The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

"So this is the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm? It’s nothing special."

"What a huge, dense forest. Is this really Hidden Dragon Valley?"

The newcomers curiously sized up their surroundings. Meanwhile, from within the thickets, pairs of gleaming green pupils, brimming with malevolence, stared silently at the crowd.

"Ha! Hidden Dragon Valley, here I come!" A young man laughed out loud, his figure blurring as he shot toward the edge of the dense forest. At that exact moment, a green light flashed past. Blood sprayed, and a head was sent flying high into the air.

"What was that?!"

"Watch out! Everyone, on your guard!"

"Hidden Dragon Valley is as dangerous as they say. Something like this happened the moment we arrived."

Everyone turned pale with fright, their focus sharpening as they raised their guard.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. A casualty had occurred right after they entered the Secret Realm, casting a shadow over everyone’s hearts. The dangers of Hidden Dragon Valley were clearly no joke; crisis lurked at every moment.

"Brother Su, did you get a clear look just now?" Qin Ya asked.

"Yes." Su Chang nodded gravely. "According to my clan’s records, that green shadow was likely the predator of this forest, the Four-Eyed Green Monkey. It’s a vicious and insidious creature with a high degree of intelligence."

Just then, a rustling sound came from the grass. Seeing this, a young man’s eyes glinted coldly. He leaped up, thrusting his longsword forward.

"Found you!"

The young man shouted, stabbing into the patch of grass. With a sickening squelch, the blade sank into flesh, kicking up a spray of crimson blood. Seeing this, Su Chang’s expression changed slightly.

"Hmph, so you’re nothing spec—"

The young man smirked triumphantly and pulled out his sword. But before the smile could fade from his face, the green light flashed again. The youth’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. A bloody gash had appeared on his neck.

Gushes of blood spurted out, and in a few moments, he collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Damn it! The Four-Eyed Green Monkey’s blood is green!" Su Chang’s face was cold. He waved a hand to part the grass, revealing only a rabbit soaked in its own blood. It wasn’t a Four-Eyed Green Monkey at all.

"What a cunning beast, to know how to use a decoy."

"Everyone, stay alert! Don’t stray too far!"

"Shit, that thing is so fast! I can’t even see it clearly."

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH! Several green lights flashed again. This time, their targets were Lu Yin and Gong Cang, who were at the very front of the group.

"Hmph." Lu Yin snorted coldly. His palms danced, unleashing several streaks of blade light. As they flashed past, agonizing screeches rang out, leaving only green bloodstains on the ground.

Gong Cang, on the other hand, merely gave a faint smile. Without moving an inch, a spinning True Essence Qi Shield enveloped him. The moment the green shadow touched the shield, it was instantly flung away, crashing into a tree. Only then did everyone get a clear look at it.

It looked like a monkey, covered in green fur. It had four green eyes on its face, which darted around, glinting with a cold light. Its claws were long and sharp, making it look like a hunter hidden in the woods.

Seeing that it had been exposed, the monkey moved, trying to dart back into the forest. At that moment, a brilliant Sword Light flashed. Green blood sprayed as a head was thrown into the air. The green-furred monkey had been decapitated in an instant.

Everyone looked over to see Li Peiyi calmly sheathing her longsword.

"Damn, what a fast and accurate sword strike."

"Li Peiyi... she truly lives up to her name as a rising star of the Hidden Dragon List."

Suddenly, a RUSTLING sound filled the air. Dozens of Four-Eyed Green Monkeys leaped out from the woods, screeching and chittering, their eyes gleaming with cold light.

"There are so many of them!"

"Holy crap, looks like we’ve stumbled into a whole troop of them."

"Hmph. Kill them!"

With a cry to battle, Sword Qi, blade lights, and Palm Force erupted through the air.

Everyone present was a Martial Artist at or above the Spiritual Element Realm, possessing extraordinary strength. However, each of these Four-Eyed Green Monkeys also had power equivalent to the Spiritual Element Realm.

The two sides clashed, and for a moment, the battle was a chaotic stalemate.

"A few little monkeys think they can block my path?"

Lu Yin gave a cold smile. He waved his hands, and countless blade lights scattered like a violent storm. Wherever they passed, the Four-Eyed Green Monkeys were either killed or severely injured.

Not to be outdone, Su Chang and the others unleashed their own Secret Techniques.

Under the might of these few prodigies, the monkey troop knew they were outmatched and quickly retreated, leaving behind dozens of corpses. On the Academy’s side, several people had also been killed or injured.

"As you’ve all seen, Hidden Dragon Valley is incredibly dangerous. We ran into a troop of monkeys right after we arrived, and who knows what other perils lie ahead," said a youth with a noble air about him. "Traveling alone is just too risky. Why don’t we form teams and help each other? It would be much safer."

"What does everyone think?"

Hearing this, the crowd looked at each other uncertainly.

"Moving forward in teams... that’s not a bad idea."

"Yeah, there are too many unknowns in Hidden Dragon Valley. It’s hard to get far on your own. Teaming up is a good plan."

"Hmph, team up? And how would we split the rewards?"

Some agreed, while others scoffed at the idea.

"Teaming up? How boring. You all can play your little games. I’m leaving." After a cold laugh, Lu Yin’s figure flickered, becoming a streak of light as he shot toward the edge of the forest. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.

"Only the weak rely on the strength of others." Nangong Xinzhi raised his eyes slightly, shot a disdainful glance at the crowd, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Following them, many other confident Martial Artists left one after another.

Those who remained formed several teams.

"Peiyi, will you travel with me, or go alone?" Qin Ya asked, looking at Li Peiyi with a faint smile.

"No, I think I’ll go alone," Li Peiyi replied coolly.

"This Secret Realm is filled with danger. Take care of yourself."

"You too." A determined glint flashed in Li Peiyi’s eyes. "My Cultivation is only at the Spiritual Element Realm right now, so there’s still a huge gap between us. But one day, I will catch up to you—and even defeat you."

"I’ll be waiting for that day," Qin Ya said with a calm smile.

Just then, a young man walked up and asked, "Teacher Qin, we’ve decided to form a team. How about you join us? With you, our chances of survival will increase dramatically."

"Teacher Qin, please join us!"

"Hmph, they’re just a bunch of scrubs. Teacher Qin, if you join our team, I’m willing to hand over full command to you."

"Teacher Qin, team up with us!"

Several teams came forward one by one, inviting Qin Ya to join them.

Not only was Qin Ya exceptionally powerful, but he was also a Seventh-Grade Alchemist. Having him on a team would be like adding wings to a tiger, making them immensely stronger.

Looking at the crowd, Qin Ya gave a faint smile and said, "This journey into the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm is fraught with peril. All of you, take care. I’ll be on my way."

With that, Qin Ya executed his Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique and left the area.

Seeing Qin Ya leave, the teams tried to invite Li Peiyi, but they were similarly rebuffed. One team even tried to force her to join, only for one of its members to have half an ear sliced off by her sword. Her combat prowess left everyone stunned.

The expedition into the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm had officially begun.