The surroundings around Mingyue shifted as Vesa manipulated the formation and transported her to the core area.
She appeared in a brightly lit room. The walls and ceiling were made of rough rock.
Before she could study the place, she felt an overwhelming presence rush into her body.
"I do not know how you entered, but do not blame me for this.
Everyone is out for themselves," a melodic voice echoed in her mind.
Mingyue felt her thoughts turn blank. Something gnawed at her consciousness, trying to swallow it.
The feeling only lasted a moment.
The voice screamed in despair, then the presence vanished from her mind.
[It is done, Queen. It will take me some time to extract the information, but for now, I have already taken control of the secret realm.]
"What can you do with this place now?" Mingyue asked.
[My understanding of formations is still limited.
I can only use the existing traps to open or close the secret realm.
I also have access to all the treasures prepared in this secret realm.
It seems the previous owner stored quite a lot for her rise back to the Golden Core stage.]
Mingyue felt excited when she heard about the resources now under her control.
In theory, she could stay inside the secret realm and focus on cultivation.
However, she knew she also needed understanding and experience to truly grow.
An idea came to her mind.
Since the secret realm was practically hers now, she could use it as a secret hideout.
But her sect already knew about this place.
"Can you move the secret realm, Vesa?" she asked.
[I cannot move it, but secret realms are usually closed after they are completed, right?
I can close it and hide it from prying eyes.
Even with my current capabilities, I am sure no one in this region can find it.]
"That is good," Mingyue said. "But that means I need to let Lianhua out and let her think she got the inheritance."
[Queen, among the treasures, there is an artifact that allows you to change your appearance.
My suggestion is, why not fake your death and watch how things develop?
This way, you can confirm your speculation and see who benefits and who wants your demise.]
Mingyue agreed that Vesa's idea was good, but one thing troubled her. Her family still had her life talisman.
As long as she was alive, the talisman would not break.
Vesa listened to her concern, then suggested a way to falsify her death.
The talisman worked because it held a part of her life force.
When it sensed that the main source of that life force was gone, it would shatter.
Right now, Mingyue was in the process of transforming into a Progenitor.
At some point, her life force would be completely transformed.
Vesa could force that transformation for a short moment.
When Mingyue heard that it was possible, she agreed at once.
She wanted to see what would happen after her "death".
Meanwhile, on the eighth island, a beautiful woman moved gracefully among many terrifying monsters.
A two-headed dog, twice the size of a normal lion, barked at her.
Its four legs tensed, then it pounced. The woman spun on her feet.
Her long blue hair fluttered as wind gathered around her, boosting her agility.
SLASH.
Her sword came down in a vertical strike, cutting a red line straight down the middle of the dog.
Blood rained as she continued her deadly dance, each movement stirring the wind.
One sword slash to the left, one to the right, a quick duck, then a low sweeping cut.
After a series of attacks, the island was finally cleared.
Lianhua fell to her knees, her body covered in sweat.
Breathing heavily, she mumbled, "Finally, it is over. Just how many islands are left..."
Unlike Mingyue, Lianhua could not see how many stages there were.
Every time she cleared an island, a reward would appear. She would get some time to rest.
After that, stairs would appear, leading to the next island.
Lianhua guessed this setup was meant to guide the inheritor's instincts.
Whenever a path appeared, she never wasted time. She always felt she had to finish the secret realm as fast as possible.
In the first few stages, she had received herbs that helped her cultivation and even a sword manual.
It taught the sword style she had just used, called Echoes of the Wind Dance.
According to the manual, if she mastered it, each slash of her sword would create wind blades.
"I do not know the grade of this technique, but it should be very high," Lianhua thought.
In her world, techniques were divided into six ranks: Mortal, Earth, Mystic, Celestial, Heaven, and Ancient.
Ancient techniques were the most mysterious. They were usually very powerful and seemed to come from another world.
Some even provided a completely new power system, greatly multiplying their holder's abilities.
Rumor said that some secret clans had monopolized all these ancient techniques.
This time, a green pill appeared in front of her. It gave off a mysterious aura.
Lianhua could sense its healing properties, but she hesitated to consume it. She was not sure what it would do.
Using her sword for support, Lianhua picked up the pill.
She put it into her storage.
The moment she did so, stairs to the next island appeared. Her sapphire blue eyes widened in surprise.
She hesitated for a moment, then decided to move forward.
Before stepping onto the stairs, she took the last healing pill in her storage.
The pill was not very strong, but it was enough to restore part of her stamina.
Soon, she arrived on the next island. It was smaller than the previous ones.
Lianhua felt a bit relieved.
She thought this island would not force her to fight through wave after wave of monsters like the last one.
The first three islands had only tested her resolve and potential.
The later islands had all been combat trials against monsters, and the last one had been the hardest battle she had ever faced.