Eighteen years had passed since returning to Jinyang Country, and Zhouyang’s mood was vastly different from the first time he had come here. This time, his heart held no aspirations or expectations, but was filled with concerns and deep worries. He didn’t even entertain the thought of visiting Haoyang Immortal City. Upon entering Jinyang Country, he directly commanded the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle to fly towards Haoyang Mountain. Guo Jinhong, either through some method sensing the location of the "Profound Light Ring" in Zhouyang’s hand, or by learning his whereabouts from Qin Yue’Er who was with him, had a maid from the Valley of Forgetfulness waiting for him outside the gate of the Haoyang Sect when he arrived. This maid’s cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, such a cultivation level being utterly unremarkable in a major sect like Haoyang Sect, just slightly above those Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators. Yet, she represented Guo Jinhong, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, lending her his prestige. Thus, with her holding Guo Jinhong’s token to guide the way, Zhouyang and Qin Yue’Er encountered no obstruction all the way to the Valley of Forgetfulness, entering the valley with her. When entering the Valley of Forgetfulness, Zhouyang initially wanted to inquire about Wang Qian, who had previously framed him here. But after careful consideration, he restrained this impulse. Since Guo Jinhong had previously discussed and resolved this matter, bringing it up again would be inappropriate, especially if it led to further complications. Moreover, Wang Qian was Guo Jinhong’s concubine; even if Guo Jinhong had punished her, it wasn’t the place for a mere Purple Mansion Stage cultivator like him to intervene. So, following silently along the way into the Valley of Forgetfulness, once inside the grand palace there, Zhouyang again met Guo Jinhong, the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. This time, Guo Jinhong finally exhibited a bit of the gravity befitting a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, not only seated upon the jade bed but with no concubines in sight, his presence alone enveloping the hall with a commanding aura. "With respect, Ancestor, disciple Zhouyang, summoned here to await orders." Below the hall, Zhouyang bowed deeply and clasped his hands respectfully towards Guo Jinhong seated above, his voice full of reverence, the etiquette beyond reproach. No matter how much he detested Guo Jinhong inwardly, at least outwardly, he maintained decorum, knowing that while it might not bring great benefits, it would at least avoid negative consequences. A courteous approach is accepted universally; this is an undeniably true principle. Guo Jinhong did not return his gaze, instead his eyes flickered with sharp light as he scrutinized Qin Yue’Er for a while. After a moment, he finally spoke: "Yue’Er, go find Zhiyun; she wants to speak with you." Once Qin Yue’Er had obediently left the hall, Guo Jinhong turned his attention to Zhouyang and asked, "How much longer until you can form your core?" Zhouyang’s heart skipped at these words, quickly answering, "Ancestor, I recently failed my second attempt at forming the Golden Core again. Therefore, I dare not rashly claim anything!" "Hmph, using these words to fool ordinary people might work, but trying to fool me is a mere dream!" Guo Jinhong’s expression darkened, his gaze fixed sharply on Zhouyang, speaking coldly, "I’m giving you one more chance, honesty does you no harm!" Zhouyang didn’t know how Guo Jinhong was aware of his situation, nor if he was bluffing; but he didn’t dare gamble on this matter. Because if he won, there wasn’t much tangible benefit; if he lost, it would completely embitter Guo Jinhong. So after a brief silence, he clasped his hands again and replied: "If aided by the [Jade Liquid Golden Pill], I should have a fifty to sixty percent chance of successfully forming the core." He held back; in truth, after experiencing the second core formation, even without the aid of the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," repeating the attempt with the auxiliary core formation treasures he already possessed would still give him a strong chance of success. If he consumed the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," his chances would easily exceed eighty percent! Guo Jinhong certainly had no way of knowing this; indeed, the success rate Zhouyang claimed was already quite high. Thus, upon hearing Zhouyang’s words, Guo Jinhong’s expression relaxed, nodding slightly, "A fifty to sixty percent chance is indeed not low. This time, as long as you accomplish the tasks I’ve entrusted to you, when you form your core, I can arrange for you to use the specialized cavern reserved for core formation by cultivators of our Haoyang Sect, as a reward!" Hearing this, Zhouyang’s expression grew solemn, respectfully asking, "Thank you, Ancestor, for your kindness. But what task does Ancestor summon me to undertake?" "Originally, if you possessed Golden Core Stage Cultivation, this task would pose no difficulty whatsoever. However, given your current cultivation level, the risk is considerable, be mentally prepared for this!" Guo Jinhong’s eyes glimmered as he looked at Zhouyang, first offering a precaution, then slowly revealing the reason for summoning Zhouyang. Half an hour later, Zhouyang left the Valley of Forgetfulness alone, then mounted the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle heading towards Golden Lion Country, neighboring the southern border of Jinyang Country. Originally, half a year ago, a forbidden secret realm appeared within the Golden Lion Country, attracting middle-to-high tier cultivators from nearby countries to seek treasure within. Yet no one anticipated that beneath the surface of this secret realm, seemingly abundant with spiritual qi, lay hidden threats. When the first wave of unsuspecting cultivators ventured in to seek treasure, the killing array and puppets within the secret realm suddenly activated, resulting in the death of two Golden Core Stage cultivators, eleven Purple Mansion Stage cultivators, and over forty Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. This is when the truth of the secret realm was revealed: the actual creator of this secret realm was a rather infamous Nascent Soul Stage evil cultivator known as "Master Heisha" from thousands of years ago. Although "Master Heisha" was a cultivator, his methods were even crueler than those of demonic cultivators, and he was also versed in various demonic secret techniques. According to Guo Jinhong, "Master Heisha" was continually trying to create an immortal and demon cultivation technique during his lifetime and may have achieved some breakthroughs. What Guo Jinhong wanted Zhouyang to do was to assist two Golden Core Stage "senior brothers" who were already waiting within the Golden Lion Country, to jointly enter the secret realm and seize "Master Heisha’s" research results. The tricky part of this matter wasn’t actually "Master Heisha’s" various contingencies inside the secret realm, but rather the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators also coveting "Master Heisha’s" relics. Because the arrays in the secret realm prohibited Nascent Soul Stage cultivators from entering, coupled with the mutual restraints among Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, those seeking "Master Heisha’s" relics could only, like Guo Jinhong, dispatch competent Golden Core Stage cultivators under their command to enter the secret realm for treasure hunting. Orıginal content can be found at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Once one entered the secret realm, no one would care about the other’s identity when faced with treasures, nor take into account alliances. Zhouyang knew very well where his strength limits lay; if only confronting ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivators, even if he were to be overwhelmed, he would be able to preserve his life without worry. But if he were to face Golden Core Stage cultivators sent by Nascent Soul Stage cultivators to compete for "Master Heisha’s" relics, he would find even safeguarding his life difficult. Hence, Guo Jinhong had advised him beforehand that this operation posed quite a few risks for him. Thankfully, though Guo Jinhong was domineering, he wasn’t cruel to the point of completely disregarding Zhouyang’s life or death. The task given to him this time was straightforward: utilize his "Qianyang True Flame" to counteract the demonic powers, assisting the two fellow senior brothers in handling "Master Heisha’s" various contingencies set using demonic means. As for battles over "Master Heisha’s" relics with other cultivators, he can decide based on circumstances whether to intervene. When Guo Jinhong took Zhouyang as a disciple, he mentioned that Zhouyang was his third registered disciple, meaning there were two other registered disciples before him. Upon arriving within the Golden Lion Country and meeting those two "senior brothers" in a marketplace as informed by Guo Jinhong, Zhouyang learned their names and origins. Senior Brother Liu Boyong, with an eighth-layer Golden Core cultivation, was already over nine hundred years old, with silver hair yet youthful appearance, a robust figure, and was the founding patriarch of a small sect "Celestial Blade Sect" within the Golden Lion Country. He commands a group of disciples and occupies a Tier Five lower-grade Spirit Mountain as his sect’s mountain gate, wielding considerable power and status. Second Senior Brother Yan An, with a sixth-layer Golden Core cultivation and a lifespan of under seven hundred, often dresses as a wandering Taoist. Lacking any sect or clan, he holds honored guest elder positions in several medium-sized sects, effectively being half a loose cultivator, typically wandering among various countries, seeking opportunities for advancement. These two had been Guo Jinhong’s registered disciples for several centuries, having collaborated numerous times with a fairly deep friendship. Though Zhouyang was new under Guo Jinhong and merely at the Purple Mansion cultivation, these two had already heard of his reputation. They were skeptical about how much he could assist in this operation. Thus, upon meeting Zhouyang, both exhibited a lukewarm attitude without much enthusiasm. Seeing this, Zhouyang naturally felt no reason to fawn over their indifference. He hadn’t truly respected Guo Jinhong as a master, having little emotional connection to these registered disciples of Guo Jinhong. Regardless, he had already resolved to fulfill his responsibilities alone, without intervening in other matters. Consequently, after an initially somewhat uncomfortable meeting, the three senior brothers, with their separate intentions, boarded Liu Boyong’s Flying Cloud Ship together heading to the newly discovered secret realm. On the way to the secret realm, Zhouyang seized the opportunity to review the secret realm information given to him by Liu Boyong. Since the secret realm had only recently been discovered, the documentation was sparse, merely recording observations by those cultivators who had entered. According to the details, the secret realm not only housed evil demonic killing arrays, but also Puppet Demon Corpses and Fierce Ghost Demons refined by "Master Heisha" using demonic secret techniques, including Golden Core stage-level Corpse Generals and Ghost Generals. Beyond these demonic powers, the secret realm also contained orthodox Immortal Dao killing arrays and puppet artifacts, all capable of threatening Golden Core Stage cultivators. In summary, the secret realm was fraught with risks. Golden Core Stage cultivators entering this realm must proceed with extreme caution.