My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

"Look!"

Lei Yi tidied his hair and clothes, which had been ruffled by the strong wind, then determined his direction. Pointing to the distant, continuous mountain range, he smiled and said:

"That's Thousand Maple Mountain! Now that we're here, we're not far from the entrance to that little secret realm! We've turned misfortune into blessing. If we had gone all the way to Sea Moon City and had to come back, we would have wasted two or three days!"

As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death." Although Cui Ying could clearly see the mountain peaks, it would take at least a day to actually reach them, even if he rode on a cloud.

"No matter what, I owe Fellow Daoist Lei my life today!"

Just as Cui Ying was expressing her gratitude, Lei Yi reached into his storage bag and took out a wooden boat made of spirit wood. He then set off with Cui Ying, steer the boat towards Thousand Maple Mountain while casually remarking:

"This is nothing. We came out together, so we'll definitely go back together! Besides, I didn't buy the talisman. If you want to thank someone, just thank my seventeenth aunt!"

"Is the seventeenth aunt that Fellow Daoist Lei mentioned Senior Lei?"

Cui Ying looked puzzled; she had no idea that Lei Yujing was also skilled in the art of talismans.

Lei Yi then took out several cyan talismans from his storage bag, the very ones he had just used, and smiled:

"Just before I left, I ran into my seventeenth aunt, and these were all gifts she gave me casually."

As he spoke, he forcefully stuffed the several blue talismans into Cui Ying's arms, his smile unwavering:

"I have many more here; these are for your own use in case you need them."

Cui Ying subconsciously took the talismans, thought for a moment, and then accepted them.

The wooden boat traveled safely for about seven or eight hours and was about to reach the territory of Thousand Maple Mountain.

Cui Ying looked closely and discovered a small city at the foot of the mountain.

It was dusk, and the city was already lit up with lights. There were many cultivators coming and going, creating a lively scene.

"I forgot to tell Fellow Daoist Cui that most of the cultivators who went to explore the Qianfeng Mountain Secret Realm rested and stayed in Majia Town."

Seeing the slight surprise in Cui Ying's eyes, Lei Yi immediately seemed to remember something and quickly began to explain.

Cui Ying nodded knowingly, then asked with some surprise:

"So many of them, could it be that they've all come for that little secret realm?"

"you do not say!"

Lei Yi made a hand seal to spur the wooden boat downwards, and only then did he have a moment to reply:

"The secret realms that have appeared on our Immortal Origin Continent are all controlled by the major families and sects. Although this place has been taken over by the Xiao family of Haiyue City, it is said that this secret realm is extremely vast and can only be entered by cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage. Previously, the Xiao family also secretly formed several Qi Refining teams to explore inside, but the result was heavy casualties."

"Having such a large piece of meat as the Thousand Maple Mountain Secret Realm in their arms, which they can see but cannot eat, the Xiao family is naturally anxious. After several discussions, they invited cultivators from all over the world to enter the secret realm by paying the corresponding amount of spirit stones. Although the secret realm is extremely dangerous, it offers even more opportunities. As a result, there will be quite a few cultivators who want to enter it."

As the wooden boat approached the ground, Lei Yi took the lead and headed towards the city gate. The two finally found an inn, booked two rooms, and rested for the night. The next morning, after purchasing some necessary supplies, they set off for Qianfeng Mountain in the early morning light.

There were quite a few cultivators traveling with them, some in groups of two or three like them, and others traveling alone, but no matter who they were, they all had a deep sense of wariness in their eyes.

After all, when you're out and about, you're not afraid of not getting treasures, but you're afraid of being treated as prey by others.

Time passed slowly, and after flying for about half an hour, the wooden boat finally landed. In front of them was a brand-new stone house with steps made of bluestone extending down to the bottom of the house.

The two paid three hundred spirit stones at the entrance and went up the steps. The interior was very spacious, with all four sides inlaid with bright pearls, as bright as day.

"I heard that the secret realm is deep in the mountain crevice."

This is halfway up Qianfeng Mountain; we still need to continue down.

Cui Ying followed behind Lei Yi, along with seven or eight other unfamiliar cultivators. As the soft rustling of footsteps filled the air, the once secluded and quiet mountain path became more noisy and lively.

They continued descending for several hundred more feet. Cui Ying guessed they had reached the bottom of the mountain. Sure enough, besides the sound of footsteps, she could hear the gentle rustling of grass and trees. At the same time, Lei Yi whispered from ahead:

"It seems we have arrived at the Qingfeng Valley at the bottom of Thousand Maple Mountain!"

As the terrain leveled out, they came into view a depression several acres in size, where mountain springs meandered among the rocks, trees cast dappled shadows, and vegetation flourished.

In the center of that secluded valley, a massive spatial rift stretched across the sky.

Directly below the spatial rift was a five-colored magic array, about three zhang in size, inlaid with countless black spatial crystals, nearly a hundred in total, each the size of an egg.

Around the magic array were five altars, each about ten feet high, with a person sitting on each one. Judging from the aura they exuded, they were clearly several powerful cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Each of the four individuals had a disc-shaped magical artifact floating in front of them, from which streams of white light emanated, all converging into a giant, golden ball of light above the magic array.

The ball of light was about five or six zhang in diameter and slowly rotated in mid-air.

Just as Cui Ying was taking a look, the cultivators who had gone to explore for treasure had already crossed the secluded valley and stood around the altar.

Her gaze swept across the area, and she suddenly noticed several familiar figures near the altar opposite.

"They're from the Chu family!"

Chu Ruoyu, who was opposite, also saw Cui Ying and Lei Yi, who was wearing a striking red robe. She forced a smile and nodded slightly at them.

Cui Ying smiled slightly at the other party and then looked away. But with just a quick glance, she could tell that most of the nearly one hundred cultivators present were only at the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining, and only one or two out of ten could reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage.

At this moment, a cultivator on the altar, dressed in a gray robe with black runes covering his face, opened his eyes and finally spoke calmly:

"Listen up, all of you! Next, you will each be divided into groups of ten. After an incense stick has burned, I will activate the teleportation array to send you into the secret realm in batches."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve, and with a "whoosh," a lit sandalwood incense stick shot out and landed steadily in the nearby soil.

"However, before that, I must explain the rules for entering the secret realm. After all, we are all guests from afar, and some of our fellow cultivators may not be familiar with the rules of our Xiao family."

A tall, thin male cultivator with a full head of white hair glanced at the incense stick and then said with a sinister smile.

"Hehe~ Brother Qi, your seriousness might frighten these young friends!"

A chubby cultivator next to him touched his bald head and began to explain, shaking his head:

"Our Xiao family has already invited cultivators from all over the world, so what rules are there? It's just that once you enter the secret realm, you can collect all kinds of resources by any means, and you are responsible for your own life and death during this period."

As he spoke, his smile grew even warmer, and he continued:

"Once you're out, just give us one-third of the supplies you obtained in the secret realm!"