Chapter 125

Chapter 125: The New Secret Realm Opens

Yuan Qi was right; the merging of the Secret Realm began at noon the next day. But You You never imagined it would happen like this. The clear sky suddenly filled with thick white mist, swallowing the entire Jinxing City within moments.

You You sensed chaotic presences and unrecognizable energies swirling around her. Before she could react, the ground shook as if she’d collided with something. When the tremors stopped, everything had changed.

The inn they’d stayed at was gone. Jinxing City itself had vanished. Scattered houses now stood among patches of dense trees, while a snow-capped mountain and fields of dead grass appeared nearby. It looked like fragments of all four seasons had been torn apart and clumsily stitched together.

The white mist still drifted, reshaping the scenery wherever it touched—like invisible hands cutting and pasting the world. Worst of all, Yuan Qi and the others had disappeared from behind her.

You You froze. She’d expected merging, not this chaotic patchwork! She fumbled for her Messaging Talismans to contact her team, but Yuan Qi’s voice came through first.

“You You, where are you?”

“No idea,” she said, eyeing the shifting landscape. “Everything keeps changing. What’s happening?”

“Spatial tearing during the merging separated us,” Yuan Qi explained. “Stay grounded and avoid the mist. I’ll find you.”

“Understood.” She paused. “What about Ning Rui and Nie Zheng?”

“Sect Master!” Ning Rui’s voice chimed in. “The mist transported me elsewhere, but Nie Zheng’s here.”

“Celestial maiden, we’re together,” Nie Zheng confirmed.

You You exhaled in relief. With Nie Zheng guarding the lowest-Cultivation Ning Rui, she could worry less. “Keep safe and stay connected. Regroup after the merging ends.”

As the voices faded, You You surveyed her surroundings. The mist kept reshaping the land. Panicked cultivators darted about—some tried fleeing via sword control, only to vanish into airborne mist pockets. Soon, everyone avoided the fog, clustering on safer patches of withered grass.

A bestial roar shattered the tension. From the mist charged a hill-sized eighth-grade monster, its spiked body flinging blade-like spines skyward.

“Run!” someone screamed.

The crowd stampeded. You You’s talisman fell as elbows shoved her. Cursing, she sprinted with the others, hastily activating a protective talisman.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Spines impaled the ground where they’d stood. Injured cultivators scrambled for pills. You You’s talisman shielded her, but the enraged monster kept charging.

People took flight despite the mist, thinning the fleeing crowd. You You maintained distance until—crack! Spines pierced through mist ahead. Too late, she stumbled into thinning fog.

Darkness swallowed her. Cold stone met her palms as she stood in pitch blackness. A cave?

Warmth glowed at her waist. Her guardian beasts bag pulsed red. She opened it—whoosh! A crimson flame burst out, illuminating the cavern.

“Little Flame?!”

The fire spirit twirled around her, nudging her cheek affectionately.

“You hid in the bag?!” She glared at her guardian beasts bag. “You can’t leave Feng Rong’s side! It’s dangerous here!”

The flame dimmed meekly. Pop! A red lotus bloomed in its sparks. When she didn’t move, more lotuses appeared—then peanuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn rained from its flickers.

You You: “…”