Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

After sneaking along for half an hour...

In the distance, two towering, precipitous mountain peaks appeared, their cliffs steep and rugged, with a narrow, deep canyon split between them.

This narrow and deep canyon is one of the only roads leading to the core area of ​​the secret realm, and it is also a good place for ambushes and killings.

So, for the sake of fulfilling the commission, Zhang Li decided to find a place to rest first. Since the last battle, he hadn't stopped for a moment, and his condition was far from good.

He only had about 60% of the mana left in his dantian, and about half of the qi in his spiritual aperture. In other words, he now only had half of his peak combat power.

Entering the canyon rashly in this state is no different from courting death.

Having made up his mind, he found a large, leafy tree in the woods, took some necessary precautions nearby, and then Zhang Li took a blood-replenishing pill, sat cross-legged on the treetop, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

It replenishes blood, but as soon as it enters the mouth, it transforms into streams of pure blood and qi. Immediately afterward, the spiritual apertures in the back of the body become active, frantically absorbing and refining the blood and qi...

Just as Zhang Li was recovering, the entire secret realm witnessed the first climax of slaughter in this trial.

This happened to be the third night since the secret realm opened.

In these three days, the valuable spiritual herbs in the outer area of ​​the secret realm have been almost completely searched out, and the group of cultivators began to head towards the core area.

Meanwhile, those powerful figures who had been lurking in the shadows began to bare their fangs and started attacking the cultivators laden with spiritual herbs. The closer they got to the core area, the more frequent and bloody the killings became.

Of course, encounters between people of the same kind are always inevitable, but as people of the same kind, they are the best at recognizing each other and will often pass by each other tacitly, knowing in their hearts that now is not the time for them to fight.

The number of people participating in the secret realm trial this time, including the disciples of the four sects and the independent cultivators, is exactly five hundred.

Half of them were not very strong. They participated in this trial for various reasons. Some were forced to come, while others were hoping for a lucky break and wanted to take advantage of the situation.

However, these people often share the same idea: to take advantage of the fact that the cultivators are relatively scattered when they first enter the secret realm, to quickly gather spiritual herbs, and then find a place to hide, only to reappear when the secret realm reopens.

But this very mentality is exactly what some cultivators want.

These cultivators entered the secret realm with the intention of hunting and plundering. They only needed to conserve their energy and wait for the weakest group of cultivators to have searched enough before they started picking the fruits.

There's no need to expend energy searching for rare herbs and medicines; you can simply lie low and enjoy the fruits of others' hard work.

These cultivators, who were waiting to be plundered, made up the largest proportion of the remaining half of the cultivators. Their strength was slightly weaker than Huang Yan's, just average Qi Refining Perfection level strength, lacking a trump card to win with one blow.

Only a select few top cultivators would not waste time on the outskirts. Upon entering the secret realm, they would rush towards the core area to seize more spiritual herbs, and then conserve their energy for the final bloodbath.

Zhang Li was one of them, but he was not in a hurry to go to the core area because he had the [Cave Heaven], so he did not have to pick those mature spiritual herbs like other cultivators.

Even though the three main medicinal herbs cannot be cultivated, it doesn't mean they can't be ripened quickly, so Zhang Li has more options.

Under the cover of darkness, such scenes were playing out everywhere in the secret realm.

Many cultivators with low strength toiled for several days, accumulating a small pile of spiritual herbs. Some of them were even lucky enough to find the three main medicinal herbs. Before they could find a safe place to hide, they fell into the ambush of the attackers.

Most people are unwilling to fight to the death and only want to abandon the treasure and escape, but in the eyes of hunters who kill to steal treasure, once they make their move, they will usually leave no survivors.

A few piercing screams rang out, but were quickly swallowed by the night wind, leaving only dark red bloodstains on the soil.

After a round of slaughter, the successful raiders quickly cleaned up the battlefield, collected their spoils, and moved on quietly without lingering, hiding again to wait for the next passing target.

Inside the secret realm, the four sects fought each other incessantly, but outside the secret realm, the five Golden Core cultivators were extremely harmonious, and even made a bet with great interest.

……

Outside the secret territory.

The five Golden Core cultivators sat cross-legged in their respective places. After three days of recuperation, the mana they had previously consumed in opening the secret realm passage had been fully restored.

As the only mid-stage Golden Core cultivator among the five, Nangong Ling consumed the least amount of energy and had fully recovered by half a day.

The other four Golden Core cultivators also opened their eyes one after another during this half-day, and then the five of them remained silent in each other's presence.

This situation continued for several hours before Li Hong broke the silence.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, speaking of previous trips to the secret realms, you and I led the Li family and the Tianxing Sect, right? As for the other three fellow Daoists, this must be their first time leading a team. We still have a long time left, and we can't just sit here doing nothing. How about we have a game?"

Before the others could speak, Wei Xinghe flicked the whisk in his hand and snorted, "Fellow Daoist Li wasn't satisfied with dragging me down with him the last few times, and now you actually want to drag the other three fellow Daoists down with you too?"

"What are you saying, Fellow Daoist Wei? It's only natural to accept the consequences of a bet; it's all voluntary. How could you be accused of trying to drag me down with you?"

Li Hong laughed heartily.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xinghe made a move to retort, but then seemed to remember something, and his imposing manner softened as he said:

"I imagine Fellow Daoist Li found my drop of Crimson Flame Phoenix essence quite convenient to use, which has undoubtedly improved your Fire Control and Spirit Transformation Technique considerably. I had to go to great lengths to exchange it from fellow Daoists in other continents, but in the end, it benefited you."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "What Fellow Daoist Wei said is quite something. Didn't I lose a piece of gold crystal to Fellow Daoist Hu of the Qingxuan Sect last time? The value of that treasure is no less than that of the Crimson Flame Luan Bird's essence blood. I only broke even."

Then he suddenly changed the subject, saying, "However, I have brought something else with me this time, something of even greater value. Fellow Daoist Wei, would you be interested in taking another gamble? The three of you may also participate."

Wei Xinghe raised an eyebrow, his expression showing a hint of wariness: "Oh? What rare item has Fellow Daoist Li brought out this time? Tell us first. If it's too ordinary, there's no need to bring it out to tease us."

Having suffered a huge loss last time, Weixinghe had long wanted to find an opportunity to win it back, but he hadn't found a suitable excuse. Now that he saw Li Hong taking the initiative to start a betting session, he had already entertained the idea.

Song Kunlun and the other two Golden Core cultivators also turned their heads and looked at Li Hong with curiosity.