Chapter 89: Since You’re Already Here

At the thought of that possibility, Ma Mingyuan grew anxious.

He carefully observed the cultivators at Black Jade Tower’s stall, as well as everyone who had signed up for the mission to encircle and suppress the wooden tower, secretly committing them all to memory one by one.

Toward the mysterious Paper Figure inside the secret realm, Ma Mingyuan felt fear and reverence, but deep in his heart, he was also filled with gratitude.

Ever since the moment he had encountered the Paper Figure, he had no idea how many treasures he had obtained from the secret realm.

The Sword-Nurturing Gourd, the Earthfire Heart Lotus Seeds, Turtle Breath Art, Giant Ape Transformation...

In the past, Ma Mingyuan had only been an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator in Cangxing City with no fixed home. Relying on his escape spell and secret arts, he had luckily escaped safely from many dangerous situations and preserved his life.

But now, his cultivation had risen sharply. He had long since broken through to high-level Qi Refining, and the cultivation methods he practiced were far better than before.

At the same time, his wealth had also grown much richer. He had entered the secret realm three times, and every time, he had obtained many spiritual herbs and medicines from it, to say nothing of third-rank supreme treasures like the Sword-Nurturing Gourd and the Earthfire Heart Lotus Seeds.

After drifting through half his life, he had finally encountered a wise master. His entire life had undergone an earth-shaking change.

Thinking of this, Ma Mingyuan’s heart became firm. So what if the Paper Figure was a weird entity? As long as it treated him well, he would stand on its side.

He decided to hurry to the secret realm in advance and find a way to inform the mysterious Paper Figure of Black Jade Tower’s plan.

Black Jade Tower was still carrying out its recruitment plan, but Ma Mingyuan could not wait at all.

Speed was vital in war. He swiftly returned from the market, made some brief preparations, burned his blood essence, and used his escape spell to rush outside the secret realm at the fastest possible speed.

At the secret realm entrance, Ma Mingyuan stood before the peach blossom forest, his face pale.

Inside the peach blossom forest, white mist permeated the air so densely that he could not see his fingers before his face. Ma Mingyuan circled around it and discovered that arrays had also been laid out in the other areas, protecting the entire secret realm so tightly that not even water could leak through.

He had some foundation in the path of arrays, but for him to break the arrays alone was absolutely impossible.

Anxious, Ma Mingyuan held the paper slip he had obtained from the Paper Figure and paced back and forth outside the secret realm.

As the key to entering the secret realm, the paper slip was now his only hope. He could only entrust that hope to the Paper Figure discovering it and coming out to find him.

If the Paper Figure did not discover it, then he could only blend into the cultivator group himself and look for an opportunity to sabotage their operation.

Through the Little Paper Man, Lu Yuan could sense the position of every paper slip.

By chance, he discovered that outside the cave abode, one paper slip had been wandering near the cave abode the entire time.

He swept his divine sense over and discovered Ma Mingyuan waiting outside the cave abode.

His expression was as usual, but his pacing footsteps revealed the anxiety in his heart.

“Why has this leek delivered himself to my door?”

Curious, Lu Yuan opened the restriction and controlled the Little Paper Man to arrive beside Ma Mingyuan.

Ma Mingyuan suddenly sensed a cold yin aura spreading rapidly. He turned his head and discovered the Paper Figure not far away, staring fixedly at him with its hollow eye sockets.

“Senior!” Ma Mingyuan cried out in surprise. He cupped his fists with both hands and bowed deeply.

The Little Paper Man enlarged its body, stretched out its arms, and wrote on its chest.

“What are you doing coming to the secret realm? It is not yet time for the secret realm to open.”

It had been a long time since it had written, and it had also been busy exercising. The Little Paper Man’s arms had become stiff, and even the characters it wrote were much more rusty.

“I happened to learn in Cangxing City that a great force in the city called Black Jade Tower has dispatched two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators and recruited dozens, perhaps even over a hundred Qi Refining cultivators, intending to surround and capture a treasure tower capable of producing strokes of fortune.

“I saw that the treasure tower was near the secret realm where Senior is located, so I do not know what relationship that wooden tower has with Senior.”

“...”

Six black dots appeared on the Little Paper Man’s body, then were quickly wiped away by it.

Lu Yuan was speechless for a while. Aren’t you supposed to be human? You came running over to inform on them to me, a weird entity?

However, considering that Ma Mingyuan had burned his blood essence for him just to gain that small bit of time, Lu Yuan was more or less moved, and truthfully told Ma Mingyuan the information about the wooden tower.

“That wooden tower is called the Treasure-Seeking Tower. It is an exotic treasure born and nurtured inside my secret realm.”

The Little Paper Man rapidly wrote black characters on its body. To be fair, after devouring the White-Bone Demon Skin, even its handwriting seemed much more forceful. The strokes were sharp as silver hooks and iron lines, vigorous and solid.

In his previous life, it would have been a fine seedling for copying homework.

After Ma Mingyuan saw the writing on the Paper Figure, his guess grew even more certain.

“Since that strange treasure tower is closely related to Senior, then it is very likely that Black Jade Tower’s true goal is Senior and the secret realm where Senior resides.”

“That makes sense.”

The Little Paper Man tilted its head, pondered for a while, and wrote on its body.

“Ma Mingyuan, I will give you a task. After you go back, find an opportunity to infiltrate the cultivators recruited by Black Jade Tower. Then, after they come here, I will give you some instructions.”

“Do not worry. Those instructions will not put you in much danger. On the contrary, as compensation, I will also give you a generous reward.”

“This section of second-rank Purple Bone Bamboo is the deposit.”

The Little Paper Man took a section of deep-purple bamboo from its back and handed it to Ma Mingyuan.

“Yes! I will not fail Senior’s trust!”

Ma Mingyuan stretched out both hands and carefully placed the Purple Bone Bamboo into his storage bag.

One piece of intelligence had been exchanged for a precious section of second-rank spiritual plant, Purple Bone Bamboo. Worth it!

He really had not chosen the wrong side.

He planned to do as the Paper Figure said and use the blood-shadow escape technique to rush back to Cangxing City, then blend in among them.

Just as he was about to burn his blood essence, the Little Paper Man floated in front of him and blocked his movement.

“Since you’re already here!”

Ma Mingyuan looked in confusion at the Paper Figure’s strange movements, only to see four large words quickly appear on the Paper Figure’s body.

“Since you’re already here!”

The moment the final stroke fell, a tall building came clanging and pounding out from deep within the cave abode.

It was more than two zhang tall, its tower body an azure-black color.

Because it was running violently, the eerie-white paper slips pasted onto the wooden tower, as well as the small, exquisite, bright-red lantern hanging from it, swayed nonstop.

The Wooden Man rushed before Ma Mingyuan. Its two long, thin wooden legs contracted and folded, and its hands wrapped beneath its head, forming a tall azure-black wooden tower.

Written on it was: Immortal Fate Tower.

So this was the rumored Immortal Fate Tower. Could one really obtain a stroke of fortune from this bizarre wooden tower?

As Ma Mingyuan was puzzled, the Little Paper Man continued writing on its body:

“Go in.”

After Ma Mingyuan had made his choice completely, he trusted the mysterious Paper Figure unconditionally. Without the slightest hesitation, he walked into the wooden tower.

Before long, he came out with a satisfied look. It was clear that his gains were considerable.

Lu Yuan sensed the white light orb inside the stone cave with his divine sense, and was likewise very satisfied.

Sure enough, for a sustainable leek like Ma Mingyuan, even if he had entered many times, the reward he brought was still not something ordinary cultivators could compare to.

He told Ma Mingyuan how to contact him after leading the Black Jade Tower cultivators inside, then controlled the Little Paper Man back to the cave abode.

The Treasure-Seeking Tower had once again collected a trace of treasure aura and was equally well satisfied.

Its wooden legs rapidly unfolded and lengthened, carrying its incomparably enormous body as it swiftly followed behind the Paper Figure.

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