nycdaug Chapter 58 The Secret Realm Trial of Haoyue Manor 1
Chapter 58 The Secret Realm Trial of Haoyue Manor 1
As the day of the secret realm trial drew ever closer, Xu Xiaoxiao and her fellow disciples felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
The trial site is located in a mysterious valley, surrounded by towering mountains and shrouded in mist, forming a natural barrier that isolates it from the world.
The spiritual energy above the valley fluctuated erratically, with faint shimmering light, exuding a mysterious aura. This was the hidden place of the ancient ruins.
Accompanying them were Xu Xiaoxiao, Yang Qingfeng, Yuan Mengyao, and ten fellow disciples who had weathered many hardships along the way, as well as seven other outstanding disciples carefully selected from Haoyue Manor, making a total of seventeen people. These seventeen were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, each with their own strengths—some excelling in swordsmanship, others in spirit manipulation—and were considered the future pillars of the manor. They embarked on this journey into the secret realm together, shouldering the important responsibility of bringing glory to the manor and searching for treasures.
As they approached the entrance to the valley, they felt a powerful pressure bearing down on them, foreshadowing the many dangers that lay within.
Upon entering the secret realm, the first thing you encounter is the intricate terrain. The path beneath your feet seems to possess sentience, sometimes collapsing into a deep black hole, where a moment's carelessness could plunge you into endless darkness; at other times, sharp stalagmites protrude, where a slight delay could result in injury to your legs and feet.
Xu Xiaoxiao stumbled, but luckily Yuan Mengyao reacted quickly, flicking her whip to wrap around Xu Xiaoxiao's arm and pulling her back to her balance. Yuan Mengyao scolded, "Xiaoxiao, be careful! This place doesn't allow for the slightest carelessness!"
As we walked into a dense forest, the surroundings were eerily quiet. Suddenly, a rustling sound rang in our ears, and a flock of iron-feathered crows took flight from the branches, their iron feathers like knives, sweeping across the sky.
Yang Qingfeng quickly formed hand seals, his body enveloped in golden light, and shouted, "Release spiritual power and form a sword formation for defense!"
Upon hearing this, everyone drew their weapons, their spiritual energy intertwining to form a light barrier to block the iron feathers.
Xu Xiaoxiao brandished her flying sword, the sword shadows flashing as she severed the iron feathers that were close at hand, muttering, "What kind of birds are these? Their wings are so hard!"
As you venture deeper, an eerie purple mist fills the air, making even breathing difficult and hindering the flow of spiritual energy.
Dark shadows were faintly visible moving in the mist. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be a group of Soul-Eating Ghosts, which specialized in absorbing the spiritual power and souls of cultivators.
Their forms were elusive, and they stretched out their withered claws to grab at the top of everyone's heads.
Yuan Mengyao's spirit whip transformed into several, lashing out at the surrounding ghosts as she loudly warned, "Don't let them get close! Protect your mind!"
Xu Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, gathered a vortex of spiritual energy in her palm, and drove away the Soul-Eating Ghost according to the moves in the secret manual. However, cold sweat poured down her forehead, indicating that she was struggling quite a bit.
Having finally broken free of the purple mist zone, they came upon a turbulent river. The water was as black as ink and emitted a pungent odor. The currents in the river were turbulent, and huge waves would occasionally surge up, with the outlines of strange water beasts appearing on the crests of the waves.
One of the junior disciples looked troubled: "There are strange beasts in the river, and this space seems to be suppressed, so we can't use our swords. How are we supposed to get across?"
Yang Qingfeng frowned in thought, and was about to speak when several crocodile-like beasts covered in slime suddenly leaped out from the shore. Their gaping maws snapped at the group, their serrated teeth gleaming coldly, forcing them into an immediate and fierce battle. They had no time to think about crossing the river anymore, and could only focus on dealing with the deadly crisis before them. The perilous trial in this secret realm had only just begun, and who knew how many unknown hardships awaited them in the future.
The crocodile-like beast lunged forward, baring its fangs and claws, bringing a stench and splattering slime.
Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened, she brandished her flying sword and roared, "You've come at the perfect time! Perfect for testing my newly learned sword techniques!"
Having said that, he moved with the agility of a swallow, rushing towards the crocodile-like beasts. His flying sword, imbued with spiritual power, stabbed fiercely at the left eye of the leading crocodile-like beast.
The crocodile-like beast swung its head to dodge, its massive tail sweeping across, creating a whooshing sound.
Seeing this, Mengyao swung her spirit whip, the tip cracking in the air as it wrapped around the crocodile-like beast's tail. Using the force, she flung it to the ground and shouted, "Senior Brother Qingfeng, let's attack from both sides!"
Yang Qingfeng's expression was cold and stern. His hands quickly formed a seal, and golden light shone brightly around him, transforming into a sharp blade of spiritual energy. In a flash, he teleported behind the crocodile-shaped beast, and the blade pierced straight into its back: "Alright, junior brothers and sisters, form a triangle formation, and don't lose your composure!"
The crowd responded in unison and quickly moved into position. Seven junior brothers and sisters who were skilled in spirit control chanted incantations and summoned several spiritual energy shields to protect the flanks of the group.
Two other senior brothers, skilled in swordsmanship, wielded sharp sword techniques and engaged in close combat with Xu Xiaoxiao, keeping the crocodile-shaped beast constantly on its toes.
In an instant, spiritual energy shimmered along the riverbank, and shouts of battle rose and fell.
In the midst of the fierce battle, a crocodile-like beast seized an opening and pounced on a disciple. The disciple was unable to dodge in time and was about to be bitten by its gaping maw.
Xu Xiaoxiao was extremely anxious. She threw her flying sword, which turned into a streak of light and pierced the neck of the crocodile-shaped beast, causing its attack to falter.
As she ran over to help the disciple up, she shouted, "Be careful! Don't let your mind wander!"
The disciple, still shaken, nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Junior Sister Xiaoxiao, I almost fell for your trick."
Seizing the opportunity, Yuan Mengyao unleashed her spiritual whip like a dragon emerging from the sea, wrapping it around the crocodile-like beast's limbs and rendering it immobile. She shouted, "Quick, concentrate your spiritual power and attack its vital points!"
Upon hearing this, everyone gathered their spiritual power in their palms, transforming it into various colored light waves and sharp blades, which they all unleashed upon the crocodile-shaped beast.
In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere, the crocodile-like beast roared repeatedly, and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Before everyone could catch their breath, the other crocodile-like beasts launched an even fiercer attack. One of them was particularly huge, with an eerie black light emanating from its body, clearly indicating that it was stronger.
Yang Qingfeng frowned: "This one's tricky, let's trap it first!"
As he spoke, he summoned a large net of spiritual energy runes and swooped down on the giant beast.
Xu Xiaoxiao slipped on the slime spat out by the crocodile-like beast, fell face-first into the mud, and her flying sword was flung far away.
Yuan Mengyao was both anxious and angry. She swung her spirit whip, retrieved the flying sword, and threw it to her, scolding, "Xiaoxiao, stay calm! This is not the time to be careless."
Xu Xiaoxiao scrambled to her feet, wiping the sticky liquid from her face, and said blushingly, "My mistake, my mistake!"
After saying that, he quickly formed hand seals and, following the secret manual, unleashed a vortex of spiritual energy, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and forcefully pushing it towards the crocodile-shaped beast, helping his senior brothers and sisters to trap it.
With everyone working together and using their unique skills, they fought for a long time before finally killing all the crocodile-like beasts.
The group collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their clothes tattered, their spiritual energy nearly depleted.
Looking at the mess on the ground, Xu Xiaoxiao smiled wryly and said, "This is such a brutal start. Who knows what we'll encounter later? Let's quickly replenish our spiritual energy."
Yuan Mengyao rubbed her legs and joked, "What's there to be afraid of? With our teamwork, we can handle even a few more."
Yang Qingfeng stood up and looked at the rushing river with a serious expression: "Don't let your guard down yet. Crossing the river is a big problem. We need to think of a way quickly."
The group struggled to their feet, gathered together, stared at the dark river water, their brows furrowed, and pondered a good way to cross the river.
“Even my spirit boat can’t cross this river,” Xu Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, also thinking about a way to cross the river.