Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

However, Ashiya Dōman took him all, including the gods and the divine protection, and brought them all to the underworld, hiding them in this secret realm.

No one knows what Ashiya Dōman wanted to do, or what he did, but several hundred years have passed anyway.

Sitting on the wooden railing, Taira no Tadatsu said with a self-deprecating smile, "I guess I've turned misfortune into blessing. If I hadn't been trapped in this secret realm for hundreds of years by Ashiya Doman, I might have disappeared during the period of spiritual dormancy."

"Psionic dormancy period? Secret realm?" The boy in Nakano was getting more and more confused. What did all this mean?

Nagata Tadatsugu was also puzzled: "You are all ordinary people, why would Ashiya Dōman drag you into this secret realm? It's very dangerous here, you'll probably have a hard time surviving! Not to mention, I have no food here. If you don't want to starve to death, you can only try to avoid those cursed spirits outside the shrine and get to the nearest village..."

At this moment, the other three companions were terrified to see Yuanhe and Nakano talking to themselves in the empty corridor. They whispered in fear from a distance, wondering if Nakano was possessed!

Could it be that the current predicament of these people is because of him?

When people can't accept the status quo, they subconsciously take their anger out on others.

This way, one can have a "reasonable" explanation for what happened, making it much easier to accept.

You need someone to vent your pent-up resentment on!

Actually, besides Nakano and his group at the Otozuka Shrine, several other groups of people appeared in other locations within this secret realm. Most of them were ordinary people…

Zhao Hao and his group were part of that small group; he had already led his men into the so-called secret realm with Yoshino Senta.

Each secret realm has its own unique way of entering, and they are all different.

The way Yoshinoya opened the secret realm was probably not a legitimate method.

Entering a secret realm normally is like unlocking a door with a key, but there are many abnormal ways, such as picking the lock or crawling through a crack in the door. However, entering a secret realm in this way will inevitably have some hidden dangers and may easily cause the secret realm to backfire.

This secret realm is quite large, encompassing mountains, forests, rivers, and plains. It also includes some small villages and a medium-sized city.

Most secret realms rarely have native forces; if they do, the situation becomes complicated.

The formation of such secret realms is usually not simple; they are by no means ordinary channels for communicating between the inner and outer worlds.

For example, the secret realm Zhao Hao first entered was Linhe Town. That secret realm was created because an unknown powerful being was attracted by the cries of a desperate mother, and thus created a cyclical dream!

So many residents of Linhe Town were real lives that existed back then.

Their spirituality was ultimately bound to that powerful being in their dreams, reliving the tragedy time and time again.

And now, there are quite a few "people" in this secret realm. They certainly didn't appear out of thin air!

Zhao Hao crossed his arms and said to Yoshino Senta, "Now that we're in the secret realm, you should have said what you didn't say before, right?"

"Wh-what?" Yoshino Senta stammered.

Zhao Hao took a look and exclaimed, "Hey, I guessed right! This bastard really was hiding something from me!"

He just felt that this secret realm was not simple, so he casually made a boast.

"Speak, this is your last chance!" Zhao Hao activated his Fate Prompt Eye and stared intently at Yoshino Senta's face.

Sweating profusely, Yoshino Senta felt as if Yasuo's gaze had pierced through his body, revealing all his secrets.

After a moment's hesitation, he sighed softly and spoke the truth: "I dare not ask for your forgiveness, I only hope that you can save Miss! I, Yoshino Senta, am willing to atone with my death!"

Zhao Hao grabbed Yoshino Senta, who was about to dogeza (a traditional Chinese kowtow), and said, "Stop talking nonsense and get to the point. What exactly is this secret realm all about?"

Yoshino Senta was now completely obedient, knowing that if he uttered even half a lie, his head would be severed from his neck in the next instant. He could even feel a slight chill on his neck!

"Yes, yes, that's how it is. This secret realm is related to the lineage of Master Daoman..."

Zhao Hao remained unmoved; he genuinely didn't know who this Daoman was. However, the little monk Zongchun and the shrine maiden Qiange behind him both exclaimed in surprise.

The young monk asked, "The monk Dōman you mentioned, is it Ashiya Dōman?!"

"Yes, yes." Yoshino Senta lowered his head so much that his neck seemed about to break.

"It's incredible that this secret realm is related to the legacy of Master Daoman," Qian Ge exclaimed.

The young monk gave Zhao Hao a brief introduction to Ashiya Dōman's exploits, explaining that he was an Onmyoji comparable to Abe no Seimei, and quite powerful.

If we were to rank the Onmyoji, he would at least be in the top five. Since it concerns his legacy, it's naturally no small matter.

However, Zong Chun and others were, after all, extraordinary beings, and the records of Ashiya Dōman in the inner world and the outer world were different.

According to the records of the underworld, Ashiya Dōman and Abe no Seimei each supported a faction in the imperial court. In the end, Seimei defeated Dōman in a magical duel, and Dōman was eventually exiled to Harima Province.

Later, the "Harima-ryu Onmyodo" became popular in the area, which can be considered as the establishment of a school of thought!

Even today, many "Ashiya-zuka", "Doman-zuka", and "Doman-well" remain throughout Japan, reflecting people's remembrance of this evil Onmyoji.

After hearing the story, Zhao Hao didn't pay too much attention to Ashiya Dōman, since Japan had never produced a "celestial being" since ancient times!

Neither the great monk Kūkai, nor the master of Yin and Yang Abe no Seimei, nor the Shugendo master Ozunu, could truly attain enlightenment and advance to the Silver rank.

The situation in Japan is not conducive to the appearance of a celestial being.

Therefore, Ashiya Dōman was just a bronze-level player.

Of course, in his era, bronze-level artifacts were already capable of many things. This secret realm must be their doing, right?

Although their strength didn't surpass that of a Bronze Saint, their methods were quite sophisticated and very entertaining!

"Then, your young lady, wait! Isn't she your chairman's son?" Zhao Hao asked.

Yoshino Senta secretly glanced at Zhao Hao's expression, "Because the chairman only has one child, Miss, he always refers to her as young master and raises her as his son."

Zhao Hao suddenly realized, "Oh, it's the old Japanese method."

"Your young lady wanted to obtain Ashiya Dōman's inheritance in the secret realm, but she went missing, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, enough nonsense. If your young lady is still alive, I'll find her for you. If there's any Dao Man's inheritance here, it's yours too. But this last secret realm is mine!" Zhao Hao said calmly.

This is not a request for opinions; this is an ultimatum.

Yoshino Senta nodded repeatedly: "Hi~ Hi~"

He secretly wondered: Is this Yasuo swordsman planning to stay in Akashi for a long time? Otherwise, wouldn't this secret realm eventually have to be handed over to someone else?!

After all, the secret realm is fixed and cannot be moved.

Forget it, why is he thinking about this? If we can save the young lady, or even obtain Master Daoman's inheritance, then we can give up the secret realm!

The cranes in the sky have already flown into the clouds. I briefly experienced the upper limit of this secret realm; it reached the top at a height of less than two hundred meters.

The crane looked down from the air, and Zhao Hao observed it through the crane's eyes.

"Huh?" Zhao Hao exclaimed in surprise.

"Master, what's wrong?" Er asked hurriedly.

Zhao Hao smiled slightly. "Interesting. Here's what we'll do. From now on, we'll spread out and each of you will pair up in these directions. Let me see how you perform..."

As he spoke, the crane swooped down from the sky, caught Zhao Hao who had jumped up, and disappeared into the air.

"This, this... Lord Yasuo, he..." Yoshino Senta asked anxiously.

Erqian pouted at him, "Since Master has said so, let's get moving! Everyone get ready! Master's expression definitely means something bad is going to happen!"

Meanwhile, Zhao Hao flew into the air to observe the layout of the entire secret realm.

This entire secret realm has been artificially protected by a barrier!

Chapter 430 The Depravity of Human Hearts

Zhao Hao is now certain that something fishy is going on in this secret realm. It's too deliberate!

Compared to other mysterious and eerie places, this place is like a meticulously crafted "showroom".

It's the kind of garden or dry landscape garden created by Japanese people who live a comfortable life.

At first glance, it looks very beautiful and artistic, but upon closer inspection, it's full of artifice and contrivedness. It's petty and unsophisticated.

This is the feeling Zhao Hao got from this secret realm.

After all, he was a man of wide experience, and even had his own little world where he would play "simulated God" and such. In his dreams, Zhao Hao would often change the terrain and rearrange things to play around with, so he was very sensitive to such deliberate shaping and alteration.

The entire secret realm was connected by a very hidden yet vast and intricate barrier, tightly bound together.

Upon closer inspection, this secret realm resembles a cobbled-together "Frankenstein's monster," meaning that the elements within it are not naturally assembled but rather artificially placed together to create the realm.

Five barriers surround the center of the secret realm, forming a large magic array that sustains the entire realm's existence... That's quite something!

So he sent his disciples and attendants to "test the waters."

Let them try and see what the person behind it all really means.

When the master is in trouble, the disciples will do his work. Just consider it training; after all, Zhao Hao won't watch them die.

……

Zhao Hao ran away, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded disciples who eventually formed their own teams and dispersed to explore in different directions.

Chosoka led a group including Miyoshi Shochu and the shrine maiden Chika.

The young monk Zongchun and Qingtianfang Wujing formed a team.

Before that, he was with Ramen Maru, and also with Yoshino Senta.

Before that, Akiha felt that as the eldest disciple, she had a responsibility to keep an eye on Yoshino Senta, who was not telling the truth.

The three teams split into three groups and headed towards different destinations.

After walking for about half an hour, Chosokabu and his two companions came across a village.

The village was dilapidated, the kind of place that looked incredibly poor. The villagers were terrified, hiding behind their windows and cautiously peeking out, too afraid to venture out.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were two girls in the group, making it easier to gain their trust, Chosokabu and his two companions finally knocked on the wooden door of a house.

Inside the door was an old woman with a grandson who was only six or seven years old.

Chosokabu naturally asked what was wrong in the village, looking as if he had encountered a ghost.

It turned out that the village was haunted by a monster that caused endless disturbances at night, and even during the day, people would encounter the monster, which could cause them to fall ill or even be scared to death!

The three of them discussed it briefly.

“Master must have a reason for telling us to spread out and explore. Since we’ve encountered this, let’s help out. Maybe it will be useful, maybe it won’t. Anyway, we don’t know what to do.” Chosokabu’s suggestion was agreed upon by the two girls.

After all, the girl was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the vulnerable suffer. So the three of them decided to help subdue the demon.

……

Zong Chun and Wu Jing walked in another direction for more than an hour and came across a small village that seemed quite prosperous.