Chapter 8: The Jade Realm (Part 1)

Sun Min’er said, “The coordinates of the Jade Realm have been leaked. Many professionals want to try their luck there, but my skills are too poor for me to risk entering.”
Guo Shier asked, “The Jade Realm? Is it a secret realm?”
Sun Min’er replied, “Yes. Its full name is the Sealing Spirit Jade Realm. Only experts at the Saint Master level or above can enter. I heard that many Grand Saint Master-level experts plan to go there. What’s most frustrating is that one needs a Cross-Domain Talisman or a sect’s talisman gate to enter. Even if we know the coordinates, it’s useless.”
Guo Shier asked, “Do you know the coordinates?”
Sealing Spirit Jade! He immediately understood that the specialty of this secret realm was Sealing Spirit Jade. It was one of the materials used to build soul altars, and a huge amount was required. So far, he hadn’t collected even one piece.
Sun Min’er said, “I do, but what’s the use? My talisman gate can’t open that kind of secret realm.”
Guo Shier said, “Give it to me!”
Sun Min’er was stunned for a moment before realizing what he wanted. She took out a talisman containing the coordinates of the secret realm. Such coordinates couldn’t be expressed in words—they were formed by complex runes, so they had to be stored in talismans.
Guo Shier transferred the coordinates into his life talisman and then returned it to Sun Min’er, saying, “Beard Man, are you interested in going together?”
Sun Min’er replied without hesitation, “No!”
Eagle Demon asked in surprise, “Weren’t you just regretting not being able to go? I offered to take you, but you refused. Why?”
Sun Min’er smiled and said, “I’m happy here at Jingming Gate. I enjoy everything—eating, drinking, and having fun. Why go to the Jade Realm to suffer? Besides, those going this time are all experts. If I were a high-level Saint Master, I might consider it. But I’m just a high-level Mad Master. Going there would be seeking death. No way!”
Eagle Demon was amused by her words and said, “Forget it. You’re still the same as before—unchanged.”
Sun Min’er gave a careless smile. She really had no great ambitions; she was the kind of person who was content with a modest life. She was already very satisfied with her current level and had no desire to strive for more.
After chatting for a while, Guo Shier got up to leave. The two exchanged message talismans for easy future contact.
The three left the restaurant. Guo Shier pondered for a moment before saying, “Since we can’t find the old man’s trace on the Earthfire Continent, then… let’s head to the Jade Realm!”
Eagle Demon agreed, “Good. But it’s best to prepare first.”
Luo Zhan said, “The supplies should be enough. Shier has already bought a lot of things.”

Guo Shier said, “It’s not enough. Besides food, we also need to prepare plenty of clean water.” It was common sense—before entering a secret realm, one had to stock up on a large amount of supplies, with clean water being particularly important, as some secret realms might not have any water at all.
Eagle Demon said, “Clean water is the least of our concerns here. We can just go to the lake and fill our containers.” Jingming Lake was right nearby, allowing them to get as much clean water as they needed.
The three of them bought a large amount of food. Guo Shier also found a place to process some of the mutated talisman beasts and insects he had collected earlier, then went to the lake to collect plenty of clean water using large talisman bottles.
After leaving Bibo City, the three flew to a secluded area. Guo Shier entered the coordinates into the interdimensional talisman. He sighed in relief and said, “It works… but we don’t know what we’ll encounter in this secret realm.” Unknown secret realms were often extremely dangerous, especially those that were widely rumored about.
Eagle Demon said nonchalantly, “Where’s there no danger? Hehe, just go in and see!”
Guo Shier activated the interdimensional talisman, and a portal appeared before them. Eagle Demon stepped through first, followed closely by Guo Shier, with Luo Zhan entering last.
The three of them worked in perfect coordination. Eagle Demon always went first; his combat skills were outstanding, allowing him to protect those behind him as soon as they entered the secret realm. Guo Shier and Luo Zhan followed closely behind.
Everything around them was pitch black.
Eagle Demon cast a lighting talisman.
Guo Shier was surprised and said, “It’s underground?” This was his first time entering an underground secret realm. The densely interconnected caves became visible under the light from the talisman.
Eagle Demon said, “They’re all cave entrances… We can’t stay here for long!”
Guo Shier immediately understood. He wondered if all the coordinates of the Jade Realm that were circulating were for this location. If so, it was extremely dangerous, as those who wanted to enter the Jade Realm would gather in this area, increasing the likelihood of conflicts. He shouted, “Let’s go!” Then he cast a spell and applied it to his own eyes, followed by casting a vision-enhancing spell on Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan.
Instantly, everything around them became clearly visible. Guo Shier dived into the largest cave entrance, and the three of them rushed forward.
Soon, another portal appeared on that open area. Three Grand Sage-level professionals stepped out of it and, without stopping, flew toward a cave on the left.
Within an hour, five portals appeared one after another on that open area, opening sequentially. Most of those who entered were Grand Sages, with a few being Sages. After entering, they quickly dispersed and went into various cave entrances.

Guo Shier chose the largest passage to take. The three of them moved at great speed and soon were far away from where they had entered. Soon, they got lost in the labyrinthine caves. It was impossible to determine direction here, with passages as dense as a spider’s web, endless in number—each passage had countless branches. The three of them walked for an entire day, completely disoriented. Guo Shier said, “Stop! Wait a moment, Uncle Eagle Demon. The paths here are too chaotic…” Eagle Demon smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t even know where I am.” Luo Zhan touched the cave wall and exclaimed in surprise, “Shier, these cave walls weren’t formed naturally…” Guo Shier stepped closer to examine it carefully and was also astonished. He said, “Yes… they were dug! Damn, what a huge effort must have gone into digging this!” Eagle Demon went to the cave wall and cast another lighting spell. Sure enough, the wall was full of pits and dents, all traces of sharp tools. He said, “That’s right, they were dug… Could it be…” Guo Shier said, “Sealing Jade! It must be for digging for Sealing Jade! If we keep moving in one direction, the fewer passages there are, the greater the chance of finding Sealing Jade!” Luo Zhan exclaimed in awe, “Impressive—everything has already been dug out… No wonder the coordinates of this place have spread.” Eagle Demon nodded and said, “Exactly. The area we’re in must have been dug through as well. That’s why newcomers don’t stay here—they all head toward the edges!” The three of them immediately flew in one direction. No matter where the passages led, they tried to move in one direction as much as possible. Along the way, they didn’t encounter a single person, nor any of the mutated spirit beasts or insects commonly found in secret realms. After more than twenty days, the passages began to thin out. After passing through several small openings, the three of them arrived in a narrow fissure. Guo Shier said, “This wasn’t dug—it’s natural… Look at the stone walls. See if there’s anything.” The three of them searched the stone walls carefully. Eagle Demon said, “We haven’t found anything. No Sealing Jade!” He had inherited knowledge in this area and knew how to construct a soul altar. Although this knowledge was sealed until he reached the rank of Great Sage, he could find all the necessary materials from his inheritance and knew what Sealing Jade looked like. Luo Zhan also said, “No, no Sealing Jade!” Guo Shier was a bit disappointed and said, “Alright, let’s follow this fissure.” The fissure was very long and split into several branches. Guo Shier chose the largest one and continued walking for seven days. The fissure became narrower and narrower, until it was eventually too narrow for anyone to pass through.

Guo Shier stared at the gap ahead and said, “We can’t get through! It’s too narrow. Forcing our way in will get us stuck in the cracks.”
Eagle Demon examined it carefully for a while before asking, “Can it be broken open?”
Guo Shier replied, “Let me give it a try!”
The moon blades flew out. Guo Shier cast a spell with one hand and shouted, “Split!” The moon blades divided into thirty-six pieces, swirling around him. He said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, Uncle Luo, step back a bit. It’s too narrow here; we might accidentally hurt each other.”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan stepped back as instructed. Eagle Demon said, “Alright, Shier, you can start now.”
Without further ado, Guo Shier observed carefully, pointed at the crack, and shouted, “Go!” The moon blades turned into a spinning beam of light and rushed toward the crack.
Thud! Thud!
The power of the moon blades was immediately evident—like cutting tofu with a knife. The thirty-six foot-long blades swiftly pierced into the crack, quickly cutting a large hole as dust and debris flew everywhere. Unperturbed, Guo Shier activated the Qinglian talisman to keep the dust and debris at bay. He slowly moved forward, pushing the moon blades ahead.
After about ten steps, Guo Shier felt the moon blades become lighter. Delighted, he said, “It’s through!”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan followed and saw an even larger crack appear. The three of them didn’t stop and continued flying forward. There was no place to land below; falling would mean getting stuck in the cracks. The rock walls below formed a V-shape, making it impossible to walk.
The crack extended further and narrowed again after about a kilometer, with the cracks disappearing altogether. Guo Shier observed for a moment and said, “It seems there are no more cracks ahead…”
Eagle Demon said, “Shier, come and take a look!”
Guo Shier flew back to Eagle Demon’s side and asked, “What to look at?”
Eagle Demon replied, “There seems to be a crack below. But we need to break through this barrier to go down.”
Guo Shier immediately used the moon blades to dig, and after a few minutes, he created a large hole. He said, “It’s empty below. Let’s go down!”
Below was still a huge crack. Unlike the ones above, this crack led downward, forming a pit-like space, as if left behind by a giant sword.
The three of them descended quickly. After about a kilometer, Guo Shier stopped and said, “We’ve reached the bottom…”
Eagle Demon examined the cave wall briefly and called out, “Shier, I found it! A large amount of Sealing Spirit Jade!”
Guo Shier asked, “Where?”
Eagle Demon pointed at the grayish-white rocks on the cave wall and said, “These must be the Sealing Spirit Jade—unrefined raw ore.”

Luo Zhan said from the other side, “There’s one here too, seems to be a mineral vein.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, Uncle Luo, you dig over there; I’ll dig here!” He had a moon blade, so it was easy for him to dig for the Sealing Spirit Jade.
Eagle Demon nodded and said, “We’ll take care of this side.” He took out his life sigil blade. Luo Zhan didn’t have a life sigil weapon yet; he used a large axe and swung it at the stone wall.