Immortality Cultivation

Damn it, whatever I feared most had to happen! Just as I was about to touch the white light of the exit, the entire Secret Realm started shaking like it was having a seizure!

The lake surface beneath our feet churned like a boiling pot, and the distant mountain peaks collapsed like blocks! Even the light gate at the exit began to flicker, looking like it was about to go out!

"Hold on tight!" Fang Hao’s eyes turned red. He roared at the top of his lungs, using every ounce of strength he had to pilot his Flying Sword, diving desperately into the increasingly unstable light gate!

This was a race against the King of Hell; a single second too slow and we’d be buried alive in this hellhole!

But of course, some blind fool had to block the way! With a loud splash from the lake on the left, a giant tentacle, thicker than a water bucket and covered in disgusting suckers, whipped toward us with a stench so foul it could knock someone unconscious! That Demonic Qi was definitely at the Golden Core level!

Almost simultaneously, a chill ran down the back of Fang Hao’s neck. A killing intent, cold as a viper, locked onto his back! He didn’t need to look to know that some coward hiding in the shadows was trying to take advantage of the chaos and land a heavy blow!

With a tentacle blocking the front and a sneak attack from behind, and the Secret Realm collapsing beneath our feet! This was truly a desperate situation among desperate situations! Anyone else would probably have pissed their pants on the spot!

But who was Fang Hao? He was someone who had fought his way up from a menial servant, tempered by countless near-death escapes! At this moment, his mind was abnormally clear; without even thinking, his body reacted instinctively!

"Want to stop me? Get lost!"

Facing the terrifying tentacle whipping toward him, Fang Hao did not dodge. The yitian sword erupted with blinding light, and he unleashed the most domineering move of the Starfall Sword Art, "Falling Star Rending the Void"! A sword Aura, condensed to the extreme, streaked out like a meteor tearing through the night sky, carrying an unstoppable Aura as it struck directly at the base of the tentacle! He didn’t care about the tentacle’s attack at all; he was going straight for its vital spot!

At the same time, he didn’t even glance at the treacherous sneak attack behind him. With a thought, the empty clarity mirror he had been nourishing in his Dantian instantly appeared behind his back! The surface of the mirror shimmered with light, and the space twisted!

Puchi! Boom!

The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

Fang Hao’s desperate strike landed precisely on the vital spot where the tentacle connected to the lake water. The Demon Beast, in pain, let out a muffled roar. The force of the whipping tentacle greatly diminished, and its trajectory veered off, brushing past the edge of the Flying Sword. The gale it kicked up stung Fang Hao’s cheeks, but at least he wasn’t hit directly!

As for the cold sword light from behind, it collided with the twisted space of the empty clarity mirror, its trajectory instantly shifting. With a "whoosh," it flew past Fang Hao’s ribs, slicing a hole in his clothes—it was incredibly close!

He had managed to resolve two waves of lethal attacks in the blink of an eye by trading injury for life and using their own force against them! But the speed of the Flying Sword slowed for a split second because of this!

In that split second, the Secret Realm collapsed even more violently! Cracks like spiderwebs began to appear in the sky above their heads! The light gate at the exit flickered like a candle in the wind, on the verge of disappearing completely!

"No time left!" Fang Hao was burning with anxiety; he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the Flying Sword! Blood Escape Technique! The speed of the Flying Sword surged, turning into a streak of blood as it shot desperately toward the light gate!

"Stop him!" A furious roar came from behind, clearly from the guy whose sneak attack had failed. Several more beams of Spell light chased after them.

But it was too late!

Fang Hao piloted the Flying Sword, carrying the little princess—who was clutching his arm tightly with her eyes closed in terror—and the pale-faced Nanny, and smashed into the light gate just before it completely vanished!

Hum—!

A strong, dizzying sensation of the world spinning around came over him, and he was surrounded by bizarre spatial turbulence. Fang Hao protected the little princess with all his might, pushing his spiritual power to the limit to resist the tearing force of the space.

He didn’t know how long it had been; perhaps it was just a moment, or perhaps a long time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With three muffled thuds, the three of them fell heavily onto solid ground. Blinding sunlight shone down, and familiar bird calls reached his ears.

Fang Hao shook his dizzy head, struggled to stand up, and immediately looked around. The little princess Mu Zhenqing was knocked senseless by the fall, her hair bun undone, but she didn’t seem hurt and was sitting up, dazed. The Nanny was groaning by the side, but she wasn’t seriously injured either.

He looked up again and saw they had landed on a grassy field. Behind them, the sky where the entrance to the Secret Realm had been now showed only a few faint ripples in space that were rapidly smoothing out. The Secret Realm had closed completely.

"We’re out... we’re really out!" The little princess realized what had happened and cried out with a sob, filled with both lingering fear and excitement.

Fang Hao let out a long, long sigh of relief, feeling as if his bones were falling apart and his spiritual power was mostly depleted. He wiped the sweat and blood from his face and plopped down onto the ground, with only one thought in his mind: Damn it, finally made it out alive! This bodyguard job is really not meant for humans! No matter how many contribution points they offer, I’ll have to think twice next time!

After resting for a good while, the three of them finally recovered. The Nanny helped the little princess tidy up her appearance, and Fang Hao changed into clean clothes and swallowed a few qi recovery pills.

"Guest Official Ning, thank you for this." The little princess walked over to Fang Hao, her small face still pale, but her eyes filled with gratitude. "If it weren’t for you, I would have definitely died in there."

"Princess, you are too kind; this is my duty." Fang Hao waved his hand, though he thought to himself: Good that you know; don’t be so willful next time.

The three of them didn’t dare stay long. The little princess brought out a flying boat, and they flew back to the Seventh Princes Mansion in the inner city of Tianqing City.

As soon as they returned to the mansion, Master Zhao and the Mansion Steward, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately rushed up to meet them. Seeing the little princess return safely, both were overjoyed and thanked Fang Hao profusely, showering him with praise.

Fang Hao gave a simple report on the situation in the Secret Realm (naturally omitting the secret of the Earth Core Flame Fire, claiming only that he had used Formations to maneuver and luckily escaped) and mentioned that Qin Lie and the other guards might still be trapped in the Secret Realm.

After hearing this, Master Zhao’s face turned grave, and he immediately sent people to the vicinity of the Secret Realm entrance to investigate and provide support. He patted Fang Hao on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Guest Official Ning, you have performed a meritorious service in protecting our master, and you have brought back vital news about the anomalies in the Secret Realm! The Mansion will definitely reward you heavily! Go back and get some good rest; the reward will be delivered to your residence in a few days."

Fang Hao was indeed exhausted, physically and mentally drained, so he took his leave and returned to his small courtyard, "Bamboo Rhyme Garden," in the Guest Elder area.

Closing the courtyard gate and activating all Formations, Fang Hao collapsed onto the meditation cushion in the quiet room, not wanting to move even a finger. This trip to the Secret Realm, though short in duration, was even more perilous than the previous trip to Black Rock City. He had nearly lost his life several times.

But the gains were also huge. Not only had he completed the mission and protected the little princess, but his status in the Mansion would inevitably rise. More importantly, the battles on the edge of life and death had given him new insights into the use of his own power and how to handle crises. Although his cultivation was still at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, he felt that the window paper separating him from the Great Perfection seemed to have become thinner.

"Let’s sleep for three days and three nights..." Fang Hao muttered, his eyelids too heavy to hold up any longer, and he fell into a deep sleep.