"Let me summarize."

Li Rui felt as if he had grasped the key point of the contradiction.

"All conflicts focus on the same issue, which is opening the Heaven Gate."

"The Thunder City faction, which is the predecessor of Shenxiao Palace, believes that opening the Heaven Gate would bring disaster to all living beings in the mortal world, thus they disagree with doing so; the Exorcism Institute faction is indifferent, they only want to open the gate and return to the Upper Realm."

"Additionally, there is another force, which is Zuo Qiutian's Hidden Sect, believing they can achieve a united world, also wants to open the Heaven Gate."

"However, no one knows exactly what consequences this will bring."

Master Bo Yuan took another sip of tea.

"Indeed."

"....."

The room fell into silence.

Although the mentioned characters are formidable, even legendary figures from the Upper Realm, they don't sound very reliable.

"But Master, Fengdu has been wanting to reopen the Heaven Gate for many years, yet hasn't done so, does this mean they lack the ability?"

Bo Yuan replied, "Fengdu's methods are strong, but they originate from the Upper Realm, not quite in line with the mortal world's rules, making it indeed difficult, even the spells passed down by Shenxiao Palace have no relevant records."

Chongxu chimed in, "Master, if even Fengdu can't do it, looking across the world, only Zuo Qiutian has the ability to do so."

The scholar with a strong presence isn't known for combat power; if it came to a head-on fight, he might not even beat Chongxu, yet he remains a trusted confidant — or confidant grudge — of all forces because his knowledge is too comprehensive.

Fengdu and Shenxiao Palace, these two Upper Realm orphans, can't accomplish it, but he just might.

If originally some doubted whether he had the assurance, now they have to believe as he has already forged a path to the world beyond.

Li Rui said, "So, according to Zuo Qiutian's previous thoughts, he might want to leverage certain forces of this realm, like resurrecting the Demon King, or a Fengdu traitor, or even the Barbarian Emperor, forcing open heaven through certain methods."

"But now, he found another feasible method, using reality—no, the realm outside as a springboard, then detouring from there to open heaven."

Master Bo Yuan said, "Perhaps the world beyond is closer to the Upper Realm than the mortal realm."

Li Rui felt something was amiss.

He, along with Simon who confided in him, and Vons whose allegiance is uncertain, had all been to the Upper Realm during advancement, leaving no conspicuous rift between two realms.

This doesn't seem explainable by merely being closer to the Upper Realm.

Agents from the real world's Secret Realm can arrive in the mortal world from thin air, and also venture to the Upper Realm from thin air, indicating the mechanism for going to these two places might be the same.

Just then, Cheng Mingyue, who had been unusually quiet for a while, spoke up.

"Wait, Master, according to this logic, Fengdu and Hidden Sect, although having different purposes, share common demands."

Everyone present was clever enough; prompted by this, their faces changed, except for Master Bo Yuan, who had anticipated this due to holding the secret.

"Indeed. They both seek to establish a pathway to the Upper Realm, hence may collaborate, or might have already collaborated."

"....." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Li Rui felt a bit under pressure.

The Fengdu series of Secret Realms is recognized in the Eastern lands as the highest difficulty level, encountered almost only by supreme fighters above level seventy, with a significant possibility of failure.

Due to the intense combat pressure upon entering the Secret Realm, there's not much time for exploration, resulting in little information being gathered.

If Fengdu joins Hidden Sect, meaning Zuo Qiutian's faction, the enemy's power would be greater than imagined.

As if to let everyone feel the weight of reality, a somewhat urgent knock sounded on the door.

"Master."

It's Daoist Fuhai's voice.

Zhenyue opened the door and let him in.

"Master, a disciple reports that Fengdu's ten cities have opened their gates widely, the forces have all marched out, unsure what they intend."

Bo Yuan waved his hand, "Understood, don't panic, Chongxu and Zhenyue, listen to the decree, quickly return to Shenxiao Palace, gather disciples to descend from the mountain, ready for battle at any time."

"Yes."

"Fuhai."

"Disciple present."

"Accompany Jichuan, head to various places to gather Shenxiao Palace's sub-sects and branches, instruct all halls and institutes to prepare resources for potential warfare."

Pang Jing said, "Master, perhaps I should first return to Golden Jade Tower to gather manpower and resources for unexpected needs."

"Very good, thank you, Mr. Pang."

"Where, if chaos falls upon the world, it's not only the disaster for all beings but also for my Golden Jade Tower." Pang Jing modestly remarked, then departed with Shenxiao's Four Disciples.

Li Rui and his group were a bit confused, "Master, what about us?"

Master Bo Yuan said, "Xiaoli, it's best for you to quickly search for the whereabouts of Celestial Thunder and Earth Thunder. Zuo Qiutian's methods are cunning, and the foundation of the Exorcism Institute shouldn't be underestimated, and I fear when the time comes, relying on mortal power alone won't be enough."

Li Rui thought this was essentially designating him as a savior.

"Then, we can only return to the world outside now, and visit Ghost Cry Ridge next time."

Upon hearing this, Master Bo Yuan halted him, "You mentioned earlier needing to wait several or dozens of days each time you came to this realm?"

"Yes."

"That would be too time-consuming. I have a spell which might simultaneously transport you with the boundary marker to the scene under Ghost Cry Ridge's Jingyang Academy, where you can hold my token and request the academy to assist in searching Earth Thunder's whereabouts."

Li Rui exclaimed with delight, "You mean, send us there without being ejected from this world?"

"It's only an attempt."

"Thank you, Master, let's begin then."

Bo Yuan summoned several young Daoists who began drawing an array on the ground with unknown crystals, taking nearly an hour to prepare.

Finally, Li Rui and his group stood in the array, Daoists positioned at eight directions, while Bo Yuan hovered in the air, directing the disciples below with precise coordination, constantly changing.

"Xiaoli, pay attention."

In the end, Bo Yuan shouted loudly.

Suddenly, Li Rui's trio felt the world flipping. Everything around them withdrew afar and reappeared before them, endlessly repeated, countless times.

When the scene finally froze, they found themselves no longer in that secluded Zen courtyard.

Eight hundred miles of Ghost Cry Ridge loomed before them, the wind howled, towering into the clouds, blocking the sky's light. Turning around, they saw behind them an imposing high wall, yet the gate in the wall was extremely narrow, only allowing one person through.

A plaque hung above the gate, with the words Jingyang Academy overgrown with withered vines, seemingly unattended for ages.

[Main quest updated: Enter Jingyang Academy.]

"There really is no countdown," Li Rui couldn't help but praise.

"Impressive," Guan Gui was also admiring.

"Ugh!"

Cheng Mingyue retched, "It makes me dizzy, don't you guys feel like puking?"