I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 82: Entering the Secret Realm
"Up ahead we're about to enter the secret realm. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
After the flying boat had traveled for a full day and night, Lu You and the others finally received the elder's voice transmission.
Fortunately, they were all cultivators. They only needed to sit and regulate their breathing for a while to restore their energy with spiritual power.
Hearing the elder's message, all the cultivators grew tense. Secret realms were filled with opportunities, but also extreme danger. Yet at the thought that they might soar to greatness and change their fate within the realm, a trace of excitement mixed into their nervousness.
The so-called "soaring to the heavens" and "defying fate" didn't necessarily mean reaching Foundation Establishment in a single day from the Qi Refining realm. Rather, it meant the chance to find ancient spiritual herbs and treasures. Even if they weren't suitable for personal use, they could be taken out and exchanged for spirit stones to purchase cultivation resources.
Boom!
The flying boat seemed to crash into a barrier. In the next instant, a mysterious force swept across every cultivator on board. The world spun, and when Lu You opened his eyes again, the surroundings had become barren. Before he could even greet Lu Xiao'e, he had already been teleported into the secret realm.
After spending over a month in the outer sect of the Deep Literary Pavilion, Lu You had gained some understanding of secret realms. There were two types: one formed naturally by heaven and earth, known as blessed lands and hidden paradises; the other created artificially by cultivators.
If it was the first type, everyone entering together would be transported to the same location. Only artificially created realms—those involving inheritances and treasures—would use random teleportation, sending each person to a different place. This ensured everyone had a fair chance, allowing those with great fortune to obtain opportunities and inheritances.
Having used teleportation talismans frequently, Lu You was already accustomed to the sensation. Immediately, he took out Divine Eye Talismans and applied dozens to himself. Then he surveyed his surroundings, looking for a suitable place for secluded cultivation.
Unlike the ancient inheritance tomb, this secret realm was completely barren. Not a blade of grass grew. The ground was covered in dark, massive stones and soil. It seemed to have existed for an extremely long time—the black stones were weathered into strange shapes. From afar, it felt as if Lu You stood within a forest of stone.
"Good thing I came prepared." Lu You smiled slightly, quite satisfied with the environment. He then took out a set of black-gray clothing from his storage ring. Ever since he accidentally burned his clothes at the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, he had prepared dozens of spare outfits in various colors. Today, the black-gray set came in handy.
After changing, Lu You seemed to blend into the ground and stones. If he remained still, it would be nearly impossible to spot him with the naked eye. Even when he used movement techniques, without spiritual sense, it would be hard to track his figure darting among the rocks.
"I see a mountain." With the Divine Eye Talismans enhancing his sight several times over, Lu You easily found a suitable cultivation spot. In the next moment, he activated a Light Rock Talisman and a Wind Talisman, turning into a streak of gray light as he rushed toward a distant peak. The fierce wind kicked up black stones from the ground, concealing his movement.
After traveling for a short while, Lu You noticed something unusual.
"The rate of spiritual energy consumption has increased by more than half." Worried something was wrong, he quickly took out a spirit stone to restore himself to peak condition. After observing a bit longer, his eyes widened in realization. "No… it's not just increased consumption. This secret realm is actually draining my spiritual energy!"
Even if Lu You stayed still, his spiritual energy slowly diminished. If he moved at full speed, the depletion would suddenly multiply. Moreover, the surrounding air contained not a trace of spiritual essence. The Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique was practically useless here—circulating it once gathered less energy than simply standing still would consume.
"What kind of cursed place is this? No wonder nothing grows here—not even the stones are normal!" He took out another spirit stone and absorbed it. As it crumbled into ash, Lu You felt his spiritual energy return to a full state. Only then did he relax slightly. "This place is actually perfect for my Foundation Establishment. With such constant depletion, who would have the spare energy to come looking for me?"
Lu You increased his speed. In the time it took to brew half a cup of tea, he reached a jagged black mountain. Countless towering black rocks—each taller than trees—made the mountain resemble a labyrinth. He only stopped after reaching the foot of the mountain. Yet in traveling just a few hundred kilometers, he had already consumed dozens of spirit stones.
Lu You sized up the towering black mountain that pierced the clouds and thought to himself, "The rocks around the mountainside are denser and more concealed, but climbing to the summit consumes far more energy. Compared to the mid-slope, the peak is actually safer—after all, very few cultivators would be willing to waste spirit stones climbing such a pitch-black, bizarre mountain."
After making up his mind, Lu You stuffed several Qi-Nourishing Pills into his mouth and activated Divine Speed Talismans, Light Rock Talismans, and Wind Talismans in abundance, as if they cost nothing. Gripping spirit stones in his hand, he charged up the mountain.
People often said it was easier to climb up than to go down—but that depended on the mountain. Even with Lu You recklessly ignoring consumption, it still took him two hours to reach the summit.
"Such extravagance…" Standing at the peak, Lu You looked around. Even with the Divine Eye Talismans, the scenery below had shrunk to ant-like proportions. For a moment, he felt as though he stood above all mountains, surveying the world beneath him. "This feeling alone cost me thousands of spirit stones…"
The higher he climbed, the more exponentially his spiritual energy was drained. But the greater the consumption, the more excited Lu You became—after all, the one thing he feared least was spending spirit stones.
"I refuse to believe anyone else would be this willing to waste spirit stones just to climb a mountain!" Lu You laughed. He decided to lie low here until the secret realm closed. After leaving, he would simply claim he had encountered a fortuitous opportunity—drinking some unknown spring water, eating some mysterious fruit, and somehow breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
When it came to such opportunities, cultivators rarely dug too deeply. Those already at Foundation Establishment wouldn't need it and wouldn't target him, while those still in the Qi Refining realm could do little even if they were interested—at most, they'd just ask if he had any extra fruits to sell.
"First, I'll dig a cave dwelling." Lu You took out the treasured artifact given to him by Lu Xiao'e and reinforced it with dozens of Hard Metal Talismans, making it shine brilliantly and grow even sharper. Then he began hacking into the black stone cliff. With each strike, large chunks of rock were carved out. Digging at the summit consumed even more spiritual energy than climbing. After scanning the surroundings with his Divine Eye Talismans and confirming no one was nearby, Lu You simply spread spirit stones all over the cave entrance and stood among them while digging—it made recovery much easier.
Just as he was getting into the rhythm, Lu You suddenly felt heat in his chest. The Evil-Repelling Talisman issued a warning.
Hiss~~
At the summit, a massive black stone suddenly opened its eyes. It began to wriggle, then opened its mouth toward Lu You's direction, flicking out its tongue. This enormous "stone," almost fused with the mountain itself, was actually the head of a ferocious serpent.
The black stone serpent did not attack Lu You. Instead, it extended its tongue, cautiously wrapped around a spirit stone, and slowly placed it into its mouth. Its eyes filled with disbelief as it tasted it. In the next moment, the serpent closed its eyes in bliss, savoring the flavor of the spirit stone. Black tears even streamed from its eyes—but even those tears had been corrupted by the secret realm. What flowed out was not liquid, but thick black sludge.
Hiss~~ The black stone serpent let out a weak yet blissful cry, as if all its strength had been exhausted. The sound was softer than the gusts stirred up by Lu You's Wind Talismans.
Lu You, who had already raised his treasured artifact and prepared Frost Talismans, Mount Tai Talismans, Lightning Talismans, and his sword core, let out a sigh of relief.
Though the serpent looked terrifying, its spiritual energy had already been completely drained. It was on the verge of death. If Lu You hadn't scattered spirit stones all over the ground, it likely would never have awakened and would have perished in forced hibernation. If it weren't already dying, the Evil-Repelling Talisman would have warned him much earlier, and he wouldn't have climbed the mountain at all. The talisman was more effective at detecting demonic beasts than cultivators—after all, humans were good at concealing themselves, while beasts were naturally ferocious and easier to sense.
"This secret realm is truly terrifying—to drain even such a creature dry." Taking a few steps back, Lu You widened the distance between himself and the serpent. At the same time, he gathered up the spirit stones scattered on the ground, preventing the serpent from regaining strength through them. In the next moment, he turned and left. He had no intention of killing it—if the serpent had some hidden trump card and launched a desperate counterattack, dragging him down with it, that would be disastrous.
Hiss~~
Seeing that Lu You was about to leave, the great serpent hurriedly opened its eyes, letting out a pleading sound. It flicked out its tongue, trying to block his path. A single spirit stone meant nothing to a creature of its size—like a dying man receiving only a drop of water.
"Get lost!" Lu You didn't hesitate. He had heard the story of the farmer and the snake countless times in his previous life. At once, he activated his sword core. With a bang, it nailed into the serpent's tongue.
With its spiritual energy depleted, the serpent's defenses had plummeted. A single sword core pierced straight through its tongue. There was no blood, not even black sludge—its tongue crumbled like shattered dirt, scattering into black ash.
"Hu… man… don't…"
The serpent's pupils were filled with pleading. It struggled for a long time before finally forcing out two words.
Seeing Lu You still on guard and even taking out a Mount Tai Talisman, feeling the pressure it emitted, the serpent understood that he was determined to leave. Finally making up its mind, a gurgling sound came from its throat. Then, a black egg was spat out, rolling to Lu You's feet.
After expelling the egg, the serpent had exhausted all its strength. Its massive head drooped down, resting on the ground as it turned back into a motionless black stone.
"Don't tell me this is some kind of dying entrustment scene…"
Lu You frowned, picked up the black egg, and probed it with his spiritual energy. Then he sighed.
Clearly, the serpent had been enduring all this time in the secret realm because it carried a child within it. Upon sensing his spirit stones, it used its last remaining strength to entrust the egg to him, hoping he would take it out of the realm. Unfortunately, the serpent had likely been trapped here for an unknown length of time. Its will to live for the sake of its child had become nothing more than belief. The egg no longer contained any life force or spiritual energy—it could never hatch.
The serpent's head lay on the ground, but its eyes remained fixed on Lu You, filled with pleading.
After hesitating for a long while, Lu You placed the black egg into his storage ring. "Don't worry. Your child is still alive. I'll take it out of this secret realm." All things in the world possess some spirit. At this moment, the serpent was no longer a ferocious beast, but a mother. Moreover, since the egg was already dead, Lu You didn't mind telling a kind lie.
"Tha… nks…"
A faint, human-like smile appeared at the corner of the serpent's mouth before it finally closed its eyes, lifeless.
Seeing this, Lu You no longer hesitated. He flashed away, activating his movement technique and quickly retreating.
The black mountain was enormous. Lu You made a wide detour, carefully avoiding the serpent from afar before finally letting out a breath of relief.
"A single sword core only pierced through its tongue. How many sword cores would it take to actually kill that serpent?" Lu You calculated that even in its dying state, it would take considerable effort to finish it off.
"Could there be other demonic beasts here as well?" Lu You scanned his surroundings. First, he activated a large number of soundproof talismans, then unleashed lightning talismans, bombarding the area with crackling explosions. Only after the ground had been blasted down by a noticeable layer did he finally stop.
"Now it's safe."
Lu You once again spread spirit stones all over the ground and stood within the pile as he continued digging. With nothing else to distract him, he quickly excavated a cave nearly a hundred cubic meters in size. Taking out a Rain Dew Talisman, he moistened the rubble at the entrance, mixing it into mud, then sealed the cave opening. After that, he reinforced it layer by layer with Hard Metal Talismans and soundproof talismans, turning the cave into something nearly indestructible.
"It's time to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm."
Lu You continuously took spirit stones out of his small cauldron until the entire hundred-cubic-meter cave was filled to the brim. Piles of spirit stones stacked together transformed the dark brown stone cave into something resembling a blessed cultivation haven. Without worrying about running out of resources, Lu You placed a Foundation Establishment Pill in his mouth and buried himself within the spirit stones, beginning his cultivation.
Each time he circulated a full cycle of the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique, a portion of his spiritual energy would be siphoned away by the secret realm. However, this level of loss meant little to Lu You—it would only make his breakthrough take slightly longer than planned.
. . .
Meanwhile, relying on a secret treasure from their sect, Huo Chuan quickly regrouped with the other nine elders.
"This secret realm is indeed terrifying. The higher one's cultivation, the greater the consumption. We may need to reconsider how we use our resources. And this is without even fighting Dongfang Bubai—if we engage in battle, the consumption will only be worse." Huo Chuan frowned deeply. He had just encountered a Foundation Establishment disciple he had brought in. For someone at that level, if they didn't use spiritual energy, it would take an entire day for the realm to drain them dry. But for him, a Golden Core cultivator, it only took half a day before he needed to replenish his energy.
"Exactly. Even if we cut our resources in half, it might not be enough." One of the elders who had previously boasted they could remain in the realm for one hundred years now complained bitterly. The suppression on Golden Core cultivators was even harsher. Without fighting, his supplies might last fifty years at best—if battle was involved, it was impossible to estimate.
Huo Chuan made a decisive call: "We don't need to worry too much. Dongfang Bubai must be facing the same problem, and compared to us, she likely has even fewer resources. We'll gather now and go find her. In this kind of environment, she won't dare to hide for long—she'll probably try to break the secret realm as quickly as possible."
Taking out the tracking compass, Huo Chuan glanced at the red dot on it. Both he and the ten elders couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
"Damn… this Dongfang Bubai has run insanely far…"
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