Chapter 92: 92 - Tempest secret realm (06) The moment he passed through the gate, Qingyi immediately felt the air around him change. The air on the second floor was pure and light, each breath filling his lungs with vitality, just like in the lightning spirit temple. But now it was different, heavy, with his senses immediately being repressed to a fraction of what they were before. The density of Qi became so low that he felt as if he were back on earth. "This is going to be problematic..." he muttered as the gate at his back closed, its light no longer illuminating the place. Within seconds, Qingyi found himself in complete darkness. He drew his sword and covered it with his lightning sword Qi, managing to illuminate no more than five meters around him. He looked at the walls, made of a rustic brown stone. Despite the wooden pillars supporting it, there were no pickaxe marks or any indication that it had been dug by human hands. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand on the rough surface, feeling the Qi pass through it. It was faint, almost non-existent, but when he activated his draconic eyes, he could see the lines of Qi easily. He seemed to be in some kind of tunnel. To his left, the lines descended before splitting into four distinct paths, slowly losing strength. To the right, they continued in a straight path before gradually rising, their intensity becoming greater and greater. After thinking for a moment, Qingyi took the right. Every few seconds, he scanned his surroundings, but couldn’t feel anything. It was only after almost ten minutes of walking that his steps suddenly stopped. He crouched down, his eyes catching a small glow beneath his feet. "Inferior Qi crystal," he muttered as he picked up a small translucent crystal, not much bigger than a fingernail. This type of crystal was not very uncommon in the outer region of the Blue Moon Continent, being used by wealthy cultivators for illumination and to slightly increase the density of Qi in an area. But the places where these crystals were found were still very rare and, generally, where there were inferior crystals, there were superior ones. These were much rarer and were in fact the standard currency used in the Nine Peaks Basin. Even the Ascending Dragon Sect shouldn’t have much more than a few dozen or hundred of these precious crystals. After observing the crystal for a few more moments, Qingyi put it away and continued to follow the tunnel. After more than thirty minutes, his steps stopped again. The intensity of the Qi lines had stopped increasing, all converging on a single point on the wall. He covered his hand with lightning Qi before punching, a bang echoing and the tunnel shaking, but it still didn’t budge. Closing his eyes, he calmed his mind and again gathered the Qi in his hand, this time using both sword and lightning Qi. When his eyes opened, he attacked again. His attack had a fraction of the power of the previous one, but even so, the wall in front of him immediately crumbled, revealing a black steel door. Without hesitation, Qingyi opened the door and stepped inside, feeling the space around him distort. When he realized it, he felt the air become pure again and the density of Qi explode. It seemed as if he had returned to the second floor, surrounded by a strange but beautiful forest. With a slight impulse, he jumped above the trees and observed the scenery around him. The place seemed to be around two hundred square kilometers. On the horizon, he could see large black walls rising up and closing in at the top, where a single thunderous crystal illuminated everything with a bluish light. Exactly in the center of the third floor was a mansion, large and luxurious, its central courtyard hidden by golden gates. Qingyi prepared to set off in that direction, but he soon sensed dozens of Foundation Realm auras. Most of them were spirit beasts, but he could feel some auras from cultivators too, all at the peak of the Foundation Realm. "Are these Young Master Shen’s guards?" he wondered. It made sense that the guards were holding back the beasts while Young Master Shen tried to ascend to the fourth floor as quickly as possible. "Why are those bastards so fast?" he gritted his teeth before activating his lightning steps, leaping over the treetops. "Shit, where did that bastard come from?" One of the guards fighting a powerful spirit beast exclaimed, his eyes focusing on Qingyi for a brief moment before he was forced to turn his attention to the beast in front of him. This was a dangerous battle, he couldn’t afford to lose his focus for too long. "Someone’s go after him! Young Master Shen will be furious if we let him through!" Another guard roared and soon, Qingyi felt two auras behind him. But he didn’t even care much about these guards. Forcing a little more Qi into his feet, he exploded into speed, leaving them behind. It wasn’t long before he leapt over the mansion’s great wall, landing in a wide, luxurious courtyard. The mansion seemed to be completely locked, surrounded by powerful spiritual harnesses, but Qingyi didn’t pay much attention to them. His eyes soon focused on the two gates at the front of the mansion and the two figures standing next to one of these gates. Young Master Shen was already panting, the gate in front of him marked by dozens of blade marks, but he still didn’t seem to be anywhere close to giving in. Right next to him was the small, delicate figure of Qing Ruyan. Her veil was slightly open, revealing the pale, jade-perfect skin of her thin, rounded chin and full, curved cherry lips, glistening faintly in the light of the large crystal as she sipped from a cup of tea. That woman was a transcendental beauty, Qingyi was immediately sure of it. She noticed Qingyi’s presence, curiously turning her face towards him.