Eternal Life by Daily Divination-Chapter 156: An Eerie Voice

Noon.

The group of four set out.

The Ancient Wood Secret Realm was not far from Yellow Crane Immortal City.

Nearly every day, large numbers of Loose Cultivators entered it to explore.

Ever since this Ancient Secret Realm appeared, many people had discovered Wood Element Treasures within, hence its name, "Ancient Wood."

Li Chang’an had a map of the Ancient Wood Secret Realm in his possession.

It was a gift from Tang Suran.

The map marked numerous traps and dangerous areas, as well as various grottoes and ruins that had already been explored.

Huang Feng was at the very front of the group of four.

He was dressed in black robes, his entire body concealed, and he radiated a cold, sinister aura. A single glance was enough to tell he was a typical Tribulation Cultivator.

"We are about to enter the Black Dragon Mountain Range. Everyone, be on your guard."

"Understood."

The entrance to the Ancient Wood Secret Realm was located within the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

Although it was just on the outermost periphery, they still couldn’t afford to be careless.

Every year, many Cultivators died on their way to the Secret Realm.

"Such dense Demon Qi."

The moment he stepped into the Black Dragon Mountain Range, Li Chang’an sensed an astonishing amount of Demon Qi.

He was inwardly alarmed.

This Demon Qi seemed to have completely fused with the entire mountain range.

In addition, there were auras of blood, slaughter, and death, all tangled together, assaulting them in an instant.

A timid Cultivator entering the Black Dragon Mountain Range for the first time would likely be too frightened to venture any deeper.

Fortunately, the four of them, including Li Chang’an, were all experienced. Without slowing down, they transformed into four streaks of light and sped through the mountains.

The deeper they went, the denser the strange and frantic auras became.

The ground of the entire mountain range was a dark brown color.

According to legend, the ground was this color because it had been soaked in the blood of Human Race Cultivators and Demon Race beasts.

They hadn’t gone far when a Demon Beast launched a sneak attack.

CRACK!

With a wave of his hand, Huang Feng sliced off the Demon Beast’s head.

"A mere Tier One Middle Stage Demon Beast dares to ambush me?"

He snorted coldly and tucked the corpse into his Storage Pouch.

The Demon Beasts in this area all seemed a bit crazed. Even after sensing the powerful auras of the four Cultivators, they still dared to charge and attack.

A little while later, Li Chang’an came to a halt. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He hadn’t been attacked by a Demon Beast; instead, he had discovered a Spirit Medicine.

’Iron Blood Ginseng, a Tier One Middle Grade Spirit Medicine. It’s a type of Qi Blood Treasure Medicine. Its value is average; one of this quality could probably sell for about twenty-odd Spirit Stones.’

’In the past, finding such a Treasure Medicine would have made me ecstatic.’

’But now, this is just a minor, unexpected find.’

Jin Mu glanced over and spoke with a smile.

"Daoist Li, you truly are a man of great fortune. You’ve found a Spirit Medicine right after entering the mountain range. It seems we’ll have to bask in some of your good luck on this trip."

In the Cultivation Immortality Realm, there was the concept of "destined luck."

Cultivators with great destined luck would often encounter fortuitous opportunities.

A random stone they kicked by the roadside could turn out to be a priceless gem.

If one traveled with a Cultivator of great destined luck, they could usually benefit from some of that luck as well.

"It was merely a coincidence."

Li Chang’an cupped his hands and replied with a smile.

The four of them didn’t linger long. They continued on, transforming back into four streaks of light as they approached the entrance of the Ancient Wood Secret Realm.

They encountered no other incidents along the way.

「About a quarter of an hour later.」

They arrived at the entrance to the Secret Realm.

It was a waterfall thousands of feet high, like a roaring silver dragon hanging from a cliff. The thundering sound of the water could be heard from a great distance.

"The entrance to the Ancient Wood Secret Realm is behind this waterfall. I imagine this isn’t the first time for the three of you."

As he spoke, Huang Feng flickered and plunged into the waterfall.

His figure vanished instantly.

The brothers Jin Mu and Jin Zhe did the same, entering the waterfall one after the other.

Indeed, it was not their first time visiting the Ancient Wood Secret Realm.

But for Li Chang’an, it was.

Fortunately, he had long since researched information about the Ancient Wood Secret Realm. Showing no signs of unfamiliarity, he plunged into the waterfall without the slightest hesitation.

’It’s just as the records described.’

What appeared before Li Chang’an was a dark and deep passage.

The surrounding stone walls were ice-cold and covered in writings left by various Cultivators.

The group of four did not stop, speeding through the dark passage at an extremely fast pace.

After about thirty breaths,

Li Chang’an’s vision suddenly opened up.

"We’re here!"

At the end of the passage was another world entirely!

Looking into the distance, the world was shrouded in darkness.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and flashes of lightning constantly streaked through them, like colossal silver serpents slithering through the thunderheads.

Countless ancient trees dotted the land, but the branches of every single one were bizarrely twisted, resembling at first glance the figures of people struggling in agony.

The moment he stepped into this world, Li Chang’an felt an indescribable sense of oppression, as if he were being crushed to the point of suffocation.

When he tried to move, it felt as though countless invisible chains were bound to his body.

It made him extremely uncomfortable.

’This oppressive feeling... it’s just like the records described.’

Li Chang’an showed no outward signs of anything unusual.

Besides this oppression, a thick, bloody stench also drifted through the air—even thicker than in the Black Dragon Mountain Range outside, so thick it was nauseating.

Furthermore, there was a faint aura of sadness and grief.

’Strange, where is this feeling of sorrow coming from? The information about this Secret Realm from the outside world never mentioned anything like this.’

Li Chang’an frowned, his vigilance rising.

Just then, a woman’s voice, ethereal and indistinct as if from a distant celestial shore, suddenly echoed in his ear.

"Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why are you back again?"

Li Chang’an’s heart jumped in shock.

He scanned his surroundings but saw no one else.

The other three noticed something was wrong and stopped in their tracks.

Jin Mu, his expression wary, asked in a low voice, "Daoist Li, did you detect some kind of danger?"

"No."

Li Chang’an shook his head slightly.

He scanned the area again, confirming that there was no one else around, not even a Demon Beast.

"The three of you, did you hear any voices?"

"Voices?"

The three of them exchanged confused glances.

Seeing their reactions, Li Chang’an immediately understood that he was the only one who had heard the voice.

"Don’t worry about it. Perhaps I was having an illusion."

"Yes, that’s been known to happen," Huang Feng chimed in.

Over the years, Cultivators would occasionally experience Illusions in the Secret Realm.

Some witnessed apocalyptic scenes of the world collapsing, while others saw realm-shattering battles of the Immortal Dao.

Some even claimed to have returned to Ancient Times and communicated with Cultivators of that era.

These Illusions varied from person to person.

They were all documented in the outside world.

Thus, the other three didn’t find it strange, merely reminding Li Chang’an to be extra careful.

"Daoist Li, if you see any unusual sights or hear any strange sounds, you must tell us immediately," Huang Feng advised.

He said the same to the other two as well.

Within a Secret Realm, one could only go further by traveling together.

If one were alone, it would be easy to get lost amidst the various oddities, eventually descending into madness and, finally, death.