Lu Chen opened his eyes, an unprecedented clarity and calmness in them.
He knew that he was only four words away from the Longevity Realm: when water flows, the channel forms.
He did not need to force a breakthrough, burn away his lifespan, or rely on any external aid to forcibly charge through the barrier.
What he needed was simply time to settle.
Once the Dragon Vein Soul Essence had fully fused with the Dragon Soul Mirror imprint, once his insights into the laws of heaven and earth had taken root and sprouted within his heart, once his own accumulation had reached a flawless state of completion—
the gates of the Longevity Realm would naturally open for him.
And now, he needed to leave the secret realm.
The secret realm would only remain open for a limited time. By his calculations, less than three days remained before the exit closed.
Though he had stood head and shoulders above all others atop Dragon Head Peak, there were still many other opportunities within the secret realm that he no longer had time to pursue.
"Time to go."
Lu Chen rose to his feet and cast one final glance at the enormous abyssal pit still spewing dragon qi, as well as the devastated battlefield around it.
He took out the incomplete map of Reverse Scale Valley that he had obtained from Viper Slayer. After some thought, he decided against exploring it.
There was not enough time. Besides, his gains on this journey had already been immensely abundant—the Dragon Marrow Spirit Crystal cluster, the Dragon Vein Soul Essence, Dragon Blood Gold, Elder Shadow Kill's storage ring... They would be enough to occupy him for a long while.
"If fate permits, I'll explore it next time."
He put away the incomplete map, confirmed his direction,