Chapter 3: Nine Nethers Secret Realm

Inside the side hall of Shenxiao Sword Sect.

After Lin Feng and Su Xiyao departed, Luo Yuntian finally spoke: "Everyone, proceed according to plan!"

"Yes! Sect Master Senior Brother!" The remaining five answered in unison.

"Junior Sister Leng! For this operation against the Luocha Sect, you are to temporarily stand down. Go back and thoroughly review the records on the Nine Nethers Secret Realm. Your age falls just within the entry requirements — when the Secret Realm opens in one month, you will enter alone under a concealed identity to search for the Bianhua Flower! I will dispatch others to draw outside attention. No matter what, we must obtain the Bianhua Flower and rescue Senior Brother Mubai. He has sacrificed so much for our Shenxiao Sword Sect — we cannot let a man of such merit feel abandoned." Luo Yuntian looked at Leng Hanshuang and gave his instructions.

"Sect Master Senior Brother, rest assured! I will complete the mission." Leng Hanshuang replied.

"Good! Then everyone is dismissed!" Luo Yuntian nodded.

After the others had all left, Luo Yuntian remained standing in place, unmoving.

There was still a trace of doubt lingering in his heart.

By all reasoning, the Luocha Sect would never dare to provoke the Shenxiao Sword Sect.

Yet this time, not only had they gravely wounded Senior Brother Su Mubai, they had also seized the Haoran Sword.

How could a mere Luocha Sect withstand the fury of the Shenxiao Sword Sect?

Could someone be pulling the strings from behind the scenes?

But who?

Was it the Wuji Demon Sect, or the Seven Slaughter Sect?

And furthermore — with the Nine Nethers Secret Realm on the verge of opening, Senior Brother Mubai had been poisoned by the Soul-Devouring Powder at precisely this moment, requiring the Bianhua Flower from within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm as the only antidote. Could someone be trying to lure the Shenxiao Sword Sect into sending more of its forces into the Nine Nethers Secret Realm?

And to what end?

These questions were ones Luo Yuntian would have to unravel slowly.

In any case, the grudge against Su Mubai could not go unanswered, and the Haoran Sword could not be lost.

Whatever the enemy's purpose, anyone who dared to provoke the Shenxiao Sword Sect had better be prepared to bear its wrath.

* * *

Lone Existence Peak.

After returning, Lin Feng immediately began poring through the archives.

The scripture repository on Lone Existence Peak was vast, with books piled like mountains.

Lone Existence Peak had once known glory, but had since fallen into decline.

Through Lin Feng's tireless efforts, perseverance paid off — three days later, he finally found a reference to the Bianhua Flower in an ancient text cataloguing the rare spirit herbs of the Nine Continents.

"The Bianhua Flower, by nature fond of cold, grows primarily in places of extreme chill. Its petals resemble dragon claws, vivid crimson in color. It has scaly roots, leaves that grow in dense clusters with slender pointed tips, and solitary sepals with terminal umbel inflorescences. Legend holds that the Bianhua Flower is a bloom of the underworld…"

After reading the entry on the Bianhua Flower, Lin Feng further learned that it had been spotted in a place known as the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

He immediately set about searching for records on the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

He found them quickly.

"The Nine Nethers Secret Realm — rumored to be a passage connecting to the underworld. The Yin-cold energy within is dense, and sunlight never reaches inside. The flora and fauna dwelling there, having long absorbed Yin-cold energy, have in some cases undergone mutation, giving rise to many spirit herbs and exotic beasts. Those who enter must exercise extreme caution, for the slightest carelessness may cost them their lives. The Nine Nethers Secret Realm opens once every one hundred years…"

Lin Feng calculated the next opening of the Nine Nethers Secret Realm and felt a quiet surge of relief.

The Nine Nethers Secret Realm would open in just over a month, and would remain accessible for three months. His master could hold on for half a year — there was enough time.

As long as the Bianhua Flower could be found within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm and combined with supplementary herbs from the Shenxiao Sword Sect to refine a spirit pill, his master could be cured of the poison.

But then Lin Feng suddenly froze.

The Nine Nethers Secret Realm only opened once every one hundred years, yet his master had been poisoned by the Soul-Devouring Powder at precisely this time, forcing someone to seek the Bianhua Flower within it.

A coincidence?

Unlikely!

Then someone was deliberately targeting the Shenxiao Sword Sect.

It seemed he could not place all his hopes on the Shenxiao Sword Sect.

Finding the Bianhua Flower — he would have to rely on himself.

Having found a way to save his master, Lin Feng turned his attention to another matter.

Who had done this to his master?

As a disciple, avenging his master was a matter of course.

However, learning the identity of the one who had harmed his master would be no easy task. After all, Sect Master Uncle had said this was a secret of the Shenxiao Sword Sect — likely only a small number of the sect's upper echelon knew anything about it.

Thinking this over, Lin Feng found himself at a loss.

Despite being the Senior Brother of the current generation of the Shenxiao Sword Sect and having been here for twenty years, he had rarely left Lone Existence Peak — deliberately keeping a low profile, lying low. As a result, Lin Feng had very limited acquaintance with the sect's leadership.

He was only fairly familiar with the other six wielders of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao, who shared the same standing as his master Su Mubai. Nearly everyone else, he barely knew.

Therefore, if he wanted to learn who had harmed his master, he could only approach one of the six Uncles and Aunts.

But which one?

Sect Master Uncle was certainly out of the question — as the sect's leader, if he had intended to tell him, he would have done so already.

Among the remaining five, Lin Feng deliberated at length and ultimately settled on Leng Hanshuang.

He knew that Aunt Leng was, in truth, someone with a cold exterior but a warm heart.

When Lin Feng was very young, because Su Mubai was often away from the sect, he would entrust Lin Feng to Leng Hanshuang's care.

Of course, that was all more than twenty years ago. Once Lin Feng became capable of looking after himself, he had lived on Lone Existence Peak together with his Junior Sister Su Xiyao — until she took Aunt Liu Hongluan as her master.

His mind made up, Lin Feng made his way to Jade Maiden Peak, which was under Leng Hanshuang's charge.

The moment he stepped in, two female disciples blocked his path.

Jade Maiden Peak accepted only female disciples. Male disciples from other peaks of the Shenxiao Sword Sect wishing to enter were required to announce themselves first.

"Senior Brother, please halt! May I ask which peak you are from, and what brings you to Jade Maiden Peak?" The two female disciples stopped Lin Feng and asked politely.

They could tell Lin Feng was a Core Disciple, but did not recognize him.

"My name is Lin Feng, from Lone Existence Peak. I wish to see Aunt Leng — would the two of you please inform her on my behalf? Thank you!" Lin Feng replied courteously.

Lin Feng?

Lone Existence Peak?

The two female disciples of Jade Maiden Peak thought for a moment, then both exclaimed in shock at the same time: "You are Senior Brother Lin Feng?!"

Being called "Senior Brother" like that left Lin Feng momentarily stunned.

Ever since joining the Shenxiao Sword Sect, he had rarely left Lone Existence Peak — deliberately keeping a low profile, lying low. In his previous life on Earth, it was precisely his youthful arrogance that had left nothing of him in the end.

Since he had been reborn, he naturally could not repeat the same mistakes.

On Earth, the great empires had nuclear weapons as their overwhelming trump cards; the major powers of Li Continent were no pushovers either.

What Lin Feng could not figure out, no matter how hard he thought about it, was this:

He had kept such a low profile — how did people still recognize him?

What he did not know was that as the Senior Brother of the Shenxiao Sword Sect, that title alone was not something that could be kept quiet simply by wishing it so.

If Lin Feng had ranked outside the top ten among the current generation of the Shenxiao Sword Sect, the sect's disciples would probably not even know such a person existed.

But though Lin Feng was well-known, it was not for anything flattering.

The sect's upper echelon had only one word to describe their impression of Lin Feng.

Trash!!!

The ordinary disciples added another word after that.

Mysterious!!!

"Trash" was passed down by word of mouth.

"Mysterious" was because no one had ever actually seen him.

It was no wonder the two female disciples of Jade Maiden Peak were startled upon meeting the legendary Senior Brother for the first time.

"I am Lin Feng. Would the two of you please inform Aunt Leng?" Lin Feng spoke again.

"Y-yes! Senior Brother Lin, please wait a moment! I'll go inform her right away!" One of the Jade Maiden Peak disciples replied.

She then turned and headed into Jade Maiden Peak.

The other remained in place, studying Lin Feng carefully.

In Li Continent, the Senior Brother of a sect was generally a formidable figure — the face of the sect, after all.

The sole exception was the Senior Brother of the Shenxiao Sword Sect, who was considered trash.

This was a topic frequently discussed among the sect's disciples.

Anyone who laid eyes on this Senior Brother — at once so mysterious and so useless — could not help but be curious.

The remaining Jade Maiden Peak disciple watched Lin Feng and thought to herself with a pang of regret: "Senior Brother Lin Feng is so handsome. What a shame his cultivation is so weak — otherwise, who knows how many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters he would have captivated."

Lin Feng paid no mind to what others thought of him.

The female disciple who had gone to report returned quickly.

"Senior Brother Lin Feng, please follow me!"

"Thank you, both of you!"

"Senior Brother, you're too kind!"

Lin Feng followed the guiding disciple into Jade Maiden Peak — this was his first time here.

Within the Shenxiao Sword Sect, there were two places that male disciples longed for above all others.

The first was this very Jade Maiden Peak, where every female disciple was radiant and lovely.

The second was Morning Glow Peak, under the charge of Liu Hongluan.

However, there was a distinction between the two peaks.

Jade Maiden Peak, overseen by Leng Hanshuang, accepted only female disciples. Morning Glow Peak, overseen by Liu Hongluan, accepted both male and female disciples.

By comparison, Jade Maiden Peak was the more coveted of the two.

All along the way, under the curious gazes of many female disciples, Lin Feng finally came before Leng Hanshuang.

"Lin Feng pays his respects to Aunt Leng!" Lin Feng said respectfully.

"Nephew Lin Feng, no need for formalities. Tell me directly what brings you here." Leng Hanshuang replied, her expression impassive.

True to her name.

Leng Hanshuang's personality matched her name perfectly — she always gave off an icy, distant air, the same toward everyone.

If she were on Earth, she would be the classic ice-queen elegant lady type.

"Aunt Leng, I have come unannounced today to ask who it was that harmed my master. I hope Aunt Leng can enlighten me." Lin Feng cupped his hands and stated his purpose directly.

From what he knew of her, Leng Hanshuang disliked beating around the bush — it was better to be straightforward.

"Nephew Lin Feng! As Sect Master Senior Brother said last time, the matter of Senior Brother Mubai will be handled by our Shenxiao Sword Sect. You should focus your mind on cultivation — strive to inherit Senior Brother Mubai's mantle as soon as possible, lest others set their sights on you. As for everything else, do not concern yourself with it." Leng Hanshuang replied.

"Aunt Leng misunderstands. I only wish to know the enemy's identity — I have no intention of doing anything rash. Of course, with my current strength, there is little I could do regardless. But as my master's only disciple, I believe I have the right to know who the enemy is. It will serve as a constant reminder to push myself forward. I ask that Aunt Leng tell me." Lin Feng said sincerely.

Leng Hanshuang fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

After thinking it over, she concluded that Lin Feng was not wrong.

Senior Brother Mubai had only this one disciple, whom he had raised from childhood. The two of them were both master and disciple, and father and son in all but name. There was no harm in telling him.

Having reasoned it through, Leng Hanshuang no longer concealed it.

"Nephew Lin Feng, I can tell you — but you must not speak of it to others. This is a secret of our Shenxiao Sword Sect, and I am only telling you out of consideration for the fact that you are Senior Brother Mubai's only disciple."

"Aunt Leng, please be at ease! Lin Feng will keep it sealed within his lips and will not breathe a word of it." Lin Feng felt a surge of joy inwardly and quickly gave his assurance.

"The one who harmed your master — is the Luocha Sect!"

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Edited by Fat Goose