran couldn’t help but shake his head and say, “Luo Jie, I believe Shier has better luck than you. He got… a really good ancient talisman.”
Luo Jie asked eagerly, “What type of ancient talisman is it?”
Book 4: Escape