After finishing their rest and clearing away the traces left by the recent battle, Mu Qingfeng led the group toward the direction where he sensed the spiritual energy was most active and purest. As they ventured deeper, the surrounding environment began to undergo remarkable and peculiar changes.
The towering ancient trees that had once blotted out the sky gradually thinned, replaced by patches of exotic plants in various forms that emitted soft, ethereal glows. There were "Glazed Trees" towering several zhang high with leaves as translucent as blue crystal, "Rainbow Robe Grass" creeping along the ground with flowers that constantly shifted colors, and "Floating Lingzhi" suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating as they absorbed and released swirling spiritual energy. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air had become so dense it had almost materialized into a faint white mist. With every breath, without deliberately circulating their cultivation techniques, wisps of pure spiritual energy would seep into their limbs and bones on their own, nourishing their meridians and dantian. Cultivating here for a single day would likely equal several days of painstaking effort in the outside world.
However, accompanying this fairyland-like scenery was an increasingly intense aura of danger.
"ROAR—!"
A low, resonant roar that made one's eardrums numb echoed from a valley shrouded in seven-colored radiance in the distance. The pressure contained within made the hearts of the four Qi Refining cultivators sink heavily.
"It's a second-tier demon beast, and more than one." Mu Qingfeng gazed gravely toward the valley, his voice deep. Second-tier demon beasts possessed strength comparable to human Foundation Establishment cultivators—definitely not something their Qi Refining squad could confront head-on.
Moreover, throughout their journey, the frequency of demon beast attacks had clearly increased, and their strength was generally formidable. A Twin-Headed Poison Python disguised as a withered vine that suddenly struck had reached peak first-tier strength, and the poisonous mist it sprayed was extremely corrosive—if not for Xiaoqi secretly using the Purification Technique to weaken its toxicity, Liu Yun would have nearly fallen victim. A swarm of "Ghost-Faced Bats" with wings edged sharp as blades and silent flight, though individually weak, numbered vastly and attacked fearlessly like a black tide. Even Shi Jian had to temporarily avoid their edge, relying on Mu Qingfeng's sword net and Liu Yun's area-effect sword techniques to drive them back.
"Everyone, stay alert. The core region is treacherous at every step—we cannot afford the slightest carelessness." Mu Qingfeng warned again. His green steel sword remained half-drawn, his spiritual sense scanning everything around them like the most precise radar.
Liu Yun and Shi Jian also set aside their previous casualness, their expressions solemn, fully on guard. Xiaoqi pushed the sensing ability of his "Basic Purification Technique" to its limit, not only remaining vigilant against demon beasts but also guarding against even more concealed poisonous miasma or abnormal energies that might exist in the environment.
Risks and opportunities coexisted. In this danger-filled core region, the quality of the spiritual resources they discovered far exceeded those in the outer areas.
Beside a stream flowing with milky-white spiritual spring water, they found a patch of "Moonlight Dew"—each drop containing pure Yin energy, a rare material for refining high-grade pills and cultivating certain special techniques.
On a rock face full of holes constantly seeping pale golden liquid, they identified "Stone Marrow Jade Milk"—miraculous for tempering the physical body and strengthening muscles and bones—making Shi Jian's eyes shine with desire.
They even found several "Vermilion Fruits" that had naturally fallen and remained intact beneath a strange fruit tree that was entirely crimson red as if burning with flames! Though the age didn't seem particularly ancient, Vermilion Fruits were sacred items for cleansing the marrow and elevating cultivation—each one was invaluable!
Every discovery was accompanied by a battle, large or small. The demon beasts guarding these spiritual resources were without exception elites among first-tier beasts, and occasionally powerful existences comparable to eighth or ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators would appear. The fighting became increasingly arduous and frequent, the group's spiritual energy consumption rose sharply, and new wounds began accumulating on their bodies.
In this high-intensity training, Xiaoqi's progress could be called divine-speed. He employed the movement techniques from the "Breeze Willow Sword Art" with increasing mastery, weaving through the gaps between demon beast attacks and spells, often avoiding fatal strikes by the narrowest of margins. That frying pan was wielded with ever more variety—sometimes striking from the flank at a demon beast's joints or weak points while Shi Jian held the front, sometimes deflecting unavoidable ranged attacks. Once, facing the charge of a thick-skinned Iron-Backed Rhino, in a moment of inspiration, he tilted the pan to a specific angle and actually deflected most of the violent impact force, drawing an exclamation of surprise from Liu Yun.
The "Basic Purification Technique" proved even more valuable. Not only did it effectively neutralize various negative effects like toxins, paralysis, and corrosion carried by demon beasts, allowing him and his teammates to handle such attacks more calmly, but the pure spiritual energy and keen perception it provided also elevated his grasp of combat rhythm and premonition of approaching danger to another level.
"That valley with the radiance ahead has the most abundant spiritual energy—it's likely the true center of this core region." Mu Qingfeng pointed to the valley shrouded in seven-colored light in the distance, where astonishing beast roars occasionally erupted, his tone grave. "There must be great treasures within, but also inevitably accompanied by extreme danger. With our current strength, rashly entering would likely mean no return."
Everyone gazed at that mysterious and dangerous valley, falling into momentary silence. The temptation was enormous, but reason told them now was not the time.
"Let's continue exploring the periphery first, improving our strength and collecting resources as much as possible. If an opportunity arises, we can then plot for the valley." Mu Qingfeng made the prudent decision.
No one objected. Before true power, greed only invited destruction.
The four-person team moved like dancers on the edge of a blade, cautiously yet firmly operating in the periphery of this core region where spiritual energy swirled and deadly traps lurked. Every battle, every harvest, allowed their strength and experience to grow slowly but solidly. Xiaoqi could feel that his fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivation had completely stabilized and was quietly advancing toward the threshold of the sixth layer.
The core region of the secret realm was like a labyrinth filled with endless treasures and deadly traps, testing their strength, wisdom, and character. And their journey was far from over.