After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

A white finger pointed to one of the messages.

This is a message about the emergence of the mysterious secret realm of Fengqiu. It states that after the secret realm stabilizes in a month, a grand competition of a hundred sects will be held, inviting young talents from various sects to explore the secret realm.

The location is near Xuanyun City in Xuanzhou.

"..."

hiss!

It was quite a coincidence.

"That spiritual object is deep within the Phoenix Hill Secret Realm; it is a drop of white phoenix essence blood."

"White Phoenix Essence Blood?"

"That's right, it's a mutated phoenix. That's all I can figure out. We'll only know the exact amount once we get to that secret realm."

As Bu Suantian explained, Xiao Yu also recalled some things about the Phoenix Hill Secret Realm.

The protagonist also participated in this secret realm in the story, but was attacked by a mysterious man in black at the last moment. Fortunately, he was saved by a drop of phoenix blood essence and also obtained a great opportunity.

It seems I have no choice but to go and see what's going on.

But... Xuan Yun City!

Xiao Yu's gaze fell on the landscape gazette on the table.

That's the protagonist's hometown; his ex-fiancée, who broke off the engagement, should probably be back by now.

Hopefully you won't run into them.

Chapter Thirty-Nine, Are you waiting for someone to come and rescue you?

Fengqiu Secret Realm.

Secret realms are very common in the cultivation world, and their origins are quite complex.

Some powerful cultivators, after their deaths, did not want their skills and techniques to be lost, so they set up inheritance and many tests to select successors.

These types of secret realms are relatively safer than other secret realms, and there is generally no danger to life.

Unless it's a malicious scheme orchestrated by evil cultivators who believe that if they die, the young talents won't get any benefits, and they deliberately set up a trap to abduct and kill those promising young people.

The others are relatively mild, mostly serving as a training ground for the younger generation, and nothing major is likely to happen.

Another type is the secret realm formed naturally by heaven and earth. These secret realms are rich in resources and spiritual energy. Large secret realms can even give birth to earth spirits. In these secret realms, the main activity is exploration. There are dangers, but the randomness is very high.

Some people didn't encounter any monsters at all, yet they reaped a bountiful harvest and returned home with a full load.

Some players, on the other hand, were immediately thrown into a horde of monsters. Before they could even see what the secret realm looked like, they were ganged up on, triggering their protective measures and being teleported out.

As expected... it still depends on luck. You can't expect to get any opportunities in the secret realm without some luck.

The Phoenix Hill Secret Realm that Bu Suantian pointed out to Xiao Yu belonged to the latter category.

As for the ownership of unclaimed secret realms, according to the rules of various sects of the immortal world, regardless of whether they are righteous or demonic, they belong to the first person to discover them.

It was discovered by a rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. This rogue cultivator might not be very strong, but he had connections all over the world, made many friends, and was very popular.

He was the one who proposed opening the Fengqiu Secret Realm. Instead of keeping it to himself, he openly exposed it to everyone, ensuring fairness and openness. Anyone can enter, as long as they pay a few mid-grade spirit stones as an entrance fee.

It must be said that this move was quite meaningful; it offended no one and cleverly withdrew from the vortex of discovering the Fengqiu Secret Realm.

He then opened a series of paid establishments, such as inns and restaurants, around the secret realm specifically for cultivators.

In addition, this time the Phoenix Hill Secret Realm is a large-scale secret realm, and whether it is a hermit cultivator or a sect or family, they will definitely want to get a share of the pie.

The entrance fee alone, just a few mid-grade spirit stones, adds up to a huge amount, especially considering the series of paid venues set up around it.

Xiao Yu felt that the biggest beneficiary of the end of this secret realm was not the geniuses who returned from exploring it, but him, the discoverer who had shared the secret realm.

Under the vast moonlight.

Xiao Yu flew on his sword, soaring through the air. He searched around but still couldn't find any trace of a town. He had already covered about a third of the distance. At this rate, he should reach the secret realm a month from now.

It was getting late, and before we knew it, the moon was already high in the sky.

He sighed inwardly, having no other choice but to land in front of a dilapidated temple that was rarely visited by people.

Perhaps he should have listened to the driver's advice from the beginning and taken his chariot on the main road.

But... that guy is too greedy. Even if so many people are rushing to the Phoenix Hill Secret Realm from all directions, he can't rip them off like this. He actually charged him two mid-grade spirit stones.

Two mid-grade spirit stones for a broken-down car. The entrance fee to the Phoenix Hill Secret Realm is only six mid-grade spirit stones. Is your car made of gold?

As for Bu Suantian, three days ago, she said at the restaurant that she was going back to her hometown to pack up, and that they would meet at an inn outside the Fengqiu Secret Realm. She said that this period was a safe time, and that Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would definitely not suddenly attack.

Xiao Yu simply said it was up to her, and if anything unexpected happened, she should send him a message before she was killed so he could prepare to run away.

Divination of Heaven: ? ? ?

Coming to his senses, Xiao Yu looked at the ancient temple before him. The plaque was covered in dust, and the few large black characters printed on it had become blurred and illegible due to the passage of time.

I could only vaguely make out something about Lan.

Don't talk to me about Lanruo Temple!

The ancient temple was eerily quiet, with peeling red lacquer on the pillars supporting the roof ridge, exuding an air of decay and antiquity.

Xiao Yu stepped forward and carefully pushed open the temple door, which creaked open.

The old, long-neglected temple gate collapsed and fell to the ground with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the temple. Under the night sky, the pale, waning moon rose above the temple's eaves.

Xiao Yu raised his hands and took a step back. Under the dim moonlight, a blade tip gleaming with cold light slowly emerged from the dilapidated temple.

By the faint moonlight, Xiao Yu could see the scene inside the temple. Two or three men dressed in black were surrounding a beautiful woman whose clothes were disheveled, seemingly about to commit an indecent act. However, Xiao Yu interrupted them before they could even begin.

The woman had snow-white skin and cascading black hair. Her elaborate palace dress was torn, and her fragrant shoulders slipped down, revealing a delicate, snow-white skin. More importantly, her chest was covered in a glimpse of spring that could not be concealed.

Her brows were delicately furrowed, her face bearing a hint of humiliation. Seeing Xiao Yu burst in, she looked at him with hopeful eyes and immediately shouted:

"Young master... save me! These wicked men are trying to assault me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman's voice seemed to trigger a switch, and instantly, something happened.

The men inside the room simultaneously drew their knives, their eyes fixed on Xiao Yu at the doorway with hostile intent. Several gleaming blades pointed straight at Xiao Yu.

Amidst the flashing blades, a moment of silence fell.

Xiao Yu could even hear the cries of owls coming from two or three miles away.

"Haha...that..."

Xiao Yu, with several knives pointed at him, chuckled dryly. His gaze swept over the men in black in the temple, finally settling on the man in front of him who was clearly the leader of the group.

"Big brother, do you need any more underlings? I'll join you, and I promise I won't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

The leader of the men in black: ? ? ?

The woman in the middle, still wiping away tears: ? ? ?

The leader of the men in black was stunned by Xiao Yu's unpredictable response. Regaining his composure, he immediately gave the order:

"This kid's talking nonsense, brothers, chop him up!"

Under the moonlight, blades flashed and figures sped by.

"You just wait, kid. I'm going to call our boss over. She's a top-tier Golden Core cultivator. Be careful, she'll make you kneel down with her first move."

Just a few minutes later, after a one-sided beating, Xiao Yu clapped his hands.

Seeing the group of men, their faces bruised and swollen, running in a panic and not even bothering to pick up their weapons, he sighed.

What constitutes a typical villain's statement?

What are those guys, who aren't even at the Foundation Establishment stage, doing kidnapping innocent women in the middle of the night? Are they waiting to be chased away by a passing knight-errant so he can play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress?

The idea had barely formed in his mind when, in the next moment...

"Son!"

A delicate figure carrying a baby bumped into him and hugged him, her soft breasts pressed against his arm, causing Xiao Yu's body to stiffen.

"Young lady, men and women shouldn't touch each other. Although I know it's easy for a hero to be moved by rescuing a damsel in distress, everything takes time. You've gone too far with your offer. How about we have a few drinks first..."

"Young master, what are you saying?"

Upon hearing this, the woman secretly rolled her eyes at Xiao Yu, wondering what kind of wonderful idea this guy was having.

But on the surface, she still looked helpless. She pulled Xiao Yu into the temple and pointed outside.

"A monster has come out outside!"

Chapter 40, Taking This Side Path

monster?

Xiao Yu, who was pulled into the temple, was completely confused. He looked in the direction the woman behind him was pointing and sure enough, he saw a tall, ferocious bull-headed demon appear in the hazy shadows.

Although the name "Ox-Headed Demon" contains the word "ghost," it is actually a spirit, formed from the resentment of the grave. Its appearance is similar to the ox-headed demon in folk legends, but it has the head of an ox and the body of an ape, with all four limbs being animal claws. It is three or four meters tall and carries a bone club that can touch the form of a ghost.

It feeds on ghosts and often lingers in desolate wilderness and lonely graves, and can also be seen in some deep mountains and forests.

Right now, it was probably attracted by the commotion from the earlier play, and its pair of huge eyes shone brightly, like red lanterns floating in the night.

It poked its head out and slowly approached the temple, its wide, large nose twitching, looking extremely eerie.

As the floating red lanterns drew near, Xiao Yu could clearly feel the woman behind him begin to tremble with fear.

A pair of bulging headlights trembled and rubbed against Xiao Yu's back. The delicate softness made Xiao Yu, who dared not even breathe loudly at the scene in front of him, feel not a sense of terror, but rather a hint of romance.

cough cough...

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, his expression serious... The large red lantern in front of him was much bigger than it looked, and he subtly exuded the aura of a cultivator.

The bull-headed demon is fond of ghosts but has no interest in living people, especially those with cultivation in temples.