Chapter 40: Secret Realm of the Divine Mist (03)

Kael and Seraphine, shortly after that brief playful exchange, simply went back to cultivating in silence.

They lost track of time for quite a while, each immersed in their own Qi circulation, until the powerful voice of an elder snapped them out of that state.

"We have three hundred and twenty-three challengers at this opening of the Secret Realm of the Divine Mist. I am pleased to welcome so many powerful and talented young people to this secret realm, which may well shape your future."

The elder’s voice echoed coldly across the plaza, and the scattered conversations died down at once.

"While you are inside the secret realm, killing other disciples is forbidden. But swords and fists have no eyes. Accidental deaths during disputes over resources are permitted.

Nevertheless, any death within the secret realm will be investigated. Since the elders are unable to see what happens inside, we ask for your cooperation, disciples, in reporting any crimes.

Furthermore..."

And then the elder launched into a long and tedious list of rules.

After that, he explained how the realm would function.

It was simple.

The secret realm was an island, sealed off from the rest of the world inside a spatial pocket.

The island was full of rare resources and great opportunities, all of which regenerated every ten years. That was precisely why the secret realm opened only once a decade.

Each of the young people there, in pairs or alone, would be teleported to a random region.

From there, they would have to fight for as many resources as possible over the next fourteen days.

The two cultivators of the Golden Core Realm, as always, would head straight for the center in search of the Founding Ancestor’s lost treasure.

Anyone below the peak of the Foundation Realm was advised to stay away from that region.

But, one way or another, everyone ended up going there to try their luck. It was like that at every opening.

Kael and Seraphine were already on their feet.

The young man gripped his concubine’s hand firmly, feeling her cold fingers close around his without hesitation, and then shut his eyes.

[Now begins the Secret Realm of the Divine Mist. Good luck.]

The moment the elder’s voice fell silent, the world around them changed.

A loud crack rang out as their bodies were swallowed by a spiral, the ground vanishing from beneath their feet.

Had their eyes been open, they would have seen only an endless sea of patterns and shapes—spiritual arrays spinning and intersecting, dragging them into the spatial pocket where the secret realm lay.

Soon, Kael heard the cry of seagulls.

Then came the sound of waves breaking on a shore, and the icy air brushed against his skin, carrying the scent of salt and sea. Sand gave way slightly beneath his boots.

His eyes opened.

They were standing on a tropical beach, early in the morning.

The sun was still climbing over the horizon, painting the sky orange, and the air was cold enough to send shivers along his arms.

Behind them, a wall of dark green marked the edge of the forest.

He looked at Seraphine beside him. A few strands of her hair danced in the salty breeze, and the first light caught the pale line of her neck.

"Aren’t you going to try to kill me? It would be the perfect moment—my stepmother would never find out," he asked, half joking.

"If you keep talking like that, I will," she replied without so much as glancing at him, already walking toward the forest, the sand crunching softly under her steps.

Kael followed close behind, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Seraphine kept her sword at her waist, her hand resting on the hilt, ready to draw at any moment.

That secret realm was dangerous, crawling with powerful spirit beasts and riddled with traps.

That was why the disciples had to stay constantly on guard.

"Judging by the position of the sun, we must be in the northern region of the island. It’s one of the parts farthest from the center, so we have to move quickly..." Seraphine said coolly, her eyes sweeping the shadows between the trees.

The air changed the moment they stepped into the woods. It grew heavier, more humid, thick with the scent of wet earth and rotting leaves.

The sound of the waves faded behind them, replaced by the drone of insects and the distant calls of birds.

She had no trouble cutting through the dense, rugged forest, and neither did Kael.

As cultivators of the Foundation Realm, both possessed senses far beyond those of ordinary humans.

Their pace quickened, and soon the two were running at full speed, slipping through the forest like a pair of shadows. Dry leaves crunched beneath their feet, and branches whipped the air in their wake.

Kael closed his eyes as he ran, extending his right hand.

He felt the exact moment a pulse of Qi was thrown toward him—heavy and hostile, like a cold stare on the back of his neck.

Since they weren’t concealing their auras and were running flat out, the spirit beasts of that region had no trouble detecting them.

"Seventh stage of the Foundation Realm. A black python with crimson horns," Kael said calmly, keeping pace beside Seraphine without so much as a change in his breathing.

"Huh? What are you—" Seraphine cut herself off.

She, too, had sensed something, but it was far more subtle—little more than a chill crawling down the back of her neck.

It was at least ten kilometers away, and she couldn’t tell what it was, much less its cultivation level.

Kael picked up the pace, and, to Seraphine’s surprise, she fell behind.

She forced herself to run faster, her breath coming heavy in her chest and her thighs burning with the effort, but no matter how hard she pushed, Kael stayed ahead of her.

He held the lead without any visible strain, his back straight, as if he were out for a stroll.

He covered the ten kilometers in the blink of an eye.

In his outstretched hand, the Golden Spear of the Southern Dragon Emperor materialized between his fingers, the golden metal glinting in the dim light that filtered through the canopy.

Two seconds later, the enormous serpent loomed ahead of them, crushing bushes and tree trunks in its path. The ground shuddered with every movement of that colossal body, and a stink of musk and crushed vegetation rolled ahead of it.

It was a massive beast, as heavy as two grown elephants, with a staggering length and jaws wide enough to swallow ten men whole at once.

Coal-black scales covered its body, and two bright red horns jutted from its skull.

The beast’s deep red eyes fixed on Kael, whose spear sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.

Kael activated the Spear Art of the Seven Flaming Claws.

A sea of flames trailed his spear, the heat flaring so suddenly that it baked the humid forest air dry, while images of enormous, powerful claws rose up behind him, crimson and menacing.

He wanted to see if that beast was really as powerful as it looked.