Secret Realm Opens

Jun Wudi no longer paid any attention to Yao Buting and the others, and brought forth an enormous spear.

"Fellow Daoists, this is an Earth Tier low-grade Dharma treasure left behind by my sect's patriarch. As long as there is enough spiritual energy, it can unleash a tremendous attack."

"The seal on this stone tablet is already exceedingly weak. By gathering everyone's strength, we can split it open. Now, pour your spiritual energy directly into the spear and prepare to strike into the Secret Realm."

Jun Wudi formed a hand seal with both hands and pointed the spear at the stone tablet.

Sensing the powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy, the stone tablet spontaneously spread a verdant green barrier over the pit. It flickered with an aura of chilling slaughter.

"This is the barrier guarding the entrance. Only by breaking it can we enter, and it restores itself every two hours. Everyone, give it everything you have." As he spoke, Jun Wudi began feeding spiritual energy into the spear.

"Go!"

Behind him, Yao Buting, Zi Long, and the others hurriedly called for their sect disciples to join in and supply spiritual power.

"Brothers, hurry up! Heaven and earth's treasures are right before our eyes!"

The remaining cultivators followed behind and poured in their spiritual energy.

For a time, the sky was filled with all kinds of spiritual energy. Beam after beam of colored light, each carrying its own attribute, continuously surged into the spear.

The three people behind Jun Wudi, including Lu Chen, were only at the Qi Gathering Realm. They still could not release spiritual energy outside their bodies.

"When will we be able to release spiritual energy externally? I've been at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm for a year already, but the spiritual energy in my body still hasn't transformed into Spirit Liquid." Young Master Jun looked enviously at the multicolored beams of spiritual energy in the sky.

After receiving Feng Tiancheng's memories, Lu Chen had long understood what it meant to release spiritual energy externally.

Cultivation on the continent began upon entering the Qi Gathering Realm, when one drew spiritual energy into the body to cultivate. At this stage, one continuously absorbed spiritual energy into the body. Once it filled the Heavenly Pool, it was compressed, purified, and refined. Repeating this process would transform the spiritual energy into Spirit Liquid, and forming a single drop of Spirit Liquid meant entering the Breath Regulation Realm.

Upon entering the Breath Regulation Realm, one could use more arts. Spiritual energy could also be released externally, allowing one to fly through the air and seize objects from afar. This was the foundation of all attacks.

At the Breath Regulation Realm, one began cultivating Spirit Liquid within the body. Once the Spirit Liquid filled the Heavenly Pool, it was further compressed, solidified, and purified. When the first solidified grain of spiritual energy formed, it meant one had entered the Qi Descending Realm. This was the realm most living beings on the continent could reach; only those with exceptional cultivation talent could continue onward.

Once there were enough spiritual energy grains, one could condense them all together to form a dantian. This was known as condensing the dantian, also called the Core Condensation Realm. At this point, one could more or less establish a sect and found a school in a region.

Further cultivation often depended on fortuitous opportunities. Only those with sufficient opportunities could continue upward, break through the Three Fields and Three Passes, and transform from mortal into immortal.

Ten years for Qi Gathering, a hundred years for Breath Regulation, a thousand years for Qi Descending, ten thousand years for Core Condensation—this was the best description of the path of cultivation.

As Lu Chen considered this, although he was only at the Qi Gathering Realm, the Azure Emperor Divine Tree and the Twin Fish Token had already caused the spiritual energy in his body to begin transforming into Spirit Liquid. Yet he did not feel even the slightest sign of breakthrough.

"Ding."

A crisp sound came from the sky. The spear had become crystal-clear and translucent, its tip exuding an aura capable of splitting open heaven and earth.

Seeing the spear's condition, Jun Wudi leaped into the air, seized the spear, and shouted toward the sky.

"Heavenly Dao Control!"

"Open!"

Scarlet bolts of lightning immediately split down from the sky, striking straight at the barrier.

"Crack... crack..."

Slowly, cracks appeared across the barrier, but it still did not shatter.

"Crack... crack..."

"Don't stop! Keep sending spiritual power!" Jun Wudi's voice came from the sky.

Zi Long felt somewhat afraid as he watched the attack. They had long heard that Jun Wudi came from the Jun Household of Fengtian Prefecture in the center of the continent, and had only come to this place because he had suffered severe injuries.

The Jun Household commanded the continent's armies. On this cultivation continent without an imperial family, an Aristocratic Clan that controlled the military was, to them, the very pinnacle of power.

"Ah, if I'd known he was from that place, I wouldn't have threatened him just now," Zi Long murmured.

"What are you afraid of? This old man doesn't believe it. If he really were someone important, he wouldn't have stayed here these past few years and let us threaten him," Yao Buting said disdainfully.

"Why is the lightning red? Its power is so strong." Lu Chen looked at Young Master Jun. "I remember the lightning you released wasn't this color."

"The first move of the Heavenly Dao Control Art is called Heavenly Thunder Control. It's what you're seeing now. I only just reached the first level myself."

"The deeper one's cultivation, the darker the lightning one can control. Blue, purple, red, black—the darker the color, the stronger its power."

"Second Uncle was originally the first person in our Household to cultivate red lightning before turning thirty. But because of that incident, he ended up here. Sigh..."

"That incident?" Lu Chen watched Young Master Jun hesitate, as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself.

"Wasn't it because his body was... Ah, nothing, nothing." Young Master Jun realized he had misspoken and hurriedly changed his words.

Just as Lu Chen was about to press him further, an abnormal change suddenly occurred in the sky.

"Look! It's about to break over there!" Nantian Yijian pointed toward a spot and shouted.

Everyone hurriedly looked over. That portion of the stone tablet was somewhat farther away, and because the formation had existed for too long and had grown worn, a small opening had already begun to crack open.

Seeing the crack, Jun Wudi's attacks became even fiercer.

"Fellow Daoists, put in one more burst of strength! Everyone, unleash your strongest attacks toward the opening. Success or failure depends on this step!"

Everyone brought forth their Dharma treasures and unleashed their strongest attacks. Long swords, great sabers, fireballs, lightning flashes, and talismans rose into the sky and all rushed toward the breach.

"Boom... boom..."

Explosions rang out one after another. The barrier before the stone tablet shattered in response, its cracks spreading dense as a spiderweb and converging toward the top.

"Riiip!"

The barrier vanished completely, and a passage leading directly into the Secret Realm appeared above the nearby pit.

"Fellow Daoists, the passage can only exist for thirty minutes. From now on, each shall rely on their own abilities and opportunities."

"Let's go!" With that, Jun Wudi waved toward Fengtian Prefecture, signaling everyone to follow him inside.

"Little Lu, let's go."

"After entering this Secret Realm, everyone will be scattered apart. It is also filled with demonic beasts, so we must gather together as quickly as possible. Our target this time is in the center of the Secret Realm." As he spoke, the three followed the Fengtian Prefecture group into the Secret Realm.

Yao Buting and Zi Long each led their sect members in after them. They still needed to enter and seize the final treasure.

Only after the people from the three great sects entered did those around them begin scrambling to rush inside. After all, the opening time was only thirty minutes.

Freed from the restraints of the three great sects, this group of cultivators began revealing their true nature, each drawing their weapons.

When they saw someone weaker than themselves, they would directly cut them down with a single stroke. When they saw someone stronger, they would take advantage of the chaos and launch sneak attacks from behind. In an instant, the scene became utterly chaotic.

Lu Chen stood at the entrance of a valley, with no cultivators appearing around him.

The place where he stood looked like a spirit vein. The valley was filled with spiritual energy, and the vegetation on the peaks to either side was exceptionally lush. Lu Chen could even faintly hear waves of dragon roars.

Lu Chen walked deeper along the valley. Ever since entering, he had felt that mysterious summons growing stronger, and it was very close to him.

"Strange. Why has the Twin Fish Token inside my body become so active? My spiritual energy is circulating faster and faster." Lu Chen felt the spiritual energy within his body becoming increasingly lively.

"Come quickly, come to me."

"Come quickly..."

A magnetic voice reached Lu Chen's ears, though it came in fits and starts. He could tell that it was almost identical to the voice from before.

"Who is calling me?" Lu Chen raised his head and asked.

"Walk forward. Come in."

"I am waiting for you inside. Come quickly..."

"There is not much time left..."

Lu Chen had only just entered a winding, narrow stretch of valley following the call when a wall of air appeared behind him, blocking his path.

Feeling the aura of the air wall, Lu Chen did not turn back. He knew that whoever was calling him would certainly not make a move against him beforehand.

As he continued deeper into the valley, it began as only a light breeze, but with every turn he passed, the wind intensified by another level.

As he neared the center of the valley, Lu Chen felt as though his body was about to be blown apart. He had no choice but to use the Azure Emperor Divine Tree to wrap around rocks on both sides as he struggled onward.

Lu Chen rounded the final bend and saw a circular plaza.

The wind at this point was like blades, leaving tiny cuts across Lu Chen's body. Blood scattered onto the ground, and little flowers slowly bloomed from the blood.

"Come quickly, come quickly. Don't be afraid... the wind will not hurt you."

That voice was still calling to Lu Chen, now sounding somewhat anxious, as though it had waited for a very long time.

The wind was simply too strong, mixed with branches and stones and carrying a piercing pain as it sliced across Lu Chen's body.

Lu Chen could only condense the Azure Emperor Divine Tree into a shield before him and continue forward against the wind.

Along the way, Lu Chen would advance two steps only to be blown back one. At last, he reached the circular plaza, yet not a trace of wind flowed within it.

Looking at the tranquil plaza, Lu Chen did not dare charge in recklessly. He could only find a concave cave first and hide inside it.

Lu Chen observed the aura within the plaza.

Other than a massive sword, there was almost nothing else in the plaza. Lu Chen was about to search for the source of the voice when a stone fell from the mountain.

The instant the stone entered the plaza's range, it was ground into powder and vanished.

Lu Chen did not see anything touch the stone. There was not even the slightest movement of air.

Looking at this calm area, Lu Chen recalled a type of terrain mentioned in Feng Tiancheng's memories—the Eye of the Storm, the Dragon Rising Ground.

The outer perimeter of the Eye of the Storm was filled with hurricanes, but its center was incomparably tranquil.

The wind element within was extraordinarily dense, to the point that the wind had gradually solidified into substance. Though there was no howling, everything that entered would be worn away.

Lu Chen was puzzled as to why that massive sword could remain in the center of the Eye of the Storm without being worn away. Just then, the giant sword in the plaza moved.

"Roar... roar..."

A dragon's chant came from the center. The surrounding hurricanes became even more violent, and the giant sword began to dance. A transparent outline of a dragon formed from wind appeared around it, coiling up and down.

Lu Chen looked at the transparent dragon. It had deer antlers, shrimp eyes, a dog's nose, and a cow's mouth; he could only make out its rough appearance.

The giant sword was embedded between the dragon's two horns, its tip reaching all the way to its nose.

"Roar..."

The giant dragon lowered its head and looked at Lu Chen in the hollow. With one roar, its momentum spread in every direction, directly tearing space apart with a roaring howl.

Facing the enormous dragon head before him, Lu Chen felt an immense pressure descend upon him in an instant.

"It really is a dragon. The rising momentum of a dragon—this giant dragon's aura is stronger than Uncle Jun's. It probably has strength above the Core Condensation Realm."