Primordial Secret Realm! Clues of Lin Qingluan!

Whoosh. Lu Changsheng's figure warped slightly. A moment later, he found himself standing in a desolate mountain forest. Despite the dense foliage, the heat was sweltering. The surroundings were completely devoid of people. Lu Changsheng glanced at the secret realm's entrance, firmly committing its location to memory. To ensure nothing went awry, he left a flesh particle behind, guaranteeing that he would always be able to find his way back to it. Having done all this, Lu Changsheng began walking through the woods, intending to make his way out. "Hmm? The spatial rules of this secret realm are remarkably stable, and the air is thick with rich energy. With this level of energy, it should be capable of giving birth to exceedingly powerful beings—at least high-rank Great Saints shouldn't be an issue." Lu Changsheng was inwardly surprised. This secret realm was, in truth, an actual world of its own. While it was naturally far inferior to chaos or the Dark Domain, it was still capable of sustaining high-rank Great Saints. Such a secret realm was exceedingly rare and precious. Ordinary secret realms possessed nowhere near this tier of power; this was a high-tier realm. However, Lu Changsheng's primary concern was Lin Qingluan. Where had she gone? Searching blindly across this secret realm would likely yield nothing. Vast though his consciousness was, this mountain forest seemed boundless, beyond the reach of his senses. And this was merely a single forest within the realm. The secret realm itself was likely immense beyond imagination. Roar... Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the forest, shaking the trees. It was impossible to tell what terrifying beast had produced it. Lu Changsheng followed the sound. Soon, he caught sight of an exotic beast massive as a hill. In front of the beast stood several cultivators. Their cultivation was pitiful, not even comparable to quasi-saints, and they were staring down certain death under the predator's glare. Yet Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. With local cultivators present, he could rely on their knowledge to search for Lin Qingluan. "We're done for this time... How did we run into a suanni?" "It's a suanni, a divine beast! The overlord of this forbidden forest!" "We only came to look for the divine longevity herb. How could our luck be so rotten?" "We're dead..." The cultivators' faces were pale with despair, their hearts sinking to rock bottom. None of them had noticed Lu Changsheng approaching in the slightest. To his mild surprise, he could understand their speech. *It seems to be an ancient dialect of the Dark Domain...* Lu Changsheng's thoughts stirred as linguistic records of the Dark Domain's ancient era surfaced in his mind. To someone of his standing, such knowledge was merely basic lore, committed to memory with a single glance. *Is this beast a suanni?* Information about the creature flickered through his thoughts. It was an ancient divine beast whose legends circulated in the Dark Domain, though the species had long since gone extinct there. He had not expected to find a living suanni within the Primordial Secret Realm. It seemed this secret realm truly had an ancient history, likely preserved all the way from primordial times. This suanni possessed the strength of a Great Saint. Augmented by its bloodline, its combat power was earth-shaking, fully befitting its status as the overlord of this forest. However, Lu Changsheng needed to question these cultivators. He could not allow them to die just yet. With that, Lu Changsheng stepped forward. Swish. His figure instantly materialized between the suanni and the cultivators. He stood calmly in midair, his expression tranquil. Yet his abrupt appearance startled both the cultivators and the beast. "That's... a cultivator?" "It's a senior!" "Senior, please save our lives!" The cultivators reacted with remarkable speed. For a cultivator to step willingly in front of a suanni, there was only one possible reason: he had to be stronger than the beast! "You're quick on the uptake..." Lu Changsheng glanced at them. They had wasted no time pleading for help the moment he arrived. The suanni, however, was a different story. Divine beast or not, its temperament was wildly ferocious. Its massive eyes locked onto Lu Changsheng, rumbling low growls that sounded like brewing thunder. Lu Changsheng met its gaze. A terrifying aura erupted from him. "Suppress!" Lu Changsheng uttered softly. Boom! A crushing pressure crashed down onto the suanni like a collapsing mountain. No—ten mountains, a hundred mountains. The immense weight drove the suanni's furious roars into strangled whimpers, forcing it flat against the ground. Watching this, the cultivators were struck dumb with awe. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the figure before them was a monstrous powerhouse. To suppress a suanni purely with an aura of intimidation—just how terrifying was his true strength? Roar... The suanni continued to thrash violently. Lu Changsheng remained unmoved, uttering not a word as he dialed up the pressure step by step. Against a mere suanni, he did not even need to invoke his Illusory Realm Dao. He sent mental transmissions into the beast's mind again and again, commanding it to submit. The suanni fought desperately at first, but with each passing moment, its struggles grew feebler. In the end, it stopped resisting altogether, the ferocity in its eyes softening into docile obedience. The suanni had yielded. Divine beasts possessed naturally astounding combat prowess; anyone merely a little stronger than them could never force them to submit. The only way to tame one was through overwhelming, crushing superiority that extinguished every shred of defiance. Seeing the suanni yield, Lu Changsheng withdrew his aura. The cultivators were shaken to their core, bowing even lower with reverent awe. "Where do you hail from?" Lu Changsheng asked directly, using the ancient dialect so they could understand without difficulty. "We are cultivators from Stone Fort City, Senior. We entered the forbidden zone to search for the divine longevity herb. City Lord Stone Fort issued a bounty stating that anyone who finds the herb in the forbidden zone may be taken as his disciple or have one request granted. "Many cultivators have risked their lives entering the forbidden zone for the sake of the herb, but sadly, none have ever found it..." Lu Changsheng's interest was piqued. "What is the City Lord's cultivation?" "The City Lord is a Great Saint who has condensed Great Dao power! However, his lifespan is nearing its end, forcing him to seek the divine longevity herb to prolong his life." The cultivators answered every question without holding anything back. They knew full well that before an expert capable of easily crushing a divine suanni, complete honesty was their only chance at survival. Deception would mean instant death. *A Great Saint...* Lu Changsheng understood now. The City Lord of Stone Fort City was merely a one-Dao Great Saint, yet within Stone Fort City, that made him the undisputed supreme expert. As for the divine longevity herb, it was used to extend life and presumably grew within this forbidden mountain forest. The fact that the City Lord did not dare enter in person and chose to recruit others through bounties indicated that the forest harbored perils beyond his strength—such as this suanni, which matched or even surpassed a one-Dao Great Saint. However, Lu Changsheng cared nothing for the longevity herb. His only interest was news of Lin Qingluan. "Lead the way. Take me to Stone Fort City." "Yes, Senior!" The cultivators were overjoyed. Having narrowly escaped the jaws of the suanni, they had abandoned all foolish hopes of finding the herb. All they wanted was to return alive to Stone Fort City. With Lu Changsheng accompanying them, their safety was guaranteed. And so, the group began making their way toward the edge of the forest. They encountered several exotic beasts along the path, but none required Lu Changsheng to lift a finger; a mere sliver of the suanni's aura was enough to terrify them away. Lu Changsheng rode leisurely atop the suanni's back, traveling toward Stone Fort City in comfort. Roughly a month later, they finally emerged from the forbidden mountain forest. From there, they flew toward Stone Fort City at full speed. After flying for three whole months, the city finally came into view. Lu Changsheng had already gathered that the strongest figure in Stone Fort City was its City Lord, a mere one-Dao Great Saint. There was virtually no threat to speak of, so Lu Changsheng had no reason to be cautious. He had no desire to waste time investigating quietly; time was what he lacked most. He needed to find Lin Qingluan as quickly as possible. Thus, he made a grand entrance, riding the massive suanni directly down before the gates of Stone Fort City. The guards stationed at the gate were trembling violently the moment the hill-sized divine beast descended from above. "G-Greetings, Senior!" the guards stammered, bowing in terror. No one could blame their fright. This was a suanni, a divine beast rivaling a Great Saint! A single suanni was capable of wiping Stone Fort City from the map. Now that someone had subdued it as a mount, how could they not be terrified? "Why haven't you opened the grand array to let me pass?" Lu Changsheng asked coldly. The only reason he had not descended directly into the city was the defensive array enveloping it. Unless he chose to shatter the barrier by force, he could not enter without their cooperation. These guards held the authority to let visitors through. "We... we have not yet reported to the City Lord..." the guards squeaked out, forcing themselves to speak. "Hmm?" A sliver of Lu Changsheng's aura leaked out. Were it not for the fact that he needed information from the City Lord, he wouldn't have wasted a single word on gatekeepers. "Open the array!" a booming voice called out from within the city. A burly, imposing cultivator hurried forward, arriving before Lu Changsheng. "Shi Long, City Lord of Stone Fort City, greets Fellow Daoist!" Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. The man radiated the aura of a Great Saint; clearly, this was the City Lord himself. Since both were Great Saints, addressing each other as "Fellow Daoist" was natural. "I thought City Lord Shi was unwilling to welcome Lu into his city. It seems it was merely a misunderstanding," Lu Changsheng remarked with veiled meaning. "A misunderstanding, of course! Fellow Daoist is a Great Saint; your presence honors our humble Stone Fort City. It is our greatest privilege. Please, enter!" Shi Long was exceptionally deferential. Lu Changsheng nodded, urging the suanni into the city. Stone Fort City was surprisingly prosperous. The streets were teeming with pedestrians, including ordinary mortals alongside cultivators. Even so, the overall level of cultivation was modest; even quasi-saints were rare, to say nothing of the Saint Realm or Great Saints. The two arrived at the City Lord's Manor, sitting across from each other in private. Shi Long wore a grave expression. "May I ask what brings Fellow Daoist to my Stone Fort City?" Lu Changsheng paused briefly, then asked directly, "Have you heard of Lin Qingluan?" He saw no reason to beat around the bush. If Lin Qingluan intended to become a nine-Dao Great Saint, she could hardly have remained unnoticed in this Primordial Secret Realm. "Lin Qingluan?" Shi Long echoed. "Do you refer to the founder of the Qingluan Sect, Fairy Qingluan?" Lu Changsheng was taken aback. The Qingluan Sect? Fairy Qingluan? He couldn't be entirely certain. "Tell me briefly about Fairy Qingluan's deeds." Shi Long recounted what he knew. Roughly 2,500 years ago, Fairy Qingluan had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She had defeated several top Great Saints in succession before establishing the Qingluan Sect. People addressed her as Fairy Qingluan, and she was said to be a high-rank Great Saint of terrifying power. Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. Indeed, this Fairy Qingluan was almost certainly Lin Qingluan. Her seclusion had begun approximately 2,500 years ago, matching the timing of Fairy Qingluan's sudden emergence in the Primordial Secret Realm perfectly. She was also a high-rank Great Saint. It could be no one else. "Where is Fairy Qingluan now?" Lu Changsheng asked. "This..." Shi Long hesitated, looking uneasy. He was beginning to realize that this ancient monster before him had ties to Fairy Qingluan—perhaps very deep ties. Why hadn't he known what had happened to the Qingluan Sect? Perhaps this old monster had been in seclusion for centuries and only just emerged? That was the only plausible explanation for his ignorance. If that were the case, things were delicate. A single misstep could bring catastrophic ruin upon Shi Long and his entire city. "City Lord Shi may speak freely," Lu Changsheng said mildly. Yet the calmer Lu Changsheng appeared, the more cautious Shi Long became. In the end, Shi Long weighed his words carefully before speaking. "Fellow Daoist Lu, three hundred years ago, Fairy Qingluan sought to contend for the Sky-Connecting Fruit, which appears only once every hundred thousand years. She was gravely injured by several powerful peak Great Saints, and her whereabouts have remained unknown ever since. "It is said that the Sky-Connecting Fruit possesses heaven-reaching power. Upon consuming it, one enters a state of sudden enlightenment, merging with the world to comprehend all manner of divine abilities, secret methods, and even Great Daos! "Alas, such a miraculous fruit drew even peak Great Saints like moths to a flame. Formidable though Fairy Qingluan was, she was wounded by multiple peak Great Saints. She escaped with the Sky-Connecting Fruit, but no one knows where she has hidden herself." Lu Changsheng's heart tightened. Three hundred years ago, he had been in deep seclusion. Lin Qingluan had still run into peril. However, she had not fallen, and she had managed to seize the fruit. She had likely gone into hiding somewhere beyond the reach of those peak Great Saints, nursing her injuries and perhaps consuming the fruit to cultivate. But locating her would be difficult. Luo Yang had sent her messages earlier without receiving any reply. Lu Changsheng naturally possessed a way to transmit messages to Lin Qingluan as well. Without delay, he sent a mental message, informing her that he had arrived in the Primordial Secret Realm and asking for her location. Whether she would respond was another matter; he had no way of knowing her current state. Several hours passed without the slightest response. Lu Changsheng's heart sank. Matters were truly precarious; Lin Qingluan's condition might be very dire indeed. Over the course of those hours, Shi Long watched Lu Changsheng's brow furrow deeper and his expression turn increasingly somber. Shi Long's anxiety mounted with every passing second. What if this old monster went berserk? What would become of him? In his eyes, Lu Changsheng had to be an ancient recluse who had just emerged from centuries of seclusion, only to discover that his old acquaintance had been battered into hiding, her life or death unknown. How could he possibly be in a good mood? "What happened to the Qingluan Sect?" Lu Changsheng asked next. Since Lin Qingluan had founded the sect, perhaps its disciples possessed clues to her whereabouts. "This... After Fairy Qingluan vanished without a trace, those old ancestors leveled the Qingluan Sect to the ground to vent their fury. They even issued a kill order, hunting down anyone associated with the sect..." Shi Long answered timidly, stealing a glance upward before hastily lowering his head. Though he was a Great Saint, Shi Long felt an unbearable weight pressing down upon him, as though he might be crushed to dust at any moment. Terrifying—it was simply too terrifying! He did not want to remain seated before Lu Changsheng for another second, yet he dared not leave, forced to sit there obediently. "Where was the Qingluan Sect's original mountain gate located?" Lu Changsheng asked suddenly. "In the Panluo Mountain Range. There is a Panluo Peak there; it is very easy to find." Lu Changsheng stood and requested a map from Shi Long. "By the way, do you know who took part in the siege against Fairy Qingluan?" Shi Long's heart leaped into his throat. *Can I say that? Is that something I should meddle with?* Fortunately, he truly did not know the specifics, so he shook his head vigorously. "I genuinely do not know. Word spread that Fairy Qingluan was besieged, but the exact identities of those involved were never made public." He wanted no part in this conflict. In the end, Lu Changsheng departed without lingering in Stone Fort City. Shi Long breathed a long sigh of relief. Lu Changsheng had exerted immense pressure on him; an ordinary one-Dao Great Saint could never endure the presence of such a terrifying expert. Gazing in the direction Lu Changsheng had gone, Shi Long knew in his heart that the waters surrounding the Qingluan Sect were about to churn violently once more. With the map in hand, Lu Changsheng flew steadily toward the Panluo Mountain Range. Panluo Peak was widely known across the realm, and though the Primordial Secret Realm was vast, locating the landmark was no great challenge. Roughly a year later, Lu Changsheng reached the Panluo Mountain Range. He spotted Panluo Peak at a glance—it was the tallest mountain in the entire range, piercing into the clouds and visible from afar. The Qingluan Sect had reportedly been built nearby. Lu Changsheng flew toward the peak and began scouring the vicinity. Sweeping his consciousness across the terrain, he caught faint signs of activity. "Hmm? There are cultivators nearby?" Lu Changsheng turned into a streak of light and darted in that direction. At the edge of a field of ruins near Panluo Peak stood three figures—all women clad in green robes. Looking upon the desolate debris, they gritted their teeth, their faces dark with sorrow and fury. "It's... it's truly destroyed." "Where has Master gone?" "And our fellow disciples... how many are still alive?" Tears streamed down their cheeks. They were disciples of the Qingluan Sect who had ventured out together into a perilous land years ago, only to become trapped. They had only recently broken free. Though their cultivation had advanced significantly, the news of the sect's destruction upon their emergence had left them in disbelief. They had rushed back to the mountain gate at full speed, only to find nothing but ruins. "We must avenge the sect!" The three women were currently only quasi-saints, but they were remarkably gifted. With diligent cultivation, becoming Great Saints in the future was not impossible. Of course, even as Great Saints, taking vengeance against their enemies would be nearly impossible, but holding onto that hope gave them a purpose, and their resolve was unwavering. "Heheh, we finally caught some fish that slipped through the net." "How many years have we waited? This is only the third batch of Qingluan Sect stragglers, isn't it?" "Indeed, the third batch. The previous two failed to satisfy the elders; let's hope these three do." "A mere three quasi-saints dare to return to the Qingluan Sect? You're throwing your lives away!" "If we can pry Fairy Qingluan's whereabouts from their lips and our ancestor claims the Sky-Connecting Fruit, our fortunes will soar..." As the voices faded, the three women realized to their horror that a crowd of cultivators had surrounded them. The leader was a Great Saint—and not just one, but three full Great Saints! The rest were all experts of the Saint Realm. "You're the ones who destroyed our Qingluan Sect?" one of the women demanded through clenched teeth. "What if we are?" "You Qingluan Sect remnants didn't stay hidden, yet you had the audacity to return here and mourn your fallen sect? You brought this death upon yourselves! Yield quietly, lest we subject you to torture once we take you." "Heh, such delicate beauties wouldn't last under our torment. The ancestors only care about results, not how we obtain them..." The cold gazes boring into them filled the three women with fury. "Run! Escape if you can! Once you're out, change your name and bide your time..." one of the women urged resolutely, biting her lip. Instantly, the three charged in unison toward a single direction, targeting a Saint Realm cultivator. All three were quasi-saints who had obtained fortuity within the perilous realm; joining forces, they were confident they could hold their own against an ordinary Saint Realm expert. Thud. Before they could reach the cultivator, they slammed into an invisible barrier. The moment they struck it, their limbs went limp, robbing them of all mobility. They had been thoroughly bound. "Heheh, we laid an inescapable net long ago. Did you really think you could break through?" One of the Great Saints waved his sleeve, revealing a shimmering white net in midair. It contracted rapidly, tightly ensnaring the three women. Despair washed over their faces. Bound hand and foot, they did not even have the power to self-detonate. They were completely at their enemies' mercy. "Master, your disciples are useless..." The three women knelt toward the ruins of the mountain gate. Captured alive, they could not escape the torture that awaited them. In the hands of these men, even death would be an unattainable luxury. "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly! We must uncover Fairy Qingluan's whereabouts!" the leading Great Saint ordered his subordinates. Subduing three mere quasi-saints was effortless for Great Saints, especially with the Inescapable Net bestowed by their ancestor. Even Great Saints below the fourth rank could not break free of it, let alone quasi-saints. Finding Fairy Qingluan's location was the only thing that mattered. Just as they prepared to haul the women away, every cultivator present froze. In the next instant, they snapped their heads toward the sky, expressions hardening into intense vigilance as they locked onto a figure standing in the void. A stranger was standing above them, yet none of them had noticed his arrival. When had he appeared? To draw so close without anyone sensing a thing... Worse still, they could not fathom his cultivation. All they could sense was an overwhelming, suffocating pressure. This was indisputably a formidable Great Saint! The cultivators tensed, bracing for battle. The leading Great Saint demanded in a heavy voice, "Who are you, sir? What business do you have at the Qingluan Sect?" The figure in the sky seemed not to hear him. His gaze swept slowly over the ruins of the Qingluan Sect before settling upon the three green-robed women. "It is the Tianyuan Formula. No mistake, this is Qingluan's teaching." "This Qingluan Sect was indeed founded by her." "Are the three of you Qingluan's disciples?" Lu Changsheng asked. The three women stared in bewilderment. They did not recognize him, and facing his question, they kept their mouths shut. Who knew whether he was another mastermind behind the destruction of their sect? In their situation, they could trust no one. Seeing the vigilance in their eyes, Lu Changsheng understood. His gaze drifted to the hostile cultivators surrounding them. Raising a hand, he pressed his palm gently downward toward the void. Boom! As if an invisible palm of colossal proportions had descended from the heavens, the Saint Realm and Great Saint cultivators were slammed violently into the earth. The Saint Realm cultivators were instantly crushed into fine dust. Only the Great Saints survived, though barely—their bodies were mangled and bloodied, clinging to life by a thread. Clearly, Lu Changsheng had stayed his hand to leave them alive. "Who... who on earth are you? Crossing our Heaven Mending Dao—our Ancestor will never let you leave alive!" one of the battered Great Saints yelled, pointing a trembling finger at Lu Changsheng. "The Heaven Mending Dao?" Lu Changsheng nodded faintly. "It seems your sect was among those responsible for destroying the Qingluan Sect. "I arrived a step too late to save it. "As for my identity, there is no harm in telling you. I am Fairy Qingluan's Dao companion—Lu Changsheng!" "What? Fairy Qingluan's Dao companion?!" The revelation sent shockwaves through everyone present. Not only the wounded Great Saints, but the three green-robed women were equally stunned. As Fairy Qingluan's disciples, they had never once heard their master mention having a Dao companion. Could he be an impostor? Yet the Qingluan Sect was already destroyed, Fairy Qingluan was missing, and anyone tied to the sect was being hunted by the realm's top factions. Claiming to be her Dao companion now would be nothing short of painting a target on one's own back. If it was the truth, however... anyone worthy of being Fairy Qingluan's Dao companion had to be a terrifying powerhouse of heaven-defying strength. Why had no one ever heard of such an expert before?