Jian Lin discovered a serious problem with the He Yi Sword: it couldn't be stored in her Qian Kun Bag.
When she asked the system, it replied that this was normal. The He Yi Sword's power was too immense for the Qian Kun Bag to withstand.
With no other option, Jian Lin had to carry it on her back. Fortunately, the He Yi Sword wasn't heavy; in fact, it felt quite light. Jian Lin felt no burden carrying it.
However, this meant she had to endure the Demon Lord's scrutiny.
As they walked up the mountain path, the Demon Lord's gaze swept over her, and he couldn't help but remark, "Don't you think your sword is a bit too conspicuous?"
To be fair, the He Yi Sword was aesthetically pleasing. Its scabbard and hilt were exquisitely crafted. Although Jian Lin hadn't drawn the sword, she believed its blade was equally beautiful.
"Not at all," Jian Lin said smugly. "A beauty deserves a beautiful sword. This sword was practically made for me."
The Demon Lord remained unconvinced. He reached out towards the sword and said, puzzled, "It's beautiful, yes, but I don't feel any power from it. What's the use of beauty? Can it help you fight or block calamities?"
This was prejudice and discrimination, and Jian Lin couldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of her sword. She drew the sword and extended the scabbard towards the Demon Lord, challenging him, "Then try it. Can you pull it out?"
"What difficulty is there in that?" The Demon Lord took it lightly and reached for the scabbard. After trying with all his might for a long time, it remained utterly still.
He was surprised. He stopped and gripped the scabbard with his other hand, pulling with both hands. Still, there was no effect.
The Demon Lord sighed, "This sword is truly formidable. I underestimated it."
Jian Lin felt a sense of pride. "See? I told you it's an incredibly powerful sword, both beautiful and mighty. The best sword under heaven."
The Demon Lord was noncommittal. "If it's truly that powerful, where did you get it? Why haven't you mentioned it before?"
Jian Lin was momentarily speechless. She took the sword back and walked forward, saying, "I didn't mention it before because the time wasn't right. My parents left this sword to me. I don't know exactly where they got it."
The Demon Lord caught up to her, not entirely believing her explanation, but he didn't press further. "As long as you know what you're doing, it's fine. I still don't feel any power from it, though perhaps my knowledge is limited."
Just then, a voice chimed in, "I can feel it. This sword is definitely not ordinary. It seems to possess an aura from the Divine Realm."
Jian Lin and the Demon Lord turned simultaneously. Bai Xian was floating behind them. Due to his weakened state, he was not supposed to move around, so he had cast a floating spell on himself.
He didn't breathe to begin with, and now he had no footsteps, making him seem like a ghost. If he hadn't spoken, Jian Lin wouldn't have even noticed him.
The Demon Lord had called himself knowledgeable, yet Bai Xian claimed to recognize it. Jian Lin was displeased. "Don't just say things to flatter me. The sword is precious, but not to that extent. Not everything is an ancient artifact from the Divine Realm."
After speaking, she exchanged a glance with the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord chuckled, understanding her implication.
The Demon Lord possessed an ancient artifact, the Xing Tian Sword. How could she possibly have another? If it were true, the coincidence would be terrifying.
Bai Xian tucked his hands into his sleeves and said with a proud air, "I'm not trying to flatter anyone. Believe it or not, I know that not only can he not draw it, but you can't either."
Jian Lin was startled. She hadn't expected Bai Xian to know about this.
The Demon Lord was even more surprised. "What? You can't draw it either? Then what's the point of this sword? You're entering a perilous secret realm for cultivation. How can you treat this so casually?"
Jian Lin glared at Bai Xian and gritted her teeth, scolding him, "You just have to talk too much, don't you? You know everything and have to show off."
After scolding Bai Xian, she turned back to the Demon Lord and plastered a fawning smile on her face. "Oh, I'm not being careless! I'm close to a breakthrough, and I was hoping for a chance to draw the sword. Lord Chong Yuan, believe me, I'm not the same person you first met. I know what I'm doing."
"You'd better," the Demon Lord shook his head, unable to do anything about her.
As they spoke, they were nearing Cang Lan Peak. The Demon Lord intended to take Bai Xian into the secret realm, so they parted ways here. Jian Lin had to ascend alone and regroup with the rogue cultivators in the main hall's plaza.
This was the first time Jian Lin had returned to this place since she blew up the stone tablet that day. Looking at the ruins, she felt overjoyed.
Jian Lin scanned the area and automatically blended into the crowd of rogue cultivators. Although they had been rivals a few days ago, they now formed a cohesive group.
The rogue cultivators gathered together, and their topic of conversation was surprisingly the destruction of the stone tablet.
"I heard it was the work of the one from the Northwest," a rogue cultivator said. "Truly impressive, deliberately smashing the stone tablet at the entrance of Cang Lan Peak. Isn't that a clear act of defiance and humiliation?"
The "one from the Northwest" referred to the Demon Lord. The cultivation world knew that there were forbidden spells on the Twelve Peaks, and everyone tacitly used various code names to refer to the Demon Lord.
"Exactly! That's why I heard the Twelve Peak Lords were extremely enraged. They convened a meeting with all the immortal sects overnight, intending to advance the war against the demons."
Jian Lin covered her mouth in shock. At the time, she was only focused on her own satisfaction and hadn't considered the repercussions. Could this be another butterfly effect?
Oh well, she had already changed so much. There were so many butterflies, perhaps they would cancel each other out. Never mind, she shouldn't think about it.
As the rogue cultivators were chatting animatedly, the main hall doors suddenly opened, and several teams of disciples in uniform robes emerged.
An elder from Cang Lan Peak stepped forward to speak. Jian Lin then realized that this trip to the secret realm would include not only rogue cultivators but also disciples from other sects.
The Guan Lan Sect was a given, as they had the largest contingent. Other sects included the Bei Ming Sect, the逍遥派 (Xiao Yao Sect), the Zhui Feng Pavilion, and the Xuan Yin Pavilion.
Hmm? Xuan Yin Pavilion!
Jian Lin's gaze sharpened as she looked towards the outermost team. There stood seven female cultivators, their appearances pure and their postures graceful, drawing considerable attention. All the male cultivators present were captivated by them.
Jian Lin's reason for looking was that this was the heroine's sect.
That's right, in this book about the war between immortals and demons, the male protagonist was a child of destiny who defied fate, while the heroine was a disciple of a righteous sect, the chief disciple of the Xuan Yin Pavilion.
Jian Lin narrowed her eyes and observed carefully. Such a good opportunity as entering the secret realm wouldn't be without the chief disciple. The heroine, which one was the heroine?
Speaking of which, the heroine appearing so early, was this another butterfly effect at play? It was all so chaotic.
While she was lost in thought, the Cang Lan Peak elder finished speaking. Several elders from other peaks then stepped forward. A total of six elders combined their efforts to cast a spell and open the secret realm.
Six powerful streams of spiritual energy shot out, converging at a single point in mid-air. The heavens and earth trembled slightly, and a spatial rift suddenly tore open.
Beyond the rift, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloomed, and the clear calls of cranes could be heard. The disciples' eyes widened, filled with longing and excitement.
The so-called secret realm was a monopolized resource created by the Guan Lan Sect and other immortal sects over a century of effort.
Originally, places where spiritual energy converged were scattered randomly, with all beings equal. It was all a matter of chance, and anyone could potentially find a place where spiritual energy gathered, encounter various exotic flowers and rare herbs, and achieve breakthroughs.
Later, as the immortal sects gradually took shape, for their own benefit, they relocated all the places where spiritual energy converged to a unified location, collectively known as the secret realm.
The passages to the secret realm were controlled by the sects. Only by becoming a disciple and joining a sect could one potentially cultivate in the secret realm.
In other words, the immortal sects monopolized cultivation resources and talented disciples, forming a closed loop that excluded rogue cultivators, ensuring the perpetual prosperity of the immortal sects.
There was also another point: the more people sent into the secret realm, the longer the time required to open it, and the more elders were needed.
The last time the Twelve Peak Elders joined forces to open the secret realm, they sent all disciples above the Golden Core stage from the Twelve Peaks into it for a "harvest."
That incident left the Twelve Peaks with only the old, weak, and infirm, creating an opportunity for the Demon Sect to invade.
Setting aside that incident, Jian Lin noticed something else. Logically, after the last "harvest," the secret realm shouldn't have been opened again so soon. The good resources inside had likely not recovered.
Furthermore, this time, it wasn't just the Guan Lan Sect participating; half of the participants were from other sects and rogue cultivators. It seemed this was a condition sold by the Guan Lan Sect.
It appeared the Guan Lan Sect had planned this long ago, from sending disciples above the Golden Core stage into the secret realm, to faking the Demon Sect invasion, and then convening the Immortal Sect Assembly to sell the opportunity to enter the secret realm.
This series of interconnected events was meticulously planned, making it difficult for Jian Lin to ignore. She felt there was a larger conspiracy at play.
While she was deep in thought, the disciples had already begun lining up to enter the secret realm, with the rogue cultivators at the end. Suddenly, a kind male cultivator beside her reminded Jian Lin, "Fellow cultivator, don't space out. It's our turn!"
Jian Lin snapped back to reality, smiled and nodded her thanks to the male cultivator. She then leaped forward, following the others into the secret realm.
The scene suddenly shifted. They were separated by an uncontrollable force, and Jian Lin was randomly scattered into a dense forest. She adjusted her body, landing nimbly on a thick tree branch, remaining vigilant of her surroundings.
After two to three minutes, Jian Lin confirmed there was no danger around. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to ponder a serious question.
Where had the Demon Lord and Bai Xian gone? The rogue cultivators were deliberately separated. They must have been randomly deployed as well.
No one could accurately describe the size of the secret realm. Jian Lin had no idea if she would be able to find them.
Just then, her waist token grew warm. Jian Lin took it out and examined it closely. A line of small characters appeared on it, detailing the rules for exiting.
The cultivation opportunity in this secret realm would last for a total of fifteen days. If one wished to leave early, they could destroy the token with spiritual energy.
Below this was a supplementary note: once the token was destroyed, there was no turning back. All disciples were advised to choose with caution and deliberation.
Jian Lin tucked the token back into her waist and decided to first exit the dense forest and head to the highest peak to survey the surrounding situation.
Having made her decision, she leaped through the forest along the branches, moving with extreme caution. After walking for a short while, she suddenly heard a fierce beast's roar emanating from the depths of the forest.
Jian Lin quickly pressed herself against the tree trunk, holding her breath, not daring to make a sound.
Following that, the sound of branches snapping continued, as if someone was frantically fleeing through the forest.
The person dared not make a sound, but was too panicked, constantly rustling the branches and leaves, making a continuous swishing noise. Another beastly roar followed, this time closer.
How unlucky! Jian Lin was absolutely certain that someone had provoked a fierce beast, and judging by the sound, this group was fleeing in Jian Lin's direction, and at the same time, they were leading the beast towards her!
No more hesitation. Jian Lin gritted her teeth and joined the fleeing crowd.