Chapter 207: 100% Safety Index
Chen Huaiâan watched as Li Qingran stepped into the minor secret realm.
It was a strange feeling.
Kind of like a father sending his daughter off to school.
As her master, he felt that she needed to grow on her ownâto experience the world without always being under his protection.
Yet, at the same time, he worried.
Although she wouldnât be entirely without protection (after all, Sword Pavilion was her safety net, and he had armed that net to the teeth), there was still a possibility that she might encounter a situation she couldnât handle.
It was a contradiction that gnawed at him.
"Old Ancestor, what are you planning next? Why donât you explore the major secret realm for a bit?"
Su Qinian sidled up to him with a grin.
Chen Huaiâan immediately saw through his intentions.
This guy just wanted him to carry the team.
He knew that Chen Huaiâanâs strength was ridiculous, and if he entered the major secret realm, Sword Pavilion would essentially have an invincible protector.
But Zhongzhou Secret Realm wasnât a playground.
The minor secret realm would close before the major one did.
And the third prophecy from the gameâs main questline was very clearâwhen the secret realm closes, instability is likely to occur.
That meant even if Qingran survived and exited safely, she might still face danger.
So he couldnât go in.
He needed to stay outside and prepare for anything.
"Iâll pass. Iâve been to the Zhongzhou Secret Realm countless times before. Thereâs nothing in there that interests me anymore. You guys go ahead."
Su Qinian looked a little disappointed.
If the Old Ancestor had gone with them, as long as they didnât run into the three Holy Land geezers, Sword Pavilion could basically dominate the entire major secret realm.
"Then⊠Old Ancestor, where do you think all the best treasures will be?" He settled for second-bestâfishing for intel.
Chen Huaiâan paused, his eye twitching.
Damn it.
Lately, heâd been getting really annoyed with people who kept asking endless questions.
"That was over a hundred years agoâwhatâs the point of me telling you? Do you really think those treasures would just sit in the same spot for a century, waiting for you to come grab them?"
He rolled his eyes, then closed them completely, entering meditation modeâhis entire posture screaming âdonât bother meâ.
Su Qinian let out an awkward chuckle.
Yeah⊠he had to admit, that question was kinda dumb.
"Alright, then. Old Ancestor, weâll be heading in first."
Exchanging a glance with the other elders, Su Qinian and his group took off on their flying swords, heading for the major secret realm.
Once they were gone, Chen Huaiâan finally exhaled, shifting into a comfortable position on his dragon throne.
"Finally⊠peace and quiet."
Most of the major sects had already sent their elites into the secret realms.
The only ones left were a few elders or sect leaders guarding the young disciples too weak to qualify.
Sword Pavilion was an exceptionâaside from him, their entire sect had gone in.
With both the minor and major bronze gates now fully open, countless rogue cultivators soared into the sky, rushing toward the entrances like a swarm of locusts.
"People say the cultivation world isnât crowded, but look at this. Thereâs plenty of folks here. The struggle against heaven is truly endless fun."
Chen Huaiâan sighed, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.
He sat up, staring intently down below.
Among the mass of airborne cultivators, a trace of demonic energy suddenly flared.
A blood-red figure burst through the crowd, moving at blazing speed, and slipped into the minor secret realm.
Even from a thousand meters away, Chen Huaiâan could feel the chilling sharpness of their blade aura.
A demonic cultivatorâbut also a blade cultivator.
Their cultivation base was only at Early Golden Core Stage, not particularly impressive.
But their understanding of blade intent?
Easily on par with those so-called Holy Land prodigies.
"Golden Core Stage, huhâŠ"
Chen Huaiâan muttered.
"With Sword Pavilionâs disciples around, that demonic cultivator wonât pose much of a threat to Qingran⊠butâŠ"
His gaze shifted toward the three Holy Lands' floating platforms.
Unlike sects, Holy Lands had deep, unfathomable foundations.
Even with many of their disciples inside the secret realm, they still had plenty of powerful cultivators remaining.
Just by sensing their presence, he could tell that each Holy Land had at least a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators and at least one or two at the Fusion Realm.
And yetâŠ
They let an Early Golden Core demonic cultivator just waltz into the minor secret realm?
How ridiculous.
Was it because they thought he was too weak to matter, so they ignored him?
Or were they deliberately turning a blind eye?
Chen Huaiâan shook his head.
Maybe he was overthinking things.
With the secret realm fully open, the Holy Land cultivators were probably just chatting or cultivating, not bothering to monitor who went in.
Only he, playing the overprotective father, was overthinking it all.
What he didnât know was thisâ
The moment he decided not to enter the major secret realmâŠ
Li Qingranâs main quest survival rate jumped from 99.999% to 100%.
Inside the Zhongzhou Secret Realm.
It was like a shattered glass world, suspended upside-down in the sky.
Ruined floating islands. Veins of black iron rock.
A vast Mirror Lake, shattered into three thousand fragmented reflections, each showing a different season.
There were snow-covered isles, dense forests, endless deserts, and even molten chasms spewing lava.
Weathered ancient stone tablets, their surfaces pitted by time, leaked faint mists of primordial script.
A hundred meters away, an ink-black pine forest was disintegrating into golden sand, carried away by the harsh gales.
Gigantic beasts, their forms shadowy and elusive, drifted through spatial fractures like ghostly fish, their tails sweeping fiery trails into the distant Twin Moon Pool.
The moment Sword Pavilion disciples arrived, Yue Qianchi immediately signaled for everyone to regroup.
The Twin Moon Pool was a well-known landmark in the secret realm.
Every year, Sword Pavilion disciples gathered there first.
As soon as the team was assembled, Yue Qianchi, Xu An, Duan Feng, and the other core disciples did a headcount.
Once confirmed that no one was lost, Yue Qianchi pulled Li Qingran to her side.
Stepping onto a stone platform, she drove her Xuanwu Sword into the ground with a heavy boom, then spoke with authority:
"Same rules as alwaysâgroups of five. Follow the resource list for your respective peaks. If you encounter ancient remains, avoid combat unless absolutely necessary.
Finding resources is our second priority.
Our first priorityâis that everyone makes it home alive!"
"Yes, Senior Sister!"
The disciples responded in unison.
Yue Qianchi then turned to Li Qingran, grinning.
"Come on, Junior Sister. Weâre going straight for the Medicine King Valley ruins. I know the general location. The others can handle gathering sect resources."
"Senior Sister, I can go alone. You're stronger, you should staâ"
"Stay where?"
Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around Li Qingranâs shoulder, smirking.
"With your not-even-Golden-Core cultivation? Youâre sticking to me like glue."
"IâŠ"
Li Qingranâs face burned crimson.
The surrounding disciples burst into laughter.
"Go on, Junior Sister," Xu An chuckled. "Or are you saying you donât trust Senior Brother Duanâs skills?"
He patted Duan Fengâs shoulder.
Duan Fengâs face darkened, but he didnât argue. He simply nodded at Li Qingran.
"Xu Anâs right. Youâll be safe with Senior Sister Yue."
Li Qingran swallowed her gratitude, nodded, and followed Yue Qianchi toward the north.
Not far from Twin Moon PoolâŠ
A young girl with a demonic blade crouched in the shadows, peering at the Sword Pavilion disciples with a grim expression.
"Great⊠I made it in, but why the hell did I get transported right next to Sword Pavilion?"
Her demonic blade quivered, cackling eerily.
[So many juicy sword cultivators~ Why not kill them all and temper your blade intent with their blood?]
"Shut up!"
She slammed the blade into the ground and stomped on it.
"Stay quiet. If they find me, Iâm throwing you away first."
The blade shuddered.
And fell silent.
Even a demonic weapon didnât want to end up in the hands of a bunch of sword cultivators.