Ye Xuan had once been a Quasi Emperor, and the direct son of a Great Emperor at that. There was no way he could have mistaken it!
The Imperial Seal was a Great Dao mark that only a Great Emperor who had proven his Dao could possess. Every Imperial Seal was different!
Ye Xuan had once studied all the Imperial Seals of every Great Emperor throughout the ages in his family's Imperial Hall to temper his Nine Thunder Tribulation Heavenly Immortal Body. There was even less chance he could have mistaken it!
What puzzled Ye Xuan the most, however, was that the Imperial Seal on the little sword before him was something he had never seen before...
One had to understand that even after every Great Emperor fell, their Imperial Seal would not dissipate. Instead, it would be collected by the emperors who came after them and stored in the Imperial Hall.
His father was the current Great Emperor, the supreme ruler of the myriad realms and the entire universe. How could there have been an oversight?
Besides, even if there had been an oversight, why would it have appeared in this Lower Realm?
Ye Xuan had never heard of a Great Emperor emerging from this Lower Realm.
"Heh heh, kid, there's nothing to be puzzled about!"
But at that moment, Little Pagoda's voice suddenly rang out in Ye Xuan's mind.
"Eras turn, the Great Dao is born and destroyed. Even your father is merely a single star in the eternal river of time. The Imperial Hall may be vast, but how many Imperial Seals can it hold?"
"How could you have seen them all?"
"You mean this really is an Imperial Seal, but it doesn't belong to this era?" Ye Xuan raised his brows, yet his heart was even more shocked.
"Impossible. When an era is born and destroyed, the myriad realms are reforged as well. Even the Outer Heavens cannot find traces of the previous era, while this place is merely a Lower Realm!"
Little Pagoda's words were truly shocking.
"Heh, you're quite clever, but only half-clever!"
"Who said there are no traces of the previous era? The Primordial Realm among the myriad realms doesn't disappear along with the birth and destruction of eras!" Little Pagoda said with a laugh.
"The Primordial Realm?" Ye Xuan frowned when he heard this, but his heart suddenly trembled violently. "Are you saying this Lower Realm is the legendary Primordial Realm?"
Ye Xuan had once read about the Primordial Realm in the secret canons of the Imperial Clan. It was said to be a world born in the chaos when Heaven and Earth first opened, the origin of the myriad realms.
The records, however, contained only a few scattered words, and his father had never told him about it either.
"That's right!"
"However, this realm is merely an inconspicuous fragment of the Primordial Realm!"
Little Pagoda spread its hands and continued with a smile, "Otherwise, why do you think your father sent you to this realm to undergo tribulation and temper yourself?"
"So my father knew too?" Ye Xuan raised his brows. Aidufree Novel App—no ads, fastest updates.
He suddenly realized that everything about him seemed to have been planned in advance.
"That's right. However, you don't know much either. He can't descend here, so you'll have to search for this realm's secrets yourself."
"What I can tell you is that this realm is extraordinary!"
After Little Pagoda finished speaking, it fell silent.
Only after a long while did Ye Xuan finally steady his dazed mind.
The mark on the little sword was indeed an Imperial Seal, but it had been left behind by that Great Emperor before he proved his Dao. It was incomplete, and after being worn away by the passage of countless ages, it no longer possessed any Imperial might.
If he wanted to uncover more secrets, he would need to find more clues.
Ye Xuan took a deep breath and put away the little sword and the Spirit Marrow Milk.
Immediately afterward, he rose and sped toward a direction outside the canyon.
When he had just deciphered the formation, he had learned that there were four altars in this secret realm. In theory, there should be four little swords as well!
He had to gather them all!
This secret-realm space was far larger than Ye Xuan had imagined. It took him three days to reach the location of the second altar.
It was deep in a desert, with yellow sand blotting out the sky.
Ye Xuan had still arrived a little late. Giant scorpions lay slain all over the sand.
At that moment, four people stood before the altar. They were none other than the cultivators from Ba Yue Mountain led by Chen Duo, the son of the Southern Region's city lord!
Chen Duo raised his hand and offered up the ancient stone fragment. He was already about to activate the altar's formation.
Ye Xuan's pupils constricted, and he descended directly.
"I want the opportunity here. You—get lost!"
Ye Xuan's cold voice echoed through the boundless flying sand.
Chen Duo and the others turned around at the sound, surprise appearing on their faces.
But when they saw Ye Xuan wearing a mask, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Brother Dongfang, could I have heard wrong?"
"Someone actually dares to snatch my opportunity from me!?"
Behind Chen Duo, the Ba Yue Mountain prodigy Dongfang Shu shook his head and sneered. "Perhaps. But he's nothing more than a fly."
"Go. Kill him!"
At Dongfang Shu's command, two burly Ba Yue Mountain cultivators roared and charged at Ye Xuan, waving their weapons.
Ba Yue Mountain was the only body-tempering lineage among the first-rate sects of the four regions. Its inheritance consisted entirely of fierce killing arts. In an instant, the sharpness of the combat arts unleashed by the two men tore through the flying sand and enveloped Ye Xuan!
Both of them had reached the late Spirit Sea Realm. Their blood and qi surged like pumps. Even someone at the Peak Spirit Sea Realm would not dare to take their attacks head-on!
"Young Master, you continue..."
Dongfang Shu even turned around, unwilling to watch.
Chen Duo shrugged as well and placed the ancient stone fragment directly on the altar.
Buzz!
The altar was activated. Amid the humming, the formation's radiance rippled outward.
"Boom!"
But just as excitement rose on their faces, an explosive sound erupted behind them.
Dongfang Shu froze, then abruptly turned around. In the next moment, his eyes widened to the size of saucers.
He found that his two junior brothers had already been blasted into blood mist, staining a large swath of sand red.
Even their weapons had been reduced to scraps!
Meanwhile, the Northern Region Rogue Cultivator wearing the savage mask slowly lowered his hand. The arcs of lightning wrapped around it had yet to completely dissipate.
This man had actually killed two true disciples of Ba Yue Mountain in an instant!?
"The opportunity was already given to you!"
At that moment, Ye Xuan stamped his foot and rose into the air once more.
"Damn it!"
"You dared to kill my fellow disciples!?"
Dongfang Shu recovered from his shock. His sturdy body was as massive as an iron pagoda, and the muscles across him bulged. He swung the golden giant axe in his hand and charged forward.
"Mountain Splitting and Peak Cleaving Slash!"
Buzz!
In an instant, the battle-axe's edge curved like a crescent moon as it cleaved through the flying sand.
Yet the eyes beneath Ye Xuan's mask remained as cold as ever. Borrowing the force of his descent, he struck with his fist as thunder rose again!
Six Treasury Thunder Fist!
Third Form—Startling Thunder!
Crack!
His fist was like startled thunder, arriving in an instant. Wrapped in lightning, it slammed heavily into the axe's edge.
The moment they collided, the golden edge let out a mournful shriek from the impact.
In the next moment, it shattered with a thunderous crash!
"Impossible!"
Dongfang Shu was utterly shocked. This was Ba Yue Mountain's ultimate combat art!
Yet now, it had been defeated with a single blow!?
But with the thunder fist already bearing down on him, he could only raise his battle axe horizontally and attempt to block the remaining force!
Boom!
Even though his battle axe was a high-grade earth artifact, it instantly filled with cracks before exploding apart.
Thunderous might rampaged outward, swallowing Dongfang Shu in an instant.
At that moment, the remaining force swept in all directions. Chen Duo, terrified to the extreme, finally recovered and tried to pick up the ancient stone fragment and flee.
But a large hand suddenly thrust out from the yellow sand and clamped tightly around his neck.
"Trying to leave now?"
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"Y-you, let go of me!"
"My father is the lord of the Southern Region! If you dare kill me, my father will wipe out your entire clan!"
Dongfang Shu's head became engorged with blood and his face flushed crimson, yet he still glared at Ye Xuan and threatened him.
"Your entire clan?"
"Your Chen Clan has already chosen the path to its own destruction!"
Without those words, Ye Xuan might have spared his life. But now...
Boom!
Ye Xuan's large hand suddenly tightened, crushing his neck before tossing him away like a dead dog.
The Southern Region's Chen Clan would be destroyed by him without fail!
Immediately afterward, Ye Xuan went to the altar and continued breaking the formation.
After the time it took half an incense stick to burn, Ye Xuan obtained the second little sword bearing an Imperial Seal. Its color was different, and the Imperial Seal differed slightly as well.
Ye Xuan did not think much of it. After putting away the Spirit Marrow Milk and the storage rings of Chen Duo and the others, he prepared to head to the next altar.
"Hmm? Something's wrong!"
Ye Xuan's expression suddenly changed. He had just remembered that the Southern Region's team should have had five people!
But he had killed only four!
One person was still missing!?
"That black-robed man!"
Ye Xuan remembered that there had been a black-robed cultivator in the Southern Region's team. His aura was sinister, and faint demonic qi protected his body.
That man's battle strength was not weak. There was no way he could have died ahead of time.
With this thought, Ye Xuan hurriedly found a jade pendant in Chen Duo's storage ring. It was similar to the one Nangong Fei had given him, and a light spot was clearly flickering on it, moving at great speed.
After comparing it with the jade pendant in his own hand, Ye Xuan's expression suddenly darkened.
That man had gone there behind Nangong Fei and the others' backs!
He could ignore the others, but he could not leave Lin Churan to her fate!
Ye Xuan snorted coldly and charged into the boundless yellow sand.
Three days later, on a small island in the center of a lake somewhere in the secret realm.
"Weak-Boned Soul-Separating Powder?"
"You're a Demonic Path cultivator from the Joyous Union Sect!?"
Liu Yunxi lay limp on the ground, staring at the black-robed cultivator before her in shock and fury.
Beside her, Nangong Fei and the other two also looked as if all the strength had been drained from their bodies. They could not move.
They had just arrived here and had not even had time to activate the altar before they were ambushed.
"Hahahaha!"
"Excellent eyesight. I am indeed a demonic cultivator of the Joyous Union Sect!"
The black-robed old man laughed wildly. "You three delicate little beauties are far more tender than those withered flowers and faded willows outside!"
"With you as my cauldrons, I can break through to the Heavenly Dipper Realm within this secret realm!"
Cauldrons!?
When Liu Yunxi and the others heard this, their faces instantly turned deathly pale!
She had not yet married Xiao Chengfeng, much less consummated her marriage. How could she become this lecher's cauldron!?
"I-I'm not a woman. I can't be a cauldron!"
"Let me go! I'm the direct son of the Ling Family. No matter how many spirit stones you want, my family can afford them!"
At that moment, Ling Tian suddenly begged for mercy.
"Oh!? A member of the Ling Family?"
The black-robed cultivator's tone changed slightly when he heard this.
"That's right!"
"And if you're willing to give her to me, I'll give you whatever you want!"
Seeing the demonic cultivator's softened tone, Ling Tian hurriedly glanced at Lin Churan.
"You!"
Lin Churan froze, shocked and furious.
"Oh!? So you're a lecher too!" The demonic cultivator sneered.
"You can play with two of them. I only need one. You won't lose out in this deal, will you?" Ling Tian leered as he spoke.
"Despicable and shameless! Ling Tian, do you have no shame?" Lin Churan could not endure it any longer and cursed him outright.
"Bitch, shut up! I'm going to have my way with you today!"
Ling Tian glared at her, his face revealing a vicious expression.
"Demonic cultivator, you dare lay a hand on this young lady? Do you believe that even if you advance to the Heavenly Dipper Realm, you still won't escape death?" Nangong Fei finally spoke. Yet there was not much panic on her face.
"The beloved daughter of the Southern Region's city lord. Under normal circumstances, I naturally wouldn't dare touch you. But now that we're in this secret realm, who could know that I was the one who did it?"
"As for you!" The black-robed demonic cultivator glanced at Ling Tian again. "After I've had my fill, perhaps I'll let you have a turn at the cooking pot!"
After saying this, he leered and walked directly toward the three women.
At that moment, Liu Yunxi was already about to faint from fright.
Despair filled Lin Churan's eyes as she slowly closed them, softly murmuring Ye Xuan's name without pause.
If only Ye Xuan were here...
The demonic cultivator's large hand was already about to fall onto Lin Churan.
Pfft!
But at that critical moment, a muffled thud suddenly rang out.
The Demonic cultivator's outstretched hand abruptly stopped in place.
Lin Churan sensed something amiss. She opened her eyes, only to find that the Demonic cultivator had also lowered his head to look at his chest.
At that moment, a branch still crackling with arcs of lightning had pierced straight through him.
The Demonic cultivator gritted his teeth and endured the agony as he turned around. Only then did he see a cultivator wearing a hideous mask descending through the air.
"Demonic cultivator?"
"You don't know when you're outmatched!"
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