On the South Coast, the warehouse-type secret realm Leilin had previously breached and the laboratory-type secret realm the old witch had discovered now were both small-scale secret realms.
This type of secret realm typically spanned no more than a hundred mu, serving purely as a venue for experiments and storage. Regardless of what lay inside, judged solely by the realm itself, its value was undoubtedly the lowest tier.
The next tier up were resource-type secret realms. These covered at least a hundred thousand mu, sprawling across vast territories with varied terrain—ideal for cultivating the resources wizards required.
The most elite secret realms incorporated formulas within their very foundations that could regulate the growth cycles of plants and animals, allowing a single wizard to manipulate the entire realm directly!
These were only the common categories. There were also exceptions like the Dylan Garden Leilin had encountered before—small in area, but personally arranged by a Crimson Grand
"What a shame! If this were a resource-type secret realm, we could quietly claim the place, modify it, and… tch tch, we'd be raking in profits beyond imagination!"
Tonghuan rubbed his chin, clearly lost in some wonderfully extravagant fantasy.
"Dream on!" The old witch snorted coldly, shattering his delusions.
"The larger the secret realm, the higher its cost. A resource-type realm spanning over a hundred thousand mu—even the ancient wizard organizations could barely afford to create one…"
"The resource realms the major organizations on the South Coast have today are merely inherited remnants from ancient predecessors, modified over time! If a resource-type realm were discovered here, there's no way we could swallow it alone. Even with the entire organization and our patron behind us, it wouldn't be enough!"
"Let's go. Even a laboratory-type secret realm will have plenty of good things inside. Plus, handing it over will earn us a massive contribution score—enough for you to exchange for a wealth of resources!" Leilin said.
For small-scale secret realms like this, the major wizard organizations all had dedicated task assignments. Whether it was the
If this had been a resource-type realm, Leilin might have harbored some petty schemes, trying to siphon it for himself.
But since it was merely a small laboratory-type secret realm, his desire to occupy it long-term wasn't particularly strong. Even if he claimed it, such a small area couldn't be transformed into much—at best, just a hidden small base.
"The entrance to the secret realm is inside a two-story wooden house on the western side of the village!"
The old witch led the other three to a two-story wooden structure with practiced familiarity.
This place was even more remote than the village itself. Wild grass had overrun the area around the building, and a few mole-like creatures darted past at speed.
"This used to be a bustling street, but thirteen years ago, the residents of this wooden house started dying one after another. Villagers would sometimes hear a woman's shrill wailing coming from near the building… The names 'haunted house' and 'cursed dwelling' spread like wildfire, and the surroundings gradually fell into desolation!"
The old witch pushed open the rotting door with a hint of pride.
"During one of my travels, I discovered this place. After months of investigation, I determined that the anomalies here were all caused by the defensive wizard spells at the secret realm's entrance deteriorating, unintentionally leaking corruptive energy…"
"By my calculations, today—thirteen years later—the defensive array will be completely destroyed, and the entrance to the secret realm will fully manifest…"
"So I first posed as an ordinary person, purchased this property, and set up a layer of illusory camouflage outside to ensure no visiting wizard would ever detect it."
Leilin listened to the old witch's account while exploring the building.
The ground floor was modest, containing only two or three rooms. The main hall was blanketed in a thick layer of dust and the scattered debris of broken furniture. In one corner, a spiral wooden staircase riddled with holes provided the only connection between the two floors.
Beneath this scene of decay, Leilin sensed a dense aura of Negative Energy.
The aura was remarkably impure, carrying a familiar undertone.
"Spirits! And they're the vengeful kind—wraiths driven mad with rage!" A faint smile crossed Leilin's lips. "This old witch really did find a fine spot."
"Follow me! And don't touch the black mold on the walls—those are trigger formulas!"
The old witch led the way, guiding the three up the creaking stairs to the second floor with evident familiarity.
The second floor was even more cramped than the ground floor below. The corridor was narrow enough for only two people to walk abreast.
Leilin happened to be beside Jay, who was completely wrapped in a cloak and barely spoke. Leilin couldn't even determine the person's gender.
"This painting is the entrance to the entire Soul Reapers' secret realm!"
At the end of the corridor, the old witch pointed at an oil painting hanging on the wall and turned to address Leilin and the others.
Leilin's attention was drawn to the painting.
It depicted a noblewoman in elegant attire, half her face concealed behind an exquisite fan.
The entire canvas used a green background that looked somewhat incongruous with the subject matter.
And perhaps due to the angle and linework, after staring at it for a while, Leilin suddenly felt the noblewoman's fan had shifted slightly.
In the next instant, the woman in the painting blinked.
"Is this painting… alive?"
Leilin blurted out in surprise.
"Ah, so you've finally awakened?" The old witch chuckled and stepped forward.
"Outsider intruder—state the pass phrase!" The woman in the painting blinked again, and a message resonated directly in the minds of every wizard present.
"A pass phrase? Your masters are all long dead. Now, I've come to claim everything within this realm!"
The old witch stared at the woman in the painting. "If you choose to submit, I might still find a spot for you in my collection room."
"Pass phrase incorrect." The woman in the painting spoke, and Leilin keenly noticed that the fan in her hand had closed slightly.
"Just a magical construct! How dare you refuse me!"
Green light blazed in the old witch's eyes as a sphere of emerald fire materialized and shot directly at the painting.
*Snap!* The instant the green fireball was about to engulf the painting, the noblewoman's fan snapped shut, revealing the other half of her face hidden behind it.
To Leilin's shock, beneath the beautiful upper half of the woman's face lay a nose and lips made entirely of white bone.
It was as though everything below the woman's eyes—the flesh, the blood—had silently vanished into thin air.
A sensation of extreme contrast and wrongness crashed through Leilin's entire chest.
*"Shriek!!!"* A woman's piercing scream erupted, filling the entire corridor.
The green fireball shattered first, scattering into flecks of emerald flame before being extinguished outright in the vibrating air.
**Ding! Subject under sonic attack. Banshee Wail similarity: 67%. Physical movement abnormal. Spiritual Power circulation speed reduced by 89%...** Chip projected a red status bar across Leilin's field of vision.
"Banshee Wail? Is a genuine banshee trapped inside that painting?!" Leilin was startled. A film of crimson light immediately enveloped his body, blocking out the sonic wave.
Though his ears still stung, his body regained mobility.
At that moment, several red tentacles—looking disturbingly like intestines—erupted from the painting and lashed toward the nearest target: Tonghuan.
"Damn it!" Tonghuan cursed as countless bone spikes erupted from his body, piercing through the red tendrils and severing them to the ground.
"Bone Spike Spell?!" Leilin was surprised. "He actually has this innate spell permanently inscribed on his body? Is this guy a masochist?"
The Bone Spike Spell was a first-tier wizard spell with decent power, though its activation conditions were troublesome. It required the caster's own bones to protrude outward, puncturing through their own flesh and muscle before striking the enemy.
This kind of spell was purely "harm yourself before harming others"—only lunatics and masochists would choose it.
"I'll tear you apart, you wretched thing!" It was clear that being forced to unleash his innate spell right off the bat had infuriated Tonghuan.
Now his entire body bristled with white bone spikes, making him look like a giant white sea urchin.
Simultaneously, a layer of green light spread from beneath Tonghuan's neck across his whole body, performing emergency hemostasis and other healing.
"Stop!" The old witch released a swarm of translucent spiritual forms from her body, each one wrapping around Tonghuan to slow him down.
"This painting has had wizard spell effects permanently inscribed on it. If you destroy it, the entire secret realm entrance will collapse completely!"
The old witch's expression turned grave. "Let me handle it."
During the earlier Banshee Wail attack, both the old witch and Jay had manifested rings of black light around their bodies, apparently unscathed.
"Your Banshee Wail is quite impressive. Pity that most of the offensive wizard arrays that complemented it have crumbled over time. What remains is useless against formal wizards like us…"
The old witch cast a pitying glance at the banshee in the painting, then placed her hand directly on its surface.
A spot of purple-black spread from her palm across the painting, as if someone were pouring paint over it.
"Come now, little darling."
The old witch spoke softly, her voice tender and alluring.
As she spoke, the banshee's expression in the painting shifted to one of utter terror, as though she were facing her natural predator.