Chapter 282: Chapter 264: Entering the Secret Realm Again
“Demonic cultivators of the Demonic Path…” Zhang Yuan said, his face a picture of surprise.
“What, he hasn’t been caught yet?”
Lin Jing nodded and replied,
“That’s right.”
“That demon cultivator is extremely cunning; despite numerous encirclements, he has always managed to escape.”
“Especially during the recent incident when he killed a Golden Core member of the Yun Family, we almost had him surrounded, but ultimately he got away.”
“Moreover, during that incident, he injured several of the Golden Core Immortals participating in the encirclement. It is said that your family’s patriarch was there as well and got injured in that blockade.”
Startled, Zhang Yuan responded,
“My patriarch got injured? Why have I been kept in the dark? Nobody ever told me about it.”
“You’ve been in closed-door cultivation recently; maybe he didn’t want to worry you…” Lin Jing replied.
After saying that, Lin Jing proceeded to elaborate further,
“Also, I heard that the patriarch’s injuries were not severe, which may be the reason you were kept uninformed.”
“Hmm…”
Zhang Yuan nodded, then continued,
“Perhaps…”
“The patriarch’s lifespan was not much to begin with; it was only after taking the Lifespan Extension Pill last time that he got somewhat better, but the pill can only extend life by up to fifty years at most.”
“If the patriarch were to suffer serious injuries again, I fear it would damage the fundamentals and cause his already limited lifespan to dwindle even faster.”
“The patriarch must be conducting my assessment in hopes of training me quickly.”
“Yes…”
Lin Jing echoed with a reply.
The situation of the Zhang Family Patriarch was indeed not optimistic.
If they could cultivate a qualified family head in the remaining time and bring forth a new Golden Core Immortal for the Zhang Family,
only then would the Zhang Family be able to prevent decline in the times ahead.
Of course, Zhang Wu is also a Golden Core Immortal.
But Zhang Wu and the Zhang Family Patriarch belong to the same era.
The ages of the two are not vastly different.
He likely won’t last much longer either and will pass away due to the end of his lifespan.
It’s even possible that he might pass away before the patriarch who has taken the Lifespan Extension Pill.
That is precisely why there’s a pressing need to cultivate Zhang Yuan.
……
Afterward,
the two fell silent, both turning their heads to look out the window.
Not long after, Huang Qingling arrived.
“What’s with you two? Why do you both look so melancholic?” she asked as she approached.
“It’s just some family matters, nothing much…”
Zhang Yuan spoke up.
“Oh…” Huang Qingling responded.
At that moment, Lin Jing turned to Huang Qingling and asked,
“What were you up to just now? Why did you have us come here first to wait for you?”
“I thought of something great.”
Huang Qingling said as she reached into her Storage Bag and pulled out two Jade Pendants from within.
Then, she handed one of them to Lin Jing.
“Lin Jing, take this…”
Lin Jing, staring at the Jade Pendant in Huang Qingling’s hand, said,
“Isn’t this a paired pendant? Why did you buy this?”
He was quite baffled.
The paired pendant is made from a special Spirit Jade.
Inside the Spirit Jade, a special kind of spirit insect is sealed. These spirit insects are naturally a pair and are born emitting a special glow.
If they are forcibly separated, their glow will begin to fade, and the further apart they are, the dimmer the glow on their bodies becomes, until it completely disappears.
When these spirit insects are made into paired pendants, they retain the effect of being able to locate each other’s position.
Once two people wear these pendants, they can rely on them to find each other’s location.
However, because the effect of paired pendants is very specific and the range they can be used within is rather limited,
they are not commonly used by many people.
Mostly Dao Companions buy these paired pendants, and ordinary cultivators rarely purchase them specifically for their use.
It is for this reason that this Jade Pendant has acquired the name of paired pendants.
Seeing both Lin Jing and Zhang Yuan puzzled, Huang Qingling began to explain,
“That’s because your cultivation is low.”
“After we’re teleported into the secret realm, we’ll be separated. Without Little Sparrow this time, we can’t go and find you.”
“By then, I can use this Jade Pendant to know your approximate location, and then I’ll be able to find you.”
As soon as Huang Qingling finished speaking, before Lin Jing could respond, Zhang Yuan nodded in agreement:
“That indeed is a good method.”
“Brother Lin’s cultivation is still too low, you were attacked by Demonic Beasts last time, you can’t be careless this time either.”
“Brother Lin, just accept this Jade Pendant.”
Lin Jing looked at the two, then nodded and reluctantly accepted the Jade Pendant.
After giving away the Jade Pendant, Huang Qingling also intended to give Lin Jing a few Second Rank Talismans for emergencies.
However, Lin Jing already had quite a few talismans, so he declined Huang Qingling’s kind offer.
…
…
Two days later, Lin Jing and Huang Qingling were prepared early and came to the Zhang Family.
Upon their arrival, Zhang Wu was already prepared and waiting for them.
This secret realm journey also included Zhang Yuan.
It was said to be an assessment arranged for Zhang Yuan by the Zhang Family Patriarch, right within the secret realm.
He set off together with the other two as well.
After the two arrived, Zhang Wu gave some instructions to the three of them, and not long after, they left the Zhang Family together for the Demon Race Secret Realm.
The group left the city and then flew on their swords towards the entrance of the Secret Realm.
On the way, Zhang Wu led in front while Lin Jing and the other two followed closely behind.
The journey went very smoothly, with Golden Core Immortal Zhang Wu around, Demonic Beasts kept their distance upon sensing the terrifying aura of his cultivation.
Thus, no beasts dared to launch a sneak attack on them.
After several hours of flight, the group finally arrived at the entrance to the Secret Realm.
Next, they entered the secret realm through the entrance and were teleported inside.
It was the same as last time.
This time…
Lin Jing, who was teleported in, was still separated from the rest.
After his arrival, Lin Jing first cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
Fortunately, this time he was not attacked by Demonic Beasts. Seeing that the surrounding area was safe, Lin Jing then took out the Jade Pendant.
At this moment, the light from the Jade Pendant was somewhat faint, clearly indicating that Lin Jing was not very close to Huang Qingling.
Then, holding the Jade Pendant, Lin Jing walked in a certain direction.
After traveling some distance, Lin Jing found that…
The light emitted from the Jade Pendant grew weaker and weaker.
It was obvious that he was going in the wrong direction.
So, Lin Jing quickly turned back and headed in the opposite direction.
Indeed.
This time, the light from the Jade Pendant became brighter and brighter.
After less than half an hour, Lin Jing finally saw Huang Qingling.
“Lin Jing…”
Huang Qingling also caught sight of Lin Jing.
After a moment of joy, she ran towards Lin Jing.
“This Jade Pendant is really useful…”
Huang Qingling, looking at the Jade Pendant in her hand, said excitedly.
“Yes…” Lin Jing echoed.
“Shall we wait for the others now?” Huang Qingling asked.
“Sounds good…” Lin Jing said.
It wasn’t too long before Zhang Wu, leading Zhang Yuan, found Lin Jing and Huang Qingling.
After the group united, they immediately set off again.
Under Zhang Wu’s leadership, they made their way through the dense forest.
The Demonic Beasts inside the Secret Realm were far more ferocious than those outside.
En route, there were several beast attacks, but they were all killed by Zhang Wu.
The way had been fraught with danger, but they’d managed so far without incident.
However, the route they traveled this time was different from the one they had taken previously.
It was surprising since Zhang Wu, leading the way, had been to the Secret Realm several times before and shouldn’t have been unfamiliar with the paths.
Moreover, when traversing the dense forest, having a general direction was sufficient; sweating the small stuff was unnecessary.
So although Lin Jing was puzzled, he said nothing.