Chapter 6: The Desperate Secret Realm (Part 2)

An expert in altars replied, “This is the Desperate Secret Realm, home to various mutated talisman beasts and aberrant talisman beasts.” He didn’t mention that it was the hunting ground of the Guji Family and a precious secret realm—most mutated and aberrant talisman beasts lived there. However, many secret realms lacked such beasts or only had weak ones, and aberrant talisman beasts were even rarer. Thus, a realm rich in mutated and aberrant talisman beasts was a vital resource for an ancient family.

Guo Shier said, “Desperate? The Desperate Secret Realm?”
Ji Yuntian explained, “This realm is only suitable for altar-level experts. For ordinary professionals, it’s a death trap—they have no chance of survival.”
Guo Shier asked, “Is this realm very large?”
Ji Yuntian smiled bitterly. “Not just large… It’s the largest among the realms under our family’s control, even larger than ordinary continents. Perhaps in a few thousand or tens of thousands of years, it will become its own continent.”
Qi Wuzhen said, “Great. I just happen to be short of sacrifices.”
Ji Yuntian’s expression darkened instantly. He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak. He wanted to stop Qi Wuzhen but dared not. Although the Desperate Secret Realm was abundant in mutated and aberrant talisman beasts, the Guji Family strictly controlled killing. If indiscriminate slaughter were allowed, the realm would quickly lose its value.

Guo Shier and the others also lacked sacrifices. As altar-level experts, the quality and quantity of sacrifices affected their strength. While more wasn’t always better, a lack of sacrifices significantly weakened their power.
Ji Yuntian said helplessly, “Our people have already withdrawn. So aside from Wang Ke, no one else is inside.”
Guo Shier laughed, “This guy is interesting—going to such a death trap.”
Qi Wuzhen said, “There’s nothing strange about it. When you can’t win, having more powerful mutated and aberrant talisman beasts gives you more chances to escape. If it were me… I’d also come here.”
Ji Yuntian said, “He didn’t realize this realm was an important hunting ground for our family. We’ve already set up talisman locks. Once activated, the talisman gates can’t be used, and one can only exit through the realm’s entrance, which is why he’s trapped.”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, let’s go in.”
Ji Yuntian said, “I’ll accompany you in.”
Qi Wuzhen said, “You don’t need to come.”

Ji Yuntian retorted unwillingly, “This… since you’re not familiar with it, having me around will make things better… Uh, fine, I’ll wait outside.” When Qi Wuzhen’s gaze fell on him, he was too scared to insist any further.
Qi Wuzhen warned, “Don’t try any tricks. These seal charms won’t work on me.”
Ji Yuntian repeated anxiously, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare…” He was utterly silenced by Qi Wuzhen’s dominance.
The other experts at the altars showed displeased expressions. Qi Wuzhen said with a half-smile, “What, aren’t you satisfied?” The coldness in his tone was unmistakable to everyone.
Ji Yuntian glared at his companions and said, “No, we’re not dissatisfied…”
Guo Shier didn’t bother to pay attention. He flew into the secret realm and said, “Alright, let’s go!” They had already obtained a topographic map of the Despair Secret Realm, so they weren’t completely unaware of it.
The Despair Secret Realm was a place that remained spring-like year-round, with a warm climate and lush vegetation. It was home to numerous mutated and aberrant rune beasts, as well as countless wild beasts and rune beasts, and even a large number of mutated rune insects. On the mid- and low-level continents, such a realm was absolutely forbidden, but under the control of ancient clans, it had become a treasure trove.
After entering the secret realm, Guo Shier and the others used teleportation several times before arriving on a hill. Guo Shier landed and asked, “Sister Zhen, how should we find that person?”
Qi Wuzhen smiled slightly and said, “Why rush? This place is great. How can we leave empty-handed?”
Ying Mo couldn’t help but laugh, “The Gu Ji clan is going to cry…”
Guo Shier also laughed, “Bringing wolves into the house… Haha.”
Qi Wuzhen said, “Seize opportunities whenever they arise. If you don’t understand even that, then don’t be a professional. But the Gu Ji clan is indeed foolish. Who would want to share such a realm with high-level professionals? Hehe.”
Nan You asked, “So we’re not searching for Wang Ke anymore?”
Qi Wuzhen replied, “Why rush? We’ll find him wherever we encounter him. I’m sure he can’t hide… As long as he appears near us, I can detect his trace. Hmph, is my stuff that easy to steal?”
Luo Zhan laughed, “This guy is in trouble.”
Guo Shier said, “It seems we’ve stumbled into the territory of some mutated rune beast.”
Qi Wuzhen said, “A small reptile—the territory of an eighth-level earth dragon.” Before her words faded, a hundred-meter-long earth dragon knocked down countless thick trees, rushed down the hill, and let out a furious roar at the group.

This earth dragon is very similar to the great earth dragon. The first time Guo Shier and the others encountered a level-7 great earth dragon, they managed to kill it only by taking advantage of its severe injuries. This level-8 earth dragon has roughly the same strength as that great earth dragon, slightly higher, and is also a giant creature.

Guo Shier said with a smile, “Level 8… it poses no threat. Its soul is quite weak; even if it were refined into a spirit beast, it wouldn’t be very useful.” He now dismissed such mutated talisman beasts as insignificant.

Luo Zhan said, “Though the bird is small, its flesh… is still flesh. If you don’t want it, I will…” He was habitually reluctant to waste anything.

Guo Shier suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, earth dragon flesh is excellent—very tasty.”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “Troublesome little thing!” She stretched out her hand, and a spark flew out, piercing straight into the earth dragon’s huge head.

With a shrill roar, the earth dragon’s massive body collapsed to the ground. Qi Wu Zhen waved her hand, and another spark flew out from the earth dragon’s head and landed in her palm. She said, “Alright, you guys clean it up yourselves.”

Just one spark was enough to kill a level-8 mutated talisman beast, and it was even a dragon-type earth dragon. Even if Guo Shier had taken action, he would have needed to strike several times with his moon blade—it couldn’t be killed so easily.

Luo Zhan exclaimed happily, “Eagle, Nanyou, come help!” He leaped onto the earth dragon’s huge body, first extracting its spirit, then starting to cut up its flesh. He ignored the blood and bones entirely. The earth dragon’s heart was collected, as it was not only highly nourishing but also extremely delicious.

Qi Wu Zhen watched the three excited figures in confusion. To be precise, it was Luo Zhan and Eagle Demon who were excited, while Nanyou had a grim expression. He wasn’t interested in this. Even though it was a level-8 mutated talisman beast of the dragon type, he had no interest in it. Even if its spirit were given to him, he wouldn’t bother taking it.

The people of the Gu family never lacked such things. The family had a specialized hunting team that could provide spirits of any level. How could they understand the hardships of low-level professionals on the continent? It was like a child from a wealthy family and one from a poor family—their aspirations could hardly be the same.

It took Luo Zhan and the others several hours to deal with just one earth dragon, most of the time spent cutting up its flesh. The large pieces of fresh meat were preserved using void talismans, then cut into square pieces and quickly frozen with cold-type void talismans before being stored in the talisman storage space. Once everything was collected, Guo Shier released a giant nesting dragon to devour the leftovers.

Looking at the empty ground, Qi Wu Zhen covered her forehead and stared speechlessly at those little creatures. She had never seen such professionals in her life—masters at the altar level who still did such things. Guo Er Shi not only released the Giant Perching Dragon and the Ancient Flame Sparrow but also the Blade Shadow Mantis and the Dark Winged Demon Scorpion. These Spirit Beasts had seen their strength greatly enhanced through the nourishment of the altar, but in Qi Wu Zhen’s eyes, they were still nothing special. The only one that piqued her interest was the Ancient Flame Sparrow. She emitted a bit of sparks and injected them into the Ancient Flame Sparrow’s body, startling Guo Er Shi. The Ancient Flame Sparrow quickly absorbed those sparks and began to mutate, its power surging rapidly, instantly reaching the level of a Level 13 Spirit Beast, which startled Guo Er Shi once again. Qi Wu Zhen said, “Give it more fire-type Spirits. The Ancient Flame Sparrow has great potential. With proper cultivation, it can reach Level 17 or 18 without problem.” Guo Er Shi was stunned. Level 17 or 18? He had yet to encounter any mutated Spirit Beasts at those levels. If the Ancient Flame Sparrow could reach that level, it would likely be able to deal with mutated Spirit Beasts at Level 15 or 16—a strength not much less than his own. He nodded repeatedly and said, “Okay. From now on, whenever we encounter fire-type mutated Spirit Beasts, I’ll give it Spirits.” The Ancient Flame Sparrow chirped once, circled Qi Wu Zhen a few times, and affectionately perched on her shoulder, gently rubbing its head against her cheek. Qi Wu Zhen smiled and said, “Not bad. A very intelligent little guy.” Guo Er Shi laughed and said, “Let’s sit on the Giant Perching Dragon and let it lure other mutated Spirit Beasts.” Qi Wu Zhen said, “That’s a good idea. It saves us the trouble of searching everywhere.” She flew onto the Giant Perching Dragon. Fortunately, she could now suppress her spiritual pressure; otherwise, the dragon might have collapsed on the spot. Even so, the dragon was very uneasy. Guo Er Shi calmed it down before its spirit stabilized. Guo Er Shi laughed and said, “Hunting begins.” If it weren’t for Gu Xi Bi being combined with the altar, he would have loved to release it as well—this thing was even more powerful, capable of directly attacking the souls of mutated Spirit Beasts. Qi Wu Zhen said, “I didn’t expect you to have potential as a soul controller.” Guo Er Shi asked, “What’s a soul controller? I collected and cultivated these Spirit Beasts before I reached the altar level. After reaching the altar level, I rarely used them.” Qi Wu Zhen said, “You’re not a professional who cultivates the soul domain, so you’re not a true soul controller. If it were a professional who specializes in the soul domain, one altar could control tens of thousands of Spirit Beasts—whose power would be terrifying.”

Guo Shier said in surprise, “Tens of thousands of Spirit Beasts… Good heavens, how is that possible?” As he spoke, the Dark-Winged Scorpion scouting ahead let out a warning chirp. Guo Shier said, “It seems they’ve detected something.”