Chapter 20: Past Events

　　Half a month later, in the middle of a certain valley outside of Qi Zhou City.

　　The Jindan Realm cultivator from the Spiritual Treasure Auction House had already been waiting here.

　　As time passed, the cultivators who had learned about the disappearance of the secret realm at the Spiritual Treasure Auction House that day arrived one after another.

　　Of course, the cultivators who came were definitely not only those in the auction house that day.

　　During this half a month, the news that a new secret realm had appeared outside of Qi Zhou City was already spreading within some circles.

　　Many cultivators with insufficient cultivation levels had begun to call on their friends to gather their companions in order to obtain great opportunities in the secret realm.

　　The value of a secret realm was unimaginable to these cultivators.

　　The chance to reach the heavens was in the secret realm.

　　Pills, magic treasures, and techniques could all be obtained in the secret realm.

　　A horse could not get fat without night grass, and a person could not get rich without cross-currency, and the secret realm was the best source of wealth.

　　Xu Yang and Ling Qingshu were among these cultivators, and compared to half a month ago, Ling Qingshu’s aura was more restrained.

　　However, if someone were to lock eyes with Ling Qingshu, they would realize that the sharpness in her eyes was even greater, that was sword intent.

　　Among the cultivators, there was such a group of people who only kept one magic sword in their life, and pursued killing with all their might, they were the sword cultivators, and the sword cultivator’s combat power was one of the best among the cultivators.

　　Sword intent was the most notable characteristic of this group of people, and right now there was such a trace of sword intent in Ling Qingshu’s eyes.

　　Xu Yang was also surprised that Ling Qingshu had realized the matter of sword intent.

　　When he had said that Ling Qingshu might be able to become a female Sword Immortal, he had only mentioned it casually, but he had never imagined that the next day a hint of sword intent had appeared on Ling Qingshu’s body.

　　This made Xu Yang feel a little emotional, it can’t be that within the 10,000 years of his own seclusion, his body’s potential has been explored to form an aptitude that has been exported into reality.

　　That Jindan Realm cultivator from the Spirit Treasure Auction House had been sizing up the crowd that kept arriving.

　　When his gaze was placed on Ling Qingshu, Ling Qingshu developed a sense and directly locked eyes with the Jindan realm cultivator.

　　An invisible sword intent was contained within Ling Qingshu’s gaze, and the cultivator from the Spirit Treasure Auction House only felt his eyes sting when he locked eyes with her.

　　He couldn’t understand why in just half a month, Ling Qingshu, a cultivator who had just entered the Jindan realm, would have changed so much.

　　Earlier, when he was at the Spirit Treasure Auction House, the Jindan Realm cultivator had also sized up Ling Qingshu, but Ling Qingshu had felt nothing.

　　Now with a slight glance, Ling Qingshu realized that she was even slightly weaker in terms of aura.

　　After withdrawing his gaze, this Jindan realm cultivator was lamenting that a sect with a long heritage like the Tian Lan Sect really did have a way about it.

　　An old ancestor who didn’t know where he had drilled out from, first he had directly destroyed the Cloud Mountain Sect, and now he had allowed a Jindan realm cultivator to undergo such a drastic change in half a month.

　　As time passed, there were more and more cultivators in this valley.

　　When it was noon, this Jindan realm cultivator took out a jade tablet from his storage bag.

　　With a bolt of mana injected into the jade token, the Jindan realm cultivator threw the jade token into mid-air.

　　The sunlight shone on the jade plate, and amidst the crowd’s astonished gazes, the light refracted from the jade plate formed a landscape scroll.

　　There were palaces and mountains, but the scene among them was desolate.

　　”Gentlemen, after another incense stick, the entrance to this secret realm will open, I hope that you will honor the agreement you made with our Spirit Treasure Auction House that day.”

　　The Jindan realm cultivator spoke aloud.

　　”Our Spirit Treasure Auction House only needs one thing from the secret realm, as for the other treasures you all are free to do as you please.

　　Also, there are many crises in the secret realm, so each of you can live or die as you see fit!”

　　As soon as these words were said, the scroll in the sky completely took shape.

　　This Jindan realm cultivator directly flew up and rushed into the scroll.

　　When the cultivators present saw this scene, each and every one of them activated their body’s magical power and rushed in towards the scroll.

　　Xu Yang held back Ling Qingshu, who was planning to rush in, and carefully scrutinized the scroll from where he was.

　　The existence of a secret realm was very special, it could be interpreted as an independent space or a small world, and that Jindan realm cultivator’s jade card was the key to the entrance of a secret realm.

　　The scene in the scroll that was floating in mid-air, Xu Yang looked familiar, seemed to have seen it somewhere.

　　Looking at the landscape in the scroll, a deep-seated memory surfaced from within Xu Yang’s mind.

　　He couldn’t remember how many years ago it was, when Xu Yang was still a teenager, and was the founding senior disciple of the Heavenly Barbarian Sect.

　　During those years, there had been a small follower behind Xu Yang.

　　By the time Xu Yang was stuck in the Qi Refining Realm and unable to build a foundation, while that little follower began to show his natural talent.

　　Later, the little follower broke away from the Tian Lan Sect and ventured out into the world on his own, and before he descended the mountain he said to Xu Yang.

　　”Young master, when I return, I will definitely be able to help you break through to Foundation Establishment.”

　　By the time Xu Yang saw the young follower again, it was many years later.

　　At that time, the Sixth Generation Patriarch of the Tian Lan Sect had already ascended, and that little follower with outstanding natural talent had also become the Patriarch of a major sect.

　　At that time, in the middle of such a landscape, Xu Yang, who was still in the Qi Refining Realm, sat down to discuss the Dao with his little follower, who had already achieved the Harmonization of the Dao.

　　Later, Xu Yang returned to the Tian Lan Sect to continue his seclusion, while the little follower stayed behind to pursue the method of building Xu Yang’s foundation again.

　　Since then, Xu Yang never saw the little follower again, and the sect he founded disappeared from the continent many years later.

　　Xu Yang did not expect to see such a familiar scene here today.

　　A scene surfaced in his mind, and Xu Yang carefully recalled each and every scene.

　　Looking at Xu Yang in such a state, Ling Qingshu did not say anything and just looked at Xu Yang there.

　　And on Xu Yang’s shoulder, there was also a little fellow who was incomparably active, it was that Cloud Beast.

　　The cloud beast cub looked at the scene in the middle of the scroll and waved its little paw to gently stroke Xu Yang’s ear a few times.

　　Without getting the expected response, the cloud beast cub spat out a mouthful of cloud mist, spraying it on Xu Yang’s face.

　　The cold sensation interrupted Xu Yang’s memories, and he stroked the Cloud Beast Cub’s small head, asking in a small voice.

　　”Did you just come out from there?”

　　Listening to Xu Yang’s words, the Cloud Beast Cub looked at the scroll and then at Xu Yang, pondering for half a second before nodding.

　　Receiving such a response, a smile appeared on Xu Yang’s face as well.

　　It seemed that he and this Cloud Beast Cub were really incomparably in tune with each other.

　　”Let’s go, let’s go in and take a look.”

　　Xu Yang took a single step, and his figure appeared in front of the entrance to the landscape scroll in the next instant.

　　Ling Qingshu followed behind Xu Yang and took a step into the landscape scroll.

　　When the noon hour passed, the landscape scroll suddenly disappeared in the middle of the valley, and even the jade tablet disappeared as well.