The Programmer Cultivator

The core of the entire Secret Realm was not small, at least half the size of the Celestial Spirit Sect, but it didn’t have as many mountain ranges.

The Spiritual Power in the core was slightly denser than in the area where the Flower Demon Elves had lived, but it was still within the range of a One-Star Spirit Vein.

The forest where the Flower Demon Elves lived had a concentration equivalent to a One-Star Low-Grade Spirit Vein, while the core area was at a One-Star High-Grade concentration.

The cluster of buildings wasn’t located in the center of the Secret Realm, but on the northeastern side. At this moment, everyone was rushing toward the very center of the realm.

Along the way, they saw a few scattered people, all hurrying toward the core.

Zhang Deming’s group moved swiftly, arriving at their destination in a matter of moments.

A vast lake came into view. By now, a large crowd had already gathered around its shores.

Yang Changfeng and his companions were also there, and the entire crowd seemed to be centered around them.

When Dang Ruyu arrived, the crowd automatically parted, creating a path for his group to successfully reach the center.

”What’s the situation?” Dang Ruyu asked as he stepped into the inner circle.

Yang Changfeng replied, ”I just got here myself. I was about to ask the same thing.”

Just then, the group turned to look at a young man. Feeling all eyes on him, he said nervously:

”Seniors, about half an hour ago, that Lake Heart Island... it just suddenly appeared.”

”I happened to be searching the area at the time and saw it with my own eyes.”

Following the direction the young man pointed, everyone could now clearly see a sizable island in the center of the lake. It looked quite orderly, forming a perfect circle.

It bore a slight resemblance to the one in the Turtle Water Secret Realm, giving off a feeling that they shared a common origin.

Hearing this, Zhang Deming’s expression flickered. ’Isn’t that right around the time we left the Celestial Eye Yuya Pavilion?’

’Could it be...’

Yang Changfeng frowned. ”What do you mean ’suddenly appeared’? Did you touch some kind of Array hub, or did something happen?”

The young man shook his head. ”No, I was just passing by. It was like it just popped up out of nowhere.”

Zhou Zhixin furrowed his brow slightly. ”If you discovered it half an hour ago, why did you only send a message just now?”

The young man’s words caught in his throat, and he stammered, ”I... I...”

Seeing this, the group instantly understood the reason. After all, none of them were fools.

Dang Ruyu smiled. ”Alright, this isn’t the time to be discussing that.”

”When we first arrived, we thoroughly searched this area, didn’t we?”

Zhou Zhixin glanced at Dang Ruyu, who was changing the subject, and didn’t press the matter further.

Yang Changfeng nodded. ”Based on the layout, this is the most likely location of the Earth Spirit. So, aside from not entering the lake, we did pay special attention to this area, but we found nothing at the time.”

”Why didn’t you enter the lake?” Zhou Zhixin asked.

Yang Changfeng didn’t speak. Instead, Fan Dexian raised a hand, and a Medicinal Herb seedling appeared in his palm. He tossed the seedling into the lake.

Seeing this, everyone’s gaze followed the seedling.

The seedling landed on the water’s surface. It had been shimmering with Spiritual Light, but the moment it touched the water, silver spots rapidly appeared on it, and it immediately showed signs of mutation.

It swayed for a moment before melting into a pool of liquid that dripped into the clear lake water.

”Hiss... What is this?”

”The source of the mutation in the back mountains has yet to be found, but so far, it has been limited to Demon Beasts. Here, however, it includes this entire pool of lake water.”

”From the looks of it, the contamination is quite severe.”

”Under these circumstances, no one is confident enough to enter the lake.”

”Forget entering the lake. We’ve done some tests over the past few days. If you’re contaminated by this water, a mild case results in metallic spots on your body and the same kind of mutation seen in the Demon Beasts of the back mountains.”

”A severe case, like what you just saw, means you melt into a puddle of liquid and become one with this clear lake,” Fan Dexian explained.

Hearing this, everyone collectively gasped.

This wasn’t a pool of lake water; it was clearly a pool of poison—the super-deadly kind.

Dang Ruyu’s brow furrowed slightly. ”This water must be the core water source for the entire Secret Realm, right?”

Fan Dexian nodded. ”Yes. That’s why a few days ago, we forbade the junior disciples from using the Secret Realm’s water sources, telling them to only use Techniques to get water.”

”Doesn’t that mean the entire Secret Realm is contaminated? It’s a good thing there aren’t any Demon Beasts in here.”

’That’s because you’ve never been to the Flower Demon Elf Forest,’ Zhang Deming thought to himself, glancing at the young man who had spoken.

”So, does everyone need to cross the lake now?” Zhou Zhixin asked bluntly.

Fan Dexian shook his head. ”Easier said than done. Other than Flying, do you think there’s any other way to cross this lake? It’s too risky.”

”Why?” Zhang Deming couldn’t help but interject.

Fan Dexian glanced at Zhang Deming and said, ”What I just used was a Purifying Spirit Grass, and one I condensed with a Skill at that. Even it had that result.”

”You can see how ridiculous this lake water is. An Ordinary object would probably melt in moments, and I imagine even a Spiritual Object or Magical Artifact wouldn’t last long.”

”Given the situation, besides flying, I can’t think of any other way to cross.”

”But Flying requires a Tier Three Technique at the very minimum. How many of us know one? And how many of those can carry other people?”

The group was stunned. So, this island...

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

A disciple behind Zhou Zhixin spoke up, ”So what if not everyone can go? We’ve found the place, so it should be every man for himself.”

’What a simpleton!’

With that one sentence, he shattered the unspoken understanding of the awkward atmosphere. Everyone looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Was it really that simple?

After searching together for so many days, now it was ”every man for himself”?

What were they doing before? There wasn’t a single Elder here, so couldn’t they have just started a free-for-all from the beginning?

They had been restricted by sticking together in groups for days, and now it was ”every man for himself”?

Many people looked toward the four leaders. The four of them exchanged glances, and finally, Yang Changfeng said:

”Given the current situation, I suppose only those with the means should go check it out first.”

”How about this: I’ll stay here and monitor the situation. Those of you with a way across, go ahead and take a look.”

Hearing this, Dang Ruyu and the other two felt their mouths twitch. Of the four of them, he was the slowest. He spoke as if he could fly across himself and was making some great sacrifice.

Still, it was good to have someone presiding over things. It would prevent everyone from shattering the fragile balance and descending into a chaotic brawl.

A brawl itself wasn’t a huge deal, but if one broke out, they would lose their current status once they got out.

After all, the only method they’d found for leaving was an exit Array located in one area of the plaza.

Under these circumstances, it was better to maintain the current order.

The leaders discussed it a bit more, and although they settled on crossing the lake based on individual ability...

...no one mentioned what should happen if someone returned with a reward. They all shared a surprisingly tacit understanding not to bring it up.

Then, with Dang Ruyu’s group taking the lead, the crossing began. For a moment, it was like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their own Divine Abilities.

There were about two or three hundred people gathered here now, all of them top disciples.

Although their methods were varied, what Zhang Deming saw most were wings—wings of all kinds formed from Spiritual Power, many of them half-sized.

Watching them use Techniques that only had the effect of a Feather Fall Technique, Zhang Deming was genuinely worried for them, wondering if they could even fly that far.

The most conspicuous in the entire group were still the three leaders from before.

The fastest was Zhou Zhixin. He stood on his Long Sword, looking somewhat like he was performing a proper Sword Flight. If his speed weren’t slower than a streak of light, it would have been a convincing imitation.

The most flashy was Dang Ruyu. He took the flute from his waist, brought it to his lips, and as a few pleasant notes sounded, he began to walk on air.

Well, it wasn’t exactly walking on air. He was advancing through the sky with a unique, dance-like step. Dressed in white, he looked utterly flashy.

Fan Dexian’s appearance was a bit bizarre. A pair of half-sized cicada wings vibrated constantly on his back, and he held a giant dandelion in his hand. However, he was the most stable flyer of the bunch.

Among the crowd, he was probably the only one capable of sustained flight. As for his speed, well...

’Every single one of them here is trash, including the one who looks like he’s using Sword Flight.’

’Damn, they’re barely faster than me sprinting on the ground with my Agility Technique.’