297: Enter the secret space

"Click..."

A soft sound echoed from the stone gate Formation, instantly capturing everyone's attention in the grotto.

Everyone's gaze shifted simultaneously to the long-silent black stone gate. The tense atmosphere from moments ago froze strangely because of this odd noise.

Before several people could decide whether to leave.

Suddenly.

"Buzz—"

A dull roar exploded in everyone's ears!

A dim luster suddenly rippled across the surface of the stone gate. This luster wasn't static; instead, it moved along the fine lines on the gate like a living creature.

In the next second, a dark golden flow of light gushed from the lines, surging like awakening Bloodline, colliding and entangling violently with the free spiritual energy in the air, eventually blending completely!

The originally dull stone gate now seemed to be infused with life, every line glowing brightly.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Elder Yin Gu, Luo Yu, and the others, that incredibly solid dark golden halo receded rapidly like a tide, vanishing without a trace within a few breaths!

The tightly closed black stone gate made a heavy grinding sound and slowly opened a gap inward!

A thick Spiritual Qi, far purer and more ancient than that in the hall—as if from the primordial era—mixed with a faint, indistinct sound of a crow's cry, drifted out from the gap!

"Rumble—!"

Just as everyone was shocked by the scene and Spiritual Qi behind the stone gate, a violent sound of collapse came from the direction of the passage.

Rubble poured down like a waterfall. Amidst the dust, Mo Chenggui, Withered Bone Ascetic, and Mysterious Clarity Master dashed into the grotto, looking extremely bedraggled.

Mo Chenggui's robes had several cuts from the rubble, Withered Bone Ascetic's skeletal prayer beads were covered in dust, and Mysterious Clarity Master's Daoist crown was tilted to one side; they had clearly escaped at the last moment before the passage collapsed.

As the dust settled, the passage that originally connected to the outside world was completely blocked by a thick layer of rock, sealed so tightly that not even a sliver of light could penetrate.

The faces of the people in the grotto instantly darkened—the way back was cut off.

Situ Jun saw Mo Chenggui and the others appear at this final moment; a sharp light flickered in his eyes before he looked away.

"The stone gate is open!"

Someone couldn't help but whisper, their voice carrying excitement and greed that was hard to hide.

"Yes, but we can't get out either."

Another person gave a bitter smile, but their eyes involuntarily drifted toward that slowly opening gap.

"If we can't get out, then we go in!"

Elder Yin Gu suddenly looked up, greed bursting from his cloudy eyes as he continued:

"Daoist Ming Ya's Legacy is inside. Once we have the Legacy, are we still afraid of not finding a way out?"

These words were like lighting a fuse. Everyone's gaze instantly became burning and greedy, like hungry wolves staring at fat meat, locked tightly onto the slowly opening gap of the stone gate.

The temptation of the Legacy was enough to make them temporarily forget the fear of their retreat being cut off.

"Swoosh!"

But the first to move was Mo Chenggui, who had been silent all along.

The moment the stone gate opened just enough for one person to pass, his figure was like lightning. His surrounding spiritual energy suddenly erupted, and he reached the stone gate in an instant, flashing inside without hesitation, leaving only an afterimage flickering before everyone's eyes.

"Stop him!"

Elder Yin Gu's eyes nearly split with rage. He had been in a standoff with Village Elder Gongsun, but seeing Mo Chenggui take the lead, he immediately abandoned Village Elder Gongsun and turned into a streak of black smoke, lunging toward the stone gate with a bone-chilling cold.

"The Legacy is mine! No one else can take it!"

"Don't even think about hogging it!"

Luo Yu gave a delicate shout, her long sword flourishing into a sword flower as she followed closely behind.

The White-robed Nascent Soul Cultivator's gaze turned cold. His long sword unsheathed, and a brilliant Sword Qi tore through the air, heading straight for the stone gate as his figure flew along with the sword light.

Withered Bone Ascetic formed hand seals, and the skeletal prayer beads spun in the air, chasing after with a ghostly wind.

Mysterious Clarity Master pinched a technique formula, and a streak of green cloud qi appeared beneath his feet.

Even Village Elder Gongsun, who had just been forced back repeatedly by Elder Yin Gu and had only just caught his breath, sacrificed the ten thousand souls banner. The resentful souls on the banner shrieked, pushing his body toward the stone gate!

Several powerful spiritual energy fluctuations exploded within the grotto, and multiple attacks simultaneously blasted toward the not-yet-fully-opened gap of the stone gate.

Some wanted to stop Mo Chenggui, some wanted to clear obstacles on the path ahead, and even more wanted to use the aftershocks of the attacks to rush into the Secret Realm first.

Situ Jun was in no hurry to act. He calmly observed the situation, and seeing everyone caught in a chaotic battle, he took advantage of a gap, flickered his body, and flew toward the stone gate.

But just as he stepped into the gap of the stone gate, a powerful spatial force suddenly enveloped his body, as if countless invisible hands were pulling at him. The scene before his eyes instantly distorted and changed.

In the next second, the sensation beneath his feet vanished, replaced by a void.

Situ Jun suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking abruptly—before him was not the expected quiet room or treasury, but a vast plain that stretched as far as the eye could see!

The plain was covered with unknown green grass. The blades of grass were a faint jade color, with translucent dewdrops condensed on them, which seemed to contain thin Spiritual Qi.

Further away, there were continuous rolling mountains with mist swirling between them. A silver river meandered out from the mountains, flowing along the plain. The river water was crystal clear, and one could vaguely see shimmering crystals at the bottom.

If not for the sky here always being a hazy gray color, with no sun, moon, or stars, it would have looked like an isolated paradise.

Situ Jun floated in the air, his mind greatly shaken.

He quickly stabilized his figure, and his Divine Sense spread out frantically like a tide.

The space here was far larger than he had imagined. His Divine Sense spread for dozens of miles and still hadn't touched the boundary of the space.

Not far away, his Divine Sense picked up others one after another.

Mo Chenggui was standing on a patch of grass, looking around with a deep frown; Elder Yin Gu and Luo Yu were in a standoff, spiritual energy surging around them; the White-robed Nascent Soul Cultivator, Withered Bone Ascetic, and others were also scattered about, their faces full of unconcealable shock.

"This is no ordinary Immortal Cave," Situ Jun realized. "This is likely the interior of that space pearl, and it's a pearl refined from a small spatial fragment. No wonder the Spiritual Qi is so pure and ancient—this is the true core of Daoist Ming Ya's Immortal Cave."

Before he could recover from his shock, a violent spiritual energy fluctuation suddenly erupted from below!

Elder Yin Gu's Profound Yin Ghost Claw, carrying thick black energy like a ghostly hand from Hell, clawed toward a Cultivator not far away who had just rushed into the Secret Realm and only had Foundation Establishment Cultivation.

Seeing this, Withered Bone Ascetic's skeletal prayer beads exploded in the air, turning into dozens of small skulls that shot toward another low-level Cultivator with sharp whistles.

The White-robed Nascent Soul Cultivator's eyes flickered, the Sword Qi in his hand as sharp as frost. A white Sword Qi instantly pierced through the chest of a Golden Core Cultivator.

Village Elder Gongsun gave a weird laugh and also manipulated the ten thousand souls banner to send out a torrent of resentful souls, surging toward a group of low-level Cultivators gathered together!

Screams rose one after another, and blood instantly dyed the green grass beneath their feet.

These Nascent Soul Cultivators actually chose to clear out the low-level Cultivators the moment they stepped into the Secret Realm.

In their view, these people with low Cultivation were not qualified to search for Legacy and Opportunity here. Clearing these low-level Cultivators was also a precaution, to prevent any further unexpected turns.