Chapter 341: The Three Brothers Venture into the Secret Realm!

The moment Lu Ping’an and Lu Quanzhen entered the portal, they felt the world spinning.

Everything around them turned to nothingness, plunged into darkness, with no trace of magic to use.

“It’s said that entering the Purple Secrets Realm feels like the ancient, lost teleportation arrays. So this is what it’s like.”

Lu Quanzhen murmured to himself, trying to see what was around him.

But all he saw was pitch-black darkness, stretching endlessly with not a single hint of color.

If he hadn’t known beforehand, encountering such a situation suddenly would have been terrifying, sending chills down his spine.

After a moment, he felt a bit sore and dizzy as he opened his eyes.

“So this is the Purple Secrets Realm.”

Lu Quanzhen rubbed his forehead, observing his surroundings.

He found himself in a forest, where the spiritual energy was so dense it formed a mist.

The most striking feature was the sky, which was entirely a deep purple.

After confirming he was in a safe area, he lightly patted his Storage Bag and set up a simple formation to regulate his condition.

Although the teleportation hadn’t had much impact on him.

Since he was in the secret realm, he had to maintain his best state at all times.

After all, with so many cultivators entering the Purple Secrets Realm, there would inevitably be battles and struggles.

Moreover, half of the gains from the secret realm had to be handed over to the Four Great Immortal Sects.

These gains referred to spiritual herbs and materials from the Purple Secrets Realm, infused with the realm’s aura.

However, money, Artifacts, and treasures taken from other cultivators weren’t included.

Thus, most people in the Purple Secrets Realm didn’t die at the hands of the realm’s monsters but were killed by other cultivators.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Lu Quanzhen sensed something and took out his family token from his Storage Bag.

It indicated that someone was within the token’s sensing range.

He immediately knew it was his elder brother, Lu Ping’an.

After all, he didn’t need to think to know that his younger brother, Lu Qingshan, wouldn’t be looking for him right after entering.

The two had agreed that after entering the secret realm, they would only meet in the central area; the outskirts were for trials.

Lu Quanzhen infused spiritual energy into the token, responding to Lu Ping’an.

His elder brother was steady and not competitive, so he wouldn’t be a hindrance.

Moreover, with his second-level body tempering, he could be trusted not to hold him back, adding an extra layer of security.

As spiritual energy was infused, an invisible connection formed between the two Identity Tokens, allowing them to sense each other’s general location.

After regulating his condition for a while, Lu Quanzhen fully recovered and immediately collected the formation flags before starting to explore the secret realm.

He didn’t fly on a magical instrument or hurry along.

Instead, he cautiously headed towards Lu Ping’an’s direction.

After all, the secret realm was dangerous, and flying in the air would make him an easy target.

Besides, the secret realm was full of opportunities, so it was better to explore slowly.

“Hmm?”

After walking a few miles, Lu Quanzhen saw a dozen light green, thumb-sized fruits growing on a distant rock.

“Stone Green Fruit.”

Lu Quanzhen immediately recognized what they were.

However, judging by their color, these spiritual herbs weren’t fully matured.

But since he had come across them, he wouldn’t care if they were fully matured or not.

Moreover, he had a specially prepared spirit plant bag that could keep the plants alive until they could be transplanted back home.

With a pat on his Storage Bag, a low-Tier puppet appeared.

He then operated the puppet to pick all thirteen Stone Green Fruits.

After collecting them, he continued forward cautiously.

“Hmm, there’s already killing going on.”

After walking for a while, Lu Quanzhen suddenly smelled blood, and his steps halted as he cast a concealment technique.

Looking carefully in the direction of the smell, he immediately saw two corpses lying by a dark pond ahead.

One had its head severed.

The other had a spike through its heart.

It seemed they had killed each other, lying there with a strong smell of blood filling the air.

In the middle of the calm dark pond, there was also a palm-sized, snow-white lotus emitting a faint blue glow.

“Killed each other? Water Cloud Lotus.”

Lu Quanzhen’s eyes narrowed, filled with vigilance.

After observing for a moment and seeing no movement, he cautiously sent out a low-Tier puppet to approach the two corpses.

However, just as the puppet reached the corpses and was about to take the Storage Bags.

‘Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!’

Silver needles shot out from the dark pond, aiming straight at Lu Quanzhen.

“Clang clang clang!”

Lu Quanzhen was prepared, forming multicolored vortices around him, and a small black shield appeared, blocking all the silver needles.

Then, with a sudden clap of his hands, a multicolored torrent surged towards the dark pond.

“Boom!”

With a thunderous explosion, the dark pond erupted, sending water flying everywhere.

Suddenly, a beautiful girl in a light yellow dress emerged from the pond, looking coldly at Lu Quanzhen and saying, “You’ve got some skill. Now get lost!”

She had been lying in wait here, but seeing that Lu Quanzhen was strong and cautious, she didn’t want to waste time or energy.

“A disciple of the Sunset Glow Sect.”

Lu Quanzhen’s eyes narrowed, showing no intention of retreating.

He had always wanted to know the difference between himself and a disciple of an Immortal Sect.

His previous sparring with Lu Qingshan had been too simple to reveal much.

Now, encountering a disciple of the Sunset Glow Sect, he naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to test his skills.

“Courting death!”

The girl’s face turned furious when she saw that Lu Quanzhen wasn’t backing down, instead looking at her like prey.

With a cold expression, she clapped her white hand.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

In an instant, countless silver needles shot toward Lu Quanzhen, dense and impossible to avoid.

The spike in the chest of the headless corpse on the ground also began to hum, spinning like a crazed drill and shooting toward Lu Quanzhen.

“Five Elements Kun Peng Technique!”

Lu Quanzhen formed hand seals, and a five-colored fish suddenly appeared from the dark pond, charging toward the girl in the yellow dress.

“Not good!”

The girl hadn’t expected that Lu Quanzhen’s earlier attack was just a feint. She immediately formed a protective aura around her.

But in an instant, the five-colored fish shattered her protective aura, forcing her to abandon her attack and focus on defending herself.

“Clang clang clang!”

Purple shields swirled around Lu Quanzhen, forming a protective barrier, while he clapped his hands, sending another multicolored torrent surging forward.

“Boom!”

The girl was sent flying by the powerful attack.

However, as a disciple of the Sunset Glow Sect, she was clearly strong and wasn’t defeated easily, though she looked somewhat disheveled.

“Who are you? A mere rogue cultivator with such strength?”

The girl asked coldly, her eyes filled with malice.

It was true that occasionally, powerful figures emerged from rogue cultivators, like the Jiang Kingdom’s top rogue cultivator, Immortal Qingluan!

But such cases were rare; in nearly a thousand years, only one Immortal Qingluan had appeared!

Ninety-nine percent of rogue cultivators were far weaker than disciples of the Immortal Sects.

Seeing that Lu Quanzhen didn’t respond, she summoned a small yellow mirror.

The mirror emitted a golden light, shining on Lu Quanzhen, while the silver needles and the spike continued their assault.

But in that instant.

“Splat!”

A five-colored fish directly broke through the girl’s protective aura and pierced her heart with lightning speed.

“Uh… uh… uh—”

The girl’s body trembled violently, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked down at her chest.

She felt a powerful force tearing through her organs, blood gushing out.

“How could this…”

The girl stared at Lu Quanzhen, but before she could finish her sentence, she collapsed to the ground.

A pool of fresh blood spread beneath her, her wide-open eyes revealing that she had died with lingering resentment.

“So this is an Immortal Sect disciple.”

Lu Quanzhen looked at the dead girl with a calm expression.

If this was all an Immortal Sect disciple could offer, then it was truly disappointing.

After confirming that she was dead, Lu Quanzhen burned the three bodies to ashes and then sorted through the Storage Bags.

He threw any identifying items, such as tokens and robes, into the dark pond.

Although entering the secret realm meant assuming responsibility for life and death.

Everyone knew to avoid entanglements with Immortal Sect disciples or large family heirs to prevent future trouble.

After finishing, he picked the Water Cloud Lotus from the dark pond, placed it in his spirit plant bag, and continued toward Lu Ping’an.

Elsewhere, in a dense forest.

“No wonder they call it the Purple Secrets Realm; spiritual herbs are everywhere.”

Lu Ping’an pulled out a spiritual flower with its roots and placed it in his Storage Bag, his face full of joy.

Though he had never been poor.

He knew how difficult it was for those at the bottom of the cultivation world, where Spirit Stones were hard to come by.

His family could barely make ends meet, thanks entirely to his father.

So seeing so many spiritual herbs in such a short time, worth hundreds of Spirit Stones, made him extremely happy.

He thought that at this rate, he could earn tens of thousands of Spirit Stones during this trip to the Purple Secrets Realm!

Although he would have to hand over half to the Four Great Immortal Sects in the end.

He would still be satisfied with keeping half.

Lu Ping’an continued walking toward Lu Quanzhen.

Though eager to reunite with his brother, he knew the secret realm was full of danger, so he couldn’t afford to be reckless.

Before he knew it, more than half an hour had passed.

Earlier, Lu Ping’an had thought his luck was good, finding spiritual herbs as he walked.

But now, after so long with no results, he felt a bit frustrated.

Just then, the roar of a monster suddenly came from the side.

This sound immediately caught Lu Ping’an’s attention.

“Is someone fighting, or…”

Lu Ping’an knew that while there weren’t many monsters in the Purple Secrets Realm.

Wherever there were monsters, there were usually rare spiritual herbs.

With this in mind, Lu Ping’an immediately headed towards the source of the sound.

Soon, he saw a giant golden bear chasing an old man and a young man.

The two didn’t face the bear head-on but skillfully wore it down.

The old man noticed Lu Ping’an and immediately looked wary.

But seeing that Lu Ping’an was only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, he quickly shouted, “Fellow Daoist! This golden bear’s lair has several Seven Star Grass plants. If you help us kill it, we can split the spiritual herbs!”

Cultivators in the secret realm didn’t trust each other, but many still banded together for profit.

Besides, the old man and his grandson were at the Ninth and Eighth Layers of Qi Refining, while Lu Ping’an was only at the Seventh.

In this situation, they didn’t fear him.

They even considered taking everything if Lu Ping’an had more than enough.

“Seven Star Grass!?”

Lu Ping’an’s eyes lit up at the mention of it.

Seven Star Grass was a crucial ingredient for Longevity Pills and was extremely valuable.

He immediately shouted, “Alright, it’s a deal!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he shot towards the golden bear like a cannonball.

“Fellow Daoist!?”

The old man and the young man were stunned, their faces full of confusion.

What was going on?

This was a monster! Why would he charge directly at it?

Was he planning to fight the monster up close?

However, before they could finish speaking, they saw Lu Ping’an reach the golden bear, clench his fist, leap into the air, and smash his right arm, glowing with golden light, into the bear’s head, shattering the air around him and landing a solid blow.

“Boom!!!”

Under Lu Ping’an’s punch, the golden bear’s skull exploded, its sharp fangs flying out.

The massive five-meter-tall body spun like a top, crashing to the ground and creating a huge crater.

“What just happened?”

Lu Ping’an turned to look at the dumbfounded old man and young man.

“N-nothing…”

The old man swallowed hard, forcing a smile.

He had just thought that with Lu Ping’an at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, they could easily deal with him.

But that punch had left him utterly speechless.

In all his years of wandering, he had never encountered such a terrifying person.

A Seventh Layer of Qi Refining cultivator had punched a monster to death, and by the looks of it, nearly obliterated it.

“Grandpa, wasn’t the golden bear supposed to be incredibly strong and have an extremely tough body?”

The young man beside him gulped, his face pale as he asked his grandfather.

Monsters were generally stronger than cultivators of the same level.

They had only dared to fight the golden bear because of the Seven Star Grass it guarded.

But they hadn’t expected that the bear they had been struggling to wear down was blown away with one punch, its life or death uncertain, leaving them questioning their reality.

“This must be a young master from some noble family. Be polite.”

The old man whispered to his grandson, glancing at the scene before them.

“Boom boom boom—”

They watched as Lu Ping’an reached the crater and began pounding the golden bear with his fists, like a meteor shower.

The ground couldn’t withstand the force, trembling and forming a pit as dust swirled around.

After a moment, Lu Ping’an pulled the dead golden bear out of the pit.

“How do you want to split this golden bear?”

Lu Ping’an asked the old man and young man.

Although he had killed the monster, it was still their prey, and they had spent a lot of effort, so he didn’t claim it all for himself.

“Uh, we don’t need it.”

The old man immediately shook his head.

In this situation, how could they dare to share the spoils with him?

If they upset him and he decided to punch them, their trip to the secret realm would be over.

“Alright.”

Lu Ping’an nodded and, without hesitation, took out his Magical Sword and began cutting up the golden bear.

He stored the valuable parts, like the bear’s paws, gallbladder, and blood, in his Storage Bag.

After all, he couldn’t fit the entire body into his Storage Bag.

And if the corpse wasn’t processed quickly, it wouldn’t be edible later.

“Fellow Daoist, where is the Seven Star Grass?”

After he finished, Lu Ping’an asked the two.

“It’s just ahead.”

The old man and the young man politely led Lu Ping’an to a foul-smelling cave.

Inside, five spiritual herbs with starlight-like glimmers were growing.

“It really is Seven Star Grass, and there are five of them!”

Lu Ping’an’s face lit up with joy.

But seeing the five plants, he wasn’t sure how to split them.

Just as he was about to speak, the old man spoke first, “Fellow Daoist, since you killed the golden bear, how about you take three and we take two?”

“Hmm, you only want two?”

Lu Ping’an frowned slightly.

After all, they had found the Seven Star Grass, and he had only killed the bear. Taking the larger share felt a bit unfair.

“It’s fine; without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to get the Seven Star Grass.”

The old man, dressed in a Taoist robe, looked kind and friendly.

“I won’t take advantage of you; I’ll just take two.”

Lu Ping’an wasn’t stupid. He knew they were afraid of him.

But in his view, he had already taken some materials from the golden bear, so two Seven Star Grass plants were enough.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist. Are you alone? If you don’t mind, we could team up.”

The old man was surprised, thinking he had encountered a good person today.

He quickly guessed that Lu Ping’an was likely a young master from a noble family.

Only a noble family’s young master could be so generous.

After all, it was hard for a kind-hearted rogue cultivator to reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

He continued, “I’m not much, but I know some searching techniques and am good at finding spiritual herbs.”

“Hmm.”

Lu Ping’an looked at the old man and the young man, thought for a moment, and nodded, “Alright.”

“I’m called Old Daoist Kong. You can call me Old Kong, and this is my grandson, Little Kong.”

The old man smiled and introduced himself.

“An Ping.”

Lu Ping’an gave a false name.

“An…”

Old Daoist Kong thought for a moment but didn’t recall any noble families with the surname An in the Jiang Kingdom.

But he didn’t dwell on it; in the secret realm, how many people used their real names?

Besides, aside from noble families, he might be the heir of an ancient lineage.

The three then divided the Seven Star Grass and continued together.

Old Daoist Kong and his grandson didn’t have a specific destination; they were mainly looking for spiritual herbs in the outer areas.

So they followed the direction Lu Ping’an pointed out.

Meanwhile, by a cliff.

“Boom boom boom—”

Four men and women were hunting a large tiger engulfed in black flames.

“Roar roar roar!”

The black tiger roared in pain under their combined attacks, its body covered in wounds.

But the black flames burning on its body were terrifying, forcing the four to keep their distance and suppress it with their Artifacts.

At that moment.

“Splat!”

A sword light descended from the sky, severing the black tiger’s head, sending blood flying.

“I’ll take this Spirit Fruit.”

Lu Qingshan, dressed in a white and gold robe, stood in the air with his Magical Sword, looking at the stunned group.

The four gazed at Lu Qingshan, wanting to say something but not daring to.

They had seen Lu Qingshan arrive with a Golden Core cultivator outside the secret realm and knew he wasn’t ordinary.

Moreover, the power he had just displayed with one sword strike left them all shaken, knowing they were no match for him.

Without waiting for their response, Lu Qingshan stepped forward and took the glowing fruit from the cliff.

He put the fruit into his spirit plant bag, not bothering to look at the four, and flew away on his sword.

“Hmph, how domineering.”

One of the women pouted, full of resentment.

But though she complained, she only dared to mutter softly, not daring to shout.

After all, the overwhelming sword aura he had displayed had left her heart pounding.

Once Lu Qingshan had completely disappeared, a middle-aged man nearby smiled bitterly and said, “The cultivation world is like this: the strong prey on the weak. We should be glad he didn’t attack us.”

“Although we had the black tiger pinned down, its strength was nearly at the second level, and its body was incredibly tough, yet he broke it with one sword.”

“No wonder a Golden Core cultivator brought him here.”

The other two looked at the black tiger on the ground, their eyes filled with fear and respect.

They then began discussing how to divide the black tiger.

“This Purple Secrets Realm is really boring. I need to head to the central area for better rewards.”

Lu Qingshan stood on his flying sword, looking at the purple sky, and flew towards the core of the secret realm.

He knew the secret realm was divided into the outer and central areas.

The spiritual herbs in the outer area grew randomly and had limited age.

But the central area was different.

The spiritual herbs there were rare and precious, and some dangerous places almost always had rare spiritual herbs and fruits.

The Celestial Spirit Fruit, which the Purple Secrets Realm was famous for, was mostly found in the central area.

Although he had come home to visit and hone his skills in the Purple Secrets Realm.

He had been thinking about bringing back a few Celestial Spirit Fruits.

After all, his sister, Lu Qingzhu, only had a Seventh-Tier Spirit Root.

Although he had prepared two Foundation Establishment Pills.

He still felt it wasn’t enough.

He thought he needed at least seven or eight pills for his sister to break through to Foundation Establishment without any burden or pressure.

And there was his younger brother, Lu Qingsong, to consider.

Although his father’s abilities should make it easy to obtain a few Foundation Establishment Pills.

With so many brothers and concubines in the family, he doubted his father could take care of everyone.

So whenever he could help, he took care of it himself.

And after seeing his grandfather and Qingzhu Mountain’s condition on this trip home, he also wanted to help as much as he could.