Chu Feng had previously worried that the secret realm described by the Spirit Beast Treasure Map might be this very ancient ruin.
After all, if that were the case, the Wuma Heavenly Clan had already discovered it and invited experts from various clans to explore it together. Even if Chu Feng secured a spot, his share of the gains would be pitifully small.
Fortunately, the secret realm detailed on the Spirit Beast Treasure Map was now clear. Though it was nearby, it wasn’t the ancient ruin itself.
The map’s secret realm lay beneath the ancient ruin, and as for its entrance, it was even simpler: the Spirit Beast Treasure Map itself was the key.
Although the secret realm was located below the ancient ruin, Chu Feng couldn’t be certain it had no connection to the ruin since the map had activated here.
If there was a link, this might be a rare opportunity—one that, if missed, might never come again.
But with Liangqiu sisters, various clan juniors, and Wuma Heavenly Clan members outside, Chu Feng had little chance to open the map unnoticed.
If there was an opportunity, this moment might be his only shot.
The boundary formation he’d set up wouldn’t hold the Liangqiu sisters back for long unless someone kept it active, and Wuma Shengjie was the perfect candidate.
“How should I repay your favor? Speak up!” Wuma Shengjie urged at that moment.
“Help me maintain this formation, don’t let them in. I have something to do,” Chu Feng said.
“Just this small favor?” Wuma Shengjie asked, puzzled.
“Yes,” Chu Feng replied.
“You’re sure?” she pressed again.
“Certain,” Chu Feng said with a faint smile.
Wuma Shengjie said nothing more and went straight to the boundary gate Chu Feng had created, beginning to channel power into it.
“Little lady, don’t peek,” Chu Feng warned.
“Put your heart back in your stomach, I’ve got zero interest in you,” Wuma Shengjie replied without even turning her head.
Chu Feng chuckled softly, then set up another boundary formation to envelop himself.
Though he felt Wuma Shengjie was likely a person of her word, he wasn’t about to fully trust someone who had just tried to kill him.
Naturally, he wouldn’t expose all his secrets to her.
This formation would conceal him completely. Even if Wuma Shengjie looked back, she wouldn’t see him or the Spirit Beast Treasure Map through it.
Once the formation was in place, Chu Feng opened the map.
At that moment, the map glowed brilliantly, as if it contained an entire world within. When Chu Feng released it, it floated in midair on its own.
A radiant light burst from the map, quickly forming a glowing portal.
Without hesitation, Chu Feng darted through it.
Passing through the portal, he saw nothing but pitch blackness, his body plummeting rapidly.
The sensation didn’t last long. His feet soon hit solid ground, and he found himself in a cave.
Looking up, he spotted a glowing portal above, identical to the one from the map, and relaxed.
That was his way back. Without it, returning would be far from easy.
Reassured, Chu Feng began examining the cave.
It was a sealed space, with no exits aside from the portal above.
The cave was rudimentary, its walls bare earth, devoid of any adornment, as if someone had casually dug it out deep underground.
Compared to the ancient ruin, it was a stark contrast.
If the ancient ruin was an emperor’s palace, this was a beast’s den.
“This is the secret realm from the Spirit Beast Treasure Map? Are you kidding me?”
Chu Feng felt a twinge of helplessness. Not only was this place dilapidated beyond belief, but it lacked even a hint of natural energy. Far from a martial cultivation haven, it was worse than the outside world.
A secret realm? This didn’t fit the bill at all.
“Could this egg hold some mystery?”
Undeterred, Chu Feng turned his attention to the center of the cave floor.
There sat an egg.
It was slightly more than twice the size of an ostrich egg.
Pale gold in color, its shell was smooth, but beyond that, it seemed unremarkable, like an egg laid by some bird.
Oddly, though it appeared ordinary, even Chu Feng’s Heavenly Eyes couldn’t see through it.
“This egg’s not simple.”
Approaching it, Chu Feng reached out to pick it up for a closer look.
*Boom—*
The moment his hand touched the egg, the cave shook violently. The tremors were so intense that even Chu Feng, a Martial Immortal, couldn’t keep his footing. He stumbled back several steps and fell to the ground with a thud.
“What’s this?”
To his shock, Chu Feng noticed glowing patterns emerging on the cave walls. Upon closer inspection, they were boundary runes, forming a vast net that sealed the egg.
“A sealing formation?”
Chu Feng quickly identified it as a sealing array, but the realization alarmed him.
The formation’s power was overwhelming, unlike anything he’d ever encountered. He suspected its creator was beyond the Sacred Cloak level.
Beyond Sacred Cloak lay the legendary Divine Cloak.
If this was truly a sealing array set by a Divine Cloak Spiritist, what could it be imprisoning?
“Trouble.”
Suddenly, Chu Feng’s expression shifted, panic flashing in his eyes.
He noticed the formidable sealing formation was dissipating. He didn’t know why, but it was fading fast.
“Damn it, I didn’t release some monster, did I?”
Sensing danger, Chu Feng leapt up, intent on fleeing.
Whatever this powerful array was sealing, it was beyond his ability to confront.
“Wait, this feeling?”
But just as he reached the cave’s ceiling, about to enter the portal, he froze.
A rich surge of natural energy had flooded the cave, so potent and soothing it held an irresistible allure for any martial cultivator.
Looking back, the sealing array had completely vanished. The egg now shone with dazzling golden light, like a priceless treasure, radiant and captivating.
That dense natural energy was emanating from the egg itself.
