Across the various clans, Soul Formation experts were, at the very least, core pillars who possessed considerable influence. Some were even clan patriarchs, patronized by numerous Nascent Souls and wielding monstrous authority. Bound together, such a force could run rampant across the Demon Domain, utterly disregarding all rules.
—Or so it seemed in the eyes of Foundation Establishment great cultivators and Golden Core ancestors; to them, the Soul Formation stage was the heavens themselves.
Yet these Soul Formation experts knew that compared to truly formidable cultivators, they were nothing more than ants.
Just like right now: the legendary Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden had appeared, pinning every single one of them midair with a mere flick of her hand, unable to budge an inch. They could only look on helplessly as the three chatted and laughed down below, powerless to do a thing.
"Back when I traveled through the Demon Domain, I ran into plenty of mishaps and had to rely entirely on Eldest Senior Sister to clean up after me. Now my cultivation isn't what it used to be. I don't need Eldest Senior Sister anymore; I can handle things on my own."
Third Senior Sister smiled. This was what growth looked like.
"As for you lot..."
Third Senior Sister turned her head. Though her eyes were blindfolded, she could still keenly perceive everything happening around her.
"You've all scrambled through the mud in the Demon Domain for so many years, so you know its rules. Those who kill will inevitably be killed. You dared make a move against my junior brothers, so there's no reason to keep you alive."
"Wait—"
The Qiongqi Clan expert struggled desperately against his bindings, trying to beg for mercy. But he had barely uttered a single word when Third Senior Sister plucked her zither strings once more.
Sound waves transformed into invisible threads, slicing the Soul Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators in the sky into pieces. Chunks of flesh and severed limbs rained down with gory clatters.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou swallowed hard. Third Senior Sister was truly ruthless when she struck.
"What's so shocking about that? That's how everyone killed each other in ancient times," the Immortal Fairy chimed in as a witness. The ancient era was even more perilous than the current Demon Domain; countless cultivators and demons fell every day.
The Foundation Establishment and Golden Core demons who had only just woken up stared in dumbfounded shock. High-and-mighty Soul Formation experts had been slaughtered so casually; their brains simply couldn't process such overwhelming information all at once.
Several seconds passed before a demon let out a shriek and bolted like mad. Snapping out of their daze, the remaining demons scrambled to flee in every direction.
Never mind where, as long as it was far away from this place!
Third Senior Sister had no interest in small fry and let them go.
With the rabble either dead or fled, Third Senior Sister turned her attention back to Lu Yang. Sensing his solid foundation, she couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
She shook open a tablecloth, spread it over the ground, and gestured for the two of them to sit, telling them not to be so stiff.
"Your cultivation is progressing quite fast. I heard that when you joined Master's lineage, Master happened to go missing, so Eldest Senior Sister personally taught you. What good luck."
"I'd have loved to be taught by Eldest Senior Sister too, but alas, I didn't come at the right time."
"I asked Eldest Senior Sister to send over a fellow disciple well-versed in ancient history, never imagining she would send you. Who knew that at such a young age, you'd already be recognized by Eldest Senior Sister as an ancient history scholar?"
Lu Yang offered an appeasing smile. "Pure luck, pure luck."
Third Senior Sister waved a hand, encouraging him. "How could you call it just luck? Don't sell yourself short. Luck is only part of it; your achievements today must certainly be tied to hard work."
Lu Yang thought about it and realized she was right. If he hadn't worked hard to pass the Fairy's trials, he wouldn't even be alive today.
Third Senior Sister turned to Meng Jingzhou and spoke in a mildly teasing tone: "Since he's Lu Yang, then you must be the Eldest Young Master of the Meng Family?"
"I heard from Eldest Senior Sister that despite possessing a Bachelor Spiritual Root, you were daring enough to forge a new path, forming two Bachelor Golden Cores. You even mastered Nirvana True Fire to speed up your cultivation, utterly fearless of succumbing to qi deviation from any lapse in willpower. Even demonic cultivators wouldn't dare pull off stunts like that! That Dao heart of yours in pursuit of the immortal path alone surpasses everyone else!"
"As your senior sister, this first meeting was rather rushed, and I don't have a greeting gift on hand. How about this: I'll open this secret realm and take you inside to find some good stuff."
A senior sister ought to act like one; she couldn't mistreat them.
The entrance to the secret realm was right beneath their feet. She beckoned over the white jade platter floating in the air.
"This secret realm was likely left behind by a Soul Formation expert of the Suanni Clan. Back then, he was quite renowned among the Soul Formation cultivators of the Demon Domain—a prodigy, proud and untamed. On a whim, he wiped out several minor tribes. Unfortunately, he later provoked a formidable existence he had no business offending. When that powerful foe attacked, the Suanni was no match and perished in the north. Even his defensive supreme treasure, the white jade platter, was shattered into three pieces by the foe and scattered across the Demon Domain."
Third Senior Sister sighed. "I tried looking for the platter's fragments myself, but I never found them, so I shelved the matter. Who would have thought you two little fellows would assemble the complete white jade platter today?"
"...Yeah, I never expected to gather the whole platter either."
Lu Yang could say in all good conscience that he hadn't done a thing—the white jade platter had practically flown right into his hands.
"Senior Sister, don't secret realms usually have realm restrictions? Can you enter a Soul Formation-grade secret realm?"
Third Senior Sister shook her head. "You're thinking of secret realms left behind as blessed opportunities for posterity, which impose realm restrictions so descendants can pass trials and claim rewards. This realm was the Suanni's personal private vault. As long as it can be opened, anyone can enter and leave at will—there are no restrictions."
"So that's how it is."
"Secret realms designed as blessed opportunities for posterity are relatively rare in the Demon Domain and more common in Great Xia. I don't blame you for having that misconception."
"Why are they common in Great Xia?"
"Two reasons. First, some cultivators place great importance on karmic affinity and use them to prepare for their future cultivation. If junior cultivators gain benefits in their secret realms, they form positive karma with them, which helps lessen the damage when facing lightning tribulations in the future."
"And the second reason?"
"Great Xia requires estate tax. Some cultivators don't want to pay it, so they choose to leave a secret realm for 'fated individuals.' That counts as a gift, which isn't taxed."
Lu Yang: "..."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
Third Senior Sister weighed the white jade platter in her hand. "This platter is actually quite handy, but its grade is too high for you two to use. Otherwise, I'd have just given it to you."
Unlike Eldest Senior Sister, she couldn't place multiple layers of seals on the platter, unsealing one layer each time Lu Yang's cultivation advanced a stage.
The secret realm entrance was a black vortex flecked with starlight. Without the key, rashly charging in would either tear the intruder to pieces or teleport them to an unknown area—it was extremely hazardous.
As if she already knew how to operate the white jade platter, Third Senior Sister activated it. The platter linked with the realm's entrance, and with a gentle twist, the entrance unlocked.
"Done."
"Senior Sister, you seem quite familiar with how to use that platter?" Lu Yang asked hesitantly.
"What's so strange about that? When I fought that Suanni, he used this platter the whole time. Watching it a few times was all it took to learn."
"...You were the one who beat that Suanni to death?"
"Oh, didn't I mention it? Ah right, I said he provoked a powerful foe. Same difference."
Chapter 569