Chapter 155

Chapter 155: First Entry into the Secret Realm

Upon arriving in Kindled Flame City, Han Cheng Yun paid in Spirit Stones to hire two carriages for the road.

Although they were cultivators who could travel on spiritual light, the road to the Scorchfire Wasteland was not peaceful.

Rather than rushing blindly, it was more important to conserve strength and stamina to handle unforeseen accidents.

Along the way, Zong Wen Shi spoke warmly to Rong Shu about the Scorchfire Secret Realm.

The Scorchfire Secret Realm had opened twice before this, and each opening lasted a year or two.

The first opening was six hundred years ago and lasted one year.

The second was two hundred years ago and lasted two years.

Now was the third opening of the Scorchfire Secret Realm, and it had already been open for several months.

As cultivators explored it in succession, much information about its internal terrain and layout had spread.

At present, the regions known to have been explored within the Scorchfire Secret Realm were:

[Mist Forest]

It covers almost the entire realm, inhabited by many spirit beasts and demon beasts. Spirit herbs can occasionally be found.

[Li Rong Mountain]

An active volcano where many Exotic Flames are born.

[Scripture Tower]

Said to be where the alchemy master stored pill?making manuals and insights. To obtain those manuals, one must pass the Tower’s tiered trials.

[Herb Garden]

Home to many rare spirit herbs, but also to numerous highly toxic grasses and flowers, with guardian beasts posted. A single misstep can cost your life in an instant.

[Nine?Turn Labyrinth]

If you wish to reach Li Rong Mountain, Scripture Tower, or the Herb Garden, you must pass through the Nine?Turn Labyrinth. Its interior crisscrosses like a maze where one can easily lose direction, and it is filled with mechanisms and traps that are hard to guard against.

Zong Wen Shi gave a careful reminder as he put the map away: Fellow Daoist Lin, once you enter the realm, go to the designated gathering point at once. The secret realm is fraught with danger. Traveling alone is unsafe.

He added with a nod: once everyone gathers, we will set out to explore together.

He produced a simple map of the realm and pointed to the assembly location.

Rong Shu studied it several times, committed the whole map to memory, and then nodded as she said: understood, I have it memorized. But since entry points are random, if we are too far apart, will going to the rendezvous first waste too much time?

Zong Wen Shi explained while stowing the map: if five days pass with no meeting, we will gather at the Scripture Tower. The Scripture Tower stands at the realm’s center. Besides the difficulty that you must pass through the Nine?Turn Labyrinth to reach it, it is also a fairly suitable place to assemble.

All right, I understand, said Rong Shu.

Sharing the same carriage with her were the Su brothers and Wu Man.

Wu Man offered a word of comfort as he said: Fellow Daoist Lin, you need not worry overmuch. Based on the first two openings, those transmitted into the realm usually appear at the outer edge of the Mist Forest, which is not too dangerous.

Hearing this, Rong Shu visibly exhaled in relief and said: in that case, I am reassured.

[Surely I will not be so unlucky as to be sent not to the forest’s edge but straight into the labyrinth, right?] she thought to herself. Even so, she continued to pry details about the Nine?Turn Labyrinth from Zong Wen Shi, just in case.

It was said that the labyrinth was supported by a large formation, within which a variety of mechanisms and puzzles had been set.

Unless you find the true answers, you can only be trapped for eighty?one days before the labyrinth releases you.

Inside the secret realm, everyone’s cultivation is suppressed below the Golden Core Stage. Any formations and Talisman papers you bring will have their power greatly reduced the moment you take them out and will gradually fail under the realm’s suppression.

This is also why adventuring squads do not especially seek Array Masters or Talisman Masters.

They pressed deeper into the Scorchfire Wasteland.

After three days on the road, they encountered more and more cultivators.

When they saw a tavern up ahead with a black flag planted by the door, Han Cheng Yun spoke a warning: everyone, take note. We are now within five hundred li of the Scorchfire Secret Realm.

He proposed calmly: let us rest for half a day first. Tomorrow we will purchase Scorchfire Ore and prepare to enter the realm. How does that sound?

Agreed, said one.

After rushing for so long, we should replenish our energy, said another.

…

Thus the nine of them found an inn and checked in for the time being.

After a night’s rest, they rose refreshed and went out early to buy Scorchfire Ore.

Each person carried one piece of Scorchfire Ore on their person.

Next, they only had to wait to be randomly drawn by the Scorchfire Secret Realm and transmitted inside.

Two hours later, members of the nine began to be drawn in one after another.

Rong Shu was taken into the realm in the fourth hour after donning her Scorchfire Ore.

When she opened her eyes again and took in the scene before her, she muttered in surprise: huh? Where am I?

Before her lay a world of white mist. All around stood very tall bamboo, and only a web of quiet little paths stretched away in all directions toward unknown places.

After surveying her surroundings, Rong Shu had to acknowledge one thing.

It seemed she had been randomly transmitted into the Nine?Turn Labyrinth.

What luck.

Rong Shu felt dejected for a heartbeat, then quickly adjusted her mindset.

Since I am here, I may as well be at ease.

Already within the Nine?Turn Labyrinth, she now had to find a way out, then go meet up with Zong Wen Shi and the others.

Goo, chirped the Little Hamster as it crawled out of the Beast Taming Pouch at Rong Shu’s waist.

Before entering the realm, fearing a sudden transmission might separate them, Rong Shu had either kept the Little Hamster in her arms or let it stay in the Beast Taming Pouch these past few days.

Now that they were in the realm, the Little Hamster could not wait to come out.

Ordinarily, a spirit beast or demon beast cannot come out of a Beast Taming Pouch on its own.

But the Little Hamster only had to casually rake a paw to tear open a Spatial Rift and then slip out.

Rong Shu scooped the Little Hamster up, her eyes sparkling as she asked: Yan Yan, can you open another Spatial Rift now?

At her request, the Little Hamster experimentally carved a fresh Spatial Rift into the air beside them.

Then it nodded at Rong Shu.

Rong Shu let her gaze sweep slowly across the bamboo forest before her.

[Originally I thought I would have to overcome a hundred difficulties to clear this labyrinth. But now… heh?heh.]

She had a better idea.

Yan Yan, take me out of this maze. Aim for roughly the center, and send us straight to the Scripture Tower, she said.

The Little Hamster nodded, then opened a new Spatial Rift.

Seeing this, Rong Shu stepped through with the Little Hamster in her arms.