Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 146, 155-156: Comprehending the Heavenly Pot, the Cave Master Sets a Trap, A Universe Within His Sleeve, The Secret Realm Opens (Two chapters combined, please subscribe)
Inside the secret chamber of the main cave of Linlang Cave Heaven, on the main peak of Linlang.

The cave master, Zhong Kui, stood with his hands behind his back in front of a hanging scroll painting that was nine feet long and three feet wide, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.

The main subject of the painting is a giant gate half-hidden by clouds and mist, with nine intertwined chain patterns carved on the gate.

Above the door, a five-clawed red dragon coiled, its eyes inlaid with two ancient dragon spirit stones, but its tail mysteriously disappeared into the doorway. Among its scales were fine, hair-like dark gold patterns, resembling some kind of talisman.

He sighed softly, and a jade slip suddenly flew out from his sleeve, floating in the air and transforming into a beam of green light that shot towards the giant gate in the painting.

In an instant, in the Dragon Spirit Cave, a hundred miles away, the dragon vein sealed by the Dragon Locking Pillar suddenly erupted.

The dragon's eyes in the painting radiate spiritual light, and its tail draws in the golden dragon energy from the grotto like a siphon.

Strands of dragon energy flowed along the dragon's tail, passing through the crack in the door to the other side, where the blurry figure of a Xuanjia cultivator could be vaguely seen emerging from behind the door.

The jade slip affixed to the giant gate was instantly corroded into ash by the dragon energy, but its contents were transmitted to the other side through the dragon scale talisman.

A line of small characters flashes across the red dragon's reverse scale in the painting: "The bait has been cast, awaiting the dragon's battle."

Information about Huang Shang, an ancient cultivator from the Song Dynasty, as well as the Tiannan Secret Realm and Zhao Wuji, has been transmitted to the forces opposite the 'Dragon-Locking and Pulse-Suppressing Diagram' via jade slips.

"Now, it's up to the other side."

Zhong Kui's eyes flashed, and a struggle surfaced in his cold and weathered eyes.

Inside the Frost Palace on Cold Moon Peak, Hua Qingshuang solemnly instructed: "Huang Shang was ordered by the emperor to revise the 'Wanshou Daozang' back then. That Daozang covers Daoist classics from the pre-Qin period to the Northern Song Dynasty."

This person is unfathomable. I suspect he has deciphered the forbidden chapters of the legendary "Yin Fu Xuan Yao" and transformed himself into a half-human, half-puppet monster, thus sealing himself away and surviving to this day.

She paused for a moment before saying, "This time he insisted on sending blood corpse puppets into the secret realm to seize resources. If you encounter them there, try to avoid them and don't get into a conflict with them."

"Yes, I know."

Zhao Wuji felt a warmth in his heart, but also a secret smile.

Those blood-corpse puppets might indeed be very strong.

However, coincidentally, his Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques have many techniques that can counter such rigid and easily manipulated puppets, and they can forcefully reverse the manipulation.

Now he has controlled six.

"Hmm," Hua Qingshuang nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "To ensure your spot in the secret realm, I've agreed to the cave master's request that you obtain a bottle of fourth-level spiritual vein essence after entering the secret realm."

"The essence of a fourth-level spiritual vein?"

Zhao Wuji was about to write it down.

Hua Qingshuang lightly flicked her wide sleeves and said, "You only need to know about this matter, but you must not go to that fourth-level spiritual vein."

Wherever spiritual energy is abundant, there is a high probability of powerful demonic beasts lurking there; one should not approach rashly.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she pondered, "The cave master needs this item so that he can recover from his injuries and break through to the next level. Even if this place is not dangerous, we cannot let him have his way."

"I see." Zhao Wuji nodded.

Hua Qingshuang raised her eyes and said, "While you are in the secret realm, you should collect the spiritual materials and resources you need on your own. If you encounter a Yin-Yang Twin Lotus..."

"A lotus with yin and yang blossoms on one stem?"

Hua Qingshuang nodded and said, "The Yin-Yang Twin Lotus grows in a secret realm where Yin reaches its extreme and Yang begins to emerge; its petals are half black and half white."
If we obtain this treasure, both your senior uncle and I may advance our cultivation further, at which point we can resolve the hidden danger of the cave master.

Once you've determined there's no danger, you may take this treasure out. Remember, do not act rashly.

A sudden inspiration flashed through Zhao Wuji's mind.

Previously, when controlling those blood corpse puppets, I learned from the dream memories of the disciples of the cave that Huang Chang also seemed to need this treasure.

"It can help the two peak masters break through to higher levels. If the opportunity arises, I will obtain this treasure for them."

Disciples from other peaks who enter the secret realm will be tasked with missions assigned by the cave master or the cave heaven.

Most of the resources plundered inside are handed over to the grotto after leaving the secret realm.

The peak master allowed himself to search for what he needed; this was the greatest freedom.

After the exchange ended.

Zhao Wuji then administered acupuncture to Hua Qingshuang to help her refine the cold poison.

He could sense that with this acupuncture treatment to assist the two peak masters in their cultivation, their cultivation levels had improved significantly, and their cultivation speed had increased considerably.

Reaching the Concentration Realm makes cultivation even more difficult.

By using his acupuncture to assist in refining the cold and fire poisons, one can increase the speed of cultivation, which explains why the two peak masters are both happy to do so.

However, this also means that it will be difficult for him to obtain a large amount of Yin and Yang energy from the two peak masters.

Fortunately, the first Yin-Yang Bead is now complete, and the second Yin Bead has accumulated nearly ten thousand units of Yin energy.

Zhao Wuji was no longer in a hurry to collect Yin and Yang energy; he was quite happy to help the two peak masters improve their cultivation.

Once the two peak masters' strength is sufficient to overwhelm the cave master, more resources, including dragon veins and dragon energy, will be readily available, so there will be no need to worry about collecting yin and yang energy.

After leaving the Frost Palace, Zhao Wuji returned to his cave.

He took out twenty source crystals from the source crystals sponsored by the Supreme Grotto Heaven and gave them to the medicine boy Xiaoyue, instructing Xiaoyue to continue collecting materials for refining talisman pills.

Now that he has plenty of money, he no longer needs to refine pills to make money.

They can dedicate themselves to researching and refining various talisman pills, which can be of great use at crucial moments.

After summoning Xiong Ba and feeding him a Bigu Pill, Zhao Wuji gently stroked Xiong Ba's feathers and smiled.

"I'll take you with me to the secret realm this time. If you learn any new spells, you can bring Xiaoyu and the others along too."

He cast his gaze toward the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, saying, "They have always been searching for a paradise on earth, and Tiannan Secret Realm is one such paradise."

However, once they enter, they cannot leave until the secret realm opens again, and it is unknown whether there are any dangers.

"Gah!" Xiong Ba suddenly made a "Gah" sound, and his feathered crest popped up, as if to say that the so-called secret realm was full of dangers, and you sent that bunch of stupid foxes to their deaths.

Zhao Wuji smiled and shook his head, "This is just one of my ideas, but it is indeed a rare opportunity. It depends on whether I can learn the technique and whether Xiaoyu will agree."

He waved his hand to dismiss Xiong Ba, and then entered the cave.

The technique he was referring to was actually the "Pot Heaven Technique".

Storage bags cannot carry living things, but the space created by the Pot Heaven Technique can certainly.

To enter the Tiannan Secret Realm, you need the Tiannan Secret Token as a token; otherwise, you cannot enter at all.

However, if he learns the Pot Heaven Technique, as long as the Pot Heaven space is large enough, he should be able to deceive everyone and bring Xiaoyu and other demons into the secret realm.

At that time, Little Jade Fox will lead her clan to cultivate in the secret realm, so he will no longer need to spend resources to nurture her.

The secret realm became his treasure trove for raising demonic beasts and cultivating bloodlines.

"The idea is good; let's see if we can successfully decipher the secrets of the Celestial Pot Technique in the time remaining."

Zhao Wuji arrived at the cultivation room, sat on the futon, and patted his storage bag.

A round bead shrouded in crimson light, an ancient bronze bell, and a half-broken jade shield all flew out.

These are all magical artifacts that I obtained from Elder Liang.

In addition, Elder Liang's storage bag contained more than two hundred source crystals, four bottles of Qi-restoring pills, and other useless miscellaneous items, as well as official jade slips.

The round bead is called the Crimson Flame Spirit Bead. When activated, it can release high-temperature flames that can burn an area of ​​ten feet in radius and has a restraining effect on evil spirits.

It can also be activated to form a fire barrier, which can temporarily resist enemy attacks, but it consumes a lot of spiritual energy.

The bronze ancient bell is named the Heart-Suppressing Ancient Bell. When it rings, it emits a soul-capturing sound, a silent vibration that strikes directly at the mind, causing the opponent to lose their senses.

The jade shield is damaged and needs to be repaired before it can be used.

However, Zhao Wuji was still wearing the spirit armor that Kang Laogui's son had worn, so he didn't lack defensive magic weapons and therefore didn't rush to repair the shield.

"Now I have two indestructible sobering stones that can be used to set up formations, this Crimson Flame Spirit Orb and the Heart-Suppressing Bell, as well as the Frost Soul Flying Sword, spirit armor, and the Phantom Cloak. That should be enough."

Zhao Wuji stroked his chin with satisfaction, then flicked his sleeve, sending out several talismans:

The Earth Escape Talisman is decorated with mountain patterns and feels heavy in the hand, like real earth.

The surface of the water mirror shimmered, faintly reflecting human figures.

The substitute talisman exudes a sinister aura, with the human figure on the talisman slowly writhing.
"These talismans are sufficient."

As he was taking inventory, the storage bag at his waist suddenly felt heavy.

Zhao Wuji smiled knowingly and took out the purplish-red magic gourd.

The moment the gourd appeared, a rich aroma of wine filled the air.

"Good baby!"

He weighed it in his hand; although the gourd was only the size of a palm, it contained a full hundred catties of golden goblets of spirit wine.

Based on the calculation that one ounce of wine mixed with a sobering stone can sustain the Golden Radiance Spiritual Energy for twelve hours...
"No worries for four years!"

Even better, the lingering spiritual essence of the spirit wine after it enters his stomach can help him refine his cultivation.

Zhao Wuji couldn't help but tilt his head back and take a swig. The wine went down his throat and turned into a warm current, making every pore on his body feel relaxed.

"Xiaoyue!"

He summoned the medicine boy and took another empty wine jug.

When pouring the wine, the liquid in the golden goblet swirls like melting amber under the moonlight, and he poured out a full two jin before stopping.

"Take it to Old Man Hu."

These two catties of spirit wine are enough to repay the favors done to the drunken immortal and the wine gourd back then.

"Oh, okay. Sir, please drink less."

Xiaoyue left, carrying the wine pot.

"With wine to drink, books to read, and needles to prick, this life of cultivating immortality is just as enjoyable as it was in the capital!"

Zhao Wuji casually patted his storage bag, and three ancient books flew out and spread out on the table.

The bamboo slips of "The Carved Boat" glow with a faint spiritual light, the peach blossom patterns on the silk scroll of "The Peach Blossom Spring" appear and disappear, and the fragments of "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" float on their own, with golden runes flowing and filling in the missing parts.

"In my past life, I considered it just an ordinary article; even if I remembered it, it didn't help me decipher the secrets of the Pot Heaven Technique. But now..."

Zhao Wuji took a sip of wine from the golden goblet, his gaze lingering intently on the "Record of the Carved Olive-Pit Boat".

The current collection of ancient books is nothing more than a desperate attempt to salvage the situation.

In its earlier history, "The Story of the Carved Olive-Pit Boat" is an explanatory text by Wei Xueyi, a Ming Dynasty writer, describing the image of a miniature carved olive-pit boat.

However, from the perspective of the current cultivation world, it seems that there is more to it than that.

The walnut boat described by Wei Xueyi is more like a magical vessel, and the micro-carving technique involved is quite remarkable, reminiscent of containing Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed.

"This nuclear-powered boat, 'large enough for two people to play chess'," Zhao Wuji's eyes gleamed, "could it possibly contain a hidden celestial chamber technique?"

Similarly, in terms of past history, "The Peach Blossom Spring" seems to be just a fantastical novel written by Tao Yuanming during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, describing the story of a fisherman discovering a mysterious Peach Blossom Spring.

However, from this perspective, Tao Yuanming seems to have written about a fisherman with a connection to the immortals who discovered a blessed land.

This secluded paradise, hidden away in a narrow crevice, possesses a mysterious charm that allows it to exist in a completely different world.

Zhao Wuji also hoped that reading would be beneficial, and that by revisiting these ancient books, he could understand them from a different perspective and comprehend the art of the pot-shaped heaven.

He studied it carefully, forgetting to eat or sleep.

"The forest ends at the source of the stream, where a mountain appears, and the mountain has a small opening."

"At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through."

Time flies, and more than twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye. The opening day of the Tiannan Secret Realm is drawing ever closer.

That night, as Zhao Wuji completely closed the tattered copy of "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).

The second set of tadpole-like characters on the surface of the second Yang Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness finally emerged with dazzling silver light, completely deciphering the legendary Pot Heaven Technique.

In his mind's eye, a message appeared: "Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Techniques - Pot Heaven Technique: Beginner's Guide: (0/100)"

"Finally, I've mastered the Art of the Heavenly Pot."

Zhao Wuji exhaled, feeling invigorated. He closed his eyes slightly and sank his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness, sensing the newly deciphered mysteries of the Pot Heaven Technique.

With a thought, the spiritual energy within his body flowed like a trickle to his right sleeve.

A hazy silver light emanated from my fingertips, as if forming countless tiny tadpole-like runes that roamed under my skin.

"A pot of heaven can hold even the smallest grain of sand, a square inch can conceal the truth—open!"

He gave a low shout, and the silver light at his cuff suddenly contracted, turning into a tiny point of light the size of a pinhead.

In an instant, the surrounding air distorted slightly, and the light spots expanded like a vortex, creating an independent space within the fabric of the cuff.

Initially, the space was extremely unstable, with the edges trembling like ripples.

Zhao Wuji immediately channeled more spiritual power into the structure, and his mind then sketched out the "eight-window exquisite" structure recorded in "The Carved Boat" to stabilize and maintain the connection with the outside world.

Eight virtual window frames gradually appeared on the inner wall of the space.

Through the crack in the window, one could vaguely see the outside world.

It was clearly inspired by the imagery of "a small opening in the mountain, as if there were light" from the Peach Blossom Spring. After about half a cup of tea, this newly opened space gradually stabilized at a radius of three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

The most amazing thing is that at the 'window frame', wisps of external spiritual energy fall in like a veil, forming a miniature vortex in this space.

"Hongba!"

Zhao Wuji used his bird-taming technique to summon Xiong Ba, who was outside the cave.

Let it slip into the space of the cuff.

"Gaba!?"

Xiong Ba curiously peeked inside and immediately let out a startled "Gah!"

Half of its body was outside the sleeve, but its head was already in the space of the pot, just watching its own tail feathers drift past another 'window'. It felt that the bird's brain was too small to handle.

"It can indeed hold living things!"

Zhao Wuji happily twirled his sleeve and found that the weight had only increased slightly.

He tried to move a potted Seven Star Grass into the cave, and then tried to send the entire bookcase in. Suddenly, the space shook violently, as if it was about to collapse. In fright, Xiong Ba quickly fled.

"It seems that three zhang is the current limit. Forcibly accommodating large items will cause the structure to collapse and will inevitably lead to faster depletion of spiritual energy."

Zhao Wuji understood immediately.

To test the connection between the inside and outside, he specially placed an incense burner into the space. The wisps of smoke rose and drifted out of his sleeve.

What's even more amazing is that when Xiong Ba cries out in the Pot Heaven Space, a faint echo can be heard outside, as if the sound comes through a long tunnel.

"It has such amazing effects even in the early stages of learning. It can hold living creatures, which is far beyond the capabilities of a storage bag."

Zhao Wuji stroked his sleeve and pondered to himself.

He suddenly recalled the record in "Tiangong Kaiwu" that "any boat with an empty interior can float."

He immediately took out a pot of spiritual spring water and sprinkled the water onto the four walls of the pot-shaped space.

Instantly, the inner wall rippled like water, automatically adjusting the humidity and temperature, seemingly evolving into a miniature grotto.

The Yang Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly, and his proficiency in the Pot Heaven Technique quietly jumped to (1/100).

He suddenly made a hand seal and used his medical skills to accelerate the ripening of the Seven Star Grass within the Pot Heaven space.

The seven-star grass immediately began to grow rapidly within the space, its tips piercing the "window frame," as if trying to reach out to the outside world.

A glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes: "Not only can living creatures survive in the cave, they can also cultivate and grow. It seems that as this technique becomes more profound in the future, combined with techniques such as gathering beasts and taming birds, I will also have my own dragon-taming pool!"

He tried for a while and found that he could seal off the Pot Heaven space and cut off its connection with the outside world.

He threw another stone into the Pot Heaven space, which then caused the space to collapse.

In an instant, the stone shattered into dust along with the surrounding space.

He then tried using the broken jade shield, a magical artifact.

After the collapse of the Pot Heaven space, the Jade Shield was only slightly damaged, with more cracks appearing, but it did not disintegrate along with this part of the space.

"It seems that the objects within it only withstood the pressure of the collapse of the three-zhang-long space when the Pot Heaven space collapsed; those with strong textures could withstand it."

"Furthermore, any living creature that wants to be placed inside must either do so willingly or be completely under my control. If it struggles violently inside, it will cause instability in the space and accelerate the consumption of spiritual energy."

Zhao Wuji gradually realized the truth.

According to the information gleaned, this technique also possesses the abilities of controlling size, devouring seals, absolute isolation, and all-encompassing power, but it requires profound cultivation before one can gradually comprehend it.

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong shrinks his golden cudgel and puts it in his ear; Laozi's purple-gold gourd swallows and seals people, and it immediately retracts; Zhen Yuanzi's sleeve universe, and so on, are all manifestations of this technique.

Zhao Wuji then tried to use the Pot Heaven Technique to create a space inside his ear canal.

However, as soon as the space within the ear hole was established, he felt that the space within his sleeve began to show signs of instability and collapse, with mysterious runes appearing in the spiritual energy structure.

He quickly removed the space created inside the ear piercing.

"It seems the only option is to cast spells simultaneously to create one space."

Zhao Wuji was not discouraged. He would continue to cultivate and the space of the Pot Heaven Technique would gradually expand.

"We'll be entering the secret realm in the next couple of days. Let's pack Xiaoyu and the others in first, and then take them all with us to the secret realm."

Zhao Wuji got up, straightened his clothes, walked out of the cave and flew out of the cave to search for the little jade fox in the nearby mountains.

Two days later.

As dawn broke, the square of Linlang Cave was already bustling with people.

Five disciples selected to enter the Tiannan Secret Realm stood in the center, with Zhao Wuji in a purple robe standing at the forefront along with Ji Mobai and others.

Within the space of the sleeve-shaped pot, the faint sniffing of the little jade fox could be heard.

Xiong Ba looked at the spirit-eating insects in the pool of black iron in the space and felt very hungry.

Just as he was about to utter a sound, Zhao Wuji quietly closed the connection between the space and the outside world.

Temporarily severing the connection between the Pot Heaven and the outside world will not cause the creatures inside to die, because there is still some enclosed air inside.

"Senior Brother Zhao!"

At the foot of the stone steps in the square, Li Shiyu, dressed in a blue robe, suddenly walked through the crowd, lifting her skirt and running quickly, the pearl hairpins in her hair jingling.

"Ok?"

Zhao Wuji turned around and looked at Li Shiyu in surprise.

"Take this!"

Li Shiyu suddenly moved closer and placed a golden talisman into Zhao Wuji's palm with her slender fingers.

Her fingertips lightly scratched his palm three times, sending a tingling sensation through him.

Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat. Noticing the gazes of Peak Master Hua and Peak Master Yan not far away, he immediately withdrew his hand and picked up the talisman to examine it.

"This is?"

"This is the Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell Talisman that I obtained from Emperor Zhaoming."

Li Shiyu spoke quickly, "Senior brother, your journey is fraught with danger; this talisman will definitely come in handy."

Zhao Wuji nodded. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness!"

Before Li Shiyu could say anything more, the steward beside her coughed lightly and slowly stepped down the stairs, her beautiful eyes smiling as she gazed at Zhao Wuji, as if to say, "We'll be waiting for your triumphant return."

"Board the ship!"

At this moment, with a command from the elder in charge, a spirit boat suspended in mid-air descended from the rainbow bridge.

"Junior Brother Zhao is quite popular with the female disciples!" Ji Mobai said casually from the side.

Zhao Wuji turned around and paused, then laughed, "Senior Brother Ji isn't bad either, but he's usually too aloof. Even when female disciples want to give you something, he doesn't dare to approach them."

Ji Mobai scoffed at this, his jade flute twirling slightly within his sleeve: "I need no one to stop me. But it's that Daoist disciple from the Supreme Grotto-Heaven..."

His gaze darkened slightly. "I protected you last time; if he provokes us again..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Wuji laughed heartily and leaped into the air, his green robe fluttering as he landed steadily on the deck of the spirit boat: "Then I'll take this one for Brother Ji!"

A flash of surprise crossed Ji Mobai's eyes, but upon noticing the faint spiritual pressure of the fifth level of Qi Induction circulating around the other party, he regained his indifferent expression: "Whatever you say."

The rainbow bridge retracted, and the spirit boat took to the air.

Five secret disciples stood on the boat, while the lead spirit boat carrying Hua Qingshuang had already transformed into a point of blue light in the sky.

Empress Yu Lanxi did not come.

Zhao Wuji glanced at the other four people on the spirit boat, except for Ji Mobai and Mei Jin, who were both secret disciples of Guyun Peak.

There were only two fellow disciples: Chang Mingxi, a secret disciple of Xuanji Peak, and Lu Yongnian, a secret disciple of Ziyun Hall.

Originally, Empress Yu Lanxi and others from the Spirit Materials Hall were also supposed to enter the secret realm together.

As a result, three secret orders were missing, and Liang the old ghost of the Spiritual Material Hall died, so Empress Yu Lanxi's spot was naturally squeezed out.

Zhao Wuji thought to himself that the mad queen had actually turned misfortune into blessing, and then stopped thinking about it.

Compared to these trivial matters, the cultivators and blood corpse puppets in the other caves of the Tiannan Secret Realm are the real troubles that require our attention.

The spirit boat sped along at a speed almost equal to his speed when he used the Wind Control Technique.

Half a day later, as the moon rose above the treetops, the group finally arrived at the location of the Tiannan Secret Realm.

However, the lakeside was already filled with people from various grotto-heavens such as Wushang, Yanling, Qingming, Xuanxiao, and Baigu.

Linlang Cave was the last to arrive.

Zhao Wuji spotted Nan Zhixia, a disciple of the Supreme Grotto Heaven, at a glance.

The two exchanged a glance and then returned to silence.

At this moment, the lake was like a mirror, reflecting the moonlight all around, yet without a ripple, as if it were a piece of glass suppressed by an invisible force.

In the distance, the mountains rise and fall, and amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the patterns of ancient restrictions are faintly visible, as if some enormous creature lies dormant here, waiting for the right moment to awaken.

"Heh, the Linglang Cave Heaven has arrived at just the right time. The secret realm is almost open before it arrives."

A cold voice rang out. The Supreme Cave Master, Bai Chengshang, stood with his hands behind his back, his black Daoist robe embroidered with gold thread. His eyes, filled with a slight smile, pierced straight at Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui's expression remained unchanged; he merely smiled faintly and said, "Why is Cave Master Bai in such a hurry? The secret realm isn't going anywhere."

Bai Chengshang laughed heartily, "I'm just curious, with Linlang Cave Heaven giving up three secret token slots this time, I wonder how many treasures they can bring out."

The sarcasm in those words was obvious.

Before Zhong Kui could respond, the Lord of Yanling Cave sneered, "Old ghost Bai, the corpses of your disciple from Wushang Cave Heaven who died in the secret realm last time are still warm."

The master of Xuanxiao Cave Heaven, Jia Zhi, sneered, "Your Yanling Cave Heaven is not even under the control of my Tiannan forces, so don't make sarcastic remarks here."

Upon hearing this, the cave masters either sneered or shook their heads, each clearly harboring their own ulterior motives.

Just when the atmosphere was tense.

Suddenly a cold wind swept by, and the clouds seemed to darken abruptly.

"Tap, tap, tap!!"

Heavy footsteps echoed from the distant mountains and forests, each step seeming to pound on everyone's hearts, dull and resonant like the beating of a drum.

"Ok?"

"Such a strong evil spirit!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all turned their heads.

A group of figures appeared, walking through the air, led by a gaunt Taoist priest and an armored general.

The Taoist priest held a scroll made of human skin, his eyes were sunken, and his skin was like dry, cracked tree bark.

The general was covered in armor, with black and red blood oozing from the gaps in the armor. With each step he took, the armor made a grating metallic scraping sound.

What's even more chilling are the ten blood-soaked puppets behind them.

Their skin was bluish-purple, their veins bulged like earthworms, their eyes were bloodshot and pupil-less, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from their mouths.

They moved forward silently, yet their bodies exuded a suffocating aura of menace, as if they might pounce at any moment and tear apart all living things in their path.

The air suddenly became stagnant.

The pupils of many disciples of the cave heaven shrank suddenly, their expressions filled with fear and apprehension.

The once noisy lakeside was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Blood Corpse Puppet!"

The Supreme Cave Master Bai Chengshang narrowed his eyes, and Zhong Kui also tensed his back slightly, his eyes narrowing with a cold light.

The Taoist priest grinned stiffly, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Fellow Taoists, it's been a long time."

His voice was hoarse, like a rusty knife scraping bone, making people's scalps tingle.

The general remained silent, only raising his hand and waving it.

"boom!"

A blood-soaked golem clad in scarlet armor suddenly stomped forward, cracking the ground and sending shards of stone flying.

The provocation was self-evident.

"Interesting. I didn't expect them to actually bring two of my puppets. They'll have someone to do things with once they're inside."

Zhao Wuji glanced at the two 'drug-addicted puppets' following behind the ten blood corpse puppets opposite him and couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, the lake surface trembled, and a deep, dark channel suddenly split open in the calm water, like a giant beast opening its mouth to devour the light of the sky.

Amidst the surging waves, a staircase formed by a crystal-clear water curtain extends from the bottom of the lake, leading straight into the depths of the secret realm.

The Southern Secret Realm is officially open!
(End of this chapter)