Chapter 376

Chapter 376: The Target

After Cui left, Ji Yang glanced at the booklet in his hand and began to carefully flip through its pages.

The booklet divided the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong into three layers: upper, middle, and lower.

The lower layer was the outer part of the secret realm, where most cultivators randomly landed after entering.

The map of the lower layer was the most detailed, marking the locations of various rare spiritual plants and the activity ranges of many spiritual beasts. It even specified which realm of cultivators could venture there.

However, upon reaching the middle layer, the map became much less clear, displaying only one-third of the lower layer’s information, with most places marked by red symbols, indicating danger.

As for the upper layer, which was the center of the secret realm, it appeared vague, with only two locations marked by black symbols, signifying death.

According to the descriptions below, only Void Refinement stage cultivators could explore the upper level; anyone below this realm who recklessly approached would face a perilous struggle to survive.

While the vast majority of cultivators entering the secret realm would land in the lower layer, some unfortunate individuals could end up in the middle or upper layers.

If their cultivation level was high, they might save a lot of exploration time, but if it was low, they would be left to wait for death.

The booklet recorded an incident where a disciple from the Taiyi Sect, at the Early Stage of Spirit Transformation, entered the secret realm and found himself in the upper layer. This disciple dug a hole and, using his exceptional Breath-Holding Technique, hid there for two months before escaping when the exit opened.

Though some of this may have turned into rumors, it proved just how dangerous the upper layer was.

Even so, many cultivators still yearned to explore the upper levels, as the essence of the Way they sought was found there.

The essence of the Way was neither a lifeless object nor a living creature, but it didn’t stay in one place for long, making it difficult for cultivators to find.

Perhaps some lucky disciples encountered the essence of the Way in the lower layer, but the chances of finding it in the upper layer were significantly higher.

After reading this, Ji Yang fell deep into thought again and suddenly felt that searching for the essence of the Way wasn’t an urgent matter.

Even the Void Refinement stage cultivator faced great danger, so it was better to be cautious. He considered himself strong, but that wouldn’t lead him to be arrogant.

As for how to obtain the essence of the Way later, Ji Yang also came up with different ideas.

His Jingtan Peak had Ye Wuchen, right?

It would be fine to borrow Ye Wuchen’s essence of the Way for his own use!

If Ji Yang’s guess was correct, his Master likely held the essence of the sword, which wasn’t a secret since it was too obvious.

With this thought, Ji Yang felt quite pleased.

Moreover, the reason Ji Yang had this idea was not only because of the danger but also another important reason.

He spotted his favorite: a mine!

The booklet marked two mines in the lower layer of the secret realm: an obsidian mine and a secret silver mine. Both types of ore were quite rare in the Cultivation World, and if he could gather enough cultivation points from these mines, this trip to the secret realm would have been worthwhile.

Finding the essence of the Way and Top-tier Spiritual Plants seemed very unrealistic. Even in the records of past disciples, only a few lucky ones managed to obtain a hint of the essence from the secret realm.

Mining, however, was different; that promised tangible rewards. The effort put in would yield real results. Weighing the options, Ji Yang found this choice quite straightforward.

Plus, he no longer had opportunities to mine in the sect.

Ji Yang put away the booklet, revealing a satisfied smile.

Everything was ready; they just lacked a stroke of luck.

This secret realm expedition also had disciples from many other sects, including both righteous and demonic factions. It seemed quite lively, which made Ji Yang even more eager, as he hadn’t interacted much with disciples from other sects.

Time flew by, and the warship proceeded steadily at a uniform speed.

While no other high-level disciples came to trouble him during this time, Ji Yang figured it was due to his display of strength the other day, along with the intimidation from Ye Wuchen. The other disciples weren’t foolish; they wouldn’t seek trouble just before entering the secret realm.

Three days later, a mountain range spanning hundreds of miles came into view.

"This is Yuan Kong Mountain!"

Elder Liu stood to the side and addressed the other disciples on the warship.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yang also leaned forward slightly to look down.

Unlike other mountains, Yuan Kong Mountain had no peak; instead, its summit transformed into a vast, flat plaza.

On the plaza, countless shadows moved about.

These were cultivators dressed in various outfits, densely packed together!

It was evident that these were disciples from various sects heading to the secret realm, but their numbers exceeded Ji Yang’s expectations.

As the group’s attention turned to the plaza below, many disciples down below also looked up at the warship. Upon noticing the warship’s prominent insignia, several disciples exclaimed:

"He Dao Sect! The He Dao Sect has arrived!"

"I wonder how many true heirs the He Dao Sect will send into the secret realm; hopefully not too many!"

"Yeah, the true heirs from several other sects are already numerous; adding one more from He Dao Sect makes it harder for us to find the essence of the Way!"

The crowd below buzzed with chatter from disciples of various sects.

Most speakers were from mid-level sects.

However, as a leading righteous sect, the He Dao Sect was indeed admired by many, and even disciples from the Taiyi Sect and Diamond Sect, both righteous sects, turned their gaze toward the giant warship in the sky.

The massive warship descended quickly, landing in a designated spot at the center of the plaza!

Next to this empty space were disciples from the Taiyi Sect and Xuantian Sect, as this reserved area was naturally for the He Dao Sect.

As a top sect, this spot had been prearranged; though it seemed insignificant, it represented the sect’s strength and prestige. Other sect disciples could only remain in the middle or at the edges of the plaza.

Before the warship fully landed, a few cheerful voices rang out from below:

"It turns out Peak Master Xing is leading this time; it’s been a while! Hope you’ve been well!"

"Peak Master Xing, you’re late!"

…

As these words were spoken, several figures appeared in the sky.

The presence of these individuals was subtle, yet their clothing indicated they were top figures from various sects.

Without a doubt, these were cultivators of the same level as Peak Master Xing from He Dao Sect!

Three voices spoke, and predictably, they were the leading cultivators from the other three major sects.

As Ji Yang and the others descended from the warship, the voices in the sky faded away.

From the movements of their lips, it was clear that they weren’t silent; they simply muted their voices, making it so that the many disciples below couldn’t hear their conversation.