lcionline Chapter 200 The Demise of the Secret Realm
Chapter 200 The Demise of the Secret Realm
After Xie Wanning fell to the ground, Tian Ruochun hurriedly went forward to help her up and took her back to the courtyard. The Crimson Flame Bird also followed them back.
"Xiao Tian, how did it go? Did the others give you a hard time when you returned to the sect?" Xie Wanning looked at Tian Ruochun with some concern. She was worried that Tian Ruochun's actions for her in the Chaos Sea might have caused trouble for him among the people of Fu Peak.
“My master demoted me to an inner disciple and restricted my movements. She forbade me from leaving Fu Peak, let alone coming to find you. However, I heard that you were competing with Song Huai’an for the position of the eldest disciple, and I was worried about you, so I ran away.” Tian Ruochun’s eyes darkened slightly as she took out healing pills from her storage bag.
Xie Wanning looked at Tian Ruochun with heartache, feeling extremely ashamed. She lowered her head like a sickly cabbage: "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."
Tian Ruochun smiled and shook her head. She put the pill in her hand into Xie Wanning's mouth, and her voice became clear and melodious: "No, I'm actually quite happy. This time, I stood with you and fought side by side. I didn't just stand by and watch you be targeted by others. Moreover, my cultivation has now reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. No disciple among the talisman cultivators is stronger than me, so I won't be bullied anymore."
"So amazing!" Xie Wanning couldn't help but widen her eyes. Tian Ruochun was a talisman cultivator, an array cultivator, and also knew how to refine pills. These three cultivation methods were extremely energy-consuming and costly, so it was very difficult to improve one's cultivation level. However, Tian Ruochun was young, yet he had already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, which showed how difficult it was.
Xie Wanning looked at Tian Ruochun with gentle eyes and nodded: "Xiao Tian is more capable than me now, so I don't need to worry about you."
Tian Ruochun raised her chin with a bright look in her eyes and promised, "Then I will definitely protect Sister Wan Ning."
Xie Wanning chuckled softly and nodded. Yet, for some reason, a bitter feeling welled up inside her. As the eldest sister, she should be protecting Xiaotian; she had made that promise five years ago. How had she now become the one being protected?
"Oh, right, Sister Wan Ning, there's something I need to return to you." As she spoke, Tian Ruochun took out a blue hairband from her storage bag.
Xie Wanning immediately recognized it as the headband that Tian Ruochun had worn during the sect competition. At that time, she had not yet revealed her identity to Tian Ruochun, and accidentally touched the headband, which resulted in a warning from Tian Ruochun.
"It's alright, if Xiaotian likes this hairband, she can keep it herself." Xie Wanning pushed it back.
“No, this hairband is something that Sister Wan Ning left behind, which is why I cherish it. Now that its owner has returned, I don’t need to keep it. This hairband is still most suitable for its owner.” Tian Ruochun revealed a bright smile.
Xie Wan Ning paused slightly, then put on the headband. The blue headband swayed gently, making Xie Wan Ning look exactly the same as she did five years ago.
After a brief conversation, Tian Ruochun left behind some pills and talismans before departing from Fengqi Courtyard.
Xie Wanning began to meditate. Phoenix Perch Courtyard was located at the top of Qingyun Peak, possessing the purest and most abundant spiritual energy on the peak. Xie Wanning's bones and muscles had been repeatedly tempered by the Phoenix Fire, allowing her to absorb spiritual energy with ease and at a rapid pace. However, her cultivation level had dropped, and she had also been artificially sealed. No matter how much spiritual energy she absorbed, her cultivation level could only be maintained at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Xie Wanning could feel that the seal within her body was very strong, and the power of that seal was very familiar, even possessing a hint of divine power. This seal must have been Ye Qianqian's doing; to break the seal, Xie Wanning had to find a way to break through to divine power.
However, she still needs to focus on cultivation and absorb as much spiritual energy as possible. Her body is like a lake that only takes in but doesn't give out; spiritual energy can accumulate within her, but her cultivation level cannot rise, and the spiritual energy stored in her body cannot be utilized.
Xie Wanning is not in a hurry. She will break through the seal one day, and then the spiritual power in her body will be transformed into cultivation.
She set up a protective barrier at Fengqi Courtyard and began a period of secluded, arduous cultivation.
Throughout the year, Xie Wanning barely rested, immersing herself in absorbing spiritual energy and honing her swordsmanship. Although her cultivation level didn't improve, her swordsmanship became incredibly refined. Whether it was the Azure Cloud Sword Technique or the Cold and Fierce Sword Technique, Xie Wanning could unleash their full power, and possessing a sword heart, she could amplify the power of her swordsmanship several times over.
It wasn't until a year later that Xie Wanning opened the barrier and left Fengqi Courtyard.
As soon as she left her courtyard, Xie Wanning was summoned to Qingyun Palace by Yan Ze, where Song Huai'an, Jiang Ci, and Ye Qianqian were waiting.
"Disciple Xie Wanning greets Master." Xie Wanning bowed respectfully.
"Alright, I have something important to tell you all," Yan Ze said, frowning slightly.
Xie Wanning quickly stood next to Jiang Ci. She realized that something terrible must have happened, otherwise Yan Ze would not have changed his perpetually icy expression.
"Over the past year, all the secret realms in the cultivation world have been disappearing one after another. Now, all the secret realms in the wild have vanished. Only a few secret realms remain in the eight major sects, but they are also dying out." Yan Ze's tone was cold, causing those who listened to him to straighten their backs.
Secret realms are formed from the condensed spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and often take hundreds of years to form. Even if a secret realm were to perish, it would still take hundreds of years. However, nowadays, almost all secret realms in the cultivation world have disappeared in just one year, which is simply unimaginable.
The secret realms within the eight major sects are nourished by the sects' spiritual stones, which slows down their disappearance, but cannot stop their demise.
Xie Wanning lowered her head in deep thought.
The essence of a secret realm is abundant spiritual energy. The disappearance of secret realms indicates that the spiritual energy is dissipating. The number of secret realms represents whether the spiritual energy in a place is abundant. The fact that all the secret realms in the cultivation world are disappearing means that the spiritual energy in the cultivation world is being exhausted.
Xie Wanning shuddered in shock, and Yan Ze's words confirmed her suspicions.
Yan Ze sighed and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Not only that, the spiritual veins in the cultivation world are also decreasing."
Xie Wanning frowned, realizing the current predicament of the cultivation world. If the initial earthquake was like a sharp blade slicing the cultivation world to pieces, then the current decline in spiritual energy was like a slow poison, gradually rotting the cultivation world until it was destroyed.
"You must never reveal these things, understand?" Yan Ze warned sternly.
"Yes," everyone said in unison.
"Next, Xie Wanning, you need to lead the other disciples to the other seven major sects. You should take advantage of the fact that the secret realm has not completely dissipated to train and improve your cultivation," Yan Ze said solemnly.
"This disciple obeys," Xie Wanning said, clasping her hands in a fist salute.
"Alright. You may all leave now, Ye Qianqian, please stay."
Xie Wanning, Jiang Ci, and Song Huai'an left Qingyun Palace, leaving only Ye Qianqian and Yan Ze inside.
"Ye Qianqian, as a goddess, what are your thoughts on this matter? Why did the secret realm disappear?" Yan Ze's eyes held a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Ever since the secret realm began to vanish, he and the other sect leaders had been searching for the reason behind its disappearance, trying to stop it from happening. They knew that once the secret realm completely disappeared, it meant that what would disappear next was the remaining spiritual energy of the cultivation world.
"Yan Ze, the disappearance of the secret realm is inevitable. The cultivation world has developed for tens of thousands of years and has long passed its peak. The disappearance of the secret realm can actually reduce the consumption of spiritual energy," Ye Qianqian said indifferently, appearing completely unconcerned.
Yan Ze panicked and argued, "Even if the secret realm is to disappear, it shouldn't disappear completely in such a short time. This violates the rules of the cultivation world and could very well be detrimental to it. Could you ask the Heavenly Dao what should be done?"
Ye Qianqian shook her head: "The Heavenly Dao will not answer questions that are unrelated to Xie Wanning. Moreover, since this has happened, it means that the Heavenly Dao has promised the destruction of the secret realm. This is the will of Heaven and cannot be defied."
"But……"
Ye Qianqian interrupted Yan Ze, coldly saying, "You just need to do your job well, and the Heavenly Dao will not treat you unfairly."
After saying that, Ye Qianqian turned and left.
Watching Ye Qianqian's departing figure, Yan Ze said in a low voice, "Ye Qianqian, have you ever truly considered the cultivation world? Goddess is your identity, but more importantly, it is your duty!"
Yan Ze sighed helplessly, his heart filled with disappointment.
Hearing this, Ye Qianqian did not stop walking.
She looked up at the sun in the sky and murmured, "What does this cultivation world have to do with me? Even if it is destroyed, that is fate."
If the system were still running, it would have detected that Ye Qianqian's favorability towards everyone was zero. She had never loved anyone, only herself.