Chapter 45: Discovering the Secret Realm
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Yu Zhao and Zhou Jin Yue exchanged glances, their eyes sparkling with excitement. The appearance of the Crimson Flame Lion couldn’t have been a random occurrence; there had to be a place it came from. This place could either be a teleportation array or, even better, an undiscovered secret realm. Naturally, they hoped for the latter.
“Everyone, spread out and look for any strange places or signs of spiritual energy fluctuations,” Zhou Jin Yue instructed.
The disciples of the Five Elements Sect immediately dispersed to search. Yu Zhao chose a direction and walked, her eyes glued to the ground as she meticulously scanned every inch, eager to uncover something hidden.
After walking a few hundred steps, Yu Zhao stopped in front of a large, seemingly ordinary stone. It showed no signs of spiritual energy or life, blending in perfectly with the other rocks in Dragon Roar Valley. However, Yu Zhao had a gut feeling that this stone held a secret.
She channeled spiritual energy into her palm and pressed it against the stone. A peculiar wave of energy enveloped her, and a strong sense of weightlessness followed. When Yu Zhao opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
The sky was a dull gray, and around her lay withered plants and a thick fog that obscured the distance, only barely revealing a stone bridge. Yu Zhao tried to absorb spiritual energy but found it scarce in this desolate place. She sighed, realizing they had entered a secret realm on the brink of collapse. The realm’s creator had likely passed away, and without spiritual energy to sustain it, the realm would soon be swallowed by the void.
As Yu Zhao looked around, she noticed a scorched corpse and large footprints—undeniable evidence that the Crimson Flame Lion had come from here. Suddenly, another spatial fluctuation occurred, and Zhou Jin Yue, along with the others, appeared around her.
Seeing Yu Zhao unharmed, Zhou Jin Yue sighed in relief and asked about her situation. Meanwhile, the others expressed their disappointment as they surveyed the area.
“This secret realm looks so barren, and the spiritual energy is weak. It’s nothing like our sect’s secret realm,” one disciple lamented.
“We thought we’d discovered a treasure, but it’s just a wasteland. What a disappointment.”
“Did the Crimson Flame Lion really come from here? Could there be more beasts lurking around?”
The group fell silent, fearful at the thought of encountering another Tier Four Crimson Flame Lion, which would spell the end of their journey. Zhou Jin Yue quickly regained control of the situation, calming everyone’s nerves.
“Let’s stay together and explore deeper. There might still be something valuable here,” she suggested.
The group, reassured by Zhou Jin Yue’s leadership, followed her deeper into the secret realm. They walked for three hours, encountering no beasts, the only sounds being their footsteps crunching on the dry grass. Yu Zhao kept her spiritual sense active, ready for any unexpected events.
At the end of their path, they found a small stream with a stone bridge connecting both banks. The thick fog prevented them from seeing where the bridge led. All eyes turned to Zhou Jin Yue for guidance.
“Let’s have three people cross the bridge to check for danger. If it’s safe, the rest will follow,” Zhou Jin Yue decided.
No one objected. The three chosen to scout were Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and Lan Zi Yu, as they were among the strongest. If Fang Cheng Lang hadn’t been injured, he would have been part of the group too. Yu Zhao wanted to join them, but knowing her limitations, she decided not to be a burden.
Fortunately, the scouting group encountered no danger. After confirming their safety, they signaled the others to cross. The group moved across the bridge, emerging from the fog to find a garden. The garden, once beautiful, was now filled with withered plants. Ahead stood a three-story wooden pavilion, quiet and elegant despite the desolation.
Yu Zhao imagined the realm’s owner as someone who loved flowers and had refined tastes. The pavilion’s doors were wide open, with no guards in sight, suggesting it was safe, though no one dared to let their guard down. As usual, Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and Lan Zi Yu entered first.
They found no obstacles inside, not even the faintly visible defensive array seemed functional. The rest of the group followed, finding a thick layer of dust indicating the place hadn’t been visited in a long time.
Curiosity was high, but the disciples didn’t dare wander off, staying close behind Zhou Jin Yue’s group as they explored the pavilion. After thoroughly searching all three floors, one disciple sighed, “This secret realm’s owner must have been quite poor. There’s nothing here but basic living items.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. They had hoped to find some valuable opportunities in the secret realm, but it seemed like a wasted effort. Yu Zhao, however, felt something was off, like they had overlooked an important detail.
Just as Zhou Jin Yue was about to lead them out, Yu Zhao suddenly exclaimed, “The Crimson Flame Lion!”
“Where? Is there another one?”
“Yu Zhao, don’t scare us like that!”
The disciples huddled together, trembling with alarm in their eyes.
Zhou Jin Yue quickly understood Yu Zhao’s point. “That’s right! We forgot about the Crimson Flame Lion. If it lived in this realm, it must have had a lair. We haven’t found its den yet, and there might still be something valuable there.”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The group perked up at the prospect. They weren’t necessarily expecting a grand treasure, but finding something would make the trip worthwhile. Energized, they began searching for the Crimson Flame Lion’s lair.
Once again, Yu Zhao was the first to notice something. Behind the pavilion, overgrown weeds concealed a cave entrance. She cleared the vegetation and threw a lit incense stick inside. Smoke filled the cave, and soon, a small Crimson Flame Lion cub stumbled out, dazed and confused, bumping into Yu Zhao’s leg.
The cub was only the size of Yu Zhao’s arm, covered in soft, light red fur. Yu Zhao grabbed it by the scruff and lifted it, meeting its round, wide-eyed gaze. She nodded, recognizing it.
This was the same cub she had seen in her previous life, though back then, she had only seen its severed head. The sect leader had decapitated both the adult Crimson Flame Lion and its cub after Zhou Jin Yue’s death, bringing their heads back as offerings to the Five Elements Sect.
The memory was vivid, and Yu Zhao realized they had indeed found the cub’s lair.