34: Chapter 34, Rank 10: The Key to the Ancient Secret Realm

The opportunity list only released previews for the top twenty, with details appearing only after three days. This tactic of "leaving blanks" whetted the appetite of the entire Cultivation World.

The Eastern Region, Central Plains, Western Region, Northern Region, Southern Wilderness, Eastern Sea, and Northern Abyss—every region was imbued with countless possibilities. Major restaurants, teahouses, markets, and Sect meeting halls were all filled with debate.

Deep beneath the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, in a cavern hidden by Ye Fan's Yin and Yang Formation.

For three days, the two did not waste a single second.

Ye Fan's Yin-Yang Golden Core had swallowed a portion of the Heavenly Tribulation's power and, having experienced a life-and-death struggle with Poison Elder, had stabilized at the Golden Core Stage Late Stage; he not only perfected several Yin and Yang Divine Abilities he created himself but also initially mastered Spells usable at the Golden Core Stage from the Legacy, such as the "Yin-Yang Great Capture," "Two Instruments Micro-Dust Formation," and "Taiji Transformation Technique," and began to explore his own Yin and Yang Sword Dao.

Su Qianxue's Mystic Yin Body was fully activated, and her High Grade Mystic Yin Golden Core stabilized at the Golden Core Stage Middle Stage Peak. She practiced the "Mystic Yin Freezing," "Mystic Yin Sword Qi," and "Cold Soul Body-Protecting Divine Light" taught by Ye Fan until they were proficient. She also combined her century of escape experience to create a move called "Mystic Yin Shadowless Stab." Their combined attack technique had also taken shape, sufficient to threaten Cultivators at the Golden Core Stage Late Stage or even Peak.

Three days, a complete transformation.

On the morning of the third day, the two woke from their meditation simultaneously, their gazes calm and sharp. The time had come.

Above the Nine Heavens, the golden list that had been silent for three days shone brightly once more under the gaze of countless eyes.

There was no auspicious celestial music, only a pure, extreme Chaos radiance that seemed capable of crushing the ages, erupting from the top twenty area. Gazing at that radiance made one's Soul tremble, as if peering into the Origin and end of the Universe.

In the center of the Chaos radiance, the purple-gold Dao runes for the twentieth place began to slowly condense.

Every stroke tugged at the fabric of Heaven and Earth, causing the Void Realm to tremble. An ancient, desolate aura, carrying the implications of destruction and rebirth, permeated the air.

[Twentieth Place: Fragmented Map of the Ancient Void Palace (I) (Origins unknown, suspected to be the core main palace of a hegemon force, the "Void Divine Palace," that collapsed during the ancient "Law-Extinguishing War" and fell into this realm; this map is one part of it, marking the general area where the ancient palace fell—near the border of the Eastern Region and Southern Wilderness, near the Abyss of Buried Gods—as well as some information on the outer Restrictions; collecting the fragmented maps can lock onto the exact location of the ancient palace; the palace is suspected to contain core Legacies, secret treasures, and hidden records about the "Law-Extinguishing War")]

"Law-Extinguishing War? Never heard of it!"

"Void Divine Palace? An ancient hegemon force?"

"Near the Abyss of Buried Gods! That's a Forbidden Ground!"

"Just a fragmented map is ranked twentieth?"

After a brief silence, there was an uproar like a landslide or tsunami. Countless gazes became fervent.

Before everyone could recover, the nineteenth, eighteenth, seventeenth places... followed one after another.

Nineteenth Place: Ancient Star Gate (One-way, unstable), located deep within the polar glaciers of the Northern Abyss, connecting to a barren star that is depleted of Spiritual Qi but may contain ancient ruins.

Eighteenth Place: A cub of the Soul Transformation Stage Yao Beast "Sky-Splitting Kui Ox," sealed in an ancient Forbidden Ground deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. If tamed, one can obtain a Soul Transformation Stage battle pet.

Seventeenth Place: "Yellow Springs True Water" spring eye, located at the Yin and Yang crack between the Nine Nether Underworld and the mortal world. It is a supreme treasure for tempering the Divine Soul; those without a special Physique will die upon touching it.

Sixteenth Place: A corner of the incomplete Formation map for the "Universal Star Formation," located inside a drifting star meteorite deep in the Eastern Sea, containing supreme principles of star Formations.

Fifteenth Place: Token to open the trial path of the ancient Body Cultivator Sect "Power Divine Palace," located in the ancient ruins of the Central Plains. Holding the token allows entry into the outer trials.

Fourteenth Place: "Enlightenment Tea Tree" secondary branch, in the Forbidden Ground behind the Great Leiyin Temple. It has withered but retains a glimmer of life.

Thirteenth Place: "Burning Heaven Purple Fire" seed, in the Earth Core Flame Prison of the Southern Wilderness. It ranks seventy-second on the Heaven and Earth Strange Fire list.

Twelfth Place: "Time Hourglass" (Damaged), in an ancient tomb in the Northern Region where the flow of time is abnormal. It can manipulate time within a small range, but it is now damaged.

Eleventh Place: "heaven-deceiving talisman" (One-time use), which will appear at the underground auction "Jiantian Assembly" in Tianji City in the Eastern Region thirty years from now. It can blind the Heavenly Dao and deceive the perception of the Heavenly Dao for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

Star gates, Soul Transformation cubs, Yellow Springs True Water, Universal Star Formation maps, Heaven and Earth strange fires, time treasures... Each one was enough to create a powerhouse or trigger a catastrophe.

The entire Cultivation World went completely crazy.

Just as the information for the eleventh place fully appeared, the Chaos radiance in the tenth place area suddenly collapsed inward, turning into a rotating, gray, phantom keyhole, emitting a Dao charm that seemed to traverse time and space and connect the myriad worlds.

Two lines of silver Dao divine script slowly emerged—

[Tenth Place: Access Key for the ancient Secret Realm "Eye of the Void" (One-time use); the key itself has no fixed form and may be a fragment, talisman stone, mantra, or artifact; it is currently known that one key fragment (Form: black irregular fragment with gray-white patterns on the surface) has already appeared in this realm, whereabouts unknown; holding the complete or partial key allows one to open a temporary passage to the "Eye of the Void" near the Eye of the Void in the Eastern Sea at a specific space-time node; inside, time and space are chaotic, the Laws are distorted, and it is filled with the power of ending and nothingness; it may also contain ancient imprints from the beginning of creation, forbidden knowledge, or treasures from annihilated eras; those who enter have a ten percent chance of survival, but if one is fated, one may glimpse the end of the "Dao" and obtain unimaginable fortune; this key is an object of Karma; those who obtain it will bear the Karma of the "Void."]

"Eye of the Void! A node connecting to the 'Void' Origin!"

"Black irregular fragment, gray-white patterns... This description..."

"Ten deaths, no life... but one can glimpse the end of the 'Dao'!"

"Key fragment has already appeared? In whose hands?"

In the underground cavern, Ye Fan's pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart pounded wildly. He subconsciously reached for the cold, solid black fragment in his bosom that had once helped him open the "Well of Guixu" to travel through the underground.

The touch was cold, the patterns familiar. Could this "guixu fragment" obtained from the original owner's mother be one of the fragments of the "Eye of the Void" access key?

The key fragment ranked tenth on the golden list was in his possession?

Ye Fan's breathing became noticeably irregular for the first time. Su Qianxue noticed his movement toward his chest and instantly guessed something. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her voice transmission was filled with shock: "Young Master... could it be that you..."

Ye Fan took a deep breath, nodded slowly, and his expression became incomparably grave.

Possessing a treasure is a crime; before, it was the Yin-Yang Dao Body, and now there was an additional tenth-ranked Eye of the Void key fragment. Once this news leaked, what he would face would not just be the pursuit of those coveting the power of "Dual Cultivation," but the gazes of those ancient existences who stood at the Peak of this realm and longed to glimpse the "End of the Dao."

The crisis had increased a hundredfold, but hidden within the crisis were unimaginable opportunities; "Eye of the Void," ten deaths and no life, but if one could survive, the fortune within would be far beyond imagination. Moreover, this key fragment seemed to have some subtle connection to the Yin-Yang Dao Body.

Ye Fan gripped the fragment in his bosom, feeling its cold touch and the call that seemed to come from endless ages ago. He looked up at the top nine areas on the golden list, which were still shrouded in Chaos.

The tenth place was already like this; what would the top nine be like?

Bearing the Yin-Yang Dao Body and harboring the Eye of the Void key, in this chaotic world of Opportunity about to arrive, should he continue to hide and lie dormant, or take the initiative and fight for that supreme glimmer of survival?

Ye Fan's eyes quickly returned to calm after the shock, deeper, colder, and firmer than ever before.

Since he could not avoid it, then let it come.