Volume One, Chapter 56: Entering the Cave

In this vast blue world, Jiang Chen carefully avoided every creature within the secret realm that might pose a threat to him. He even steered clear of some peculiar-looking trees. According to his preliminary observations, the most terrifying thing so far in this secret realm was that mass of blue sludge capable of devouring humans.

Jiang Chen was uncertain whether there was only a single sludge monster or if this was a species unique to the secret realm, existing solely to consume and replace humans.

“How interesting—someone’s already died before anything’s truly begun. I wonder if the others are faring any better,” he mused. Luck, after all, was a part of strength. Jiang Chen decided to divine his fortune, but as soon as he cast the hexagram, he realized the secret realm was interfering with his fate.

The result was utter chaos, foretelling that he would bear a child.

“This is utterly absurd…”

Unable to rely on his copper coins, Jiang Chen resolved to try again once he was outside, to see if his destiny beyond the realm would also be affected.

The secret realm was immense; Jiang Chen hadn’t even determined its boundaries. Here, he felt truly lost.

“Just move! Go, go! Don’t take anything!” Voices came nearer, and suddenly three people ran toward him—the only woman in their group, Parsley, and two men, Big Lei and Wang Tu.

The trio appeared disheveled, bloodstains smeared across their faces and clothes.

Jiang Chen glanced into the distance and saw a horde of blue treants chasing after them. These treants were quite different from the tree demons Jiang Chen had encountered before; these truly ran using their roots, each stride tearing up great swathes of earth.

“Jiang Wan? What are you staring at? Run! There are so many treants!” Parsley dashed past Jiang Chen and grabbed him, urging him to flee.

For a moment, Jiang Chen didn’t react to the alias he was using, stunned until Parsley pulled him along. Only then did he recall he was currently using his sister’s name, not his own.

“Are you daft? It’s dangerous—run!” she chided.

While running, Jiang Chen deliberately dropped a fire talisman behind them.

As soon as they disappeared around a corner, the talisman burst into a towering wall of flame, stretching high and wide.

The treants, confronted with this insurmountable barrier, immediately retreated; they surged forward and ebbed backward like the tide.

Once they reached safety, Jiang Chen asked, perplexed, “Did you provoke them on purpose?”

Parsley sheepishly pulled a handful of beads from her pocket, each one glowing with spiritual energy in different hues. Spiritual energy was, after all, what cultivators coveted most.

Jiang Chen picked one up, and instantly understood why they’d taken the risk. Each bead contained pure spiritual energy. Though not abundant, it was enough to save much effort; these beads harbored a wealth of refined energy.

Cultivators usually had to absorb and purify spiritual energy from the chaotic outside world, a time-consuming process. The speed of purification directly dictated one’s cultivation progress. If one could successfully convert enough energy, they’d officially step into the ranks of cultivators.

“You do have a good eye. These beads alone make the trip worthwhile,” Jiang Chen remarked.

Such pure spiritual energy beads were priceless; a single one could fetch hundreds of thousands. The beads they’d collected had already paid for the journey many times over.

“Take a few, pick whichever you like,” Parsley offered generously, displaying the beads in her palm.

Jiang Chen smiled, gently closing her hand. “No need. I don’t require them.”

“Ugh, stop pretending. If you’re embarrassed, just say so. Most people never even see these things, you know? If you go back empty-handed, you’ve wasted three million for nothing,” Wang Tu shook his pouch, the beads inside rattling noisily.

Jiang Chen wondered if the boy was out of his mind. It was one thing to obtain a treasure, but to flaunt it? If Jiang Chen had come for the treasure, not for his senior sister, Wang Tu would be lucky to escape with even his underwear.

“By the way, on my way back, I spotted a cave. It looked like there were many things inside—want to check it out?” Parsley interjected, hoping to defuse an argument between the two.

A cave?

Jiang Chen recalled that the background in his senior sister’s spirit jade seemed to depict a cave.

“I agree, there’ll be even more treasures inside,” Wang Tu exclaimed eagerly.

Jiang Chen realized this boy was a true gold-seeker, caring little for danger as long as there was profit to be made.

“Big Lei, are you coming?” Wang Tu asked.

Big Lei stared at the bead in his hand, gritted his teeth, and declared, “I’m in! One last gamble—I want a life without worries!”

Jiang Chen sized up Big Lei. Though their faces were masked, Big Lei’s personality was that of a gambler—reckless, daring, and dangerous. Such people would try anything for profit, and if you threatened their interests, they’d stop at nothing to eliminate you.

The three reached a consensus. Jiang Chen didn’t mind; his only concern was finding his senior sister.

With the plan set, Jiang Chen followed behind as they made their way to the cave.

The cave seemed ordinary enough, its only distinguishing trait being its color—an eerie, soul-piercing blue, matching the hue of the entire secret realm.

At the entrance, there was no sign of danger, not even a single guard.

“Wait for me! Wait! I’ve been searching everywhere for you—so you’d already gathered here!” a voice called out.

Parsley turned, delighted. “Holt? Where have you been?”

Holt raised a stiff arm. “I was chased by a clay-like monster, but luckily I escaped.”

No matter how well Holt mimicked a human, he wasn’t one. His tone and movements were just a bit too off.

“Are you going in? Let’s go together!” Holt exclaimed enthusiastically, which only made Jiang Chen more suspicious—it was as though he was eager to see them enter.

Everything about this cave felt strange. Though Jiang Chen couldn’t yet pinpoint the oddity, his instincts warned him this place was far from simple.

Holt’s arrival didn’t deter them. Wang Tu took the lead, Jiang Chen brought up the rear, and the others walked between, entering the cave in formation.

As they disappeared into the darkness, the mound above began to shrink. The cave’s entrance shifted with the changing contours of the hill, gradually sprouting four sharp fangs. The mound’s midsection rose as if a four-legged beast was rolling over, and the front of the hill morphed, stones tumbling away to reveal gigantic eyes and nostrils.

From a distance, it was clear this was no ordinary cave, but a massive bull, dozens of meters tall, lying in repose.

With a thunderous snort, the bull-shaped hill stirred—and the entire secret realm trembled in response.