Seeing that there was indeed no abnormality, Ning Fan exchanged a glance with Ma Fei'er, then followed along.
Walking into this eerie and terrifying path, Ning Fan did not sense anything amiss.
The only anomaly was the mind perception, which again failed here.
Fortunately, there was no fog obscuring the view, and there was only this one path, so getting lost wasn't a concern.
What seed like a short path took the three almost ten minutes.
Lin i had warned that on this path, True Qi must not be used, and one can only walk at the pace of a normal person.
This ti Ning Fan was quite obedient and did not use True Qi to stir the row of tree walls.
Reaching the end of the path, Ning Fan felt as if he had entered a different dinsion.
"This wouldn't be Hell, would it!"
Ning Fan chuckled; it was a dim and shadowy space.
The sky, the ground, even this entire space, were all shrouded in a gray murkiness, as if entering a world enveloped in smog.
Accompanied by the eerie howling wind, the scene felt truly chilling.
"The sky?"
Ning Fan raised his head in confusion.
The sky was not the usual blue sky with white clouds, clear and breezy, but rather a murky darkness, seeming to have dense, ominous clouds.
Such a celestial phenonon is not surprising, but the key is...
Before coming here, the outside was bright and clear, definitely not the sa weather.
This extre change clearly indicated that Ning Fan was no longer under the previous sky.
"This doesn't seem to be a barrier space."
Before entering, Ning Fan had carefully sensed, finding no hint of a barrier.
Lin i then said, "Young Master Ning, this place is different from the outside. We've searched these two mountains, and according to the earth's pulse, the Corpse Herding Sect's base should be inside the mountains."
Speaking, Lin i looked up at the sky, "That's why Lin Batian ntioned that this should be a secret realm."
"What's the difference between a secret realm and barrier space?"
Noticing Ning Fan's confusion, Ma Fei'er explained, "A barrier uses seal techniques to isolate a unique field on land or buildings, mainly serving protection and secrecy purposes. But the area covered by a barrier essentially remains in this space—the sky remains the sa, as does the land."
"But a secret realm is different; it is self-contained, equivalent to a separate space, unaffected by our world."
"Breaking the dium or the focal points can shatter a barrier, but no one has ever heard of a secret realm being destroyed, as that equals breaking the heavens and earth—such power..."
At this point, Ma Fei'er sighed deeply, "Perhaps only legendary Immortal Gods could achieve this."
"I didn't expect such magical places to exist in the world."
Ma Fei'er's explanation was succinct, and Ning Fan understood imdiately that a secret realm, simply put, was another world.
"The world is vast and wondrous, with many unknown secret realms."
Ma Fei'er said solemnly, "Legend has it that the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands inhabited by Taoist cultivators are one kind of secret realm."
Restricted by rules, Ma Fei'er could not divulge secrets, but in truth, both the Ma Family's ancestral land and the Exorcism Association are within secret realms, differing only in size and purpose.
Ning Fan suddenly asked, "Are secret realms naturally ford?"
"Well...I'm not sure."
Ma Fei'er shook her head, "The origin of secret realms remains unclear to everyone."
Lin i suddenly interjected, "If they're not naturally ford, could they be artificially carved out? This is an independent space—who possesses such divine skills to create a small world?"
This argunt seed logical, but Ning Fan had a hunch that the origin of secret realms was not so simple.
Thinking it over, Ning Fan beca more puzzled, feeling even more confused.
"Lin i, where is the Corpse Herding Sect's base?"
"Just ahead."
After speaking, Lin i reminded, "Make sure to follow ; don't wander off as you might take a wrong path."
Only then did Ning Fan notice that beneath Lin i's feet was a path paved with stone slabs.
The slabs were neatly square, identical in size, material, and specification, clearly mass-produced.
Ning Fan asked in puzzlent, "Did you pave this path yourselves?"
"It was mainly for the disciples' safety, so we paved this road with stone slabs."
Lin i continued, "Besides the only correct path, there are many misleading false paths. A slight misstep and you'll keep deviating further from the right path."
Ning Fan detected an underlying aning and asked, "Is there hidden danger within this secret realm?"
"Indeed."
Lin i glanced at the pervasive mist around them.
"The air contains Corpse Qi."
Instantly Ning Fan understood, but was still sowhat puzzled.
The Mist was grayish due to Corpse Qi.
Ning Fan had noticed this long ago, but the Corpse Qi was too weak.
Not to ntion martial artists, even ordinary people could safely stay here, rely feeling slightly unwell at most.
Ning Fan smiled lightly, "This Corpse Qi can't be lethal, can it?"
"In this place, the Corpse Qi isn't lethal. But within the secret realm, the Corpse Qi constantly varies, sotis dense, sotis sparse."
Lin i said in surprise, "Even with just a few steps apart, the Corpse Qi's difference is vast. So we lay many false paths to confuse intruders."
Again, Ning Fan looked at Lin i's feet.
On the ground paved with countless stone slabs, Lin i was not moving straightforwardly but rather hopping across different slabs like playing hopscotch.
"The Corpse Herding Sect is so devious, coming up with such a thod. If outsiders mistakenly enter, they'll unknowingly et their demise."
Ning Fan couldn't help but admire the genius who devised this plan.
Truth and falsehood intertwined.
Amidst ten thousand false paths lies one true path, right before one's eyes.
Unaware, one would never suspect that soone tampered with the paths.
If Lin i's words were true, then indeed a single wrong step would lead to progressing further down a fatal path.
The reason Ning Fan didn't walk recklessly was that the mind sensing failed once he entered the secret realm.
The suppression was even stronger than in the Misty Ghost Forest, unable to detect even a ter ahead.
Without Lin i guiding, Ning Fan would undoubtedly be caught in the trap.
Hearing Ning Fan's words, Ma Fei'er also looked concerned, as the Ma Family had no records of such information.
"It's incredibly malicious."
The Ma Family always viewed the Lin Family as mortal enemies, and if they invaded en masse, they would suffer heavy losses on this path.
Ma Fei'er felt compelled and quickly observed Lin i's steps, hoping to morize her pace.
"Everyone be cautious. It's best to follow my steps to avoid getting separated."
Lin i was walking further down the path of betrayal, even starting to show concern for Ning Fan and the others proactively.
Ning Fan did not doubt Lin i's intentions; she was simply too fearful to make any covert moves.
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