Chapter 38: Secrets

Inside the Green Dragon Palace, the elders at the Hundred Beasts Peak who were in the Tribulation stage were shocked by what the sect leader, Green Dragon, said, and silence reigned throughout the palace for a long time.
Inside the Dimensional Sphere, Qu Yi also pondered over these top-secret matters after hearing them.
Of the ten major sects, there were only eight Eight-Direction Swords, meaning two sects would inevitably be unable to enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion. And now, Qu Yi alone possessed three Eight-Direction Swords, which meant only five of the ten sects could send people in. Undoubtedly, there would be significant movements among the sects.
Most likely, each sect would send strong fighters to chase after Qu Yi and seize the seventh Eight-Direction Sword. Moreover, the ten sects would send even more people to hunt down Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu to take the Six-Directions Blade. Of course, the Taiyuan Sect would be the most diligent in this regard, as only they knew that these three still had an Eight-Direction Sword with them.
After some thought, Qu Yi realized that his situation would become even more difficult—his true identity would likely be known throughout the cultivation world.
Previously, the sects that had pursued Qu Yi were just small sects or sent few people, all of whom he had managed to fend off. But this time, it would be a joint effort by ten sects, conducting a thorough search across the cultivation world. Each branch of the sects would investigate and identify all suspicious individuals to chase after Qu Yi.
Qu Yi gently exhaled, his expression relaxing as he smiled faintly and said, “If these sects want to find me, let them come. It’s utterly impossible for them to locate me. I’ll take advantage of this situation to gain some benefits.”
Thinking about what lay ahead, Qu Yi even felt a bit excited.
Back in the Green Dragon Palace, Green Dragon saw the elders deep in thought and smiled lightly. “Gentlemen, what the Hundred Beasts Peak needs to do next is first, send people to search for Qu Yi; second, you elders in the later stages of Tribulation, focus on cultivating—securing treasures in the Immortal Mansion depends on you; and third, gather various rare treasures in the cultivation world to hand over to the six elders who will enter the Immortal Mansion.”
The Hundred Beasts Peak already had one Eight-Direction Sword, and each sword could take six people into the Immortal Mansion.
“Understood!” the elders replied with smiles.
These powerful beings in the Tribulation stage were the true core strength of the Hundred Beasts Peak. Those at the Great Vehicle stage were busy absorbing the essence of the five elements, aiming to transform their bodies into the essence itself so they could break through boundaries and ascend. In the face of these power struggles in the cultivation world, it was the Tribulation-stage warriors who held the real decisive power—this was why Green Dragon had gathered all the elders at this stage.

Qinglong smiled and then continued, “Elders, you may now return to your own cultivation caves. In the future, when our branch sects discover treasures, we will ask you elders to go and collect various rare treasures.”
“Yes, Master,” replied one of the ten elders gladly.
Immediately, all the elders flew away from Qinglong Palace, except for a hundred elders who were in the later stages of the Tribulation Phase. Qinglong had specifically used his spiritual consciousness to instruct them to stay.
These hundred elders in the later stages of the Tribulation Phase were the ones who would enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion, and Qinglong naturally needed to give them instructions.
Qinglong glanced at the hundred elders and said with a smile, “Gentlemen, our Bai Shou Peak has obtained an Eight-Directions Sword, so we can be sure of entering with six people. If we get another Eight-Directions Sword, fifteen of our elders can enter the immortal mansion.”
Upon hearing this, the hundred elders were visibly shocked.
Qingpeng immediately asked, “Master, one Eight-Directions Sword can only take six people. With two swords, it should be twelve people. How can it take fifteen?”
All the elders stared intently at Qinglong.
Undoubtedly, Qu Yi inside the Inch Realm Sphere was equally astonished. He himself had three Eight-Directions Swords, yet he hadn’t known this news. He had studied the Eight-Directions Swords before and hadn’t noticed anything special.
Seeing the expressions of the hundred elders, Qinglong smiled and said, “Actually, this is a secret known only to the masters of the ten major sects. It’s also a secret left behind by the ten supreme immortals. Only when one reaches the Tribulation Phase and can activate two Eight-Directions Swords simultaneously with their own true energy can they learn this. I think that if three swords can be activated at once, more people can be taken in.”
The hundred elders took a deep breath. After learning this secret, they admired Emperor Hao’s ingenuity in devising the Eight-Directions Swords as a means to open the immortal mansion.
Hearing this, Qu Yi smiled. It seemed he would have to reach the early stages of the Tribulation Phase before he could know how many people could be taken in by activating three swords simultaneously.
At that moment, Qingpeng spoke up, “Master, among our three demon cultivation sects, only our Bai Shou Peak has obtained an Eight-Directions Sword and a Six-Directions Blade. Xian Yue Ya and Jiu Gong Dao haven’t gotten either a sword or a blade. This is extremely disadvantageous for us. Once we enter the immortal mansion, the cultivation sects and demon cultivation sects will surely target our Bai Shou Peak.”

The Eight Directions Sword — currently, the two cultivation sects, Qingyun Sect and Yingtian Sect, and the two demonic sects, Biyan Peak and Cangyang Valley, each possess one. Before entering the Immortal Mansion, other cultivation and demonic sects will surely negotiate deals with these four sects. It is likely that the cultivation and demonic sects will unite, which would be extremely disadvantageous for the demon cultivators.

In the Tianhuo Star Region, there have already been instances where cultivation and demonic sects united to eradicate the demon cultivators. Therefore, Qingpeng’s concerns are entirely plausible.

Upon hearing this, the elders grew furious but were helpless.

Qinglong smiled and said, “This possibility exists, but you don’t need to worry. We don’t know how the Hao Tian Immortal Mansion is structured. You may not even meet them; it’s also possible that the two groups meet and compete. There are various possibilities, so you don’t need to be overly concerned. As long as you stay united, the cultivation and demonic sects won’t dare act recklessly.”

The elders nodded, agreeing with Qinglong’s reasoning. As long as they had strength, they indeed didn’t need to fear other sects, even if they united.

At that moment, one elder asked, “Elder Master, when the Immortal Mansion opens, will the Emperor of the Demon Realm send someone down?”

Upon hearing this, all the elders held their breath, looking at Qinglong in anticipation of an answer.

Millions of years ago, ten powerful beings from the Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, and Demon Realm descended to earth and each established a sect, leaving behind a strange teleportation array to ensure they could send people down in emergencies. This secret was known only to the elders of these ten major sects.

The elder’s question meant he wanted to know that if people from the higher realms came, those who emerged from the Hao Tian Immortal Mansion would surely be killed by them and then fight over the treasures. In other words, everyone who entered the mansion would not only fail to obtain the treasures but might also be killed by those from the higher realms — which would be extremely unjust.

Qinglong smiled and said, “I’ll need to consult the Demon Emperor of the higher realms before I can answer that. But you don’t need to worry. Those from the higher realms certainly won’t target their own people. Otherwise, why would they obey? If you manage to obtain treasures in the mansion, you should be able to protect your lives.”

The elders’ eyes lit up as they immediately understood the key point: there were treasures in the mansion. If they could get those treasures, they might be able to resist those from the higher realms and wouldn’t have to fear being killed. Then, those who survived after entering the mansion could receive rewards from the Demon Emperor by handing over the treasures to the people sent from the Demon Realm.

Qu Yi, inside the Tiny Realm, heard so many secrets and kept pondering in his heart.
Qing Long continued, “Alright, all the elders. I’ve now shared the secrets. I hope everyone can further improve their strength before the Immortal Mansion opens. As for the rest, let me take care of it. I’ll definitely prepare powerful magical artifacts for those who enter the Immortal Mansion.”
Qing Peng suddenly asked, “Master, who is in charge of the Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree now? I hope another Poison Fruit can be cultivated before the Immortal Mansion opens. With just one such powerful poison fruit, no other sect will dare to trouble us at Bai Shou Peak. Then we can focus on searching for treasures in the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion without interference from other sects.”
Upon hearing this, the other elders, who had just started to get up to leave, immediately stopped and turned to look at Qing Long again.
Qing Long smiled proudly, “This task has already been assigned to Meng Chen. He should be on his way to Misty Forest Star right now, feeding the Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree.”
As the leader of a sect, Qing Long was very proud of having discovered this Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree. After all, no cultivator at the Tribulation stage dared to come into contact with even a trace of the Poison Fruit’s poison—it would be certain death. As long as they had one Poison Fruit in the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion, they could move around there with confidence.
“Meng Chen… Good. He’s cautious and strong enough. Assigning him this task won’t draw the attention of other sects, and he can help the Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree produce another Poison Fruit,” Qing Peng nodded in agreement.
Since the Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree wasn’t on Liupan Star, Bai Shou Peak had to act quietly to avoid attracting the attention of the other nine sects. Naturally, they needed someone with both strength and intelligence for this task.
With everything discussed, the elders left Qing Long’s Palace. All they had to do now was cultivate and wait for the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion to open.
…
Qu Yi had sneaked into Bai Shou Peak to gather information about the Poison-Feeding Fruit Tree. After learning it was on Misty Forest Star, he immediately left.
Now, Qu Yi returned to Bai Lan City. By using the space teleportation array there, he could leave Liupan Star and head to Tai Qian Star.
As Qu Yi rode the space teleportation array toward Misty Forest Star, another wave of turmoil swept through the entire cultivation world.
The ten major sects, in addition to continuing to hunt down Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu, also began a widespread manhunt to capture Qu Yi from Cui Mu Star. Moreover, portraits of Qu Yi were spread throughout the cultivation world. It was likely that as soon as he showed himself in his true appearance, thousands of cultivators would surround him.

In addition to pursuing Qu Yi, various branches of the ten major sects were also searching across the entire cultivation realm for magical artifacts. Even valuable herbs, ores, and caves would attract countless individuals and sects to compete for them, turning the entire cultivation realm into a bloody battlefield. Moreover, the powerful cultivators at the Tribulation stage, who rarely appeared in the cultivation realm, now showed up frequently at the sites of these conflicts, further intensifying the brutality of the battles. Qu Yi paid no attention to any of this and continued to use space teleportation arrays to head toward Misty Forest Planet. By now, Qu Yi had arrived at Misty Forest Planet. He shook his hair and set out with full confidence to search for the Poison-Devouring Fruit Tree.