The Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm was incomparably vast. No one found any signs of the Realm's inheritance even after half a month of its initial opening. On the contrary, the cultivators who entered chanced upon innumerable ruins with tattered corpses.
The decayed clothes worn by the corpses showed extremely ancient patterns, and the way they died was also strange. Some appeared as if they had committed suicide, and others seemed to have been killed by their acquaintances.
Some of the ruins contained murals, patterns, and paintings that recorded the events that transpired in this Secret Realm. Some old cultivators who had studied ancient languages and culture started to decipher the records, and soon came up with an understanding that left them in great shock!
"This is a land created to seal something; not only does it contain great opportunities, but there are also great horrors that dwell within it!"
"The creator of this Secret Realm is an Honored Supreme[1] with an extremely ancient origin dating back to immemorial times…"
[1: it's a Quasi-Supreme but the people of Lower Realm call it an Honored Supreme since they don't have enough knowledge about Realms and titles beyond False God.]
"Honored Supreme?!"
What kind of concept was that? They had only seen a few words regarding those existences in ancient records. Existences of those level could easily travel through the void, pick the stars, and grasp the moon.
False Gods were nothing but ants in front of them.
This discovery shook the entire Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm and brought great excitement to all the cultivators who had entered.
Won't they soar to Heaven in a single leap if they could get the inheritance of that Honored Supreme and become his successor? Even going to the Upper Realm wouldn't be hard at that point!
But the cultivators who were deciphering the records soon showed a drastic change in their expressions, and terror gripped their hearts. With trembling voices, they splashed a bucket of cold water over everyone's heads.
"This is a place sealing a great terror that almost destroyed all living beings, and even the Honored Supreme and his people lost their lives dealing with it! The Honored Supreme burned their own life and origin to seal that supreme evil, preventing him from coming out into the world…"
"That supreme evil is a devil that can bring great chaos in the world, and turn everything upside-down. Once it is released, it will destroy the world and massacre all the creatures and races that live in it…"
They couldn't help but feel their hearts freeze as they studied the ancient records. This Secret Realm wasn't an opportunity, but a place where that hid a great devil within it! This terrifying news caused an even more frightening sensation than the first one.
Many cultivators felt cold sweat drip down their backs.
As for what this supreme devil was? The records did not mention it.
It's just that the horror of the supreme devil was self-evident, considering an Honored Supreme had to sacrifice their life just to seal it. They estimated that it was a calamity that could devastate the world to the point of extinction.
Many cultivators immediately retreated with cold shivers going down their backs. They felt a creepy feeling claw at their hearts when they considered that the ground they stood upon might be hiding countless bones under it!
Immediately, a place of fortuitous encounters turned into a purgatory that they had to avoid at all costs.
This news spread like wildfire, and shocked even the people of the world outside the Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm!
"I heard that the Young Lord from the Upper Realm has also gone inside the Secret Realm! It seems that this Secret Realm was the reason he descended down to our Lower Realm."
"Just what is hidden inside this Secret Realm? Why are even people from the Upper Realm interested in it?"
The information and questions shocked and confused many cultivators.
Soon, a cultivator discovered an area covered in fog in the depths of the Secret Realm. The fog started out white, but its color turned darker the further in one went, until it turned from gray to pitch-black.
Not only that, but it also seemed to cast some evil sorcery on whoever approached it. Many ferocious beasts lost their minds and rushed out from their dens to attack the cultivators who had entered the Secret Realm.
Even some cultivators with weaker cultivation bases were affected by the fog, and lost their minds. They turned into mindless killing machines who attacked everyone and anyone in their surroundings.
This earth-shattering change destroyed the peace of the Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm. Many cultivators decided to retreat immediately as a mere opportunity could never be as important as their life.
Of course, there were also cultivators who rushed towards the depths of the Secret Realm. Since ancient times, opportunities and danger have gone hand-in-hand. What others called a disaster might just be a blessing in disguise!
But they soon discovered that the deeper they went the thicker the fog became. Dangers were everywhere, and they could lose their way — life, even — if they took one wrong step. Worse still, there were many formations and other trap mechanisms on the path. If they touched any of them by accident, then they would find themselves in a deadly situation.
Many cultivators were already buried like that.
What nonsense was it about this being a place full of opportunities? This was clearly a burial ground for the masses!
The entire Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm went into chaos for a period of time.
"Such a low-leveled Devil Qi can only affect ordinary cultivators. It won't do anything to people who have cultivated for a long time."
Gu Changge casually remarked while standing at the edge of the demonic fog. Anyone who had cultivated for a respectable amount of time could easily resist the invasion of this Devil Qi.
For him, though, this Devil Qi was the purest form of nourishment in the world. It's just that there was too little of it here for it to be of any help to him.
He guessed that it was caused by the [Eight Desolate Demon Halberd]. It was truly worthy of being known as a peerless weapon — it had barely started to wake up, yet it was already causing such havoc.
Gu Changge felt satisfied thinking about it.
The core of the Secret Realm was just ahead; he could already feel the presence of Ye Chen among the many others inside. His Devil Heart was also moving about excitedly, desiring to swallow the source of all the Devil Qi in his surroundings.
"My Lord, this area is somewhat weird, and we might lose our way if we don't know the path. This old slave thinks we should be more cautious around here."
Old Ming voiced his concerns.
He could feel a terrifying power of suppression inside this Secret Realm. He was sure that he would be immediately repelled by the Realm if he showed an ounce of aura beyond the Great-Transcendent Realm.
Gu Changge responded to him with a nod, but his face showed a calm and unconcerned expression.
"It's alright! I have someone to lead the way, so you only need to follow after me."
Saying that, Gu Changge closed his eyes and focused on the mark he had left behind on the [Immortal Spirit-Gathering Pill]. Immediately, he felt a faint connection from the mark.
[Hum!]
A faint thread of black silk unfolded before Gu Changge's eyes, extending towards the depths of the fog in front of him.
This was the path Ye Chen walked. Without him, it would be much harder for Gu Changge to traverse through the fog. After all, he didn't have a map, so he would need to go around in circles over and over again to find reach the actual core of the Secret Realm.
Of course, it was also possible that he would never find it.
Gu Changge, however, never even considered looking for a map or anything of the sort; that was too troublesome.
Since Ye Chen was working so hard for him, wouldn't he (Gu Changge) be doing himself a disservice by not picking his (Ye Chen's) fruit of labor?
Old Ming and the others were naturally not worried anymore after they heard Gu Changge's words. Since the Young Lord had said it, he would naturally have a way.
Gu Changge stepped into the fog first, and his followers of the Great-Transcendent Realm gathered around him and kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings to prevent some beast or anything else from attacking him.
Naturally, Gu Changge's group was attacked several times along the way, but all the attacks were from mindless beasts who were affected by the Devil Qi. Old Ming and the others easily dealt with them, without needing Gu Changge to move a finger.
As for cultivators? No one had the guts to attack their group.
‘According to the path Ye Chen took, the inheritance of this Secret Realm should be deep underground. The [Eight Desolate Demon Halberd] should also be there…'
Gu Changge kept walking ahead while paying attention to the traces left behind by Ye Chen. An expression of interest appeared on his face as he noticed that they faced a lot less beasts when they followed in Ye Chen's steps. He had even cleared the powerful formations and traps on the way.
Gu Changge felt warmth spread in his heart.
‘This is a path specifically cleared for me! Ye Chen, you are such a gentleman…'
Gu Changge couldn't help but chuckle. If Ye Chen could know his thoughts at this moment, he would most certainly spurt blood from his mouth and wish to grind his bones into dust.
……
[In the depth of the fog at this time.]
Ye Chen and his party finally managed to slaughter the beast in front of them. Right now, a pale, gray bleakness enveloped the world around them.
‘The entrance is here according to the map…'
Ye Chen's heart inflated with excitement. Following the directions on the map, he quickly found a passage on the ground.
"Brother Ye Chen, your strength has improved by leaps and bounds in only a few years."
Ye Liuli exclaimed. She was amazed by Ye Chen's heroic might and ability to kill those stronger than himself. She was stunned when he killed a beast in the middle stage of the Great Power Realm.
These demonic beasts were infected by Devil Qi. Not only did they not fear death, but they also didn't feel pain. They only knew how to slaughter everything in their surroundings, and their strength was also greater than cultivators of the same Realm.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, was only at the peak of the Transcendent Realm, yet he could easily kill beings stronger than himself.
"Liuli, you flatter me!"
Ye Chen first felt overwhelmed when he saw Ye Liuli watching him with an expression full of shock, and then he felt proud of himself.
But soon, he got down to business.
"The inheritance of this Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm's master should be down there! Let's go down immediately; although we haven't come across anyone else in a while, we still shouldn't take any risks and stay out here in the dark…"
Ye Chen said to his group. He was worried that Gu Changge might appear before them out of nowhere.
He didn't doubt the fact that Gu Changge would certainly come to this Secret Realm. It was just that he had yet to see any of his traces, and that brought his some a little uneasiness.
Ye Chen couldn't help but admit that Gu Changge indeed put him under a lot of pressure.
‘Even if he comes inside, he will end up trapped in the fog without a map.'
[VILFIC: — thought the map.]
Ye Chen's heart relaxed as he thought about this. What's more? He still had the Secret Realm's key which he could use to manipulate the traps and formations.
‘Tsk, just a lucky bastard. How can he compare to Young Lord Gu even if he got some good opportunities?'
Aunt Xue thought with disdain.
Soon, they descended through the passage and arrived underground.
"Is this a mausoleum?"[1]
[VILFIC: Mausoleum is the big word for museum of dead big shots.]**
Ye Chen was a little shocked as he walked down the corridor, avoiding many traps and formations along the way.
The sight in front of him shocked not just him, but everyone else, too!
The place was like a mausoleum.
It looked like an ancient structure with all sorts of buildings, dilapidated shrines, ancient wooden halls, and floating mansions.
It was the corner of an ancient city hidden under the ground!
"The Devil Qi here is getting stronger and stronger. According to the map, there should be a palace in the depths of this place, and the inheritance should be in that palace…"
Ye Chen's excitement soared. He had finally reached his target, and he would be able to get the inheritance after a few more steps!
[Roar!]
[Roar!]
[Roar!]
Right then, terrifying roars sounded from all around them, and pairs of blood-red eyes lit up in their surrounding darkness.
Ye Chen's expression fell as he watched ferocious beasts and walking corpses close in on them.
"All of them are in the Great-Transcendent Realm…"
He didn't want to be delayed any longer. The unease in his heart deepened with every moment, and he felt that something terrifying might happen if he couldn't get the inheritance soon.
Also, why was his Master so quiet today?!
"Brother Ye Chen, hurry up and go! We will help you hold back these beasts. Time is running out, so you shouldn't stay here any longer…"
Ye Liuli decisively proclaimed with a calm expression. She had brought along a lot of servants, so they should be able to hold back these beasts while Ye Chen received the inheritance.
"Alright! Liuli, you must hold on — I will come and help you as soon as I have received the inheritance!"
Ye Chen's heart was moved, and he rushed towards the depths of the ancient underground city without looking back.
The wave of beasts, on the other hand, rushed forward and surrounded Ye Liuli and her group.
……
Right when Ye Chen rushed towards the depths of the ancient city, Gu Changge arrived at its edge. A faint smirk appeared on his face as he watched the scene in front of him.
After all, he hadn't needed to clean up a horde of beasts, nor had he encountered any traps or formations. His group had easily arrived here without much effort!
