Chapter 381

Chapter 381: Gathering of the Sects

"That’s too few, not enough. Give me twenty more high-level spiritual plants!"

Ji Yang shook his head and said.

Peak Master Su furrowed his brow, seemingly troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly agreed.

"Alright! It’s settled."

After reaching the deal, Peak Master Su’s figure dissipated, disappearing somewhere.

However, what Ji Yang didn’t notice was that after he agreed, a hint of pride flashed in Peak Master Su’s eyes.

It was just a single top-tier spiritual plant; he could certainly provide that.

Most importantly, Ji Yang did not specify any particular top-tier spiritual plants, so he could not be blamed!

Just right, he had a special top-tier spiritual plant in his medicinal garden that he had planned to uproot long ago, and now it would be perfect to exchange for his spiritual treasure.

As for high-level spiritual plants, they were no challenge at all for him as a Peak Master.

Besides the trade, he also had another way to retrieve his spiritual treasure, which was to send disciples from the sect into the secret realm to reclaim it.

However, considering Ji Yang’s strength, which allowed him to leave unscathed even while surrounded by the three elders, Peak Master Su decisively abandoned that idea.

Furthermore, although Ji Yang was on the Heaven Demon Sect’s blacklist, the sect did not pursue him too aggressively; the reward was only enough to tempt Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators.

This itself represented a signal, and the reason for this was undoubtedly related to Peak Master Ye.

After seeing Peak Master Su agree, Ji Yang also breathed a sigh of relief.

A cultivator at the Unity with the Dao stage, even if just through Transmission, had a significant gap compared to the elders he had met at the late Void Refinement stage.

Ji Yang’s reason for agreeing was simple.

Spiritual treasures were indeed rare; although the red staff was only a semi-spiritual treasure, it had not yet reached the true level of a spiritual treasure. However, this artifact did not match Ji Yang’s attributes, and even without the primordial spirit mark, he could not unleash its full power.

Moreover, Ji Yang’s desire for spiritual treasures was not strong; even if he used one, it had to align with him.

At worst, after he broke through, he could find Elder Chai to upgrade his iron pick again.

He could treat this spiritual treasure as a temporary measure while in the secret realm.

Aside from all this, another reason was that while Ji Yang communicated with Peak Master Su, he distinctly sensed the shaking of the spiritual treasure in his storage bag.

Clearly, even without the primordial spirit mark, Peak Master Su still had some connection to the spiritual treasure in his hand.

Considering these factors, it made sense to drain the last bit of value from this spiritual treasure.

Using it in this secret realm and then exchanging it for spiritual plants was simply killing two birds with one stone.

Why not take advantage of it!

With Peak Master Su no longer interfering, everything went smoothly. As for the occasional prying eyes of other disciples, Ji Yang was not bothered at all.

The realm he displayed was indeed somewhat lacking among the disciples heading to the secret realm this time.

Time flew by!

In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.

The square was bustling with activity, with cultivators from various sects filling the view.

The opening of the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong attracted many well-known sects from the Cultivation World.

Top righteous sects such as He Dao Sect, Taiyi Sect, Diamond Sect, and Xuantian Sect were all present.

The demonic sects were even more numerous, led by the six demonic sects.

Just the top sects alone numbered ten.

Moreover, there were other large sects like He Huan Sect, Beast Master Sect, and Qianji Gate…

The Beast Master Sect, as the name suggests, primarily focuses on cultivating spiritual beasts for combat, and beyond that, they also use various spiritual insects.

Though they are just a large sect, their power should not be underestimated.

As for Qianji Gate, they excel in creating various puppets. In the market, Tianji Gate’s puppet sales are quite impressive, featuring not only combat puppets but also many other types. They can be activated simply by inserting spiritual stones, making them very convenient.

It is said that Qianji Gate’s greatest wish is to cultivate a puppet at immortal level, but they have yet to achieve that; otherwise, they wouldn’t merely be a large sect.

In fact, besides these famous sects, there are also many medium and small sects in the Cultivation World, but they did not qualify to participate in this secret realm.

Even among the top sects, there were differences.

This is evident from the disciples that each sect sent.

The righteous sects sent the most disciples from He Dao Sect and Xuantian Sect, each bringing dozens of disciples, with around ten of them being Void Refinement stage cultivators.

The other two sects sent fewer disciples, with only a few being Void Refinement stage cultivators.

Among the demonic sects, the most disciples came from the Heaven Demon Sect, followed by the Four Symbols Sect and Blood Separation Sect, while the remaining three sects were similar in number.

As for the large sects, their disciples were even fewer. However, the leading cultivators sent to guide them were still at the Unity with the Dao stage.

The reason for this goes without saying.

The Cultivation World is not a stagnant place; many sects are engaged in conflicts. If the leading cultivator brought for this event was not strong enough, it might lead to battles once the secret realm ended.

Therefore, to avoid this situation, the leading cultivators must at least be at the Unity with the Dao stage, as the highest disciples entering the secret realm this time only reached the late Void Refinement stage. This level of disciple is not common, and losing even one represents a significant loss for their sect.

If too many are lost, even a sect like He Dao Sect would struggle to bear the consequences.

While Ji Yang observed, many disciples stood up straight.

Noticing this, Ji Yang felt a stirring in his heart; it seemed the time for the secret realm to open was approaching.

However, Ji Yang looked left and right but could not see the entrance to the secret realm.

Yet, Ji Yang remained calm and simply waited quietly.

At this moment, several figures appeared in the sky, including Peak Master Xing from He Dao Sect.

Beside him were several cultivators whose realms were not visible, both male and female, of various appearances, including Peak Master Su from the Heaven Demon Sect.

Undoubtedly, these were the leading cultivators from other sects, all no less than the Unity with the Dao stage.

After Peak Master Xing and the others arrived, they did not interact much with the disciples below, as if they had a tacit understanding with the other sect leaders, disappearing into the crowd until now when they revealed themselves.

Now that everyone had appeared, it was clear that they had already discussed matters.

After a while, the figures began to fly back to their respective territories, preparing their instructions before entering the secret realm.

Standing in the sky, Peak Master Xing scanned the crowd below and quietly counted the number of people, confirming that all the arriving disciples were present. Then, Peak Master Xing spoke solemnly:

"After half a joss stick of incense, the secret realm will open!"

"According to past rules, the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong opens for two months each time, and how you spend this time is your own business! The sect does not interfere. Whether you seek the essence of the Way or treasure is your own opportunity!"

"However, I must remind you that the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong is extremely dangerous, and there are also disciples from other sects. Now you still have a chance to reconsider. If you do not wish to enter the secret realm, you may withdraw now!"

"Is there anyone among you who does not wish to go to this secret realm?"