CHAPTER 486: CHAPTER 473 ANCIENT SPIRIT SECRET REALM

Zhao Changhe climbed up in a daze and looked up at the sky.

He was unaware of the deep grievances of the other party and only knew that he had clearly slain a figure from the Human List, yet for the first time, there was no golden light in the broadcast from the Chaotic World Book...

As expected, being in a secret realm meant being cut off from the outside world, and any large secret realm with inhabitants must have "supreme" God Demons equivalent to, or even possibly stronger than, those on the Heaven, Earth, and Human List, but the Chaotic World List would never reflect this.

The Chaotic World List is a separate ninth page of the Heavenly Book; it does not cover these places... unless the page from here is also reclaimed?

Could this also be a part of the process of the blind man’s powers recovering?

Zhao Changhe temporarily had no time to ponder so much, as his mind was captivated by the vastness of this place.

What the hell, is this the place we entered through a cave?

This endless plain, the continuous mountain range faintly visible in the distance, a dense forest not far to the right, where the sound of a stream could even be heard. Looking up, one could even see the blue sky and white clouds, no longer the eternal night of the secret realms of before.

What’s more miraculous was that while it was night outside, it was daytime here.

This could probably pass as time traveling... The real question now is, how big is this secret realm? Does anyone live here?

After exchanging uncertain looks among themselves for a while, Zhao Changhe still said, "We should first find a place to settle down. This entrance is hidden from others, but not from Wuding. He could randomly bump into this cave wall and stumble in here, we need to hide first."

There was no need to choose; they certainly dove into the dense forest on the right first.

Zhao Changhe always felt that the blind man had deliberately chosen this landing spot, suspecting that there might be something in the forest... and if Wuding came in, he might not even end up in the same place.

This suspicion was certainly not a blind guess; if the blind man could relocate him from the Main World to this one with precise positioning to choose a "draw card" spot, then picking a location within this same world’s secret realm would be child’s play to her.

Of course, they couldn’t expect the blind man to take the initiative to help change Wuding’s landing spot. The blind man never took the initiative to help dissolve crises, so they could only rely on themselves, but they could hope that the blind man’s choice would be more convenient for her to obtain the Heavenly Book...

The three cautiously entered the dense forest, following the sound of the water, and before long, they found traces of human activity and could vaguely hear the laughter of young men and women near the stream.

"Crack," Han Wubing stepped on a broken branch, making a soft noise, and the laughter suddenly stopped.

Figures surrounded them on all sides, on tree branches, in the underbrush, drawing the bow, arrows aimed and ready.

Despite the tense standoff, the atmosphere changed completely the next moment, with someone questioning in surprise, "... Envoy?"

All the crossbows and swords were put away, and a group of males and females in Alien Clan attire stepped out from behind the trees and bushes, awkwardly joining in with caution, "Do not blame us, Envoy. We thought you were wild beasts..."

Each of them paled as if they were frightened enough to kneel down.

Zhao Changhe’s mind raced, and he suddenly remembered something Sisi had said long ago: When someone from the forbidden land arrives, the whole tribe bows down.

So, after all this, it turned out to be the Ancient Spirit Secret Realm!

They had forcefully entered through an unconventional entrance, unlike the places where Sisi would come and go. Her secret holy land, which she kept hidden and refused to disclose to Zhao Changhe, was now laid bare before him, directly accessed.

Well...

In any case, this secret realm was isolated from the world; they had no enemies here, only wild beasts... perhaps even Exotic Beasts. The greatest foes they might have to count would probably be the battles between clans and tribes over disputes such as a few inches of someone’s fence moved over or someone’s dog gnawing on someone else’s vegetables... Where there are people, there is the Worldly Society.

To anyone who could see outsiders, those dressed differently from themselves, it was different... In their hearts, they were "Envoy from the forbidden land," because no one else had entered throughout the epoch.

If Wuding encountered this situation, it’s hard to know what trouble he would bring, but fortunately, it was Zhao Changhe who stumbled upon it.

Ying Wu said, "Your luck is a bit strange."

At least one aspect of this strange luck was the arrangement of the blind man...

Zhao Changhe stopped Yue Hongling’s surprised outburst and calmly said, "No harm done to those who are unaware. Take me to your village."

The Spirit Clan males and females sighed in relief, and a leading Spirit Clan person bowed with an apologetic smile, "Honored Envoy, please follow me."

Yue Hongling and Han Wubing looked at Zhao Changhe in astonishment, unable to comprehend what was happening—how did he suddenly become some sort of Honored Envoy?

Zhao Changhe carried himself with the air of an Envoy, hands behind his back, proceeding forward: "You, go and send orders to all the villages. If you see White-clothed Swordsmen, they are our traitors whom we are hunting. If you see them, remember not to confront them directly; you are no match for them... Treat them well as guests while fawning over them, and secretly inform us to handle it."

The leader replied eagerly, "Did you all hear that? Go and spread the word to all the villages, especially to inform the Elders at the Holy Mountain!"

Yue Hongling and Han Wubing lowered their heads, not wanting anyone to see their bewildered expressions.

At the same time, they also understood that Zhao Changhe wasn’t trying to trap Wuding but was actually protecting the people of this secret realm...

In a short while, a small village emerged in the dense forest. At first glance, it looked like a hamlet, with tens of households, young and old. Seeing the leader bringing Zhao Changhe and the others into the village, everyone’s faces turned pale with fear.

The three frowned in secret.

What had the so-called Forbidden Land reduced these people to...

Judging from their lifestyle alone, this place still followed a primitive model of hunting and gathering, with most wearing garments made of animal skins and a few in coarse cotton fabrics dyed primarily in blue, very similar in style to those of the Alien Clans outside.

Among them, a very small number had brocade from Shu... clearly the result of Sisi establishing a foothold outside and engaging in trade with the Main World.

A brief observation was enough before they followed the leader into the main tent, where the chief didn’t even dare to sit, but bent over and offered a tight grin, "Honored Envoys, please take your seats. I will have them bring some wine."

"The wine is not necessary, and you don’t need to serve us. Arrange two rooms for us to rest without being disturbed; we’ll have to visit your Holy Mountain later and don’t have the leisure to linger here."

The leader hesitated, seeming to feel that the Envoys were more agreeable this time, and cautiously replied, "Then, Honored Envoys, please rest. I’ll have them roast some meat to present to you."

With utmost care, the leader withdrew, leaving the three alone in the tent.

Han Wubing slumped his shoulders and flopped to one side, clearly on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.

Zhao Changhe squatted in front of him and stuffed a pill into his mouth, "Unless Wuding finds this place, it’s absolutely safe... and, in my judgment, it’s very likely that Wuding won’t appear here. So you’ll stay here and recuperate while Hongling and I check out their Holy Mountain. Don’t worry, it’s an easy act; you just need to play the role of a stern-faced Envoy who doesn’t talk."

Han Wubing cracked a smile, "Am I a burden?"

"Are you an idiot?" Zhao Changhe said flatly, a stern face on him. "I’m going to find a treatment for you!"

A flash of light glinted in Han Wubing’s eyes, "Is there a cure?"

Zhao Changhe didn’t answer but instead placed a hand on his pulse to carefully perceive.

Han Wubing’s expression grew more peculiar. When did you learn medicine? That posture you’re taking...

Zhao Changhe managed to give a precise diagnosis, "This is more than draining your Qi; it’s slightly better than severing meridians, at least your meridians and Dantian are only damaged, not destroyed... there’s a cure. You’re in luck; this place should be the best choice to find a treatment for you."

Han Wubing prompted urgently, "Will you explain in detail?"

"Getting agitated?" Zhao Changhe eyed him sidelong.

Han Wubing said helplessly, "Stop kidding, I’m not like Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling by your side. Get to the point."

Yue Hongling did not look pleased.

You’re the one who should get to the point. At a time like this, you still mention Xia Chichi; it’s a wonder you’ve lived this long.

"This place should be the Ancient Spirit Secret Realm that Sisi mentioned, a tremendous Secret Realm protected by barriers that even the terrible energy of collapsing Snow Mountain couldn’t shatter," Zhao Changhe said. "The Ancient Spirit Clan is profoundly skilled in the flesh-and-blood witchcraft, essentially the ancestor of all the clans out there, while your issue is precisely with your body and flesh. If a treatment can’t be found here, there’s little hope in the outside world. Fortunately, we are here as envoys, a bit of an advantage."

"Why can’t I go with you?"

"I said we have an advantage, not a free ride," Zhao Changhe replied. "We didn’t come here to play the role of envoys and enjoy ourselves... We must get thoroughly involved with the matters of the Ancient Spirit Clan. Your current condition is too dangerous; you should stay here to recover."

He paused, then suddenly smiled, "Maybe you’ll take a fancy to one of the girls taking care of you, and you won’t be ill anymore."

Han Wubing kept a straight face, "I am ill."

"Alright, alright. In my view, you might turn misfortune into a blessing. That Sword Qi was never yours to start with. If you can dismantle and then rebuild, and cultivate anew, you might end up better off. Stop frowning."

Zhao Changhe moved behind him, placing a hand on his back and began using the Rejuvenation Technique, "With your brother here, don’t be afraid. Ah."

Han Wubing couldn’t be bothered to respond to his teasing, silently accepting the treatment.

The relationship between the two required no thanks; whether it was Han Wubing helping Zhao Changhe against Ying Shuang or Zhao Changhe rescuing him, both sides didn’t need to express their gratitude; it was meaningless.

Yue Hongling crossed her arms, feeling that men’s friendships were quite strange. To outside observers, these two seemed like the sort to chat about anything and everything, yet she knew they had hardly met before – especially Han Wubing, a man of few words. It was possible that all the conversations they’ve had added up wouldn’t even surpass the length of a mealtime chat for others.

Yet these two, who could be considered "barely acquainted," were ready to trust each other with their lives.

To Han Wubing’s amazement, he felt a nourishment akin to the earth awakening in spring rejuvenate his body, which had been so depleted it seemed close to death. Moments before, he could hardly stand, but now he was visibly regaining the strength of a normal person.

Zhao Changhe’s voice came from behind him with a sigh, "Indeed, treating a man doesn’t require taking off clothes; Zhang Wuji didn’t lie to me."

Yue Hongling turned her head.

That isn’t what it means to be injured... the real casualties here are the couple themselves.

If they were to recuperate before heading to the so-called Holy Mountain, what were they supposed to do next?

Men don’t need to take their clothes off for treatment, but what about women?

Right, this fellow has already told the leader to "arrange two rooms." He’s planned it all out...