Fragments of stardust drifted slowly through the air. The shockwaves from the fierce clash had yet to fully subside. The heart of the Wild Secret Realm was riddled with ravines, and signs of fractured rock were everywhere. Scalding magma surged through cracks in the earth, its crimson glow causing the surrounding gloom to flicker.
Lin Chen stood firmly atop a massive, intact boulder, the golden aura swirling around him gradually fading. He had just fought desperately against three powerful outsiders, unleashing his innate abilities several times in succession. Now, most of the energy in his body was spent, and a dull, lingering ache pricked along his meridians. He lowered his gaze slightly and turned his palm over. A Dragon Ball Fragment, gleaming with a warm, pearly-white light, lay quietly in his hand. A gentle yet immense vitality flowed across its surface, and threads of pure energy coursed through his palm and meridians, spreading throughout his body as they rapidly mended his injuries and restored his strength.
Recalling the perilous battle, Lin Chen still felt a measure of unease. The three alien cultivators had come from the Desolate Ancient Clan, deep within the shattered star river, and every one of them had reached the World Lord level. Their methods were bizarre and vicious, their offense and defense seamless, and their teamwork impeccable. Without the Dragon Ball Fragment's amplification of his innate power, along with the fierce combat strength granted by his Saiyan bloodline, escaping unscathed would have been no easy feat.
There was never any true safety in a secret realm. The deeper one went, the less predictable the dangers became. He had entered this ancient, long-abandoned secret realm to search for the scattered Dragon Ball fragments and, along the way, find an opportunity to break through his current level. But powerful enemies had come one after another, and hidden factions had begun to emerge. Clearly, many experts from across the Heavens had set their sights on the treasures within.
"It seems the depths of this secret realm are far more complicated than I expected," Lin Chen murmured, scanning the desolate surroundings.
All around them lay broken ancient beast bones and the ruins of abandoned, collapsed halls. The once-glorious civilization of antiquity had been reduced to nothing but devastation. The marks of time were etched deeply into the outline of every structure. Along with the heat of the magma, the air carried a faint aura of slaughter, as if countless brutal battles had once been fought here.
Vegeta stood beside him with his arms crossed. His dark blue Battle Suit was dust-stained, but his stern face showed no sign of letting down his guard. His golden eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept constantly across their surroundings. He had held back during the battle, staying to one side to keep watch in case any hidden enemies launched a sudden attack.
"Those guys were just minor advance scouts. The real opponents are still hiding deeper in, unwilling to show themselves," Vegeta said with his usual arrogance, though his eyes were wary. "The space barriers in this secret realm are fragile enough to let powerful fighters from other worlds pass through. We could run into old rivals—or even someone far stronger than us."
Son Goku scratched the back of his head. His aura was calm and steady, and countless battles to the death had made him more mature. Sensing the turbulent energy stirring around them, he said seriously, "I can feel some powerful auras up ahead, and there's more than one. Looks like things won't be easy from here on."
The group rested briefly, using the Dragon Ball Fragment and their own medicinal pills to tend to their wounds. Most of their depleted energy gradually returned. Lin Chen carefully put away the fragment and looked toward the depths of the secret realm. Layers of murky gray mist shrouded the area, making it impossible to see through. A faint, icy aura spread silently toward them, like a vicious beast lying in wait, stirring an inexplicable sense of oppression in their hearts.
"Since we're here, let's keep exploring," Lin Chen said solemnly. "I can sense the Dragon Ball fragments more clearly now. The treasures are most likely at the heart of the secret realm. With all the factions gathering here, the sooner we reach the center, the more of an advantage we'll have."
Everyone nodded in agreement. They all shared the same goal: to gather the scattered Dragon Ball fragments and use the opportunities in the secret realm to break through, so they could face the increasingly fierce conflicts across the myriad worlds.
The group set off again, leaping over broken rocks as they steadily advanced into the mist-shrouded depths. The farther they went, the colder the air became. The surging magma gradually disappeared, replaced by dark, freezing ravines. The path beneath their feet was narrow and uneven, and countless eerie stone statues stood on either side. Their faces were twisted and terrifying, their hollow eyes empty as they stood motionless in the dark, like countless eyes silently watching the outsiders who had intruded.
As they walked, the ground occasionally trembled faintly. Deep beneath the earth, low, muffled roars sounded from time to time. It was impossible to tell whether they came from ancient beasts left behind in the secret realm or some other hidden creatures.
After a while, Lin Chen, who had been quietly sensing the surrounding auras, suddenly stopped and raised a hand to signal everyone to halt.
"Something's wrong. There's an aura following us from the shadows," Lin Chen said, frowning slightly as he released his spiritual power to probe the area like a spreading tide.
With his current level of spiritual cultivation, ordinary concealment techniques couldn't fully escape his senses. But the aura following them now was extremely elusive, sometimes clear and sometimes gone, as if it had no fixed form at all. It shifted unpredictably, making its location difficult to pinpoint. He could only faintly sense that it remained several hundred yards behind them, keeping its distance without moving closer or falling back. It showed no intention of attacking or leaving.
Vegeta tensed at once, his aura flaring around him as a fierce battle pressure swept in every direction. "You skulking coward! If you've got the nerve to follow us, why not show yourself?"
His powerful voice rolled through the air and echoed again and again through the vast, shadowy space. No answer came. The strange aura remained hidden in the darkness, with no intention of revealing itself.
Son Goku focused, his hands unconsciously tightening into fists as he stared into the darkness behind them. "Whoever it is, their concealment is excellent. I can't pinpoint their location yet. Stay alert. They might be trying to lure us deeper in."
The group immediately adjusted their formation, standing back-to-back and keeping watch in every direction, their attention fully focused against a possible ambush. Lin Chen repeatedly probed with his spiritual power, combining it with the Dragon Ball's power of perception to peel away the surrounding mist bit by bit. After several attempts, he finally caught a trace of an energy trail, faint to the point of near invisibility.
"Behind the cliff on the left!" Lin Chen shouted. A flash of golden light sparked at his fingertip, and a concentrated, razor-sharp energy blast shot through the air straight toward the darkness behind the cliff.
Boom!
The blast slammed into the cliff wall. Shattered rock flew and clouds of dust billowed as the impact drove back a swath of darkness. But there was nothing behind the cliff—not a single figure. The aura he had just detected vanished in an instant, as if the pursuit had been nothing but their imagination.
"To conceal its aura so completely in an instant—it can't be an ordinary cultivator," Lin Chen said, his expression grave as he silently heightened his guard.
Such bizarre concealment meant the pursuer was either a powerful expert who had mastered top-tier spatial evasion, someone carrying a special treasure, or a strange creature born in the secret realm. Whichever it was, it posed a serious threat.
The group dared not let down their guard. They slowed their pace and advanced carefully toward the heart of the secret realm. Along the way, several groups of beasts blocked their path. These creatures had long dwelled in the shadowy depths; they were enormous and ferocious, with thick hides and powerful defenses. The poison and cold wind they spewed from their mouths were deadly.
Working together with seamless coordination, Son Goku led the attack from the front, his punches and kicks wide and forceful as the Kamehameha roared, breaking through the beasts charging at them. Vegeta darted swiftly along the flanks, searching for openings, and his razor-sharp energy blasts tore through the beasts' bodies. Lin Chen circulated his own cultivation technique and combined it with the Dragon Ball's power to form a barrier around them, while also engaging the enormous leader beast. With all three of them fighting together, the beasts were slaughtered despite their overwhelming numbers and ferocity, and the group suffered no serious injuries.
After fighting their way forward, the group gradually passed through the thick gray mist, and the view ahead opened up.
A vast, level plaza appeared before them. It was paved with jet-black ancient divine stone, its surface carved with countless obscure, incomprehensible runes. A faint dark-golden light flowed through the runes, exuding the weighty, desolate aura of ages past. At the center of the plaza stood an ancient altar that soared into the clouds, its tiers rising one above another. Several Dragon Ball fragments of different sizes floated in the air above it, resonating with one another as brilliant seven-colored light streamed from them. Their immense, boundless source energy flowed in every direction. Even from far away, the sight filled them with awe at their overwhelming power.
"So many Dragon Ball fragments! I can't believe so many of them gathered at the heart of the secret realm!" Delight flashed in Son Goku's eyes as he stared at the treasures floating overhead.
Even Vegeta's arrogance gave way to a hint of awe as he gazed at the altar. With so many Dragon Ball fragments gathered in one place, the power they contained was enough to tempt any powerful fighter.
Lin Chen swept his gaze across the plaza. Beneath his joy at the sight, he felt a deeper wariness.
The more precious the treasure, the bloodier the struggle to claim it. They were far from the only ones on the enormous plaza.
Scattered in the shadows of the raised platforms around the plaza stood figures of all shapes and sizes. Some were mysterious cultivators cloaked in black, their faces hidden beneath their hoods. Others were burly alien warriors covered in hard scales. Still more were sinister and strange experts of the dark path, black mist coiling around them. The factions stood apart from one another, locked in a silent standoff. Their eyes brimmed with greed and caution, all fixed firmly on the Dragon Ball fragments above the altar.
Clearly, powerful fighters from every faction had already reached the heart of the secret realm. They were waiting for the right moment to strike and seize the treasures.
Just then, an icy, hoarse laugh rang out from the raised platform on the right. An old man in a black robe slowly emerged from the shadows. His cloudy eyes swept over the crowd below before settling on Lin Chen and the others, his hostility unmistakable. "I didn't expect you little youngsters to make it all the way here. You've surprised me."
Lin Chen recognized him as the evil-path old monster he had briefly encountered in the outer region. The man had reached the advanced World Lord level and was vicious and ruthless. He also had a number of followers, making him the leader of a faction that could not be underestimated.
"Only the worthy deserve the treasures. If you want the Dragon Ball fragments, you'd better have the strength to claim them," Lin Chen replied evenly, his aura slowly rising as he met the old man's gaze without flinching.
"Hahaha, you certainly talk big." The black-robed old man sneered. "The treasures in this secret realm belong to those with the greatest strength. You youngsters think you can get a share? How naïve."
At his words, the powerful fighters from the other factions turned their gazes toward Lin Chen and his companions. Many looked at them with contempt, while some who had witnessed the trio's strength showed a measure of caution. Their arrival made the already tense atmosphere on the plaza even more hostile, and a battle seemed imminent.
Just as undercurrents swirled among the factions and a great battle seemed about to begin, the ground beneath the altar suddenly began to shake violently. The patterns in the divine stone paving glowed brightly, and the ancient runes flickered wildly.
Rumble—
Deafening booms erupted from deep underground one after another. The entire plaza shook violently, and the Dragon Ball fragments floating in midair began to sway. Their seven-colored radiance flickered, and the source energy that had flowed so steadily turned instantly violent and restless.
Everyone's expression changed in unison. They hurried to steady themselves and stared in astonishment toward the depths below the ground.
"What's going on? Why has the secret realm suddenly started to shift?" an alien fighter asked gravely, his voice full of alarm and confusion.
The black-robed old man's contemptuous expression vanished. His brow furrowed as he looked at the ground beneath the altar, his aged face turning grave. "Something's wrong. This fluctuation wasn't caused by anyone. It feels as though the secret realm's own laws have been disturbed."
Lin Chen focused on the terrifying energy surging underground, and his heart sank slightly. The aura rising from below was boundless, carrying the ancient, untamed presence of a bygone age. It was far more powerful and immense than the aura of anyone present, as if some terrifying entity that had slept for countless years was about to awaken beneath the earth.
As everyone's hearts shook and they tried to guess what had caused the disturbance, the ground at the altar's center suddenly split open, forming an enormous, pitch-black chasm. Black mist surged violently from the fissure like a tidal wave. Within it, the vague outlines of massive shadows appeared and disappeared. A cold, bloodthirsty ferocity swept across the entire plaza, and the piercing chill made every powerful fighter present shudder.
As the black mist churned, a low, hoarse voice—ancient as if it had crossed countless ages—slowly echoed in everyone's ears.
At the same moment, the mysterious aura that had followed them in secret and never once revealed itself abruptly emerged from the void. A tall, black figure stood soundlessly in the shadows atop the altar. Its icy gaze pierced through the layers of mist and fixed firmly on Lin Chen. In the darkness, an unknown danger had quietly arrived.
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