Not long after healing Vera, Aldrian and the others discussed what to do next. Sylphia still seed to have sothing to talk about with Vera and wanted to stay in the city for a while. As for Aldrian, he had no business in this place—unless there was news of the Pride Devil appearing in the Buddhist sect’s territory.
They were already close to their destination at the Everlasting Silent Forest, and according to Xin Haotian, it would take about three more days to reach the Xin family’s secret realm.
After the discussion, it was decided that Sylphia, Baek Jimin, and Eleine would stay, while Aldrian and Xin Haotian would head to the Xin family’s secret realm. Besides the fact that Sylphia had sothing to do, the others—who could not fly—did not want to slow Aldrian and Xin Haotian down, so they chose to accompany her.
They then chose an inn to stay at, and since Aldrian did not know how long his business with the Xin family would take, he sent an order for so of the Fingers to co to the city and guard the ladies.
Only after the First, Second, and Fifth Fingers arrived did Aldrian and Xin Haotian leave the city.
They used a teleportation portal to reach a town near the border of the Everlasting Silent Forest, then flew eastward to enter the forest.
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It did not take long for Aldrian to reach the Everlasting Silent Forest. From the nearest town at the border, it took him only an hour to enter this forbidden zone. Once inside, seeing the forest again after several years, he finally sensed sothing he could not before.
What he sensed were strong space laws spread across many areas—even extending into the sky. From what he could tell, these space laws were scattered throughout the forest, numbering in the thousands, as far as his perception could reach. To him, this entire region felt like a place where countless natural spatial phenona occurred.
However, he knew these scattered space laws were, in fact, secret realms. He could sense the signs of hidden spatial cracks—cracks that would pull in anyone who unknowingly passed through or even touched them.
"Follow my flight and stay close to . If you stray too far, you’ll be trapped in one of the secret realms scattered throughout this area. You must have this to pass through the spatial traps in the forest," Xin Haotian said, then took out a small, diamond-shaped object marked with patterns from his pouch.
Aldrian looked at the diamond and could sense how it resonated with the surrounding hidden spatial cracks. It emitted a kind of identification zone, forming a spatial field that enveloped both Xin Haotian and him. As long as he remained close to the diamond, he would be able to pass safely through the many spatial traps that would otherwise pull intruders into the secret realms.
He soon witnessed its effect firsthand. They passed several spatial traps without being drawn in, simply flying through them without disturbance. They continued heading east without encountering any problems.
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For the next three days, they kept flying and stopped to rest only a few tis. Along the way, they encountered wild beasts that were normally impossible to find within the forest. This phenonon showed that the forbidden zone was undergoing changes, causing so of the living beings it had once "swallowed" to escape.
With signs that many people trapped inside the Everlasting Silent Forest had been able to escape in recent years, he believed the forest was getting "weaker." Over ti, the spatial traps leading to the secret realms began to open occasionally—and sotis even fully—allowing the creatures trapped within to break free.
This phenonon made Aldrian consider that his guess that the entire Everlasting Silent Forest was actually a massive formation might be true. Although he couldn’t fully comprehend such a formation yet, due to its size and his current limitations, he felt that the Everlasting Silent Forest’s formation was growing weaker for so reason.
The spatial traps were a part of this formation, and given its vast scale, it must require enormous energy sources to sustain it. These sources would have been essential to stabilize the formation since ancient tis.
Did the energy source for the formation get depleted, causing the formation to weaken? If so, it would only be a matter of ti before this forbidden zone returned to a normal forest, but rich in dense energy. The place would essentially transform into a cultivation sanctuary, given the vast energy that had gathered here over such a long ti without anyone cultivating within it.
"We are near. The spatial crack to the Xin family’s secret realm is beneath that high cliff," Xin Haotian said.
Aldrian looked in the direction of the high cliff, its tip hidden as it pierced the clouds. Beneath the cliff, lush, towering trees covered the base, and they landed there. Amidst the massive roots of the trees, Aldrian sensed the space laws and even detected a slight spatial distortion, clearly indicating the location of the secret realm.
"Truly, the forest has changed so much. Normally, there would be no sign of any spatial phenona in this place, but now there is a visible spatial distortion. If spatial phenona like this have been present since ancient tis, then no one would be trapped inside the secret realms," Xin Haotian said.
Aldrian nodded. That was true. If the spatial phenona were visible, people or beasts could easily evade them, so there would be no way they could be trapped inside the secret realms. However, with the changes in the forest, there were now places where spatial distortions could be seen, and he had already encountered so of them on their journey.
"Let’s go in," Xin Haotian said as he stepped into the spatial distortion, followed by Aldrian.
The sensation of passing through the spatial distortion did not disturb Aldrian, and once he stepped into the secret realm, he was greeted by a new environnt that made his eyes slightly widen.
What he saw was a vast, lush green expanse, with so settlents scattered in various areas. Aldrian and Xin Haotian were atop the cliff, so they able to see the entire landscape stretching to the horizon, which was truly beautiful. Inside this secret realm, the sun shone just as it did outside.
That was one of the things Aldrian wanted to study—how to make the secret realm follow the day and night cycle of the outside world, or perhaps it had its own unique cycle. The secret realm he was born in also had a day and night cycle, which amazed him due to the complexity of the formation and the power of the one who had created all of this—the one who created the Everlasting Silent Forest.
Did Feng Xuanyan and Long Shentian create all of this? It was possible, and Aldrian knew they were more than capable of it. From his mories and visions, he knew that both Feng Xuanyan and Long Shentian had comprehended space laws and were masters of certain formations, especially Long Shentian. Though he was a dragon, Long Shentian could create many complex formations.
With how powerful they were, Aldrian had no doubt that they might be the ones who created all of this.
"Welco to the Xin family’s secret realm. This is the place where we live and also guard the center of the forest," Xin Haotian said with a smile. "Let’s go; I will take you to the Xin family’s main manor."
They flew in one direction, and during their journey, Aldrian looked below and observed so of the activities of the people here. There was a vast agricultural area with wheat and rice, where so people tended to the crops. They also passed by several villages, where many villagers went about their daily activities. Most of them were mortals, without any cultivation.
In addition, there was a forested area where Aldrian sensed so wild and even spiritual beasts.
From Aldrian’s estimation, this secret realm was much larger than the one he was born in.
Not long after, they finally saw a vast complex of buildings surrounded by a protective wall. When Aldrian saw the building complex, it reminded him of the architecture in the demon territory, which had its own charm and a peaceful atmosphere.
"That is my family’s manor," Xin Haotian said.
They landed not far from the front gate, where several guards stood. The guards, upon seeing Xin Haotian, widened their eyes slightly, straightened their posture, and soon after, bowed to him as he approached.
"Welco back, young master," they called in unison.
Xin Haotian simply nodded.
"At ease. I’ve brought an important guest to et the patriarch. You can stay at your posts," he said while walking past them.
The guards looked at Aldrian with curiosity, as they had never seen Xin Haotian bring anyone from the outside world. They knew their young master liked to venture outside, so it wasn’t surprising. However, bringing soone here was a new for them.
Once they entered the manor, Aldrian nodded in appreciation at the beauty of the place. It truly resembled a manor in the demon territory, with its beautiful scenery, peaceful atmosphere, and many ponds.
He could also sense the presence of many strong cultivators in so of the buildings, including a few at the emperor stage, which was truly impressive. However, he didn’t find it surprising. This place, with its rich heaven and earth energy, was the ho of the guardian family of the forest since ancient tis, so it was only natural that this family would be powerful.
Not long after, Aldrian arrived in front of the room where he sensed the strongest presence here—at peak emperor stage.
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