Chapter 30

After all, the Immortal Alliance now has a regulation: whether cultivators or mortals, both must exist in this realm. Cultivators rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, while mortals depend on cultivators for survival. Thus, cultivators are obliged to protect the mortals under their jurisdiction.

Wang Mingzhe stood beside Bai Lianhua, gazing at her slender figure with admiration. After exhausting himself to hunt down all his fellow disciples and burning his own essence to escape the territory of those two black foxes, he thought fate had finally abandoned him. Yet, in his most desperate moment, that beautiful, pure, and kind silhouette appeared before his eyes. She generously gave him all the healing pills she carried, weeping anxiously as he lay unconscious, tending to him with gentle words and care. She was the kindest and most wonderful woman he had ever met; in his entire life, apart from his early-deceased mother, no one had treated him so well. People assumed that, as the descendant of a Nascent Soul elder, he never lacked cultivation resources, but they never considered that his talent was not remarkable. Decades after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he struggled to advance further. Though his grandmaster never voiced disappointment, Wang Mingzhe could see it clearly in his eyes, and from then on, he was seldom cared for. Everything he gained had to be earned through flattery and pleasing those stronger than himself. Never had anyone shown him kindness without asking for anything in return. She was his sunshine; because of her, his life would henceforth be vibrant and colorful.

So, as soon as his injuries improved, he brought her to find the inheritance within this secret realm. The contents of this place were all recorded in the divine techniques passed down by his master, and only his fairy was worthy of possessing them.

This is why Li Mengze and her companions encountered Wang Mingzhe and Bai Lianhua here.

Of course, Li Mengze paid little attention to these details. The three inheritances in this place, as recorded in the original story, were taken by Bai Lianhua primarily because she and Wang Mingzhe were the first to arrive. The inheritor had no choice but to pass them on, since the realm opens only once a century, and who knows if the inheritor’s consciousness could last any longer. Rather than let the legacies be forgotten, it was better to find successors—so Bai Lianhua and her companion benefited. At the time, Bai Lianhua was accompanied by one of her devoted admirers, the loyal dog who competed with her for the key to the secret realm. However, Li Mengze noticed that no other companions were present now. Had someone been lost along the way?

Li Mengze guessed half right and half wrong. The loyal dog did not perish. However, after assisting Bai Lianhua in the struggle for a thousand-year butterfly flower, though they escaped successfully, he failed to obtain the item and was gravely wounded. When the heroine met a better candidate, Wang Mingzhe, he was persuaded to withdraw from the competition and hide, waiting for the secret realm to open again before leaving.

The heroine’s excuse was skillful; the loyal dog felt not a shred of reluctance. Instead, he was warmed by her concern, willingly handed over all his life-saving talismans, and even gave her several magical artifacts for self-detonation in critical moments, never considering what would happen to himself, who lacked combat prowess. Hence, Li Mengze now saw only Wang Mingzhe and Bai Lianhua.

Time passed agonizingly slow as the cultivators outside the inheritance ground waited for three days. More and more gathered, and besides them, two other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Kunlun Sect arrived.

Though at such a stage, only exceptionally rare items could stir their hearts, as pillars of their sects, they could not ignore the lower-ranked disciples. Their presence was a sign of support for their sect members.

At noon on the third day, Li Mengze sensed fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy, recognizing it as a sign that the inheritance ground was about to open, though the white mist ahead showed no sign of dispersing.

As the spiritual energy surged, one could vaguely see the palace gates slowly opening through the mist. She desperately tried to recall the original novel’s description of this place but found no memory; it seemed the heroine simply entered directly, the transition skipped too quickly, omitting the crucial moment.

Once the palace doors opened, the crowd outside grew restless. Some, impatient, could no longer wait.

Clad in defensive magical artifacts, one shouted, “You cowards, I’m going in! All the treasures inside are mine!” With that, he charged into the white mist.

His action prompted others, fearing their treasures might be snatched, to follow suit.

Li Mengze closed her eyes in exasperation—these fools. If the mist were so simple, why would so many Nascent Soul cultivators merely stand and watch, unable to gauge its depth?

When she opened her eyes again, she just caught sight of the last few cultivators entering, their bodies not yet fully consumed.

Hearing the gasps around her, she felt a chill. She’d suspected the mist wasn’t ordinary, but hadn’t expected it to be so ruthless—within moments, not even their clothes remained.

The white mist had a devouring effect, and magical artifacts could not resist it; both people and artifacts vanished, proving the mist consumed all indiscriminately.

Once these few disappeared, silence fell. A demonic cultivator emerged, his cultivation unfathomable.

He took out a bell-shaped treasure, infused it with spiritual energy, and tossed it into the mist. The artifact, evidently of high grade, lasted three breaths before it gradually dissolved.

Eyes brightened among the crowd—now was the time to test their magical treasures. Those with good items relaxed, those without scratched their heads, wondering if any acquaintances would share their treasures.

The clever ones were already seeking partners.

Having obtained the desired result, the experimental cultivator conferred with another from his sect.

Meanwhile, the Kunlun Sect began gathering their disciples. Li Mengze observed and understood they intended to enter as a unified group. Indeed, though those present were all competent, the mist was formidable; if any disciple perished, it would be a great loss. Li Mengze glanced around—the Kunlun group, aside from herself at late Foundation Establishment, had members no weaker than late Core Formation. Losing any would pain the sect.

Of course, if Li Mengze perished, her uncle would be heartbroken—and so would she. Surviving to this age had not been easy.

Therefore, she quietly added a double layer of protection, activating a defensive magical artifact, then obediently stood beside Ba Yicheng.

Unexpectedly, before entering, she was assigned to stand with Wei Qingtong by another Nascent Soul cultivator.

Li Mengze glanced at her senior brother—good, safety was assured.

Everyone found this arrangement reasonable; after all, as the youngest and lowest in cultivation, she deserved extra attention.

The defensive magical artifacts produced by Kunlun were familiar to Li Mengze, though she’d never thought much of them before. It was said that every team leader issued them for outings, including defensive and flying artifacts, which were surrendered upon return—so they must be quite valuable.

Kunlun was not the first to enter. Two demonic sects prepared and led the charge.

The moment she entered the mist, Li Mengze glanced back toward Bai Lianhua’s location—no one remained there. Inside the mist, she discovered it was not as clear as it appeared from outside; within a single step, one could see shadows, but beyond that, nothing was discernible.

Upon entering, Li Mengze stayed close to Wei Qingtong, and it seemed as if she barely moved before emerging from the mist.

Now, only her fellow sect members were at her side; no others could be seen. This meant that even if they entered together, the mist randomly transported them.

Since they had entered the inheritance ground, it was unwise to travel in groups, so the Kunlun disciples split up.

Li Mengze, Ba Yicheng, and Wen Yuanyuan formed a team. Rather than head straight for the main hall, they chose a small path that cut directly through.

The reason was Li Mengze’s suggestion. Originally, Ba Yicheng wanted to check the main hall first, but Li Mengze said, “With so many people swarming the main hall, even if there are treasures, it’ll be hard to share. Why not take a different route? Most sects have a refining chamber or medicinal field—going now, before the crowd arrives, we might just fish in troubled waters.”

Ba Yicheng and Wen Yuanyuan agreed—her logic was sound. So, the three searched around, and Li Mengze pretended to discover the small path by accident. Wen Yuanyuan and Ba Yicheng assumed no formations had been set, only that the path was concealed among a thicket.

Compared to the main roads, such a small path was easily overlooked and rather peculiar, so they followed Li Mengze.

This route was not without traps; it employed mortal-world techniques of esoteric formations. The mechanism was a small white flower among the thorns—delicate and shy, not to be plucked. If it was picked, the entire trap would activate; it needed to be caressed. When Li Mengze saw this, she thought whoever devised such an odd trap must have been very close with Bai Lianhua; otherwise, no normal person would ever come up with something like this.