"Go in!"
A cultivator shot toward the secret realm entrance like an arrow released from its bow.
Yet just as he was about to step inside, a blinding streak of fire streaked across like lightning, instantly piercing through his body.
"Ah!"
With a pained scream, the cultivator was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
A massive black hole had been burned through his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain, staining the surrounding earth crimson.
"You insignificant junior, how dare you take the lead?"
Before the words fully faded, figures began rushing into the secret realm like starving tigers pouncing on prey.
One after another, their movements swift as lightning.
They paid no heed to the cultivator pierced by flames, their eyes fixed solely on the treasures and opportunities within the secret realm.Though everyone who came here had prepared extensively, some still turned into ice sculptures before even reaching the entrance, frozen by the glacial spiritual energy emanating from within.
"............."
The crowd successively forced their way into the secret realm.
The Extreme Cold Secret Realm would isolate everything, and those at the Tribulation Transcension stage couldn't even enter.
Li Xuanxiao placed Di Nü Feng in a prearranged hiding spot.
He didn't feel comfortable entrusting her to anyone, not even Cao Changjing.
Li Xuanxiao knew that once he entered, he wouldn't even be able to leave behind a clone.
He had specially set up multiple layers of protective formations around Di Nü Feng's hiding place.
"Li Xuanxiao, you won't abandon me, right?"
Li Xuanxiao handed her a doll he had prepared long ago.
"It looks just like you."
Di Nü Feng cradled the doll, her face breaking into a smile.
"During this time, follow my method to prevent the venom from worsening. Take one pill daily, let this doll keep you company, and don't go anywhere."
It was actually quite simple—just a mechanical doll embedded with a sound-storing stone that played stories Li Xuanxiao had recorded in advance.
The reason he hadn't brought it out sooner was naturally to prevent Di Nü Feng from losing interest.
After giving her a few more instructions, Li Xuanxiao left the hiding spot and headed straight for the Extreme Cold Secret Realm.
Li Xuanxiao moved with extreme speed.
Facing the endless white expanse before him, he summoned cauldron flames to envelop his body and charged in headfirst.
"..........."
"Boom—!!"
As the icy winds howled...
A cultivator who had just entered the secret realm heard his protective spiritual light crack under the unbearable pressure.
The bone-eroding wind tore through his magic robe, and his raised hand froze instantly.
His entire body became an ice sculpture.
Such reckless cultivators weren't uncommon.
They believed themselves fully prepared, only to realize their mistake the moment they entered the secret realm.
But by then, it was already too late.
Inside the secret realm, one would be randomly teleported somewhere.
Li Xuanxiao plummeted like a kite with its string cut, descending straight into a canyon as the roaring winds and snowstorms screamed in his ears.
His body fell rapidly, as if the canyon bottom would never arrive.
His vision was engulfed by an eerie blue snowstorm.
In the distance, enormous ice pillars stood like a forest.
Li Xuanxiao steadied himself mid-air, suspending his body.
"Fellow Daoists!"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Li Xuanxiao had long since noticed the several auras nearby.
Someone spoke first:
"Fellow Daoist, the journey ahead is perilous. Since we've met by fate, why not travel together? We can watch out for each other."
Another chimed in: "Sticking together in numbers makes us less likely to be ambushed."
On the ground lay several corpses of those who had failed to withstand the secret realm's freezing aura.
With a sweep of his senses, Li Xuanxiao noted that, including himself, only five remained.
One of them turned out to be the previously flamboyant Goddess of Wealth.
At this moment, the Goddess of Wealth casually flicked a spirit stone between her fingers, the stone dancing nimbly with crisp, pleasant clinks.
She narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, the corners of her lips curling up.
The Goddess of Wealth observed the group with great interest, as if they were actors in an amusing play while she sat comfortably in the audience, leisurely enjoying the performance.
Li Xuanxiao silently pressed his fingers against the ground, dispersing his divine sense through the earth's veins.
The secret realm's ice and snow had congealed external spiritual senses, drastically reducing their range.
Attempting underground travel here would be quite difficult too.
Beneath lay frozen layers of unknown age—dig too shallowly, and it wouldn't hide one's aura during travel.
Dig too deep, and it would needlessly drain stamina.
Thinking this, Li Xuanxiao glanced at the person who had suggested traveling together.
He was a monkey-faced cultivator whose appearance screamed cunning.
But one shouldn't judge solely by looks.
Li Xuanxiao nodded. "Traveling together does provide mutual support."
A woman in purple robes smiled. "Naturally, naturally. Staying in a group means having help if danger arises."
Then, all four looked at the Goddess of Wealth.
She caught the spirit stone she'd been flicking. "Of course. I'd hate for someone to covet my money. I'd prefer not to lose my life."
Thus, the five introduced themselves.
The purple-robed woman was named Zhang Zi, a Transformation Spirit cultivator.
The monkey-faced man was Wang Hu, a Transformation Spirit rogue cultivator.
A chubby, simple-looking cultivator named Zhou Liudian.
The Goddess of Wealth, a Transformation Spirit cultivator.
And Li Xuanxiao.
This unlikely group formed a temporary team.
Zhou Liudian showed particular interest in Zhang Zi.
Upon asking around, he learned she was actually a disciple of the Hehuan Sect.
No wonder she exuded such allure.
Once inside the secret realm, none knew which direction to head first.
The blizzard here was fierce.
Occasionally, spirits would emerge to ambush the five.
To conserve energy, they devised a simple formation.
After traveling like this for a day...
Zhang Zi spotted a beautiful white lotus blooming on the ground and couldn't resist reaching for it.
But the moment her fingers touched it, the lotus transformed into a streak of white light.
A white snake, no thicker than a finger, bit her squarely on the chest before swiftly vanishing.
"Ah~"
Zhang Zi gasped softly.
"I've been poisoned!"
She immediately realized the snake's venom was spreading rapidly across her chest.
Zhou Liudian's eyes bulged, his plump face trembling slightly.
"Bad news! This poison can be fatal if mishandled."
"Ah?" Zhang Zi's expression changed.
Zhou Liudian took a deep breath. "Don't worry, I'll suck the venom out for you."
As he spoke, he couldn't help licking his lips.
Zhang Zi's mouth twitched at the sight.
The monkey-faced Wang Hu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, actually..."
"Hmm?"
Zhang Zi looked at him, expecting some reassurance.
"My cultivation is profound. Let me do the sucking."
Zhang Zi: ...........
"Time is running out," Zhou Liudian urged.
Zhang Zi took a step back, glancing between Wang Hu and Zhou Liudian.
Then she turned to Li Xuanxiao. "Could you help me instead?"
Wang Hu and Zhou Liudian simultaneously turned their gazes toward Li Xuanxiao.