Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 50 The Secret Realm Opens

The hall doors creaked open, and Yun Songzi led Meng Yanwei out slowly. The calming jade pendant around the child's neck shimmered with a warm glow, his aura was clear and transparent, and a glimmer of wisdom appeared in his eyes. His literary talent was beginning to take shape, and his demeanor was already quite refined, showing signs of a cultivator.

Upon seeing this, Meng Xihong's displeasure at being kicked out vanished instantly, and he quickly stepped forward to ask with concern, "Yan Wei, how are you feeling?"

Meng Yanwei raised his little face, his voice clear yet tinged with solemnity: "Father, I feel great. The Righteous Qi Technique that Master taught me complements the Emperor's Banner, which is why I was able to break through to the Mind-Clearing Realm in one fell swoop."

Yun Songzi stroked his beard and smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes: "Xi Hong, now you know that I'm not just a master for nothing, right? Yan Wei is exceptionally talented and has been recognized as the master of the Human Emperor's Banner. His future achievements will surely surpass yours."

Meng Xihong cupped his hands and smiled, "Senior's guidance is excellent, I admire it."

"Oh, you're not calling me 'Old Taoist' anymore? You've changed your tune quickly!" Yun Songzi glanced at him sideways.

Meng Xihong rolled his eyes inwardly. This old Taoist was really disrespectful to his elders. But on the surface, he smiled and said, "Now that Yan Wei has completed the apprenticeship ceremony, I have something to discuss with him. It concerns a secret realm."

Upon hearing the words "secret realm," Yun Songzi's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled Meng Yanwei to sit down on a stone bench in the courtyard: "So that's why you're being so polite all of a sudden. You really do have something to ask of me. Alright, for the sake of my precious disciple, tell me in detail."

Meng Xihong then lowered his voice and recounted the secret cave in the back mountain of the Yin Sha Sect, the entrance to the secret realm, the incantation he had obtained, and the broken array diagram. He concluded by saying, "The entrance to the secret realm requires a specific incantation to open, and the treasure vault hidden deep within also requires a key. I suspect that these two key items are probably in the hands of the Yin Sha Sect Master."

Upon hearing this, Yun Songzi's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "A secret realm discovered by the Yin Sha Sect? That's interesting." He raised his fingers and calculated for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "Coincidentally, today at 5 PM is the auspicious time to break the restriction. We should not delay and should set off immediately."

Meng Xihong appeared surprised, but inwardly he muttered to himself: This old Taoist's divination skills are truly remarkable? My "Daily Divination" is a cheat code, a cheat code at its finest, yet it only reveals good or bad fortune and general matters. How can his casual calculation be so precise, down to the hour?

However, upon further reflection, Yun Songzi likely only calculated the opportune moment to break the ban, which, compared to his own "daily divination" that could predict specific matters, each had its own strengths. If he could steal and learn Yun Songzi's method of calculation and combine it with his own "daily divination," wouldn't he be even more successful in his future endeavors?

Meng Xihong's mind raced, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He asked with concern, "So rushed? Senior, your soul was damaged just now, are you alright?"

Yun Songzi stood up, his expression serious: "The matter of the secret realm will change if we delay. If we wait for the Yin Sha Sect Master to emerge from the secret realm on his own and see his sect destroyed, he will surely become alert and flee. At that time, the world will be vast, and finding him will be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He will then lurk like a venomous snake, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. Evil methods do not follow the rule of not harming one's family. Before he comes out of the secret realm, this is the perfect opportunity to catch him like a turtle in a jar."

“But Master Yun, I’m only at the seventh level of Qi Refining,” Meng Xihong said with a wry smile. “In this situation where I’m trapped like a turtle in a jar, I feel like I’m the turtle myself. Are you retaliating for my careless remarks earlier?”

"Don't worry, with me here, what could possibly happen? Even if something happens to you, would I let anything happen to my precious new disciple?" Yun Songzi patted Meng Yanwei on the shoulder.

"Huh? You're going to bring Yan Wei along too?" Meng Xihong was taken aback.

“Of course. It’s a good opportunity to broaden my disciple’s horizons. After all, cultivators can only truly comprehend the Dao through actual combat,” Yun Songzi said confidently.

Meng Xihong thought to himself, "I think you want to show off your divine power in front of your disciple..." He dared not say this out loud, and could only say, "Then... I will rely entirely on Master Yun's protection for this trip."

With Yun Songzi joining the team, Meng Xihong felt much more confident and immediately made the arrangements.

He left Bai Muyun at home to recuperate, with Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua assisting her, while he, Yun Songzi, and Meng Yanwei went to the old site of the Yin Sha Sect again.

Before leaving, Meng Xihong made a point of bringing the Evil-Slaying Mirror and the black token he obtained from Ji Liang. Yun Songzi took the token, ran his fingertips over its surface, and after a moment of feeling it, nodded and said, "This item has a restrained Yin energy, but it contains a trace of spatial fluctuation. It is indeed closely related to the secret realm and may be of great use at the entrance."

The three traveled swiftly and arrived at the Yin Sha Sect's headquarters again in less than half an hour. The once-powerful Yin Sha Sect was now deathly silent, with only the wind howling through the ruins and a faint smell of blood still lingering in the air.

Yun Songzi stood in the center of the sect's plaza, closed his eyes and concentrated, his spiritual sense spreading out like a tide. After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "What a Yin Sha Sect! They actually used the entire sect's mountain layout as a basis to set up a large-scale illusion, cleverly dispersing and concealing the aura emanating from the secret realm. If I hadn't known the clues beforehand, even I would have almost been deceived."

As he spoke, he led the two straight toward the secluded cave behind the mountain. The entrance to the cave looked unremarkable, and even exuded a sinister aura, but Yun Songzi was in no hurry to go in. Instead, he took out an ancient compass from his sleeve and slowly paced around the cave, muttering incantations as he did so.

"Master, what are you doing?" Meng Yanwei asked curiously.

Yun Songzi smiled and explained, "Finding the dragon's lair and probing the formation to find the entrance. There's more than one layer of illusion around this dark cave. The outermost illusion array has already been broken by the Evil-Breaking Mirror, but the entrance to the core secret realm is hidden by an even more ingenious array. Xi Hong, you just said that this array was brought out from the secret realm by them?"

He suddenly stopped in front of a withered tree three zhang to the left of the cave, pointed his finger like a sword, and gently touched the trunk. To his surprise, the trunk split open with a sound, revealing a piece of jade that emitted a faint starlight.

"It really is the 'Hidden Star Array'." Yun Songzi nodded in satisfaction, his fingertips tracing the jade stones in the cracks of the tree trunk. He glanced at the deep cave and muttered to himself, "It seems this secret realm is extraordinary. Luckily, I brought all the treasures of Haoran Academy with me."

Listening from the side, Meng Xihong felt even more admiration for Yun Songzi and asked, "Senior, can you break this formation?"

Yun Songzi smiled proudly, and suddenly a small apricot-yellow flag flew out from his sleeve. The flag was embroidered with Bagua patterns. It grew in the wind and instantly became about ten feet in size, hovering above the dark cave.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, and the universe borrows its power! Break!" Yun Songzi shouted, and the apricot-yellow flag emitted a soft light, illuminating the entrance to the dark cave.

What happened next left Meng Xihong and Meng Yanwei speechless.

The once unremarkable cave entrance, under the light of the apricot-yellow flag, revealed layers upon layers of array patterns. These patterns intertwined and emanated bursts of spatial fluctuations.

"A spatial array?" A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Songzi's eyes. "It seems this secret realm is even more complex than I imagined."

He quickly formed hand seals, and the Bagua pattern on the apricot-yellow flag began to rotate. Beams of golden light shot out from the flag and landed on the array patterns. Wherever the golden light passed, the patterns melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the warm sun.

In a short while, all the array patterns were broken, and a portal entirely formed of light appeared before the three of them. Complex runes flowed across the portal, and in the very center was a token-shaped groove that fit perfectly with the black token in Meng Xihong's hand.

"Now!" Yun Songzi shouted, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, clearly indicating that breaking this formation had taken a toll.

Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Xihong immediately pressed the black token into the groove.

As soon as the token was inserted, the runes on the door seemed to come alive, flowing along the edges of the token and emitting a pleasant buzzing sound.

The portal slowly opened, revealing a stone staircase leading downwards. An ancient and pure spiritual energy surged out from within, and the three of them felt refreshed after just one breath.

Yun Songzi's eyes were filled with surprise: "Such dense spiritual energy! This secret realm is indeed extraordinary." He took the lead and stepped inside, followed closely by Meng Xihong and Meng Yanwei.

Just as their figures disappeared at the end of the stone steps, the portal behind them slowly closed and vanished back into the dark cave, as if it had never existed.

The portal closed completely, shutting out everything from the outside world.

(End of this chapter)