After entering the Secret Realm, Ding Shiping first ensured his own safety before taking something out of his Storage Bag.

It was the Pill Bottle Yan Chunyu had once given them.

Ding Shiping now planned to use it to find Yan Chunyu.

He had been silent for five days, tying his previous record.

Ding Shiping began to activate the Seeking Technique.

He watched as the Pill Bottle in front of him slowly lifted into the air and moved in a specific direction.

Overjoyed, Ding Shiping quickly followed.

He had made a plan with Shan Lanlan before entering the Secret Realm.

He would find Yan Chunyu first. Then, the two of them would use his Seeking Technique to rendezvous with Shan Lanlan.

However, what Ding Shiping didn’t know was...

If he had a detailed map, he would have realized something.

The location he was heading toward was the very center of the map—the core area.

At the same time, he also failed to notice something else.

A faint layer of Buddhist light surrounded his body, protecting him from the encroaching Demonic Qi.

...

Zong Ziqi frowned. He had just finished off a group of disciples from Cyan Island Valley who had come looking for trouble.

This was the fourth group he had taken care of.

’Something isn’t right. These people all seem a little off.’

Zong Ziqi glanced at his map and continued toward the Inner Area.

’If you’re going to fight, shouldn’t you do it in the Inner Area? What kind of worthless junk is in this outer area? Is this really worth fighting to the death over?’

Zong Ziqi didn’t understand.

He couldn’t understand why those people would fight to the death over a single Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Grass.

They were practically bashing each other’s brains out.

If Jiang Xu were there, he would have been stunned.

The Demonic Qi around Zong Ziqi was completely unable to enter his body.

In other words, the Demonic Qi had no effect on him whatsoever; his way of thinking was no different than usual.

That was why he thought everyone else was acting strangely.

...

"That bastard Master Su!" Qin Muxian gritted his teeth, his heart filled with fury and indignation. He had been forced into this Secret Realm by Master Su, and the pent-up frustration and doubt nearly suffocated him.

’And to think I held him in such high regard!’ Qin Muxian was filled with regret. He had already sensed that something was very wrong.

’How could Master Su be the only one to leave the Secret Realm, and why was he acting so strangely?’

’He gave no room for discussion, forcing everyone into the Secret Realm the moment he appeared.’

’There has to be something more to this!’

So, the moment Qin Muxian entered the Secret Realm, he flew directly toward the core area.

He had to find the two missing Golden Core Ancestors!

Since the two Golden Core Ancestors were last known to be in the core area.

Qin Muxian would go to the very center to find them!

...

「In the core area of the Secret Realm.」

A solemn and magnificent grand hall stood majestically.

Master Su stood before the hall, his eyes glittering with a fanatical light, captivated by something within.

Outside the hall stood a massive Tier Four Array. This array not only sealed the building but was also the very source of the Secret Realm’s existence and the key to its continued operation.

The Runes and energy fluctuations flowing across the Array revealed its immense power and unfathomable secrets.

At that moment, an inverted, bowl-shaped array materialized in Master Su’s hand. It seemed to contain a lush forest, one that bore a slight resemblance to the Endless Forest.

If Jiang Xu had been there, he would have immediately recognized that the array’s shape was strikingly similar to the Demon Array he had seen outside the Secret Realm.

’The outer array is ready.’

Master Su withdrew the array, his gaze profound.

’The inner array looks like it’s about to be completed as well, but...’

Master Su’s aura suddenly erupted in a fit of extreme rage.

"But those two old bastards actually took the most crucial key! They took it even at the cost of being severely injured! The absolute scoundrels!"

Soon, Master Su calmed down, resuming his sagely, otherworldly demeanor.

"Heh, I’ve long since prepared for this. It’s nothing more than a slight delay. As long as enough people die, and the negative emotions of despair and bloodlust grow strong enough, the Blood Array will absorb sufficient nourishment. Then, I won’t need the key at all."

"The moment this Grand Array is finally broken... GYAHAHA! That will be the day I ascend to the pinnacle!"

Master Su’s laughter was filled with anticipation and ambition, as if he could already see a future where he controlled everything.

...

’This area is picked clean, too.’

Jiang Xu recalled his Spirit-Devouring Insects.

This time, the prey had been a Tier One Upper Grade Demon Beast.

But once entangled by the several thousand Sub-Insects, even it stood no chance.

For the past ten or so days, Jiang Xu had let his Spirit-Devouring Insects eat their way across the land in every direction.

Aside from certain Spirit Grasses of Tier One Upper Grade or higher and a few special types, he let the Spirit-Devouring Insects feast on everything, from Demon Beasts to veins of Refined Iron Ore and Secret Copper Ore.

In just over ten days, the Spirit-Devouring Insects’ strength had already recovered to Tier One Upper Grade.

They had also produced another three thousand Sub-Insects.

Their power had risen to a whole new level.

In addition, Jiang Xu’s Golden Silkworm Gu had also successfully advanced to Tier One, transforming from a Mortal Insect into a Spirit Insect.

As a Spirit Insect, the Golden Silkworm Gu’s appearance was even more dazzling. Seven white rings now adorned its golden body from head to tail.

Jiang Xu had also tested its venom.

Even when he fed a tiny drop of the Golden Silkworm Gu’s venom to a Tier One Upper Grade Demon Beast, its Spiritual Power quickly dissipated, leaving it as weak as a common, thick-skinned animal.

The effect lasted for seven days and seven nights before the beast recovered.

And that was just the venom in its initial state.

Once Jiang Xu started feeding it other poisons, he could customize its venom. The final effects could be tailored to his exact specifications.

For example, if he wanted the final product to have the effects of a Silver Evil Aphrodisiac, he could feed the Golden Silkworm Gu something like Hehuan Powder.

For a neurotoxin, he could feed it venom from a Silver Ring Snake.

For a hemotoxin, he could use venom from a Bamboo Leaf Green or a Five-Step Snake.

It was just that he didn’t have the resources to do so now; he would have to wait until he left this place to try customizing the venom.

Jiang Xu had never used it on a human, so he would have to wait and see what the specific effects might be.

However, Jiang Xu noticed that the Demonic Qi in the Secret Realm’s air had grown increasingly active lately, as if agitated by something.

The Magical Power he used to resist the Demonic Qi was also being consumed more quickly.

However, thanks to the astonishing recovery speed of his Cangmu Skill, he wasn’t greatly affected. He also hadn’t been using large amounts of Magical Power, so he always kept his reserves full.

’But other people can’t do what I do,’ he thought. ’After entering the Secret Realm, they’re bound to fight Demon Beasts and other Cultivators. Fighting consumes Magical Power, making them vulnerable to the Demonic Qi’s influence. Once influenced, they’ll want to fight even more... it’s a vicious cycle.’

Just then, Jiang Xu suddenly heard the sounds of a battle.