Besides the Spiritual Energy, there was also an abundance of Life Essence at its peak.

"Look, it's Star Moon Bamboo!" a Sanqing prodigy exclaimed, pointing ahead not long after they had started walking.

Through the blurry mist and haze, they could make out a treasured bamboo shimmering with starlight. It was as clear as jade, and its every leaf glowed, swaying gently to sprinkle starlight everywhere.

It was an extremely rare treasure, a top-grade material for Artifact Refining that was truly scarce.

Along their journey, they had encountered countless opportunities in the Ancient Forest, but nothing of this caliber. Everyone was immediately tempted, their eyes glinting with desire.

Mo Wuwei stepped forward. Wearing a monocle, she reached out a delicate, jade-like hand to caress it before exclaiming in amazement, "This Star Moon Bamboo is of exceptional quality, stronger than any that have appeared in Vermilion Bird City's records for the past several hundred years. It seems to have grown by drinking the Essence Blood of some powerful creature. Truly extraordinary!"

Wang Xiu waved his hand. "Take it!"

Before long, another cry of surprise rose.

"Purple Cloud Ganoderma!"

"That's an exceptionally rare Precious Medicine, highly effective for increasing one's Cultivation Level!"

"Heavens, such a Precious Medicine is hard to find even by itself, yet there are three growing together here!"

"Quick, look over there! What is that?"

"Green Jade Glaze! This is a supreme-grade mineral! Quick, dig up more, but be careful!"

"..."

The Sanqing disciples were no strangers to valuable items.

But the opportunities, spiritual medicines, and materials in this treasured land, while not including another Holy Medicine on the level of the Dragon Transformation Grass, were of a distinctly higher quality than those in the Ancient Forest. Moreover, they were scattered about like common wildflowers, as if they were worthless.

The Sanqing disciples were ecstatic. Their haul was overflowing, and they were all grinning from ear to ear.

For them, Holy Medicines were something one could only chance upon, not actively seek. These other treasures, however? The more, the better.

Even Xiang Tiange emerged from the gloom of his rejection by the Dragon Transformation Grass, with excitement and a smile returning to his face.

The further they advanced, the thinner the fog became.

Wang Xiu had already determined that this was an isolated, minor Secret Realm connected to the outside world by a single exit, one that had existed for an unknown number of years. His only regret was that the Secret Realm wasn't very large. They soon reached what seemed to be its end.

An ancient well stood before Wang Xiu and the others.

No one knew why such a place would have an ancient well.

Looking down into it, one saw only pitch-black darkness devoid of any light. Yet, it held an indescribable attraction, as if it could swallow a person's very spirit.

"What is this place?"

"Be careful. I have a really bad feeling about this. There seems to be something ominous here; just getting close makes me anxious!"

"Why do I feel like it's a bloody, gaping maw that could devour any living thing?"

"Don't be so scary!"

The atmosphere grew eerie.

Some of the more timid female cultivators couldn't help but frown, unconsciously taking a couple of steps back. The aura emanating from the ancient well made them feel a palpable sense of danger, and they wanted to keep their distance.

Wang Xiu's eyes, however, brightened.

He'd had a feeling this entire time. While the treasures in this Secret Realm were abundant, they didn't quite match the terrifying phenomenon at the entrance. After all, there was a Holy Medicine standing guard there. Could it be that there was nothing else of value inside? Now it seemed the answer lay with this ancient well. Or more precisely... what was under it.

He activated the Supreme Sensing Chapter and focused his gaze on the well. Sure enough, he saw an incredibly dense, golden light of treasure surging skyward from the bottom. It was as if a great sun lay in the depths, radiating endless brilliance.

However, coexisting with this golden light was a baleful black aura so vicious it was palpable. It represented extreme danger.

There was an astonishing opportunity beneath this ancient well, but it could also claim a person's life at any moment.

Wang Xiu's expression changed. After a moment of contemplation, he took out a piece of a Fierce Beast's skeleton, held it over the mouth of the well, and dropped it in.

A moment later, the entire Secret Realm began to tremble violently. The sound of a Dragon's roar shook the heavens as a surge of blood-red baleful aura erupted from the well, spreading a terrifying killing intent. The faces of the Sanqing disciples changed drastically, and they instantly retreated hundreds of feet.

Several giant, blood-red dragons formed from the baleful aura charged out of the well. Their eyes were crimson, and a single glance from them could awaken the deepest fears in one's heart, extinguishing all will to fight.

The blood-red dragons scrambled over each other to devour the Fierce Beast's skeleton, consuming it in the blink of an eye until not even a scrap remained.

Everyone's scalp prickled with terror, their bodies turning cold and stiff.

Even prodigies like Li Zuoyue and Xiang Tiange felt their limbs go numb and the hair on their skin stand up.

"Such intense malevolent aura!"

The Soul-Attracting Bell trembled. Jiang Yourong couldn't help but cry out as she stared at the ancient well, her beautiful face paling. Her body trembled, and her chest heaved dramatically.

"A Primordial Divine Beast must have died at the bottom of this well! After countless years, its cadaveric aura has condensed into this malevolent aura. Its corrosive power is extremely strong; it will shred, corrode, and devour the flesh of anyone who gets too close!"

"It was likely a powerful member of the Dragon Clan. Perhaps even a True Dragon fell here!" Wang Xiu said, his eyes flickering. "This type of cadaverous malevolence is different from soul-based malevolence. Its corrosive power is immense, specializing in decaying the flesh of the living and converting it into nourishment!

"Unless your physical body is exceptionally resilient, anyone who gets near will have their flesh corroded into a pool of pus within moments!"

Hearing the words "exceptionally resilient physical body," Xiang Tiange instinctively wanted to step forward. But then he recalled what had happened earlier and fell silent, awkwardly retreating.

BOOM!

Just then, another tremor came from the bottom of the well.

Fearing that the malevolent aura was surging up again, everyone's expressions changed as they scattered in retreat, not daring to linger.

But this time, it wasn't malevolent aura. Instead, an incredibly dense Life Essence erupted from the bottom of the well. It flooded the entire Secret Realm, nourishing countless spiritual herbs, with the large excess still flowing out toward the entrance.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.