Since there are a large number of aquatic creatures here, and their average strength has not exceeded his limit, Qing Muling decided to stay here for a few days.

As thunder continued to fall, one large aquatic creature after another that had been provoked by Qing Muling was lured onto the shore and then killed under the attack of numerous wood-based divine spells. The essence of their flesh and blood was then refined by the Blue Lotus phantom.

In this river that stretched for thousands of miles, the strength of the aquatic creatures was generally proportional to their size, and the essence of their blood and qi was unexpectedly rich. Therefore, Qing Muling specifically targeted those large creatures that were not too strong, and the process of harvesting them was extremely satisfying.

At first, Qing Muling could only deal with one aquatic creature at a time, but as he gradually became more skilled, he could handle two creatures at once without any pressure. Then he gradually increased the difficulty, three creatures, four creatures…

After a day and a night, in an area not far from the riverbank, more than ten aquatic creatures of various forms were roaring and struggling. Each creature was entangled with dozens of thick and tough emerald vines. The sharp bone spurs on the vines carried a strong paralyzing and sleep-inducing toxin, which deeply penetrated their bodies and further limited their resistance.

Qing Muling’s body was agile, and his swordsmanship was like the wind. One by one, he killed the creatures, and within half an incense stick’s worth of time, more than ten of them had fallen to the ground.

Qing Muling skillfully dismembered the bodies of the aquatic creatures, took out the parts that were useful to him, ate the ones that could be eaten on the spot, temporarily set aside the ones that couldn’t be eaten, and handed the remaining parts to the Blue Lotus phantom to deal with. Then he began to look for the next batch of targets, and the whole process was smooth and efficient.

The elixirs contained abundant spiritual essence. Even with Qing Muling’s special physique, after eating five or six of them, he would feel his body swelling and his meridians feeling like they were about to burst. At this time, he needed to stop and meditate for a while to fully refine and absorb them.

The continuous high-intensity battles had obvious effects on his cultivation. He had already broken through to the seventh level of the Condensing Elixir realm, and his essence, energy, and spirit became more condensed. He was not far from breaking through to the next realm.

As a massive amount of flesh and blood essence was devoured and absorbed, the chaotic brilliance derived from the Harmony Spirit Seed became more abundant, carrying traces of profound Dao Rhyme, silently merging into Qing Muling’s divine soul and physical body.

At first glance, this increase seemed very small, but it was persistent. Over time, it would inevitably achieve the effect of gathering sand into a tower and converging into a river.

Moreover, Qing Muling had a feeling that in this unfamiliar new world, the mysterious seed absorbed the essence of heaven and earth faster than outside, and coupled with the endless supply of flesh and blood essence, its growth speed was bound to surpass that of the outside world.

“That’s enough, let’s change places…”

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Looking at the pile of loot not far away, elixirs, beast bones, scales, and some rare fur, teeth, and horns, all of which were valuable resources, Qing Muling felt a bit overwhelmed. He didn’t have a Space Bracelet at the moment, so it was difficult to take all these things with him.

Most cultivators entered the secret realm empty-handed due to their status and position. However, as long as they found suitable materials inside, they could still create various tools, refine pills, and craft artifacts. Although they couldn’t take them out, they could still be used in the secret realm.

Therefore, after the Misty Illusion Secret Realm had been open for a while, as long as they weren’t too unlucky, most cultivators could gather a set of decent weapons and armor. The higher the cultivation level, the better the things they could create.

After pondering for a while, Qing Muling realized that he didn’t have the right materials to refine a Space Bracelet at the moment, so he could only choose the most valuable parts of the loot and sew them into a large bag made of animal skins. He reluctantly gave up the rest and threw them into the deep water of the river to prevent them from being picked up by other cultivators passing by.

Flying across the river, entering the hilly area, Qing Muling occasionally stopped to explore the flowers, plants, and trees along the way. He found that the spiritual energy contained in them was exceptionally abundant. Even the seemingly useless wild grass was much stronger and more nourishing than the weeds outside.

As he continued on his journey, the number and density of grass and plants in his field of vision increased. Until two days later, a large primitive forest appeared in his sight. Every tree was hundreds of zhang tall and several people’s arms couldn’t wrap around them. There were countless giant trees that were three to five hundred zhang tall.

At this point, the aura of grass, wood, and water in the air was extremely rich, almost comparable to the lower-grade medicinal gardens in the sect. It could be seen that this primitive forest was a good cultivation resource.

“Alright, let’s stay here for a while!”

Qing Muling made up his mind, entered the depths of the forest, cleared out all the wild beasts in the area, and then sat down to activate his innate ability.

After a few breaths, a huge Blue Lotus phantom appeared, and rolling blue qi spread out and diffused lightly, quickly covering an area of more than three thousand zhang in radius. Countless dazzling starlights fell from the sky, silently penetrating into the bodies of those giant trees and flowers.

When he was outside, Qing Muling had to hide his true strength due to various concerns. Now that there was no one around, he didn’t need to hold back anymore.

As a massive amount of pure qi spread out, brilliant rosy lights emerged, and the fragrance of plants became even stronger. Countless subtle green and purple wood qi rose into the air, converging into a thick and heavy green and purple cloud of mist. Then it transformed into a huge tornado shape, with Qing Muling at the bottom.

Immediately, countless tiny chaotic spiritual energy origins feedback from within Qing Muling’s body, infiltrating the giant trees and silently improving their innate potential.

The earth trembled slightly, and a strange Dao Rhyme permeated the surroundings. The nearby forest seemed to come alive, and Qing Muling had a special feeling, as if a certain barrier between himself and this world had quietly disappeared. It… had truly recognized and accepted him.

In the vast and boundless sky, nine huge rainbow illusions appeared at some point, stretching across the sky, magnificent and beautiful, with faint celestial music lingering in the horizon.

At this moment, on the vast land, many powerful and mysterious beings were awakened, noticing this extraordinary phenomenon in the world. Even the cultivators who entered the secret realm were no exception.

…

In the far north.

“…How many years has it been? I have never heard of such anomalies occurring in the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. It seems that this time’s opening of the secret realm is indeed somewhat unusual.”

On the cold and desolate ice field, Xuebing Xuan, the senior sister, looked at the sky with a slight frown.

Beside her, Luo Wanqing quickly collected more than twenty sets of armor and weapons, as well as various packages, into a space bracelet. Then she carefully inspected each item. There were four special artifacts that could be taken out of the secret realm, which was considered a good harvest.

These were all from the cultivators who had besieged them, belonging to different Dao Lineages. In the end, they were mercilessly killed by the two of them, stealing the chicken but losing the rice.

“I think, this matter is probably related to Junior Brother,” Luo Wanqing said without raising her head, putting all the useful things into the four space bracelets. Of course, these were contributed by those dead cultivators. Although they were relatively crude and simple, with limited storage space, it was not a problem to hold these spoils of war.

Xuebing Xuan nodded in agreement. “I also think so. Unfortunately, the range is too vast, and there is no way to trace his location. Of course, this is a good thing. Otherwise, many cultivators would rush over to investigate the cause, and he would be in danger.”

Luo Wanqing stood up straight, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed. “After meeting with Junior Brother, perhaps we should consider and make haste to deal with the ‘important matters.’ Well, Senior Sister, you understand what I mean, right?”

Xuebing Xuan blushed and whispered, “Do we really have to do this? Isn’t it too rushed?”

Luo Wanqing snorted. “You always act so reserved. Those other seductive foxes won’t be polite to you! If they take the lead, where do you think you can cry? Are you willing to be left behind? Are you willing to enter the sect after them?”

Xuebing Xuan’s expression stiffened, and she couldn’t help but seriously consider it.

Both women were not narrow-minded people and naturally understood that this matter was not just a matter of words. The threat was real. The Sect Master had planned and arranged for them, and if they were still stolen by outsiders in the end, it would be a laughingstock.

Perhaps, this matter really couldn’t be delayed any longer?

…

In the depths of the vast mountain range.

Lin Shengqing, the junior master of the Bright Moon Sword Sect, stopped his work and looked up at the anomalies in the vast sky, frowning in silence.

“Young Master, should I handle it?” A beautiful girl dressed in animal fur hunting attire walked over and took the golden-haired beast that looked like a lynx from Lin Shengqing’s hand. She skillfully cut its throat and collected the blood flowing out into a jade bowl.

The golden blood in the bowl churned and boiled, emitting a steaming heat and a faint colorful light, obviously not an ordinary substance.

Not far away, two other girls were working together to refine a beast skin robe. The hastily set up formation array flickered with brilliance, and a small pile of spirit stones and some scattered materials were placed nearby for later use.

After a while, when the blood was completely drained, the girl in hunting attire lifted the jade bowl and respectfully handed it to Lin Shengqing.

Lin Shengqing took the jade bowl and drank slowly. The blood of this kind of beast was a rare holy medicine that could effectively nourish the Divine Soul and flesh-body, and it had a good effect even on him, a strong cultivator in the Feather Transformation Realm.

When there was only a little blood left, Lin Shengqing handed the jade bowl to the girl in hunting attire. “This thing is good. You three should also have a sip.”

The girl in hunting attire happily agreed and took the jade bowl.

Lin Shengqing let out a sigh and refocused his thoughts on the anomalies in the sky just now.

“A rare treasure? Spirit beasts? Or has some unprecedented special secret realm opened? It seems that I need to quickly gather with the people in the sect. If I want to investigate the cause of this matter, I can’t do it without enough manpower.”

…

The world in Qing Muling’s eyes had undergone subtle changes.

From this moment on, the surrounding forest seemed to become his domain, his special territory. Within a radius of a hundred miles, the number of trees, flowers, plants, birds, and beasts, as well as their species, forms, and sizes, were all vividly presented in his Divine Soul.

Soon, Qing Muling counted the number of spiritual herbs available for his use within this range: 117 plants, among which 21 could be directly consumed, and 3 were approaching the level of holy medicine. In addition, there were the hearts or roots of nine types of spiritual trees that could be dug out and eaten, as well as seven types of spirit beasts that could be hunted…

Needless to say, these were all special abilities brought to him by the innate Harmony Spirit Seed. From now on, no matter where he was, it was unlikely that any spiritual herbs or holy medicines could escape Qing Muling’s perception.

Qing Muling didn’t hesitate and immediately began to search for treasures according to the map. Apart from the parts that could be eaten on the spot, he could only choose the most valuable things to take away, as the capacity of the beast skin pouch was limited.”Forget it, I should first find the nearest city to rest and see if I can get a spatial artifact! However, I still need to cultivate for a few more days to further enhance my cultivation level…”

Qing Muling muttered somewhat vexedly. Without such an artifact, collecting resources outside was really inconvenient.

There were indeed cities in the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, and not just one or two. There were also a large number of indigenous inhabitants, each with some mysterious abilities. Of course, as long as they were not provoked, there would be no trouble.

These indigenous inhabitants could communicate freely with the cultivators, trade goods, and among them were also great powerhouses. Therefore, over the many millennia, no foreign cultivator dared to offend them.

Thus, Qing Muling stayed in this vast primitive forest spanning tens of thousands of miles for more than twenty days, finally leaving with two beast skin bags taller than himself.

After traveling on the boundless grassland for another seven or eight days, a city built from massive black rocks finally appeared at the end of his sight. Overjoyed, Qing Muling immediately quickened his pace.

However, as he approached the city gate, a group of cultivators with green glints in their eyes rushed out, blocking his path.

“Halt, who are you? Don’t you know the rule of paying taxes to enter the city?”

The leader of the group sternly rebuked, his greedy eyes scanning the beast skin bags, “Where did you get these things? Are there any illegal items inside? Open them up for us to check. And there’s something suspicious about your sword, it must be handed over…”

As he spoke, the group spread out to surround him. However, the weapons in their hands looked very crude, obviously hastily crafted, with minimal lethality.

Qing Muling’s eyes turned cold, “You dare to rob me? Very well, leave your lives behind!”

He couldn’t be bothered to waste words with these rogue cultivators. Daring to provoke him? He would kill them all!

In the next instant, his sword light flashed, instantly as swift as thunder, splitting into hundreds, even thousands of sword lights, enveloping them like a storm. The chilling sword aura filled the space within a radius of ten feet.

Screams echoed continuously. These cultivators, whose highest cultivation level was only at the Nascent Soul Realm, were all paralyzed on the ground in the blink of an eye, their bodies separated from their heads.