Chapter 68
In truth, calculating carefully, it had only been one or two months since Fu Yan broke through to late Illumination stage. Wanting to break through to great perfection of Illumination stage now was indeed a little too rushed. Thinking of someone with Bai Yueli’s talent, even she had been stuck at the late stage for nearly half a year.
But now that Fu Yan had the Earth’s Core Essence Liquid, she did not need to worry that her foundation would become unstable in the future. This secret realm was already full of dangers, and the various major forces were eyeing it like tigers watching their prey. Because of this, Fu Yan needed to raise her strength as quickly as possible.
Thinking of this, Fu Yan looked at the ten drops of Earth’s Core Essence Liquid in her hand, and the look in her eyes became a little firmer again.
Ji Qingjue seemed not to have expected that the treasure here would actually be Earth’s Core Essence Liquid. When she obtained it, her face was still full of disbelief, and she felt more and more that this trip into the secret realm had been completely worth it.
“But… how are we supposed to get out now?” Si Yizhi also put away his Earth’s Core Essence Liquid with fiery eyes, then raised his gaze to look around the mine cave and voiced his doubt again.
Hearing this, Ji Qingjue and Fu Yan both paused. Clearly, this was indeed a problem.
However, less than two breaths after Si Yizhi’s words fell, all three of them felt a burst of light swiftly wrap around them. It did not give them any chance to react. In the next moment, the world spun around them.
When Fu Yan landed steadily again, she discovered that she had already been teleported out. Around her was a vast stretch of grassland. When the breeze blew over from the distance, it carried the fragrance of green grass.
“It seems this secret realm has its own unique spatial laws.” As if thinking of something, Fu Yan could not help murmuring in relief.
After coming back to herself, Fu Yan hurriedly looked around. From afar, it seemed that in this vast grassland, there was only her figure alone.
Seeing this, Fu Yan was not too surprised. Si Yizhi and Ji Qingjue had clearly also been teleported away separately. Just like when they had entered the secret realm entrance, the place they came out at was also random.
Besides, to put it plainly, their safety had little to do with Fu Yan, so she did not dwell on this matter. Instead, she began thinking about where she should go to break through.
After all, breaking through to great perfection of Illumination stage was not that easy. Fu Yan did not want to reach the critical moment of her breakthrough only to be disturbed by other people or demon beasts. Who could endure that kind of grievance?
Thinking of this, Fu Yan soon made a decision in her heart. Thinking carefully, everyone had already entered the secret realm for some time. Presumably, the sect’s five elders had already found a gathering place long ago. To be safe, it would be better for her to go to the Shuiling Sect’s temporary base and break through there.
The Shuiling Sect had its own unique signal aura. Although the secret realm was very large, finding that signal aura was still relatively easy.
So after Fu Yan used Wind Shadow Steps to pass through the grassland before her, it took her less than half a day before she sensed the Shuiling Sect’s exclusive signal aura.
Fu Yan did not rest. She directly rode her sword toward the southeastern direction of the secret realm. Before nightfall, she finally saw a not-too-large, not-too-small mountain peak in the distance. At this moment, a huge defensive array had clearly been set up over the mountain.
This was the Shuiling Sect’s temporary base in the great secret realm. Seeing it, Fu Yan instantly descended toward the mountain peak. Because of the defensive array, she naturally could not directly barge onto the mountain.
The key to safely passing through the defensive array was each disciple’s wooden identity token. After Fu Yan landed from her sword, she directly took out her wooden identity token and hung it at her waist. Only then did she hurry up the mountain.
At this moment, one or two dozen disciples had already gathered on the mountain peak. It seemed that over these days, the Shuiling Sect’s losses were not very severe. At the very least, there had not yet been news of any disciple dying.
Fu Yan’s appearance did not attract much attention. She also did not linger too long. After going up the mountain, she directly arrived at the temporary wooden house where resources were handed in.
The various sects and cultivation families of the Northern Region entered the secret realm naturally to obtain more resources and enrich their own forces. So every disciple seeking protection naturally needed to hand in a certain amount of resources.
Fortunately, Fu Yan’s gains over these days were also considerable. After handing in a certain amount of resources, she did not feel any heartache at all. At the same time, she also obtained quite a few spirit stones.
The current Fu Yan was already ridiculously wealthy.
After finishing all this, Fu Yan simply strolled around the mountain peak. First, it was to find a quiet place where she could break through in peace. Second, she wanted to see whether Bai Yueli and Shui Liuqing had also returned.
However, what somewhat surprised her was that there was no sign of either of them on the entire mountain peak. Presumably, the two of them were still in the secret realm searching for opportunities.
Although Fu Yan had already made up her mind to change the plot between Bai Yueli and the male lead in this secret realm, the timeline was still far from the plot’s turning point. Even if the male lead and Bai Yueli ran into each other now, they would only be opponents.
Fu Yan clearly remembered that in the original book’s plot, near the end of this great secret realm, a huge immortal residence would appear in the sky. At that time, all the cultivators would enter the immortal residence to seek ancient inheritances and opportunities.
And the turning point in the plot between the male lead and Bai Yueli happened precisely inside this immortal residence. Fu Yan remembered that the two of them had accidentally entered a secret chamber together. After that, both of them were struck by Joy Incense, which even Huaxu-stage cultivators found difficult to dissolve.
The so-called Joy Incense was actually a kind of aphrodisiac. Those poisoned by it would lose their minds, and only after engaging in intimacy would they wake up. Otherwise, there would only be death. It was precisely because of this that the male lead had, through this accidental turn of events, taken Bai Yueli’s yin essence.
This was the biggest turning point in the plot between the two of them. So as long as Fu Yan stopped this from happening, Bai Yueli and the male lead would no longer have any connection. It could be said that Bai Yueli would completely break free from the restraints of the plot.
Saying she wanted to stop this matter was easy, but in truth, it was not easy to put into practice. Fu Yan naturally had no way to stop Bai Yueli from entering the immortal residence to seek opportunities. She could only think of a way to start from the male lead’s side.
But according to the original plot, at that time, the male lead would already possess strength comparable to middle Dao Integration stage. When the time came, Fu Yan might very likely have to face him. Then she would have to bring out equal strength. Yet right now, she was only at late Illumination stage, still far from enough.
So the most urgent matter was that Fu Yan could only seize time and raise her strength. No matter what, she could not fall too far behind the male lead.
A cold breeze drifted slowly and leisurely across the mountain peak, lifting the hem of Fu Yan’s clothes. Her figure looked exceptionally resilient and unyielding in the dark night. When Bai Yueli’s cool, distant figure surfaced in her mind, it was as if something grew wildly in the bottom of her heart.
Only after who knew how long did Fu Yan finally slowly come back to herself. She withdrew her wandering thoughts and swiftly found a relatively hidden and quiet place on the mountain peak. Only then did she sit down on the spot and begin meditating.
Under the hazy moonlight, Fu Yan slowly took out the Earth’s Core Essence Liquid she had obtained not long ago from her storage spirit ring. Her clean face was full of determination, without any excess hesitation.
After swallowing three drops of Earth’s Core Essence Liquid in one breath, Fu Yan swiftly mobilized the true essence in her qi sea and began attempting to refine the power of the Earth’s Core Essence Liquid inside her body.
In an instant, Fu Yan only felt the power of the Earth’s Core Essence Liquid become like a mad bull, charging recklessly through all her meridians without any pattern.
Fu Yan could only swiftly mobilize her true essence to tightly wrap around it. Then, again and again, she increased the strength of her true essence, focusing completely on refining the power of these three drops of Earth’s Core Essence Liquid.
Very soon, a day and a night passed.
Beneath the tree hollow, Fu Yan’s aura had long since lost the disorder of yesterday. Instead, it was exceptionally stable. After another hour passed, her tightly shut eyes finally slowly opened.
“Whew.” Fu Yan could not help breathing out deeply. She secretly examined the changes in her body, then immediately nodded in satisfaction. “I’ve finally finished refining the power of all three drops of Earth’s Core Essence Liquid.”
However, this was still far from enough, because she had not yet touched the threshold of breakthrough.
Thinking of this, Fu Yan swiftly swallowed another two drops of Earth’s Core Essence Liquid, then continued refining them.
Another day and night passed. This time, when Fu Yan opened her eyes again, a smile could not help appearing at the corner of her mouth. Because at this very moment, her qi sea had already begun surging, and the power of her true essence also began growing restless.
Fu Yan knew that she could begin breaking through to great perfection of Illumination stage.
On another early morning, on the Shuiling Sect’s mountain peak, more than a dozen disciples woke from their rest one after another. Just as they had finished tidying themselves up and were preparing to continue going down the mountain to search for opportunities, they suddenly heard a tremendous sound coming from the mountain peak.
Everyone froze. They could not help looking toward the direction of the sound. They saw a white pillar of light soaring into the sky, and a powerful force spread through the surroundings.
“This is… someone is about to break through?”
“The disturbance from this breakthrough is a little too big, isn’t it? Could someone have taken the lead and broken through to Dao Integration stage? Could it be Senior Sister Bai has returned?”
“…”
Beneath the quiet tree hollow, the pillar of light dispersed. The surging air currents that had filled the surroundings just now finally gradually returned to their former calm.
The figure on the ground slowly opened her eyes. Her face revealed a somewhat pleasantly surprised smile. Fu Yan stared tightly at her own hands.
She knew that from this moment on,
she was an expert at great perfection of Illumination stage.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!