PID Chapter 48.1

(5/5) Extra Update ~

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Xiao Mo found an ordinary spot to stand outside the Phantom Moon Secret Realm. The rogue cultivators were scattered about, and he didn’t stand out.

 

Some rogue cultivators had connections with sect disciples. Upon arrival, they hurried to network, hoping to travel together.

 

In the secret realm, traveling together had its benefits. They could often help each other and have confidence when encountering hostile forces, but traveling together also had its drawbacks.

 

After all, the possibility of being betrayed and stabbed in the back by one’s own companions wasn’t nonexistent.

 

Usually when in public, many people would maintain the appearance of gentlemen for the sake of reputation. But in lawless areas like secret realms, the dangers and weaknesses of human nature would be amplified, and nothing that happened would be surprising.

 

In the Middle Realm, those at the Divided Spirit stage were already beings who looked down upon the masses. Xiao Mo understood why the Cloud Peak Six Sects and the Immortal Alliance would send people at the Divided Spirit stage: because around the entrance of the Phantom Moon Secret Realm, purple qi and auspicious clouds were abundant. To observe a secret realm was to examine the concentration of spiritual energy in the surroundings. Judging from the state of the Phantom Moon Secret Realm, there should be good things inside.

 

In the original story, the two best items, the Phantom Moon Core and the Moon Lord Sword Manual, were not obtained by Su Baimo. After all, in cliché novels, treasures are secondary and can be easily acquired later, but the progress of the main romantic plot cannot be neglected.

 

When the Phantom Moon Core appeared, it sparked a fierce competition among the crowd. At that time, Su Baimo was busy “battling” with Mu Jian.

 

The original story briefly mentioned the struggle for the Phantom Moon Core to serve as a backdrop for Su Baimo, as described:

 

[The shouts and cries of the treasure hunt echoed to the heavens, but in Su Baimo’s ears, he could only hear Mu Jian’s low growls, and could only see his face lost in ecstasy]

 

Outside, people were fighting for treasures; inside, the two were engaged in their own battle. After the treasure hunt ended, they switched positions and continued, focusing solely on their intimate activities, oblivious to the world, moaning and groaning as they fought passionately for many days.

 

It’s only because cultivators have good physiques that they can last so long. Ordinary people couldn’t manage it.

 

Given Su Baimo and Mu Jian’s current cultivation levels, they wouldn’t be able to compete for treasures effectively. So the original story simply abandoned other descriptions and let them focus on the “important task” of advancing their romantic relationship.

 

With Xiao Mo’s cultivation level, it would also be difficult to compete in the chaos. Those at the Divided Spirit stage would be suppressed to peak Nascent Soul upon entering, while he was only at the early stage and could only fight alone, unlike others who could gang up. His best bet was to rely on the information he had and act before others discovered the Phantom Moon Core.

 

As long as no one knew about the existence of the Phantom Moon Core and the Moon Lord Sword Manual, Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan could keep them safe.

 

The original story didn’t provide detailed information, so Xiao Mo and the system had to analyze and deduce based on available data.

 

With two days left before the secret realm opened, they still had time to ponder.

 

The appearance of the Phantom Moon Core was explicitly mentioned in the original story, but the Moon Lord Sword Manual didn’t surface during this conflict. Instead, it was presented to Chu Jinglan after he joined the Yingyue Sect of the Cloud Peak Six Sects.

 

Yes, the Moon Lord Sword Manual ultimately belonged to Chu Jinglan, and the one who delivered it was none other than the young master from the Wang family of the upper realm.

 

According to him, he had acquired the manual at a high price from someone else, and after tracing its origin, he learned it was brought out from the Phantom Moon Secret Realm.

 

For Chu Jinglan and the Wang young master at that time, the origin of the manual wasn’t important. What mattered was that the Moon Lord had once been a member of the Yingyue Sect. After obtaining the manual, Chu Jinglan became somewhat of a disciple to the Moon Lord, instantly elevating his status within the Yingyue Sect. Since the Moon Lord had long since ascended, and Chu Jinglan didn’t want to take anyone as a master, this solved all problems at once.

 

But for the current Xiao Mo, where it came from was crucial. It would be best to get the manual into Chu Jinglan’s hands in advance, which could save them a lot of trouble.

 

The system had already produced a map of the Phantom Moon Secret Realm. Xiao Mo sorted out the relevant information within the realm, and with the system’s calculations, they identified three possible locations where the Phantom Moon Core might first appear.

 

Xiao Mo circled the three locations, and the system planned a route. The three points conveniently formed a circular path, which would save a lot of time by avoiding backtracking. Once inside the secret realm, they could head straight for this route.

 

However, information about the sword manual was scarce, making it impossible for the system to calculate a treasure-hunting route. Instead, it made another prediction: “The Phantom Moon Core might be the key to uncovering the sword manual. Host, perhaps finding the Phantom Moon Core will provide clues.”

 

Xiao Mo pondered: “With no relevant information about the sword manual, we can only take it one step at a time. Let’s hope your prediction is accurate this time.”

 

While they chatted in the group, the white snow ball quietly stayed on the other side of the inner sea. Chu Jinglan, unaware of the system’s existence, thought Xiao Mo was calmly waiting for time to pass.

 

As time went on, more and more people gathered outside the Phantom Moon Secret Realm.

 

The Yushan Sect was small and not affiliated with any major cultivation world powers, so they were lost in the crowd and impossible to spot. However, Xiao Mo secretly marked Jing Lei with black mist, which could offer some protection in case of extreme danger.

 

After all, although Jing Lei shouldn’t encounter any problems, since Chu Jinglan would successfully repair his dantian in the future, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

Two days later, at dusk, when the sun hadn’t fully set and a half-moon had risen in the sky, the Phantom Moon Secret Realm opened.

 

Purple qi and rosy clouds surged around the entrance, creating a spectacular scene. The air pulsed with intense spiritual energy fluctuations. Everyone was on high alert, holding their breath in anticipation. Soon, the sky seemed to tear open, and pitch-black darkness from the abyss suddenly eroded the space, like a giant whirlpool on the sea surface, swallowing all the surrounding rosy clouds.

 

The half-moon in the sky hung just behind the entrance. Looking through the misty entrance, it appeared as a full moon, suspended in the pitch-black abyss.

 

Like a flower in a mirror or the moon in water, both dream-like and illusory.

 

It was truly beautiful.

 

Xiao Mo loved watching such mystical scenes in the cultivation world, which brought great satisfaction to the small human heart.

 

The whirlpool slowly rotated, the entrance to the dark night deep and mysterious, with a strange allure. Staring at it for too long made the entrance seem like a gentle lake surface, tempting one to jump in and explore.

 

Immediately, some rogue cultivators and members of small sects eagerly rushed into the entrance.

 

The Phantom Moon Secret Realm would be open for fifteen days. For these people, getting a head start and saving time was crucial, even if it meant being the first to face potential dangers. After all, they couldn’t compete with the large sects overall, so they could only rely on time and luck.

 

In contrast, the large sects were in no hurry. They waited for others to enter first, ensuring there were no visible dangers at the entrance before leisurely going in.

 

Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan blended into the crowd, neither rushing ahead nor falling behind.

 

Ripples spread across the full moon, continuously absorbing cultivators into the secret realm.

 

Where one would land after entering was random. Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan found themselves in a sunny place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

 

Before them was a spiritual field growing some kind of spiritual herb.

 

Xiao Mo checked their location and found they were still far from the predicted spots. He was about to set off, ignoring the spiritual herbs in front of them.

 

However, Chu Jinglan spoke up: “Aren’t we going to pick the spiritual herbs?”

 

Xiao Mo couldn’t mention the system and map, so he simply said, “I think there might be better things ahead.”

 

Chu Jinglan calmly replied, “Bisu grass. Sells for 100 mid-grade spirit stones per plant, or 20 high-grade spirit stones for those over a hundred years old.”

 

Xiao Mo immediately turned his head, “Let’s pick them!”

 

How could he not take money-making seriously?

 

Although he had planned to secure the Phantom Moon Core and sword manual first before exploring, since they encountered these along the way, it was just a matter of convenience. According to the original story’s timeline, the Phantom Moon Core should appear around the fourth day, so there was still plenty of time.

 

They had both upgraded to storage devices with larger spaces, no longer using the small ones from the lower realm. Xiao Mo’s pack contained twenty identical ones, well-prepared with ample space.

 

Bisu grass has delicate roots and stems. To preserve its medicinal properties, there’s a specific way to harvest it. It can’t be cut with sharp tools but must be uprooted entirely. Xiao Mo used his black mist to dig up a whole patch at once. After collecting about a hundred plants into his storage device, his spiritual sense detected someone approaching, so he quickly packed up and left.

 

He wasn’t planning to easily conflict with others at this point, not out of fear, but because wasting time wasn’t worth it. They could collect things encountered on the way, but if Nascent Soul cultivators were competing for something, he wouldn’t get involved.

 

They continued like this, stopping and going, making progress while harvesting. On the first day, they passed the first predicted point. There was no Phantom Moon Core, but they encountered a fifth-grade spirit beast. Xiao Mo killed it, cutting off its horn for use in artifact refining and keeping the beast core for Qiuqiu to eat later to aid its cultivation.

 

The second day was also fruitless. On the third day, they approached the vicinity of the last estimated location.

 

Xiao Mo said to the system, “This is the last place. It’s time to test the accuracy of your calculations.”

 

The system reasoned with him, “When I calculated, I said there was a 95.67% probability. There’s still a 4.33% chance the Phantom Moon Core isn’t in these three locations. I’m very rigorous!”

 

Xiao Mo knew this, of course, but he sincerely hoped this trip wouldn’t be in vain. Otherwise, they’d be searching for a needle in a haystack in the Phantom Moon Secret Realm, relying purely on luck.

 

After walking for a while, they encountered a stone wall with only one opening, which was the only way forward. When Xiao Mo reached the entrance, he discovered it was sealed by a restriction.

 

As a spell cultivator, Xiao Mo had recently had the system collect books on talismans and formations for him to study. He didn’t aim for mastery but wanted as many auxiliary combat techniques as possible. Recognizing the flow pattern of the formation, his heart skipped a beat.

 

The restriction on the stone cave was a post-trigger type, meaning someone had already entered before it was sealed. According to the map, there were only two paths left after passing through the giant stone wall. Could someone have already encountered the Phantom Moon Core?

 

Xiao Mo quickly raised his hand, attempting to break the restriction.

 

He found that the restriction on the stone cave couldn’t be broken by brute force at the early Nascent Soul stage. He needed to remove at least a few flowing restrictions first. He wasn’t very proficient in formations yet, so his movements were clumsy and slow.

 

Xiao Mo remained silent. His movements appeared steady, and honestly, an outsider wouldn’t have noticed any flaws. But Chu Jinglan sensed that Xiao Mo’s emotions seemed a bit off.

 

As Xiao Mo raised his hand again, Chu Jinglan spoke up at the right moment: “The third line in the Kun position.”

 

Xiao Mo’s hand paused, then quickly used spiritual energy to trace the formation line that would flow through the Kun position’s third line, erasing it.

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter