Chapter 4: The Secret Realm of the Altar (Part 1)

Chen Bing said, “This question… not only am I puzzled, but Baozi and the others are equally confused. Shier, why could you advance so quickly? At first, the gap between us was small, but now… sigh, we’re worlds apart.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Actually, my advancement isn’t that fast. There are two others who are truly fast—hehe, and they’re people you know.”
Huo Bao asked, “Who can advance faster than you? I don’t believe it.”
Guo Shier replied, “Master Luo Jie and Grandpa Nanshan. I guess they might have already reached the ninth level of the altar, hehe.”
Huo Bao widened his eyes. Chen Bing said, “Oh, I see. They’re part of the Black Talisman Clan’s lineage. It’s not surprising they advance quickly. Moreover, the Black Talisman Clan’s lineage has its flaws. But how did you advance so fast?” Although his own rank wasn’t high, he knew about the clan’s flaws—only unaware that Guo Shier had already overcome them.
Guo Shier spread his hands and said, “Maybe it’s luck.” The real secret to his rapid advancement was possessing Soul Scriptures. Later, he obtained another one from Li Ran, and with the help of masters like Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen, it was hard even to advance slowly.
None of the four believed it, but since Guo Shier was already an eighth-level altar professional, they couldn’t deny it must be luck.
Next, they asked Guo Shier about their own advancement issues.
This was the advantage of having a master’s guidance. Even with inherited knowledge, many small problems arose during actual practice. If left unaddressed, advancement could get stuck on such issues, leaving one trapped with no way forward.
Guo Shier patiently explained each one. For those he couldn’t clarify, he used his inherited memories directly. This was the most effective teaching method—far better than trying to figure things out on their own.
Huo Bao and the others finally realized the benefits of having a master’s guidance. Many of their lingering doubts were resolved, leaving them extremely excited. This guidance and explanation lasted three days—three non-stop days. Fortunately, since they were all professionals, resting for a while wasn’t an issue.
Wu Chongren was a wandering professional. The oldest among the four, he was also the most steady. He had risen to the rank of a high-level Great Sage through his own efforts, making him an extraordinary figure. Without any guidance, though he had inherited knowledge, he couldn’t go any further. With Guo Shier’s guidance now, he realized that even without these advancement materials, he still had a chance. He was deeply grateful to Guo Shier.

After eating something and resting for half a day, Guo Shier continued his teachings. There were some issues that needed to be clarified, otherwise, they might get stuck halfway through the progression, leaving no time for regret. Some of these issues were even unclear to Guo Shier himself, but he had a powerful spirit ritualist who could overcome any difficulty. Through this period of instruction, even Guo Shier himself benefited greatly.

It had taken Guo Shier a great deal of effort to reach the Virtual Form Altar. It was only with the help of Gu Mu Lian that he was able to progress smoothly. He possessed the strength of a Virtual Form Altar even before actually reaching it, which was very different from how Huo Bao and the others progressed.

Huo Bao sighed. Ever since meeting Guo Shier, he didn’t know why he kept sighing. He said, “Shier, it’s fortunate you explained everything to us. Otherwise… who knows how long it would have taken us to progress. Even if we gathered all the materials and had everything ready, it wouldn’t be easy to advance. Without the support of a family or sect, it’s truly difficult to progress on one’s own.”

Wu Chongren agreed wholeheartedly. Nodding, he said, “Yes. Just the four of us, wandering outside for over a decade, still unable to gather even a single piece of material needed for progression. Either this is missing or that—sigh, it’s not easy at all.”

All four were filled with emotion. Huo Bao felt extreme regret, regretting not having persistently followed Guo Shier from the start. Now, even if he wanted to follow again, it was impossible. He also understood that it wasn’t that Guo Shier didn’t want to take them along, but given their strength, they would only be a burden, causing trouble instead of helping. It was only then that he completely gave up the idea of following Guo Shier, planning to seek out Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan after reaching the Virtual Form Altar.

Finally, Guo Shier helped them purify and refine the difficult-to-decompose materials using the Jie Bai Na beads. Then he said, “Find a quiet place each to progress. Don’t worry about anything else. Even if there’s fighting outside, don’t get distracted. Try to succeed on the first attempt.”

Huo Bao, Hong Shi, Chen Bing, and Wu Chongren stood up to pay their respects, truly grateful. Guo Shier smiled bitterly inwardly. He knew he owed Huo Bao and the others a bit, but having come this far, he hadn’t expected this either. Nodding, he said, “Go ahead. Try to succeed on the first attempt.”

The four of them left the room to begin their most crucial progression yet.

After finishing matters related to Huo Bao and the others, Guo Shieru took a break before considering his own advancement. The framework of the ninth-tier altar was almost complete. He had participated little in its construction, with most of the work done by the old man Shuai, unless it was necessary for him to do it. At this stage, the old man Shuai could no longer handle everything alone, as it was Guo Shieru who would ultimately advance, not him.

Guo Shieru sat down on the altar and called out. The old man Shuai emerged, showing half of his body. After years of nurturing with soul pearls and living in the Ancient Ink Lotus, the old man Shuai’s body had become almost tangible, emitting a faint glow. Without that rune light, it would be hard to recognize that he was actually a sacrificial spirit.

The old man Shuai said, “This advancement is a crucial milestone. I think we should be cautious. Wait until Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan have advanced first, and let them protect you. I expect there to be quite a stir.”

Guo Shieru nodded. The old man Shuai’s meaning was clear: this advancement required caution, and safety was equally important. This place wasn’t safe. Although he believed no one from the Star Sect would dare to cause trouble, he still couldn’t advance without protection. Any accident would lead to serious problems, so it was better to take his time.

Suddenly, Guo Shieru remembered something and asked, “Old man Shuai, have you dealt with the sealed secret realm that Brother Li Ran gave you last time?”

The old man Shuai replied, “It’s long done. I originally planned to put it in the Soul Stabilizing Cauldron, but unfortunately, it can’t hold it. Hehe, I placed it in the core of the Ancient Ink Lotus. I already live in that secret realm. Come and take a look.”

Guo Shieru asked, “Enter? How do I get in?”

The old man Shuai snapped, “Idiot! Of course your physical body can’t enter. Your soul can.”

Guo Shieru sat cross-legged on the altar, first activating his defenses before sinking his consciousness into his soul. In an instant, he arrived in the secret realm of the altar. He felt his soul jolt as he found himself in a strange place. Strangely, he could still sense everything outside, and even everything related to the altar was clearly imprinted in his mind.

The old man Shuai appeared beside him and chuckled, “Not bad, right?”

Guo Shieru remained silent for a while before saying, “This… is this what it feels like to be a sacrificial spirit? It’s a strange feeling.”

The old man Shuai nodded. “That’s right. Experience it carefully.”

Guo Shier was a bit surprised. He had originally thought he had a good grasp of controlling his altar, but after entering the secret realm with his soul this time, he felt something entirely different. It was as if he was touching things without gloves before, but now it felt like he had taken them off—this clear perception both surprised and delighted him; he hadn’t expected such an effect.

It was only then that Guo Shier began to pay attention to his surroundings. There was a small plain surrounded by vast forests, along with a river a hundred meters wide. The water flowed swiftly yet was crystal clear, with low hills in the distance.

Strangely enough, he could clearly determine the size of this secret realm—everything within it was imprinted in his soul. He knew the entire realm wasn’t large, about 10,000 square kilometers at most. There were no mutated beast symbols in it, only ordinary wild animals and herbivores like cattle and sheep.

The handsome old man said, “I originally thought of bringing in some Spirit Beasts, but if we did, I doubt any living animals here would survive. So, forget it.”

Guo Shier nodded. “Don’t bring in Spirit Beasts. We can place a Soul Spring here. Also, some of the precious plants I’ve collected can be planted there. Aside from those that require extreme environments, most plants can be transplanted.”

The handsome old man replied, “No problem. But I haven’t had time lately; we need to focus on advancing.”

Guo Shier said, “I know. Hehe, with this secret realm, we can store many things. Handsome Old Man, if you have time, let’s build some houses in it specifically for storing precious materials.”

The handsome old man said, “No problem. But I’ll build the warehouses underground and only construct a few houses on the surface. After all, the space here is limited, and we can’t waste it recklessly.”

Guo Shier withdrew his soul, and the handsome old man followed back to the altar. He said, “You still need to do some work to structure the altar. Of course, it’s not true advancement yet. You can stop at any time. Once you finish this step, we can officially advance.”

Guo Shier jumped down from the altar and then shrunk it to about one meter in size. By now, the altar already had eight layers, resembling a pagoda without a spire. The ninth layer was just a virtual form, requiring countless incantations to be strengthened. As for strengthening the materials, that was the handsome old man’s task.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Guo Shier began reciting incantations, gradually infusing power into the nine-tiered altar. As the incantations were chanted, the old man swiftly poured in materials, which combined with the runes to slowly shape both the inner and outer altars. Having worked together for a long time, they were in perfect sync, methodically refining the altar without haste.

From time to time, the old man crushed a Soul Pearl and poured sacrifices into it. By the time constructing the nine-tiered altar was underway, the sheer number of soul sacrifices required could bankrupt even a professional—at least nine thousand were needed, with even more for special altars. Guo Shier had an abundance of soul sacrifices, so he used them up to their maximum capacity.

The nine-tiered heavenly altar was vastly different from ordinary nine-tiered altars. For a regular altar, around nine thousand sacrifices were sufficient, with a maximum of no more than eighteen thousand. In contrast, Guo Shier’s heavenly altar required at least thirty thousand sacrifices; if extra effort was invested in its refinement, sixty thousand would be better, with ninety thousand being the upper limit.

The old man aimed for ninety thousand soul sacrifices as the standard. If it weren’t for obtaining nearly a million soul beasts on Bone Mountain, Guo Shier would likely have been stunted at this stage. Now, this obstacle could no longer hold him back—even if the cost were several times higher, he could afford it.

When constructing the eight-tiered altar, not many Soul Pearls were used, just slightly more than for an ordinary altar. But the ninth tier was different—it represented the pinnacle for professionals. Especially since it was a heavenly altar, a top-tier altar, a large number of sacrifices were needed to truly complete the advancement.

The old man used high-grade soul beasts to enhance the quality of the heavenly altar. According to his approach, the best materials should be used to create a top-tier altar, sparing no cost or effort. As long as there were top-tier materials available, he wouldn’t hesitate to use them, even if it meant some waste.

It was like building houses—thatched houses are houses, adobe houses are houses, wooden houses are houses, and concrete houses are also houses—but their durability, interior decorations, and overall quality vary greatly. The old man built Guo Shier’s altar to the highest standards, treating it as if it were a palace.

For the construction of the nine-tiered altar, Guo Shier relied on the legacies of Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen. After discussing it with the old man, they came up with a comprehensive plan, so everything was already prepared in advance.