"I, Ling Chengyuan, representing the Great Qian Imperial Family, welcome all the major sects, aristocratic families, and independent Rogue Cultivator from the Eastern Continent to the Imperial City for this grand sect gathering."
The square gradually quieted down.
Ling Chengyuan, with a polite smile, continued, "The rules of this competition have been changed, as you all have likely heard. The Great Qian Imperial Family, as the host, considering the difficult path to growth for young martial artists in the Eastern Continent, is willing to open the Heavenly Mystic Secret Realm free of charge as the venue for this competition."
"Within the secret realm, spirit stones, spirit herbs, spirit artifacts, and all kinds of rare and precious treasures are up to you to compete for. Apart from the disciples of the six sects, martial artists from second-rate sects, aristocratic families, and Rogue Cultivator, as long as their cultivation reaches the Heavenly Origin Realm Fifth Layer or above and has not exceeded the Divine Sea Realm Middle Stage, are all welcome to enter."
The eyes of countless Rogue Cultivator below blazed with fervor.
Ling Chengyuan was extremely satisfied with everyone's reaction, and his voice rose a few decibels.
"After entering the secret realm, the disciples from the six sects can compete for Sect Token scattered within, and their ranking will be determined by the number of tokens they obtain."
"Even if other martial artists do not participate in the rankings, they can seek opportunities on their own. All treasures obtained within the secret realm belong to their individuals, and the royal family will not take a single penny."
Before the words were even finished, the entire square erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Does the royal family really want us to retrieve the treasure ourselves?"
"This kind of opportunity is once in a century, nobody can stop me!"
" Heavenly Origin Realm Fifth Layer or above can enter. I have waited bitterly for decades, and finally, the hope of breaking through has arrived!"
Even if there is real danger inside, it's worth it as long as we find a high-grade spiritual herb!
Ling Chengyuan looked down at the cultivators below, who were blinded by greed, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
He didn't fully understand why his father had opened the secret realm.
But since the Emperor himself gave the order, these people must have a purpose.
Ling Chengyuan raised his hands, and after the noise subsided slightly, he added, "However, opportunities are always accompanied by dangers. Although the Heavenly Mystic Secret Realm has been controlled by the royal family for many years, the royal family has never explored it in depth. Even I cannot guarantee what kind of dangers are hidden within."
"Before you step in, please think carefully. Once inside the secret realm, life and death are left to fate. Neither the royal family nor the six sects will hold you accountable for any fighting within the secret realm."
Many cultivators' expressions tightened.
But this warning was utterly ineffective in suppressing their greed.
Anyone who can cultivate to the Heavenly Origin Realm Fifth Layer or higher has experienced countless life-and-death situations.
If you don't even have the courage to take risks, how can you talk about breaking through barriers and climbing higher?
Ling Chengyuan's smile deepened.
"Now that everyone is ready, please welcome Elder Ling Changkong of the Great Qian Imperial Family to personally open the entrance to the Heavenly Mystic Secret Realm."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Suddenly, ripples spread across the void in the direction of the deep palace.
An aged figure slowly walked out from behind the clouds.
With each step he took, a pale golden cloud would naturally condense beneath his feet.
There was no overwhelming pressure.
There were no extraordinary phenomena.
But when that figure appeared, all the Divine Sea Realm experts present instinctively tensed up.
Elder of the royal family, Ling Changkong.
A true master of the Dao Mysterious Realm.
The six sect leaders were the first to stand up.
Immediately afterwards, the elders and disciples of various sects, along with hundreds of thousands of cultivators below, stood up and bowed to the old man in the sky.
Only on the high platform of the Pill Pavilion.
Chu Yunfei remained seated, holding a teacup, showing no intention of getting up.
Ling Changkong hovered above the square, his aged gaze sweeping over everyone before settling quietly on Chu Yunfei.
The entire central square quickly noticed this unusual situation.
Countless cultivators who had been bowing respectfully quietly raised their eyes and followed Ling Changkong's gaze toward the high platform of the Pill Pavilion.
Chu Yunfei remained seated calmly.
He remained calm, not spilling a single drop of tea, as if the figure in the sky was not Dao Mysterious Realm giant, but merely an ordinary old man.
Discussions gradually rose in the square.
"Why isn't Chu Yunfei getting up?"
"All sect leaders must bow to Elder Ling. How dare this young junior so openly disregard Dao Mysterious Realm expert?"
"This kid has become incredibly arrogant. Does he really think the Pill Pavilion can protect him forever?"
"It was one thing for him to provoke Wei Shanhe before, but now he's publicly disrespecting the elders of the royal family. Just how many people has he offended?"
Some people recalled Chu Yunfei's previous status as a royal consort and whispered, " Chu Yunfei was once recognized as a royal consort, but was suddenly stripped of his title. Perhaps something happened between him and the royal family that we don't know about."
Even so, Dao Mysterious Realm expert cannot be underestimated. If Ling Changkong becomes angry because of this, Wen Daoyuan will not be able to save him.
On the high platform, the expressions of the people varied.
Qin Hao sneered repeatedly.
If Chu Yunfei could directly anger Ling Changkong with this arrogance, that would be even better.
Nangong Wuhen's eyes were also full of sarcasm.
"Idiot."
"He dares to be disrespectful even to the Dao Mysterious Realm expert; I'd like to see how he gets out of this mess today."
Situ Shuang'er frowned slightly.
She didn't believe Chu Yunfei was someone who couldn't even see the basic situation clearly.
Since he didn't get up, he must have his own reasons.
But the other party was, after all, Dao Mysterious Realm expert.
If Ling Changkong really gets angry, what will Chu Yunfei use to defend himself?
Wen Jiao also felt a slight tightness in her chest, but she didn't say anything to remind her.
She knew very well that Chu Yunfei and Ling Zhantian had reached a point of no return.
It was unrealistic to expect him to bow respectfully to the elders of the royal family.
Ling Changkong silently observed Chu Yunfei for several breaths.
Chu Yunfei was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away first.
To outsiders, this appears to be a young madman openly provoking Dao Mysterious Realm expert.
But Chu Yunfei saw a deep weariness and complexity in Ling Changkong's eyes.
There was no intent to kill.
There wasn't even a trace of anger.
This left Chu Yunfei with a few more doubts.
Ling Zhantian ordered him to leave the palace, then fought him in the desolate mountains outside the city, and extracted his physique's essence. As an elder of the royal family, Ling Changkong couldn't possibly be unaware of all this, yet the other party didn't stop him. Clearly, the two were in cahoots.
But Ling Changkong's reaction at this moment was unpredictable.
Which side is this person on?
A moment later, Ling Changkong was the first to withdraw his gaze.
He neither reprimanded nor exerted any pressure, as if he hadn't noticed Chu Yunfei's rudeness at all.
This result greatly disappointed many who were expecting a good show.
Wei Shanhe's eyes darkened slightly.
Mo Yinsheng also narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly noticing something unusual in Ling Changkong's reaction.
Ling Changkong ignored everyone's thoughts.
He raised his right hand, and a palm-sized, ancient-looking gold plate appeared in his palm.
The edge of the gold plate is engraved with nine intertwined dragon patterns, while the center is a bottomless expanse of black.
As Ling Changkong infused spiritual energy, the golden disc slowly rose into the air.
Buzz!
The entire central square shook.
The array patterns buried beneath the plaza lit up layer by layer, and a massive amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from all directions of the imperial city converged, transforming into nine golden torrents that poured into the golden plate.
Gold prices surged amid a storm.
In just a few breaths, it transformed into a massive golden array gate, hundreds of feet tall.
The space in the center of the array collapsed inward, eventually tearing open a pitch-black crack.