21 Entering the Secret Realm

Amaterasu!

Blue flames ignited Zhan Yidao’s arm.

"What! Amaterasu! Blue Amaterasu!" Zhan Yidao was clearly familiar with the technique—all-consuming and impossible to extinguish.

He decisively swung his blade to sever his own arm, allowing Liu Lang to break free.

"You are the true variable!" Zhan Yidao roared, his Executioner's Blade poised to cleave Liu Lang in two.

Having undergone specialized training with Xiao Rong, Liu Lang’s combat experience had improved significantly. With Zhan Yidao now missing an arm, the strike left many openings. Liu Lang dodged with a backbend, his dagger expanding into a long blade, and a slash tore across Zhan Yidao’s body.

Zhan Yidao dissolved into water; it was a water clone.

"Where is the real body?" Liu Lang swung his blade in a flawless defense, yet there was no sign of his opponent.

"No, Xiao Rong!" He finally realized that Xiao Rong had been the target all along.

The surrounding environment had become a vast ocean, Zhan Yidao’s abundant chakra having forged a water-based terrain suited for his style. Liu Lang dived into the water, his Sharingan spinning wildly until he spotted Xiao Rong lying on the seabed.

The one-armed Zhan Yidao raised his blade to finish off the vicious cultivator from China.

"No!"

Liu Lang unleashed a unique power dormant in his bloodline: Susanoo!

A colossal, phantom-like arm materialized in an instant, and under his command, it grabbed Zhan Yidao firmly.

Zhan Yidao’s pupils shook in disbelief. "Susanoo? Does he possess the Susanoo bloodline? Weren't those with the Susanoo bloodline who came to China already dead?"

Due to the vast disparity in their levels, the Susanoo only held Zhan Yidao for a second before his erupting chakra shattered it.

Now, with nothing standing in his way, Xiao Rong’s head was within his grasp.

Suddenly, three long snakes slithered silently behind him, striking to bind him tightly.

"Who's there!" Exhausted from the fierce battle and missing an arm, Zhan Yidao was at his limit and unable to break free.

One snake head opened its maw, revealing venomous fangs that glinted with a ghostly light, and sank them into Zhan Yidao’s neck. Under the influence of the toxin, he rapidly lost his strength.

The surrounding water, no longer sustained by his chakra, gradually receded, revealing a damp forest.

The three snakes retracted quickly, vanishing into Mizuki’s sleeves.

"It’s you lot." Zhan Yidao frowned and gave a disdainful laugh. "Coming to pick the peaches?"

Mizunami Meiren stepped out. "It was a sudden turn of events, our apologies. This kid possesses the Susanoo bloodline; we must investigate this thoroughly. The female cultivator must also be brought back for questioning."

Zhan Yidao loosened his grip, and the Executioner's Blade fell toward Xiao Rong’s neck.

Mizunami Meiren threw a kunai, deflecting the blade. "Mr. Zhan, we won't take a cent of the credit for your efforts; we will report the truth."

Dozens of mirrors condensed in the air, surrounding the three of them. Haku’s reflection appeared in every one.

"Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals? Troublesome." Haruzakura cracked her knuckles, preparing for a fight.

Mizunami Meiren, however, had no intention of fighting. He grabbed the hands of Mizuki and Haruzakura, and in a flash, they reappeared beside Xiao Rong.

Zhan Yidao glanced at the kunai in Mizunami Meiren’s hand, a look of realization dawning on him. "So it’s the Flying Thunder God Technique. My apologies, my apologies."

Mizuki’s giant snake had already tightly bound Liu Lang, and Haruzakura picked up the unconscious Xiao Rong.

"Apologies, Mr. Zhan, I will make amends in the future." Mizunami Meiren bowed again.

Zhan Yidao sighed, his body collapsing into water—another clone.

"No one has ever taken prey from my hands!"

The Executioner's Blade descended with the force of wind and thunder, aiming to bisect both Xiao Rong and Haruzakura!

The accident happened so suddenly that none of the three could react. At the critical moment, Xiao Rong opened her eyes, and the lotus mark within them blossomed with dazzling light!

The Executioner's Blade struck empty air.

When the light faded, Xiao Rong, Liu Lang, Mizunami Meiren, Mizuki, and Haruzakura had all vanished.

After searching for a while and confirming they were truly gone, Zhan Yidao sheathed his blade. Haku retrieved his severed arm.

"What a massive loss. Let's head back."

Opening her eyes again, Xiao Rong saw a smiling old woman watching her. "You're awake."

Xiao Rong looked at her in confusion; the woman gave her a sense of long-lost familiarity. Suddenly, it hit her: the ceiling of combat power in the novel *Meeting the Deviless in a Transmigrated Book*, the ancestor of the Hehuan Sect—Mu Xuelian, the Lotus Ascetic.

"Mu Xuelian?" she tested.

The old woman laughed heartily. "People of later generations truly lack manners, daring to call me by my name. In my time, that would be considered betraying your master and destroying your ancestors."

Xiao Rong was stunned. How did she appear? Could characters from books come out? The arrival of the world-view was already shocking enough, but how could characters manifest?

"Before I passed away, I glimpsed a thread of the laws of causality and saw you in the future. I am not surprised that the Hehuan Sect vanished into the river of time, but I am surprised that you, countless ages later, have actually resumed the lineage of my sect."

She let out a long sigh, filled with endless vicissitudes and emotion.

"Such is Heaven's will. Is there really still a place for my Hehuan Sect in the future? What is your name?"

"Liu Yurong," she answered cautiously.

"Kneel," the Lotus Ascetic said sternly.

Xiao Rong felt no desire to resist and obediently knelt.

"Liu Yurong, I appoint you as the Saintess of the Hehuan Sect! The heavy responsibility of rebuilding the sect is now yours!"

The Lotus Ascetic radiated a holy light, which transformed into a small point of light and flew into Xiao Rong’s forehead.

In an instant, the Lotus Ascetic was gone. In the empty palace, only a lingering voice remained.

"Good disciple, I have completed your cultivation technique. However, the Hehuan toxin has already invaded your heart pulse. Soak in the Lotus Heart Pool for ten days and nights, and you will be safe. The coming years are up to you..."

Xiao Rong looked up. The surroundings were silent, as if nothing had happened. If not for the complete cultivation technique and the Lotus Ascetic’s memories of the Hehuan Sect appearing in her mind, she would have thought it was a dream.

She was just a character in a book; why did this feel so real? Could the world of the book be real?

With a thought, Xiao Rong realized the so-called secret realm was the Hehuan Sect itself. The sect was actually an immortal artifact, and the Lotus Ascetic had left the control of it to her. Though her strength was low, the authority she could wield was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"Liu Lang was actually teleported to the Lotus Heart Pool. It’s perfect, I need to go there too... Why were those three ninjas teleported in as well? I have no time to deal with them now."

Mizunami Meiren and his companions looked around in confusion. They had awakened in a palace with the words "Hall of Transmitting Techniques" hanging above the entrance.

"Look, there are so many jade talismans on those shelves!" Haruzakura shouted.

Mizuki picked one up, feeling its warmth. "There is a special energy sealed within this."