Under Dan Chenzi's incredulous gaze,
the phantom of his colossal sword, encompassing the myriad wonders of existence,
met Chu Luo's golden colossal sword phantom.
It shattered outright, breaking into countless fragments that dispersed and vanished.
"Pfft..."
Dan Chenzi suffered a backlash and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yet after smashing Dan Chenzi's sword phantom,
the golden colossal sword phantom still bore tremendous power as it hurtled straight toward him, crushing down.
And it was incredibly fast!
Dan Chenzi's pupils contracted sharply, and despair appeared on his stunned face.
"Oh no!"
Chu Luo's expression changed drastically as well.
He had never imagined that Dan Chenzi's sword strike
would crumble at the first blow!
Once he unleashed a forbidden ultimate move, he had no way to take it back!
The moment it was released, the move escaped his control!
"Senior Brother Dan!"
Every Pill Sect disciple cried out in alarm.
Several female disciples even covered their eyes.
Just as everyone thought Dan Chenzi was certain to die,
a towering figure suddenly appeared before him.
At the sight of that figure, Chu Luo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ancestor!"
Dan Chenzi exclaimed.
The man before him was none other than Great Emperor Yaoming!
Great Emperor Yaoming extended a finger covered in wrinkles.
He lightly tapped the golden sword phantom bearing down before him!
Hum...
An invisible ripple swept out from his fingertip.
The next moment, the enormous golden sword phantom dissolved into specks of starlight...
At this sight, everyone relaxed.
Then Dan Chenzi and Chu Luo returned to the ground.
Cheers immediately erupted among the dozen or so Forbidden Sect disciples.
"You truly are extraordinary, young friend Chu!"
"With you leading our disciples, I can rest easy!"
Great Emperor Yaoming smiled faintly and nodded at Chu Luo.
"Hehe..."
Chu Luo smiled politely, but inwardly began to grumble.
Sure, you can rest easy.
That move just cost me over a hundred years of my lifespan!
I shouldn't have lost those hundred-odd years at all...
It's all this meddlesome old man's fault!
As soon as Great Emperor Yaoming finished speaking, he waved his hand.
A pill bottle flew out toward Chu Luo.
"That move cost you quite a bit of your lifespan, didn't it?"
"There is always a price to pay when using the Forbidden Secret Arts..."
Chu Luo caught the bottle and opened it.
A perfectly round pill emitting a faint glow came into view.
"Thank you, Senior Great Emperor!"
Chu Luo revealed eight pearly white teeth as he thanked him.
He swallowed the pill on the spot.
The hundred years of lifespan he had just lost gradually returned!
Seeing his lost lifespan restored,
Chu Luo suddenly felt that old Yaoming was actually quite a decent fellow...
"Little fellow, do you understand young friend Chu's strength now?"
"Do you still think he isn't qualified to lead you?"
Great Emperor Yaoming turned toward the dazed Dan Chenzi and spoke earnestly.
Dan Chenzi came to his senses, took a deep breath, and cupped his fist.
"I recognize my mistake!"
"Brother Chu, I apologize for offending you earlier!"
"Throughout our journey into the secret realm, my junior brothers and I will follow your commands!"
"But once my strength improves, I'll challenge you again!"
"I hope that next time, I'll be able to withstand one of your moves!"
Dan Chenzi walked up to Chu Luo, cupped his hands, and apologized sincerely.
Both Great Emperor Yaoming and Ancient Sage Qingdan were deeply gratified by this sight.
Though Dan Chenzi had lost, his martial heart remained intact!
He dared to face defeat!
This young man was bound to achieve extraordinary things!
"You're too polite, Brother Dan!"
"Next time you come to exchange pointers, I'll be sure to hold back. I won't nearly kill you like I did today!"
Chu Luo smiled faintly and likewise cupped his hands toward Dan Chenzi.
"Hahaha..."
"My skills were inferior. I can hardly blame you, Brother Chu!"
Dan Chenzi smiled as well.
Watching this scene, the disciples of both sects smiled.
"It's getting late!"
"Let us depart!"
Great Emperor Yaoming nodded slightly, glanced at the sky, and spoke.
"Yes!"
The disciples of both sects boarded the void warship.
With a sweep of his hand, Zhao Sheng tore open space and steered the warship into the spatial rift, heading toward the Northern Plains Realm!
Since the Northern Plains lay at the edge of the Three Thousand Great Worlds,
Chu Luo and the others traveled aboard the warship for an entire month before reaching the Northern Plains Realm!
Desolate Heaven Province, Northern Plains Realm.
Fallen Heaven Ravine.
Fallen Heaven Ravine was one of the Three Thousand Great Worlds' several deathlands!
Dangers lurked everywhere in its depths. Even Sages did not ordinarily dare venture deep inside alone!
According to legends from ancient times, Fallen Heaven Ravine had originally been an ancient battlefield.
An immense battle between Great Emperors had once taken place there.
Legend held that a Great Emperor had fallen here!
The present-day Fallen Heaven Ravine had formed after that imperial battle,
through the passage of ages, as seas turned to fields and time reshaped the land...
At that moment, in the void above Fallen Heaven Ravine,
the phenomena that had persisted for over a month gradually dimmed and faded...
Meanwhile, within a mountain range on the outskirts of Fallen Heaven Ravine,
a spatial rift had appeared, radiating powerful fluctuations.
A milky-white membrane of light enveloped the rift.
Through the membrane, a mysterious world could be seen beyond the spatial rift!
This spatial rift was the entrance to the Great Emperor Secret Realm!
By then, experts and sect disciples from factions throughout the Three Thousand Great Worlds had already gathered outside the entrance.
According to the experts' examinations, the entrance would soon stabilize.
Hum...
Just as the experts waited outside the secret realm for its entrance to stabilize,
an invisible spatial ripple spread across the sky.
A spatial rift opened!
An enormous warship sailed out of it.
The experts present were already accustomed to such sights.
For over a month, sects and other factions had arrived every day.
But upon seeing this warship,
the experts' expressions finally changed.
"That's the Forbidden Sect's warship!"
"The Forbidden Sect's experts have arrived!"
"Huh? There are Pill Sect disciples too. They actually came with the Forbidden Sect!"
"What's so strange about that? The Pill Sect has always been on good terms with the Forbidden Sect..."
"But this is odd. Why did the Forbidden Sect only send two elders, Zhao Sheng and Qin Yi?"
"None of their monstrous direct disciples came either..."
Once the experts recognized the warship, a stir swept through the gathering.
Countless gazes converged on the warship.
Aboard the warship,
Zhao Sheng, Qin Yi, and Ancient Sage Qingdan led their respective sects' disciples down to the secret realm's entrance.
As for Great Emperor Yaoming, he had already concealed himself in the shadows...
"So this is the entrance to the Great Emperor Secret Realm..."
"It doesn't seem very stable yet!"
Chu Luo studied the entrance before him and spoke.
Elder Qin Yi nodded slightly. "This secret realm is actually the inner world of the fallen Great Emperor!"
"Upon becoming a Sage, a martial artist can open up a world within his body."
"As his cultivation rises, that inner world gradually develops and expands!"
"However, restrictions have been placed on this Great Emperor Secret Realm. It can only accommodate cultivators below the Nirvana Realm!"
"If anyone at the Nirvana Realm or above forces their way inside, they'll trigger the restrictions, which will obliterate the intruder!"
"In the end, the secret realm will return to the spatial turbulence!"
"As for its next appearance, who knows what year of the monkey or month of the horse we'd have to wait until..."
After hearing Elder Qin Yi's explanation, Chu Luo and the other disciples understood.
No wonder the membrane of light covering the entrance made their scalps prickle...
Hum...
Just then, several more spatial disturbances came from the distant void.
Chu Luo paused, sensing a familiar aura.
He looked up toward a certain direction in the void, furrowed his brows, and gave a cold laugh...
Before you continue