“Nonsense. Otherwise, how could it be called the number one sect in the world?”
“I’ve never flown this high before…”
Lu Fengmian looked at the cluster of people gathered together and suddenly understood.
Among those who had co this ti, many were from the batch recruited five years ago.
Lingyun Sect recruited disciples once every five years. Since entering the sect, this group had been cultivating within its grounds; the farthest they had gone was rely the affiliated town at the foot of the mountain. Flying so high and traveling so far truly was a first for them.
He curled his lips slightly but did not speak to stop them.
Zhou Wu stood beside him, glanced over as well, and said with a smile, “Young people are all like this. The first ti I traveled far from ho, I was even more excited than they are.”
Lu Fengmian nodded. His gaze swept across the crowd and finally settled on the inconspicuous figure in the corner.
Xiao Jin was also leaning against the railing.
But he had not squeezed together with the others; instead, he had found a corner and stood there quietly, head lowered.
Sunlight fell upon his profile. His usually downcast eyes were now opened wide, reflecting the vast sea of clouds and the light of the sky.
Lu Fengmian glanced at him, then withdrew his gaze.
“Let them look,” he said. “They rarely co out.”
The cloud ship flew for a full day and night.
After the initial excitent faded, the young disciples finally cald down.
So leaned against the portholes and dozed. So gathered together whispering. Others took out jade slips, seemingly recording what they had seen along the way.
Xiao Jin still sat in the corner, holding the bulging storage pouch tightly, occasionally glancing out the window.
The clouds gradually thinned, and the scenery below began to change. Dense mountain forests were slowly replaced by barren plains. Later, even the plains disappeared, leaving only a vast expanse of snow-white.
They had reached the Northern Border.
The temperature plumted. Even with the protective barrier in place, the chill still seeped through. Several disciples began adding layers of clothing, rummaging out warming magical items buried at the bottom of their luggage.
Xiao Jin also added an extra garnt issued by the General Affairs Hall, said to have been specially prepared for the northern frontier.
The cloud ship began to descend.
Below, rolling snow-capped mountains ca into view. Between the peaks lay a sunken valley. Above it, spiritual light flowed faintly, like so kind of restriction.
Several tents had been set up along the edge of the valley. Figures could vaguely be seen moving nearby.
“We’ve arrived,” Elder ng’s voice ca from the bow.
The cloud ship slowly descended and halted on an open patch at the valley’s edge.
The cabin doors opened, and a howling gust of icy wind rushed in, causing several disciples to shrink their necks.
Lu Fengmian was the first to step down.
Soone was already waiting in the valley.
A middle-aged man dressed in a thick fur robe stepped forward to greet them, cupping his hands toward Elder ng.
“Are you fellow Daoists from Lingyun Sect?”
Elder ng nodded.
The middle-aged man smiled and turned to lead the way. “Please wait a mont. The secret realm will open in half an hour. Follow to rest for a while.”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered briefly on Lu Fengmian, seemingly surprised that the leader was so young.
But he asked no questions and simply gestured invitingly.
Lu Fengmian followed.
Behind him, over a hundred people filed down and stepped onto this snow-covered land.
Xiao Jin walked last, clutching his storage pouch tightly, lifting his head to look at the valley where spiritual light flowed.
The entrance to the secret realm was there.
Inside the tents, bonfires burned warmly.
The middle-aged man led everyone to sit and instructed others to serve hot tea and snacks. The disciples of Lingyun Sect crowded into the tents, holding tea cups, finally beginning to recover.
“You’ve traveled a long way—many thanks for your hard work,” the middle-aged man said with a smile, his gaze falling on Lu Fengmian. “I am Xu Jiu, from the Xu Family of the Northern Border, sent here by order of my family head.”
Lu Fengmian lifted his tea cup and nodded politely. “Many thanks to Brother Xu for your assistance.”
“Not at all, not at all.” Xu Jiu waved his hand. “Lingxuan Venerable and our family head are old friends. This secret realm could open thanks in part to the Venerable’s support.”
As he spoke, he glanced outside the tent and lowered his voice. “To be honest, our family head had only just obtained this secret realm and hadn’t even had ti to make good use of it before the Venerable took it away. He was so heartbroken he couldn’t sleep for days.”
Lu Fengmian held back a smile and did not respond.
Several disciples behind him could no longer endure it; their shoulders trembled.
Xu Jiu was not offended. Instead, he laughed along. “Laugh, laugh. Our family head isn’t here anyway—he won’t hear it.”
The atmosphere grew much lighter.
He went on at length about so of his own speculations. Although most were based on experience, it was still a gesture of goodwill.
Lu Fengmian listened while committing the words to mory.
The clue to the Chaos Sky Crystal pointed here, so he had to remain vigilant.
As they were speaking, a low rumble suddenly ca from outside the tent.
Everyone was startled and rose one after another, walking out.
Above the valley, the restriction suffused with spiritual light fluctuated violently.
“It’s opening,” Xu Jiu narrowed his eyes. “Faster than expected.”
No sooner had he spoken than a muffled boom echoed.
The barrier suddenly split apart, revealing darkness glowing from within.
The entrance to the secret realm slowly opened.
“Everyone, I’ll see you off here. Please be extrely careful inside.”
Xu Jiu stood at the entrance and cupped his hands toward them.
“The secret realm will only remain open for a limited ti. You must co out in seven days. Otherwise, the entrance will close, and you’ll have to wait for the next opening.”
Lu Fengmian nodded. “Many thanks, Brother Xu.”
Xu Jiu smiled and stepped aside.
Lu Fengmian turned, his gaze sweeping across the hundred-plus disciples behind him.
“After entering, stay with the group. Do not act alone.”
Everyone responded in unison.
Lu Fengmian bowed slightly to Elder ng. “Elder, this disciple will enter.”
Elder ng gave a slight nod. “Be careful.”
Lu Fengmian took a deep breath and stepped into the dark light gate.
His vision went black for a mont, then cleared again.
When he landed, beneath his feet stretched a barren plain.
Before he could fully take in his surroundings, the system’s voice sounded within his sea of consciousness.
【Ding! Secret realm mission triggered.】
【Mission issued: Lead one hundred disciples to successfully clear the secret realm.】
【Mission objective: All mbers successfully pass through the secret realm and reach the exit.】
【Mission reward: To be distributed according to completion status.】
【Special reminder: A clue to the Chaos Sky Crystal has been detected in the depths of the secret realm. Host must explore independently.】
Lu Fengmian acknowledged it silently, then began surveying the desolate plain.
Withered yellow grass grew to his ankles, rustling underfoot as broken stalks were crushed to powder beneath his boots. The ground was cracked into countless fine fissures, like a dried spiderweb spreading in all directions.
Occasionally, gray-white stones lay half-buried in the soil. Their surfaces were heavily weathered and pitted; at the slightest touch, they crumbled apart.
The sky was a dull gray, shrouded in mist. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the ti of day could not be discerned. A dry, earthen scent drifted from afar, mingled with a faint odor of decay.
Behind him, disciples landed one after another.
“Wow…”
“So this is the secret realm?”
“It’s so desolate…”
Exclamations rose and fell, yet were quickly swallowed by the wind, vanishing into this lifeless wasteland without even an echo.
“Senior Brother, over there.” Zhou Wu walked to Lu Fengmian’s side and pointed into the distance.
Far away, a dark outline could be seen faintly.
It looked like a forest.
Lu Fengmian narrowed his eyes and nodded. “It should be a forest. If we want to go deeper, we must reach there first.”
He attempted to mobilize his spiritual power and lightly tapped the ground with his toe.
He did not rise into the air.
The upward force was suppressed; no matter what he did, he could not break through it.
“We can’t fly.” He stepped back. “Everyone, try.”
They took turns attempting, but none could lift off.
“It seems the secret realm prohibits flight,” Zhou Wu frowned. “We can only proceed on foot.”
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