novelraw Chapter 32 : Secret Realm Descends
Chapter 32 : Secret Realm Descends
Chapter 32: Secret Realm Descends
In an instant, the heavens overturned and the earth collapsed.
From beneath the bluestone floor surged vast swathes of mist, thick as slurry.
At the center of the plaza, the Medicine Master ancestor statue suddenly lost gravity, floated upward, then abruptly turned into dust and scattered across the ground.
“What is happening?!”
“Why is the Spiritual Essence here so chaotic?!”
“Dao… Dao Tribulation power?! Ancestors above, this is an ancient powerhouse’s Dao field left behind! A secret realm of near-certain death!”
“Quick! Get out!”
“Protect the emperor—protect the emperor—protect Her Highness Consort Ning!”
Amid the panicked shouts,
a large number of Cultivators rushed toward the outside of the Medicine Master Manor. Most of them stepped into empty air—
the ground beneath their feet, along with the space above it, collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning into a bottomless void.
As their screams echoed while falling, the entire Medicine Master Manor began to melt.
The carved beams and painted rafters softened into lines, then shattered into specks of light, blending into the gray mist.
You Yiming stared in stunned silence at everything in the Medicine Master Manor.
The medicinal gardens! The treasures! The talents gathered over many years!
Watching all the painstaking efforts of past manor lords, including himself, turn to nothing—
he began to tremble. The Spiritual Essence surged wildly through his meridians like frightened rats.
The gray mist crept past his ankles.
You Yiming suddenly snapped awake and shouted loudly, “Fellow Daoists, do not panic! I have a grand protective formation for the manor—”
Before he could finish speaking,
at the center of the plaza, an ancient locust tree sank into the mist. Its trunk was devoured from bottom to top.
Its massive canopy spread wildly, blotting out the sky, then covering the entire area.
As the canopy completely enveloped this world—
the secret realm descended!
“How could this be… how could this be…”
Despair and unwillingness completely filled You Yiming’s eyes.
This should not have happened.
He was supposed to rely on the True Cultivator Assembly to step into the mainstream in one stroke, establish his own sect, and accomplish what generations of ancestors had failed to do.
“Right… a secret realm. Such a place is an ancient powerhouse’s Dao field. There must be treasures within…”
“The Medicine Master Manor is beyond saving… but if I can obtain treasures from this secret realm, my ambitions… may still have hope…”
He suddenly raised his head, flames burning fiercely within his eyes.
…
“Ning’er!”
The Second Prince—no, the new emperor of the Yan Kingdom—instinctively turned around.
Consort Ning stood half a step behind him, looking up at the distorted sky ahead.
She wore an apricot-yellow silk dress embroidered with entwined lotus patterns. The mutton-fat jade pendant at her waist swayed slightly in the mist.
A golden phoenix hairpin adorned her cloud-like coiffure, the pearl held in the phoenix’s beak trembling gently with her ‘fear.’
The emperor pulled her into his arms.
Using his back to block the collapsing world, his wide black dragon robe spread out, enveloping the apricot-yellow figure in shadow.
The sound of the ground splitting came from beneath their feet.
He lowered his head and saw her face.
Peach-blossom cheeks, vermilion mark between her brows—yet within those phoenix eyes surged excitement and savage greed.
…
The gray mist gradually receded, and everything returned to silence.
Half of the high platform at the Martial Lecture Plaza still remained.
Lü Muxue slowly opened her eyes, protected by a group of disciples from the Taiyi Talisman Palace.
The dome pressed downward, with no trace of sunlight.
All around were layered rock formations, their textures like frozen waves.
No way in, no way out—it was as if the entire manor had been swallowed by the earth.
The air was thick like paste, carrying a mix of rust and ancient sandalwood when inhaled.
Ahead, faint luminescence seeped from the stone wall, blue-green interwoven, illuminating the layered jade steps beneath.
“Secret realm…”
There was still panic in Lü Muxue’s beautiful eyes, but she remained composed.
Compared to her own situation, she was more worried about her aunt.
She had seen with her own eyes the Cultivators sucked into the void being crushed into powder—including one at the Fourth Realm, Sitting in Forgetfulness.
Her aunt had happened to leave at that moment. If she too had been dragged in—
Lü Muxue shook her head forcefully, refusing to imagine it.
If someone cursed by Imperial Dragon Fortune like herself could survive,
then her aunt, who had practiced Buddhism and done good deeds for years, must surely be even more blessed!
“Muxue… Muxue!”
Wang Yichen hurried over with his sword in hand. “Are you alright?”
His expression was anxious as he reached out, intending to support her intimately.
Lü Muxue steadied her emotions completely.
She pushed his hand away without mercy.
“Do you know what is happening?”
Wang Yichen showed no anger, maintaining his gentle demeanor.
“I have heard that in ancient times, there was a method of Dao fields that hid in the void, beyond the Five Elements. This place likely happened to fall within the range of the Medicine Master Manor, and when the remaining Spiritual Essence could no longer sustain it, it reappeared in the world.”
“Then how do we leave?”
“With such a massive manifestation, the Cultivators of the Twelve Orthodox Paths will not ignore it. They will surely come to investigate. At that time, we will be saved.”
“So we can only wait? My aunt is missing.”
Irritation appeared on Lü Muxue’s face.
“There are usually exits within Dao fields, it’s just that…”
Wang Yichen’s gaze turned serious, drifting toward the other factions gathered on the opposite side of the platform—
the new emperor of the Yan Kingdom, Consort Ning, and their guards;
You Yiming, the manor lord;
two senior brothers from the Pure Yang Palace;
and many loose Cultivators clustered together, their faces filled with greed…
He lowered his voice and warned cautiously:
“In a secret realm like this, treasures are abundant, but dangers lurk everywhere. As we proceed, we will inevitably encounter others. Muxue… the human heart is unpredictable.”
Lü Muxue frowned slightly and made her decision at once.
“My aunt has protected me since childhood. At a time like this, I cannot abandon her. You and the disciples must ensure my safety.”
Wang Yichen froze briefly, a surge rising in his chest.
Such commanding words would anger most people—
but he instead felt Lü Muxue’s need for him.
His heart instantly filled with excitement and happiness.
His entire face flushed.
He gripped his sword tightly. “Junior Sister Xue, I will protect you at all costs!”
“You should call me Junior Sister Lü.”
“Ah… alright…”
…
…
The sound of dripping water echoed in the distance.
A massive stalactite hung down from the dome, faint silhouettes visible within its surface.
They were loose Cultivators from the True Cultivator Assembly, embedded within it when the secret realm descended.
“There really is a secret realm descending!”
Luo Yi stared at everything before him in shock.
Even though he had been mentally prepared, witnessing it happen in reality was still astonishing.
What was even more outrageous—
that man named Fang Chang had actually been able to predict the appearance of the secret realm.
Even the safe positions during its descent had been explained to them one by one, all completely accurate.
How was that possible?
Luo Yi swallowed and glanced at Dai Bojun, who was still exclaiming loudly beside him.
“Brother Dai, do you know… what kind of person Brother Fang really is?”
Dai Bojun spun in circles, marveling at everything around him. His large, bright almond-shaped eyes sparkled like those of a beautiful young girl.
Hearing this,
he stopped spinning and said with admiration and excitement, “Brother Fang is a very amazing person!”
What kind of answer was that?
Luo Yi asked helplessly, “How long have you known him?”
“Probably almost a month. I don’t remember the exact time.”
“Only a month… and you trust him this much?”
Dai Bojun paused slightly, then said with a trace of loneliness, “I once had a senior who cared for me deeply. But during an unexpected danger, in order to survive, she chose to seize my body.”
“That… that happened?”
Luo Yi stiffened, realizing he had asked something he shouldn’t have.
Dai Bojun smiled faintly, indicating he did not mind. “During that incident, Brother Fang risked his life to save me and taught me something… the distinction between righteous and demonic paths is merely a method. What truly matters is always the one who uses it.”
Luo Yi gave a bitter smile.
He deeply understood this.
The Skin-Peeling Path and the Pure Yang Path differed only in their methods of seeking the Dao.
The former was not necessarily full of evil people.
The latter was not necessarily full of good people either.
Speaking of which,
Brother Fang had pointed out that the Six-Turn Glazed Pill was fake to help him, and to save Zhao Zhao, he had revealed another path to survival within this secret realm.
In that case,
why should he probe further into Brother Fang’s identity and motives?
Then the Vermilion Beauty Blood Lotus Jade Bone Root that could save Zhao Zhao—
it must exist!
Luo Yi’s exhausted body seemed to be infused with new strength, his eyes burning brightly.
He clenched his fist. “Let’s go, Brother Dai!”
“Oh!”