Chapter 6: The Mysterious Realm of Tan Ya (Part 2)

“Master, how much material was used to create this ancient talisman?”
Guo Shier didn’t ask how much money it cost—he knew such a thing could never be bought with money.
Kumu replied, “Well, many materials came from high-level mutated talisman beasts, along with seventy pieces of refined Anluo Stone.”
Guo Shier’s mouth dropped open. After a long while, he said, “Master, if there’s nothing in this Mysterious Realm of Tan Ya, you’ll suffer a huge loss. I already understand the uses of Anluo Stone…”
Kumu said, “I know. Anluo Stone is one of the main materials for constructing a soul altar. Ni Er and I already have enough in stock.” In other words, there was no need to worry about running out.
Guo Shier sighed and asked, “Master, have you found the other two main materials?”
Kumu shook his head. “We’ll wait for the right opportunity. They’re not that easy to find.”
Guo Shier said, “Indeed. Zuling Wood and Blood Soul Stone are very hard to obtain. Usually, they’re exchanged for Anluo Stone. But I’ve found some.” He took out two talisman bags and handed them to his master and master wife respectively.
Kumu opened the bags in surprise, inspected them briefly, and said with delight, “Oh, these are Zuling Wood and Blood Soul Stone!”
Guo Shier said, “I found them in the Bloody Mysterious Realm. There isn’t much, so I’m not sure if it will be enough.”
Although Kumu showed no expression on his face, he was overjoyed inside. He nodded and said, “This is great. If it’s not enough, we’ll find another way later… I was attracted by the ancient talisman because many ancient mysterious realms were inaccessible, becoming sealed realms with no entrances or exits. One could only enter through the original coordinates of the ancient talisman. I was very curious, so I took a photo.”
Guo Shier said, “That’s good. Let’s go in and take a look. Who knows what special discoveries we might make?”
Kumu said, “Let’s rest for a day first. You guys should rest a bit. We need to be fully prepared before entering. No one knows what’s in such ancient mysterious realms.”
Guo Shier nodded. “Okay, Master. I have a talisman house here.” He found a relatively open area, asked the Eagle Demon to clear the weeds and trees from the ground, and then summoned the talisman house.
Monier loved the small talisman house as soon as she saw it and said, “This is great.”
Guo Shier generously said, “If Master Wife likes it, I’ll give it to you.”

Monier smiled and said, “No need. You’re always out running around; this thing would be a waste for me. Keep it for yourself as a token of my regards… Your wife will accept it, hehe.” She adored Guo Shier deeply, so how could she possibly accept a talisman house? It was obvious that this item served as a mobile home in the wilderness, making it perfect for Guo Shier.

The five of them moved into the talisman house, while Luo Zhan went outside to collect the dead trees and the tent built by Monier.

Not many people had discovered this hidden realm. The Fuye family, whom they met initially, treated it merely as a training ground, so it was rare to see anyone in this place.

After resting for a day, Kuumu opened the Ancient Talisman Gate. It was a circular portal of light, completely different from the ordinary talisman gates they used.

Kuumu stepped through the gate first and said, “Follow me!”

Monier pulled Guo Shier in, followed by Luo Zhan, with Eagle Demon entering last.

……

Upon stepping out of the Ancient Talisman Gate, they were greeted by an ancient tree. Its trunk was so thick that it far exceeded Guo Shier’s imagination—over ten meters in diameter—and it stretched straight into the sky. There were similar ancient trees everywhere, many of which were already dead, left with only their thick trunks, while a few still had some green leaves.

Due to the abundance of these ancient trees, it was difficult for them to see their surroundings at first.

Guo Shier said, “Master, I’ll fly up and take a look.”

Kuumu didn’t respond; he simply took off, and Guo Shier followed closely, quickly reaching above the treetops.

Eagle Demon, Luo Zhan, and Monier also flew up.

Only in the air could they see the surroundings clearly. Most of the trees were dead, with only a few still having green canopies, giving the place a desolate feel. No large birds were visible; only small birds flew among the branches, with occasional bird calls heard.

The sky was light gray, with thick clouds that hung low. Some tree tops even reached into the clouds, creating a sense of oppression.

Guo Shier sighed, “This place is so desolate!” He then recorded the coordinates of this place in his Cross-Dimensional Talisman.

Luo Zhan said, “I don’t know why, but I feel a bit uneasy.”

Eagle Demon asked, “Could there be Ancient Talisman People here? Strange—why can’t I use my talisman gates?”

Guo Shier replied, “I can only use my Cross-Dimensional Talisman. It seems that all other ordinary talismans are disabled. The rules of this hidden realm… seem different.”

Monier checked as well and said, “That’s right. My talisman gates don’t work either.”

Guo Shier said, “Special secret realms are quite troublesome. Ordinary secret realms are easy to enter and exit, while special ones are hard to get in and out of. Hehe, but I’m really looking forward to discovering something here.” Ever since he had entered a bloody secret realm once, he knew that in any special secret realm, there would always be something unusual inside.

“This is the Tan Ya Secret Realm!”

Ku Mu murmured to himself, also holding high hopes for this realm.

It was Ku Mu’s first time entering an ancient secret realm. Even people like Monier and Guo Shier had never entered one before. Even on the Advanced Continent, such realms were extremely rare and precious.

Guo Shier sniffed the air and said, “There’s a faint smell of blood.”

Ku Mu nodded. “I smelled it as soon as we entered.”

The smell of blood was very faint, like a slight rust scent. Guo Shier was familiar with this smell both in his past life and this one. He asked, “Master, do you have a talisman map for the Tan Ya Secret Realm?”

Ku Mu shook his head. “No. It was clearly stated during the auction that no one had ever entered this realm. Otherwise, who would want to bid for it? I heard that the person who obtained this ancient talisman gate was a sage. With his strength, he probably can’t unlock it.” He added, “I heard it was found in an ancient ruin… He couldn’t use it himself, so it was sent for appraisal and acquired by the sect. Since so many people wanted it, the sect couldn’t distribute it, so it was put up for auction.”

Guo Shier said, “Without a talisman map, we’ll have to explore on our own. I wonder how big this realm is?”

Ku Mu said, “Let’s explore it ourselves. Let’s go!” He took the lead, flying close to the treetops, with the others following closely behind.

The five of them moved at great speed. Even Luo Zhan, the slowest, was carried by Eagle Demon and didn’t fall behind. Gradually, the green trees became fewer, and large areas of dead wood forests appeared. Monier said, “They’re all dead trees!”

Ku Mu almost fell off hearing that, while Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh.

The wind generated by the five as they flew swept through the dead wood forest. Those trees had long rotted away, and even the slightest movement couldn’t hold them up. One after another, the dead trees collapsed like dominoes, raising clouds of dust with a rumbling sound.

Eagle Demon said, “Strange. The trees here have been dead for a long time. If there were any slightly larger talisman beasts around, this forest would have long disappeared. It’s impossible for them to still stand here. Could it be there are no talisman beasts here?”

Guo Shier pointed to the left and said, “There are… and they’re huge! Look over there!”

A giant skeleton stood in the barren forest. The trees here were already very tall, but the skeleton of this talisman beast was even more enormous; parts of it were even hidden by the clouds, giving the impression at first glance that it was like a mountain made of bones. Everyone couldn’t help but marvel, even the withered trees showed signs of shock. There could be such a huge skeleton of a talisman beast—already enormous even from a distance, and its true size was unknown up close. Withered Wood said, “Let’s go take a look to see what kind of talisman beast’s skeleton this is.” Everyone immediately changed direction and flew toward the left. Guo Shier said, “I think it should be the skeleton of an Abnormal Talisman Beast. If it’s a Mutated Talisman Beast, I wonder what level it is.” Generally speaking, aside from some special varieties, Mutated and Abnormal Talisman Beasts tend to be more powerful the larger they are. The larger their size, the more runes they can carry, the stronger their flesh and blood, and their huge bones mean immense strength. A talisman beast with such a massive skeleton is definitely not an ordinary one. As they got closer, the skeleton appeared even more colossal. Its shape was quite strange—there were two huge fan-shaped bone plates on its back, with massive ribs neatly arranged beneath them. Its thick limbs resembled four giant pillars, nearly a kilometer tall. Its spine resembled a winding dragon, spiraling upward from bottom to top. Not far away, a huge skull lay on the ground, like a small mountain. The five of them flew up to the skeleton, appearing even smaller than ants in front of an elephant, staring in awe. After a while, Withered Wood said, “This thing must be an Abnormal Talisman Beast of at least level 15 or 16. We rarely see such terrifying Abnormal Talisman Beasts these days.” Guo Shier stared at the skull on the ground for a long time and said, “Good heavens, what killed this Abnormal Talisman Beast and cut off its head… Look at that bone—doesn’t it seem like it was cut with one stroke?” Eagle Demon said, “What kind of knife would be needed…?” Then he realized and exclaimed in horror, “It was killed! How is that possible?” Withered Wood replied calmly, “Why not? The Ancient Talisman People possess powers beyond our imagination. It’s just that many of their traditions have been lost now.” Guo Shier thought of Master Luo Jie and Grandpa Nanshan, knowing that the Black Talisman People’s traditions they inherited were very powerful. The Black Talisman People were also a branch of the Ancient Talisman People, and their strength lay in their ability to burn souls—extremely terrifying.

Luo Zhan said, “If we can obtain the inheritance of the Ancient Sigil People, it’s worth dying for! They’re too powerful…”
The five of them landed on one of the fan-shaped bone fragments. The slanted fragment was enormous in size. Guo Shier crouched down and touched the surface of the bone; it was covered with dense patterns. The bone was jade-colored, as smooth as jade, with a slightly slippery texture. He said, “This is top-quality material for sigils. It’s a shame the Ancient Sigil People didn’t keep it.”
Ku Mu also found it hard to understand. Such material was extraordinary—even in the era of the Ancient Sigil People, it would have been top-grade. It was a real pity they didn’t keep it.
Monier stood up straight and looked around. Suddenly, she froze and pointed into the distance, saying, “Look!”