124: doubt

Not far away, Chu Ming sat cross-legged on a green stone. His eyes were tightly closed, and his expression was as calm as still water; the previous commotion didn't even make the Saint flinch.

He only needed to harvest the spirit fate crystals!

A moment later, a Disciple from the Blood Shadow Holy Land ran over quickly and said respectfully, "Saints, a group of people has been spotted to the west ahead; they are Cultivators from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Mo Yanya's eyes, followed by a slight frown.

"Heavenly Secret Pavilion... now is not the time to clash with them. Let's head east to try our Luck."

Only then did Chu Ming slowly open his eyes. "Heavenly Secret Pavilion is a tough nut to crack. When searching for spirit fate crystals, it's more efficient to find some soft targets."

...Elsewhere!

"Boom—!" A massive explosion erupted, and the surrounding birds and beasts instantly scattered in panic.

"Azure Nether Lightning Summoning Art!"

A man dressed in exquisite, ornate robes stood atop a giant boulder and murmured. The moment his voice fell, three bolts of lightning as thick as arms descended from the sky.

They slammed violently onto the back of a Golden Core Realm Thousand-Legged Spider below.

"Sizzle—!" As the lightning entered its body, the Golden Core Realm Thousand-Legged Spider let out a shrill scream, its eight legs scrambling as it tried to flee.

The spot on its back hit by the lightning was already scorched, and its dark-green flesh burst apart amidst the electricity. After crawling about ten meters, its massive body stiffened in place, and its Spiritual Qi instantly dissipated.

A faint smile appeared on the lips of the man in ornate robes, Long Lie. He stepped down from the boulder and reached a hand toward the depths of the Yao Beast's remains, his spiritual power surging.

With a "poof," he extracted a milky-white Golden Core, radiating dense Spiritual Qi, from the beast's head.

Long Lie praised, "Revered Master, this Azure Nether Lightning Summoning Art is indeed powerful, as expected of an Earth-rank High-grade Divine Ability."

After he spoke, the jade bracelet on his wrist warmed slightly, and an echo came from within.

"This Divine Ability is enough for you to use until the Nascent Soul Realm. Only when you go to the Profound Realm will you realize the true vastness of the world."

Hearing this, Long Lie looked into the distance, his heart filled with anticipation for that moment.

"In that case, the top priority is to collect spirit fate crystals. Revered Master, help me sense the positions of nearby Cultivators."

"No need for such trouble; to catch the bandits, first capture their leader. Spend these next two days mastering this Divine Ability. On the final day, just go find those three Saints from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

Long Lie said with some concern, "Revered Master, if we kill them, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion certainly won't let it slide. Won't that be a bit too costly?"

"What do you know? Only by doing this can you catch the eye of those Mysterious Realm Emissaries. With the Mysterious Realm Emissaries backing you, what does the Heavenly Secret Pavilion matter? They're nothing more than a dog kept by the other side."

"Understood, Revered Master!"

...Outside the Arena Stage!

Tens of thousands of Cultivators discussed animatedly as they watched the scene shrouded in blue smoke.

Although they couldn't hear the sound, they could still feel the danger of the second trial through the images. This was clearly a case of raising Gu; without real skill, one could only serve as prey for others.

From time to time, they saw Cultivators who dreamed of reaching the heavens in a single bound dying in the mouths of Yao Beasts.

Or being killed for their treasures by people from the Nine Great Holy Lands!

"Hiss... the people who came down from the high platform in the sky are actually this powerful, killing a Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer Yao Beast so easily. As expected, anyone associated with the Profound Realm is not simple."

"Look... this kid is quite crafty, actually hiding inside a Yao Beast's corpse. He wouldn't be trying to hide for three days, would he? No, I have to see if I can use a message talisman to report him."

"The Blood Shadow Holy Land is still as inhuman as ever... even when others have knelt and begged for mercy, they still strike so ruthlessly."

"This... which Holy Land's Prodigy is this? Looking at that Thousand-Legged Spider, it's likely a Golden Core Realm Yao Beast. And that Azure Nether Lightning Summoning Art, he can use it so skillfully."

"Shh... fortunately, it's a good thing I didn't get hot-headed and enter this second trial."

Waves of discussion rose and fell; the excitement of the second trial far surpassed the first trial's comprehension of Divine Abilities.

Indeed, no matter the place, people love to see blood flow like a river!

Chen Xuan watched Mu Wanqing's group while asking in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, I have a few questions. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to answer them."

Without hesitation, Qin Tianxing replied respectfully, "Brother Chen, please ask. I will certainly tell you everything I know."

"Since this Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony is held every thirty years, and sixteen Prodigies are chosen for the Profound Realm each time..."

Chen Xuan spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on Qin Tianxing's face, not missing even the slightest change in his expression. "By that count, over hundreds of years, at least a hundred Prodigies should have entered the Profound Realm, right? I've made some simple inquiries before, but I'm still puzzled.

Why has no one ever returned from the Profound Realm to this Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven?"

The moment those words fell, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Nearby, Fairy Qiyue's hand holding a wine cup paused slightly before she set it back on the table.

Xiao Yun also withdrew his gaze from the blue smoke on the Arena Stage, and both of their gazes simultaneously turned toward the four Mysterious Realm Emissaries before them.

The smile on Qin Tianxing's face suddenly froze, and his hand holding the wine cup trembled slightly, nearly spilling the wine.

He gave two dry laughs and tilted his head back to drain the cup. His brow furrowed tightly, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the table, clearly weighing the pros and cons rapidly.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan didn't press him, but continued, "Though people strive for higher ground and water flows downward, if the Profound Realm is truly as full of immortal opportunities as rumored, it's understandable that the Prodigies wouldn't want to return."

"But there are always exceptions. No matter how good the Profound Realm is, there will always be Cultivators who miss their homeland and want to return to the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven to look after their Family. Yet, in all these years, not a single Cultivator has returned. This is truly too abnormal."

"Or is it that they simply cannot return?"

"Senior Chen... you might not be aware!" Wang Er, standing beside Qin Tianxing, saw the atmosphere becoming increasingly heavy and hurriedly stepped forward, a forced smile on his face.

"The Profound Realm is hundreds of millions of miles away, and the passage across the two realms is extremely dangerous. How could an ordinary Cultivator have the ability to return alone? Besides, the Spiritual Qi in the Profound Realm is so dense; once a Cultivator enters, they can't wait to devote themselves to their Cultivation. Who would have the mind to think about coming back? What's more..."

"Enough!"

Qin Tianxing reached out and interrupted Wang Er's words.

He planned to take a gamble. A figure with such Luck would surely not be confined by this Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven; the secret would become clear once they reached the Profound Realm anyway.

Rather than having friction later, it would be better to tell his Godfather the truth now.

This way, he could also gain his Godfather's trust.

Qin Tianxing took a deep breath and said to Zhu Yang beside him, "Old Zhu, isolate this high platform."

Zhu Yang's expression was grave. "Boss, are you serious?"

"Stop talking nonsense and just do it."

Seeing this, Zhu Yang said no more, only nodding heavily. He reached into his robes and took out a brush from a dark storage ring.

The brush was pitch-black throughout, and its tip seemed to be made from the fur of some Yao Beast, shimmering with a faint silver light.

Zhu Yang raised his hand, his wrist turning lightly as the brush quickly drew in the Void Realm.

With every stroke, a faint golden pattern appeared. In an instant, he had marked out eight points of blue light around the high platform. The blue lights connected into a circle, and then a ripple visible to the naked eye spread from the circle, like waves on the surface of water.

Wherever the ripples passed, the surrounding scenery seemed to be covered by a thin veil, becoming somewhat blurred.

Nearby, Qi Yue subconsciously circulated her spiritual power, wanting to sense the activity outside the high platform, only to find her spiritual power was like a stone sinking into the ocean, unable to detect even a hint of the outside atmosphere.

Only then did Qin Tianxing speak with a serious expression, "Brother Chen, now we can talk!"