Chapter 837: Qinglian Five Sons

Within the secret realm, there was a vast green bamboo forest. Throughout the forest, green spirit bamboos, over ten zhang tall, were visible everywhere.

Suddenly, ripples appeared in the void, and a tall woman in a blue dress emerged, falling out of the empty space. She carried three blue flying swords on her back. This was Wang Jiyun, the most outstanding sword cultivator in the Wang family after Wang Qingshan.

On the way here, Wang Changsheng had briefly recounted his experiences exploring secret realms, reminding his clan members of the precautions for treasure hunting within them. The most crucial point was that collective strength was limitless, and they should not attempt heroic feats alone. Her immediate task was to rendezvous with her clan members. Wang Changsheng was unsure what dangers the secret realm might hold, especially after so many years.

Wang Jiyun quickly surveyed her surroundings, then pulled out a sensing bead. She infused it with a magic art, and the bead glowed brightly, flying towards the east. Wang Jiyun cast Wind Control Art, transforming into an afterimage, and followed it.

At the foot of a mountain, several hundred zhang high, three young and beautiful female cultivators had gathered. They were Wang Rongting, Wang Rongxiang, and Wang Rongfei, all at the ninth level of Qi Refinement and cultivating sound-based techniques. Below the mountain lay an endless grassland, with a large lake to their right. Their luck was good; they had been teleported nearby and quickly regrouped.

Wang Rongting held a green animal hide, which was a map of the secret realm. Pointing to a specific location, she said, "According to the map, there are many spirit herbs in a cave on the mountainside. We don't know what kind of demonic beasts might be inside."

"Wouldn't we know by just looking?" Wang Rongxiang replied indifferently, her tone calm. "As long as there are no third-tier demonic beasts, and even if we can't defeat a second-tier one, escaping shouldn't be an issue."

Wang Changsheng had gone to great lengths for this secret realm treasure hunt, regularly providing them with Spirit Nourishing Pills and other cultivation resources. Before entering the realm, each person carried twenty second-tier talismans for offense, defense, and support. In addition, each also carried two second-tier puppet beasts, three bottles of mana-restoring pills, and second-tier array formations. Frankly speaking, these forty Qi Refinement cultivators were armed to the teeth. Their divine sense was comparable to that of Foundation Establishment cultivators at the second layer, and they were skilled in battle formations. Typical second-tier demonic beasts were truly no match for them.

"Regardless, we should still be careful. Better safe than sorry," Wang Rongfei cautiously stated.

After discussing their strategy, they started walking up the mountain. Less than a quarter of an hour later, they stopped halfway up the mountain. Not far ahead, there was a cave entrance several zhang wide. Even though they were powerful, they didn't rush into the cave immediately. Instead, they took out array-setting tools and set up two sets of second-tier array formations.

"Rongxiang, Rongfei, you two stay outside. I'll go in and check," Wang Rongting instructed. She released a small dog-shaped puppet beast to go ahead, and she followed behind it.

The cave wound downwards, and before long, a cavern several hundred zhang in size appeared before her. The cave was somewhat dim, making it difficult to discern the details inside. She took out several moonstones and tossed them into the cavern.

In the lower-left corner of the cavern, there were two green fruit trees, over two zhang tall, each bearing several green fruits. Two yellow giant apes, about a zhang tall, were perched on the fruit trees. With wide mouths and protruding fangs, they were clearly first-tier, high-grade demonic beasts.

Upon seeing Wang Rongting, the two demonic apes immediately leaped down from the trees, pounded their chests, and lunged at her. A green light glowed from Wang Rongting's spirit boots, and she quickly retreated along the path she came. At the same time, she flipped her hand, pulled out a red jade flute, and brought it to her lips.

A cheerful flute melody sounded, and a large expanse of crimson fire light appeared around her, transforming into over a dozen fist-sized crimson fireballs, which she hurled at the two yellow giant apes.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions resonated as the more than a dozen crimson fireballs struck the yellow giant apes, and roaring flames instantly engulfed their bodies.

Roar! Roar! Two enraged roars echoed as the flames quickly extinguished. The two yellow giant apes, enraged by Wang Rongting, rapidly charged at her. However, Wang Rongting was too fast for them to catch up.

Soon after, Wang Rongting rushed out of the cave and gave an order. "Be careful, there are two high-grade, first-tier demonic beasts in there. Use the array formations to kill them; don't underestimate them." Even though they could defeat second-tier demonic beasts, she wasn't complacent and insisted on using array formations to eliminate the enemies.

Soon, the two yellow giant apes burst out. The moment they exited the cave, a vast expanse of green mist surged from the ground, forming a green light barrier over ten zhang in size that enveloped them. A fierce wind began to howl, accompanied by continuous rushing sounds. Dense, green wind blades assailed the two yellow giant apes from all directions, relentlessly striking them.

With three ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators controlling the second-tier array formations, the two high-grade, first-tier demonic beasts were naturally no match. In less than a quarter of an hour, the two yellow giant apes were sliced apart by the endless green wind blades, collapsing into a pool of blood, utterly dead.

They disposed of the demonic apes' bodies and then entered the cave.

"According to the map given by our ancestor, wasn't this supposed to be where some Azure Profound Flowers grew? Why are there Azure Moon Fruits instead?" Wang Rongxiang remarked, looking at the two fruit trees.

"What's so strange about that?" Wang Rongting replied. "Didn't the ancestor say that the secret realm hasn't been opened for many years? Perhaps the two demonic apes ate all the spirit herbs and brought the spirit fruit seeds here!"

"Quickly, harvest the spirit fruits and scatter some seeds," Wang Rongting instructed. They had entered the secret realm to find spirit herbs, and they also needed to cultivate new ones and capture spirit beasts. As the saying goes, "one generation plants trees, another enjoys the shade." Regardless of whether the spirit herbs would grow successfully, they still had to plant some.

Wang Rongxiang harvested the spirit fruits, while Wang Rongfei planted the spirit herbs. She dug over a dozen large pits and scattered several seeds in each. Whether these spirit herbs would grow was left to fate. Wang Rongting took out a ledger and recorded the names and locations of the spirit herbs planted in the cave. This record was to be submitted to the family so that the next time the secret realm opened, clan members could come directly here to harvest the spirit herbs.

After exiting the cave, Wang Rongting released a sensing bead. She infused it with a magic art, and the bead glowed brightly, flying towards the sky. The three of them quickly followed.

In a damp, dark dense forest, a tall, slender middle-aged man was controlling a swarm of Golden-Spotted Flame Insects, battling hundreds of black bees. The Golden-Spotted Flame Insects transformed into weapon forms, their surfaces covered with a layer of crimson flame. They charged wildly through the swarm of bees, causing black bees to fall from the air one after another. On a towering tree not far away, a black beehive as large as a door panel hung from its thick trunk.

This was Wang Xiansheng. His father was a spirit controller who had left him over a hundred first-tier Golden-Spotted Flame Insects and a high-grade, first-tier Wind-Chasing Tiger. Many of these Golden-Spotted Flame Insects had reached high-grade, first-tier. This meant that as soon as he entered the cultivation world, he inherited over a hundred Golden-Spotted Flame Insects and a Wind-Chasing Tiger. He had loved controlling insects and beasts since childhood. His grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all cultivated swords, but unfortunately, they lacked talent and could not excel. It was his father's generation that switched to raising spirit insects and beasts.