My dreams can simulate the future.

Chapter 95 Secret Realm

Jiang Chen really wanted to join the Guardian Hall, but going there now would not only offend the Talisman Hall, but also be considered ungrateful.

"Although I'm not exactly a good person and I don't want to do good deeds, I simply can't bring myself to be ungrateful."

Nothing in life is perfect, but one should strive to have a clear conscience.

"If I were to leave the Talisman Hall and join the Guardian Hall directly, I would truly feel ashamed."

He bowed to Master Tiejian and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. However, if it weren't for Senior Brother Zhao's recommendation, I'm afraid I would have been killed by my enemies in Black Stone Mountain Market."

"Having yet to repay such a great kindness, this disciple dares not commit any act of ingratitude."

Upon hearing this, Master Tiejian nodded slightly, his face full of approval.

However, he did not try to poach any more employees.

Instead, he looked at Master Yuanfu beside him: "Senior Brother Yuanfu, the direct descendants haven't arrived yet. Are we just going to wait here like this?"

"If you ask me, why waste words with them? Let our people go in first."

"Given the cowardly nature of the core faction, even if they came, they would only be a hindrance to us."

Upon hearing this, Master Yuanfu shook his head repeatedly: "Absolutely not, this is the only way for us to control the Foundation Establishment Pill path."

If the loyalists find fault with us, they will definitely use it as an excuse to reduce our share.

Hearing this from the side, Jiang Chen thought to himself, "This Yuanfu Zhenren is really weak. The outsiders have gained their current influence not by following the rules."

The rule of the inner circle is to treat everyone else like dogs, yet not even give them a bone.

"If their rules were strictly followed, the core members would all starve to death."

"Judging from Yuanfu Zhenren's character, the outsiders' faction can only stand on equal footing with the direct line because of Tiejian Zhenren's support."

Master Tiejian frowned, wanting to refute him, but ultimately remained silent.

"In that case, let's just keep waiting."

However, he was still somewhat unhappy.

"We had agreed in private that when facing the loyalists, our Guard Hall would play the bad cop and the Talisman Hall would play the good cop."

But Master Yuanfu's words and actions seemed more like a surrender to the loyalist faction than simply playing the good cop.

The group waited on the low hill for a full hour before a golden beam of light finally appeared in the northern sky.

Before long, the light landed, transforming into a young man wearing a golden robe.

Master Tiejian immediately asked, "Junior Brother Jinguang, what do you mean by 'direct lineage'?"

"When we initially proposed that we, as outsiders, should send people to explore the ancient ruins, you were absolutely unwilling."

"We also agree to involve your close associates."

We agreed on a time, but you didn't come. We waited here for an hour, and only you came.

"Could it be that you're trying to back out? Or are you planning something while I'm away?"

As he spoke, Iron Sword Master released a terrifying killing intent.

The mere wisp of killing intent that emanated from him was enough to make Jiang Chen and the others tremble.

As the primary target of the killing intent, Jin Guang Zhenren was now covered in cold sweat.

The person before them was a sword cultivator whom even the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Golden Cauldron Sect was quite wary of.

He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, a faint smile appearing on his pale face, his voice still trembling slightly.

"Senior Brother Iron Sword, we're doing this to be absolutely sure! Our younger generation hasn't engaged in life-or-death battles for many years, and exploring ancient ruins is extremely dangerous."

The ancestor instructed them to prepare as many things as possible to deal with the risks in the ancient ruins.

Iron Sword Master said with disdain, "What a bunch of cowardly wimps. If you're really worried about those little brats, you might as well let the Nascent Soul Ancestor come in person."

The array formations within these ruins are harmful to Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, but they shouldn't be able to harm Nascent Soul cultivators, right?

The Master Jin Guang was even more embarrassed, as it wasn't like the direct lineage of Nascent Soul elders hadn't ventured into the ruins to investigate.

But he retreated immediately after encountering danger.

There's no other way. The Nascent Soul Ancestor doesn't dare to take any risks now. If something were to happen to him, those useless people from the direct lineage wouldn't be able to control True Immortal Iron Sword at all.

Fearing that the two would start arguing, Master Yuanfu quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Junior Brother Jin Guang, what exactly is your plan over there? Although the poisonous fog here isn't too dangerous, staying here indefinitely isn't a good idea."

Seeing that Master Yuanfu had come out to smooth things over, Master Jinguang also breathed a long sigh of relief.

"The sect leader means that you can go in first and wait for our juniors to arrive before you go in directly."

Avoiding face-to-face meetings can prevent many conflicts.

Iron Sword Master's face was full of disdain: "You direct descendants are really like prostitutes pretending to be virtuous."

They clearly want us outsiders to pave the way so you can reap the benefits later, yet you act like you're so sensible.

Then, he looked at the disciples of the Guard Hall: "Listen up, disciples from outside the sect, whatever you gain after you go in, keep it safe."

"If you can't have it, destroy it. If any of the direct descendants try to steal the treasure, kill them without hesitation; I'll take responsibility."

Having said that, he didn't look at Jin Guang Zhenren again.

The iron sword behind him was drawn and slashed at the low hill in front of him.

Click~~

A sound of shattering glass rang out, and a portal appeared beside a pile of rocks halfway up the mountain.

A wisp of mist billowed out from the portal, and Jiang Chen couldn't help but take a deep breath, instantly feeling that the flow of magical power within his body had accelerated considerably.

This mist is not poisonous gas, but rather an extremely rich concentration of spiritual energy, carrying a faint fragrance of herbs and trees.

As an alchemist with more than two years of experience, Jiang Chen was able to distinguish several kinds of spiritual herbs from the medicinal fragrance.

Just as everyone was engrossed in the conversation, Master Tiejian's voice rang out again.

"Alright, the spiritual energy inside is much purer than here. Let's go in and absorb as much as we can."

Upon hearing this, several slightly aged disciples of the Guard Hall were the first to enter through the gate.

Once someone takes the lead, others follow suit.

Previously, through Guo Lang's account, Jiang Chen had gained some understanding of the area surrounding the ruins.

Without hesitation, he walked straight through the door.

Beyond that gate lay a desolate wasteland, with tall trees above and dense undergrowth below.

Hidden among the grass and trees are many broken stones and rubble.

Jiang Chen used his divine sense to examine himself and indeed found no negative effects.

"Junior Brother Jiang, this is just the entrance to the ancient ruins, roughly equivalent to the gate of an ancient sect. There's nothing of value here."

We need to get to Shennong Garden as soon as possible. If we can take over Shennong Garden before the direct line arrives, our outsider faction will be able to control 90% of the market share.

"The Foundation Establishment Pills for both of us will no longer be a problem."

The speaker was Zhao Changzhou.

Jiang Chen looked around at the surroundings. There was a gray-white sky above and a gentle breeze blowing.

"Senior Brother Zhao, is this the legendary secret realm of the cultivation world?"

Zhao Changzhou nodded: "That's right, this is a secret realm. Each secret realm is a self-contained small world, connected to the outside world by only one portal."

Some advanced array formations can conceal the entrance, isolating the secret realm from the wider world.

"Secret realms are not uncommon; our Golden Cauldron Sect has a few. But a secret realm this large is extremely rare."

The original owner of this secret realm must have been an extraordinary and powerful force.