When Wang Yi'an's fingers touched the Stone-Bloomed Flower, his lips were pressed so tightly they formed a straight line.
This was the best opportunity to strike at him. If the accompanying spirit beast intended to attack, it should have done so by now.
However, from the moment he plucked the Stone-Bloomed Flower, placed it in a jade box, stored it in his storage pouch, and smoothly completed the entire operation, the accompanying spirit beast did not appear.
He turned his head in bewilderment, looking at Jin Biao's group. This was the easiest time he had ever collected a spiritual herb.
"Strange, where did the accompanying spirit beast of the Stone-Bloomed Flower go?"
Jin Biao was also very puzzled.
Logically, as long as the Stone-Bloomed Flower had not withered, its accompanying spirit beast would not stray too far from it.
There was only one possibility: the accompanying spirit beast had already died.
But there was no corpse of the accompanying spirit beast nearby. If it had been killed by another cultivator, that person should have also taken the Stone-Bloomed Flower.
Jin Biao frowned, a look of incomprehension on his face.
The sudden opening of the West Water Domain secret realm had alerted cultivators throughout Xuanzhou.
Before they set out, the elders of their sect had repeatedly warned them to be cautious. If they encountered the Soul-Unraveling Bell, they were to leave immediately and not linger in that place.
Jin Biao kept these instructions in mind, making him exceptionally cautious.
Normally, he would have dismissed such a situation with a smile, but here, he had to repeatedly deliberate, fearing any mistake.
Qu Xiaoxiao, however, had no such worries. She cheered, broke free from Hong Sheng's grasp, and ran to Wang Yi'an, begging him to take out the Stone-Bloomed Flower for her to see.
Even Jin Biao often found himself at a loss when dealing with Qu Xiaoxiao. Wang Yi'an, with his gentle disposition, was even more helpless against her. He could only take out the jade box and hand it to Qu Xiaoxiao, seeking peace.
"So this is the Stone-Bloomed Flower!"
Qu Xiaoxiao held the Stone-Bloomed Flower, examining it closely, memorizing its appearance and scent, and reluctantly returned it to Wang Yi'an.
Although they couldn't understand why the accompanying spirit beast hadn't appeared, they had at least gained something. After a brief rest, the cultivators from the Xuanqing Sect set off again.
They thought the previous incident was just a coincidence.
Little did they know that they would encounter several similar situations afterward.
Whether it was precious ores or rare spiritual herbs growing on sheer cliffs, there were no spirit beasts guarding them.
From initial confusion, the six disciples of the Xuanqing Sect became increasingly vigilant.
This situation was too suspicious.
"Senior Brother Long, this secret realm is truly too strange."
Chen Tao rubbed his arms, a flicker of fear unconsciously flashing in his eyes.
There were indeed spirit beasts in this secret realm, and quite a few of them, but these beasts seemed completely uninterested in the spiritual flowers and herbs, ignoring them as if they were not there.
This made him doubt if the spiritual herbs they were collecting were somehow problematic.
But no matter how they looked at it, these spiritual herbs showed no abnormalities, which was unsettling.
Recalling the rumors about the West Water Domain secret realm, Chen Tao became even more fearful.
"It is indeed a bit strange. We'll ask other cultivators we meet later to see if they have encountered similar situations," Long Haotian said solemnly.
Jin Biao and the others had no objections, so they continued deeper into the secret realm.
Three days later, they finally encountered the first group of cultivators in the secret realm.
"Greetings, seniors."
The cultivators they encountered, seven in total, had a highest cultivation of Nascent Soul stage and a lowest of Golden Core stage.
Upon seeing the six disciples from Xuanqing Sect, they knew they were seniors they could not afford to offend and immediately bowed and greeted them, secretly lamenting their misfortune.
This was only the outer perimeter of the West Water Domain secret realm. The powerful seniors had already entered the depths of the realm. How could they have encountered these people here?
It was over. Their treasures collected over the past few days would likely have to be handed over.
Their mouths felt bitter, but they dared not show any unusual expression.
"We are not interested in your belongings. You only need to tell us when you entered the secret realm and what you encountered after entering. You can leave once you've explained clearly."
Jin Biao was the one asking.
He had the highest cultivation among the six disciples of Xuanqing Sect and the most imposing presence, making him the most suitable person to question.
Hearing Jin Biao's words, the seven felt a surge of joy of having narrowly escaped disaster.
The difference in cultivation between them and Jin Biao was like that between a glowworm and the bright moon. The senior would not deceive them.
One of the seven stepped forward and recounted everything they had encountered. Although there were some minor omissions, all of it was the truth.
After obtaining the information he wanted, Jin Biao waved his hand, signaling them to leave. Once the seven figures disappeared from sight, he said, "Their experiences are similar to ours. They all found unattended treasures, and judging by their panicked departure, they clearly had quite a quantity."
"This is not a coincidence, but an inevitability," Hong Sheng said, looking at Qu Xiaoxiao. "When things are unusually abnormal, there must be a reason. We cannot be careless."
The abundance of treasures in this secret realm made them even more uneasy.
"Senior Sister Hong, I will be good," Qu Xiaoxiao nodded obediently.
She wasn't unreasonable or willful.
It was just that this was her first time going out with her senior brothers and sisters, and she was too excited. Moreover, knowing there was no danger, she had acted a bit too boldly.
Now that she knew the situation was unusual, if she continued to be unruly, it would truly be a disgrace to her father and the sect.
Seeing Qu Xiaoxiao so well-behaved, Hong Sheng's gaze softened. "Don't worry, Senior Sister Hong will protect you too."
"Mm-hmm!"
The most unstable element in the group had been resolved.
Jin Biao's mood also lightened a bit.
He had already decided that if anything seemed wrong, he would immediately lead his junior brothers and sisters to retreat, ensuring they all returned safely.
He then changed his previous mode of advance, closing up the formation. He scouted ahead, with Long Haotian and Wang Yi'an at the rear, moving forward in a wedge formation.
...
"The West Water Domain secret realm has indeed opened."
Xu Yi stood on the seemingly boundless river, looking at the eye-catching water gate ahead, a faint glow flashing in her eyes.
She had actually anticipated it. The Monkey King would not give them an impossible task. But the West Water Domain secret realm had only opened once before, and then inexplicably closed. How did the Monkey King predict its next opening time?
Could this secret realm be related to the demon race?
However, it was good that they had made it in time and hadn't missed the opportunity to enter the secret realm, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to fulfill the Monkey King's request.
"The energy here is mixed. It seems quite a few cultivators have already entered,"
Ji Buwang sensed the杂乱 spiritual energy around them and said calmly.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Since they had already reached the West Water Domain secret realm, they couldn't let others get there first. They had to take the Soul-Unraveling Bell.
As Xu Yi finished speaking, she transformed into a rainbow and headed straight for the water gate.
Ji Buwang smiled faintly as he watched her retreating figure, mobilized his spiritual power, and stepped forward to follow.
The two stirred up two small splashes of water and, one after another, disappeared into the water gate.