144: Chapter 144 A formidable foe!
...
[moon radiance divine chosen one: Qin Xiner]
[Trial Realm: Star Radiance (Mid-level)]
The mangled remains of the violent demonic beast gradually grew cold at her feet. Rich and pure spiritual energy, like a warm stream, slowly flowed into Qin Xiner's meridians, bit by bit replenishing her nearly depleted Qi Sea.
As the last wisp of spiritual energy flowed into her body, a faint smile finally struggled onto her tense face.
That smile held the relief of escaping death, as well as an unspeakable lingering fear.
At least for now, she didn't have to worry about falling into the desperate situation of spiritual energy exhaustion and mental collapse, becoming a Lost One within the secret realm...
It had been exactly twelve double-hours since she stepped into this Moon Radiance Secret Realm.
Every minute and second before had been like walking on the edge of a blade. The omnipresent laws of heaven and earth here were constantly gnawing at her spiritual energy. If not for her ancestor Qin Daofan standing firmly by her side to face the fatal crises together...
By now, she would likely have become a soulless walking corpse within the secret realm, completely lost in this bizarre world...
She remembered when she and Qin Daofan were talking in the Qin Clan Ancestral Land. Suddenly, without warning, a Majestic Stone Gate that spanned the horizon and suppressed the ages appeared in the sky. That terrifying power, which stood above all living beings, allowed no resistance!
One moment they were in the ancestral land, and the next, they were forcibly transformed into two streaks of light, sucked into this unknown secret realm without explanation to become the so-called moon radiance divine chosen ones...
The power of the stone gate exceeded all her understanding of realms. In the outside world, she was already a bona fide Star Radiance Realm Expert, yet before that stone gate, she didn't even have the qualification to struggle, dragged in forcibly like an ant!
Even now, standing on the soil of the secret realm, breathless after the slaughter, she still felt weak all over. Her heart surged with a strong sense of trance and unreality, as if all of this were just a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
Beside her, Ancestor Qin Daofan stood quietly, his aura steady and surging, a stark contrast to Qin Xiner's panicked weakness.
There was no trace of fear on his face; instead, it was full of relaxed ease, and there was even an irrepressible excitement hidden in his eyes.
This old man, whose cultivation had long since plummeted in the outside world and who was nearly half-buried in the yellow earth...
He truly hadn't expected that after entering the Moon Radiance Secret Realm, he would go on a killing spree, not only having his cultivation reconstructed but also breaking through all the way to the Mid-level Starlight Realm, even surpassing his peak from years ago!
Like a withered tree meeting spring or a setting sun shining again, he hadn't dared to hope in his wildest dreams that this aging, broken body could return to its peak and once again wield such formidable power.
Even if it was unknown how long this cultivation would last, and even if the secret realm was fraught with danger, at this moment, the power filling his body and the fierce beasts were enough to bring tears to his eyes and fill his heart with joy...
Qin Daofan raised his hand to feel the spiritual energy surging within him. A faint smile of relief and anticipation slowly curled onto his lips, his voice carrying uncontrollable excitement and expectation:
"If things continue like this... this old bag of bones of mine might actually have a chance to touch the legendary Yuehuang Realm and climb the peak of cultivation once more..."
The spiritual energy loss rate for tamed beasts in the secret realm was very slow. Therefore, as two Gods of Beast Taming, their combat power in this secret realm was more advantageous compared to other deities...
A layer of thick gloom condensed between Qin Xiner's brows. She wasn't as relaxed and optimistic as Qin Daofan. Her slender fingertips tightened slightly, and her voice was quiet but carried a heavy clarity:
"In this secret realm, it's impossible that we are the only two trial-takers. The Yuehuang Realm... is it really a Path to Heaven that can be stepped upon so easily?"
In the past twelve hours, they had hardly stopped for a moment. But now, looking up, what met their eyes was still the vast, boundless, and desolate wilderness.
The world was so vast it was almost indifferent, as if it could swallow any intruder. In such a vast and immense trial ground, how could it be that only the two of them were traveling?
Hidden in the depths of the wilderness, who knew how many top experts from all over the Kaiyang Divine Territory there were!
Moreover, this trial was originally set up to select Yuehuang Realm Deities. The threshold was already predetermined—only great experts who had reached the Star Radiance Realm were qualified to step onto this battlefield!
The Kaiyang Divine Territory was boundless, and Star Radiance Realm Experts were as numerous as the stars in the galaxy...
That God of Heavenly Light, Luo Huang, might be hiding in some corner of this secret realm right now, coldly eyeing the opportunities of the Yuehuang Realm.
And then there's the Heavenly Profound God, who has recently risen to fame and struck fear into the entire Kaiyang Divine Territory...
Surrounded by gods and flanked by powerful enemies, for them to stand out among all the top experts and ascend to the Divine Throne now was as difficult as reaching the heavens...
Qin Xiner sighed softly. There wasn't a hint of desire for the Divine Throne in her eyes, only a calm that was almost indifferent. She looked at the surging clouds in the distance and murmured softly, her tone as light as a wisp of wind:
"I only wish... to be able to leave this place safely."
She had already calculated it clearly in her heart. The day a Moon Brilliance Realm Deity appeared would be the day the trial ended. As long as she could keep her spiritual energy from being depleted and endure until the trial's conclusion...
While also avoiding the ferocious demonic beasts and other predatory trial-takers, she could preserve her life. When the trial ended, there should be a glimmer of hope to leave the secret realm.
"As long as I can get out alive."
Qin Xiner had never had any obsession with that supreme Yuehuang Realm. From the moment she stepped onto the path of a Beast Tamer, she had already set her own goals.
And now those goals had all been achieved. She was never one to chase power and authority; what she desired most in her heart now was just a period of stability and peace...
Whether it was returning to the Lingfeng Continent, or returning to the Qin Clan Immortal Clan, or staying by her master's side, peacefully cultivating in the mist-shrouded Cloud Pavilion...
All of those were far more attractive to her than the Yuehuang Realm.
Qin Daofan looked at the girl with the calm state of mind beside him. His old but upright body shook slightly, and a strong protective instinct and determination instantly surged in his eyes.
He took a step forward, his voice as steady as an ancient mountain. Word by word, he spoke with a solemnity that was almost an oath:
"Don't worry! You carry the thousand-year heritage of the clan on your shoulders. Even if I have to exhaust this thousand-year-old life of mine, I will surely protect you!"
He had lived for over a thousand years. The endless longevity and heavenly power brought by the Yuehuang Realm were not without temptation for him, but compared to the future of the Qin Clan Immortal Clan, everything else was as light as a feather.
He knew better than anyone that the Qin Xiner before him was a rare genius of the Qin Clan Immortal Clan, a rising star destined to lead the entire clan to higher peaks and supreme glory—the hope and future of the entire Qin Clan!
To protect this hope, he was willing to be ground to dust, willing to fight with his life!
Qin Daofan's gaze was as sharp as a sword as he looked into the unknown darkness deep within the secret realm, his tone carrying the resolve of one going to his death:
"If we truly encounter an enemy with a vast difference in strength and no chance of winning in the future, I will be the first to charge forward and use my body and spiritual power to hold them back. Even if my soul is scattered, I will never let them harm you in the slightest."
He paused, looking at Qin Xiner with eyes that were gentle yet firm, carrying an unquestionable entrustment:
"At that time, don't worry about anything. Just run. Run as far as you can. Survive... As long as you are alive, the Qin Clan will never perish."
The wind swept across the wilderness, fluttering their robes. Qin Daofan had made an oath to protect her with his life.
Qin Xiner was stunned for a moment. A slight smirk appeared on her lips as she said calmly, "I'm just a little afraid of the unknown, that's all. If we really encounter someone, I won't run!"
"If I run away alone, then the Qin Clan Immortal Clan would truly be finished!"
Hearing this, a gratified smile appeared on the corner of Qin Daofan's mouth.
The old and the young walked within this secret realm...
After the two of them crossed two hilltops, the wind in the wilderness suddenly became bone-chillingly cold. A layer of gray mist carrying the scent of blood rose without reason in the originally silent world!
Qin Xiner's heart tightened suddenly. She subconsciously summoned a Beast Taming Formation Diagram behind her, her footsteps stopping involuntarily.
Qin Daofan's face darkened. His aged palm quickly blocked the way in front of her. His Star Radiance Realm spiritual power quietly spread out like a taut net, alertly probing into the distance...
"Something's not right..." Qin Daofan's voice was extremely low, his brows furrowed into a knot.
The two lightened their steps, slowly approaching by following that heart-palpitating pressure. After passing a pile of low rubble, the sight before them made Qin Xiner's blood nearly freeze!
That's... Luo Huang!
...