Chapter 5: The Three-Eyed Well (Part 2)

Guo Shier thought for a moment before saying, “Strange, why would wild beasts be attacking us?”
Qin Lang replied, “This isn’t an area where talisman beasts appear. On the great plains, it’s already very rare to see them, especially in this region—at least I’ve never heard of any appearing here. Shier, are you sure there are talisman beasts?”
Qi Nanshan said, “I saw them too. There indeed are talisman beasts.”
Luo Jie, being older, couldn’t see that far. He asked, “What kind of talisman beasts? Can you make them out clearly?”
Qi Nanshan shook his head. “The fur of the talisman beasts emits a certain talismanic glow, so we can sense them, but they’re too far away. We can’t tell what kind of beasts they are. I don’t think they’re local species.”
As soon as he said this, he himself was stunned. Guo Shier and Luo Jie almost simultaneously exclaimed, “A secret realm?”
Although secret realms were extremely dangerous, it was widely agreed that great rewards could be obtained from them. Guo Shier sighed, “If it’s a secret realm that’s opened, then it’s not strange. But… since the secret realm has already opened, why would they still stay here?”
“That’s not right!”
Guo Shier said, “It seems there’s a battle going on inside too!”
Luo Jie reacted quickly and said, “If there’s a battle inside, then it must definitely be a secret realm!”
To control the entrance to a secret realm, the major sects would often send large numbers of troops to drive out outsiders—North Talisman Gate was no exception. A secret realm was like a treasure vault; the more people entered, the more treasures would be lost. So once a secret realm opened, as long as the major sects found out, they would surely take control of its entrance.
Guo Shier’s eyes gleamed as he smiled and said, “I almost died in a secret realm last time, but I still really want to go in again. I wonder what kind of secret realm this one is. Hehe, I’m very interested.”
Qi Nanshan and Luo Jie exchanged a glance and both smiled. Luo Jie sighed, “I don’t know what’s going on. How could we keep running into secret realms? Hehe, we’re really lucky to have gotten out this time!”
Guo Shier said, “Since it’s a secret realm, then… we need to bring our warhorses over.”
Qi Nanshan and Luo Jie discussed it for a while. Qi Nanshan said, “Qin Lang, take two people and go over there… tell everyone to bring their warhorses here, quietly.”
Guo Shier said, “Uncle Qin Lang, you don’t need to tell Wu Qing about the situation here. Just say we need the power of warhorses here. So… if he refuses to come, let him go back to West Talisman Gate by himself. There’s no need for him to wait for us.”

Luo Jie agreed, “Qin Lang, since that person doesn’t want to fight, let him go first.” The master and disciple tacitly excluded Wu Qing. Qin Lang nodded and quickly left with the two of them. Qi Nanshan asked, “Shier, what do you think… where is the weak point in the encirclement?” Guo Shier smiled and said, “Grandpa Nanshan, didn’t you notice too? The encirclement doesn’t prevent outsiders from entering, though I still don’t understand why.” Qi Nanshan said, “Never mind, just charge in first.” Guo Shier nodded, “Once the warhorses arrive, we’ll charge in. I wonder what kind of secret realm this is… Hehe, I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t know how long we’ll stay in this secret realm. Master, maybe we won’t be able to make it to Xifu Gate.” Luo Jie said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter if we miss it. I’m not interested in Xifu Gate either. If it weren’t to broaden your horizons, I wouldn’t have come out either… Hehe, I never expected to encounter two secret realms. It’s really unexpected. Great, excellent, haha.” Soon, Qin Lang returned with a large group. Huo Bao ran up to Guo Shier and asked, “Shier, why did you ask us to come back?” Guo Shier smiled and said, “Maybe we’ve encountered a second secret realm… Hehe, that’s why we need you back. If we enter the secret realm and you don’t know, it’ll be disastrous.” Huo Bao was shocked and said, “Another secret realm?” He didn’t have a good impression of secret realms, especially since he thought his strength wasn’t enough to help Guo Shier. Guo Shier asked, “What? Are you scared?” Huo Bao pouted and said, “How could I be scared!” Guo Shier smiled indifferently, driving Huo Bao almost to the brink of losing control. Chen Bing said, “Baozi, stop talking. We’re about to set off. You take care of Shier’s left side, Shitou is in front, I’m on the right, and Xiao Hong is at the back.” Chen Hong muttered, “Hmph, it’s me at the back again!” Qi Nanshan said, “I’ll lead the way at the front, and the old man and Shier will be in the middle. Once everyone’s ready, follow me and charge! Remember, don’t linger in battle—quick passage is victory!” The sound of horse hooves alarmed the herd of wild beasts, and with a sharp howl, a group of giant wolves rushed at them. Qi Nanshan shouted, “Stay close! Don’t fall behind!” He rode straight toward the wolf pack. Fortunately, he was riding one of the finest warhorses on the grasslands, and after long-term training, these horses weren’t afraid of wild beasts.

With Qi Nan Shan’s prowess as a great talisman martial artist, those giant wolves were utterly unable to stop them. In a flash of green light, his talisman sword swept through the air, and in an instant, three giant wolves were slain. The cavalry charged past the wolf pack at lightning speed and left without hesitation or engagement. Left behind with piles of dead bodies, the wolves could only watch helplessly as the cavalry disappeared, emitting only mournful howls.

The cavalry continued forward, breaking through a group of fierce lions and then a pack of tigers with sharp fangs. They rushed past quickly, with only a few warhorses trapped by the beasts and falling into the tigers’ mouths.

Qi Nan Shan asked loudly, “Is anyone injured?”

“No!”

Qi Nan Shan laughed triumphantly, “Good! Let’s go in!”

His calculations were precise—only three groups of wild beasts posed a threat, so they posed no real danger. They successfully reached the outskirts of the camp, about a hundred meters away from the wall. Not far away, there was a gap large enough for the cavalry to pass through.

Luo Jie shouted, “Be careful!”

The glow of over a dozen talisman arrows flashed by. Qi Nan Shan roared, “Damnards!” He swung his talisman sword, and a series of explosions erupted. Those arrows didn’t even get close before blowing up in midair.

Without hesitation, Luo Jie tapped the life talisman book on his chest, and the Thorny Sky Wheel flew out, crashing straight into the gap. Cries of pain filled the air as over a dozen talisman martial artists guarding the gap collapsed, five or six of them dead on the spot, while the others were left half-dead from the impact.

This single strike terrified those inside. Someone screamed, “The great sorcerer! It’s the great sorcerer!”

“Retreat! Retreat! Don’t stop them!”

With a loud cry, Qi Nan Shan leaped off his horse and soared toward the gap like a bird. He landed on the low wall and shouted, “Who’s attacking us?” At his command, the cavalry charged in.

The appearance of these two master-level experts immediately intimidated the people in the camp.

At the moment the warhorses rushed through the gap, Guo Shier saw clearly the entrance to the secret realm.

The entrance lay between two wells, about a hundred meters long and four meters high. It resembled a movie screen from his past life, only much larger. The scenery inside was completely different from the outside, clearly indicating it was a secret realm.

The camp around the Three-Eyed Well was vast, covering one square kilometer, packed tightly with people. Within dozens of meters of the entrance to the secret realm, there were hundreds of corpses. This area was extremely conspicuous and intimidating, and no one dared enter it—meaning no one could get into the secret realm.

Guo Shier said in a low voice, “Master, there are at least a few thousand people here, no more, no less… Good heavens, I don’t know if it’s a family or a sect. I can’t read the symbols on their clothes…”
Qin Lang said, “It’s the Grassland Horse Teams… Not just one, but two. The ones with pheasants on their heads are the Wild Wind Horse Teams, and those with black cloaks are the Black Eagle Horse Teams!”
Guo Shier asked, “Horse Teams? What are those?”
Qin Lang replied, “They’re people who specialize in robbing caravans. Most of them come from wandering squads. If a wandering squad loses a few members in a hunt, the rest usually choose to join a horse team or form a new one. But once they join, they generally can’t leave.”
Guo Shier laughed, “What kind of horse team is this? They’re clearly horse bandits. Hehe, so they’re just a bunch of robbers.”
Qin Lang nodded, “Yeah, they’re robbers! They steal everything—caravans, wandering squads alike. Solo professionals who don’t join them are doomed. On the grasslands, they’re nothing but scum.”
Luo Jie asked, “Are there any master-level professionals among them?”
Qin Lang nodded, “Yes, quite a few! Though they use unorthodox methods, they’re very skilled in fighting. Their strength is quite formidable.”
Luo Jie’s expression darkened as he said, “Everyone, stay alert!”
Guo Shier’s head kept shaking like a rattle as he carefully observed the surroundings.
According to Qin Lang, there were two horse teams here, but Guo Shier also saw a group of wandering squads, at least a few hundred people, so in total, there were three groups. Wandering squads had always been strong—dozens of them could form a formidable force. Yet among these three groups, the wandering squads were the weakest. He said, “Master, where should we go?”
Luo Jie replied, “Alright, Dashan, let’s go over there!”
The group moved toward where the wandering squads were gathered. Before they could go far, someone shouted loudly, “Stop!” Along with the sound of galloping horses, a dozen people rushed over from the horse teams.
From the pheasants on their heads, it was clear they belonged to the Wild Wind Horse Teams. The ones Luo Jie had killed with the Thorn Sky Wheel also had pheasants on their heads. Qi Nan Shan said in a low voice, “Get ready for battle!”
Guo Shier observed briefly and was secretly shocked. He could detect at least two great martial symbolists and one great sorcerer.
Qi Nan Shan showed no fear. Standing at the forefront, he shouted, “Stop! Who are you?”

Luo Jie and the opponent’s grand sorcerer moved at the same time, releasing their life talismans, ready to strike at any moment. The faintly glowing life talismans posed a great threat to those around them. A master-level sorcerer, once he launched an attack, was terrifying—even the formidable Grassland Horse Troop felt fear.
Guo Shier knew he had to intimidate the opponent first. Without hesitation, he mounted his horse and spat out his own life talisman sphere. His talisman sphere was brighter and more eerie. He possessed two offensive talismans, on par with those of a grand sorcerer, his strength already approaching that of a grand sorcerer.
The members of the Wild Wind Horse Troop clearly did not expect the opponent to have two master-level experts, one of whom was even a sorcerer. They slowed down as they approached, their attitude no longer so arrogant. On the vast grasslands, strength meant status; strength meant everything.
“Who are you?”