Chapter 623: Peng Clan’s Young Master!
"What? Got a problem with us laughing?"
The young man’s eyes widened slightly, feeling the weight of their auras. Even though Evan appeared to be in the Legendary Realm, the destruction energy emanating from him was far beyond what one would expect.
And Arthur—his power was on another level entirely. The young man couldn’t even sense his cultivation realm, which sent a chill through him.
Realizing quickly that he was outmatched, he silently shook his head, his gaze dropping as he returned to his meal, hoping to avoid further confrontation.
Arthur and Evan exchanged glances, then burst out laughing again, their serious expressions vanishing as they resumed their playful banter.
Across the table, Artemisia and Beatrix rolled their eyes, unimpressed by the boys’ antics.
"You two are so childish."
Beatrix said, shaking her head with a smile and Artemisia nodded with a small sigh.
Not bothered by the girls’ comments, they settled back into their meal, the chaos of the restaurant fading into the background as they enjoyed the rest of their evening.
After finishing their meal, the four stepped out of the restaurant and looked at the calm sky, the stars barely visible through the city lights.
But as they strolled down the road, the sky darkened abruptly, a massive shadow looming overhead.
Looking up in surprise, they saw a colossal airship passing above, cutting through the darkened clouds.
Below, the people in the streets began to cheer, waving up at the vessel with admiration.
Confused, Arthur turned to a random passer-by and asked for context.
"What’s going on?"
The man, clearly excited by the sight, glanced at Arthur in surprise.
"Huh? You don’t recognize that airship? Ah, you must be an outsider. That’s the airship of the Denerth Sect, the number one cultivation sect in our world."
"Cultivation sect?"
Evan echoed, intrigued and the man gave a knowing nod, explaining.
"Yeah. Here on Denerth Prime, we’ve got thousands of cultivation sects—places where people train in the martial and mystical arts to grow stronger, gain immortality, and unlock the mysteries of the universe.
These sects are divided into tiers. There are 5th-tier sects, the lowest, then 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and the top-tier, 1st-tier sects.
The 1st-tier ones are the elite. There’s only about 100 of them, which might sound like a lot, but considering how many sects exist across the planet, it’s actually a pretty exclusive group."
"And this Denerth Sect?"
To Beatrix’s question, the man responded with a proud smile.
"They stand at the very top of the 1st-tier sects. The most powerful sect on the entire planet.
They’ve got influence over almost everything here, and their disciples are well-loved by the people. It’s no wonder they get such a reception."
The man had to leave after that so he couldn’t answer any more questions, however, Arthur and Evan were as curious about this whole sect business as they were clueless.
The two boys spoke to another passer-by—a wandering cultivator, and dumped their questions on him...politely, of course.
"Excuse me, mind telling us a bit more about the sects? We’re not from around here."
Luckily, they approached a reasonable person who stopped, giving them a thoughtful look before smiling.
"Ah, outsiders, huh? Well, you’ve chosen an interesting time to visit.
You’re probably asking because of that airship, right? That’s the Denerth Sect’s. They’re the biggest player on this planet.
Thousands of sects exist here, each vying for power, resources, and reputation. There’s always a power struggle, especially among the 1st-tier sects, but no one challenges Denerth."
Arthur casually bought the man a drink from a nearby vendor and passed it over as he asked.
"Why not? What makes them so untouchable?"
The cultivator chuckled, accepting the drink as payment for his info and spoke enthusiastically.
"Because they control some of the most precious resources on this planet—including Secret Realms.
You see, these realms are hidden pocket dimensions that contain powerful treasures, cultivation techniques, rare herbs, and even magical beasts.
Owning a Secret Realm can catapult a sect’s strength. The Denerth Sect has access to a lot of high-level Secret Realms, which is why no one dares challenge their position."
Artemisia and Beatrix knew the background information about Denerth’s Secret Realms, but they didn’t know much besides that.
Beatrix’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"And what about this latest news about the Denerth Sect? What’s happening now?"
The wandering cultivator’s expression shifted to one of excitement.
"Ah, yes. The Denerth Sect plans to open one of their Secret Realms soon.
The last time they did this, they allowed even wandering cultivators like myself, people without sects, to try their luck in acquiring treasures. A lot of people came out stronger—some found rare treasures or powerful techniques that elevated their strength, and the public’s opinion of the sect skyrocketed."
"And this time?"
Artemisia asked and the cultivator continued.
"This time, they’re opening a different Secret Realm. One they intend to use to train their specially selected inner and core disciples."
As the wandering cultivator continued his explanation, he added.
"Oh, and another thing. It’s not just people from the Denerth Sect who’ll be entering the Secret Realm. Other sects on the planet and some sects from other planets have also bought slots for their members to participate.
You see, there’s a limited number of people who can enter the realm at any given time. That makes these slots incredibly valuable.
Some sects, even from planets that don’t fall under Denerth Prime’s banner, have sent their strongest disciples here to try their luck. Everyone wants a piece of this."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed with interest as he listened, putting in a few questions occasionally.
"Why go through all that trouble?"
"Because the Secret Realm is like a cultivation holy land. The energy inside is of such high quality—pure, clean, and concentrated. It’s a game changer for cultivators.
Those who absorb this ambient energy into their bodies can get stronger faster with less effort. The higher the quality of the energy, the less they need to absorb to make progress. It’s basically a fast track to power."
"So that’s why people from other planets are here too."
"Exactly. They all want to get stronger, find rare treasures, and grow their sects’ influence. But it’s not just the cultivation energy.
The monsters and creatures inside the Secret Realm are formed by that same high-quality energy, which means they’re much stronger than what you’d normally encounter. For those of you who don’t cultivate and prefer levelling up in the traditional sense, killing these monsters will give you more EXP than normal. Their soul power and existential records are richer.
So, in a way, even non-cultivators can benefit."
"So, no matter how you approach it, this Secret Realm is basically a goldmine."
Evan spoke up after the man finished and he laughed before responding.
"That’s one way to put it. Just be prepared. It’s not a walk in the park."
After hearing the detailed explanation, the four of them quickly pieced together what Jamie had called them to Denerth Prime for. He wanted them to enter the Secret Realm.
They thanked the wandering cultivator for his information, and after exchanging a few more words, he went on his way.
Before long, they decided to return to their hotels and rest for the night. Tomorrow would be another day of exploring the city, after all.
◇ ◇ ◇
Fengying City
Denerth Prime
August 18th
Year 1054 of the 50th General Calendar
Once again, the group of four set out to explore the rest of the massive Fengying city that they hadn’t been able to the day before.
With how big of a planet Denerth Prime was, finding cities housing a few dozen million wasn’t rare. Though, Fengying only had about 10 million in population.
Midway, Arthur and Evan temporarily broke away from the group, while Artemisia and Beatrix continued their casual stroll through the bustling streets of Fengying.
The city was alive with energy, the morning sun casting a warm glow over the stone buildings and the colourful market stalls lining the roads.
The two goddesses walked side by side, drawing occasional glances due to their beauty.
However, it wasn’t long before their peaceful walk was interrupted.
When they stopped to get a few drinks and were waiting at a restaurant’s outdoor seating area, a young man, surrounded by a few lackeys, sauntered over with an arrogant smirk.
His long robe, embroidered with a golden phoenix, was ostentatious, and his chin held high as if surveying his property.
As the young man strutted closer, his eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction. He took a sweeping look around, then addressed his lackeys with a theatrical flourish.
"Who would’ve thought? Two such beauties in myFengying City, and I had no idea."
He paused, taking a dramatic breath as if the discovery was a personal offence and his lackeys chuckled in agreement.
"Seems like the day just got a whole lot more interesting."
He continued, locking his gaze on Artemisia and Beatrix with an air of entitlement, and without a second thought, he barked out with authority.
"You two, come and become my concubines."
His voice dripped with the entitlement of someone who was used to his word being law.
His lackeys snickered, as if this was a routine event for them, while the people in the street went silent, recognizing the scene unfolding before them. A few onlookers whispered among themselves.
"Isn’t that the young master of the Peng clan?"
"Oh no, poor girls. He’s notorious for this."
"Maybe they should just accept. If they become his concubines, they’ll live in luxury..."
"Better hug his thigh now than end up in trouble later. The Peng clan controls the whole city, after all."
Others simply looked on in pity, knowing the Peng clan’s young master had a less-than-stellar reputation.
He was known for his arrogance, his ego inflated by his family’s power, and he tended to see beautiful women as nothing more than playthings that should be in his possession.
As for his current targets, they exchanged a glance, completely dumbfounded by the scene.
It was so unreal that they both decided their imaginations were playing tricks on them and decided to continue waiting for their drinks as if they hadn’t just heard him.
Their reaction—or lack of one—made the young master’s face twitch, his smirk faltering. He wasn’t used to being ignored, and his voice boomed louder, demanding attention.
"How dare you ignore me? Do you know who I am?"
Finally accepting the reality that they were the ones he was speaking to, Beatrix, with an almost casual indifference, raised her hand and pointed to her face.
"Um...do I look like someone who does?"
Her words were like a slap to his pride. The young master’s face turned red with fury, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find a response.
Finally, he puffed out his chest, as if to reassert his authority, and shouted.
"I am the Peng clan’s young master!"
