140: Heart of the Realm, an Unexpected Joy

Lingxuan Realm, the Far North, Eternal Ice Field.

This is a forbidden zone for life, shrouded year-round in terrifying temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero, where even the air can be frozen.

However, at this moment, in the center of this ice field, a group of the Lingxuan Realm's top existences had gathered.

Six Void Refining Great Experts, including Li Changgeng, the Sect Master of Taixu Sword Sect, were hovering respectfully above a bottomless ice cave, waiting with tense expressions.

Behind them were hundreds of Nascent Soul Stage Elders drawn from their respective Sects, each shivering from the cold; if not for the protective barriers set up by the Sect Masters, they would likely have been frozen into ice sculptures long ago.

The space fluctuated slightly, and Chu He's figure appeared silently before everyone.

"Greetings, Master!"

The six Void Refining Great Experts bowed in unison, their attitude humble to the extreme.

"Rise." Chu He waved his hand, his gaze directed straight at the deep ice cave below.

The depth of the ice cave was unknown, its bottom invisible to the eye, with only a piercing chill and an ancient, vast aura emanating from within.

"Is it here?" Chu He asked.

"Yes, Master!" The Sect Master of the Blood Fiend Sect quickly stepped forward and reported while pointing downward, "This place was discovered by accident by a Disciple of my Sect. We have explored it; ten thousand zhang deep beneath the ice, there is an extremely powerful natural Seal, which seems to be formed by the convergence of the entire ice field's ley line power, sealing something away."

"The six of us combined our attacks, but we could only cause a slight ripple in that Seal; we were completely unable to shake it."

"Oh?"

Chu He became interested.

His Divine Sense surged out like a tide, instantly penetrating the ten-thousand-zhang-thick ice and probing deep into the ground.

Soon, heConvenient "saw" the so-called Seal.

It was an invisible energy barrier, connected to the ley lines of the entire Far North ice field, and even the world Origin of the entire Lingxuan Realm.

Behind the barrier, a faint but extremely pure and vast energy fluctuation lay quietly dormant.

That energy gave Chu He a sense of familiarity.

It was the aura of a world Origin!

But it was countless times more pure and massive than the "heart of blood source" he had previously refined!

"This is no Ancient Divine Treasury."

Chu He withdrew his Divine Sense, a burning light flickering in his eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, behind this Seal is a fragment of the Lingxuan Realm's 'realm heart'!"

The realm heart!

Hearing these four words, the six Void Refining Great Experts all gasped, their eyes filled with shock and greed.

That was the legendary core Origin of a world!

Rumor has it that if one could refine even a sliver, they could live as long as the world, and comprehending the Laws of heaven and earth would be as easy as turning over a hand; it was a supreme treasure every Cultivator dreamed of!

They never expected that such a thing, which only existed in ancient texts, actually existed and was right beneath their feet!

"Unfortunately, with your abilities, even if you Cultivate for another hundred thousand years, don't even think about breaking this tortoise shell."

With one sentence, Chu He knocked the greed in their hearts back to reality.

This Seal was connected to the entire world; trying to force it open was equivalent to making an enemy of the entire Lingxuan Realm. Unless one possessed the power to shatter the world in a single blow, it was simply impossible.

"Then... does Master have a way?" the Sect Master of Taixu Sword Sect asked cautiously.

"A way? Naturally, there is."

The corner of Chu He's mouth curled into an arc.

If a direct assault wouldn't work, then he could only rely on wit.

He looked at the six and ordered, "Retreat ten li and act as my Protectors; do not allow anyone to approach."

"Yes, Master!"

The six didn't dare to delay, immediately leading their subordinates to a distance and setting up multiple barriers.

Above the ice cave, only Chu He remained.

He did not act immediately but sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed.

His Divine Soul power drifted out silently; instead of striking the energy barrier, it integrated into the ley lines of the entire Far North ice field bit by bit, like a gentle spring rain.

He was analyzing, he was comprehending.

He was using his Divine Soul to understand the operational Laws of this natural Seal and search for the "nodes" connecting it to the world Origin.

This was an extremely mentally taxing process that allowed for no mistakes.

Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

The six Void Refining Great Experts in the distance were anxious from waiting, but they didn't dare make a sound.

They could only see that as time passed, the entire Far North ice field seemed to be undergoing some marvelous change.

That eternal ice seemed to have gained life, vibrating at a frequency invisible to the naked eye, synchronized with Chu He's breathing.

Finally, on the seventh day, Chu He suddenly opened his eyes!

In his eyes, it seemed as if billions of runes were flowing; the operational map of the entire Far North ice field's ley lines was now clearly imprinted in his mind.

"Found it!"

Chu He extended a finger and tapped lightly toward the Void Realm below.

This tap seemed ordinary, yet it contained his supreme understanding of the Laws.

Where his fingertip landed was precisely the weakest and most critical energy node of the entire ley line Seal!

"Buzz—"

With a soft sound, that indestructible energy barrier, which even the six Void Refining Great Experts combined couldn't shake, actually split open into a person-sized gap without a sound, like a punctured balloon.

Chu He did not hesitate for a moment; his figure flashed, and he dove straight inside.

A second later, the gap slowly healed, as if it had never appeared.

Behind the Seal was a massive underground cavern.

In the center of the cavern, a crystal about the size of a house, glazed in color and emitting a dreamlike radiance, was suspended quietly.

Every time it pulsed, it felt like the heartbeat of the entire world, emitting a vast and boundless aura of Origin.

It was indeed a fragment of the Lingxuan Realm's realm heart!

"Good stuff!"

A brilliant light, unprecedented in intensity, erupted from Chu He's eyes.

The world Origin power contained in this fragment was more than a hundred times greater than the heart of blood source he had previously refined!

If he could completely absorb it, his cultivation would definitely reach a new level!

Chu He no longer hesitated, sitting cross-legged directly in front of the realm heart fragment and circulating the Nine Revolutions Tyrant Dragon Art.

A terrifying suction force erupted from within him, turning into a massive vortex that began to frantically devour the Origin energy within the realm heart fragment.

Boom!

The energy, vast as the sea, surged into Chu He's limbs and bones like a flood breaking through a dam.

It was an impact thousands of times more terrifying than when he refined the heart of blood source!

Chu He felt as if his body was about to burst; every inch of flesh and every bone let out a groan of being overburdened.

But he gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with madness and persistence.

His Primordial Dragon God Bloodline was pushed to the limit at this moment, frantically converting and absorbing this massive energy.

As he absorbed it, the massive realm heart fragment began to shrink at a rate visible to the naked eye.

And because of this, the entire Lingxuan Realm underwent a cataclysmic change.

The earth trembled violently, mountains and rivers cracked, rivers flowed backward, and the Spiritual Qi in the sky became violent and thin.

Countless living beings fell into panic; they could clearly feel that this world was heading toward its demise.

"Master... what exactly is he doing?"

The six Void Refining Great Experts in the distance, feeling the world's mourning, were all trembling with fear, their faces as pale as ash.

They finally understood that Chu He's goal was not some divine treasury at all, but to completely devour the very Foundation of this world!

Such a method had already exceeded the scope of their understanding.

This was truly... devouring a world!

Time passed in agony for another ten days.

When that realm heart fragment finally turned into a wisp of green smoke and completely disappeared in the cavern, Chu He suddenly opened his eyes.

Boom!

An aura several times stronger than before rose from his body into the sky, directly blowing away the ten-thousand-zhang ice layer above!

Void Refining Middle Stage!

After devouring the entire realm heart fragment, his cultivation had impressively broken through from the Void Refining Early Stage to the Void Refining Middle Stage!

Moreover, this was no simple Breakthrough.

His Foundation was several times more solid than before, and his Physical Body's strength had transformed once again; with every move, he seemed able to trigger the power of a world.

"Exhilarating!"

Chu He let out a long cry, feeling the surging power within him, feeling more powerful than ever before.

However, at the very moment he stabilized his Realm and prepared to emerge from seclusion.

[Ding!]

A System notification, completely different from before and carrying a hint of urgency, rang out in his mind without warning.

[Emergency Alert! Detected that the Host's Bloodline Descendant is about to be born. Their talent Rank is too high, triggering a resonance with the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda's Origin. Please return immediately, Host!]

"About to give birth?!"

Chu He's expression changed. Without bothering to greet the servants outside, with a thought, his figure instantly disappeared from the spot and returned to the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda.