Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

The secret realm is located not far from Qingyun Sect, near Dongji City.

The long-distance spirit boat was not used on this trip.

The group flew eastward on their swords, slowly passing through the air, attracting the attention of mortals. Zhu Wuyao, who was among them, frowned almost imperceptibly.

That's too flashy.

It was as if they were afraid others wouldn't know that the Qingyun Sect was traveling in a procession.

For secret realms like these that have been discovered but not yet fully explored, each sect will send disciples to guard and control them, and set up protective formations around them.

Otherwise, even Zhu Wuyao would suspect that this was a setup.

The journey was smooth and uneventful.

Elder Qian handed over the token, and the group entered the cave. Wu Ya kept her word and stayed by Zhu Wuji's side the whole way.

If it were truly Zhu Wuji, he would naturally be overjoyed.

But if it were Zhu Wuyao, it would be a different story.

Isn't this a case of accidentally finding yourself a spy?

But she couldn't bring herself to drive the person away.

The group remained silent as they passed through the narrow cave. This was merely a preliminary passage into the secret realm, which had been widened by the Qingyun Sect. Torches were placed along the sides of the cave walls, their flickering flames elongating the figures of the group.

During his time at Qingyun Sect, Zhu Wuyao explored the internal structure of the secret realm.

This is not its true appearance.

Before his death, a certain Nascent Soul cultivator single-handedly created a small grotto-heaven, with the entrance to the secret realm connected to the cave.

Elder Qian had no way to enter the mountain, and the Qingyun Sect was similarly unable to enter despite guarding the treasure mountain.

The magical pen on Zhu Wuyao's person might be the key to entering the small grotto through the cave.

As you proceed further in, the passage narrows.

It can only accommodate one person at a time.

This place has not been widened later, but because the stone walls on both sides have shown something unusual, with countless scriptures densely engraved, all for the purpose of praying for the soul to be delivered and comforted.

Above the scriptures, there were also jagged characters carved with sword marks—

"Cultivation is useless, and lifespan has its limits."

"At the end of the Great Way, cause and effect are both empty."

"Since cause and effect are empty, who can truly know me?"

"Having been abandoned, where shall I go from here?"

"Born at the wrong time, like a pebble thrown into a lake!"

"Now I depart, and the next generation shall come!"

"Life is like that of a puppet, moved by strings."

"Heaven, Earth, Man, Demon, Immortal, fortune and misfortune are unknown. We gain all today, but who knows we will have to pay the price? We are filled with regret and unwilling to part with the treasures we hold in our arms. We chase each other, but we can only drain the pond to catch all the fish."

"If others won't give it to me, I'll take it myself!"

……

The handwriting was chaotic and unrestrained, the sword intent sharp and fierce, almost bursting out of the stone wall.

This place... is indeed related to the spirit pen in the dantian, and indeed related to the Star-Picking Tower. It mentions cause and effect, fortune and misfortune, and there is also the phrase "life is like a puppet, moved by strings".

Zhu Wuyao was deeply moved after reading this.

This person spoke with extreme arrogance, his words carrying a hint of contempt and sneer, as if he had smugly schemed against everyone.

Before the game was decided, the chessboard was covered in dust; before the winner was determined, the player had already died and vanished.

It wasn't until he saw the inscription on the stone wall that Zhu Wuyao's doubts were resolved.

No wonder Elder Qian and the Qingyun Sect take this secret realm so seriously.

The words carved by this monk on the stone wall seem to touch upon the secrets of the four sects and the human-demon relationship.

Everyone who sees this will have their own speculations.

However, it remains unknown what the purpose of this Nascent Soul cultivator is.

Since a hidden paradise has been set up to conceal the opportunity within, it is also clearly indicated at the entrance, which is accessible to ordinary people, that this place is extraordinary.

It seemed as if they were deliberately trying to lure people here.

Moreover, this cultivator clearly possesses the ability to conceal the entire secret realm.

From the outside, if it weren't for the Qingyun Sect cultivators guarding the cave entrance, Zhu Wuyao would not have noticed anything unusual about this place.

The formation is exquisite and unparalleled.

In addition, this place is barren, lacking both famous rivers and lakes, and deep mountains and cliffs.

If a cultivator were unaware of this, they would certainly not come here.

Could it be so that any mortals who stray into this place will realize that something is amiss and continue to explore?

Could the successor this cultivator desire be a mere mortal with no foundation?

But they didn't know what went wrong.

Zhu Wuyao's parents in this world only obtained the spirit pen, but did not have the opportunity to enter the secret realm. Even though they came many times, they could only wander around the perimeter.

I overheard some hushed conversation.

It was none other than "Junior Brother Liu" who mocked Zhu Wuji before the trip.

"This looks like a divination cultivator. Why did they choose our Dongji City as their place of passing away?"

"Didn't you see it? It's written on that stone wall that this cultivator wanted something that no one else would give him. He probably had a dispute with his original sect, which is why he betrayed his sect and came here!"

No, that's not right.

Even if you're dissatisfied with the Star-Picking Tower, you shouldn't have chosen Dongji City; it's too close to Qingyun Sect.

The two men were deliberately avoiding the words "Star-Picking Tower" in their conversation, as if they were afraid that others would hear them and think that the Qingyun Sect had recognized this secret realm as belonging to the Star-Picking Tower.

Betraying the sect...

The "Sky-Gazing Technique" was created by a traitor of the Qingyun Sect and later perfected by Sect Leader Fang...

If the previous generation of the Star-Picking Tower also had six people, there was an Elder Tian who was skilled in formations. She cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage, but eventually perished and her cultivation ended.

Including Sect Leader Fang, Elder Bai, Elder Chi, and Granny Feng from Beixuan City, there were only five people in total.

Moreover, it's not even certain who created this secret realm.

Zhu Wuyao looked up at Elder Qian, who was walking ahead.

He remained silent, and even in the secret realm under the jurisdiction of the Qingyun Sect, even though he was surrounded by Qingyun Sect disciples, he still appeared extremely cautious.

This trip was extremely risky.

Elder Qian's attitude towards her was unpredictable. If a conflict arose, she would be trapped in the enemy camp with a powerful foe in front of her. Zhu Wuyao's greatest reliance was that she had the Spirit Brush as the "key" to enter and exit the cave.

If forced into a dangerous situation, it would be much easier for her to enter and exit the cave than for Qingyun Sect. Moreover, this cave was created by a divination cultivator, so she would always have a chance of survival.

The destination is now in sight, and the view opens up dramatically.

It is a cave dwelling that can accommodate a dozen or so people without feeling crowded.

Everyone looked up and saw eight characters carved on the stone wall directly in front of them. The characters, which had been messy before, were now neat and stern.

"Opportunity knocks, and you enter my game."

These eight characters hanging in front seem like a warning, a threat, a curse, and a caution.

If it is indeed a divination cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage who has comprehended cause and effect, and who tampered with the place of his death, then the meaning of these eight characters is truly not to be underestimated.

But Zhu Wuyao saw it all and was shocked.

If the "Art of Peeping at the Heavens" was written by this person, and if the magic pen fell into her hands from here...

The phrase "entering my chessboard" clearly refers to making moves and forming connections, and she is the one who obtained the secret realm's opportunity sixteen years ago, the one who has always used her clairvoyant abilities to form connections with others—

How can one know that they have never been subject to fate?

In a daze, she seemed to see the dusty, undecided chessboard, where the death of the player would lead to another move and a chance for survival.