Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 76: Chapter 76 Entering the Secret Realm

”Outer Disciples must participate to enter the Secret Realm?” Ye Qingchen’s face showed surprise. What kind of logic is that? Why does it feel like every team is required to bring a burden just to get in?

Wang Qiang nodded. ”Surprising, isn’t it? A bit of an odd condition?” he asked. ”To be honest, I couldn’t figure it out at first. It wasn’t just me; no one in the entire Qingyun Sect understood.

”When the Secret Realm was first discovered, the Inner Sect Disciples, True Disciples, deacons, and even the Elders couldn’t get in. It wasn’t until a group of reckless Outer Disciples managed to enter that everyone realized the truth: you can only get in if you’re accompanied by an Outer Disciple!”

Ye Qingchen lowered his head, lost in thought. You can only enter the Secret Realm with an Outer Disciple? Is their status really that important? He felt there was a flaw in the logic, but for the moment, he couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

Soon enough, Ye Qingchen stopped dwelling on the matter. He looked at Wang Qiang curiously and asked, ”Senior Brother Wang, I have another question. What will I need to do after we enter the Secret Realm?”

Ye Qingchen was eager to know his role within the team.

However, Wang Qiang clearly misunderstood his meaning. He laughed and said, ”You just need to travel with the team so that we have unrestricted access. You don’t have to do anything else. As for your safety, just stick with me after we enter. I’ll do my utmost to protect you!”

Ye Qingchen grinned. ”Then I’ll thank you in advance, Senior Brother!”

For the rest of the journey, Ye Qingchen didn’t speak again, instead closing his eyes to rest. Four straight hours of Spiritual Medicine Purification had left him quite exhausted. He continued to meditate, adjusting his condition and recovering his strength.

An unknown amount of time passed before the Spirit Horse stopped and the transport cart lurched to a halt.

”We’re here!”

Wang Qiang was the first to jump out, with the group of seven including Ye Qingchen following close behind.

Before them were rows upon rows of transport carts pulled by Spirit Horses. At a glance, there were at least a hundred of them!

”So many transport carts!”

”Doesn’t this mean at least a hundred teams have entered the Secret Realm ahead of us?”

”Is the competition really this fierce?”

”Are we too late?”

The old Taoist and the others frowned, beginning to worry about their potential haul from this trip.

Hong Yan placed her hands on her slender waist and shook her head with a smile. ”I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. The hundred-plus transport carts here only prove that there are over a hundred teams inside the Secret Realm right now. But over the past month, plenty of other teams have surely come out of the Secret Realm before us. So, in reality, the number of teams that have entered and exited is far greater than what we’re seeing!”

Hearing Hong Yan’s words, the faces of the old Taoist, the stout disciple beside him, and the others with them grew even more despairing. With so many people coming and going, the Secret Realm must have been picked clean long ago! They had come hoping to pick up some scraps, but now they feared they wouldn’t even get a sip of the broth!

Wang Qiang’s brow furrowed. ”Regardless, since we’re here, we have to at least go in and take a look. We can discuss the details once we’re inside.”

The group soon reached the end of the road. Two True Disciples with powerful auras blocked the path. Behind them was a gate about three meters tall, the very space around it seeming to twist. This was the entrance to the Secret Realm.

”Stop!” one of the True Disciples barked as he saw Wang Qiang’s group approach. ”This is a Sect Secret Realm! Only those who have accepted a Secret Realm mission may enter!”

Wang Qiang presented the mission Token to the True Disciple who had spoken. ”Understood! We’ve already accepted the mission. Senior Brother, please take a look!”

After checking that the Token was in order, the True Disciple handed it back to Wang Qiang and stepped aside. ”Go ahead!”

”Thank you, Senior Brother!” Wang Qiang clasped his hands and smiled. He gave Hong Yan a look, and she, understanding his signal, reached out and took Ye Qingchen’s hand.

Suddenly, a warm, soft, and seemingly boneless hand grasped his. Ye Qingchen’s heart skipped a beat, and in the next moment, Hong Yan pulled him through the distorted gate.

It felt like passing through a mirror. One second they were in the mountain range, and the next, they had appeared on a boundless grassland.

The old Taoist scanned the grassland, feeling the gentle breeze on his face. ”So this is the Secret Realm? It seems so ordinary. I thought the ruins left by a Martial Spirit expert would be incredibly dangerous, but it looks like nothing special!”

The stout disciple and the others nodded in agreement. The situation seemed much better than they had anticipated.

Ye Qingchen glanced at the lush green grassland, his brows knitting together slightly. ”The safer a place looks, the more likely it is to be fraught with hidden dangers,” he warned. ”We should be careful. After all, there’s no sign of any other teams here.”

”Hmph! You’re just a mere Outer Sect Disciple. Who are you to tell us what to do?” The old Taoist looked at him with disdain, not taking his warning seriously at all.

The stout disciple and the others, however, glanced around. When they confirmed the absence of any other teams, alarmed expressions appeared on their faces. They had just seen over a hundred transport carts outside, but now there wasn’t so much as a shadow of another Qingyun Sect disciple.

There are only two possibilities. One, this place is so vast that it’s difficult for teams to run into each other. Two, a great danger is hidden beneath this seemingly calm surface, and every Qingyun Sect disciple who has entered this area has perished! If it’s the first scenario, that’s fine. But if it’s the second...

At that thought, the stout disciple and the others couldn’t help but shiver.

Hong Yan pulled Ye Qingchen along and came to Wang Qiang’s side. ”Senior Brother, something feels wrong here! Look, this grassland is so lush, but there isn’t a single animal in sight. It’s too strange.”

”When things are this abnormal, there’s bound to be trouble,” Wang Qiang said, his face grave. ”Keep a close watch on Ye Qingchen. We’ll proceed with caution and get out of this grassland as fast as we can!”

At Wang Qiang’s command, the group fell in behind him and advanced cautiously.

They advanced for a good six miles without spotting any animals, nor did they encounter any danger. The group gradually began to relax.

After traveling another couple of miles, two members of the team cried out in surprise.

”Look! There are some Spirit Grasses over there! They look like Grade-Two Green Fruit Flowers!”

”They are! Green Fruit Flowers are worth a thousand points each at the Sect. That’s a valuable find!”

Visibly excited, the two of them broke away from the team and ran toward the Green Fruit Flowers.

Seeing them rush off, Wang Qiang only frowned slightly and didn’t stop them. For one, both men were seasoned fighters. For another, the Green Fruit Flowers were only about ten meters away, which wasn’t far.

Ye Qingchen saw their actions and, suddenly noticing something, cried out in alarm, ”Don’t go! It’s dangerous!”

”Hmph! The terrain is completely flat. What danger could there possibly be? You’re just making a mountain out of a molehill!”

The two men paid no mind to Ye Qingchen’s warning. They had already reached the Green Fruit Flowers and were bending down to pick them.

However, just as their fingers were about to touch the Green Fruit Flowers...

A sudden change occurred!

The two Green Fruit Flowers actually moved