âThereâs hardly anyone who knows of the identity and the trail of the sect founder. In fact, no one even knows whether heâs alive or dead. However, the rumors that the sect founderâs grave is located in the Yinyang Withered Well Realm isnât completely unfounded,â Xia Yan said.
âTell me more about it,â Chu Feng said curiously.
âThe Yinyang Withered Well Realm is a peculiar place. It contains 99 forbidden areas that bring about certain death to those who dare tread on their grounds. There were a few who were confident in their abilities and tried challenging the forbidden areas, but none of them came out alive.
âHowever, our predecessors found that the vicinity around the forbidden areas granted the highest chance of stumbling upon a fortuitous encounter. However, out of fear of the forbidden areas, most people dared not to even come close to them. Only the bravest of souls would dare to venture into those treacherous places. Some of them happened to stumble upon a phenomenon,â Xia Yan said.
âWhat kind of phenomenon is it?â Chu Feng asked.
âOne predecessor saw an inexplicable procession consisting of giant humans that towered over a thousand meters, terrifying armored worms that boasted a length of over ten thousand meters, and thousands of armored humans who formed a massive army. They were all traveling alongside one another. It was just an illusion, but the world seemed to tremble at their presence.
âThere were monstrous beasts and humans amongst them. Some of their auras felt inviolable and divine, but there were also those who were oozing with malevolence. Such contrasting dispositions shouldnât have been able to co-exist in the same space, but they were traveling together.
âHowever, it didnât look like they were comrades. They felt more like guardians tasked to protect an object, and that object was a coffin,â Xia Yan said.
âCoffin?â
Chu Fengâs eyes narrowed.
âYes, a coffin. The procession was filled with many terrifying beings, but they were ultimately all illusions. However, the coffin is something that tangibly exists. Itâs made entirely out of wood that appears to have rotten with time. However, all of the predecessors who have set their eyes on it all agree that it contains some kind of quality that induces deference in them.
âDue to that, many speculate that the person lying in the coffin is our sect founder. It was hard to imagine that anyone else would be able to stir such a huge phenomenon after his death, especially in the mysterious Yinyang Withered Well Realm,â Xia Yan said.
âThereâs actually such a thing?â
Chu Feng was starting to look forward to paying the Yinyang Withered Well Realm a visit. Given what Xia Yan had said, there was indeed a good chance that the person lying in the coffin was no other than the sect founder.
While there was no evidence to back up the claim that the sect founder was dead, it also seemed unlikely that the sect founder would be able to live to this day no matter how powerful he might be.
âChu Feng, ask her if the access to the Yinyang Withered Well Realm is only limited to the juniors,â Yu Sha suddenly said.
Chu Feng quickly posed the question to Xia Yan, asking, âXia Yan, is the Yinyang Withered Well Realm only open to us juniors, or are the other seniors able to enter too?â Chu Feng asked.
âOf course itâs only limited to the juniors! Chu Feng, you mustnât miss this opportunity. Let me put it in this way for you. There are many things in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect that canât be explained with common sense, but the most mysterious one of them all that all disciples look forward to is no other than the Yinyang Withered Well Realm.
âThe Yinyang Withered Well Realm only opens once every three hundred years, and itâs only open to the juniors. Due to that, there are many seniors and elders who were unable to enjoy its benefits. Itâs a huge stroke of luck that weâre able to enter it, and you wonât get a second chance if you were to miss it,â Xia Yan said earnestly, fearing that Chu Feng would refuse this opportunity.
Chu Feng was surprised to hear that the Yinyang Withered Well Realm only opened once every three hundred years. Considering that juniors were defined to be within a hundred years of age in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, those who were born in the wrong years would be unable to enter the location.
âIt looks like weâre indeed lucky,â Chu Feng remarked.
âIndeed. To be honest with you, the last time the Yinyang Withered Well Realm opened was 179 years ago, so it should have been another hundred years before it opened once more. However, while you were being punished in the Hidden Dragon Prison, a disturbance suddenly occurred with the gates leading to the Yinyang Withered Well Realm. After careful inspection, the elders realized that itâs a sign that the Yinyang Withered Well Realm would be opening prematurely,â Xia Yan said.
âItâs opening prematurely? Has such a thing happened before?â Chu Feng asked.
âNo, this is the first time it has ever happened. Everyone is bewildered by it as well. However, regardless of the cause, itâs a blessing to all of us. Had it not been for this disturbance, those in our generation wouldnât have the chance to enter the Yinyang Withered Well Realm at all,â Xia Yan replied.
âI see.â
Chu Feng nodded his head contemplatively. He felt that there was more to this premature opening than what appeared on the surface.
âChu Feng, why do I feel that thereâs something amiss with the Yinyang Withered Well Realm?â Yu Sha suddenly spoke up.
âWhat makes you think so?â Chu Feng asked.
Yu Sha might be a world spiritist, but she did accrue a fair amount of world experience in the Asura Spirit World. She might know of things that Chu Feng knew not of.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âItâs clear that the current Hidden Dragon Martial Sect isnât able to truly control the formations within the sect, such that it could be said that the current sectmaster isnât in full control at the moment. Itâs just that the sect founderâs formations are still working to this day.
âItâs one thing if the formations were to collapse. It would be a huge loss, but at least it wouldnât cause any damage. However, there appears to be some terrifying being lurking in the Yinyang Withered Well Realm, especially with the existence of the forbidden areas. It would be one thing if the lifeforms are innate to the formation, but what if they are independent?
âIf these lifeforms really exist, the danger wouldnât just be limited to the Yinyang Withered Well Realm but the entire Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. On top of that, itâs suspicious that the realm is opening in advance. I have a feeling that it has something to do with you,â Yu Sha said.
âSomething to do with me? You think so too?â
Even though it might sound narcissistic, Chu Feng shared the same thoughts too.
âYes. I also believe that the Yinyang Withered Well Realm is under someoneâs control. That person probably determines when the realm opens. Could it be possible that the person has noticed you and opened the realm in advance so that he could make use of you?â Yu Sha asked.
âThis... I donât think itâs too likely. Someone like the sect founder wouldnât leave such a threat lying in the sect,â Chu Feng disagreed with Yu Shaâs speculation.
He felt that the sect founder ought to be in control of everything. Even if he wasnât around, it was unlikely for his formations to go haywire.
âChu Feng, you shouldnât forget about the oddities occurring in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. Just take the calamity for example, isnât that already beyond the sectmasterâs means to resolve? In any case, I have a bad feeling about the Yinyang Withered Well Realm. I donât think you should go in,â Yu Sha said.