Chapter 1497: Nine Netherworld Secret Realm

The world spun violently, and Zhang Xuan’s head reeled with an overwhelming dizziness. He dropped to the ground with a thud.

The teleportation process felt like both an eternity and a mere second. Different scenes flashed before his eyes, and space twisted continuously.

He threw up, and it took a long time for him to recover.

“No wonder teleportation arrays aren’t widespread… those with weaker cultivation simply can’t withstand them.”

After adjusting for a while, he felt a bit better. Recalling the recent experience, he wore a wry smile.

He had previously wondered why the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters could establish branches all over the continent but not widespread teleportation arrays. After experiencing it himself, he understood that not everyone could use them!

His physical body, comparable to a supreme Saint artifact, had barely withstood the strain. Ordinary people, even those at Saint 8-dan, would likely be pulverized upon sudden entry, dying without knowing how.

“Where is this place?”

His spirit and physical body still felt disconnected, causing him discomfort. However, knowing it wasn’t a time for delay, he slowly stood up and looked around.

According to the information on the Hall Master’s Token, this should be the secret realm left behind by Sage Kui. Historically, only the Hall Masters of the Saint Son Hall could enter, and those who didn’t meet certain prerequisites couldn’t even get in.

“It really is a folded space!”

After observing for a while, he noticed that the spatial energy here was much weaker than outside. It was indeed a folded space, and the spiritual energy was far less concentrated than outside.

He was standing on a circular platform used for teleportation. The array formations inscribed within it were extremely sophisticated. The fact that it could transport him from the Zhang Clan, millions of kilometers away, to this place, demonstrated its immense power.

Stepping off the platform, he slowly walked forward. Soon, a lush green courtyard appeared before him. With dense vegetation and gurgling streams, it felt like a paradise.

Upon entering the courtyard, he immediately saw a stone tablet standing before him. Four large characters were carved on it: “Nine Nether Demonic Eyes!”

He looked at the tablet and saw intricate runes beneath the large characters. They meticulously described the trajectory of this eye technique’s operation within the eyes, even more detailed than what Sage Kui had previously taught him.

“Welcome to the Nine Nether Secret Realm!”

He quickly scanned the information, committing it to memory. Immediately, a faint voice resounded.

“Sage Kui?”

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but look around. It was indeed Sage Kui’s voice.

“No need to look,” the voice said. “Only a wisp of my will remains here; I can no longer manifest my form!” As if aware of his actions, the voice sounded somewhat melancholic: “Your arrival here indicates that you have already broken two seals and possess sufficient strength to cultivate the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes!”

“Sufficient strength?”

“That’s right. Although I previously gave you the cultivation method for the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes, it wasn’t detailed enough for successful cultivation. This wasn’t meant to make things difficult for you. Rather, for the Demonic Eyes to reach a certain cultivation realm, one needs not only the technique but also a specific environment that aligns with it! Otherwise, it’s very difficult to achieve by merely cultivating in isolation!”

“A specific environment?” Zhang Xuan wondered. It’s just an eye technique; how could the environment help?

“The Nine Nether Demonic Eyes are named after the nine heavens and the nine netherworlds. To master them, one must cultivate in a hellish environment. Only then can it stimulate the eyes and unleash greater power. This secret realm was specifically created for this eye technique…”

Understanding his confusion, Sage Kui explained.

“Indeed.”

Having read countless cultivation manuals and secret techniques, he knew that some unique techniques yielded better cultivation results when integrated with their environment. For instance, fire-attributed techniques practiced in lava would achieve twice the results with half the effort, while ice-attributed ones would see greater progress in icy pools.

Since the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes were a peerless secret technique no weaker than the Way of Spatial Manipulation, its cultivation was bound to be far from easy. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so difficult for successive Hall Masters to master.

“The secret realm contains maze arrays, illusion arrays, and concealment arrays. Though not dangerous, entering it without exceptional eyesight means one cannot see through the illusions and find the way out! The Nine Nether Demonic Eyes are precisely for improving your eyesight and finding the flaws in these areas!”

Sage Kui’s voice continued: “Here are the eye techniques left by my teacher, as well as the cultivation insights of successive Hall Masters. You can study and reference them, but to achieve mastery, you will still need your own comprehension!”

Whoosh!

As the voice ceased, several more stone tablets appeared, standing not far away. Zhang Xuan looked at these tablets and saw that they were densely covered with cultivation insights and experiences.

“Perfect!” He recorded them into his mind, and let out a low exclamation.

Whoosh!

A book appeared before him. Gently opening it, Zhang Xuan sighed. It was indeed the most powerful eye technique of its time. Even with these insights integrated, it was still a significant distance from the Heavenly Dao level.

“Although it hasn’t reached the Heavenly Dao level, integrating so much knowledge will make cultivation speed very fast. However… it still poses a great risk to the eyes. In other words, there’s still a high probability of becoming blind if one wishes to cultivate it to its peak!”

The reason he hadn’t cultivated the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes was due to a major flaw within it: a slight misstep could lead to permanent blindness. Even Sage Bu Shang, the direct disciple of Master Kong and the founder of the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes, hadn’t escaped this fate. He certainly didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.

After studying it again, confirming there was indeed no good solution, Zhang Xuan spoke: “I currently have no plans to learn eye techniques. May I leave this place first?”

“Leave?” Sage Kui’s voice questioned, “The Nine Nether Secret Realm offers only one opportunity for entry. If you don’t cultivate the eye technique to the fourth realm here, it will be extremely difficult to make further progress later…”

That he would want to leave immediately upon arrival, without even exploring the secret realm, surprised Sage Kui. This involved the position of Saint Son Hall Master, and his refusal seemed far too quick.

“My student is in danger,” Zhang Xuan said, cupping his fists. “As her teacher, I cannot solely focus on my own cultivation while disregarding her safety. I hope you understand!”

Zhao Ya’s fate was uncertain. He had no time to waste here; he needed to find Chen Leyao as soon as possible, clarify the situation, and figure out a way to rescue his student. Learning this eye technique, even if it didn’t harm his eyes, would likely take a long time, and he truly couldn’t afford to delay.

“Your student is in danger?” Sage Kui paused. “Are you sure you want to lose this one and only opportunity? For your student?”

“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded. As long as Zhao Ya was safe, he could simply forgo learning the Nine Nether Demonic Eyes. He could even forgo being the Saint Son Hall Master! While the identity of Saint Son Hall Master would greatly benefit him in marrying Luo Ruoxi, he would absolutely not sacrifice his student’s life for it!

After a long silence, Sage Kui’s voice continued: “To give up so much for your student, you are a good teacher! However, the rules cannot be changed. The secret realm can still only be entered once; once you leave, you cannot return! Nevertheless, as a teacher, your willingness to make such a sacrifice for your student is commendable and worthy of respect. If you can comprehend the fourth realm of the eye technique in the outside world, and you possess the Hall Master’s Token, I will grant you an opportunity to gain insight into the fifth realm!”