Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

The brief dizziness and spatial tearing sensation brought on by teleportation were fleeting.

Upon regaining his five senses, Lin Jingchu realized he was in mid-air and immediately circulated his magic power to stabilize himself.

Looking out, rolling mountains and vast forests stretched as far as the eye could see, with the faint sounds of beasts roaring and birds singing, a rich, primordial atmosphere washing over you. The abundance of spiritual energy here made even the flow of magical power feel lighter.

But all of this made Lin Jingchu's heart sink slightly. In such a vast and mysterious realm, finding the exit, whose location was unknown, was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, the spiritual energy is so dense that once the Demon Flame Sect enters, they can use the jade token to resonate and track them. Unless they abandon the jade token in their hands, they will truly be chased to the point of having nowhere to go.

With a thought racing through his mind, Lin Jingchu abandoned his original plan to hide and escape as soon as he entered the secret realm. Instead, he hovered in place and waited quietly.

Within a few breaths, spatial fluctuations emanated from within a ten-zhang radius. The man surnamed He, the man surnamed Xu, and the woman surnamed Zhang appeared one after another, with Liu Yu's slender and graceful figure emerging last.

As soon as the four appeared, they each took out their magical artifacts and cautiously scanned their surroundings. Finally, their eyes locked onto the old man and the burly man hanging to the side.

"Ahem." The old man, Lin Jingchu, cleared his throat and stroked his beard, saying, "I originally intended to leave alone. However, having brought you all here, it would be against my principles to abandon you halfway. Therefore, I have waited for you here."

Liu Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and she said frankly, "I'm afraid that's not necessarily true. In the cave earlier, if it weren't for our help in activating the altar, the senior wouldn't have shown up. The fact that he's waiting here now must mean that he still needs our assistance."

She paused slightly, then continued, "Before I came in, I sacrificed a level-one spirit insect that I had personally nurtured for many years, leaving it in the stone chamber to destroy the altar. However, given the material of that altar, even a level-four demon beast would likely find it difficult to damage its foundation. My spirit insect could only delay things for a while at most. Senior, please feel free to speak your mind."

"Good, good, good!" The old man Lin Jingchu laughed loudly, "I enjoy dealing with intelligent people."

He suppressed his smile and said solemnly, "In that case, let us swear an oath of brotherhood, to support and assist each other, advance and retreat together, within this secret realm. What do you say?"

Liu Yu and the others had no objection. Not to mention that once the Demon Flame Gate opened the passage, this secret realm would become their hunting ground. The four of them couldn't stay here like savages forever.

The elder, Lin Jingchu, took the lead and declared loudly: "I am Zhang Haozhi. I swear by my Dao heart that I am willing to join hands with all of you fellow Daoists present here to overcome this secret realm and escape it together."

The gray-clad, burly man who was actually the original body replied in a deep voice: "I am Zhang Tie..."

Seeing this, Liu Yu and the other three no longer hesitated and took turns making vows based on their Daoist beliefs.

The old man, Lin Jingchu, then continued, "This place is called the 'Panlong Secret Realm.' According to the clan's secret records, its exit has no fixed location. However, the monsters that appear on the treacherous rapids of the Panlong River are all aquatic, therefore..."

He pointed to the vast lake in the distance and the three winding rivers that flowed into it, "The exit is most likely in these kinds of waters. The four of you are top disciples of the Spirit Control Sect, skilled in the art of beast control. Finding the exit in the water should be much easier for you than for others."

The man surnamed He listened attentively, but when he heard nothing more, he asked in confusion, "Anything else?"

The old man, Lin Jingchu, replied sincerely, "That's all. My ancestor was merely a servant; how could he possibly know the details of the secret realm?"

This statement didn't sound untrue, but upon hearing it, the four members of the Yuling Sect instantly felt a surge of anger.

The woman surnamed Zhang was literally "furious," her body engulfed in crimson flames, and even her breath emitted two tiny flames.

"What you're saying is utter nonsense! So this so-called 'mutual assistance' is just about us finding a way to survive for you? You even have the nerve to swear an oath! You're truly shameless!"

Liu Yu was also furious, her pretty face frosty, her full chest heaving: "Even if we are skilled at controlling flying insects and beasts, this watery area is vast, how can we find it as soon as possible!"

"Don't rush, don't rush," the old man Lin Jingchu quickly reassured him gently. "Besides opening the secret gate, this jade token can also sense the location of the exit. My nephew here is quite skilled in weapon crafting and can be considered a master. Now we can have him try to make a few replicas of these sensing tokens."

Lin Jingchu, in his true form, revealed a simple and honest smile, scratching his head as he said, "Don't worry, senior brothers and sisters, leave this to me. I can definitely make several sensing talismans in half a day. Everyone, split up and take them to search; we'll find the exit soon."

Before the woman surnamed Zhang could say anything more, a cry that sounded like a dragon or a bird suddenly came from afar. A huge four-winged flying beast rushed toward the group at an astonishing speed.

"A level four demonic beast, a four-winged dragon vulture!" the man surnamed He exclaimed in shock.

"Let's find a safe place to settle down first," the old man Lin Jingchu shouted. He then summoned a jade tablet and plunged into the dense forest below.

Lin Jingchu then patted his storage bag, and a pair of black wheels flew out and landed at his feet, carrying him closely behind.

Liu Yu and the other three dared not be negligent and each activated their flying magical artifacts.

Using the towering ancient trees and complex terrain for cover, the group sped for nearly two hundred miles before the four-winged flying beast finally gave up the pursuit.

Although everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief, they dared not be careless at all and searched low in the mountains and forests for a while longer.

Finally, behind a huge waterfall that looked like a white ribbon hanging from the sky, they found the entrance to a deep cave and immediately filed in to make it their temporary shelter.

The cave is quite spacious, with a misty entrance that leads to an unknown destination.

Upon entering the cave, Lin Jingchu immediately took out the array plate and array flags, quickly setting up a "Azure Mist Array" that covered the area at the cave entrance.

Then, he sat down cross-legged, took out the refining furnace and various materials, and began to get busy.

The four members of the Yu Ling Sect then began to search around the cave.

Suddenly, the woman surnamed Zhang approached the man surnamed He without making a sound, her lips slightly moving, and then the two of them went into the depths of the cave together.

Liu Yu glanced at their retreating figures, then looked away and re-examined the hazy blue shield, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "I didn't expect Junior Brother Zhang to be so proficient in formations."

The old man, Lin Jingchu, stroked his beard and smiled, his voice tinged with pride: "My nephew does indeed have some talent in miscellaneous subjects like weapon crafting and formations. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Fairy Liu."

The man surnamed Xu carefully examined the array's light screen and exclaimed in amazement, "This 'Azure Mist Array' is a rather famous portable array artifact of the Heavenly Star Sect. Its defensive power is quite impressive, and even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would find it difficult to break through. Moreover, these array artifacts must have been personally crafted by Brother Zhang Tie, right? After we leave, I will definitely seek your guidance."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's heart stirred. She knew very well Xu Shixiong's mastery of array formations, and for him to praise him so highly, this honest and taciturn Zhang Tie must truly possess extraordinary abilities.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and with graceful steps, she walked slowly and elegantly toward the burly man in gray.

Lin Jingchu held a jade tablet in his left hand and a bronze tablet in his right, immersing himself in the runes on both tablets to comprehend their meaning. Sensing something, he looked up and saw that Liu Yu had already approached to within about three zhang.

A radiant smile bloomed on Liu Yu's delicate face, like a spring flower in full bloom.

Without pausing, she walked straight to a spot not far from Lin Jingchu, and sat down gracefully on the ground. She maintained a very appropriate distance, showing both intimacy and casualness without being offensive.

"Junior brother, there's no need to be distracted. I'm just bored and quite curious about the art of weapon crafting, so I wanted to observe from the sidelines. Surely you don't think your senior sister is in the way, do you?"

At this moment, Liu Yu's voice was soft and pleasant, completely different from when she had coldly questioned him before.

Lin Jingchu looked at the other person's impeccably dressed white dress and smelled the faint fragrance carried on the wind, and couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly.

Without showing any sincerity, you still want to provoke others? Which cultivator can't withstand such a test?

But on his face, he looked a little embarrassed and said in a simple voice, "Senior sister, please look if you want. My skills are crude, please don't laugh at me." After saying that, he buried his head again and focused on the object in his hands.

Seeing this, Liu Yu decided against taking any further action. After all, escaping this predicament was the priority. She thought to herself, "Once we're out of this secret realm, I must use all my skills. If I can bring this person back to the sect, that would be ideal."

Just then, from deep within the cave came the shouts of a man surnamed He and a woman surnamed Zhang, a mixture of shock and anger!

Lin Jingchu's eyes sharpened, and he instantly put away the token and refining materials in his hand. He stood up abruptly, and two black short swords flew out of his storage bag and hovered at his side.