Not long after.
The carriage, following the crowd, swayed towards the Hu family's residence.
The Hu family's courtyard was not small!
However, situated in a corner of Tingfeng City, it appeared the family's strength was limited.
Upon arriving at the living room, Hu Baicang ordered a banquet to be prepared and personally served hot tea to the two guests before sitting down.
"You two have precious time, so I'll get straight to the point."
Hu Baicang recounted the matter.
The situation was as follows: Hu Baicang's younger brother, Hu Baisong, had lost contact during an exploration mission.
After the incident.
The Hu family sent many people to search for him and eventually discovered a secret realm at the mission location.
To find Hu Baisong, the Hu family members ventured into the secret realm.
However, no matter how many people entered, they never returned!
Subsequently, the Hu family posted several bounty missions, and some people went to investigate, but those who went also never returned.
Therefore, the Hu family decided to find a powerful individual to help them explore.
But powerful individuals also have their own missions, and there was no manpower available at the time.
Finally, by chance, the Hu family heard that Jian Wusheng would be passing through Tingfeng City, and they managed to intercept the two of them.
"What were the strengths of those who went into the secret realm?"
As soon as Hu Baicang finished speaking, Ye Cangtian began to inquire.
His eyes lit up at the mention of a secret realm.
Moreover, this secret realm had caused many powerful individuals to go in and never return, suggesting it likely held many treasures.
"Most of them were below the Yellow level, with a few at the Yellow level, and one or two at the Profound level," Hu Baicang replied quickly.
In a word, Ye Cangtian's freshly ignited enthusiasm was instantly extinguished.
Those who went in were not strong, so it might not be a dangerous secret realm.
If that were the case, there might not be many treasures to be found.
Jian Wusheng, on the other side, glanced over and said, "From what you're saying, this matter happened some time ago."
"Your brother has been missing for so long, it's likely he's met a grim fate. I think it's best to..."
It wasn't that Jian Wusheng was heartless; such things happened frequently.
After all, not everyone who ventured into a secret realm returned safely.
When exploration teams went missing for extended periods, missions would be reissued, noting how many teams had attempted and failed.
Such places were more often than not dangerous, or contained secret realms.
Therefore, when exploring these areas, each team would exercise extreme caution, and news of secret realms would spread accordingly.
Ultimately, through bounty missions, powerful individuals would clear out all the dangers within.
In ancient ruins, such bounty missions were numerous, with countless justifications, far more than any single person could manage.
"Sir, what you say is true, but as long as there's a shred of hope, we can't just give up!"
"If you are willing to help me, I am willing to accompany you, and I will offer you double the reward afterward!"
Before Jian Wusheng could finish, Hu Baicang quickly interjected.
He could see that Jian Wusheng was reluctant to get involved, so he quickly raised the stakes.
"You?"
Jian Wusheng frowned. Typically, for such bounty missions, the employer was not required to enter the secret realm.
After all, secret realms were fraught with peril, and without strength, it was akin to seeking death.
"My younger brother went missing in the secret realm. As his elder brother, it is my duty to do my utmost, to see him alive or his body at least!"
"Besides, with a senior like you present, there shouldn't be any accidents."
Sensing Jian Wusheng's questioning gaze, Hu Baicang quickly explained.
"Senior, please grant them this request."
"At worst, I'll do the labor, and if there's something you can't handle, then you can step in!"
Ye Cangtian suddenly spoke up.
He was, in fact, quite curious about what kind of secret realm it was that caused everyone who entered to perish.
"Have you thought this through? Such occurrences are countless."
"Aren't you in a hurry to get to Dragon City?"
Jian Wusheng's gaze swept over Ye Cangtian as he asked indifferently.
In his opinion, the danger level of this secret realm was not high. With a few experts going in, it might be resolved, especially since those who went before were of limited strength.
There was no need for him to make a grand display.
"Heh, it won't take that long."
"Besides, there are benefits to be had in secret realms! Perhaps we can obtain some high-quality medicinal herbs and weapons!"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly. What he truly wanted to mention was heritage.
However, heritage was something that could only be encountered by chance, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
"Alright!"
Seeing that Ye Cangtian's mind was made up, Jian Wusheng pondered for a moment before finally nodding.
Ye Cangtian was a rare prodigy who caught his eye. He truly did not wish for anything to happen to him. Moreover, Ye Cangtian was at a bottleneck, and with some tempering, he might be able to break through quickly.
...
After resting at the Hu family's residence for one night.
Overnight, the Hu family reorganized their personnel.
Led by Hu Baicang!
The next morning, they departed together with Ye Cangtian and Jian Wusheng.
The secret realm was not close.
It took a full seven days before Ye Cangtian and the others finally saw the entrance to the secret realm.
Along the way, there were many skeletal remains, as well as the carcasses of wild beasts, and signs of battles, indeed suggesting that many people had come here, as Hu Baicang had said.
The group rested for a while before the entrance to the secret realm, bringing their condition to the best possible state, before entering.
The secret realm was not large.
It was merely a manor. From a distance, pavilions and towers were all visible, and the scenery was quite pleasant.
However, the ground littered with skeletons in the distance was deeply unsettling, completely robbing them of the mood to appreciate the scenery.
The next moment.
The group immediately proceeded to explore the manor.
Since others had traversed this place before, the journey was quite peaceful, with no dangers encountered.
It wasn't until they passed the lake pavilion and reached the central courtyard that the group couldn't help but halt their steps.
The scenery within the manor had been pleasant and beautiful before.
But when they entered the gate of the central courtyard, the scene inside had completely changed.
The pavilions and towers they had seen from the outside had vanished, replaced by a gloom, with cold winds swirling, everything filled with an eerie aura that sent chills down their spines.
"Look, there's a corpse over there!"
Ye Cangtian immediately spotted a figure on the ground not far from the gate.
This was a rare sight since entering the secret realm.
Under normal circumstances, he had only seen skeletal remains or severed limbs; this was the first time he had seen a complete corpse.
This...
Hu Baicang glanced over, involuntarily shuddering, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He took two steps back and hid behind Jian Wusheng.
"I recognize this person; he was a Profound level expert from Tingfeng City. I didn't expect him to die here."
Hu Baicang said with a pale face.
This person was considered quite strong among the exploration teams, yet he had ultimately fallen in the central courtyard.
This made him even more fearful of this place.
After all, if the central courtyard was this dangerous, he dared not imagine the final courtyard.
"Everyone, be careful and follow behind me."
Ye Cangtian didn't say much more and walked directly to the forefront of the group.
Shortly after Ye Cangtian moved forward, he suddenly felt a silence behind him. He couldn't even sense the presence of the others; only the dim surroundings remained.
A formation?
Ye Cangtian tried to step back, but he still couldn't find anyone. It was then he realized he might have fallen into a formation.
With no other choice, Ye Cangtian had to proceed alone.
After walking for a short while, Ye Cangtian stopped. In the distance, two balls of red light were floating, followed by a deafening roar.
"Damn it! What is that?"
His eardrums buzzed, and Ye Cangtian frowned.
As the red glow approached, he finally saw clearly that it was a male lion.