The elder of the Song family seemed to be flying over the grass as he chased after Zhong Yong's long legs, running all the way.
A group of young people was feeling desperate. Were they all going to be wiped out?
That giant rat, though only two meters long, seemed unstoppable, more terrifying than a heavy tank.
While fleeing, Zhou Kun lamented, "One's surname is Song, and the other's is Zhong. This is literally 'sending off the bell,' a duo of ruthless men. None of us will escape!"
The group was already running so hard they were about to cough up blood, and hearing his words only made them feel more hopeless.
Before reaching the location, Zhong Yong suddenly stopped, tossing two glowing purple peaches toward Zhong Qing and Zhong Cheng. They were obviously gifts.
"You fools! This is no place for you. Something drastic is happening deep within the Secret Realm. Contact the ship immediately and return to the New Star!" Zhong Yong said sternly.
He then turned to charge at the extraordinary creatures, his voice growing even more severe as he added, "Send the signal. Don't delay, I'll leave with you!"
Zhong Yong guided the battle away from them. It was clear he was anxious. Giving them the spiritual medicine was just a side gesture, with the main purpose being to warn them and help them escape.
There was no way he would use these weak young people to delay the enemy. In his eyes, they were far too fragile.
One swoop from an extraordinary creature would be enough to kill them all.
Eventually, the two elders and the monster got caught in a fierce battle, disappearing from sight.
Everyone felt like they had fallen into an icy pit. This was far beyond their expectations.
Even someone as powerful as Zhong Yong was thinking about escaping, abandoning any thought of the celestial herb. And yet, they had rushed in, hoping to pick up scraps!
The group of young people immediately snapped out of it. In fact, the series of tragedies had already planted thoughts of retreat in their minds.
Only three nights had passed, and nearly a hundred people had died. Only about thirty were left.
Zhao Qinghan, Zheng Rui, Zhong Qing, and Zhou Kun gathered together, taking out their signal transmitters.
There was no hesitation now; they decided to cut their losses and leave immediately.
A moment later, their faces turned grim.
All their signal transmitters were malfunctioning, every single one damaged.
The Secret Realm was full of various energy substances, constantly corroding precision electronic devices.
However, the signal transmitters were small and heavily sealed, and based on past experiences, they should have lasted for a long time.
But after just three nights, they were already unable to contact the nearby Brown Star base.
Their faces turned pale. Without a doubt, this situation was far more severe than they had imagined.
People were going to die. They might be trapped here, all of them doomed.
What kind of drastic change had occurred deep in the Secret Realm? Why had it made their precision instruments so much more vulnerable?
"Has the energy density increased?" Zhong Qing asked, her delicate face, cleansed of dirt, now lacking color.
"I wonder how the other teams are doing," Zhao Qinghan said. Her main concern was that if all the teams were facing this issue, no one could escape.
Zheng Rui said, "If no one can send a signal, I imagine the people at the ship base will realize something is wrong and come to rescue us."
"The problem is, we might not last that long," Zhong Qing said bitterly.
It had only been three days, and they were already struggling on the brink of death. They couldn't imagine what might happen next.
Boom!
In the distance, a cliff shattered as Old Zhong reappeared, gasping for breath. He was sitting on the back of the extraordinary creature, pounding it with his fists in a wild frenzy.
Unfortunately, the creature was a giant rat, making the scene less impressive than it could have been.
"Did you send the signal?" he asked from a distance.
"All the signal transmitters are damaged," Zhong Cheng replied bitterly.
Zhong Yong sighed, "I knew it. The worst has happened. The other teams must be facing the same problem."
In a fit of rage, Old Zhong began pounding the extraordinary creature harder, causing blood to gush from its ears. It squealed in agony.
Old Song joined in, delivering powerful, brutal punches, leaving the creature's mouth and nose bleeding. Finally, it was severely injured.
"Great-grandfather, what should we do?" Zhong Cheng shouted.
"Prepare for the worst. We might never make it back. Think about the Blessed Land!" the old man from the Song family shouted.
"You all should keep your distance and take care of yourselves. I can't protect you. There are two of these extraordinary rats," Old Zhong yelled, noticing more commotion in the distance.
Once again, they had no choice but to run, leading the two extraordinary rats away.
Wang Xuan was confused. What was the situation with the Blessed Land?
Zhao Qinghan, Zhong Qing, Zheng Rui, and the others knew a bit about it, and their faces turned even paler.
"The Blessed Land is another life-sustaining planet, filled with rich energy substances and abundant resources," Zhao Qinghan explained briefly.
The Blessed Land had been discovered before the Secret Realm, and New Star had been developing it for a while, yielding great results.
But five years ago, a sudden upheaval occurred. The energy there surged, making it impossible for ships to approach without crashing.
The explorers left on that planet never returned, and all contact was lost.
Wang Xuan was stunned. If that was the comparison, could he be permanently stuck on this planet? That couldn't happen—his parents were still on the Old Earth. He couldn't say goodbye forever.
At the same time, he had an agreement with the Sword Fairy to return within three years.
All the explorers were now restless, thoroughly uneasy.
Who didn't have loved ones, parents, or friends? If given the choice, no one would want to be stranded in a foreign land.
Especially since this world was so dangerous, an entire exploration team could be wiped out in just a few days.
"I don't want to stay here," Zhou Kun was truly terrified, his hands trembling.
For someone like him, a son of a wealthy family, the monster-infested Secret Realm was nothing compared to the vibrant, luxurious life on New Star.
"Look on the bright side. You could marry and have children in a foreign land, attain extraordinary powers, and maybe one day we'll be able to fly back ourselves," Zhong Cheng said, unusually optimistic.
Zhong Cheng had always been fascinated by the world of the ancient immortals. It was the reason he had once sought out Master Wang on the Old Earth to ask for shortcuts in cultivation.
However, his optimism was short-lived, as Zhong Qing slapped him to the ground again, dealing yet another blow to his dreams.
"You can't even beat me, and you talk about becoming an immortal!" Zhong Qing had been cultivating for less time than her brother, yet she could easily overpower him. It was a constant source of pain for Zhong Cheng.
"Dear sister, you have to face reality. Think about the situation with the Blessed Land. You might really need to marry and have children here. We might not be going back. Face the future!"
Zhong Cheng stubbornly refused to admit defeat, which earned him another round of punishment.
Wang Xuan continued gathering information and asked, "Does the Nova know anything in-depth about the Blessed Land? Have they ever made deductions about what the situation there really is?"
"It's very mysterious, with extraordinary creatures, extremely dangerous, and largely similar to the Secret Realm," Zheng Rui sighed, telling him what he knew.
Similarly, the development of the Blessed Land has always been limited to the outer areas. No one has ever ventured deep into it.
The people of Nova don't know what the core area of the Blessed Land, where the energy is densest and shrouded in mist, is like.
Wang Xuan showed a hint of curiosity and asked, "Could there be cities, humans, sects, and real cultivators deep within the Blessed Land or the Secret Realm?"
Zhong Qing shook her head. "It's hard to say. Various detectors can't capture the situation in the deepest parts of the Secret Realm. They crash just by getting close."
Zhao Qinghan spoke, "Some have done research and proposed various hypotheses, believing that the core area might indeed contain humanoid species, some extremely powerful primate species."
After all, there are extraordinary species in the outer areas.
In the depths of the Secret Realm, there must be even more powerful extraordinary creatures.
Moreover, any extraordinary creature, no matter its original form, has a certain level of intelligence.
According to the rules of the Secret Realm, the more powerful the extraordinary creature, the more intelligent it is, and many species may not be inferior to humans in this regard.
Therefore, Nova's researchers believe that both the Blessed Land and the Secret Realm must have highly intelligent species.
They are at the top of the pyramid on this extraordinary planet.
Some even believe that in the core region, there is a brilliant extraordinary civilization with a well-established social structure.
"But why don't they come out? Why have we never seen them?" Wang Xuan asked in doubt.
Zhao Qinghan replied, "Maybe they have come out but don't bother to deal with us. Or maybe the current upheaval is their doing, and they don't want outsiders to disturb them anymore."
She added, "Every hypothesis has its flaws, which is why they remain hypotheses and not the truth."
Zhou Kun sighed and said, "Are you really preparing to stay here? At this moment, I want to cry. I want to return to Nova, not stay in this monster-infested wasteland."
Zhong Cheng tried to comfort him, "Brother Zhou, prepare for the worst. We should aim to spread humanity's roots here and even claim another life planet."
"Go away! I don't want to talk to someone whose brain isn't functioning properly," Zhou Kun didn't want to deal with him at this moment.
"So, in the future, I will be one of the immortals, while you're just an ordinary person," Zhong Cheng retorted.
Zhao Qinghan said, "It's not entirely hopeless. If the base on Brown Star detects something unusual and sends a ship quickly, we might still be able to leave."
She believed that the situation might not be too dire just yet. Some ships could still get close to this planet.
"Let's pray for a miracle," Zhou Kun sighed.
Wang Xuan said, "No matter what, we should prepare for all possibilities. Right now, gathering extraordinary items and strengthening ourselves is the most important thing."
Zhong Qing reached out and handed Wang Xuan the purple peach that Old Zhong had tossed over, as a token of gratitude for saving her life.
Wang Xuan shook his head and refused. He was almost a Grandmaster, and this peach would have little effect on him, but it would surely benefit the Zhong siblings greatly.
Besides, if Old Zhong found out, who knows what he might think.
Wang Xuan found himself missing Old Chen. If Old Chen could make it to the Secret Realm, he'd definitely have him wield that black sword and cut down a couple of extraordinary creatures to satisfy his cravings.
More importantly, near where extraordinary creatures reside, there are often rare and precious items—special extraordinary herbs!
In fact, Old Chen had arrived!
After receiving Wang Xuan's message, and with the efforts of certain departments, he had changed his appearance and joined a Nova expedition team.
However, he was currently in a dire situation. Although he had become a true extraordinary human, he was now fleeing for his life over a distance of a hundred miles!
Two creatures that looked like national treasures, with dark circles under their eyes, were chasing him while running upright.
"Wasn't it just because I dug up one glowing bamboo shoot and ate it? There are still three left, yet you won't leave me alone, determined to hunt me down," Old Chen muttered in distress. He was badly injured, with claw marks on his body, and bleeding as he fled for his life.
He regretted not being able to bring the black sword with him. That thing was too conspicuous—even with his disguise, the sword, being 1.5 meters long, would still be easily recognizable. He didn't want to attract suspicion.
"When I return to the old lands, I'll make sure to go to Shu and give your distant relatives a good beating!" he muttered.
...
Zhong Cheng spoke up, "With Grandmaster Ma here, I think it would be much easier to gather extraordinary herbs. Yesterday, we discovered several areas with extraordinary items."
Unfortunately, they chose a black gold jujube tree and met with disaster.
Then, the group set off again.
Whether they could leave or not, Wang Xuan had made up his mind to break into the extraordinary realm as soon as possible.
Not long after, they arrived at a valley and observed it carefully from the outskirts.
There were six extraordinary trees in the valley. The trunks and branches were gray, but the leaves were a luminous blue, clearly remarkable. Each tree bore four or five glowing blue fruits.
Yesterday, the group had observed the valley from a distance for a long time and hadn't seen any creatures. But they were too scared to enter.
Because six fruit trees bearing so many extraordinary fruits couldn't possibly be left unnoticed by creatures.
This unusual situation made them back down, and in the end, they didn't dare to enter.
"Could there be extraordinary creatures?" Wang Xuan frowned. If they were unlucky, everyone could die here.
He didn't dare act recklessly. Lying on the hillside, he observed the valley.
Soon after, there was a commotion from behind.
The woman Wang Xuan had rescued from the great rift yesterday, the one who had witnessed Wu Yin being taken by a creature, cried out in shock.
A member of the expedition team had used a test kit to analyze the bloodstains on her clothes and determined that it wasn't human blood.
"So, Sister Wu Yin wasn't injured at the time? The blood belonged to the creature?" the woman said, surprised.
She then recalled that the creature had emitted a black light and taken Wu Yin into the sky, and then blood had spilled down.
She hadn't seen who the blood belonged to. She had just assumed Wu Yin was severely injured because of her preconceptions.
"This is good news. At least Sister Wu Yin wasn't hurt at the time!" Zhong Qing said.
Wang Xuan's heart raced. This was indeed something to look forward to.
Maybe... the creature was gravely wounded, with serious problems, and Wu Yin might still have a chance to survive.
At the same time, the witness, who had been close to Wu Yin, hadn't been killed or eaten by the creature.
This suggested that the creature didn't seem intent on slaughter at the time, or something else was going on.
Wang Xuan felt that Wu Yin had a slim chance of survival.
Wang Xuan watched for a long time and confirmed that there were no large monsters in the valley. He cautiously probed, releasing faint strands of spiritual energy to ensure there were no extraordinary creatures. Then, fully utilizing his spiritual domain, he carefully observed the situation.
There were about a dozen insects on the six fruit trees. These blue-glowing bugs were either asleep on the leaves or gnawing on the blue fruits. Wang Xuan's heart ached seeing the bugs devour the precious spiritual fruits. In fact, some fruit pits were already scattered on the ground, indicating that more fruits had been eaten.
What shocked him the most was that these insects emitted the aura of mysterious elements, and it was incredibly rich. Inside the Inner Landscape, mysterious elements constantly drifted around, but in the real world, they were rare. Even though the Secret Realm had various energy substances, including X material, mysterious elements were scarce.
Wang Xuan had encountered many monsters in the Secret Realm, but this was the first time he sensed creatures specifically absorbing mysterious elements—these peculiar insects. He felt there was something strange about them but was confident they weren't extraordinary beings. With that assurance, he prepared to investigate further.
"I'll ride Master Ma in. If anything goes wrong, I can escape immediately," Wang Xuan said, and then added, "You all should stay away from this area for now, in case I stir up something dangerous."
Zhong Cheng suggested, "Isn't it too risky for you to go in? Why not just send Master Ma?"
Wang Xuan replied, "You're overestimating Master Ma's character. If we let him in alone, he'll probably just bring out a bunch of fruit pits for us."
The others were speechless, while Master Ma snorted, glaring at Wang Xuan. Zhao Qinghan, knowing his abilities, still reminded him to be careful and escape if things got dangerous.
Everyone else quickly retreated, having learned to be cautious after their previous encounters. Wang Xuan entered the valley on horseback but soon dismounted, advising Master Ma not to follow too closely. After all, they didn't fully understand the nature of these insects, and if they were poisonous, Master Ma could be in danger.
"I'll pick some fruits for you later. Don't run off, or I'll have roasted horse leg waiting for you when I catch up," Wang Xuan joked.
Master Ma glared at him, almost ready to kick him.
As Wang Xuan approached the trees, he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his back, like a heavy blow. In the next moment, blue streaks of light flashed towards him, like bolts of blue lightning, moving at an incredible speed.
He gasped—had he not mastered the Golden Body Technique, any ordinary person would have been pierced by these insects. He grabbed one, squeezed it, and it exploded with a pop, scattering like shattered blue jelly. Its insides were soft, but its exterior was as hard as iron.
The most surprising thing was the dense cloud of mysterious elements that dispersed when the bug was crushed. Although Wang Xuan tried to gather some using the Pre-Qin Root Method, most of the energy dissipated instantly, escaping far away.
"These bugs… might be more valuable than the spiritual fruits themselves!" Wang Xuan muttered in amazement.
He used his spiritual domain to shatter the insects' weak mental defenses. In no time, all ten or so bugs fell to the ground, lifeless. He gathered them up—each about two inches long, gleaming blue like gemstones—and stored them away. He realized that even a grandmaster could be seriously injured by these bugs, and Master Ma would likely meet a bloody fate if he ventured too close. The insects' raw physical power was impressive, though their mental defenses were feeble.
Afterward, Wang Xuan picked the remaining fruits. There were nineteen intact ones and eight that had been nibbled on—quite a bountiful harvest. He hoped to use them to increase his strength.
He left the insect eggs on the trees untouched.
After mounting Master Ma, Wang Xuan exited the valley. From a distance, he saw Zhao Qinghan and the rest of the exploration team confronting ten strangers.
Wang Xuan quickly noticed something unusual—their clothing was different from the people of Nova. Regardless of gender, their outfits had a metallic sheen and were of a peculiar style. Some had black hair, others silver, but they all appeared young. However, the language they spoke was unintelligible—alien sounds that made no sense to Wang Xuan.
Zhong Cheng and the others were shouting at them, but the ten strangers only furrowed their brows in confusion, clearly not understanding.
Wang Xuan's heart raced. Earlier, they had speculated about the possibility of cities, humanoid creatures, and sects deep within the Secret Realm. Could it be that they were now witnessing the real deal? Who exactly were these people?!