Toward the Hidden Realm

Chapter 67

Toward the Hidden Realm

Shen Tao was feeling fidgety. 

It wasn't a normal occurrence for him, but he was fidgety nonetheless. He thought he'd have to wait years, at the very least, in order to prove himself in the Holy Blade Sect and earn the right to venture out, and yet, it was happening already--just about a week after he joined. 

In fairness, it was entirely due to an anomaly, an unprecedented event--Obsidian Dragon Realm, one of the most vaunted hidden realms of the Lower Ashlands, had opened up five years before it was scheduled, throwing the wrench into effectively everything. It seemed that every Sect had to scrap and claw--Holy Blade Sect especially, given the recent battle that took place within the valley--in order to gather together enough Disciples to send into the realm.

Even if they weren't quite as prepared, missing an opening was out of the question. Despite the fact that Obsidian Dragon Realm was one of the 'weakest' hidden realms of the Lower Ashlands, that only really spoke of the limit of those who could enter--in this case, only Disciples of Core Formation Stage and below could set foot into it. 

There were precisely five openings to the realm across the Lower Ashlands that opened up simultaneously--one was in the far east, just south of the Heavenly Jade Pavilion and within the Kingdom of Fenghuang; the second was to the far north, near the Thunderclap Hall and their Lake Lightning; the third was at the central border between the Western Reach and Eastern Reach, within the Blazewind Ridge known largely to house the largest number of corpses within the Lower Ashlands due to over two hundred years of constant skirmishes. 

The fourth opening was within the Kingdom of Qionghua, specifically the Dragonhold, deemed 'impenetrable' by everyone. As far as Shen Tao knew, the Kingdom charged an arm and a leg in terms of entry fees, so few ever went there. 

The last entrance was also the one he was currently traveling to--it was north of the Holy Blade Sect and west of the Bloodmoon Sect, within the Shifting Sands Expanse. They'd crossed the border just an hour ago, and as its name implied, it was quite literally just sand expanding everywhere--dunes arose and fell, the smooth surface of the sand seemingly scorching. It was also rather hot, far more so than Shen Tao was accustomed to, forcing him to use Qi to cool himself down.

He wasn't alone in his journey--there were precisely five Disciples and an Elder escorting them. Besides him, there were his 'guardian', Qui Mei, then there were a pair of Disciples that he eyed ever since the Heavenspan Tournament, Song and Lya, and lastly the oldest among them, and the only one at the true Peak of Core Formation Realm, Long Hao. He was already closing in on his mid-thirties, showcasing that his talent was, at best, so-so, but he was still the strongest among them at the moment.

Shen Tao didn't recognize the Elder escorting them--it was a rather old-seeming man whose cultivation looked to be at Early Fusion Realm. It was rather shocking that the Sect could spare any Elders given its current situation, but being escorted by a Fusion Realm cultivator felt somewhat dispiriting. 

Glancing to his left, he saw Qui Mei resting cross-legged. As Elder Xiaoling said, the woman never left his side--they ate together, meditated together, and cultivated together. She was his shadow, and though it was a rather pretty shadow, he was getting a bit annoyed as he almost felt like a child being carefully hovered over. He couldn't complain, however, especially now that he was allowed one of the five entrances into the Obsidian Dragon Realm. 

Even if Shen Tao wanted to believe it was the Sect 'paying forth' his Father's sacrifice, the likelier reason was that they simply didn't have any other good candidates. Ordinarily, someone like Long Hao would have never been allowed on this mission: he was too old, with too mediocre of a talent, and he would have simply wasted a spot that could have gone to someone far younger. However, it seemed that the Holy Blade Sect suffered far more in terms of casualties than they let on. He'd assumed that most of their dead were Disciples at Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, but it seemed that even their Core Formation Disciples were hit.

One in particular was missing--that stupid-seeming brute that Shen Tao was never able to defeat. Granted, the man was a few years older than him and at Peak Core Formation, but he seldom knew how to utilize anything of what he was taught. For the most part, he just ran at people and punched out. He didn't think too much of never seeing him in the Sect itself, but now that he was missing from this expedition... it seemed that he, too, had fallen.

As such, Shen Tao got the slot. Thus, he found himself afoot a flying boat, heading over the dunes of the Shifting Sands. The boat itself was on the smaller end of the flying transports, the sort that would ordinarily be used for short-distance travels. But Shen Tao understood, ultimately--whatever little resources Holy Blade Sect had, it had to use them all as means of reconstruction. Chaperoning kids on a smaller boat, even if their prestige would take a bit of a hit, would still do just fine enough of a job as any other boat.

"Ordinarily," the Elder standing at the far front and operating the boat suddenly broke the silence, his voice quietly aged yet permeated with strange conviction. "You each would have been assigned a personal Elder for thirty days before being sent off to the Realm. You would have been taught every bit of knowledge that we have in great detail, ensuring the greatest chance of success. However, we have no time for that. As Long Hao had already visited the realm before, he's been selected to be your guide," Ah! Shen Tao exclaimed inwardly, glancing toward his Senior Brother. The latter was extremely average looking, and would have been difficult to pick out from the masses. "While we do not believe in absolute Seniority, please do try your best to listen to your Senior Brother."

"Yes, Elder!"

"A few things to keep in mind: we have decent relationship with most of the Sects, so it is unlikely that someone will go after your lives, but you will still be competing for resources. Do note, however, that every time the realm opens, quite a few unscrupulous actors manage to sneak in. Thus, every time you meet another cultivator, you must state your identity clearly, and they need to do so as well. If they refuse, consider them hostile and as a threat to your life and act accordingly."

Though Shen Tao had vague knowledge of the Obsidian Dragon Realm, it mostly came from when he was very young and listened to his Father explaining the realm itself to those who would venture. Most of it, however, had to do with what opportunities to chase and where, rather than warning what to avoid. 

"You've each been given one life-saving treasure," the Elder continued. "Unfortunately, we were unable to provide any more as previous times. Because of this, we strongly encourage you five to stick together. Per our estimates, even if other Sects are just as unprepared as us, they are likely to send only Disciples at the Peak Core Formation. Even if you can contend against them, it is never a smart idea to provoke people unnecessarily. Quietly move as a group, explore the ruins at the outer edges of the realm, and never, never, venture past the Winged Ring."

"What's the Winged Ring, Elder?" Song asked.

"According to the myth, Obsidian Dragon Realm was constructed from the flesh, bones, and essence of an actual Dragon. The reason people believe this is that, throughout the realm, you will find scattered parts of what looks like a massive beast--tailbone, skull, wings. Particularly, the wings appear at the edge of the outer portion, and look like mountains. So, if you ever look to cross those mountains... don't."

"Why? What's in the inner portions of the realm?"

"Demonic Beasts of Spirit Creation Realm and above." the Elder's words quieted all the questions and forced everyone to accept the simple reality. Even Shen Tao wasn't arrogant enough to believe he stood an iota of a chance against a Spirit Creation Realm beast. He seldom stood a chance against a Peak Core Formation one, to begin with. "Every time it opens, most Disciples end up rushing to the so-called Golden Ruins, searching for artifacts and cultivation methods. If you want, you can do so as well--but the artifacts are few, and Disciples plenty. I recommend you focus on looking for medicinal herbs and fruits. Even if only eight years had passed, most of them should have been refreshed as the soil inside the hidden realm is quite potent. However, this is your opportunity," he added, turning around and flashing them a faint smile of yellow teeth. "Do with it what you will."

Shen Tao was conflicted--on one hand, he recognized it was probably best he stayed with the others for the full duration of the hidden realm, integrating himself into their good graces and perhaps even learning the secret about the forest. On the other hand, Obsidian Dragon Realm was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if he passed on all the possible treasures awaiting inside just so he could play buddy-buddy with the people he didn't even like, he felt he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

He was confident in being able to survive on his own, especially given that he had more than a dozen life-saving treasures in the spatial ring that his Father gave him. Even going beyond the Winged Ring wasn't impossible if he was willing to use a few of them, but as he had no clue whether there were any good opportunities, he had no plans for now. 

"Master said," Mei suddenly spoke to him through telepathy, startling him momentarily. "That you can do whatever you want in the realm, but you cannot use your identity as our Disciple. If you commit any crimes, you will be banished from the Sect permanently. So long as you return to us before the realm closes, we won't ask you what you found, or to share it with us." just as Shen Tao was about to smile, another set of words trickled into his mind. "However, you will never be treated as anything other than an ordinary Inner Disciple from now on."

"... isn't that just telling me to shut up and follow you?!"

"Yes." he sat stunned for a moment, not having expected her to be so blunt. 

"Fine," he relented in the end, deciding to go back to his original plan--forgo the possible rewards in lieu of becoming 'friendlier' with the others. 

He sighed, glancing stealthily at her--her frost never thawed. From dawn 'till dusk, her face remained expressionless, and her eyes stayed cold. Save for the first day when he managed to fluster her for a passing second, she hardly reacted to him. They spent an inordinate amount of time together as a man and a woman, and yet it was as though he was wind, not even a person. For someone who always considered himself rather good-looking, it hurt his pride a little bit to have someone (someone he even considered a possible marriage partner) look through him like he was a ghost.

In the end, he looked away and back toward the sandy dunes. His heart, ever burdened, sped up slightly, so slightly, in fact, that even he hadn't noticed.