The Lin Clan.
Inside the main hall.
Lin Chengtian listened to an elder's report and fell into deep thought.
His brows furrowed slightly, and the shock and curiosity in his deep eyes were difficult to conceal.
“A single word destroyed a great saint...”
“Yes, clan chief. Do you think that mysterious man might be in the emperor realm?”
The elder speculated, his breathing growing somewhat hurried.
No one in the emperor realm had appeared in this era. Now that an existence suspected to be in the emperor realm had suddenly emerged, it would undoubtedly shake the entire Tianhuang Continent.
“The emperor realm... Can someone in that realm really achieve this...”
Lin Chengtian muttered to himself as the scene he had witnessed earlier surfaced in his mind.
Heavenly Thunder raged, and the void seemed about to collapse beneath its rolling might. Then Ye Chang'an's strike flashed forth like a startled swan, blooming in an instant and annihilating the tribulation lightning.
This scene had been witnessed not only by Lin Chengtian, but by the entire eastern region.
Recalling that scene and the might he had sensed at the time, Lin Chengtian felt as tiny as an ant.
Was that really only the emperor realm?
But if it was not the emperor realm, then what was it?
Was there something above the emperor realm?
At this thought, Lin Chengtian stopped thinking further.
He did not know what lay above the emperor realm, nor did he dare imagine it. Though curious, he knew his own limitations.
“Clan chief, should we invite that expert to help? Perhaps he can resolve the matter concerning the ancestral land.”
As though suddenly thinking of something, the elder tentatively made the suggestion.
Hearing this, a glint flashed through Lin Chengtian's eyes.
“Let me think about it. Besides, that person may not necessarily be willing to help.”
.....
Three days later, at the Heavenly Extremity Sacred Land.
Today was the day of the secret realm trial. The newly recruited disciples of the Sacred Land were all waiting in the Outer sect plaza.
Soon, several elders appeared in the plaza.
A young man accompanied them.
When he saw the young man arrive, Lin Tianci, standing at the front of the crowd, looked somewhat puzzled.
“Xuanyuan Hao? What is he doing here?”
That was right—the person accompanying the elders was Xuanyuan Hao.
At this moment, however, Xuanyuan Hao was sizing up the two young women beside Lin Tianci.
Ye Xinran and Jin Xiaoya.
His gaze lingered on Jin Xiaoya for a moment before moving away.
The one who truly aroused his curiosity was Ye Xinran.
When he looked at Ye Xinran, he was immediately shocked.
Twelve years old, yet in the Celestial Spirit Realm!
She was far stronger than he had been at twelve.
Just then, an elder began to speak.
“Welcome, disciples, to the Heavenly Extremity Sacred Land.”
“The secret realm trial for newcomers is a benefit the Sacred Land provides to its new members.”
“Not only can it temper you and improve your combat ability, but the secret realm also contains many resources. For you, it is undoubtedly a great opportunity.”
“Without further ado, the secret realm is now open. Activate the token in your hand, and you can enter.”
As he spoke, the elder waved his hand, and a purple token appeared in the hands of every disciple.
After hearing the elder's words, everyone activated their tokens and immediately vanished from where they stood.
Seeing this, Xuanyuan Hao likewise took out a token, activated it at once, and vanished in an instant.
Within the void.
“Hall master, should we go in?”
Seeing Ye Xinran enter the secret realm, Shangguan Shi asked.
“Of course.” Ye Chang'an nodded.
He then raised his hand and swept it across the void. A spatial rift appeared before the three of them.
“Let's go.”
Having said that, Ye Chang'an led the way into the rift, with Shangguan Shi and Yang Shiyi immediately following.
.....
The Trial Secret Realm.
This was a minor world.
Its environment was much the same as the outside world. The only difference was that the spiritual energy here was denser.
Because of this, more heavenly materials and earthly treasures were born here, and the demon beasts were also stronger.
In a dense forest.
A young woman walked forward, hopping along while looking around curiously.
“So this is the secret realm? The spiritual energy is so dense.”
Just as Ye Xinran was fully immersing herself in the secret realm's environment, a tiger covered in ice crystals suddenly appeared before her.
“Hm? A big tiger in the Celestial Spirit Realm?”
Ye Xinran completely ignored the ice crystal tiger's menacing gaze.
Facing a third-level Celestial Spirit Realm demon beast, Ye Xinran, who was only at the first level of the Celestial Spirit Realm, did not panic in the slightest.
The ice crystal tiger seemed dissatisfied with Ye Xinran's reaction. Yes, it felt that it had been looked down upon. If it was not angry now, when would it be?
The ice crystal tiger's aura surged as it prepared to pounce on Ye Xinran.
Ye Xinran merely smiled harmlessly, formed a Sword-Finger Technique with her right hand, and swept it through the air. A sword qi imbued with primordial sword intent, carrying an overwhelmingly murderous might, slashed toward the ice crystal tiger.
In the next moment, the aggressively charging ice crystal tiger was cleaved in two.
It became angry in a fit of rage—and then raged itself into two halves.
“It looked pretty powerful. Is that all?”
Looking at the ice crystal tiger cleaved in two, Ye Xinran was also stunned.
Honestly, she had not expected that a casual strike from her would Defeat in an Instant a demon beast whose realm was higher than hers.
The ice crystal tiger was not too weak. Rather, her strength was too powerful. With the primordial sword intent added to it, how terrifying and sharply destructive was a single strike?
After glancing at the ice crystal tiger on the ground, Ye Xinran continued forward.
The three people watching from the void—Ye Chang'an and the others—were not surprised by this scene.
After all, in their eyes, this was perfectly reasonable.
Everyone knew that Ye Xinran's strength was extremely formidable.
“Hall master, this trial is a little boring for the young hall master. It seems the thing in the lake is the only reason worth coming here for her.”
“Yes. Once she obtains that thing, Xinran's cultivation realm will rise considerably.”
Ye Chang'an nodded. He was very much looking forward to it.
Three days later.
The central region of the secret realm.
After walking from the outskirts of the secret realm to this place, Ye Xinran had been utterly relaxed. She had mostly admired the scenery while absorbing resources for cultivation, and whenever one or two demon beasts appeared, she Defeated them in an Instant.
In three days, she had already advanced by one minor realm.
Upon arriving in the central region of the secret realm, she saw a vast lake.
Most people, however, were far from the lake. Only a very small number had approached it.
Among them were Xuanyuan Chen and Lin Tianci.
“Xinran, you're here!”
Ye Xinran squeezed through the crowd and was just about to ask what was happening when an excited, clear voice called her name.
Ye Xinran followed the voice and saw Jin Xiaoya walking toward her.
“Sister Xiaoya, what is going on?”
“Xinran, there is an area outside surrounding Profound Heaven Lake. You can only enter the lake by passing through it. He said that Profound Heaven Lake contains a true great opportunity.”
“A great opportunity?”
Upon hearing the words “great opportunity,” Ye Xinran became interested.
“That's right. We don't know exactly what it is, but the area outside is filled with pressure. The farther in you go, the stronger it becomes. I was waiting for you. Let's hurry, too. Lin Tianci and Xuanyuan Hao have already been inside for quite a while.”
Ye Xinran looked ahead and saw Lin Tianci and Xuanyuan Hao struggling forward. Judging by their speed, this pressure was clearly no simple matter.
“Interesting. Sister Xiaoya, let's go try it too. I want to see just how powerful this pressure can be.”