The Stars Beyond

Chapter 122: To Have The Entire Expedition Killed? That’s Normal

The Hidden Land lies deep within uncharted cosmic territories. There, treasures capable of prolonging life abound, luring the great financial magnates to continually send teams in search of its secrets.

"If it has the legendary Immortal Herb, could there be powerful primates or even truly transcendent beings?" Wang Xuan pondered.

The Immortal Herb, a rare herb mentioned vividly in the ancient texts of the old world, often conjured associations with myths when mentioned. But the current information flow is asymmetrical. The intricacies of these secrets remain tightly gripped by the wealthy elites, leaving Wang Xuan with minimal understanding.

He suspects that the Hidden Land is far more dangerous than imagined. Numerous expeditions have been organized, but what wonders have they truly uncovered?

Old Chen's Secret Path Exploration Group has a branch in Yuan City. They've been gathering news about the Hidden Land, but they only know of the achievements of some expeditions and have no clue about the actual location or details of the Hidden Land.

...

The Zhong family's study room exuded an ancient aura, with many artifacts bearing an air of mysticism. Some were linked to myths and legends, while others were once owned by the mightiest of sorcerers.

Zhong Yong sat on a jade-green wicker chair. Behind the backrest, a vine sprouted a couple of fresh tender leaves.

A sacred animal hide, imbued with a potent life force, lay across his lap.

He sighed gently, summoning his second son, Zhong Changming, "My days may be numbered. You must prepare yourself and strategize for the future."

Barely seated, Zhong Changming abruptly stood up, shocked. "What's come over my father? He's always feared death. Why speak of it now?"

Behind Zhong Yong, a bookshelf showcased five colored jade books, golden bamboo slips, a misty luminous jade bottle, and a stone slab engraved with nine humanoid figures...

And this was merely a fraction of his vast collection. The relics stored in his vault were countless.

Even if the top powerhouses of ancient times were to be reborn and glimpse some of his artifacts, they would be astounded. Many of these items had disappeared a long time ago, becoming stuff of legends.

"Sit down, and listen to what I have to say."

...... After two days of rest, Wang Xuan pondered about how he should enter the Secret Realm and which faction he should collaborate with.

"Or perhaps, I shouldn't go to the Secret Realm at all and continue my research on the Inner Landscape," Wang Xuan thought. He believed he shouldn't be stuck on one path; if he couldn't access the Secret Realm, there had to be other options.

With his unique capability to access the Inner Landscape even before transcending, perhaps some ancient records from prominent sects might mention something about this. He wondered if there was an efficient way to utilize the Inner Landscape without releasing ancient beings. Were there any ancient methods to restrict them?

"Could the Old Covenant Locking Mantra be used to seal away the traps from ancient times?"

There were numerous scriptures and artifacts in the New World, almost as if they had emptied out the Old Earth. This was one of the reasons why Wang Xuan had come to the New World.

Three days later, Top Martial, where he served as a special consultant, asked him to visit their branch in Yuan City to register some information.

Soon, he realized what was going on. The authorities on New World were logging details about practitioners of both new and old techniques under the pretext of serving them better.

Wang Xuan pondered, was it truly for the betterment of the practitioners, or was it to control them more effectively?

He quickly grasped that the New World was being preemptive, wary of the emergence of true transcendents, and they were already preparing for such eventualities. If things continued this way, there might be various restrictions imposed in the future, like reporting one's whereabouts upon reaching a certain level of cultivation.

He speculated that people like Chen Mingtu would probably be under "special care" by now.

Resisting the idea, Wang Xuan said, "I'm not from the New World. I've been temporarily transferred from Old Earth to work here, and I'll be returning after a while."

"That doesn't matter. As long as you're in the New World, registration is mandatory. Don't overthink it. We're only recording basic information like name and cultivation level; nothing else will be involved."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan realized there was no escaping the inevitable. Currently, only minimal information was being registered, akin to a "census" for cultivators. What might come next was uncertain.

Reluctantly, he made his way to the Top Martial's branch in Yuan City.

"Actually, we asked you to come in person because some matters aren't suitable for discussion over the phone and need to be conveyed face-to-face," explained the official.

The person in charge of the registration was a middle-aged woman, not a member of the Top Martial organization's branch. She was assigned by the higher-ups, signifying the importance of this matter.

Wang Xuan remained silent, merely looking at her.

"It's good news," the woman said on her own accord, lowering her voice and sounding mysterious. "Being a special consultant, you must have heard of the Secret Realm, right?"

Wang Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of turbulence flashed deep within his eyes. He had been researching the Secret Realm extensively lately, and now someone was unexpectedly broaching the subject with him.

"While some cultivators are aware of the Secret Realm and search for it across the New World, without proper guidance, they will never truly discover its location," the woman said with a smile.

Wang Xuan could relate to her words deeply, having aimlessly roamed the Misty Plateau for nearly a month!

She continued with a gentle grin, "Don't look at me that way. I don't know the exact location of the Secret Realm either. However, once you complete this registration, you'll have an opportunity to enter it."

"How so?" Wang Xuan inquired.

She explained, "After discussions amongst various factions, there's a consensus that the Secret Realm should be opened to certain powerful cultivators, offering them a precious opportunity."

She added with a hint of a smile, "Remember, the purpose of this registration is to better serve the cultivators. Just be patient. I believe someone of your caliber will be among the first to receive invitations to the Secret Realm."

Exiting the building, Wang Xuan's face remained impassive. Serve the cultivators? To him, it seemed more like a strategy for the large organizations to streamline their selection of explorers for their missions. Only two days passed before he got his first call: an invitation from the prestigious Qin family's exploration team. He listened attentively, gleaning essential information from the representative's spiel. He neither accepted nor declined but instead chose to mull it over.

In the subsequent days, more calls came in. Different exploration teams pitched their offers, including one particular agent acting as a middleman.

This agent was intriguing. He clarified that Wang Xuan wouldn't be charged any fees, as they would be shouldered by the employers. "Listen," he began, "It's not just the major conglomerates interested in the Secret Realm. Other stakeholders see its potential too. But have you considered how these conglomerates and teams allocate their profits? They pocket 70%, leaving you with a meager 30%. The treasures you'd be risking your life for in the Secret Realm are largely taken by them. The employers I can introduce you to offer a much fairer fifty-fifty split!"

Wang Xuan remained non-committal, engaging with these contacts primarily to glean as much information as possible. The agent, sensing Wang Xuan's caution, added him to a specialized messaging group, connecting him with fellow cultivators.

"Trust me, avoid the teams backed by the big tycoons. They're only after the Secret Realm's rarities, like mountain snails and terrestrial immortal grass. The dangers are high and survival rates? Abysmal," a cultivator remarked.

Another chimed in, "Did you hear about the Song family's disaster? All three of their exploration teams got wiped out. Now, they can't recruit a soul. Too dangerous!"

A different voice pitched, "Let me tell you, our New Origin exploration team may be a fresh face in this game, but we put safety first and offer a higher profit share. Of our last team of eight, four returned safely. A 50% survival rate is unmatched in this field!"

......

Wang Xuan quietly observed the ongoing conversation, not uttering a single word. A mocking smile crept onto his face. Was he being swindled by a group of con artists working in tandem?

Without hesitation, he reached out to Old Chen's Secret Paths Exploration Organization based in Yuan City. He relayed his findings to the person in charge, asking for insights on this "New Origin Exploration Team".

Later that day, feedback arrived, catching Wang Xuan off-guard.

The recently established New Origin Exploration Team did indeed boast the highest survival rates. Half of its members managed to safely return from the Secret Realm. In contrast, other exploration teams had alarmingly high fatality rates. On a good day, only about 20% would make it back alive. Furthermore, in recent times, there were instances where entire exploration teams backed by the major tycoons were decimated.

"How did the Zhao, Wu, and Zhong families fare?" Wang Xuan inquired.

"I'm not sure about the Zhong family; we don't have any direct contacts there. The Wu family has been trying to collaborate with us for a while now, so we're quite familiar with their situation. I heard they suffered two complete team losses recently, and in another expedition, fewer than 15% made it back. The Zhao family's situation is similarly grim."

A sense of disbelief washed over Wang Xuan. He had initially thought, if all else failed, he'd seek refuge with the Wu and Zhao families. Yet with such dire circumstances where even the strongest perished, he began to question the viability of this plan.

Wang Xuan had long anticipated that the Secret Realm would be treacherous. Now, it was evident that this place was akin to a death trap. Even the exploration teams backed by the ultra-rich tycoons were repeatedly suffering setbacks.

Subsequently, Wang Xuan visited the Top Martial's branch to further inquire about the New Origin Exploration Team. Why did they have a higher survival rate compared to others?

"They aim low," the representative began. "They don't target the rare and coveted Earth Immortal Grass or Mountain Snails. They operate mostly in the outer regions of the Secret Realm and know when to quit. They never stay longer than a week."

Other exploration teams typically spend over ten days in the Secret Realm, with some staying nearly a month before departing.

Wang Xuan nodded in understanding. It seemed he wasn't being fooled by a group of con artists after all.

"Has anyone ever successfully harvested the Earth Immortal Grass?" he inquired.

"Impossible," the representative scoffed. "That's a divine herb. In ancient times, it was said to be guarded by beings of the Earth Immortal caliber. Many have tried and died attempting to get close, but none have succeeded."

......

Through various sources, Wang Xuan may have had limited knowledge about the Secret Realm itself, but his understanding of the status of the various expedition teams was growing increasingly thorough.

"The end of the month is nearing," a voice from the deep-space communication group chimed in, "All the teams should be returning soon. We'll soon see their achievements. I'm curious if the major conglomerates' expeditions have been wiped out again."

"The second expedition of New Origin is also about to return. I'm waiting to see their casualty reports," another person added.

"If they still have a 50% survival rate this time, I'm going all in! I'll join New Origin's next expedition," declared another.

Amidst the discussions in the deep-space signal group, Wang Xuan quietly waited. He was particularly eager to learn about the status of the expedition teams from the families of Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin. He was also curious about the overall situation of the teams backed by the large organizations. Would those teams have suffered another complete loss?