Translator: CinderTL
"How much for this?" Xu Sanyan asked, pointing to the hundred-jointed fish.
The stall owner held up a finger. "One hundred spirit stones!"
"That's expensive!" Xu Sanyan frowned. While one hundred spirit stones wasn't a significant sum for him, the fish's value didn't justify the price. It possessed minimal spiritual energy and served only one purpose: enhancing male virility.
The stall owner shook his head. "Business is all about haggling. If you're genuinely interested, you can make an offer."
Xu Sanyan pondered briefly before holding up three fingers. "Thirty?"
"Deal!" The stall owner swiftly gutted and cleaned the fish, presenting it to Xu Sanyan in the blink of an eye.
I overpaid, Xu Sanyan thought immediately. He chuckled and shook his head, tapping the stall owner on the shoulder. "You're truly a natural-born businessman."
The stall owner grinned good-naturedly. "Young master isn't losing out either. These fish are rare and delicious. It's worth buying just for the novelty. Besides, I doubt you're short on spirit stones."
Xu Sanyan didn't argue further. He turned and walked away, Elder Ren following closely behind. The elder handed the spirit stones to the stall owner, stowed the hundred-jointed fish in a storage pouch, and hurried after Xu Sanyan.
That evening, everyone sampled the fresh fish. The vendor hadn't lied—the flavor was indeed excellent, though the promised aphrodisiac effect was barely noticeable.
As night deepened, Xu Sanyan sat in meditation on his bed when he suddenly heard an excited shout: "The mist is clearing! Look, the mist is clearing!"
"Holy Son, the mist has cleared. We can depart now," Elder Ren said softly from outside the door.
"Mm."
Xu Sanyan pushed open the door, his gaze sweeping over the assembled Crimson Heart Faction members—over two hundred strong.
"Let's go!"
Without further ado, the group marched out of the city in a grand procession.
On the pitch-black streets, countless figures surged like a flood toward the city gates, each faction coalescing into distinct clusters, their boundaries clearly defined.
Venerable He Yu and Aunt Hua were already waiting outside the city, flanked by Tu Wanshan and others.
"The secret realm is fraught with peril. If you must withdraw early, you may wait in Mist City," Venerable He Yu instructed.
"Understood."
The crowd nodded in unison. Xu Sanyan recalled Elder Ren's explanation that Mist City was protected by all factions, prohibiting any use of weapons within its walls. Violators would face a united assault—a safeguard for each faction's disciples.
"Let's move out."
In the distance, the dissipating mist revealed the pitch-black, deathly still sea. The boundless dark ocean stretched like the gaping maw of a colossal beast, awaiting their voluntary plunge into its depths.
In the distance, Xu Sanyan could faintly make out countless rocky islets. Squinting, he saw not a single patch of green; the entire landscape was dominated by smooth, dark stones polished by the relentless sea.
This was the Mist Sea, a place of both terror and allure.
People feared the demon beasts and ghostly creatures lurking within, yet coveted its boundless treasures.
"How do we enter the secret realm?" Xu Sanyan asked Elder Ren beside him.
Elder Ren's expression turned solemn. "The Hundred Saints Secret Realm has no fixed entrance. Or rather, every point within its boundary is an entrance. Simply step into its domain, and you're inside."
"I see."
Xu Sanyan turned to address the Crimson Dragon Mountain group. "If we get separated inside, use the mother-child stones to regroup. Remember, survival comes first."
"Rest assured, Holy Son."
The Hundred Saints Secret Realm was unpredictable. Past experience showed it often scattered groups, leaving them within the same realm but too far apart to reunite easily.
Xu Sanyan's group wasn't alone at the edge of the Mist Sea. Nearly a hundred other groups, ranging from small parties of four or five to large factions like the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect with over four hundred members from its Four Factions, were gathered nearby.
"Let's move out!"
Xu Sanyan stopped overthinking. He'd find out soon enough once he entered.
The moment he stepped into the secret realm's boundary, a wave of dizziness washed over him. When he regained his senses, the pitch-black sea had vanished.
Night had transformed into day, with a warm sun radiating across the sky.
"This... is the secret realm?"
Xu Sanyan gazed at the colossal city before him, his heart filled with awe.
It was hard to imagine this city had been built by human hands. The towering, seemingly endless walls encircled the entire world, each brick the size of a house.
The ancient city gate, a hundred zhang tall, had been weathered by countless ages, its original color faded to a mottled brown. Through the half-open gate, dust drifted along the wide, empty roads.
"Is this the City of Giants?"
Xu Sanyan tilted his head to read the plaque above the gate, but the distance made it difficult to see. Only when he flew closer did he make out the three large characters:
[ Endless Central City ]
Xu Sanyan hovered in mid-air, his robes billowing in the wind, his gaze sweeping across the boundless plains. As far as the eye could see, only this single city stood against the horizon.
The key to this secret realm must lie within this city.
Suddenly, a warmth emanated from his chest. Xu Sanyan snapped out of his reverie and retrieved the mother-child stone. Two characters glowed on its jade surface:
Are you there?
Xu Sanyan's lips twitched. Which brain-damaged idiot sent this?
Mother-child stones could communicate across vast distances, divided into one mother stone and a thousand child stones. By writing on the mother stone with Spiritual Power, messages could be broadcast to all child stones. Conversely, messages written on a child stone could only be received by the mother stone.
The materials used to craft these stones were unremarkable—ordinary jade sufficed. Their true value lay in the formation inscribed upon them: the Mother-Child Harmonious Heart Formation.
The stone in Xu Sanyan's hand was the mother stone, while the others each carried a child stone.
Xu Sanyan channeled his Spiritual Power into the stone and slowly wrote: Are you all within a massive city?
Moments later, replies trickled in:
Yes.
Yes, Holy Son.
Xu Sanyan frowned inwardly. Though they were all within the city, they had been separated. The city's size remained unknown, making regrouping a daunting task.
Holy Son, I've found a stone tablet here, a voice transmitted through the mother stone.
Who is this? What does the tablet say? Xu Sanyan replied.
This is disciple Lin Fan. The tablet reads: "When night's wind rises, myriad demons shall be reborn."
Xu Sanyan frowned in thought. Interpreting the words literally, he surmised that something ominous would occur after dark. He immediately used the mother-child stone to warn the others:
"Be careful, everyone. After dark, find a safe place to hide. Demonic creatures might appear."
"Yes, sir."
As they entered the city, countless towering, ancient pavilions lined both sides of the streets, blocking their view and making it difficult to discern directions. They had no idea what dangers lurked within the city's depths.
Xu Sanyan dared not fly openly through the air; his aerial presence would make him too conspicuous and attract unwanted attention.
Turning into a narrow alleyway barely ten zhang wide, Xu Sanyan paused. A figure emerged from a nearby pavilion, and the two locked eyes, each immediately noticing the other.
A quick scan with his spirit eye revealed that the newcomer was merely a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm, putting Xu Sanyan at ease.
"Which clan do you belong to?" Xu Sanyan asked with a warm smile, slowly approaching.
"This junior is Zuoqiu Shen, a thirty-first generation disciple of the Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake. Greetings, Senior," the young man replied respectfully, though his right hand remained hidden behind his back, poised to draw his sword at any moment.
"The Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake..." Xu Sanyan murmured, understanding dawning. He knew their clan leader was a powerful cultivator in the Void Harmony Realm, not to be underestimated.
Yet the Zuoqiu Clan's most renowned figures weren't their leader, but the world-famous "Huai Lake Seven Heroes."
All seven heroes were women, renowned not only for their exquisite beauty but also for their exceptional cultivation talent. No man in the Zuoqiu Clan could match their prowess, a stark imbalance of yin and yang that had become a source of much gossip.
(End of the Chapter)
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