Qin Ruqing had experienced countless perilous places and had become quite adept at handling various monster hunting quests.

Therefore, she was prepared for any terrifying sensations that might arise when entering the Void Realm.

She had anticipated feelings such as falling into an abyss, dizziness and nausea like being on a roller coaster, or the madness caused by being eroded by malevolent energies, similar to her experience in the Heart Soul Cavern.

She had encountered them all.

However, she didn’t expect the sensation of entering the Void Realm to be so mundane.

The only thing she felt was a brief, invisible scan of her entire body, as if a qualification check had been performed.

Soon after, she felt solid ground beneath her feet.

Qin Ruqing opened her eyes and saw nothing but a vast expanse of white.

It even felt somewhat like a system space gate—nothing but a stone tablet with two ancient characters engraved on it.

Qin Ruqing squinted at the ancient characters, trying to recognize them, but found she couldn’t.

“Uh… what characters are these?”

A basic part of the education in noble families was learning to recognize ancient characters.

If they were genuine ancient characters, she should be able to recognize them.

Lu Wei and Tang Zifeng also took a look and shook their heads.

“It’s ‘Wuyou.’”

“This is the Wuyou Realm, also known as Wuyou City.”

Qin Ruqing and Elder Song from the Song family spoke simultaneously.

Elder Song looked at Qin Ruqing in surprise, “Oh, Miss Ruqing, you recognize these characters?”

Qin Ruqing smiled, “These are the original version of the ancient characters. I happened to see them in an ancient book.”

As for the source of that ancient book, it was naturally the Ten Thousand Volumes Pavilion of the Fifth family.

Every time she came out from the Four Prisons, she would spend some time in the Immortal library.

lpOver the years, Qin Ruqing had lost count of how many books she had read.

The two original “Wuyou” characters were within her knowledge.

Elder Song stroked his beard and nodded approvingly, “Miss Ruqing’s knowledge is indeed profound. These are indeed the original Wuyou characters. Even ancient characters have undergone several generations of changes.”

After confirming the surroundings again, Qin Ruqing noticed that the family teams that had entered ahead were already gone. She asked, “Is this the Ruins of Return? Why is there nothing here?”

In the outside world, she had heard more than once that the Void Realm were the battlefield of ancient wars, extremely dangerous and terrifying.

Yet, standing in the Wuyou Realm now, she felt calm and safe, not at all like the descriptions from the outside.

Elder Song explained, “The Wuyou Realm is the only peaceful and safe area within the Void Realm. It is said to be an ancient resting place. Things will be different as we move forward.”

As he spoke, it seemed the Ming family’s team was already preparing to leave this place.

Qin Ruqing looked over with curiosity.

The Ming family’s team continued forward in the vast, white space.

When they reached what seemed like their limit, a black vortex suddenly appeared, just as Elder Song had described.

The Wuyou Realm was an ancient battlefield’s resting place, not a true Void space.

Qin Ruqing thought the Ming family would leave at this point, but unexpectedly, Ming Ying turned around.

Qin Ruqing blinked in surprise.

Ming Ying instructed the Ming family members to go ahead while she walked towards Qin Ruqing.

Seeing Ming Ying approach, Qin Ruqing asked, “Aren’t you going with your people?”

Ming Ying pouted, “There’s no point in going together. Once inside, we’ll get separated anyway.”

Lu Wei and the others exchanged glances. “We’ll really be separated?”

Qin Ruqing looked at Song Xinwu, who quickly raised his hand. “When I said the space gate’s structure was stable, I was referring to the Wuyou Realm. I didn’t say anything about what comes next. I’m not trying to deceive you, Fairy Qin.”

Ming Ying grabbed Qin Ruqing’s hand and got to the point. “Did you see the person I gave you a signal about earlier?”

“I saw them. The one holding the sword is Fang Zhejun!”

Ming Ying nodded. “She’s Fang Zhiming’s elder sister. If the Fang family wants to kill you, they’ll definitely have Fang Zhejun take action.”

“Also,” Ming Ying bit her lip, hesitated, and then used a secret sound transmission to continue, “There’s something you might not know. The Fang family, before they reached Golden Family, They we’re under a powerful hidden Family. They still remain under that family. Few people know about this.”

“I won’t go into details about the hidden family, but you should know they are extremely mysterious and powerful.

Some even have quasi-Immortal quality potential. The hidden family the Fang family is affiliated with is such an entity.”

“This family has a prodigy whose talent and strength rival Feng Mingyue’s.

If Fang Zhejun fails to kill you, she might seek help from their superior family.

Then, you’ll be facing opponents on the same level as Feng Mingyue.”

Wow, that’s explosive news!

So, this matches with the previous information, right?

Previously, the Fang family openly tried to kill her at the Hundred Clans Conference, and the incident became widely known.

The final handling of the matter was rushed.

Later, when the Director Feng Qinyue privately approached her, he subtly hinted that the Fang family had someone backing them, making it difficult for them to act recklessly.

Qin Ruqing was puzzled at what could make the Feng family, an Celestial Family, wary.

Now, with Ming Ying’s explanation, it’s clear that the Fang family’s backing is a hidden family with a background rivaling Celestial Family!

Qin Ruqing quickly processed this information but was most concerned with one thing, “Since this matter is so secretive, will it have any impact if you told me?”

Ming Ying shook her head. “I know because my Ming family has had connections with this hidden family… well, connections through marriage, I suppose.”

Ming Ying was vague, but Qin Ruqing understood immediately.

Matters of love and marriage are not always openly approved by families.

This might be why Ming Ying was so cautious about revealing it.

The Ming family members standing next to the vortex had yet to leave and were making urging sounds.

Ming Ying said one last thing, “Remember, the family you should be cautious of is the Lu family. The genius who is on par with Feng Mingyue is named Lu Zhiyao.”

“If Lu Zhiyao doesn’t take action against you, it’s best not to provoke her.

There will surely be a confrontation between her and Feng Mingyue, so you can let them fight it out among themselves. Alright, I’m leaving.”

After speaking, she didn’t look at Qin Ruqing’s expression, probably feeling a bit guilty after revealing so many secrets, and walked away with quickened steps.

Once the Ming family members disappeared into the vortex, Tang Zifeng looked at Qin Ruqing.

He had sensed something earlier and it seemed Ming Ying had said something in private to Qin Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing noticed Tang Zifeng’s concerned gaze and gave him a reassuring blink.

Then she looked at Elder Song and asked casually, “By the way, Elder, when we entered the Void Realm earlier, I saw that two families were positioned ahead of the Golden-Ranked teams. Who are they? I don’t think I’ve seen them before.”

Elder Song responded, “Oh, those are hidden families. They are different from the families in the Four Domains, as their clan territories are in the central domain of Penglai and are extremely mysterious.”

Qin Ruqing asked, “What are hidden families?”

The term “hidden” seemed to add an extra layer of mystery, making it difficult to understand.

Elder Song checked the time and noted that they had been delayed for a while, so he briefly explained, “These hidden families often possess unique legacies and rarely marry outsiders.

Their numbers are small, but they have maintained their lineage for a long time… Well, it doesn’t concern you too much; knowing too much isn’t useful.”

Qin Ruqing smiled faintly and said, “Shouldn’t we be on our way? The Song family can go ahead.”

This suited Elder Song perfectly.

He bowed to Qin Ruqing and led his team into the vortex.

When only Qin Ruqing and her group remained in the Wuyou Realm, Qi Rong spoke up, “Sister, did Ming Ying say something to you earlier?”

Qin Ruqing nodded, “Yes, it was about the hidden families.”

She raised her eyes and said solemnly, “The Fang family has backing from a hidden family called the Lu family.

Do you remember the group in black robes that followed the Feng family when we entered the Void Realm?

They are from the Lu family! Later, when we disperse, if you encounter anyone in black robes, avoid them at all costs!”

Lu Wei and Qi Rong both nodded, but Tang Zifeng asked, “Will the Lu family be a threat to you?”

Qin Ruqing replied, “Not necessarily.”

She smiled deliberately and said lightly, “It depends on whether Fang Zhejun can deal with me. If she’s capable enough, there might not be a need for the Lu family to intervene.”

Qin Ruqing initially intended to joke around, but seeing Lu Wei and the others’ serious expressions, she realized her attempt at humor didn’t land well.

She started to say something reassuring, like mentioning her own strength, but was interrupted when she suddenly felt something cold pressed into her hand.

Looking down, she discovered it was a brass-colored key.

She raised her gaze and met a pair of pitch-black eyes.

“This isn’t just a key. It’s a one-way summoning space artifact, usable only once. If you’re in danger, slide it through the air, and I’ll come to you,” Tang Zifeng said, her tone flat, as if she were handing over an ordinary item.

Qin Ruqing, however, recognized the significance.

A one-way summoning artifact was akin to having a personal backup ready to intervene.

If there were an ancestor or powerful figure behind it, it could be incredibly advantageous.

Tang Zifeng had given her many things before, each time with a casual demeanor. But this time, Qin Ruqing felt a subtle, special emotion behind the casualness.

The bronze key suddenly felt warm in her hand.

Though their relationship was friendly, declining it would be too polite.

She grasped the key tightly and said earnestly, “I will definitely use it only if absolutely necessary.”

Tang Zifeng’s lips curved into a clear smile. “Don’t worry about it. If you need to use it, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a tool I acquired.”

Her words seemed to lighten the mood, breaking the previous seriousness.

Qi Rong and Lu Wei both laughed, and Qin Ruqing smiled too.

In her mind, she thought: It’s like you remember everything I casually mention.

As the black vortex appeared, they were about to leave the Wuyou Realm and enter the true ancient battlefield.

Before parting, Qin Ruqing said, “Elder Song mentioned that after entering the battlefield, we’ll first scatter and later regroup automatically.

So, try to head towards the Immortal Tomb… Maybe I’ll have a chance to bring you in.”

Qin Ruqing wasn’t just passively following the Fifth Family.

Even now, she was thinking of making some strategic moves… at least, she wanted to make sure her small team from the Southern Ridge got through.

They nodded firmly, and the vortex swallowed them completely.

When Qin Ruqing opened her eyes again, all she saw was red.

She found herself standing between two massive skeletons.

Directly in front of her was the shaft of a long spear, deeply embedded in the dark red ground.

Qin Ruqing froze for a moment, then stepped out from between the skeletons and examined the scene.

One of the skeletons clearly had human features, while the other was much larger.

The long spear was thrust through the chest cavity of the human skeleton, penetrating and anchoring into the ground below.

A gust of wind carrying an unknown, bloody scent and a sense of killing intent blew past.

Qin Ruqing turned her head and saw a mottled boundary marker slowly emerging from the dark red ground, with four large characters inscribed:

“Void Soul Battlefield!”