You're just a single demon beast? I have a whole army of beast tamers!

"That's what I thought too."

Shen Liuli gently patted the child, "Your Shui family patriarch is too cunning."

The longer it drags on, the greater the variables become.

Only when you become a true immortal will you be qualified to challenge him.

Qin Shou did not respond.

He knew perfectly well that if he didn't cross the threshold of becoming a True Immortal, he would forever remain a beast of burden, a mere alchemist kept by the Shui family.

However, that secret realm is fraught with danger, and once you go there, it will take anywhere from a few years to several decades.

The three Daoist partners and the child in the courtyard were all neglected.

"Are you worried about them?" Shen Liuli seemed to see through his thoughts.

"Hmm." Qin Shou did not deny it.

"They are of the Shui family bloodline, and that will never change."

Shen Liuli said, "Even if you're not here, the Shui family won't take action against them without a reason."

"At worst, life will be a little harder, but that's better than death."

Qin Shou understood the comfort in her words; though it was unpleasant to hear, it was the truth.

He sighed: "And you? If the Shui family finds out that I hid you, none of these people in the villa will escape."

"I am not important."

Shen Liuli looked up and said, "With this immortal abode, I feel much more at ease than before."

Qin Shou remained silent.

The two sat facing each other for a moment, then he got up and walked out. As he reached the door, Shen Liuli suddenly called out to him, "Husband."

He turned around.

"After you become a true immortal, do not forget me."

She said this without looking up, only staring at the child.

Qin Shou's heart skipped a beat, and he replied softly, "No."

He stepped out of the immortal abode and returned to the quiet room.

The stars outside the window are cold, and the courtyard is so quiet that only the chirping of insects can be heard.

He sat down cross-legged and went through the map of the secret realm in his mind again, his eyes gradually calming down.

A few days later, when the Shui family relaxed their vigilance in this round of investigation, he left the city under the pretext of going out to purchase supplies.

Once you reach the secret realm, it's a different story of life and death.

Three days later, Qin Shou, under the pretext of purchasing elixirs, greeted Shui Qingli.

Shui Qingli didn't ask any more questions, only telling him to go and come back soon.

Qin Shou nodded in agreement, returned to the villa, exchanged a few words with his three Daoist companions, and then left the Shui family alone.

After leaving the city, he first headed east.

The Immortal Realm is vast, with large areas of barren mountains and wild ridges outside the Five Cang Immortal City.

Qin Shou didn't walk very fast, and along the way he picked a few low-level immortal herbs, just like an ordinary shopping trip.

However, after walking for a while, he would silently change direction by taking advantage of the mountain terrain and the mist, and when he passed a rocky riverbed, he would stick a spirit-concealing talisman inside his clothes.

The talisman was something he had just refined a few days ago. It could suppress fluctuations in cultivation level, and was difficult for anyone below the mid-stage True Immortal level to detect.

"Someone is following us." Shen Liuli's voice rang out softly from within the gourd space.

"I know." Qin Shou's expression remained unchanged, his steps still steady.

"I didn't notice it when we were at the Shui family's house, but now that we're out of the city, this person is following us closely."

"At the early stage of True Immortal, one's aura is predominantly water-based, so one should be from the Water Clan's ancestral hall," Shen Liuli said.

"It's a good opportunity for him to practice his leg strength."

Qin Shou smiled faintly, then suddenly quickened his pace, disappearing into a dense forest like a wisp of green smoke.

The ancient trees in the dense forest reached for the sky, and the fog was extremely thick. The Qin beast's figure flashed repeatedly, and each time it landed, it was extremely light. It also used the law of wood to blend into the surrounding grass and trees. After three breaths, it had become one with the forest.

The gray-robed immortal followed to the edge of the forest. As soon as he probed in with his divine sense, he felt the green mist surging before his eyes. The aura of the Qin beast seemed to be shredded by countless branches and leaves, scattering in all directions.

His expression changed slightly, and he urged his immortal spiritual power to chase after them for another thousand miles, but he couldn't find even a shadow of them.

After a slight hesitation, he finally turned around and headed towards Wucang Immortal City.

Half a day later, inside the Shui family's residence.

"Lost them?"

The patriarch of the Shui family stood before the table and gently placed down a jade ruler in his hand.

"Yes. After leaving the city, this child entered an ancient forest to the east, and then his aura suddenly dissipated, leaving not a trace behind."

The gray-robed elder whispered, "He moves with incredible speed and has a way of concealing his divine sense, as if he knew his subordinates were behind him all along."

"You underestimated him to think he could shake you off."

Instead of being angry, the Shui family patriarch laughed, "It seems that this Qin Gongfeng has been hiding much more than we thought."

You should have your men keep an eye on his partner and children, but don't go too far.

If he has the opportunity to take it, let him take it.

As long as a person still cherishes their spiritual partner and children, they won't go far.

"Yes." The gray-robed elder acknowledged the order and withdrew.

On the other side, the Qin beast was already far away from the Five Cang Immortal City.

With no one following him, he slowed his pace, took out a jade bottle, and took a sip of water.

Inside the immortal abode, Shen Liuli remained silent for a moment before finally speaking:

"How many laws did you manipulate when you shook off that True Immortal?"

Qin Shou carefully put away the jade bottle and casually said:

"Wood, wind, space, and also some illusionary power."

"Your true form has not yet reached the level of a true immortal, yet you have mastered the power of four laws and can even fuse and use several laws together."

Shen Liuli said softly, "Husband, you are even more... enchanting than I initially thought."

If I'm not mistaken, the true disciples of those Golden Immortal forces on the Three Immortal Islands only mastered three to five basic laws at the True Immortal stage.

"You're something else; you haven't even become a true immortal yet, and you can already do it so easily."

"I was forced into it," Qin Shou said without further explanation.

Shen Liuli chuckled softly in the immortal abode and said nothing more.

Qin Shou could tell that she was much more relaxed than before.

The two continued on their journey.

The entrance to the secret realm is more than a billion miles away from Wucang Immortal City. In the Spirit Realm, such a distance would take a person several years to fly.

In the celestial realm, the world is much wider and the spiritual energy is much denser, making the Qin beasts' escape speed several times faster than in the lower realm.

He traveled day and night, resting only twice in between. Three hours later, he was close to the gray-white wasteland that Shen Liuli had described.

The wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see, barren of vegetation, with broken white rocks and dried-up ravines everywhere.

Shen Liuli emerged from the immortal abode and stood beside Qin Shou.

She had regained her usual aloof demeanor, but there was a hint of solemnity between her brows.

"The entrance is right beneath this wasteland."

However, there are already people here.

She raised her hand and pointed to a half-collapsed stone mountain in the distance. "There are seven people from the Myriad Demons Sect. I know the leader of them; his name is Lu Yuanji."

Mid-stage True Immortal, the youngest True Immortal in the Myriad Demons Profound Sect, who has opened three Immortal Apertures and mastered the introductory level of the Law of Power.

The other six included four pseudo-immortals and two who had reached the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage.

Qin Shou looked in the direction she pointed.

Sure enough, there were several temporary stone houses built at the foot of the rocky mountain, with two black-clad cultivators guarding the perimeter.

Further away, there appeared to be a simple array plate, covering the area several miles around the entrance.

"How did they find this place?" Qin Shou asked.

"When the Shen family discovered the secret realm, the news leaked out for a while."

"The Myriad Demons Sect destroyed my Shen family not only because of the Wood Spirit bloodline, but also partly because of this secret realm." Shen Liuli's gaze turned slightly cold.

Qin Shou paused for a moment, then turned to look at her: "A direct assault?"

Shen Liuli nodded: "That's the only way."

But Lu Yuanji is no ordinary person. If I make a move, I can at most hold him off.

you……"

"No need," Qin Shou interrupted her. "You wait here."

Shen Liuli was taken aback, then seemed to remember something, and ultimately said nothing more.

She reached out and gently patted Qin Shou on the shoulder:

"If we can't hold on, we'll retreat. We'll think of another way."