That mass of light and shadow floated in the void like a bubble. The woman inside glanced at Wang Xuan and then turned her gaze back to the white peacock, seemingly listening to something.
The light and shadow occasionally shimmered with celestial radiance, casting glimmers upon the stone cliff.
There was no doubt that the woman was communicating with the white peacock in the mortal realm, and it seemed to be draining her energy.
Wang Xuan stared at the light that fell onto the cliff, wondering if there would be any remnants left.
Soon, that mass of light began to blur, disappearing into a bracelet worn by Zheng Rui.
The keywords—Zheng family, Origin Life Research Institute, the underground lab of the Greater Khingan Range…—combined together revealed the identity of that woman.
The female practitioner had arrived!
Although she only appeared briefly and then quickly vanished, Wang Xuan was already certain it was her.
Were some members of the Zheng family being controlled?
The female practitioner was special; she had preserved her complete physical body, lying in a bamboo boat made of divine bamboo, with her physical vitality still intact after three thousand years.
At present, it seemed she was the only one among all the ascended ancient beings to have left behind her complete physical body!
The remains of past immortals could serve as coordinates, closely linking with the mortal realm and potentially having critical importance in the future.
But the female practitioner left behind her whole body—what did that signify?
She had prepared thoroughly back then, seemingly foreseeing various possibilities and leaving a way out.
Many ascended immortals actually progressed through contemplation, as there had never been a mature path or experience throughout history; everything was in exploration.
Why did the top-tier practitioners of the Pre-Qin period suddenly vanish at the height of their glory? With the strongest practitioners ascending, this path became desolate.
In the Pre-Qin era, the most elite practitioners hunted divine birds, captured mythical beasts, and traveled in carriages pulled by auspicious creatures, yet they all vanished without a trace.
Daoism also experienced various trials and tribulations.
The path of Daoism kept changing; initially emphasizing the tranquility of the mind and the accumulation of spiritual energy, represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi's teachings.
But these requirements were too high, often delving into the elusive paths of the Dao, leading to the later emergence of various concrete practices like breath control.
Eventually, inner alchemy and the study of golden elixirs rose to prominence, going through several changes but ultimately falling silent again.
Thus, some believe that the ascended immortals are now mere echoes of the past!
Those who have perished can hardly reappear, and those who have departed cannot return.
The female practitioner is unique. Wang Xuan had once inadvertently released a trace of her spirit from the Inner Landscape, returning to the powerful body she preserved.
Now, it was hard to determine her current state.
Wang Xuan even suspected that she might have completely come back to life through this!
According to the later theories of the Old Technique, nourishing the spirit with the body forms the root. Now that her trace of spirit has returned and is being nourished anew, does that mean she has re-entered the mortal realm?
Wang Xuan felt overwhelmed!
Having such a divine bamboo boat back in that era indicated her strength and status, using this treasure to preserve a way out and prepare in advance.
"Zheng Rui seems odd; he left with Zhou Kun," Zhao Qinghan remarked.
"We shouldn't confront them; those two might be… controlled by supernatural beings," Wang Xuan said.
The white peacock lingered on the cliff for a moment before spreading its wings and flying deep into the Secret Realm, carrying a rich energy material.
"Is that white peacock a demon?" Zhao Qinghan stared in the direction it flew away.
Wang Xuan nodded. "It should be; it's very dangerous. At least, I don't want to provoke it right now."
The red-clothed female demon was said to be coming to the mortal realm, but the female practitioner had directly appeared in the Secret Realm. They seemed urgent, arriving early to explore or search for something.
Wang Xuan didn't believe the female practitioner had come here for no reason.
He was contemplating whether he could persuade the female practitioner to restrain the red-clothed demon. He sensed that both of them could be extremely powerful, and if they clashed, it would be terrifying.
However, the female practitioner was also "keeping an eye" on him, wanting to keep him in the Old Earth for three years!
Thinking about this made his head ache.
Moreover, if the red-clothed demon and the female practitioner couldn't fight each other, and if they were old acquaintances who allied, he would be in deep trouble.
At that level, the chances of compromise and cooperation were the highest.
"Actually, what the female practitioner left in the mortal realm is just a fragment of her consciousness; her true self has ascended and is behind the great curtain."
When he thought of this, Wang Xuan suddenly felt that he might be scaring himself.
The female practitioner had both a physical body and a remnant spirit, and she might become very powerful in the future, even living through it all again, but for now, she shouldn't be able to stir up much trouble!
Wang Xuan realized that it was highly likely the case; if she were strong enough, she wouldn't need to rely on Zheng Rui to come into the Secret Realm, hiding in a bracelet.
In an instant, he felt an impulse to measure the female practitioner's true level!
Of course, it wasn't about forcing it; he just wanted to meet her, say hello, and observe her with his spiritual domain up close.
By gauging her strength, he could likely infer the red-clothed demon's upcoming transformation into a human.
However, he suppressed the impulse and said, "She must be at least at the extraordinary level; otherwise, she wouldn't dare face that extraordinary white peacock."
"What are you talking about?" Zhao Qinghan turned her head to look at him.
Wang Xuan replied, "The demon controlling Zheng Rui and the others just now was very strong; now that it's left, let's go check it out."
The area had fallen silent as the two approached cautiously, ultimately reaching the mountain cliff.
Wang Xuan hadn't forgotten the radiance emitted by the woman; he immediately used his mental domain to probe the rock face, finding residual energy within the crevices.
"Supernatural, stronger than a silk snake!" he concluded.
He closed his eyes to contemplate, then suddenly opened them, exclaiming, "Why do I feel it's not so terrifying? In the supernatural realm, it's not out of reach!"
Wang Xuan had a feeling—his suspicion was confirmed!
If that was the case, the red-clad female demoness was likely comparable, and she was probably just a slightly stronger individual in the supernatural realm, not a true immortal.
"Most likely higher than the Lighting the Lamp realm, at the Fate Soil or Gathering Herb levels?"
In an instant, an immense fighting spirit surged within Wang Xuan.
As long as he entered the supernatural realm, the outcome of their confrontation was uncertain.
Understanding her strengths and weaknesses made him less fearful. Although the forces behind her were incredibly powerful, they didn't dictate the present world!
"Earthly matters belong to Wang Xuan!" he muttered, realizing he needed to enhance his strength.
If they were to cross paths, he might just hunt the red-clad demoness!
Zhao Qinghan's azure armor glowed red in the sunset, making her look as if she was draped in crimson. She laughed, asking, "What about the realms beyond?"
"Be it the realm of immortals or the earthly realm, Wang Xuan will oversee it all!" he replied, bolstering his confidence. He needed to find a way to enter the supernatural realm soon.
Not long after, the roar of beasts shook the forest.
Wang Xuan and his companion approached a cluster of fiery red herbs, startling a golden cat over a yard long.
Master Ma was eager to confront the cat, which had its eyes on the cluster of Huoyun grass.
"Meow!"
The golden cat fled.
Then it was Master Ma's turn to scream, baring its teeth, nearly spitting out the Huoyun grass. What kind of terrible herb was this? It was so bitter that half its face went numb!
Wang Xuan commented, "The Huoyun grass isn't even ripe yet, and Master Ma can't handle it. If a human ate it, they'd likely lose their sense of taste for days, their mouths bitter for several days straight."
Zhao Qinghan nodded, saying, "The herbal book mentioned that, but I never expected it to be this bitter."
Master Ma was furious, realizing they had known all along and chose not to eat it!
"Though it's not ripe, its medicinal effect is enough. Hurry and eat it, don't waste it," Wang Xuan reassured. "The next spirit herb won't be bitter."
The next day, they found another rare herb, purple and fragrant, resembling an apple.
Master Ma couldn't handle one and was once again left suffering. It watched Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan share the remaining fruit with wide eyes.
"The Ziyu fruit is sweet and juicy, definitely not bitter, but after the Huoyun grass, your mouth will taste bitter for days," Wang Xuan said.
"Ugh!" Master Ma was enraged; days more?
Wang Xuan couldn't resist, sneaking deeper into the Secret Realm to gaze at the Earth Immortal Spring.
He then quickly retreated; there were supernatural creatures lurking around, and it was truly hard for Old Zhong to find an opportunity to escape alive.
"Stop being picky and grow your wings! We're going to drink from the Earth Immortal Spring!"
Next, Wang Xuan roasted meat and searched for spirit herbs to feed Master Ma, hoping it would sprout a pair of wings to soar across the skies.
Two days later, Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan entered a sparsely wooded area, making a significant discovery.
"A peculiar place lies ahead!"
Wang Xuan sensed an unusual mysterious energy, far denser than in other areas of the Secret Realm.
"A ruined temple!" Zhao Qinghan exclaimed.
Ahead was desolate, with rubble everywhere and remnants of walls. In the center stood a platform made of distinctly black and white soil, stacked in two layers, resembling a two-tier birthday cake.
The rich mysterious energy emanated from that black-and-white platform.
Wang Xuan speculated it might be a treasure from the Inner Landscape!
In ancient times, a top-tier expert had unexpectedly perished and, before dying, refined a piece of Inner Landscape, merging it with a treasure in the real world.
"The relics left by the immortals should be sealed within this black-and-white platform," Wang Xuan thought excitedly; he had finally found this place.
However, he didn't dare approach, as a massive spider lay next to the platform, its size akin to a desk, adorned with patterns matching the platform's colors.
This was a supernatural spider!
It spun a large web, connecting the ruins and guarding the platform.
What prey could it be hunting here? Clearly, it was attuned to the rich mysterious energy, cultivating here.
It was an unexpected variable—who would have thought a supernatural creature would be guarding it?
"Let's not provoke it for now; let's wait for Master Ma's wings to fully grow," Zhao Qinghan whispered, thinking there was no need to rush.
Wang Xuan nodded; he wasn't new to encountering supernatural creatures and knew their danger.
Master Ma strutted with pride, its sides now sporting a pair of wings, pure white with a hint of gold.
But these wings were still small; Master Ma could barely manage to fly, unable to carry both of them swiftly through the skies.
Wang Xuan spoke, "At this rate, in three days at most, Master Ma will be able to fly freely and seize the treasures here!"
He was eager, excited to uncover what strange artifacts the immortals had left in the Inner Landscape that could alter a person's fate.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in the distance as a mountaintop collapsed.
A figure stumbled out, clearly in a desperate escape—it was Old Chen!
He had appeared in this place.
Wang Xuan was shocked and reacted quickly, pulling Zhao Qinghan into hiding behind some rubble.
Master Ma had become quite clever, moving lightly to hide alongside them.
Old Chen was being pursued, so there must be supernatural creatures after him.
Fortunately, they were still at a distance.
"Xiao Chen, have you done your best? All you know how to do is run!" Not far from Old Chen, there was actually Old Zhong, sprinting quickly along the treetops, as if he were flying.
"Old Zhong, pass your Five-Color Golden Pill technique to me! It might greatly enhance my combat power!" Old Chen called out.
"Trade it for your Bodhisattva Fist!" Old Zhong replied.
Both were in a pitiful state, covered in blood as they fled wildly.
Wang Xuan was astonished; one was a scheming old fisherman, and the other was a patient old trickster. Who would have thought they would end up together?
These two represented the highest combat power from the Old Earth and the New Star, a powerful alliance, despite both being in dire straits and covered in blood from being chased.
Behind them, six supernatural beings were pursuing them, forcing them to make a large detour before plunging deeper into the Secret Realm.
Wang Xuan realized just how brutal and intense supernatural battles were; these two old men were clearly at a disadvantage and were running for their lives.
"Old Zhong actually dared to join the supernatural battle," Zhao Qinghan sighed, showing some admiration for him. Normally cautious, he took risks when it mattered, competing for chances and changing his fate.
Wang Xuan's expression turned serious. "I must become stronger quickly!"
He wanted to delve deeper into the Secret Realm and participate in the supernatural battle!
"If I don't go, those two might die," he murmured to himself; he had to rescue Old Chen.
As for Old Zhong, his home was filled with priceless scriptures, always on Wang Xuan's mind.
Zhao Qinghan observed carefully and said, "Don't worry. From the looks of them, they don't seem to be suffering. In fact, the pursuers look furious, chasing them with hatred."