I want to tread the heavens

Three days later, the fifty Guo family members who had fought in the arena arrived at the depths of the back mountain, led by several stewards.

Before them lay a primeval forest shrouded in a thick, greyish-white mist. This mist was not ordinary water vapor, but carried a strange aura, a mixture of decay and life, which, when inhaled, caused a slight dizziness. Countless thick, dark green ancient vines, as thick as writhing dragons, stretched out from the depths of the mist, coiling around the giant rocks and ancient trees at the entrance. The vines were covered in moss and strange dark red patterns, like the veins of a sleeping behemoth.

"This is the entrance to the ruins of the 'Ancient Vine Forest'." The one presiding over the secret realm was an elder of the inner courtyard with a stern face; his voice sounded somewhat faint in the mist. "The rules have been read aloud. Remember them: Obtain 'Spirit Seals' by slaying demonic beasts, collecting specific spiritual plants, and breaking simple restrictions. The quantity and quality of 'Spirit Seals' will determine the final ranking. Time limit: three days. Your life or death during this period is your own responsibility. Crushing this talisman will teleport you out of the forest, but your score will be invalidated."

With a flick of his sleeve, fifty rough wooden tokens flew into each person's hand. The tokens were slightly cool to the touch, with the character "Guo" engraved on the front and blank on the back.

"Queue up and touch the entrance 'boundary marker' one by one to be randomly teleported into the forest. Remember, the forest has treacherous terrain, remnants of restrictions, and is teeming with monsters; even your own kind may become your enemy. Be careful."

As soon as the words were spoken, an invisible pressure enveloped the hearts of all the youths. While the arena battles had rules and restrictions, this secret realm was a true place where the strong preyed on the weak.

Ling Xiao stood in the middle of the line, touched the broken sword at his waist, and glanced at Fa Cai, whose fur seemed to be standing on end. Ever since they approached the ancient vine forest, Fa Cai had become somewhat restless, no longer the carefree person he usually was. His amber eyes warily scanned the surrounding mist, his nose twitched occasionally, and he let out a very low whimper.

"What's wrong?" Ling Xiao asked in a low voice.

Fa Cai couldn't speak, but nudged his leg with his head and looked into the depths of the fog, his eyes full of warning.

Ling Xiao's heart sank. His intuition for wealth far surpassed that of ordinary people; his unease indicated that this ancient vine forest was far more complex than it appeared. He glanced at Guo Xiaohu beside him, whose face was pale and who was clutching the token tightly, and whispered, "If you get separated inside, be careful. Find a place to hide; survival is your top priority. If you stay together, stick close to me."

Guo Xiaohu nodded vigorously, his voice trembling, "Brother Xiao, I... I'll hold you back..."

"Enough with the nonsense," Ling Xiao interrupted him. "Let's go."

When it was their turn, the two humans and the wolf simultaneously placed their hands (paws) on the ancient stone tablet covered in vines at the entrance. The stone tablet was icy cold to the touch, and the next moment, a powerful suction force came, making the world spin.

After a brief period of weightlessness and darkness, Ling Xiao's feet landed on the soft, damp ground covered with decaying leaves. The light was dim, and he was surrounded by dense canopies that almost blocked out the sky, along with thick, ancient vines hanging down. The air was even more humid and stifling, and the strange aura of decay and life was several times stronger. Guo Xiaohu was right beside him; he stumbled and almost fell, but Ling Xiao caught him.

"Get rich?" Ling Xiao immediately looked down, thankfully, the gray figure was pressed tightly against his calf. At this moment, Fa Cai's whole body was tense, its ears were fully erect, its tail was lowered, and it was in a state of complete alert.

"Where...where is this?" Guo Xiaohu's voice trembled as he looked around at the giant trees and ancient vines that were almost identical and shrouded in gray-white mist.

"I don't know, I was randomly teleported." Ling Xiao quickly surveyed his surroundings. Silence, deathly silence. There were no birdsong or insect chirps, only the faint sound of the slowly flowing mist and the crunching sound of the rotting layer underfoot. This silence, however, was even more unsettling.

"Let's leave here first and find a relatively open or easily defensible place," Ling Xiao decided immediately. In this completely unfamiliar environment, staying near the teleportation point was definitely not a wise move.

He chose a direction where the ancient vines were relatively sparse and a faint airflow could be seen, signaling Guo Xiaohu to follow, with Fa Cai leading the way, proceeding cautiously. Every step was taken with extreme care, avoiding vines and mosses that were too brightly colored or had strange shapes.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, apart from the environment becoming even more eerie, they encountered no danger. Guo Xiaohu's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he whispered, "It doesn't seem... so scary?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the leader, Fa Cai, suddenly stopped, lowered his body, and let out an unprecedented, threatening growl from his throat!

Almost simultaneously, Ling Xiao also sensed it! From the fog ahead came a dense, teeth-grinding "crunching" sound, as if something was rapidly gnawing on a hard object, and... it was quickly approaching!

"Climb the tree!" Ling Xiao shouted, grabbing Guo Xiaohu by the back of his collar. He spun around with his feet using the "swimming fish step" and rushed towards the largest ancient tree next to him! Fa Cai followed closely behind.

Just as the two men and the wolf had scrambled up a horizontal branch more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) off the ground, the fog below where they had just been standing was suddenly knocked away!

A dozen or so burly beasts, each the size of a small calf, covered in stiff, dark brown bristles that gleamed with a metallic sheen, and sporting two curved tusks protruding from their mouths, charged forward with a thunderous roar! They were Ironback Porcupines! And a whole pack of them! Judging by their aura, the leaders were clearly at the mid-stage of the first rank (equivalent to the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining), while the rest were at the early stage of the first rank!

They were clearly attracted by the commotion; their small, scarlet eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light in the mist, and heavy breaths exhaled white steam. The largest porcupine, the leader, lowered its head and swung its tusks sharply, sending a huge rock that Ling Xiao and his companions had just rested flying with a "boom." The rock crashed into an ancient tree beside them, scattering debris everywhere!

Guo Xiaohu was so frightened that he clung tightly to the tree trunk, not daring to breathe.

Ling Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. Iron-backed porcupines possessed thick, tough skin and immense strength. Their bristles, in particular, were as hard as iron, impervious to ordinary swords and blades, and could shoot out in wide arcs when startled or enraged. Even more deadly was that they were social beasts, fiercely vengeful!

There was no way they could escape. In such complex terrain, they were no match for these native monsters. The trees weren't safe either; while the Ironback Porcupines weren't good climbers, they could ram into trees or shoot with their bristles.

"We're surrounded..." Ling Xiao quickly assessed the situation, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. He subconsciously looked at Fa Cai. Fa Cai was staring intently at the restless pigs below, its gray hairs standing on end, not out of fear, but out of a furious rage at its territory being invaded. The low growl in its throat grew deeper and deeper, faintly carrying the ancient pressure it had felt under the moonlight earlier.

The porcupines below seemed to sense the unsettling aura emanating from the trees, their charging and screeching becoming even more frantic. Several had already begun ramming their bodies against the large trees where they were hiding.

The giant tree swayed, and leaves flew everywhere. Guo Xiaohu screamed in fright.

Can't wait any longer!

"Little Tiger, hold on tight to the tree trunk, no matter what, don't let go!" Ling Xiao shouted sharply, pulling out the broken knife wrapped in cloth from his back. The cloth unwrapped, revealing the rusty blade, which inexplicably exuded a tragic aura.

Almost at the same moment he drew his sword, the largest porcupine leader below locked its scarlet eyes on them in the tree, let out a piercing screech, and the large patch of shiny black bristles on its back suddenly stood on end!

"Oh no! They're about to shoot!" Ling Xiao's pupils shrank sharply. He grabbed Guo Xiaohu and pressed him firmly against the tree trunk, while he prepared to risk jumping down to draw the fire.

However, at this critical moment—

"Awooo—!!!"

A wolf howl, clearer and more violent than the one under the moonlight, filled with an inviolable majesty, suddenly rang out beside Ling Xiao!

It means to get rich!

This time, it didn't lose control. The moment the howl rang out, its amber pupils completely transformed into a cold, silvery-white! A visible ripple of pale silver spread outwards from its center!

Under the influence of the silver ripples, dozens of glossy black bristles that had shot out from the porcupine herd like a rain of arrows suddenly stopped in mid-air, their speed decreasing sharply, as if they had crashed into an invisible barrier! Although a few still managed to pass through the ripples, their power and accuracy were greatly diminished, and they were barely knocked away by Ling Xiao's broken sword with a "clang clang," leaving holes of varying depths on the tree trunks.

But this is just the beginning!

With a wolf howl, Fa Cai's body began to swell as if inflated! It wasn't the unconscious, explosive growth of a moonlit night, but a controlled, steady increase in size! As it expanded, its gray fur shimmered with an even richer silver sheen, and at a visible speed, it hardened, straightened, and became like fine, dense silver steel needles!

In just a few breaths, Fa Cai's size had swelled from that of an ordinary wolfhound to the size of a young foal! It was waist-high at the shoulders, with strong limbs and hooked claws. Its entire body was covered in silver bristles that gleamed with a metallic sheen, making it a majestic and imposing sight, like a silver war beast! Only its cold silver eyes and the faint moonlight-tinged breath it exhaled revealed its vast difference from ordinary wild animals.

"Get rich...get rich..." Guo Xiaohu was stunned, even forgetting his fear.

Ling Xiao was also shocked, but even more so, he was overjoyed. He had managed to gain initial control over this force!

"Roar—!" The porcupine leader below was clearly enraged by this sudden change and the ancient pressure. It felt its authority was challenged, roared, stood up on its own, and then slammed into the tree like a battering ram!

"Get rich!" Ling Xiao shouted.

"Woo—!" Fa Cai let out a muffled response from his throat, his eyes flashed with silver light, and he kicked off the crossbar with his hind legs!

"Crack!" The thick crossbar was kicked open! And its silver figure, like a silver lightning bolt, rushed straight towards the charging porcupine leader with a howling wind!

There are no fancy techniques, just pure power, speed, and sheer dominance!

"Bang--!!!"

A dull, resounding crash, like a giant hammer striking a drum! The silver and dark brown figures collided violently!

The air blast churned up, whipping up fallen leaves and dust! Several smaller porcupines nearby were thrown about by the blast.

Fa Cai's silver-quilled forepaws pressed firmly against the porcupine leader's bristly head. The immense impact brought the porcupine leader's charge to an abrupt halt, its four hooves sinking deep into the soft, humus-filled ground! Meanwhile, Fa Cai's gleaming tusks were already biting down hard on the porcupine's relatively vulnerable neck!

"Awooo—!" The porcupine leader let out a painful and terrified scream, frantically shaking its head and struggling, the bristles on its back bristling again, ready to shoot at close range!

However, the layer of silver bristles on Fa Cai's body now displayed terrifying defensive power! Most of the black, shiny bristles that were shot at close range struck this layer of silver bristles, producing a "clanging" sound like metal clashing, sparks flying everywhere, and were all deflected! Only a few bristles hit the flesh under the gaps between the bristles, but they did not penetrate deeply and were firmly held in place by Fa Cai's strong muscles.

"Crack!" A sickening sound of bone breaking rang out. The porcupine's tusks pierced through the thick flesh of its leader, embedding themselves deeply in its neck bone! Blood spurted out!

The porcupine leader's struggles instantly fizzled out, the red light in its eyes quickly dimmed, it emitted a "hoarse" sound as it deflated, and its massive body crashed to the ground, splashing up a large amount of mud.

The leader is dead!

The remaining porcupines were instantly thrown into chaos! They were utterly terrified by the increasingly strong ancient predator aura emanating from Fa Cai and the gruesome death of their leader. They let out panicked squeaks and, no longer caring about revenge, turned tail and fled for their lives into the depths of the fog. In an instant, they were gone, leaving behind only a mess and a heavy stench of blood.

Fa Cai released its grip, leaping off the porcupine leader's corpse. Its silver body undulated slightly as it turned to look at Ling Xiao in the tree. The ferocity in its silver eyes slowly faded, returning to its familiar amber color. However, Ling Xiao's image was clearly reflected within them, carrying a hint of weariness, a hint of relaxation from completing its guarding mission, and... a hint of anticipation for praise.

Its body began to slowly shrink, its silver guard hairs softened, returning to their usual gray, only now appearing slightly shinier. Once back to normal, it trotted back to the tree, looked up at Ling Xiao, wagged its tail gently, then its legs gave way and it collapsed to the ground, panting heavily with its tongue lolling out. Clearly, that burst of energy had been extremely taxing.

Ling Xiao leaped down from the tree and rushed to Fa Cai's side, carefully examining him. Aside from a few small cuts from the bristles, he was otherwise unharmed. He grabbed Fa Cai's fluffy (and slightly prickly) head and ruffled it vigorously: "Well done! Fa Cai! You saved us!"

Fa Cai squinted comfortably, nuzzled against him, and let out a satisfied snort.

Guo Xiaohu scrambled down to the ground, staring at the enormous porcupine carcass on the ground, then at Fa Cai who had returned to his original, harmless state (on the surface). His mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg, his worldview undergoing a tremendous shock.

Ling Xiao had no time to celebrate. He quickly cut off a pair of tusks and the toughest piece of skin from the porcupine leader's vest (this was the "Spirit Seal" certificate), then cautiously looked around. The strong smell of blood would soon attract other predators.

"We can't stay any longer, let's go!" He pulled up the still dazed Guo Xiaohu, and with Fa Cai slightly exhausted, they quickly left this place of trouble.

Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief after running quite a distance and finding a relatively secluded crevice to hide in. He looked at Fa Cai, who was resting at his feet but whose eyes were noticeably more lively than before entering the secret realm, and felt both happy and worried.

The good news is that their increased combat strength has become a crucial guarantee for their survival in the secret realm. The bad news is that the commotion just now was quite significant; have those silver lights and wolf howls been noticed by someone with ulterior motives?

The three-day journey in the secret realm has only just begun. An even greater danger may already be lurking in the shadows.