Chapter 432: Chapter 430: Entering the Secret Realm
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rumbling echoed over the Altar Square, and the entire Desert Ancient City began to tremble. Only after a long moment did the pitch-black spatial gate in midair stabilize, and the city finally grew quiet again.
"Hmph. You’re lucky. I’ll let you off this time!" Seeing the pitch-black spatial gate manifest, Ghost Gui of Fallen Valley snorted coldly at Shen Haoran.
Shen Haoran merely gave Ghost Gui an indifferent glance, unconcerned. ’If we really fought, who knows who’d come out on top.’
BUZZ...
As everyone’s eyes focused on the spatial gate in midair, the pitch-black portal rippled, and a figure emerged from within.
It was an old man, utterly ordinary—the kind who would go unnoticed in any crowd. But upon his appearance, the entire world fell silent. Even the whistling wind seemed to stop, as if to welcome his arrival.
"Wan Fa Ancestor!" Upon seeing the old man, the elders and disciples of the various powers on the Altar Square all bowed respectfully. Even the grim-faced Ghost Gui was no exception. Shen Haoran then realized this was the Wan Fa Ancestor, the Guardian of the Desert Ancient City. He was also the oldest Martial Artist in the Northern Domain and held an extremely high status.
"Ten years. We meet again. And this time, it’s a new batch," the Wan Fa Ancestor remarked with a soft sigh, gazing at the many talented disciples below.
"Alright, I will not waste words. Disciples participating in the journey to the Secret Realm, please step onto the altar," the Wan Fa Ancestor said to the disciples below. Though his voice was soft, every Martial Artist on the Altar Square could hear him clearly.
Hearing his words, the disciples on the Altar Square brightened with joy and stepped onto the altar, grouping by their respective Sects. There were over a hundred in total. At the forefront were the Four Great Sects: the Celestial Spirit Sect, the Wind Sword Sect, the Valley of Heartless, and the Fallen Valley. Not only were these four at the very front, but they also had the largest numbers. The Celestial Spirit Sect and Wind Sword Sect each had ten disciples, the Valley of Heartless and Fallen Valley both had eight, while the remaining Second-class Sects only had three or four each.
The hundred-odd disciples stood on the altar. Leading them were the four individuals known as the Northern Domain’s Four Heroes: Xue Shitian of the Celestial Spirit Sect, Jian Wushuang of the Wind Sword Sect, the Love Saint of the Valley of Heartless, and Ouyang Shaoyu of the Fallen Valley. Shen Haoran had crossed paths with the other three before, but not the one from the Valley of Heartless. When he finally saw him, however, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. ’Love Saint... The name is certainly imposing, but his appearance leaves much to be desired.’
This Love Saint had a build like Zi Mo from the Five Elements Sect, only a whole size larger. The fat on his body seemed to tremble with every breath. Paired with the name "Love Saint," the sight was utterly comical. ’And yet,’ Shen Haoran thought, ’I can feel an immense pressure from him. This fatty’s strength is not to be underestimated.’
As if sensing Shen Haoran’s gaze, the Love Saint turned and gave him a faint smile, revealing a mouthful of large, yellow teeth. The sight was so revolting it nearly made Shen Haoran throw up last night’s dinner.
"Ahem..." Seeing that all the disciples were in position, Elder Wan Fa coughed lightly from midair, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.
"Before you enter the Secret Realm, I have a few things to tell you. Each time the Desert Ancient City’s Secret Realm opens, it is an opportunity and a trial for you. Likewise, it is a tremendous opportunity for your Sects. Inside the Secret Realm, you must fight with all your might to bring glory to your Sects!
"The Secret Realm is an Ancient Battlefield. In that great war, nearly a hundred Sects from the Northern Domain were destroyed, and countless powerful experts perished within. But they all left behind their legacies. A while ago, the ruins of an Ancient First-class Sect, the Saint Emperor Sect, were rediscovered. Your objective this time is to compete for the Saint Emperor Sect’s inheritance. Whichever of you obtains it, the Sect you represent will receive a great reward from the Desert Ancient City. So for the sake of your Sects, give it your all!"
"As the Guardian, I will give you all a gift." With that, Wan Fa Ancestor waved his hand, and nearly a hundred streaks of light shot into the disciples’ hands.
Everyone looked down at the gift from Wan Fa Ancestor. It was an ancient Sheepskin Scroll that looked to be of considerable age.
"This scroll contains basic information about the Desert Ancient City’s Secret Realm. It may be of some help to you. Very well, I have said all that needs to be said. Now, depart! The Secret Realm will remain open for three months. Good luck!" Wan Fa Ancestor chuckled, then turned and stepped into the pitch-black spatial gate.
As Elder Wan Fa’s figure vanished into the pitch-black spatial gate, the portal itself began to slowly dissipate. Seeing this, the disciples on the altar wasted no more time, leaping into the air and diving through it.
BUZZ...
The moment he stepped through the spatial gate, Shen Haoran felt the world spin around him. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a completely different world.
Shen Haoran found himself in a gloomy world. The sky was gray, the air was gray, and the earth was gray. As far as the eye could see, everything was washed in gray; it was the overriding tone of this world. What surprised him, however, was that the Spiritual Power here was incredibly pure. ’It must have been left over from the Ancient Era,’ he thought. ’This kind of pure Energy is completely incomparable to the outside world today. No wonder powerful experts were a dime a dozen in the Ancient Era. With Spiritual Power this pure, you could probably raise even an ordinary person to the Spirit Marquis Tier!’
However, as Shen Haoran carefully sensed the pure Spiritual Power, his brow furrowed again. Within the purity, he also detected a trace of an extremely cold, deathly aura. ’This must also be a remnant from that ancient war,’ he mused.
Sensing his surroundings, Shen Haoran realized there was no one else nearby and muttered to himself, "Looks like we were all separated."
"Hm?" Just as Shen Haoran was surveying his surroundings, a sinister aura abruptly appeared and shot toward him. A moment later, the sharp glint of a blade slashed straight for his neck.
Shen Haoran had been on high alert. The instant he felt the sinister aura, he shot backward, and the vicious slash cut through empty air.
After dodging the strike, Shen Haoran looked toward the figure that had ambushed him. But when he saw it clearly, he froze. The figure before him was not a human Martial Artist, but an Evil Spirit clad in Black Iron Battle Armor!
"What is this thing?"
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