Chapter 128: Preparations Before the Heavenly Secret Realm (Part 2)

Preparations Before the Heavenly Secret Realm (Part 2)

Not long afterward, Damien Salvatore, Austin Salvatore, and Nux finally arrived at Sovereign Peak.

The three stopped several meters away from Victor.

Without exchanging a word, they bowed respectfully.

"Patriarch."

Their voices sounded together, firm and clear.

There was no hesitation in any of them.

The respect in their eyes was genuine.

It came from the bottom of their hearts.

After all, everything they had today could be traced back to the man sitting before them.

Their cultivation.

Their powerful physiques.

The cultivation scriptures they practiced.

Even the futures they now looked forward to.

Victor had given them all of it.

Victor slowly opened his golden eyes.

His gaze passed over the three young men one after another.

Damien stood at the front.

His black hair was loosely tied behind his head, with a few strands moving freely in the mountain breeze.

His black eyes carried the sharpness of a swordsman.

Ever since he had obtained the Eternal Tribulation Sword, something about him had changed.

His presence had become quieter.

Sharper.

He no longer needed to deliberately display his strength.

It was simply there.

Like a sword resting inside its sheath, waiting patiently for the right moment to reveal its edge.

Beside him stood Austin.

He looked just as composed.

His black hair moved gently with the wind, while faint traces of heat seemed to linger around his body.

The air near him was subtly distorted.

Since receiving guidance from the Purple Flame Empress, Akeno, his control over flames had improved at an astonishing pace.

He had learned to control his power instead of allowing his power to control him.

Nux was the quietest of the three.

His black hair framed his youthful face, making the coldness in his crimson eyes stand out even more.

He said nothing.

He simply stood there.

Yet there was something unsettling about his silence.

Ever since he had begun cultivating the Abyssal Styx Sovereign Blood Scripture, an almost invisible killing intent had started to follow him.

It was faint.

So faint that an ordinary person might never notice it.

But Victor could.

He could feel it lingering around Nux like a dark shadow.

Victor’s eyes rested on them for another moment.

Then he gave a slight nod.

"In three days..."

His voice was calm.

The words carried easily through the quiet mountain air.

"A Heavenly Secret Realm will open at Red Cliff Mountain."

Damien, Austin, and Nux listened carefully.

None of them interrupted.

Victor continued.

"It contains an inheritance left behind by an ancient supreme expert."

The three exchanged brief glances.

Their expressions remained calm, but a subtle change appeared in their eyes.

An inheritance from a supreme expert was not something that could be taken lightly.

Even for them, such an opportunity was extremely valuable.

Victor leaned back slightly.

"The Salvatore Family has obtained four places to enter."

He paused.

His golden eyes settled on the three young men before him.

"I intend for the three of you to participate."

The mountain became quiet again.

Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Austin’s expression grew thoughtful.

Nux remained silent, his crimson eyes fixed on Victor.

Victor did not rush them.

He simply waited.

After a brief silence, he finally asked,

"Are you willing?"

Damien answered without the slightest hesitation.

"I am."

There wasn’t even a moment’s thought.

In truth...

It had been Damien who first informed Victor about this Heavenly Secret Realm.

Having lived a previous life...

He knew exactly how extraordinary that inheritance truly was.

In his former life...

The Heavenly Secret Realm had produced two future Eternal Emperor Realm experts whose names later shook countless worlds.

Unfortunately...

He had been too weak to qualify for entry back then.

That missed opportunity had become one of his greatest regrets.

But this life...

Would be different.

His fingers unconsciously brushed against the hilt of the Eternal Tribulation Sword.

A faint expectation appeared within his eyes.

Perhaps...

Another fragment of the Eternal Tribulation Sword awaits me inside.

The thought caused his heartbeat to quicken ever so slightly.

Next...

Nux stepped forward.

"I am willing, Patriarch."

His voice remained as calm as ever.

Deep inside...

He hoped the Heavenly Secret Realm would become the battlefield where he could forge his conviction.

Only through life-and-death battles could the Abyssal Bodhi Slaughter Physique truly bloom.

He also wished to spread the reputation of the Salvatore Family throughout the younger generation.

Austin smiled before bowing respectfully.

"I will also go."

To him...

There was no reason to refuse.

Everything he possessed today had been bestowed by Victor.

If Victor ordered him to walk into certain death...

He would do so without complaint.

Besides...

His teacher, the Purple Flame Empress Akeno, had already become excited after hearing about the Heavenly Secret Realm.

Ancient inheritances...

Lost alchemy legacies...

Forgotten flames...

Places like that were practically treasure vaults for someone with Akeno’s knowledge.

With her guidance...

Entering the Heavenly Secret Realm would almost feel unfair to everyone else.

Victor quietly observed their expressions before giving a satisfied nod.

"Very well."

Since all three had agreed...

There was nothing left to discuss.

Over the next several hours...

Victor personally guided each of them.

He pointed out flaws within Damien’s swordsmanship.

Corrected weaknesses in Austin’s control over the Fire King Body.

Helped Nux better harmonize the Abyssal Styx Sovereign Blood Scripture with the Abyssal Bodhi Slaughter Physique.

Each piece of guidance was concise.

Yet every sentence struck directly at the heart of their cultivation.

The three felt as though countless doubts that had troubled them for months had suddenly vanished.

When Victor finally finished...

Each of them respectfully bowed once more.

"Thank you, Patriarch."

Only after receiving Victor’s permission did they quietly leave Sovereign Peak.

The mountain gradually returned to silence.

Victor remained seated beneath the endless sky.

"As for the fourth position..."

He softly murmured to himself.

Most powerful families and sects participating in the Heavenly Secret Realm had only received three entry tokens.

The Salvatore Family...

Had received four.

His golden eyes slowly turned toward the most remote corner of Sovereign Blessed Land.

Calling it a mountain peak...

Would have been generous.

It looked more like a slightly elevated hill hidden behind dense forests.

To ordinary cultivators...

There was absolutely nothing remarkable about it.

Yet...

Victor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Because beneath his perception...

That seemingly ordinary hill was buried beneath layer upon layer of formations.

Aura Concealment Arrays.

Annihilation Light Formations.

Earth Escape Formations.

Illusion Arrays.

Detection Arrays.

Isolation Arrays.

Defensive Arrays.

Almost every low-level formation imaginable had been stacked together.

Not once.

Not twice.

But dozens...

Sometimes even hundreds...

Of overlapping layers.

Even Victor couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Someone truly determined to survive...

Could create something as absurd as this.