With three supreme masters, they were invincible upon descending the mountain.

Ye Yaocheng's lips twitched slightly. "No, we're not that close."

He waved his hand, his expression full of disdain: "I don't want to be bald. I finally managed to win over my wife, and I haven't even had a chance to get to know her yet. What if she gets scared away by my shiny bald head?"

As he spoke, he deliberately moved closer to Ji Mingyue.

Ji Mingyue glared at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of embarrassment and helplessness. Surprisingly, she didn't argue back, but simply turned her face away.

Master Huijiang smiled wryly, "Amitabha."

He sighed, but did not insist: "Since Benefactor Ye is unwilling, this humble monk will not force you."

He looked at the swirling sand and gestured for the two to enter.

"Since you two have come here, why don't you accompany this humble monk on a journey? Seeing some things with your own eyes might not be such a bad thing."

Ye Yaocheng and Ji Mingyue exchanged a glance and nodded.

Their purpose in coming here is nothing more than the construction site.

Although he didn't know what Ji Mingyue's purpose was, Ye Yaocheng thought there should be some connection between them.

So the three of them walked deeper into the construction site, and the further they went, the more horrifying the scene became.

The cracks in the ground spread like an enlarged spider web, and in the widest part, a person could fit inside. The edges of the cracks were charred black, as if they had been burned.

But the most astonishing thing wasn't that; it was the black mist emanating from the cracks.

These wisps of black smoke rose slowly, as if they were alive. They twisted and turned in the air, and wherever they passed, even the light dimmed.

Ye Yaocheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is demonic energy?!" he blurted out.

Huijiang paused, turned back to look at him, and asked in surprise, "Does Benefactor Ye recognize you?"

"I recognize him," Ye Yaocheng said in a low voice.

His three masters taught him to distinguish the energy of heaven and earth: the purest and cleanest is spiritual energy, while the yin, evil, and filthy is demonic energy.

Even from several meters away, one could feel the sinister and malevolent aura emanating from this black mist.

"Something seems off about this place." Ji Mingyue frowned as she looked at the construction site.

"Something's more than just wrong."

Huijiang led the way, his monk's robes fluttering in the wind. His voice was calm, yet carried a heavy sense of vicissitude.

"Eight hundred years ago, a demon appeared in Linjiang."

"No one knows his name or where he came from. All that is known is that on the day he appeared, the entire city was shrouded in dark clouds."

Huijiang stopped and looked at the widest crack, her eyes filled with horror.

"In just three months, he turned Linjiang into a living hell, with corpses strewn everywhere and resentment filling the air."

Ye Yaocheng and Ji Mingyue held their breath, their minds already conjuring up images of demonic energy blotting out the sky.

"And then?"

"Later..." Huijiang put her hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"The building's higher-ups were furious and mobilized the strongest sects at the time to join forces to besiege him. That battle lasted for an unknown amount of time, and in the end, they could only barely seal him away here."

"Barely?" Ji Mingyue keenly grasped the key word.

"Yes, barely."

Huijiang smiled bitterly: "Of the sects that participated in the war, more than half were killed or wounded, and those who survived were all severely weakened. It has only now that they have finally recovered."

"However, this demon is too powerful. Even with a seal, it's useless. If left unchecked, it's only a matter of time before the demon breaks through the seal."

He turned to look at the two of them, his voice becoming unnatural.

"Therefore, the major sects discussed and agreed to send people here every sixty years to reinforce the seal. This year it is our temple's turn."

Looking at the surging black energy, Ye Yaocheng felt a turmoil in his heart, and he seemed to understand some things.

Why do the three masters guard the northern secret realm year after year? Perhaps they are suppressing some terrifying being there.

He once asked his three masters why, with such strength, they didn't go out and travel, perhaps even creating a legend.

However, the three masters simply smiled and remained silent, having already guessed some of what was going on.

He wondered why he had been at the border for so long without seeing a single foreigner, which was probably closely related to the fact that his three masters were guarding the secret realm.

Also, we now have some clue about what Lin Qingxue said back then.

Although the demon was sealed, its power continued to permeate the area. Over time, this naturally fostered the growth of rare and precious natural resources, primarily spiritual plants, creating a unique ecosystem.

This is the truth.

Secret realms are never blessed places.

It is a prison, holding monsters powerful enough to destroy the world.

"Master," Ye Yaocheng suddenly asked, "which sects participated in the sealing back then?"

Huijiang smiled, a deep smile, her gaze lingering on Ye Yaocheng's face for a few seconds.

"Don't be in a hurry, benefactor," he said slowly. "You will meet him in the future."

Ye Yaocheng was taken aback. What did this mean? They were keeping him in suspense.

There's a hidden meaning in what this monk said.

Could it be that I really have some connection with those sects?

He wanted to ask further, but seeing Huijiang's expression, he knew it would be pointless.

At this moment, Ji Mingyue suddenly spoke up, her voice icy cold: "It's your business if you want to repair the seal, but I have to say this first."

She stepped forward and looked Huijiang in the eye, her gaze devoid of any warmth.

"I must enter this secret realm. It contains what I need. Anyone who tries to stop me is my enemy."

Even if you come from Vajra Temple.

The moment the words left his mouth, the air froze.

Huijiang looked at her with deep eyes, and after a long while, he sighed.

Just as I was about to say something, the ground suddenly shook.

This was no ordinary earthquake; it was more like some enormous creature deep underground had turned over.

The entire construction site suddenly shook violently, and the cracks seemed to come alive and expand wildly.

With a loud bang.

A new crack opened, and black gas gushed out, ten times more concentrated.

The wind howled, and the earth groaned.

Instead of being frightened by the scene, Ji Mingyue showed an excited expression.

"As expected, the entrance is right here. The seal is loosening; the secret realm is about to open!"

Huijiang clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and began chanting sutras.

Some veins were bulging on his forehead, like a furious lion about to awaken, but he suppressed it well.

When I opened my eyes, there was only calm.

The vibration lasted for more than ten seconds before stopping.

When the dust settled, the scene before them had completely changed. The largest crack from before was now even wider and more frightening, with black energy surging out from it and condensing into a strange vortex in mid-air.

"Master, is it always this frightening when the seal loosens?" Ye Yaocheng asked suddenly, staring at the crack.

"No." Huijiang shook her head, her expression grave: "This year might be the most serious one yet."

"The last blood moon night was a sign."

"This is an ominous sign, foretelling disaster. The seal has loosened more severely than ever before. If things go wrong, there will be widespread suffering and death."

"Amitabha."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands together, a sorrowful expression on his face.

Ji Mingyue curled her lips, full of disbelief, "You make it sound so mysterious, as if you can predict exactly when the secret realm will open."

Huijiang glanced at her and replied earnestly, "This humble monk has indeed made the calculations."

He held up two fingers, "Ten days."

"In ten days at most, the seal will reach its weakest point, at which point the entrance to the secret realm will briefly open."

Ye Yaocheng's heart skipped a beat.

Ten days?

That was indeed a very tight timeframe.

It seems I should talk to Lin Qingxue when I have time.

As he thought about it, Lin Qingxue's perfect, delicate body, her fair, jade-like skin, and her soft... appeared in his mind again.

His eyes couldn't help but burn with desire.

"Amitabha."

Huijiang's voice suddenly rang out, with a hint of amusement: "Benefactor, calm down, don't get excited."

"..."

Ye Yaocheng snapped back to reality and found Huijiang looking at him with a half-smile.

Those eyes seemed to see right through people's hearts.

"Ahem!"

Ye Yaocheng coughed awkwardly twice: "Sorry, I was just thinking about something funny and my mind wandered."

Huijiang's lips twitched, thinking that it was really funny.

Ji Mingyue stood to the side, her gaze sweeping between the two. She didn't speak, but a glint flashed in her eyes, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

The wind picked up again.

Black mist swirled above the crack, like an eye ready to devour its prey.