"Brother Ming, look at that!"
The two followed the main crowd for a short while and soon saw the entrance to the secret realm bustling with people.
Through the gaps, they could vaguely see one loose cultivator after another sitting cross-legged on the ground in the crowd, so spread a blanket or animal hide, while others just found a clean stone, placing mystical artifacts, herbs, and broken weapons on it.
In front of them, other cultivators waiting to enter the secret realm or those who had just co out of it, all gathered around the various stalls, picking and choosing, bargaining.
Seeing this, Shen Chongming squinted slightly, murmuring:
"What are they doing..."
"Haha... isn’t it obvious?" Just as Shen Chongming finished his words, the middle-aged man who spoke earlier appeared again from sowhere, smiling as he said, "Those cultivators got so gains in the ruins, or the items are of no use to them, or they can’t see the value of them."
"Rather than leaving with these items fearfully, it’s better to take them out while there are many people at the secret realm entrance and exchange them for Spirit Crystals, which is more convenient."
Shen Chongming frowned and said: "Aren’t they afraid that soone might covet sothing valuable?"
The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "Under normal circumstances, that could happen, but... fellow Daoist, look there."
The middle-aged man pointed to a large stone to the left of the secret realm entrance.
Shen Chongming looked closely and only then noticed a figure in a gray robe sitting cross-legged on the stone, with an aura completely restrained, as if rged with the stone, not easily noticeable unless looked closely.
"That’s a senior in the Late Stage of Fetal Breathing from the One Qi Sect."
"So days ago, the One Qi Sect announced that any cultivator setting up a stall at this secret realm entrance should pay one Spirit Crystal Fragnt every ten days to receive their protection."
"If they encounter robbery, the One Qi Sect will assist them."
"So, the secret realm entrance has beco a market, even busier than the Jinghe Market."
The middle-aged man laughed strangely and then turned to leave.
Shen Chongming and Chen Youran stood quietly in place, watching the lively scene ahead.
"Brother Ming, this..."
Chen Youran looked troubled.
Shen Chongming sneered, "When the Jinghe Market was established, the five families had an agreent that if any other Immortal Sect Influence in the Yangnao area wanted to open a market without the permission of the five families, the five families would jointly resist."
"The One Qi Sect is one of the founders of the Jinghe Market, yet they openly violate the agreent this ti."
A stern look flashed in his eyes as he slowly turned his head to look in the direction where the middle-aged man disappeared.
With a serious expression, he said:
"Our identity has been exposed."
Upon hearing this, Chen Youran tightened up and said, "Brother Ming, do you an that middle-aged man?"
Shen Chongming’s lips curled slightly, sneering, "If I’m not mistaken, this person is a disciple from Tingfeng Valley."
"Perhaps we were already under surveillance even before we left Yunshui City."
The middle-aged man’s disguise was indeed skillful, yet his two unsolicited approaches aroused Shen Chongming’s suspicion.
Reflecting on the two things he ntioned, which seed to subtly hint at sothing, further strengthened Shen Chongming’s belief in his guess.
Currently in Yangnao Land, only two forces are so concerned about the Shen Family’s movents.
One is the Suihuo Sect, the other is Tingfeng Valley.
The Suihuo Sect is targeting them, while Tingfeng Valley’s attention is likely just for gathering intelligence to profit.
Among these two, his first thought was Tingfeng Valley because the guys from the Suihuo Sect are too arrogant and certainly not as adept at disguise as Tingfeng Valley.
"What should we do now?"
Chen Youran seed worried.
Their current identities, if anything went wrong, would not only be a loss of strength for the Shen Family but also damage their reputation significantly.
"No problem."
Shen Chongming smiled slightly, "The Seven Sages Mountain Secret Realm only allows cultivators of the Qi Cultivation Realm to enter. Although I’m not yet in the Realm of Perfection, I’m not afraid of any cultivator below Fetal Breathing."
A deep confidence shone in his eyes.
This was not due to youthful arrogance.
It was simply because he possessed a mutated Thunder Attribute Spirit Root, and his cultivation had already reached the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, though his foundation might be slightly weaker than so sect leaders.
But the cultivation technique he practiced was perfectly suited for his Spirit Root, the "Cloud Seal Jade Pivot Thunder-Invoking Minor Skill."
Thus, he naturally had the confidence to confront cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Perfection Realm.
"Let’s go, we should enter too."
The two continued forward, quickly arriving at the cliff edge of the secret realm entrance.
Standing at the cliff’s edge, Shen Chongming glanced sideways and indeed noticed the middle-aged man who spoke earlier squeezed through first but did not enter the secret realm, instead waiting from a distance.
After spotting the man, Shen Chongming showed no reaction, promptly pulling Chen Youran into the secret realm.
The middle-aged man watched them disappear at the entrance from afar, then quickly left the crowd, went to a secluded place, and took out a white jade plate from his bosom.
With his fingers channeling spiritual power, he rapidly wrote a line on the jade plate before heading into the distance.
...
"Is that... Yi Xianting?" Chen Youran curiously looked towards a stone table and benches surrounded by several cultivators by the winding river in the distance and asked.
When they first ca to the Seven Sages Mountain Secret Realm years ago, they were forced to co here by so loose cultivators.
They discovered a decayed stone stele and a stone chessboard, with the words "Yi Xianting" engraved on the stele.
"It seems this ti it’s not far from the place it appeared last ti."
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