Chapter 126: Endure a Little Longer

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At the entrance of the Shendan Cave Heaven, near the secret realm's gateway.

Mo Shanhai, the head of the Mo family, was staring fixedly at the exit. His brows were tightly furrowed, his expression complex and filled with a lingering sense of melancholy.

"Patriarch Mo, it seems we both bet wrong this time..." a man in black robes beside him spoke up.

He removed his hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.

He had come as a representative of the Shenhou Palace, bringing several powerful cultivators at the Unity stage. Together with the few remaining elders of the Mo family and its patriarch, they had joined forces, intending to capture Xu Zhe within the Shendan Cave Heaven.

However, the group had been unable to find any trace of Xu Zhe. After much deliberation and deduction, they concluded that Xu Zhe was waiting for the secret realm to close before emerging to harvest the medicinal herbs.

Mo Shanhai, firmly believing this theory to be correct, had decided to remain in the secret realm to lie in wait for Xu Zhe. The Shenhou Palace, not wanting to miss an opportunity to gain merit, had also stayed behind.

To cover all bases, the two parties agreed that each would send one person to guard the exit while the others remained inside after the realm closed. Once they captured Xu Zhe, they would secure the key and leave the realm.

Yet, nearly thirty days had passed. The area around the exit remained silent, and there had been no movement from within, which began to fill both men with a sense of foreboding.

By comparison, Mo Shanhai was clearly the most distraught. His entire Mo family, including several elders above the Unity stage, was now trapped inside the secret realm, leaving only him behind.

As for the middle-aged representative of the Shenhou Palace, although he had also lost several Unity stage experts, the Shenhou Palace still had many more powerful individuals to deploy, unlike the Mo family, which was now down to just Mo Shanhai.

Reflecting on this, the middle-aged man felt not only balanced but also a touch of schadenfreude. It meant that for the next hundred years, those noble guests from afar would have no choice but to rely on his Shenhou Palace for tasks outside the Northern Territory. Such merits would surely be rewarded in the future.

The Mo family, meanwhile, had been reduced to nothing more than a pawn.

"Patriarch Mo, shouldn't we withdraw? The Northern Territory has already urged us several times," the middle-aged man spoke again.

Once the secret realm closed, they couldn't even send messages through their communication talismans; they had no idea what the situation was inside.

Judging by the time elapsed, even Mo Shanhai understood by now that Xu Zhe was likely no longer in the secret realm. They had guessed wrong, and their gamble had failed.

"Wait a little longer," Mo Shanhai said through gritted teeth, unwilling to give up.

"Why bother? The Northern Territory only gave us sixty days, and more than half that time has passed. Our top priority should be to send people elsewhere to search for Xu Zhe’s whereabouts," the middle-aged man countered.

In truth, he had long since sent word back to the Shenhou Palace headquarters to dispatch new personnel to search for Xu Zhe. Saying this now was merely to create a record and put on a show for the sake of appearances. If they truly failed to find him, he could shift the blame onto Mo Shanhai, claiming it was his stubbornness that led to the plan’s failure, distancing the Shenhou Palace from the debacle.

"I said, wait a little longer!" Mo Shanhai glared at the middle-aged man, his teeth clenched in frustration.

"Very well. Since Patriarch Mo is so confident, we shall wait," the middle-aged man replied with a helpless shrug.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Shendan Cave Heaven.

A group of black-robed figures gathered on a path between the herb fields.

According to their previous agreement, they had dispersed to secretly monitor different areas. Even if they found nothing unusual, they were to meet every five days to ensure no one had been secretly murdered by Xu Zhe.

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This was their sixth meeting, and they had still found nothing.

"Gentlemen, things have come to this point; I might as well be blunt. It is clear that we all guessed wrong. Xu Zhe is simply not here. We should find a place to enter seclusion, as we have no choice but to wait a hundred years until we can leave," a black-robed man from the Shenhou Palace said in a low voice.

These words were directed primarily at the elders of the Mo family, who possessed cultivation bases above the Unity stage and were thus more formidable than the others.

In reality, these Mo family elders, while appearing to be in the early stage of the Tribulation Transcension realm, were simply too old. Their lifespans were nearly exhausted, and they could no longer exert the true power of that stage.

Still, a starving camel is larger than a horse; if the elders were serious, they remained stronger than those at the peak of the Unity stage, possessing something akin to half-step Tribulation Transcension power. Thus, the Shenhou Palace members dared not be too offensive and maintained a respectful demeanor.

Nevertheless, this still caused the faces of the Mo family elders to darken.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you giving up already?" an elder demanded coldly, staring at them.

"Senior, we have been waiting for thirty days, and Xu Zhe hasn't appeared once. Do you expect us to continue wasting our time?" a Shenhou Palace member retorted.

"Just because he hasn't appeared doesn't mean he isn't here. Perhaps he has discovered our presence and simply refuses to show himself. If we cannot wait him out, then we shall dig three feet into the ground to find him," the elder said grimly.

The Shenhou Palace members were left speechless.

This was completely absurd.

They had been so meticulous in their concealment; how could they possibly have been discovered? And digging three feet into the ground to find Xu Zhe?

The herb field area alone was vast, and the surroundings were filled with countless mountains. Even if Xu Zhe weren't here, if he were truly hiding, would they spend the next hundred years just digging holes?

Knowing they were trapped for a century had already left them in a foul mood, and hearing the elder's words nearly caused them to snap. However, due to the gap in strength, they held their tongues and reluctantly agreed.

As for whether they would actually search, that was another matter entirely.

"Let's skip the herb field for now. For the next few days, each person will be responsible for one mountain. Search it carefully. Whether you find clues or not, we will meet here again in five days. Is that clear?" an elder of the Mo family commanded.

The Shenhou Palace members nodded silently, indicating no objections.

The group dispersed, heading toward the mountains beyond the herb fields to begin their patrol.

Only one woman from the Shenhou Palace seemed to have a target in mind, heading straight toward a high mountain.

During her time hiding in the herb fields, she had occasionally felt a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from a mountain behind her. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but after careful sensing, she realized that the area indeed possessed rich spiritual energy, as if some rare treasure was about to manifest.

She hadn't rushed to investigate, fearing she would fail her mission or be caught by others, and also worried that someone else would want a share of the spoils.

Now that the Mo family elder had assigned each person a mountain to cover, she felt she had finally found her chance and flew toward that peak.

It was not until nightfall that she reached the foot of the mountain.

Feeling the rich spiritual energy flowing down from the slopes, accompanied by a faint, lingering medicinal scent, a smile appeared on her face.

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"I have always heard that the Shendan Cave Heaven hides divine pills nurtured by heaven and earth. If I can truly find such a pill, being trapped for a hundred years will be worth it."

The woman whispered to herself, her figure flickering as she transformed into a black shadow and darted up the mountain.

...

Meanwhile, inside a hidden cave halfway up the mountain.

Xu Zhe slowly opened his eyes, his brows knitted together.

"Someone is coming up the mountain?"

He had set up several detection arrays at the foot of the mountain, hidden deep within the terrain, just as an extra precaution. He hadn't expected that after so many days, with the secret realm already closed, the detection array would suddenly be triggered. It was clear that someone was passing through and ascending the mountain.

"This timing is terrible. I’ve only just reached the peak of the Golden Core stage and am preparing for the heavenly tribulation. If someone is nearby, and they are too close, they will be mistaken for an assistant, which will not only expand the radius of the tribulation but also increase its power..."

Xu Zhe felt troubled.

The Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was a critical transformation from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage; there was no room for error. But with someone appearing, it confirmed his previous suspicion: the newcomer was definitely hostile.

"Forget it, I'll endure for now."

Xu Zhe ultimately decided to play it safe; he couldn't be too reckless.

He quickly suppressed his aura, stopped drawing upon the energy for his breakthrough, and rose to leave the cave, heading in the opposite direction toward the foot of the mountain.

After careful consideration, Xu Zhe decided the most reliable course of action was to leave the Shendan Cave Heaven immediately. He possessed the key, while the others did not; he could simply trap them inside the secret realm. As for his tribulation, he could find a place to handle it once he was outside.

Yet, even as he thought this, he felt a sense of discomfort and dissatisfaction.

If he left now, he would feel as if he were choking on his own frustration. He had finally found a quiet place to cultivate in peace, only to be disturbed. If he left now, it might leave a knot in his heart, potentially evolving into a heart demon that would consume him in the future.

"No, I can't just leave like this."

Xu Zhe stopped abruptly, looking at the endless expanse of herb fields below, a thought stirring in his mind.

If I destroy the underground restrictions and release those toxic pill residues, and then use the key to leave while trapping them inside to feed on the toxins...

Is that a bit too much?

...

[The second update is here. I’m going to bed, or my sleep schedule will be ruined. Finally, please vote for this novel. Thank you all.]