Secret Realm, Profound Heaven Lake

Lin Clan.

Inside the main hall.

Lin Chengtian listened to an Elder's report and sank into deep thought.

His brows furrowed slightly, his profound eyes barely concealing shock and curiosity.

"One word destroyed a Great Saint..."

"Yes, Clan Leader. Do you think that mysterious man could be in the Emperor Realm?"

The Elder speculated, his breathing growing rapid.

The Emperor Realm—this era had yet to produce a single Emperor. The sudden emergence of a suspected Emperor Realm existence would undoubtedly shake the entire Heavenly Desolation Continent.

"Could the Emperor Realm... achieve such a feat..."

Lin Chengtian muttered to himself, the scene he had witnessed earlier replaying in his mind.

Thunder roared, the void seemed on the verge of collapse under the rolling heavenly thunder. Then came Ye Chang'an's strike—like a fleeting glimpse, blooming in an instant, severing the Lightning Tribulation.

That scene wasn't seen by Lin Chengtian alone; the entire Eastern Domain had witnessed it.

Recalling that moment and the overwhelming pressure he had felt, Lin Chengtian could only feel as insignificant as an ant.

Was that truly just the Emperor Realm?

But if not the Emperor Realm, what else could it be?

Above the Emperor Realm?

At that thought, Lin Chengtian stopped pondering.

He had no idea what lay beyond the Emperor Realm, nor did he dare to imagine. Though curious, he knew his limits.

"Clan Leader, should we invite that expert for help? Perhaps he could resolve the matter of the Ancestral Land."

As if struck by a sudden thought, the Elder tentatively suggested.

Hearing this, a glint flashed in Lin Chengtian's eyes.

"Let me think on it. Besides, that person may not be willing to lend a hand."

Three days later, Heavenly Extremity Sacred Land.

Today was the day of the Secret Realm Trial. The newly recruited disciples of the Sacred Land were all waiting on the Outer Sect Square.

Soon, several Elders appeared on the square.

A young man accompanied them.

Seeing the youth arrive, Lin Tianci, standing at the front of the crowd, showed a hint of confusion.

"Xuanyuan Hao? What's he doing here?"

Indeed, the one walking beside the Elders was Xuanyuan Hao.

But at this moment, Xuanyuan Hao was sizing up the two young girls beside Lin Tianci.

Ye Xinran and Jin Xiaoya.

His gaze lingered on Jin Xiaoya for a moment before moving on.

What truly piqued his curiosity was Ye Xinran.

When he looked at her, his heart jolted.

Twelve years old, Heavenly Spirit Realm!

That was far stronger than he had been at twelve.

Just then, an Elder began to speak.

"Welcome, all disciples, to the Heavenly Extremity Sacred Land."

"The newcomer Secret Realm Trial is a benefit the Sacred Land offers to its new members."

"Not only will it temper yourselves and enhance your practical combat ability, but the Secret Realm also contains many resources—a great opportunity for you all."

"Without further ado, the Secret Realm is now open. Activate the tokens in your hands to enter."

As he spoke, the Elder waved his hand, and a purple token appeared in the hand of every disciple.

Hearing the Elder's words, everyone activated their tokens and vanished on the spot.

Seeing this, Xuanyuan Hao also produced a token, activated it immediately, and disappeared in an instant.

Within the void.

"Hall Master, should we go in?"

Seeing Ye Xinran enter the Secret Realm, Shangguan Shi asked.

"Of course." Ye Chang'an nodded.

Then he raised his hand and traced a line through the void, and a spatial rift appeared before the three of them.

"Let's go."

With that, Ye Chang'an led the way into the rift, and Shangguan Shi and Yang Yi immediately followed.

Trial Secret Realm.

This was a small world.

Its environment was much the same as the outside world, the only difference being that the spiritual energy here was far denser.

Precisely because of this, more heavenly treasures and earthly rarities were born here, and the Demonic Beasts were also stronger.

In a dense forest.

A young girl was hopping and skipping forward, curiously looking around as she went.

"So this is the secret realm? The spiritual energy is so rich."

Just as Ye Xinran was fully immersing herself in the realm's atmosphere, a tiger covered entirely in ice crystals suddenly appeared before her.

"Hm? A Heavenly Spirit Realm big tiger?"

Ye Xinran completely ignored the Ice Crystal Tiger's fierce, menacing glare.

Facing a Demonic Beast at the third layer of the Heavenly Spirit Realm, Ye Xinran, who was only at the first layer, showed not a trace of panic.

The Ice Crystal Tiger seemed dissatisfied with Ye Xinran's reaction. Yes, it felt looked down upon. If not now, when would it rage?

The Ice Crystal Tiger's aura surged, and it was about to charge at Ye Xinran.

But Ye Xinran, wearing a harmless smile, simply raised her right hand and formed a sword finger, then slashed. A Sword Qi carrying the Primordial Sword Intent, with a killing and unmatched might, cut toward the Ice Crystal Tiger.

The next moment, the ferocious Ice Crystal Tiger was cleaved in two.

It got angry, got angry, and ended up splitting itself in half.

"It looked pretty tough, didn't it? That's all?"

Looking at the Ice Crystal Tiger split in two, Ye Xinran was also stunned.

To be honest, she hadn't expected that a casual strike from her could instantly kill a beast whose cultivation was higher than her own.

It wasn't that the Ice Crystal Tiger was too weak, but that her power was too strong. Infused with the Primordial Sword Intent, the strike was terrifyingly fierce and sharp.

Glancing at the Ice Crystal Tiger on the ground, Ye Xinran continued forward.

Ye Chang'an and the other two, watching from the void, didn't find this surprising at all.

After all, in their eyes, it was perfectly reasonable.

They all knew Ye Xinran's strength was formidable.

"Temple Master, this trial is a bit boring for the Young Temple Master. It seems the only thing worth coming here for her is that thing in the lake."

"Yes. If we take that, Xinran's cultivation will advance greatly."

Ye Chang'an nodded. He was looking forward to it.

Three days later.

Central area of the secret realm.

From the outer edges of the secret realm to here, Ye Xinran had been quite leisurely. She basically admired the scenery while absorbing resources to cultivate, and whenever a Demonic Beast popped up, she casually killed it.

In three days, she had already broken through one realm.

Arriving at the central area of the secret realm, what came into view was a massive lake.

But most people were standing far from the lake, with only a few close to it.

Among those few were Xuanyuan Chen and Lin Tianci.

"Xinran, you're here!"

Ye Xinran squeezed through the crowd and was about to ask what was going on when she heard an excited, crisp voice calling her name.

She followed the sound and saw Jin Xiaoya walking toward her.

"Sister Xiaoya, what's going on here?"

"Xinran, there's an area outside that surrounds Profound Heaven Lake. Only by passing through this area can you enter the lake. He said there's a real great opportunity in Profound Heaven Lake."

"A great opportunity?"

Hearing that, Ye Xinran became interested.

"That's right. No one knows exactly what it is, but this outer area is filled with pressure. The further in you go, the stronger it gets. I was waiting for you. Let's hurry. Lin Tianci and Xuanyuan Hao have already been inside for a while."

Ye Xinran looked ahead and saw Lin Tianci and Xuanyuan Hao struggling forward. Judging by their pace, the pressure was no joke.

"Interesting. Sister Xiaoya, let's give it a try. I want to see just how strong this pressure really is."

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