Chapter 6: Hidden Dangers (Part 2)

Guo Shier smiled bitterly and said, “Master Qi, if the secret realm can still be closed properly, this place is relatively safe. But if it stays open, once discovered by professionals from other continents, it will mean war.”
Qi Tian was confused. “War? Why would there be war? What kind of war?” His expression darkened.
Kumu opened his eyes and said calmly, “They will plunder your resources and your population… If you can endure it, there won’t be war. If not, war is inevitable… But I’m not optimistic about you, as you’ve been isolated for too long and lack the strength to resist.”
Guo Shier clearly saw beads of sweat forming on Qi Tian’s forehead.
Zhu Juan said, “You’d better gather your disciples from the secret realm and defend the entrance. It might buy some time. Hehe, I’m not optimistic about you either—your strength is too weak. Just a group ofCrazy Master-level professionals-level professionals could easily sweep through your North Talisman Sect.”
Qi Tian struggled to speak, “W-We… can’t we avoid this?”
Zhu Juan continued to undermine him, “That’s impossible! As long as the secret realm stays open, someone from another continent will discover it sooner or later. By then, you’re done! Maybe your North Talisman Sect has a few hundred masters, but they won’t be of any use…”
Qi Tian was stunned. “A few hundred masters?” He felt bitter—his sect had at most twenty or thirty masters, not including those who were traveling elsewhere. Few masters remained in the sect.
Too shaken to speak, Qi Tian murmured, “What should we do?”
Kumu replied bluntly, “There’s nothing to do!”
Guo Shier thought for a moment and realized indeed there was no solution. It was like natives facing a modern army—strength determined survival.
Qi Tian’s expression shifted from despair to determination. He said, “Even if we can’t win… we must fight! This is our homeland!”
Kumu nodded in approval before closing his eyes again. Unyielding spirit was admirable, but it wasn’t enough—strength was also necessary.
Qi Tian said, “C-Can I ask for your help?” He thought quickly and immediately made his request.
Zhu Juan and Monier were secretly pleased. Zhu Juan said calmly, “Why should we help you?”

Guo Shier watched coldly, somewhat understanding what Fat Uncle wanted to do. Yet he said nothing, for the only help available was from the Chenxiao Sect; no other sect could come to assist.
Upon hearing this, Qi Tian knew there was hope. He wasn’t someone lacking insight—someone who could reach the position of sect leader surely wasn’t a fool.
“You… just state your conditions, and our Beifu Sect will do our utmost to fulfill them. We only hope you can help us in return!”
Zhu Juan felt pleased and smiled, saying, “It’s easy, easy… We need to discuss this in detail.”
Kumu suddenly blurted out, “The benefits should be divided into three parts.” This statement immediately dampened Zhu Juan’s satisfaction. However, without Kumu and Monier’s support, he alone couldn’t pull it off.
Guo Shier couldn’t help but sigh bitterly. The three masters were openly dividing the profits, showing no regard for Beifu Sect at all.
Qi Tian, however, wasn’t concerned. He understood well that there’s always a trade-off. With the support of these three, he could at least preserve Beifu Sect. As for the others, he couldn’t protect them either—this was already the best possible outcome.
He stood up and said, “In that case, I ask Senior Zhu Juan to come inside. We need to discuss this carefully.”
Zhu Juan smiled and said, “Mumu, Ni’er, what do you think?”
Kumu replied bluntly, “You handle it!”
Monier nodded and said, “Fatso, you go ahead. I’ll stay here with Baby; we won’t go.”
Zhu Juan smiled and followed Qi Tian out, with Qin Han accompanying them to see them off. Guo Shier asked, “Master, Masteress, why did you scare them?”
Kumu opened his eyes, blinked, and said, “Smart kid!”
Monier hugged Guo Shier affectionately and said, “If we don’t scare them… how can we negotiate with them? It’s not really scaring them, hehe. If people from other continents really found out about this place, then what we said earlier would be true.”
Guo Shier said, “Oh, I see. The possibility of being discovered isn’t high?”
Monier kissed his cheek smilingly and said, “Smart child, hehe. Sometimes being too smart can get you into trouble.”
Kumu said, “It’s quite remarkable that this continent has remained hidden until now… It’s strange. Normally, once a secret realm opens and can’t be closed, this continent can no longer stay hidden.”
Guo Shier sighed bitterly, “This has only happened in the past one or two years. If it had continued longer, it’s hard to say… The time I met my master was in the Wild Beast Secret Realm of the Xifu Sect.”

Kumu said, “That doesn’t count. I entered through another secret realm. It’s almost impossible to go there again. Secret realms have their own rules—you can’t wander around at will. If you don’t understand the rules, relying on talisman gates… you’re likely to get lost in the realm, or even end up in another continent… Without enough strength, it’s very dangerous.”
Guo Shier was surprised. “What? There are such rules?”
Kumu replied, “Once you receive the inheritance beyond that of aCrazy Master-level professionals, you’ll get specific rules for secret realms. It’s okay if you don’t understand them now. Next time you go to a secret realm, let me know. At least I can assess whether it’s dangerous for you.”
Guo Shier asked, “Can one travel between continents using talisman gates?”
Kumu shook his head. “No. It might not be fatal, but getting to the wrong place is almost certain.”
Monier said, “Baby, to travel from one continent to another… one can only do so through secret realms or large talisman gates. The more stable the secret realm, the better the effect. The more stable it is, the longer those coming from outer continents can stay, without being sent back immediately by the rules… The rules involved are extremely complex. Everyone only knows the basic ones; as for the deeper rules, few people understand them.”
Kumu added, “You just need to remember a few of the most basic rules. Some rules are simply incomprehensible. Once you touch them, you might as well accept bad luck.”
Guo Shier was confused and asked, “Is that all?”
Monier smiled. “This is very important. At least you won’t act recklessly in the secret realm.”
Guo Shier was quite obedient. He sensed Monier’s concern and said, “Don’t worry, wife. I’ll be careful.”
Seeing that Guo Shier had listened, Monier didn’t say anything more. Kumu said, “I’m going back to my room. Shier, do you have a talisman-making hall here?”
Monier pulled Guo Shier away, annoyed. “Don’t tell him! That deadwood spends his time either killing people or hiding in the talisman-making hall. It drives me crazy…”
Guo Shier laughed. “Master is just working hard, right? Wife, wait a moment. I’ll take you shopping. Hehe, Master, there’s a small talisman-making room here. I’ll show you.”
Monier’s face lit up immediately. She stopped being angry and said cheerfully, “Oh, that’s great! Baby, just find someone to take your master there. You don’t need to go with them. Hehe, let’s go out and have fun.”
Guo Shier called over a servant and asked him to take Kumu to the talisman-making room.

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan surely would follow Guo Shier, and Huo Bao and the other three also didn’t want to stay at home. So, in total, there were eight of them who left the manor together and headed toward the Fu Market in the inner sect.
…
After a conversation with Zhu Juan, Qi Tian immediately issued orders: All disciples of the Northern Fu Sect were to quickly withdraw from the Yanhu Secret Realm and build a fortress at its entrance as a base for defending against invasions. By the time Zhu Juan and the others arrived, more than half of the Northern Fu Sect’s disciples had already entered the Yanhu Secret Realm.
At the same time, relevant news was sent to the other three sects. This news was extremely important and had to be made known to them. If one of the sects fell, the other three would hardly be able to survive. It was a matter of life and death for the entire continent, so Qi Tian didn’t dare hide it.
The only thing still unclear was when the other continents would discover them.
Zhu Juan obtained what he wanted—mines of Spirit Stones, as well as other resources. Most importantly, he got the promise from the Northern Fu Sect that if they couldn’t resist invasions from other continents, the entire sect would submit to the Chenxiao Sect. With this agreement, not only was Qi Tian reassured, but Zhu Juan was also satisfied. This condition of submission wasn’t humiliating; it was similar to how countless families relied on the Northern Fu Sect—it was a means of survival.
Monier, Guo Shier, and the others didn’t return until evening. As soon as they arrived, Zhu Juan called them over, and the four of them discussed things in Kuumu’s bedroom.
Zhu Juan explained the situation and said, “With the Northern Fu Sect submitting to the Chenxiao Sect, it means the Chenxiao Sect gains a large amount of resources and manpower. Hehe, this is a huge gain. Shier can now legitimately form a small family and bring those related to you into the Chenxiao Sect.”
Monier said, “This is the best solution. It avoids a battle and local hostility—this is the ideal outcome.”
Guo Shier said, “This only holds true… if the Northern Fu Sect is invaded.”
Kuumu said, “As long as the secret realm remains stable, invasion is inevitable. It’s just a matter of time—maybe it will be discovered tomorrow, or maybe in ten or a hundred years… That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we can already obtain local resources and manpower, albeit at a cost.”
Guo Shier asked curiously, “Chenxiao Sect… are there similar situations? Like other lower-level continents where those spellcraft sects submit to the Chenxiao Sect?”
Kuumu nodded. “Of course. There are quite a few.”

Guo Shier didn’t have a strong sense of belonging to the Northern Talisman Sect, but he still had some fondness for its inner sect, especially feeling quite attached to certain people there. Therefore, he didn’t want the sect to decline or be invaded. It would be beneficial for the Northern Talisman Sect to ally itself with a powerful sect in the intermediate continent, and he agreed with this idea.

Kumu asked, “What about that merchant caravan… um, the one named Zhu Xu? How are they?”

Guo Shier replied, “People have been sent to investigate. Zhu Xu has been assigned to the inner sect, so he should be safe. As for the Spirit Stone veins, with the Northern Talisman Sect in charge, it shouldn’t be hard to take control of them.”

Kumu nodded silently. After a while, he said, “Good! Try to collect as many types of mineral resources as possible.”

Monier took out an object and smiled, “You dullhead, fat guy, take a look—what’s this?”

Kumu glanced at it casually, his pupils narrowing slightly. He straightened up and asked, “Where did you get this?” His voice sounded somewhat urgent.

Surprised, Guo Shier couldn’t help but ask, “Master, what is this?”