Above the dark starry sky.

A bronze ship covered in golden light slowly sailed by, its body adorned with ancient and mottled patterns. It moved silently, occasionally encountering turbulent spatial currents or being swept by magnetic storms. Brilliant rays of light would emerge, followed by various floating mountains of different sizes and shapes appearing from within.

However, the bronze ship always seemed to know in advance and avoid all dangers. Its speed was slow yet fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had left behind the large group of floating mountains.

“There are just too many dead people. How many lives does this cursed place have to devour every time it opens?” A slightly dissatisfied voice sounded from inside the bronze ship.

“Senior brother, there’s nothing we can do about it. The Misty Illusion Secret Realm has existed for tens of thousands of years. Even though everyone knows it’s dangerous, countless cultivators still rush in every time. They come one after another because there are too many opportunities and rare resources here that can’t be found anywhere else.” Another voice spoke.

“Yes, treasures from heaven and earth are enticing. Any cultivator with a bit of ability would want to come and take a look. As long as they can gain something, they won’t return empty-handed.”

“And those cultivators who are about to reach their limit and have no hope of breaking through will also try to find a way to get a spot and enter, taking a chance and testing their luck. If they die, it’s not a loss. If they can find some life-extending resources, it’s a big gain.”

Inside the cabin of the ship, two young cultivators with delicate skin and handsome appearances stood by the window, quietly observing the scene outside. Among the floating mountains, scenes of cultivators fighting desperately for resources could occasionally be seen, with various magical treasures and divine spells shining brightly.

On a floating mountain hundreds of miles away, a couple-like male and female cultivators were protecting a young girl, desperately resisting the siege of more than ten rogue cultivators. In just a few moments, they were chopped into pieces and their bodies turned into light and disappeared.

The rogue cultivators also suffered casualties, with almost all of them injured. Their blood-red eyes filled with resentment were fixed on the young girl in the middle, like a group of mad wolves.

“Little girl, hand over the things, or don’t blame us for being impolite!” The leader of the group roared fiercely.

Hatred flashed in the girl’s eyes. “You bunch of scum killed my parents and now you want to steal the divine medicine? Dream on!”

“Then you can go accompany them!”

The rogue cultivators didn’t waste any more words and immediately attacked. After all, most of the things here couldn’t be taken out of the secret realm. Killing people before looting was the same.

A soft light curtain emanated from the necklace on the girl’s body, temporarily resisting the siege of the cultivators. However, the light curtain was rapidly dimming, and after a few breaths, it would collapse, and she would still be unable to avoid being killed.

Seeing the critical situation, the girl no longer hesitated. She took out a fairy grass about a foot tall, surrounded by brilliant rays of light, from her Space Bracelet and quickly crushed it before swallowing it.

“You dare…”

The leader of the rogue cultivators was both shocked and furious. This divine medicine was an extremely rare treasure that couldn’t be sought after. Yet, this little girl had actually eaten it? Wasn’t everyone just wasting their time?

A satisfied smile appeared in the girl’s eyes. “I’ve already eaten it. Even if you kill me, you won’t get anything!”

“Bastard! Bastard!”

The enraged rogue cultivators rushed forward. “Capture her and let us take turns having fun with her!”

The girl laughed, and her skin suddenly glowed abnormally. Before the rogue cultivators could react, she exploded with a dazzling small sun right where she stood.

After the aftermath of the girl’s self-destruction dissipated, only three of the rogue cultivators remained alive. They were covered in wounds, their clothes tattered and miserable.

Just as they were about ten miles away, a streak of light flew past. The cold and stern-eyed female cultivator glanced over and casually sent out a sword aura, cutting the three men into six pieces, and their bodies immediately turned into light and dissipated.

“Indeed, this is fate, this is the will of heaven!”

The two young cultivators in the bronze ship sighed. The brutal and bloody battles unfolding under the starry sky brought them not discomfort or unease, but a sense of enjoyment.

In this Misty Illusion Secret Realm, it was survival of the fittest. Only the strongest could qualify to survive and obtain the most valuable opportunities. As for those who perished, no one would spare them a second glance.

“Senior brothers, did you come here just to watch the show?”

A soft and melodious voice, as if pearls falling on a jade plate, sounded with a hint of dissatisfaction. “Our master ordered us to find talented rogue cultivators here, try to recruit them into our sect, and also observe certain specific targets. We need to find an opportunity to contact them and see if they can be of use to our Calamity Fate Palace. Don’t forget about the main task.”The two young men converged their smiles and straightened their expressions: “Junior Sister Qingfeng, of course we will not delay the sect’s plan. We are just observing, aren’t we? As long as we encounter suitable targets, we will naturally intervene according to the situation.”

A woman walked over not far away, wearing a gorgeous deep blue dress. Her slender and graceful figure was accompanied by long hair that flowed without wind, fluttering elegantly. Her eyes were full of spirituality, with long eyelashes that blinked like crow feathers. Her fair skin emitted a sparkling and translucent glow, exuding a mysterious and noble aura.

She was Mei Qingfeng, the only direct disciple of the Calamity Fate Palace’s Palace Master. Although her cultivation level was not high, she had recently just stepped into the True Person Realm. However, she had gained the unanimous recognition of the elders and was early on appointed as the successor to the sect, being fully nurtured as the future Palace Master.

It was said that she possessed some kind of special talent and divine ability, which made many senior brothers and sisters in the sect, who considered themselves extraordinary, extremely jealous. Therefore, she firmly held the position of successor, and no one could shake it.

If Qing Muling were here, he would be surprised to find that this woman named Mei Qingfeng looked exactly like his third senior sister, Qi Yalan, except for their different temperaments, there was no difference in other aspects.

Mei Qingfeng flipped her slender wrist and produced a jade box in her hand, handing it to them: “Take this thing with you. If you encounter any trouble with suitable targets, you can intervene and also gain some benefits.”

One of the young men took the jade box and opened it. Inside were ten thumb-sized green jade talismans, emitting a dense and profound Dao Rhyme aura.

“Junior Sister, what is this?”

The young man asked in confusion.

Mei Qingfeng explained: “This is a special artifact that the sect master and the elders have spent many years repeatedly trying to refine, and I have perfected it. It is called the ‘Heaven’s Mandate Seal’.”

“The cost of each Heaven’s Mandate Seal is not inferior to a postnatal Spirit Treasure. No matter what danger you encounter, activating it can protect the cultivator and allow them to safely return to the Great Void Starry Sky without any loss.”

The two young men’s expressions changed slightly. Why would such a good thing not be distributed to their own people but instead be given to outsiders? The elders were too biased.

Mei Qingfeng’s voice was indifferent: “This is the sect master’s will. You just need to execute it and remember not to be clever and delay the sect’s plan. Otherwise, no one will be able to save you!”

“Yes.”

The two young men reluctantly agreed. This junior sister had the authority to handle matters decisively and ruthlessly. Her reputation had long spread, and anyone who dared to question her authority had long disappeared without a trace.

On the floating mountain peak.

“There is no more gain here. Let’s go to the next place!”

Qing Muling said, taking the Space Bracelet handed to him by Xuebing Xuan and putting it into the animal skin pouch beside him.

The half-height pouch was already filled with dozens of Space Bracelets and Space Rings, as well as some seal necklaces and belts. These were all spatial artifacts contributed by those dead cultivators. At this moment, these artifacts were all stuffed to the brim, filled with various rare resources that had been plundered.

The senior sisters rose into the air with him, and in less than a dozen breaths, the floating mountain peak they had just been on underwent changes. It gradually faded away in a misty glow until it disappeared.

“Is it just a coincidence?”

Cheng Yulan’s scalp tingled. If they had delayed for a while just now, wouldn’t everyone have been trapped inside?

“I think it’s because of Junior Brother. That mountain peak didn’t disappear because of him. Otherwise, do you think you would be so lucky?” Yu Lingzhou laughed.

The senior sisters pondered for a moment and seemed to agree. Except for Qing Muling, everyone else had been to the Misty Illusion Secret Realm before and naturally had a deep understanding of its dangers.

Compared to before, this trip to the secret realm was indeed much smoother. Although they encountered some unexpected situations, they were able to pass through them safely. It was evident that Qing Muling’s role in the team was irreplaceable.

“Alright, let’s quickly find new resources! I believe Junior Brother will bring us more surprises in the future.”

Luo Wanqing urged, chewing on several jujubes in her hand. The surface of her crystal-clear snow-white skin shimmered with colorful radiance, and her majestic aura became more and more overwhelming.

Due to the abundant harvest, the women began to pick and eat the divine medicines that suited them on the spot. Although there was no time to refine them, they could instantly replenish their consumed spiritual energy and slowly enhance their physical bodies and Divine Souls.

Yu Lingzhou was the same. With piles of divine medicines entering her mouth, her aura became more refined and condensed. There was a dormant and long-suppressed majesty gradually awakening within her, indicating that her accumulated injuries were being continuously repaired.

Qing Muling surveyed his surroundings, focused his senses for a moment, and pointed to a floating mountain peak that had just appeared a hundred miles away: “That should be it.”Qi Yalan stared intently, only to find a bare stone mountain, devoid of even a single blade of grass on its surface within several miles. She couldn’t help but question, “Could there be anything valuable there?”

Qing Muling explained, “There are no medicinal herbs, but the mountain is rich in Geng Metal Qi. There should be some rare spirit ore hidden within.”

“Great, let’s go check it out then!”

Qi Yalan agreed immediately. The creation of high-level magical tools certainly required rare materials. Even though she didn’t have time to refine them, selling these materials to the remnants of the Heavenly Human Clan could bring her many benefits.

Qing Muling, along with his senior sisters, approached the mountain. After a thorough search, they pinpointed the approximate location. Qi Yalan then manipulated her sword light to cut the hard mountain rocks into large blocks, each several meters square, and threw them into the river below.

In no time, a piece of irregular metal resembling a lump of coal appeared. It was taken by Yu Lingzhou for a closer look. The black, rough surface had hidden dark silver patterns, interspersed with specks of purple light. It emitted a dull spiritual power fluctuation, subtly distorting the nearby light.

This was Di Yue Dark Star Sand, a main ingredient for crafting high-level Space Bracelets. Naturally, it was quite valuable. Therefore, the senior sisters worked together to almost split the entire mountain, harvesting hundreds of pounds of Di Yue Dark Star Sand, leaving nothing behind.

The group continued their journey. Although the Weak Water Star River covered a vast area, they had already ventured deep into it.

The floating mountains in their field of vision grew larger and larger, with mountains spanning hundreds or even thousands of miles appearing in the glow.

However, the spiritual perception of the cultivators was increasingly suppressed. Even the strongest cultivators at the peak of Ascending to Immortality could only sense a few thousand meters away. Beyond that, they could only rely on their eyesight.

The water surface below was no longer calm. White waves rolled and surged, and the huge undercurrent whirlpools beneath the surface were clearly visible, chilling to the bone. The chaotic elemental magnetic currents in the air appeared more and more frequently, and one could be swept up if not careful.

At this point, the number of cultivator teams in their field of vision finally began to decrease. Although everyone knew that the deeper they went, the more likely they were to find valuable items, the risk of encountering danger also increased. Those who lacked strength wisely chose to retreat. Those who dared to venture deeper were the elite from top sects and Supreme Dao Lineages.

“Junior Brother, do you think we have a chance of finding the Heavenly Medicine this time?” Xuebing Xuan asked.

Qing Muling pondered, “I’m not sure, but we can try.”

Although it was his first time here, he found that his spiritual perception was not affected, so his ability to find resources still surpassed all the cultivators here. If there were any rare treasures, they would not escape his senses.

In the sky at the edge of their vision, a bronze tower ship was slowly approaching.