386: Chapter 386 Countless Rays of Light

Just as this eerie and magnificent silence was about to be broken, at the very moment countless young Geniuses looked at each other, restless and ready to move—billions of rays of rosy light above the portal suddenly rippled violently like water.

Although the voice that spanned heaven and earth, majestic enough to make one's Soul tremble, did not sound again, a stream of information, clear as a branding of the Dao, was forced without warning or subtlety into the depths of the minds of all young beings under a hundred years old outside the gate:

"Entering means war."

"No rules, no restricted areas."

"Life and death are your own responsibility, seize your own Opportunity."

"The final fruit of the Dao can only be obtained by 'one'."

"Time limit: Ten years within the Secret Realm."

These few short words were ice-cold and bone-chilling, devoid of any emotion, each word dripping with bloody cruelty, piercing straight into the Divine Soul.

No rules! Life and death are your own responsibility! Only 'one' can obtain it! Ten years of time in the Secret Realm!

Every word was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into the hearts of all the young powerhouses—making many feel their hearts tremble and their backs go cold.

The entire scene was deathly silent.

The next instant—

"Roar!!!"

"Kill!!!"

"The Opportunity is mine! No one try to snatch it!"

"For the glory of the tribe! For the ancient Legacy!"

Emotions suppressed to the extreme erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for eons, or like a drop of cold water falling into a boiling pot of oil—instantly shattering the heavens and earth!

Boom—!!! The sounds of killing shook the heavens, shooting straight into the clouds, shaking the Void Realm until it trembled slightly!

Countless figures wrapped in brilliant spiritual light, monstrous Demonic Qi, chilling demonic flames, and sacred divine radiance, like a flood from the primordial age breaching a dam, or a mad beast tide rushing toward its prey—recklessly and fearlessly charged madly toward the Shangqing Secret Realm portal, where the rosy light swirled!

The contention of ten thousand races, the bloody battle of Prodigies—at this moment, it officially began!

The rosy light flickered in and out, swallowing one young figure after another, and also swallowing endless ambition, hope, obsession... and the intent of death.

Outside the Secret Realm, the powerhouses of various races could only stand far away, watching all this helplessly, their feelings complex beyond words.

They all knew clearly in their hearts—a great cleansing and a great contest of the young generation, which would determine the future landscape of the Taichu Continent, the cruelest, the most magnificent, and the bloodiest, had already inevitably begun.

Just as the Prodigies of the ten thousand races turned into a torrent, rushing madly into the Secret Realm portal, amidst the noisy background of swirling rosy light and the sounds of killing filling the wild, in a relatively quiet area, three figures stood silently, forming a world of their own.

The person at the lead, dressed in white as snow, with clean and distinct features, his temperament as indifferent as frost—was none other than Chu Changsheng.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the breeze stirred up by the surging crowd, unstained by dust, untouched by slaughter.

His gaze did not fixate on the Secret Realm portal or the spiritual light filling the sky like others, but instead carried an almost indifferent calm—as if the frenzy of the ten thousand races, the disputes over Opportunity, and the life-and-death struggles before him were, to him, merely a moving background painting, not worth mentioning.

He turned his head slightly, looking at the youth standing quietly beside him, whose Aura was as restrained as an ancient, deep pool, and instructed calmly:

"Xiao Li, after you go in, take good care of your Senior Sister."

The youth Li Jiuyou had a slightly pale complexion, was wrapped in black robes, and was surrounded by a faint, lingering Nether Qi. Upon hearing this, his face, which was usually indifferent, remained calm and waveless, only those eyes, deep as the night and hiding ancient coldness, moved imperceptibly. Habitually, he cast a look of inquiry and confirmation toward the lively and spirited figure beside him—his Senior Sister, Luo Xiaojiu. But before he could speak.

"Revered Master!"

A crisp cry, carrying obvious dissatisfaction and impatience, sounded first. Luo Xiaojiu could no longer hold back, her spiritual power slightly surging, her green skirt fluttering without wind, dancing like a butterfly, just like her excited and anxious mood at this moment. Her pretty face was slightly tense, her eyes bright as stars widened, and she unceremoniously "refuted" her Master's arrangement:

"Who needs this silly boy to take care of me! His cultivation isn't even as high as mine! After we go in, who knows who will be taking care of whom!"

As she spoke, she lifted her small chin in a show of defiance, glancing sideways at Li Jiuyou—with a bit of smugness.

Li Jiuyou silently averted his gaze, expressionless, as if he had heard nothing and seen nothing. Chu Changsheng seemed to have expected this, his face showing no anger, only a flat tone, yet carrying an unquestionable certainty:

"Cultivation is not the only thing. Xiao Li is steady in his thinking and comprehensive in his response. Inside the Secret Realm, there are countless variables; it cannot be crossed by brute force alone."

"Then my adaptability isn't bad either!"

Luo Xiaojiu was still unconvinced, tapping her toes on the ground restlessly, her bright, sparkling eyes already firmly attracted by the Secret Realm portal in the distance, which was swirling with rosy light and constantly swallowing figures—she wished she could turn into a stream of light and rush in to investigate immediately.

"Besides, Master, didn't you often say that the path of cultivation requires one to clear the thorns and thistles oneself? With this arrangement of yours, does it count as... favoring the silly boy?"

While she said "favoring," her eyes were surprisingly bright, Battle Intent and curiosity almost overflowing. She was full of eager desire for this legendary Shangqing Secret Realm and the grand scene of the ten thousand races contending—her whole body exuded a spirited sharpness that feared neither heaven nor earth.

Chu Changsheng looked at her lively and spirited appearance, sighing softly, almost inaudibly. Deep in his eyes flashed a trace of extremely complex and hidden emotion—there was concern, expectation, indifference, and also a trace of melancholy and tenderness buried deep in his heart, impossible to describe. He said no more, just waved his hand gently, his voice light, yet every word reached the heart:

"Enough. Remember my words. After entering, preserving yourself is the priority. Although Opportunity is important, it is not as important as your life. You two... take care of each other."

He said the last four words slowly and solemnly—hiding the deepest concern of a Master.

The moment his voice fell.

"Got it, Master! Wait for me to bring back the ancient Legacy for you!"

Luo Xiaojiu cheered, unable to hold back any longer, spiritual light exploding around her! Her laughter was crisp and pleasant; she turned into a green comet, without any hesitation, rushing straight toward the chaotic and violent crowd—the direction was exactly the Secret Realm portal with the brightest rosy light and the most ancient Aura! This Aura of pressing forward, full of youthful vigor, seemed capable of tearing apart any obstacle blocking her way!

Seeing this, Li Jiuyou silently bowed in the direction of Chu Changsheng, without a single word. The Aura around him instantly merged with the shadows, and the next moment, his figure quietly blurred, flitting out like a ghost—his speed was not slow at all, closely following the dazzling green stream of light in front, disappearing into the vast, noisy, and murderous torrent of the ten thousand races. One light, one dark; one fierce, one steady. One carefree, one calm.

Chu Changsheng stood in place, his white clothes the same, his temperament the same. He watched the figures of his two disciples, instantly submerged by the endless sea of people and brilliant spiritual light, disappearing into the rippling rosy light of the Secret Realm portal—he did not move for a long time. The wind brushed past his robes, and the noise of the ten thousand races in heaven and earth seemed to be very far away from him. Outside the Secret Realm, the noise shook the heavens, and the slaughter began to appear. Inside the Secret Realm, an unknown world, an endless journey—a scroll of an era interwoven with blood and fire was slowly unfolding. And he, Chu Changsheng—was the most silent, most transcendent, and most unshakable anchor in this entire contest of ten thousand races and bloody battle of Prodigies.

Just at the moment when those Prodigy figures, like a falling Milky Way or ten thousand galloping horses, all threw themselves into the rosy light portal and were completely submerged in the depths of the Secret Realm—the sounds of slaughter did not cease, but instead seemed like war drums coming from the distant primordial wilderness, trembling faintly across the endless Void Realm. Every low hum was striking the heartstrings of the powerhouses of the ten thousand races—making the entire heaven and earth tremble slightly. At this moment, when the killing intent and expectation were intertwined to the extreme—

"Hum—"

A magnificent Dao rhyme, indescribable in its vastness and impossible for Divine Thought to measure its source, exploded from the top of the Secret Realm portal. This fluctuation was not wild or irritable, but like the Heavenly Dao personally arriving, ordering the unfolding—in an instant, it shrouded the entire outer perimeter of the entrance, spreading infinitely in all directions, reaching the end of heaven and earth. Elder Jiang and the Xuantian Sect Ancestor, who were close by, suddenly paused; the ancient existences of various races suspended in the clouds in the distance had their pupils suddenly contract. All the powerhouses of the ten thousand races who were still anxiously waiting, full of trepidation and solemn faces—had their minds seized fiercely at the same moment, and even their breathing seemed to be forcibly frozen.

Seeing the sky above the Secret Realm portal, the rosy light filling the sky not only did not dissipate, but instead, like mercury pouring to the ground or a galaxy reversing, spread out in a gesture close to a miracle. The rosy light rapidly outlined, condensed, and manifested—finally turning into a huge Void-Nether light screen that spanned the Universe, boundless and endless, with no end in sight! The light screen was as clear as the Heavenly Dao's divine mirror, with ancient and mysterious Secret Realm Dao patterns flowing on the edges, every pattern carrying time and rules, exuding an indifferent, just, supreme, and unquestionable majesty.

The next moment—

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"

Thousands of streams of light burst forth, like a galaxy branching out or the Universe giving birth to light. On that vast main light screen, countless slightly smaller independent light screens suddenly branched off. These light screens were not rigidly arranged, but instead were like stars with their own independent spiritual consciousness, slowly flowing, rising and falling, and flickering on the background of the main light screen. Their number was far more than billions—almost accurately corresponding to every young Prodigy who had just rushed into the Secret Realm, every living life!

On each divided screen, the every move of the corresponding figure was clearly reflected, as well as the real environment around them: Some fell into vast ancient forests, giant trees supporting the sky, ancient vines like pythons, Demonic Qi rolling like ink, with ancient fierce beasts lurking. Some fell into lands of raging flames and lava, red rivers rushing, magma surging, terrifying heat waves distorting the line of sight, even the air burning. Some fell into deep sea trenches, dark currents raging, water pressure like a mountain, strange creatures opening cold vertical pupils in the pitch-black shadows. Some crashed into Sword Tombs and blade mountains, debris of divine weapons everywhere, broken swords and blades stuck all over the earth, the killing Aura shooting straight into the nine heavens... There were also floating immortal islands, time turbulence, illusion arrays, elemental polar regions, ancient battlefields, god and demon ruins... The Shangqing Secret Realm, that vast, endless, strange and ever-changing world where Opportunity and murderous intent coexist, and fortune and bones grow together—was displayed before all the powerhouses outside the Secret Realm in such an intuitive, almost cruel way, without reservation, without concealment!