"That’s the sixth one."

Shortly after Jiang Xu left, Yan Chunyu’s voice rang out in the cave.

"Elders, do you think any of them are trustworthy? Can they really get our message to the Foundation Establishment Elders?"

Elder He and Elder Gu exchanged a look, both uncertain.

Elder He’s previously aggressive aura had completely vanished.

"*Sigh.* Who knows? It’s the only thing we can do right now."

"There are only about ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the entire Secret Realm, and none of them are in the Outer Area. We have no way to contact them directly. To hide from that Elder Demon Su, our only option is to stay inside this Array that can block Divine Sense. If we try to contact the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, we risk him discovering us."

"Of all these people, who are you most optimistic about?"

Yan Chunyu replied,

"Junior Brother Ding, of course. His Seeking Technique is incredibly powerful. He even managed to find our hiding place."

Elder He nodded, then turned to ask Elder Gu,

"Fellow Daoist Gu, what do you think?"

"I, on the other hand, found that disciple from just now rather interesting. I think he’ll be the first to find someone."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"That kid’s methods are far from ordinary. I’ve never even seen the kind of Spirit Insects he commands. If he uses those insects for his search, it’s bound to be fast."

Elder He said with approval,

"That’s right. I think so too."

...

’I have to go to the Inner Area?’

Jiang Xu used the Seeking Technique and discovered that Qin Muxian was now in the Inner Area.

This meant that to find him, Jiang Xu had to enter the Inner Area.

Jiang Xu thought it over again and again.

In the end, he decided to go in.

It wasn’t like he had a choice. If Master Su actually succeeded and broke the core seal, Jiang Xu had absolutely no confidence he would make it out alive.

Fortunately, most of the other cultivators had already left the Outer Area and entered the Inner Area by now.

They’d probably already triggered most of the obvious traps.

So, entering now was actually good timing.

’But where am I supposed to find a Tier Three Treasure Medicine? The Spirit Medicine Garden? An Alchemy Room? Never mind. I’ll find Elder Qin first and let him be the one to get a headache over it.’

...

Upon arriving in the Inner Area, the landscape stood in stark contrast to the desolation of the Outer Area.

The environment here was like a paradise, the scenery enchanting and breathtakingly beautiful.

Exotic flowers and herbs grew everywhere, with rare plants of all kinds competing to display their brilliant colors.

However, since many disciples had already come here to explore and gather resources, this once peaceful and beautiful part of the Inner Area had already suffered severe damage.

Flowers and herbs were plucked haphazardly, the soil was excessively excavated, and some areas even showed traces of battles and the impact of Magic. The once-thriving vista now seemed somewhat ruined and desolate.

Jiang Xu activated his Spiritual Eye Technique, cautiously skirting around a remnant Restriction Array in his path.

Although the Array was broken and damaged, he could tell from its residual aura and structure that it had once possessed the power of at least Tier Two.

Golden light spilled from the Array’s surface, a clear sign that it was a Gold Attribute Array. Gold Attribute Arrays were known for being sharp, sturdy, and powerfully offensive. Even in this damaged state, it could still hide unknown dangers.

Jiang Xu understood that here in the Inner Area, any seemingly insignificant detail could prove deadly.

Thus, he meticulously observed his surroundings, ensuring he wouldn’t accidentally trigger the Array’s remaining power.

’Where in the world did Elder Qin go?’

Jiang Xu’s head throbbed with frustration.

He followed the path toward Qin Muxian’s location, but he kept running into Restrictions that still retained some of their power. He had to keep his Spiritual Eye Technique active at all times, carefully scanning his surroundings for danger.

He also encountered many Tier Two Demon Beasts along the way, most of them guarding ancient, high-grade Spirit Medicines.

However, aside from gathering some of the primary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Jiang Xu didn’t touch anything else.

...

A long time passed.

’What’s this?’

Jiang Xu suddenly came across another cultivator.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Qin Muxian, but a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Flame Dragon Stronghold.

As Jiang Xu was maintaining his Concealing Breath Spell, the other party hadn’t spotted him.

Seeing this, he immediately started to back away, having no intention of approaching.

The two Elders hadn’t told him to find a *specific* Foundation Establishment Cultivator to search for the Spirit Medicine. Logically, he should inform every one he encountered.

But this man was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from a power hostile to his own Sect. If he just went up and started talking...

What if the guy killed him before he even got a word out?

So, Jiang Xu decided to observe for a bit longer.

The man was struggling to break an Array.

This Array was brimming with Spiritual Light, and its surface was a translucent blue barrier. One look was enough to know this was a Grand Array with ample Spiritual Qi reserves.

The Magical Artifact in his hand flashed as he repeatedly struck the Array. Each impact caused a powerful rebound, and though the blue barrier rippled with every strike, it refused to break.

Behind the Array, a small, quaint building was faintly visible. Above its door was a plaque bearing the word: "Study."

It looked like a place for storing texts and scriptures.

But that wasn’t what caught Jiang Xu’s attention.

His full attention was now fixed on a small corner of the Array before him.

For some unknown reason, a hole about two feet in diameter had appeared on the blue barrier.

Everywhere else was filled with Magical Power, but none flowed through this one spot. It was a complete void.

It was completely unnoticeable under normal circumstances; Jiang Xu had only perceived it after using his Spiritual Eye Technique.

The hole’s presence on the barrier was jarring, like a crack in a flawless sapphire.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Xu discovered it was caused by a missing Array Pattern.

His heart couldn’t help but race, and his breath grew shallow and quick.

Jiang Xu crept closer.

Being cautious, he didn’t go in himself.

Instead, he controlled his Spirit-Devouring Insects, sending all the Sub-Insects swarming through the hole in the Array and toward the Study.

Before long, the Sub-Insects emerged in a steady stream, carrying a dozen or so books as they returned to Jiang Xu’s Spirit Pet Bag.

Jiang Xu excitedly stored all the books, then shot a final glance at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator still attacking the Array before quietly slipping away.

Long after Jiang Xu had left, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator finally managed to shatter the Array after another full day of relentless attacks.

After breaking through, the Foundation Establishment Elder threw his head back and roared with laughter. He then charged inside excitedly, making a beeline for the Study.

But a short while later, the Foundation Establishment Elder stormed out of the Study, his face a mask of fury.

Without a word, he raised his Magical Artifact and began to demolish the Study, every strike filled with boundless rage and disappointment.

He reduced the Study to a chaotic pile of rubble.

"This is infuriating! There’s nothing inside! I can’t believe I wasted so much time breaking that damn Array!"

The strength of the Array and its Spiritual Qi reserves had convinced him that there had to be something important inside the Study.

So what in the world went wrong?!