Chapter 698 - 185: Ghost Bone Elder: This Is Too Much! You’ve Gone Too Far

Chapter 698: Chapter 185: Ghost Bone Elder: This Is Too Much! You’ve Gone Too Far

The Golden Crow fell in the west, the setting sun like blood.

The vast sunset spilled forth, plating mountains, rivers, grass, and trees in a heavy golden brilliance. A hint of warmth lingered in the air.

At the foot of Cuiyun Mountain, the arena tournament raged on.

The atmosphere was fiery hot, and the waves of sound rolled and surged, threatening to overturn the very heavens.

The mountain wind, too, was swept up in the clamor, whistling past.

After a series of brutal competitions, the winners for the three major Realm arenas—Spirit Awakening, Divine Power, and Acupoint—had all been decided.

The few young powerhouses who had distinguished themselves stood in the center of their arenas, basking in the supreme glory of being the center of attention, accepting the cheers and awe from all directions.

Only the Bright Heart Realm arena, in contrast, felt somewhat lonely and desolate.

The first three were competing for the title of "Strongest."

The Bright Heart Realm arena, from beginning to end, was only for competing for the precious slots in the Profound Origin Secret Realm.

The rules were quite simple...

Lose three matches and you’re eliminated, with no further right to compete.

Only the final twenty who remained would be able to claim a Profound Origin Secret Realm Token and achieve their goal.

Such rules gave rise to an extremely pragmatic scene...

The top prodigies from Qing Province’s major sects and prominent Noble Families would reveal a breathtaking technique and immense presence, secure three quick victories, and then tacitly withdraw. They avoided pointless struggles to prevent draining their own strength.

The much-anticipated showdown between Chu Fan and a peak Bright Heart Realm expert never materialized.

The clash between Princess Zhaohua and Zhang Tianyu, which many had eagerly awaited, also failed to happen in the end.

The true top-tier prodigies had no chance to face each other in the arena at all!

In the audience stands, sighs of disappointment rose one after another. The ceaseless chatter was filled with regret.

For the spectators, what they craved were clashes between the strong, the glint of blades and the flash of swords, the cathartic thrill of rivers of blood.

But for these prodigies and the sects and Noble Families behind them, the arena was merely a stepping stone.

The real Asura Scene was behind the gates of the Profound Origin Secret Realm, which were about to open.

People say that opportunity and risk go hand in hand.

But as for the risks of the Profound Origin Secret Realm, even those peak Bright Heart Realm prodigies didn’t dare to be the least bit careless.

When the Secret Realm last opened, twenty of Qing Province’s most brilliantly talented peak Bright Heart Realm powerhouses, full of spirit and ambition, had stepped inside.

Of those twenty, which one wasn’t a Chosen of Heaven who dominated their generation?

Which one wasn’t a Qilin’Er treasured by their sect, cultivated with every available resource?

And yet, in the end, only eight walked out of the Secret Realm alive.

A full twelve prodigies were buried in the Secret Realm, their bones gone without a trace, forever becoming nourishment for an Otherworld, silently annihilated.

The eight survivors, too, were all in a wretched state, too tragic to look at.

One lost an arm, never again to easily wield a blade or sword.

Another was blinded in both eyes, reduced to a cripple.

Yet another had their dao heart shattered and lost all sanity, becoming a raving lunatic, a shadow of their former self.

The cruelty of the Profound Origin Secret Realm had already surpassed anyone’s imagination.

According to fragments of ancient texts, this place was originally a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land left behind by an ancient Immortal Family. It was a complete, self-contained minor world, abundant in Spiritual Qi and littered with treasures.

But after being eroded by millennia, the blessed land was a far cry from its former self, having devolved into a place of peril.

Countless mysterious Exotic Beasts, unheard of and unseen in the outside world, survived within.

Some Exotic Beasts could trigger small-scale storms that swept through the area with a single breath.

Others possessed boundless strength and mountain-like bodies; a single stomp of their foot could shatter mountains and rivers, cracking the very earth.

Not to mention, the twenty prodigies who entered had to guard not only against attacks from Exotic Beasts but also against sneak attacks and backstabbing from their own kind as they vied for ethereal immortal opportunities and rare treasures.

The slightest carelessness could lead to eternal damnation, one’s body and soul turned to ash.

Some had also tried to get clever, hoping to circumvent the dangers of the Secret Realm.

The major top-tier powers of Qing Province once joined forces to try and escort a fifth-Realm "Ruyi Realm" powerhouse through, hoping to use their immense strength to protect their own prodigies. In the end, they too failed.

The barrier at the entrance of the Profound Origin Secret Realm, which appeared as thin as a cicada’s wing and completely harmless, actually had a strict restriction: it only allowed Cultivators below the Ruyi Realm to pass.

There was once a Ruyi Realm powerhouse who, confident in his heaven-reaching Cultivation and formidable strength, was unwilling to be bound by this rule. He used an ancient concealment Secret Technique, attempting to sneak into the Secret Realm.

However, the very instant half his foot crossed into the Secret Realm, the barrier erupted violently. A destructive repulsive force, like an ancient millstone, ground down upon him, unstoppable.

Before the eyes of all, half of the powerhouse’s body was instantly ground into a bloody mist. Before he could even scream, he was grievously injured.

If Prince Zhennan, who presided over Qing Province, hadn’t personally intervened and used a Great Divine Technique to fish his residual soul out of the turbulent void, that powerhouse would have likely had his soul shattered, completely annihilated.

From then on, no one dared to casually provoke the Secret Realm’s rules again. All held it in reverence and awe.

Thus, the peak of the Bright Heart Realm became the ceiling for combat power in this Secret Realm, a limit no one could surpass.

On a high platform, Chu Fan’s gaze was as deep as a tranquil pool. He quietly looked down upon the arenas where the competition was about to conclude, his brow slightly furrowed with a hint of impatience and regret.

’I came here hoping to use this opportunity to probe the depths of potential rivals like Sword Traceless from Celestial Sword Mountain and Ah Linglong from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, to understand their strength and methods.’

’I was even prepared to take the initiative in the arena and force them to reveal a few of their hidden Bottom Cards.’

’Unfortunately, my plan has fallen through.’

’Those sect elders and old foxes from the Noble Families pulling the strings behind the scenes are clearly shrewder than anyone. They’ve already seen through everyone’s intentions.’

’They secretly manipulated the lots and match-ups, cleverly keeping these true seeded contestants apart and giving them no chance for a direct confrontation.’

’If they hadn’t, these prodigies would have had to fight to the death in the Bright Heart Realm arena.’

’By then, even if they won a spot in the Secret Realm, entering with grievous injuries to face its many dangers would be no different from seeking death.’