Under the command of Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, the Golden Core cultivators swiftly transformed into fleeting shadows, charging toward the single narrow passage. After traversing several thousand zhang of this constricted corridor, the path abruptly opened into a broad, expansive valley—this was the Langya Secret Realm, one of the three great secret realms of the Earth Clan. It was a vast cavern nestled within an undersea peak. They gazed out upon a space stretching tens of thousands of li in circumference, a boundless expanse of undulating mountains, as magnificent as a separate, secluded minor heaven.

Within this domain, countless vividly colored sea trees and luminous sea flowers illuminated the entire space. Fish and marine beasts swam and darted through this small world.

A surge of potent Heaven and Earth spiritual energy washed over them. Even the most spiritually rich minor immortal islands in the East Sea likely could not compare to the overwhelming energy permeating the Langya Secret Realm. Here, spiritual grasses and trees grew in profusion nearly everywhere; even a common low-grade spiritual grass was more robust than those grown outside.

All the Golden Core cultivators entered the Langya Secret Realm.

Ye Qin appeared at the forefront. Seeing the immortal-infused scenery within the valley, he couldn't help but marvel silently. A place designated as one of the Earth Clan's three great secret realms in the East Sea was indeed extraordinary.

If a cultivator were to establish a grotto-heaven here and cultivate in seclusion, the results would likely be phenomenal.

Of course, this was merely a wistful thought.

Not only were there abundant spiritual herbs in the Langya Secret Realm, but countless ferocious beasts also lurked within, including Nascent Soul level demonic beasts of the tenth rank and above. Therefore, the idea of establishing a grotto-heaven was just an aspiration; no one possessed the power to remain here safely for extended periods. Even Nascent Soul cultivators were hesitant to stay alone in this realm for long.

"Those Earth Clan strongmen have vanished without a trace. I wonder where they are within the Langya Secret Realm."

Yu Weifeng noticed the valley's profound silence and felt a twinge of worry. He cautiously approached Yan Hao and said, "Brother Yan, you and I should lead the Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance and the Heavenly Dao Alliance together to slay demonic beasts and collect the spiritual treasures in this realm. Should we encounter the Earth Clan strongmen, we can guard against their ambushes. What do you think of this plan, Brother Yan?"

"Haha, Brother Weifeng, you are overly cautious. This Langya Secret Realm is only open for five days; it will reseal afterward. Those Earth Clan strongmen won't have the leisure to set up ambushes. They have likely already rushed off to seize their sacred artifacts. You must know that the ten major tribes of the Earth Clan are mutually hostile. Each one is focused solely on surpassing the others, and the competition to snatch sacred artifacts has made the fighting between the tribes extremely fierce. They have no time to contend with us now?"

Yan Hao disagreed with Yu Weifeng’s suggestion. Instead, he countered, "This Langya Secret Realm spans tens of thousands of li and contains countless rare spiritual items. Each rare item is surely guarded by a demonic beast. Slaying these guardians doesn't require all sixty-plus of us Golden Core cultivators to act as one, and dividing the loot afterward would be complicated. We people should split into smaller teams and act independently, relying on our own strength to gather as many spiritual items as possible. This way, we can find far more, ensuring this trip isn't wasted."

Having spoken, Yan Hao stopped arguing with Yu Weifeng and turned to a white-haired, world-weary old man in a green robe standing nearby, smiling, "Brother Jiang, why don't you and I travel together to collect spiritual items? With the strength of you and me, plus a few brothers, as long as we don't run into a Nascent Soul level demonic beast, we can definitely take down any Golden Core level beast, no matter how powerful."

Yan Hao was not being arrogant. Given Jiang Ling's cultivation and seniority, his peak strength among these Golden Core cultivators fully warranted Yan Hao addressing him as "Brother Jiang."

"This poor Daoist has his own destination. Brother Yan Ke should proceed as you wish," Jiang Ling replied calmly, showing no indication that he valued Yan Hao’s invitation. He then tossed out his flying sword, which streaked into the depths of the valley as a beam of light. As a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, offending Yan Hao with a few words was not a great concern for him.

"That old fool! Truly ungrateful!"

Yan Hao’s face darkened, but he had no grounds to erupt. Fortunately, he was not short of followers. He quickly gathered a small team of Heavenly Demon Alliance Golden Core cultivators willing to serve him and flew toward the valley.

Light flashed as over sixty Golden Core cultivators ascended rapidly within the Langya Secret Realm, riding their artifacts.

The Langya Secret Realm was simply too vast; the sixty-odd Golden Core cultivators were merely drops dissolving into an immense lake, quickly disappearing from sight.

Four beams of distinct light converged, flying toward the deeper parts of the Langya Secret Realm: an aged man in a faint blue-green robe, a sturdy man, a slightly stout middle-aged man, and a young cultivator. They were Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, Shi Hanyang, and Ye Qin, the four Golden Core cultivators.

"Brother Shi, who is this person? Why has he joined us?"

Jiang Ling glanced dismissively at Ye Qin trailing behind, his eyes clearly filled with suspicion regarding Ye Qin's capabilities. He then turned to Shi Hanyang to inquire. This was understandable, as Ye Qin was the least conspicuous and possessed the lowest cultivation among the four Golden Core cultivators.

"This is Brother Ye Qin, who recently arrived from the Central Continent. I invited him to join our party," Shi Hanyang immediately stated.

"Oh? Brother Jiang holds supreme strength, firmly ranking first among us. I possess a fragmented volume of the Langya Secret Realm Atlas, which allows us to locate spiritual items in the shortest time. Brother Shi, you are proficient in Celestial Divination arts, mechanisms, and formations. But what skills does this young man possess that qualify him to partner with us?" Zheng Chenghui asked coldly, clearly displeased that Shi Hanyang had included an inconspicuous Golden Core cultivator. One more person meant one more share of the spiritual items to divide.

Shi Hanyang smiled unhurriedly, "But Brother Ye is not only a Golden Core cultivator; he is also a Grandmaster Alchemist. In the entire East Sea, there are very few alchemists as young as Brother Ye. His future prospects are limitless. Merely on this basis, he is qualified to partner with us."

"A Grandmaster Alchemist!?"

The faces of the two Golden Core cultivators, Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui, suddenly changed, and they both looked toward Ye Qin in shock.

"Good, good, good! Brother Shi’s action is truly brilliant; this poor Daoist was rude! It seems that we cultivators who came from the Central Continent all possess formidable strength. Later, when we slay demonic beasts and seize spiritual items, whatever effort Brother Ye contributes, he gets a full share."

Jiang Ling's stern face shifted several times, revealing an expression of pleasant surprise. His tone became exceedingly warm, utterly devoid of its previous coldness.

Ye Qin’s expression remained unchanged; he merely smiled. Whether Jiang Ling looked down on him or sought to curry favor, Ye Qin paid it no mind. In the Cultivation World, possessing ability was the only way to earn respect from others; this was a common phenomenon. Cultivation was an ability, and alchemy was also a remarkable ability.

Shi Hanyang observed the expressions of Ye Qin and Jiang Ling. He knew that even if Jiang Ling obtained the lotus seeds of the Ziyou Lotus, he would still need to seek out other alchemists to refine them into Spirit Root Potential Pills. This was why Jiang Ling was trying to appease Ye Qin. Shi Hanyang wanted to explain that a mere Grandmaster Alchemist could not refine a top-tier elixir like the Spirit Root Potential Pill, but due to certain considerations, he ultimately remained silent.

If Jiang Ling knew how incredibly difficult it is to refine the Spirit Root Potential Pill, requiring a Divine Alchemist for even a slight chance of success, he would likely abandon the idea of seizing the Ziyou Lotus seeds immediately. After all, there are fewer than five Divine Alchemists among the countless alchemists in the East Sea's Heavenly Dao Alliance and Heavenly Demon Alliance combined, and they all serve the major Sect Masters and powerhouses, never casually assisting an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. Even if a Spirit Root Potential Pill were successfully refined, it would probably be immediately seized by a Sect Master or Giant.

Shi Hanyang wryly mused to himself.

After learning of Ye Qin's status as a Grandmaster Alchemist from Shi Hanyang, the complexions of Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui eased considerably. They naturally stopped giving Ye Qin a hard time.

The refined elixirs they needed from the raw materials they usually collected might require Ye Qin's assistance. Cultivating a relationship with an outstanding Grandmaster Alchemist was a long-term investment.

Their group of four Golden Core cultivators flew through the air in the Langya Secret Realm for dozens of li. After separating from the others, Jiang Ling suddenly stopped.

"The territory within the Langya Secret Realm is extremely vast, filled with countless rare treasures. It is impossible to collect every single heavenly material and earthly treasure. Besides the one day allocated for entering and exiting the realm, we have three days left to seize treasures. We must leave within three days, or we will suffocate here, and even Golden Core cultivators will turn into piles of dry bones. We must first find the most important spiritual item: the sacred artifact of the Luehai Tribe—the Ziyou Lotus."

Jiang Ling turned to Zheng Chenghui and said, "This is a tenth-rank spiritual item; we must snatch the Ziyou Lotus before the other cultivators do. Brother Zheng, is it time to take out your fragmented Langya Secret Realm Atlas?"

Zheng Chenghui nodded and cautiously retrieved a damaged, old yellow scroll from his storage bag. Most of the scroll was lost, leaving only a palm-sized piece of tattered cloth emitting a faint yellow glow.

It was covered densely with countless curved lines and minuscule script, smaller than a strand of hair. Fortunately, as Golden Core cultivators, they could clearly read the text.

"I obtained this fragmented atlas by chance in a market. Initially, I didn't know what the map was for; I thought it charted some cultivator’s immortal grotto. Later, at a great cost, I finally understood that this was the legendary atlas for the Langya Secret Realm, one of the East Sea Earth Clan's three great secret realms."

Zheng Chenghui spoke with a touch of regret, "This atlas was drawn over three thousand years ago by a Nascent Soul cultivator who had entered the realm. It recorded the locations of many important spiritual items within the secret realm, intended to be passed down to his descendants, who were supposed to retrieve items every five hundred years. Unfortunately, his descendants were too incompetent; none even reached the Golden Core stage. This atlas became useless and was no longer valued. What a pity. When I acquired it, the map was already reduced to this small scrap, perhaps less than a tenth of the original. I carried it with me constantly, never imagining it would be useful this time."

"Oh? Then what important spiritual items are recorded on it? Is the Ziyou Lotus among them?" Ye Qin inquired.

"Fortunately, amidst misfortune, the Ziyou Lotus is indeed recorded here. Otherwise, why would I present this treasure? There are also several other rare spiritual items. We can make a handsome fortune within these three days!" Zheng Chenghui said with a hint of smugness.

Jiang Ling interrupted him sternly, "The spiritual item is only yours once it’s seized. With this map in hand, finding the Ziyou Lotus in the Langya Secret Realm will be much easier. Let's not waste time; we must try to find the Ziyou Lotus before Yan Hao, Yu Weifeng, and the others, to avoid conflict with them. Brother Zheng, lead the way. Brother Shi, Young Brother Ye, let's go!"