Chapter 135 - 134: And I’ll Just Suffer a Little

Chapter 135: Chapter 134: And I’ll Just Suffer a Little

’Something’s wrong. This is all wrong!’

After rushing all the way to the Blood Slaughter Sect, Wu Chen had been easily admitted into the mountain ravine just by showing his Jade Pendant. Faced with this turn of events, he couldn’t help but feel that something was deeply amiss.

He had been worried that the Jade Pendant from Xue Hanyan might have some kind of tracking function, so on his way to Purple Mist Mountain, he had swapped it with one from a Blood Slaughter Sect disciple he killed.

He had swapped it for a plain, unremarkable one that likely belonged to an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.

In addition, he had stuffed some hay into his shoulders and the bottom of his boots to alter his build.

He had also smeared dirt on his face. While he wasn’t completely filthy, he felt confident that in his current state, neither Xue Hongling nor her master would recognize him at a single glance.

Besides, after such an arduous journey, many others in the crowd looked just as weathered.

Wu Chen had also reasoned that with the Blood Slaughter Sect’s intense internal strife and countless external enemies, they couldn’t possibly have any kind of meticulous administrative system in place.

After all, the low-level disciples lived precarious lives, dying every other day. How could the sect possibly keep detailed records? A master probably didn’t even know how many apprentices he had at any given time, let alone their names.

That’s why Wu Chen had figured it would be easy to get into the Blood Slaughter Sect and enter the Blood Road trial.

But now that he was here, he realized it was *too* easy.

Calling it sloppy wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

All he had to do was show the Jade Pendant for unimpeded passage.

They’d glance at the pendant and wave him through. It was obvious they were letting in anyone who showed up.

It was no wonder he felt something was off.

’Question: If I were a Sect Leader or an Elder of the Blood Slaughter Sect, how would I verify the identity of our disciples?’

’Answer: Make them demonstrate their proficiency with the Ghost Howl Saber Art!’

This was the question Wu Chen posed to himself, and what he considered the most logical answer.

After all, who besides a Blood Slaughter Sect disciple would dedicate three to five years, or even longer, to mastering a saber art that couldn’t be used lightly, even if it could raise one’s cultivation realm?

Standing in the crowd, Wu Chen frowned in thought for a long time before it suddenly dawned on him.

’Damn, the Blood Slaughter Sect’s leadership is clever. They’re gathering all the villains and other shady powers of the martial world to do their bidding.’

’Once the trial is over, they can deal with everyone as they exit. They’ll get a massive haul with minimal effort!’

Wu Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. The Blood Slaughter Sect had perfected the art of preying on other predators.

The other four major sects might also have access to the secret realm, but they had ironclad rules and were incredibly powerful.

So, those desperate to enter the realm could only flock to the Blood Slaughter Sect to compete for some Martial Arts resources.

But the result was that they would just become grunts working for the Blood Slaughter Sect.

But what could anyone do? The sect held the keys to the secret realm, allowing them to sit back and reap all the benefits.

’But based on this, the secret realm must only contain resources for those between the Jade Bone Realm and the Organ Refining Realm.’

’If there were resources for the Blood Coagulation Realm or higher, this crowd would look very different. It would be a chaotic mix of major and minor players, and the Blood Slaughter Sect would be the ones feeling the heat.’

’Of course, if this were a higher-level secret realm, the Blood Slaughter Sect wouldn’t have the strength to defend their stronghold on Purple Mist Mountain anyway.’

As Wu Chen was assessing the secret realm, he suddenly heard a commotion rise from the crowd:

"Look, the Blood Road trial is starting!"

Wu Chen followed the voices and looked up to see a curtain of light slowly unfurling at the far end of the ravine, revealing a separate world within.

The scene within was blurry, like looking through a veil of water, but he could make out mountains and rivers, collapsed pavilions, and roaming beasts.

"The Blood Road trial is now open!"

"You may all embark!"

A resonant voice echoed through every corner of the ravine.

It was a gray-robed Elder with salt-and-pepper hair. He smiled at the massive crowd in the ravine and announced loudly:

"May you all return safely."

Wu Chen raised an eyebrow at his words.

Coming from an Elder of the Blood Slaughter Sect, the sentiment sounded utterly comical and sarcastic.

But he paid it no mind. His eyes, tinged with excitement, were fixed on the shifting scene within the distant curtain of light.

’Did I just see collapsed pavilions?’

’Looks like people once lived in there!’

’And whoever created this place could set such restrictive rules... such a feat suggests there might be Martial Arts beyond imagination inside!’

Wu Chen shuffled forward with the crowd. The closer he got to the curtain of light, the more fervent the look in his eyes grew.

About a hundred feet from the curtain of light, he paused almost imperceptibly.

The cool, flowing energy between his lungs began to inexplicably stagnate.

By the time he was within fifty feet, the energy inside him had completely frozen.

’How tyrannical!’

Wu Chen exclaimed inwardly. He had assumed the various restrictive rules would only take effect after he entered the secret realm.

He hadn’t expected that simply approaching it would be enough for the rules to envelop everyone in range, completely nullifying the abilities of an Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist.

’Losing this energy isn’t a huge problem. It just means if I’m injured by brute force, I’ll heal at the same rate as a normal person.’

’Setting aside whether I can beat the others... actually, I have Soft Armor for defense... so maybe I don’t need to set that aside?’

In truth, Wu Chen wasn’t too worried about his chances in a fight. He was entering at the very peak of the secret realm’s power limit!

For one thing, he was wearing a set of Tier One Red Phosphorus Soft Armor, which protected his vital organs and upper thighs.

Furthermore, in preparation for this trip into the secret realm, he had also visited two other establishments.

Hundred Herbs Hall and Qingyi Workshop.

He had gone to these two places to purchase pills, of course.

Tiered healing pills, Antitoxic Pills, and pills for restoring Qi Power cost thirty silver a piece.

Although the price was exorbitant, Wu Chen knew this was no time to be frugal, so he bought fifty of each type to be prepared for any contingency.

With such a stockpile, even if he were surrounded, he would have enough of an edge to contend with his foes.

A moment later, he reached the curtain of light leading into the secret realm and stepped through without hesitation.

The curtain of light rippled like water, and the scene before Wu Chen’s eyes changed in an instant.

One moment he was in the ravine; the next, he found himself in a forest of withered trees.

The trees were nothing but bare branches, and fallen limbs littered the ground, piled up like stacks of white bones.

The ground was barren, devoid of even weeds. In the shadows beneath the trees, he could see poisonous snakes coiled, flicking their jet-black tongues and letting out agitated hisses at the sudden influx of strangers.

"The Withered Woods."

Wu Chen scanned his surroundings as he moved forward, noticing that those who had entered before him were already far ahead, leaving only vague silhouettes in the distance.

He glanced back at the curtain of light behind him.

A steady stream of figures continued to pour out. After a quick glance at their surroundings, they all plunged deeper into the secret realm without a second thought.

Wu Chen surmised as much, but he didn’t rush to follow them.

Instead, he watched the figures rushing into the distance, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.

’You all go search for better resources, and I’ll just go through the trouble of finding you...’

’to help you consolidate all those resources in one place!’