The Canyon Secret Realm Opens

After Yuan Changsheng's exclamation, Yuan Zhexian asked, "Father, you said all the immortal imperial clans, imperial dynasties, and holy lands of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands would be touched by the power of karma. What about our Yuan Clan?"

Yuan Changsheng explained, "Although our clan is a taboo lineage, its origins are far more terrifying than this world imagines. The power the lineage currently displays alone is less than a tenth of its strength. And although I am the lineage head, I only know two or three tenths of its true foundation. So, no matter what kind of karma or great tribulation comes, our Yuan Clan fears nothing."

"Oh... The lineage is already this powerful, yet that isn't even a tenth of its strength?" Yuan Zhexian's interest was piqued, and he grew even more curious about the lineage.

Yuan Changsheng continued, "Zhexian, you are the one chosen by the lineage. Everything about you is closely tied to its future fate. Once your cultivation grows strong enough, you will understand everything. Knowing too much now would only affect your Dao heart and add to the burden on your road to invincibility."

Yuan Zhexian replied, "I understand, Father. No matter what happens in the future, I will protect my loved ones and the lineage."

Satisfied with Yuan Zhexian's answer, Yuan Changsheng smiled and then left the Divine Son Palace.

After Yuan Changsheng left, Yuan Zifeng suddenly appeared in the main hall. He bowed to Yuan Zhexian and said, "Divine Son, Yuan Ruochu requests an audience."

"Let him in."

Seeing Yuan Ruochu enter, Yuan Zhexian smiled and said, "Cousin, this should be our first formal meeting, shouldn't it? What brings you here?"

Yuan Ruochu bowed slightly and said, "Divine Son, I know that some time ago, aside from Changkong, Su Yu, Xingchen, and the other two, the remaining four sequences all submitted to you. Of the ten great sequences, I am now the only one who has not. Today, I came first to pay my respects to you, Divine Son, and second because I wish to submit to you."

Ever since Yuan Ruochu's defeat at Ji Jingtian's hands, he had been cultivating tirelessly in seclusion. Yet Yuan Changkong, Yuan Suyu, and the others did not seem to work as hard as he did, and their cultivation and strength kept soaring.

He could not understand it until he saw Ji Jingtian defeated by a single punch from Yuan Zhexian. The Divine Son he had never met was so terrifyingly powerful that he finally realized the increase in Yuan Changkong and the others' cultivation had to have something to do with him. To strengthen his cultivation, he decided to submit to Yuan Zhexian as well.

In fact, Yuan Zhexian had been waiting for Yuan Ruochu to come of his own accord. He firmly believed that, no matter who someone was or how proud and conceited they were, they would choose to submit before his absolute strength.

Moreover, Yuan Ruochu's Samsara Physique was the fourth-ranked supreme physique. For that reason alone, he would greatly value Yuan Ruochu's talent and want to take him under his command.

Seeing the determination in Yuan Ruochu's eyes, Yuan Zhexian immediately stepped forward and helped him up. Smiling, he said, "Good. Now that even you have submitted to me, Cousin Ruochu, I naturally won't treat you poorly." With that, he extended a finger and gently touched Yuan Ruochu's forehead. A golden light flashed.

"This is... the Six Paths of Samsara Fist?"

Yuan Ruochu's body trembled slightly. This was the Six Paths of Samsara Fist, which complemented the Six Paths Secret Art of his Samsara Physique. The Six Paths Secret Art and the Six Paths of Samsara Fist were said to have been created by the Samsara Great Emperor. The Six Paths of Samsara Fist, in particular, had been created when the Samsara Great Emperor was close to becoming an immortal, and its power was several times greater than that of the Samsara Secret Art. Yuan Ruochu firmly believed that with the Six Paths of Samsara Fist, he could definitely defeat Ji Jingtian.

Trembling, Yuan Ruochu instantly dropped to one knee and swore to Yuan Zhexian, "From this day forth, I, Yuan Ruochu, willingly acknowledge Yuan Zhexian as my master. Let the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth bear witness." As soon as he finished, two golden marks appeared in the air of the hall. One entered the space between Yuan Ruochu's brows, and the other entered Yuan Zhexian's body.

They were life-and-death marks: one for the master, the other for the servant. The master's mark held absolute power over the life and death of the servant's mark. "Ah, Cousin, why put yourself through this?" Yuan Zhexian asked softly.

"Divine Son, you bestowed such a precious immortal art upon me. I have no way to repay such great kindness except by acknowledging you as my master and clearing away the obstacles in your path." Yuan Zhexian shook his head without speaking.

Two months passed. All ten great sequences cultivated diligently in the Divine Son Palace, waiting for the canyon secret realm to open. During that time, something interesting happened. One day, the newly arrived Ji Jingtian happened to run into Yuan Ruochu just as he came out of seclusion.

Enemies burned red in the face when they met, and their physiques were ranked fourth and fifth besides. Neither was happy with the other. Ji Jingtian immediately began taunting Yuan Ruochu, asking whether he had managed to get his hands on an imperial weapon. He also said that a man he had defeated should be cultivating diligently instead of wandering around with nothing to do.

Those few taunts enraged Yuan Ruochu, who immediately attacked and started fighting Ji Jingtian. The tremendous sounds of battle alarmed everyone, who came to see who had the nerve to fight in the Divine Son Palace.

When they saw the two of them, everyone understood why. As the fight went on, Ji Jingtian felt that something was increasingly wrong. Yuan Ruochu seemed much stronger than before, so he brought out his imperial sword, preparing to make one final exchange with him.

Bang.

Ji Jingtian crashed heavily into the ground, leaving a deep crater, and the fight came to an immediate end.

The victor was, of course, Yuan Ruochu. Ji Jingtian then said, baffled, "Impossible! You don't have an imperial weapon. How could you beat me?"

Seeing Ji Jingtian suffer a setback, Yuan Zifeng laughed and cleared up his confusion. "What's impossible about it? The Divine Son bestowed the Six Paths of Samsara Fist on Yuan Ruochu. It's only natural that you couldn't beat him."

"The Six Paths of Samsara Fist?"

Ji Jingtian had heard of that peerless cultivation art too. He said, "The Divine Son actually gave you a cultivation art like that, while I got nothing."

Sure enough, he was one of their own. Ji Jingtian immediately felt terribly aggrieved. Now that Yuan Ruochu had the Six Paths of Samsara Fist, he knew he was no longer Yuan Ruochu's match.

He squatted there, feeling utterly aggrieved as he looked at Yuan Ruochu. His aggrieved face seemed to have a few words written on it: I've learned my lesson; I won't dare show off again.

Looking at Ji Jingtian squatting there like an aggrieved child, Yuan Ruochu copied his taunts. "The wheel of fortune turns. Go on, show off again. I'll beat you to death."

And so the farce passed. Time flew, and another month went by. The golden light over the canyon secret realm would dissipate within the next two days, and the secret realm would then open.

In the Yuan Clan's council hall, Yuan Zhexian, the Yuan Clan's ten great sequences, and Ji Jingtian stood in the center, listening to Yuan Changsheng's instructions.

"Your grandfather will take you there this time. Zhexian, we don't know what the situation inside will be when the secret realm opens, so be careful in everything you do. The same goes for all of you. After entering the secret realm, each of you will have your own opportunities. If you can't defeat an opponent, saving your life comes first. Understand?"

Everyone bowed and said, "We understand."

"All right, prepare to set off. Father, sorry to trouble you this time," Yuan Changsheng said to Yuan Xun.

Yuan Xun nodded at once and set off with everyone.

Grand Commencement Heaven was a heavenly domain about the same size as Great Origin Heaven. Its immortal imperial clans, immortal imperial dynasties, and holy lands were also much the same in number as those of Great Origin Heaven. The only difference was that Grand Commencement Heaven had no taboo lineage. Its strongest sect was the Mythic Sword Sect.

By now, many people had already gathered outside the mysterious canyon in Grand Commencement Heaven, and disciples from various clans and places continued to arrive.

A giant sword descended from the sky, bringing the people of the Sword Sect. Among them, Jian Wushuang, the Sword Sect's Sword Son, was even stronger than he had been three months ago. Sword Qi surged around him with extraordinary power.

Another immortal holy land, the Highest Purity Sect, arrived soon afterward. Looking at the Sword Sect's Sword Son, Dao Wudao asked in surprise, "Why are you here again? Didn't you already obtain a peerless opportunity here?"

Looking at his old rival, the Sword Sect's Sword Son said calmly, "The opportunity I obtained before wasn't in the core of the canyon secret realm, but on its outskirts. I found a Spirit-Devouring Sword Fruit on the outskirts of the canyon, and by then, the golden light was already moving toward the canyon entrance. Before it sealed the entrance, I hurriedly picked the Spirit-Devouring Sword Fruit, then found a mountain pass near the entrance and went into seclusion."

"The Spirit-Devouring Sword Fruit? That's a supreme spirit fruit for sword cultivators. It can devour Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and convert it into Sword Qi. No wonder your cultivation soared after you came out of seclusion. So that was why." He then said to the Sword Sect's Sword Son, "We haven't seen each other in three months, and your cultivation has advanced quite a bit again. I hear the people coming this time are all highly gifted, and many are no weaker than either of us. I hope you don't fall in there."

The Sword Sect's Sword Son immediately replied, "The same to you. If you fall in there, I'll feel lonely without a rival."

As he finished speaking, a heaven-shaking dragon's roar rang out. A five-clawed golden dragon led the way, followed by a conspicuous six-clawed golden dragon and more than a dozen five-clawed true dragons of various colors.

"That's... the True Dragon Clan from the Imperial Mountain Range in Grand Sovereign Heaven. Of the two in front, the first is a grand elder of the True Dragon Clan, and the one behind him is Ao Xu, the True Dragon Clan's Dragon Son."

The dozen or so true dragons then took human form. In human form, the True Dragon Clan's Dragon Son had golden hair and wore a golden dragon robe. A hint of unruliness showed on his handsome face, and his whole bearing conveyed nobility, arrogance, and overwhelming dominance.

A clear cry rang through heaven and earth, and a gigantic golden peng appeared in the sky, with more than a dozen people standing on it.

"The Golden-Winged Peng Clan is here too..."

Someone in the crowd pointed at the enormous peng and said, "Look, the one at the back is the Golden-Winged Peng Clan's Divine Son, the Little Peng Emperor. I hear eighty percent of his bloodline has reverted to its ancestral form. You should know that the Golden-Winged Peng Clan's ancestor was a renowned, invincible expert even in the mythical era. With eighty percent, he has the potential to become a Great Emperor."

Seeing the Little Peng Emperor arrive, Ao Xu said coldly, "You actually came too."

"If you can come, why can't I?"

The two immediately faced off, neither yielding an inch. The Golden-Winged Peng Clan and the True Dragon Clan were both imperial clans of the Demon Domain's Imperial Mountain Range, and the two clans had been mortal enemies for generations. Peng ate true dragons, and true dragons ate peng. The Imperial Mountain Range in the Demon Domain was a gathering place for the Demon Race, and it was rumored to occupy more than sixty percent of Grand Sovereign Heaven's territory. The Imperial Mountain Range had eight great imperial clans and countless royal clans.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. More than a dozen streaks of light flashed past, and a group of people appeared at the canyon entrance.

It was the Mystic Sect of Grand Purity Heaven. At their head was a grand elder of the Mystic Sect, with the sect's Divine Son behind him. Everyone was quite unfamiliar with him. The Mystic Sect was a reclusive sect, and people knew very little about it. They only knew that it rarely emerged into the world, but when it did, the person it sent forth was sure to be a monstrous genius who would shake the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. The Mystic Sect's Divine Son was one such taboo monstrous genius.

The Mystic Sect's Divine Son wore a long cyan robe. His face was as ordinary as a passerby's, but he had a pair of strange eyes, with a mysterious pattern in each pupil. They were extraordinarily mysterious. With the Mystic Sect's Divine Son's appearance, the peerless, once-in-an-age monstrous geniuses present were filled with fighting spirit toward him. After all, who would not want to make their name resound throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands by stepping over a taboo monstrous genius?

Another reclusive lineage appeared next: the Heavenly Cang Clan of Grand Dawn Heaven. It was a lineage that produced only the Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique, a supreme physique ranked seventh among the three thousand physiques. Moreover, it was said that this generation's Divine Son of the Heavenly Cang Clan possessed not only the Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique but also the Heaven-Chaos Demon Ape Physique. His physical strength was enough to rival that of the Innate Saintly Physique Dao Embryo, making him extremely terrifying.

The Heavenly Cang Divine Son had an unusual appearance. His deeply defined features framed a pair of purple eyes, and his purple hair moved without wind. Standing over 1.8 meters tall, he had bronze skin and extremely lean, powerful muscles that looked as though they had been sculpted.

The mythical Jun Lineage arrived next. Seeing the Jun Lineage's group, the Heavenly Cang Divine Son's presence suddenly turned violent, because the Jun Lineage's Divine Son, Jun Yichen, possessed the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, ranked seventh among the three thousand physiques. The Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique and the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body had been mortal enemies since ancient times; whenever they met, one of them had to die. The Heavenly Cang Clan's grand elder then called out sharply, "Divine Son, now is not the time to act. Kill him after the secret realm opens."

The Heavenly Cang Divine Son restrained his presence, but kept his cold gaze fixed on Jun Yichen.

Jun Yichen glanced over at the Heavenly Cang Divine Son and smiled faintly. "This canyon secret realm is rather interesting after all. The Heavenly Cang Clan's Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique and Heaven-Chaos Demon Ape Physique... I would like to see just how formidable the Heavenly Cang Divine Son is with two physiques."

Next came the mythical Zhang Lineage.

The immortal-ancient Myriad Spirits Mountain.

The immortal-ancient Chen Family.

The immortal-ancient Great Origin Holy Land,

The Yu Clan,

And the mythical Ji Family, all arriving one after another.

The golden light at the entrance to the canyon secret realm had already begun to turn transparent. Roar! A dragon's cry shook heaven and earth as nine enormous Azure Nether Heaven-Swallowing Flood Dragons appeared, pulling a gigantic palace behind them.

The Yuan Clan had arrived.

Seeing the Yuan Clan using members of their own branch bloodline to pull a palace, the True Dragon Clan's people were instantly filled with towering rage. The presence of Ao Xu, the Dragon Son, surged, and its power made the people around him break out in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth and said, "Although the Azure Nether Heaven-Swallowing Flood Dragons are only a branch bloodline of our True Dragon Clan, we will never allow anyone to insult the dragon clan's bloodline. Damn the Yuan Clan! In this secret realm, I will surely slay every one of them to avenge this insult to my True Dragon Clan's bloodline."

At that moment, Yuan Xun appeared at the entrance to the canyon secret realm with Yuan Zhexian and the others.

Seeing Yuan Zhexian, the people present showed signs of apprehension. After all, they knew something of Ji Jingtian's strength, yet he had been defeated by a single punch from Yuan Zhexian. That showed just how terrifying Yuan Zhexian was.

They involuntarily looked at one another, each understanding the others' thoughts.

Sensing the intense hostility around them, Yuan Zhexian turned to the others and said, "Once we enter, each of us will seek our own opportunities. I have thirteen jade pendants here. They can be used to sense one another's locations inside the secret realm. If you encounter danger, activate your pendant. The others can then come to your aid quickly, allowing you to escape danger in an emergency."

Clang.

After flickering twice, the golden light at the canyon entrance suddenly vanished, and the canyon secret realm opened at once. The crowd swarmed in like mad dogs, as though afraid the opportunities would disappear if they were a step too late. Seeing this, Yuan Zhexian shook his head and said, "The weak are prey to the strong. That is the law of survival. So what if they obtain an opportunity? Will they live to bring it out? Every one of them is running so fast."

Watching the crowd pour in, Ao Xu, the True Dragon Clan's Dragon Son, walked up to Yuan Zhexian and said fiercely, "Hmph. Yuan Zhexian, you actually dared to use Azure Nether Heaven-Swallowing Flood Dragons as draft beasts, insulting our dragon clan's bloodline like this. Don't let me run into anyone from the Yuan Clan in there, or I'll surely kill them."

He then ignored Yuan Zhexian and the others and flew in on his own.

The Sword Sect's Sword Son, Dao Wudao, the Mystic Sect's Divine Son, the Tai Cang Divine Son, the Jun Lineage's Divine Son, and the others also flew in one after another.

Yuan Zhexian once again reminded everyone to be careful in all things, then led them into the secret realm.