Chapter 75

The crowd from the Qingyun Sect set off from the edge of Seven霞 Mountain and ventured deep into the forest, taking a full two days. During this time, they rested twice.

It wasn't until noon on the third day that the Qingyun Sect members approached the vicinity of the giant stone inscribed with runes.

Ding Qi was greatly frustrated by the slow pace of the Qingyun Sect members.

If Ding Qi were alone, with his Wind Control Technique, the journey from Seven霞 Town to the giant stone, a distance of over two hundred miles, would take no more than a couple of hours. It certainly wouldn't take this long.

However, Ding Qi didn't realize that by his standards, he was being too demanding of the Qingyun Sect members.

His three techniques were not ordinary at all.

Even if these Qingyun Sect members were all considered experts, traveling through the deep mountains and dense forests of Seven霞 Mountain was still extremely difficult.

After a day of trekking through the mountain paths, they were already exhausted, unlike Ding Qi, who never felt fatigue.

His body, after practicing the Innate Technique, was already completely different from that of an ordinary person. He no longer needed to rest at night like the Qingyun Sect members did after a day's journey.

In fact, Ding Qi hadn't closed his eyes for several years.

Although Ding Qi was somewhat helpless about the Qingyun Sect's slow pace, he knew he could only accompany these Qingyun Sect members during this time.

Thinking of this, a burst of a young girl's laughter came from a distance, and Ding Qi looked over, frowning slightly.

The charming young girl he had met in Liangcheng was now talking to Zhang Tao, occasionally letting out a coquettish laugh. Throughout the journey, Ding Qi had noticed that this charming girl had a crush on Zhang Tao, the most outstanding disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

However, for some reason, Zhang Tao's attitude towards the girl seemed strange to Ding Qi. Zhang Tao was extremely cautious and even seemed a bit afraid of her.

Ding Qi had already learned about the charming girl's background during the journey. Her name was Su Mei, and she was just an ordinary disciple, with a much lower status in the sect compared to Zhang Tao, the most outstanding disciple of his generation.

Yet, Zhang Tao showed such an attitude towards her.

Ding Qi found this very strange and often glanced in their direction, deep in thought.

At noon on the third day, seeing the familiar giant stone ahead, Ding Qi finally smiled.

"Finally, we are about to enter the range of the secret realm," Ding Qi thought with anticipation.

As they approached the giant stone, Ding Qi observed the Qingyun Sect members. However, they clearly didn't understand the stone's peculiarities. They treated it as just an ordinary rock. Only a few Qingyun Sect disciples glanced at it curiously because of its size, but then lost interest.

When the Qingyun Sect members took a temporary rest near the giant rock, Ding Qi touched it and subtly activated his Great Strength Technique: "The mysterious force protecting this giant stone has indeed disappeared."

Three days ago, when Ding Qi saw the jade pendant embedded in the special spot, he had sensed a certain power being activated. However, this was only noticeable to him because he practiced the Innate Technique.

Now, his suspicions were confirmed through his probing.

At the level of his Great Strength Technique, if used six months ago, it would have triggered the mysterious force protecting the rock. But now, it didn't.

The Qingyun Sect's rest was soon over, and Ding Qi left the giant rock.

However, as Ding Qi was about to leave, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and lightly tapped the rock.

Then, he walked deeper into the forest without looking back.

Half an hour later, when the Qingyun Sect members had passed the giant rock and ventured over ten miles into the forest, a crisp 'crack' sounded from the rock.

At the spot where Ding Qi had tapped the rock, a piece of rock the size of a thumb fell off.

Then, fine cracks, like a spider web, spread from that point, quickly covering the entire rock.

Next, a series of sounds, like firecrackers, came from the rock.

These sounds suddenly stopped, and the entire rock quietly shattered.

When Ding Qi was about to leave, he had clearly used a specific method to destroy the rock, and the effect only became apparent after they had left for so long.

It was unclear when Ding Qi had learned this peculiar technique over the past four years, but it was evident that he had grown in more than just the Innate Technique.

However, the Qingyun Sect members were unaware of the strange events that had occurred over ten miles away.

Only Ding Qi glanced in the direction of the rock, estimating: "The rock should be completely shattered by now."

Ding Qi decided to destroy the rock as a precaution.

The rock and the runes were once protected by a powerful force, which had troubled Ding Qi for a long time. Now that the rock had lost its protection, Ding Qi wanted to eliminate any potential future problems.

Ding Qi anticipated that if this exploration of Seven霞 Mountain yielded no results, he could still enter and explore the secret realm freely after destroying the rock and the runes.

While Ding Qi was walking and thinking about these matters, the Qingyun Sect members ahead were in an uproar. Hearing the commotion, Ding Qi frowned and looked in that direction, unsure of what had happened.

"Are these three the disciples who were sent to search Seven霞 Mountain?"

As Ding Qi approached the commotion, Zuo Yang's voice was heard.

"Master, yes, these are the three. When they didn't return, I already knew something was wrong. Now, it's clear that they are indeed...," a hall master replied to Zuo Yang.

As the hall master spoke, Ding Qi arrived at the scene. Upon seeing what had happened, a subtle change appeared on his face.

In front of Ding Qi were three corpses.

These three had been dead for some time, and the stench of decay from their bodies was overwhelming. However, they were wearing the clothes of Qingyun Sect disciples, which caused the commotion among the Qingyun Sect members.

Although the three corpses were already decomposed, their faces were still recognizable. Combined with the hall master's words, it was clear that these three were the Qingyun Sect disciples who had been sent on a mission.

Looking at the three corpses, Zuo Yang shook his head with a grim expression and said, "The ancient map must have been correct about the strange Eight Trigram Formation in this forest. Otherwise, these three disciples, who were sent to scout Seven霞 Mountain, wouldn't have died here. Our decision to retrieve the jade pendant before opening the ruins was indeed the right one. Otherwise, we might have faced the same fate."

Zuo Yang's grim expression was not just because of the death of three disciples. More importantly, the way they died was extremely tragic.

One of the three had died from a sword through the heart, which, while not a pleasant way to die, was better than the other two.

The other two had clearly struggled before dying. Their faces were covered with deep, bone-deep scratches, which they had inflicted on themselves in their struggle.

However, this was not how they died. They had inserted their hands into their own throats and suffocated to death. It was unclear what kind of pain they had endured to choose such a way to end their lives.

The Qingyun Sect members, seeing the three corpses, felt a chill run down their spines. Even though they were experienced in life and death, the terrifying way the three had died left them cold.

The Qingyun Sect members didn't know what the three had encountered to die so tragically, which made them even more uneasy.

Ding Qi, however, knew what the three had encountered. He had experienced the same thing six months ago.

Seeing the tragic state of the three corpses, Ding Qi understood what had happened to them.

They had entered the secret realm and encountered the terrifying ghostly shadows, which had invaded their minds and tormented them. Unable to escape the secret realm, they had gone mad and chosen to commit suicide.

If not for his mental fortitude, which had been strengthened by his heart demon trials, Ding Qi would not have been able to endure the mental invasion and various illusions for eight days and nights, eventually escaping with the help of the Wolf King.

Thinking of the terrifying experience he had endured, Ding Qi looked at the three corpses with sympathy and shook his head.

However, no one noticed that, while all the Qingyun Sect disciples were looking at the three corpses with cold expressions, one person, besides Ding Qi, was looking at them with a strange expression, as if deep in thought. This person was Zhang Tao. However, the strange look on Zhang Tao's face quickly disappeared, as if it had never been there.

After looking at the corpses again, Zuo Yang fell silent for a moment, then glanced subtly at Elder Guan, as if seeking confirmation. Elder Guan nodded in response to Zuo Yang's gaze.

Then, after a brief silence, Zuo Yang raised his head with a grim expression and instructed the people in front, "Alright, continue following the route on the map. Otherwise, we might encounter more dangers in this strange place."

Although the Qingyun Sect members were chilled by the strange deaths of the three corpses, they continued forward at the master's command.

Ding Qi, seeing the silent communication between Zuo Yang and Elder Guan, showed a somewhat amused expression but then followed the Qingyun Sect members forward.

"The hundred-year-old herbs in this secret realm were likely planted intentionally," Ding Qi thought as he surveyed the surrounding forest.

Since entering the secret realm, Ding Qi had not found a single hundred-year-old herb.

However, recalling the route they were following, which was marked on the map in Zuo Yang's possession, Ding Qi understood. He estimated that the large number of hundred-year-old herbs he had found in the secret realm were not naturally occurring but had been planted long ago. The route they were now following did not pass near any planted herbs, which was why they had not found any.

"The Qingyun Sect members have no idea about the true nature of this forest. This secret realm is far more complex than the Eight Trigram Formation that Zuo Yang mentioned."

Although the Qingyun Sect had opened the secret realm, their understanding of it was far less than Ding Qi's.

Thinking of this, Ding Qi felt a bit sorry for the ignorant Qingyun Sect members.

The Qingyun Sect members continued along the route marked on the map, moving smoothly through the forest without any further incidents.

Two hours later, Ding Qi carefully examined an entrance ahead, his face showing a serious expression.

"The array of this secret realm must be hiding this entrance. I wonder what lies below," Ding Qi thought, looking at the dark entrance leading downward.

The entrance in the forest was hidden on a very inconspicuous rock. Without the secret realm map and the special method to open it, no one would even notice it.

The Qingyun Sect members had already entered one by one. Seeing this, Ding Qi did not hesitate and stepped into the entrance.

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