After storing the medicine bottles, Yuan Ming picked up several jade scrolls and began to inspect them one by one.

Contained within these jade scrolls were the inherited cultivation techniques and various secret techniques from the Thousand Snake Island, Kongling Island, Winter Crystal Island, and Golden Lotus Island.

At first, Yuan Ming skimmed through the scrolls casually, but as time went on, his expression gradually became more serious.

A long while later, he set down the last jade scroll and let out a deep sigh.

By now, Yuan Ming had mastered the Nine Elements Technique, the Moonlight Technique, the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill, and many other exquisite techniques. In Shura Palace, he had also acquired a multitude of techniques and secret skills from the Six Desires Venerable, Dugu Feng, and others; he considered his knowledge to be extremely broad.

However, the techniques like the Empty Illusion Reincarnation Skill from Kongling Island, the Heavenly Snake Mysterious Skill, the Hundred-Transformed Snake Shadow Body Technique from the Snake-man Clan, the Extreme Cold Xuanming Technique from Winter Crystal Island, and the Nine Palace Divine Seal Path from Golden Lotus Island all gave him a feeling of revelation, as though he was seeing something new. Merely a cursory glance opened up many new horizons for him.

In particular, the Empty Illusion Reincarnation Skill from Kongling Island, which integrated illusion techniques with cultivation techniques, and to some extent, merged soul cultivation with magic cultivation, gave him numerous insights. The creator of this technique must, like him, have been practicing both soul and magic techniques and reached an extremely high level in both aspects.

Inspired by the Empty Illusion Reincarnation Skill, he might be able to combine the Nine Elements Technique with the Moonlight Technique for his cultivation.

However, this goal was still far too distant for him. At the very least, he had to wait until he achieved a breakthrough in his magic cultivation to the Nascent Soul Stage and soul cultivation to the Sleep Witch Realm before considering it.

Yuan Ming stored the several jade scrolls and sat in meditation with his eyes closed.

Time passed by slowly, and a day went by in the blink of an eye, with Long Chong and the others finishing their cultivation one after another.

"As expected, the deeper we enter the secret realm, the stronger the pull of the abyss. Crossing it will undoubtedly be much harder than the previous two times," Yuan Ming thought to himself before looking towards the mainland on the far right.

The Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear was pointing towards that continent.

"How should we choose among these three continents?" Long Chong looked at the other three and asked.

Qiong Yun took out the Black Wood Compass to sense the surroundings. The shadow of a spoon spun around in the air, but it couldn't stabilize.

"It's probably too far to sense the situation on the far continents," the woman said, shaking her head.

"All three continents look similar; if we can't get a reading, let's head to the one on the right first—it looks the closest," Yuan Ming took the opportunity to suggest.

"That works," none of the three had any objections, and they started discussing how to cross the abyss.

"This abyss has incredible suction, and considering the distance, acting alone is likely to be unsustainable. It's better for the four of us to join forces and use a magic treasure to cross," Wulu was the first to propose.

Yuan Ming had also thought of this method and nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid that won't work," Qiong Yun disagreed, however.

"Why not?" Wulu didn't understand.

Qiong Yun didn't explain; instead, she took out two jade scrolls and handed them to Yuan Ming and Wulu.

Yuan Ming received the jade scroll and used his Divine Sense to investigate its contents which included information about many secret realms, among them details about the abyss.

According to the scroll, the Secret Realm Abyss possessed a certain sentience, as if being controlled by someone behind the scenes, making it impossible to cheat in crossing. If two people tried to cross together, the pulling force would double, and for four people, it would quadruple.

Whether people were stored in a Spiritual Beast Bag or another space treasure, it made no difference.

"This jade scroll was exchanged from Zhong Ling of Yuzhu Island when we gathered to pick the Earth Core Fire Lotus; its content, summarized by Zhong Ling, Baili Zhui, and Hua Ping, is absolutely accurate," added Qiong Yun.

Yuan Ming nodded, looking ahead while pondering.

While crossing with many people had its advantages and disadvantages, the key lay in whether the combined effort could overcome the increased pull.

After weighing their options, they decided to cross in pairs; Long Chong and Qiong Yun formed one group, and Yuan Ming and Wulu formed another.

Qiong Yun conjured a Purple Jade Flying Boat to carry Long Chong, while Yuan Ming operated the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, taking Wulu with him. They transformed into two purple tunneling lights and simultaneously entered the abyss.

A suction force, twice as strong as the one that had pulled away the Flying Knife, emerged once again, dragging both tunneling lights downwards.

Qiong Yun and Long Chong shouted in unison as the Purple Jade Flying Boat surged with purple electrical arcs, resisting the pull of the abyss and moving quickly forward.

The same was true for Yuan Ming, who, with their combined efforts, caused the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear to radiate intense purple light, resisting the pull from below.

Yuan Ming's expression was intense, yet he felt quite at ease on the inside.

With the seals of the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear broken, its power had surged, making it much more capable of resisting the abyss's suction than before. He even had to deliberately suppress the spear's power to prevent Wulu from noticing any flaws.

Yuan Ming and Wulu worked together to operate the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, standing close to each other. Wulu dared not draw upon the mana within his Blood Puppet Armor and, so as not to expose his true level of cultivation, he was constantly pushing his mana to its limits.

"Brother Hong, there's no need for you to exert your mana to such an extent," Yuan Ming gently warned.

"No trouble, I can still manage," Wulu replied.

"Brother Wulu, there's no need to strain yourself in front of me. The Blood Puppet Armor is a dangerous item; you should conserve some mana to prevent it from backfiring on you," Yuan Ming transmitted his voice.

"You..." Wulu's face changed.

The Blood Puppet Armor was one of his greatest trump cards, but he never expected that Yuan Ming had already seen through it, and he was none the wiser.

His back was drenched in cold sweat. Amidst the shock, he almost developed a sense of fear towards Yuan Ming.

"Brother Yuan, who exactly are you? What's your purpose for coming to this secret realm?" Wulu paused for a few breaths before barely regaining his composure, and then he asked through a mental message.

"I am who I am, with no other identity. As for my purpose in coming to this secret realm, naturally, it's for the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit," Yuan Ming responded indifferently through mental communication.

"Is that all?" Wulu pressed.

"I didn't delve into your secrets, Brother Wu Lu, yet now you're probing into mine?" Yuan Ming chuckled and said.

"I dare not pry into Brother Yuan's affairs. It's just that those who enter this secret realm typically have goals beyond just the Immortal Fruit. I'm such a person, and I presume Brother Yuan is as well," Wulu hurriedly stated.

Yuan Ming neither confirmed nor denied, simply waiting for what would come next.

"We have now ventured deep into the secret realm, and the situation will only become more perilous. To put it bluntly, if we encounter life-threatening danger, the current team could disband at any moment. Why don't we speak openly and join forces if our interests don't conflict? What do you say?" Wulu proposed.

Yuan Ming's eyes moved. This was a good opportunity to probe Wulu's purpose.

After obtaining agreement through Divine Sense from Xi Ying, he replied, "That's acceptable. Please proceed to speak of your purpose then, Brother Wu Lu."

"I am here in this secret realm to go to Three Immortals Island to retrieve an item," Wulu said directly, without any hesitation.

Yuan Ming's eyebrows lifted slightly. As it turned out, this secret realm indeed had a connection to Three Immortals Island.

Within the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

Xi Ying had been keeping track of the outside world through the Golden Crow Soul and spoke up, "This secret realm does indeed lead to Three Immortals Island. The entrance to Three Immortals Island is at the depths of the secret realm, and we should not be far now."

Yuan Ming, manipulating the first soul beside the White Jade Lotus Platform, looked up at Xi Ying, "No wonder you insisted on coming to this secret realm. You've been plotting for some time now. Out with it, what are you planning to do this time?"

"There are treasures scattered all across Three Immortals Island, which cannot be compared with the resources found on these floating continents. Moreover, it might even contain a method to reach the Overseas World. I am going there, naturally, to seek treasure," Xi Ying giggled.

"Just opportunistic treasure hunting? You don't have a specific goal?" Yuan Ming was skeptical.

"Not exactly. If possible, I want to get my hands on the Penglai Immortal Book," Xi Ying stated after a slight pause.

"The Penglai Immortal Book! It's on Three Immortals Island? Wasn't it said to have circulated out?" Yuan Ming was quite surprised.

"To my knowledge, that item is still on Three Immortals Island, preserved in the Penglai Hall of Penglai Immortal Island," Xi Ying explained.

"How do you know so clearly?" Yuan Ming couldn't help but ask.

"I've mentioned before that I visited the East Sea with my kin in the past, even venturing to the outer sea. It was in search of the Penglai Immortal Book. Although I didn't find it, I did uncover some clues," Xi Ying explained.

"I see. But what do you want with the book? Don't tell me you believe in the shortcuts to immortality recorded within?" Yuan Ming frowned.

Xi Ying was intelligent and astute, not below him; how could she believe that there were alternative, deviant paths to immortality in the world?

"Let's just give it a try," Xi Ying said slowly, a hint of sadness seemingly flickering in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure.

However, Yuan Ming, with his Divine Sense keenly focused on Xi Ying, caught the fleeting change in her expression.

"Fine, as long as the Penglai Immortal Book is on Three Immortals Island, I will help you obtain it," Yuan Ming said.

"Thank you," Xi Ying spoke softly.

...

After Wulu stated his purpose, he saw that Yuan Ming fell silent and did not speak for a while, which made Wulu somewhat anxious. Unable to resist, he urged, "May I know Brother Yuan's purpose for coming here?"

Yuan Ming then came back to his senses and mentally replied, "Naturally, I am also going to Three Immortals Island to fetch an item for a friend. I just hope that what you and I are seeking is not the same, otherwise not only will we fail to cooperate, but we may also have to fight it out."

"It shouldn't be the case; the item I need is on Lank Immortal Island of the Three Immortals Island. It's quite obscure, so it's unlikely that anyone else would require it," Wulu stated.

"What I need is on Penglai Island; it seems we have no reason to fight," Yuan Ming nodded and said.

Relief flooded Wulu's heart at this news.

He had believed that with Yuan Ming's profound and unfathomable divine skills, even though he had other cards to play, he had no confidence to compete with Yuan Ming; he had even prepared for the worst, ready to give up if their goals clashed.

Although the Abyss was vast and both the Purple Jade Flying Boat and the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear were fast, they quickly covered most of the distance and were soon to reach the opposite shore.

Just at that moment, a turbulence suddenly emerged from the dark depths of the Abyss. A swirl of wind rose up, forming numerous large and small vortexes of airflow.

The Purple Jade Flying Boat and the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear were effortlessly tossed around like leaves in the wind, making it nearly impossible for the four individuals to maintain their stance, let alone avoid being swallowed by the storm.

The four of them hastily tried casting to stabilize themselves, but to no avail; they could only drift with the storm.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed at the far end of the Abyss, appearing to be a giant azure bird, with only half of its head and one wing visible; from afar, it nearly rivaled the size of a continent.

The sight of such a colossal beast was new to all four, leaving them momentarily stunned.

It was then that the azure giant bird's enormous pupil shifted, seemingly glancing at Yuan Ming and his companions from afar before suddenly opening its beak, emitting a piercing screech!

The tangible sonic waves spread out and approached, dispersing the nearby storms with their force.

Yuan Ming and the others had no time to dodge or to react, caught in the onrush of the deafening sound. Like thunder exploding beside their ears, their Sea of Consciousness vibrated with a buzz, the world spinning around them as they seemed to fall into an illusion.

They couldn't muster their Mana; their bodies fell directly toward the depths of the Abyss.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.