Li Shifan took the pendant and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Zhang Deming answered, "This is a One-Star Magical Artifact, but its only function is location tracking.

Besides locating the main device, this one can also be located in turn.

The range isn’t huge, but it’ll keep us from getting separated."

Li Shifan nodded upon hearing this and put the miniature bookmark away.

The two rested for a moment, during which Zhang Deming also familiarized himself with the map of the surrounding area.

After Li Shifan had recovered, the two set off again.

After walking for more than an hour, the stream of people suddenly began to grow again.

This time, however, there wasn’t a motley crew of people. It was almost entirely disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect. Outer Disciples in White Cloud Cyan Shirts and Inner Sect Disciples in Purple Cloud Cyan Shirts streamed by endlessly.

Occasionally, a few young masters from the Noble Families were interspersed among them. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Evidently, these were all Sect members who had recently been dealing with the demon uprising in the Celestial Spirit Sect’s back mountains, which was why they had arrived ahead of others.

As they drew closer, the flow of people became even denser.

The surroundings didn’t feel like the depths of the Hengduan Mountain Range at all; it was more like a massive gathering.

As Zhang Deming and Li Shifan continued forward, they abruptly passed through a strange, thin membrane, and both of them paused.

’This feeling?’

’It’s so familiar!’

’Right, it’s the same feeling as that large Concealing Array remaining at the ruined mountain peak from last time, when I was fleeing for my life. It’s just that this one is much more complete and powerful.’

After passing through the membrane, while the two were still stunned, a massive, ancient tree came into view.

The ancient tree was several times taller than the surrounding primordial trees, exuding an aura of antiquity, having weathered an unknown number of ages.

At that moment, at the base of the tree’s trunk, four powerful Duality Masters from the Celestial Spirit Sect were floating there, arranged in a square formation.

Spiritual Power surged from their bodies, connecting to form a peculiar square array, upon which countless runes swirled.

Within the array, at the core of the tree trunk, a massive Light Gate was constantly trembling and emitting a faint glow.

The innumerable runes on the array were continuously bombarding the Light Gate, preventing it from closing.

The four floating Duality Ancestors were at the four corners of the array, their eyes closed in meditation. The violent surges of their Spiritual Power kept countless Inner and Outer Disciples from approaching even an inch closer.

Around the great tree, there was a sea of people, a massive, surging crowd.

In front of the great tree were dozens of Array Platforms arranged in a regular circular pattern, encircling the tree one by one.

Teams of well-organized disciples from the Array Department were organizing the other disciples who came forward.

Whenever an Array Platform was full, the Array was activated by the personnel operating it. The disciples inside would transform into streams of light, disappear into the Light Gate in the tree trunk, and vanish from sight.

Although the crowd was massive, the Array Platforms around the trunk had clearly been prepared for this situation well in advance.

Therefore, entry wasn’t congested at all. The main reason for the massive crowd was that most people were in a wait-and-see state.

After all, no one knew what the situation was like inside. Coupled with the warning from the Resources Department, many people hesitated upon seeing the scene before them.

This resulted in a sea of people gathered around, while the Array Platforms near the base of the tree were not operating at full capacity, activating only once every few moments.

Zhang Deming and Li Shifan observed for a moment. After getting a clear picture of the situation, they glanced at each other.

Li Shifan abruptly clenched his left fist. He glanced at the powerful Duality figures in the distance and said hesitantly, "This place..."

"Is there a problem?" Zhang Deming asked.

Li Shifan shook his head. "No, it’s just... if we travel at full speed, this is only a day’s journey from the periphery. How come we never discovered it before?"

Zhang Deming said, "What’s so strange about that? Before a Secret Realm appears, isn’t everything just normal?

"Let’s go. We have to go in anyway.

"We won’t learn anything by dragging our feet. When the main groups arrive later, we’ll probably have to queue if we want to get in.

"There are only three days to enter. Getting in early isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

"After all, no one knows what the situation is really like inside the Secret Realm."

Li Shifan nodded and said, "I was thinking the same thing."

Having made up their minds, the two left the crowd and walked over to an Array Platform that was almost full. Most of the people currently taking action were Inner Sect Disciples in their purple robes.

Many of the Outer Disciples were still watching from the sidelines. After all, the gate hadn’t been open for long, and many people had only just arrived.

The two of them, dressed in their White Cloud Cyan Shirts, stood out in the crowd and thus attracted quite a few stares.

This made both Zhang Deming and Li Shifan a little uncomfortable, as neither of them were the type to seek attention.

Zhang Deming frowned and muttered, "Looks like it’d be best not to wear these robes after we get inside."

Li Shifan frowned and muttered back, "But these robes should at least help us get support from fellow sect members."

Zhang Deming hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right. We’ll decide after we get in."

Li Shifan also nodded. "Yeah."

As a major Upper Sect, the Celestial Spirit Sect governed dozens of surrounding prefectures with immense populations. The Sect alone completely surpassed the administrative capital of a large province in his previous life.

Therefore, they were surrounded by unfamiliar senior and junior brothers. This, combined with the fact that everyone was standing so close, made the two of them very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, although many were still observing and the number of people entering wasn’t that high, it was by no means a small number.

Thus, in just a few minutes, their Array Platform was full.

The Array Masters immediately activated the platform. Instantly, the Array Platform emitted a dense Spiritual Light that became spiritually entangled with the Light Gate.

In the blink of an eye, everyone on the Array Platform transformed into streams of light, plunged into the Light Gate, and vanished within.