A booming voice suddenly resounded in Wu Yuan’s mind, “Token bearers wishing to enter the Fourth Eldritch Realm, you may select two first-grade martial artists to accompany you.”
Wu Yuan’s pupils constricted. Where did this voice come from? It had completely evaded the detection of his soul. The eerie nature of this voice was enough to unnerve not only Wu Yuan but also Li Yan, Song Guang, and Tie Tuo. Only the eight Savant experts seemed unaffected, exchanging bewildered glances.
“It appears that everyone has heard this voice,” Li Yan murmured. “According to the legends, the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm is a secret realm created by an extremely powerful qi refiner for a specific purpose. Its otherworldly nature surpasses our comprehension.”
Song Guang frowned, “So the real name of the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm is the Fourth Eldritch Realm. Fourth Eldritch? I wonder what it means.”
Neither Wu Yuan nor Tie Tuo answered him, both unfamiliar with this name.
“It is merely a code name. All we need to know is that it holds numerous treasures,” Li Yan smiled. “Everyone, since we have all heard the instructions of the voice, let us not delay any further. Shall we enter?”
The few Grandmasters nodded in agreement.
Li Yan instructed, “Those holding tokens, respond to the voice in your mind, and hold the hands of the people you wish to bring alongside you.”
Wu Yuan said in a soft voice, “Allow me to go first.”
The Cloudstride Sect had documented the entire process, thus Wu Yuan was well-versed in it. Wang Two and Wu Three promptly approached him, each taking one of Wu Yuan’s hands.
“I wish to enter the Fourth Eldritch Realm,” Wu Yuan responded silently to the mysterious voice in his head, tightly gripping the Chu-Jiang Token.
One breath later, a wave of white light materialized, enveloping Wu Yuan, Wang Two, and Wu Three.
This power? Wu Yuan’s eyes flickered with astonishment. Through his soul, he could distinctly sense that it was spiritual qi, but far more refined. The purity of this qi surpassed the spiritual qi he absorbed daily by countless folds.
In the next instant, Wu Yuan, Wang Two, and Wu Three were swallowed by the surging white light and vanished from their original location without a sound.
Li Yan and Song Guang were slightly startled by this scene.
“This is on the same level as immortals and devils,” Li Yan sighed, “I’ll go next.”
Before long, everyone grasped their Chu-Jiang Tokens, responded to the mysterious voice, and were swiftly swallowed by the white light.
…
The moment Wu Yuan was engulfed by the white light, an imperceptible power rippled through his entire being in an instant. Immediately, this fluctuation transformed several times before being transmitted to the depths of the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm.
Age: seventeen
Soul level: Soul Perception.
Soul talent: average first-class.
Qi refining talent initial assessment: lower first-class
Body refining talent: exceptional!!
Warning, an individual with exceptional body refining talent has appeared! Warning, an individual with exceptional body refining talent has appeared! Unlock the Eldritch Chamber!
The invisible ripple carried a massive amount of data to a mysterious corner of the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm.
…
The world spun. Wu Yuan found himself disoriented, the familiar night sky replaced by a disconcerting blur. His head swirled with confusion as the scenery transformed before his eyes.
He was currently standing on unfamiliar terrain, a dark realm stretching out before him.
This? Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed. The sun and moon were both absent, with only the heavy shroud of black clouds obscuring the sky. Only faint beams of light managed to pierce through, as if a stormy downpour would begin at any moment. The atmosphere was laden with an oppressive aura.
Wang Two and Wu Three materialized beside Wu Yuan. Beneath their feet was a strange, green metallic expanse that sprawled out like an enormous training ground.
Wu Yuan surveyed his surroundings. Mountains rolled in the distance, their peaks adorned with spindly trees that towered hundreds of meters high.
This place was a world starkly different from the one outside!
“Senior Zang Jing, this must be the waiting area mentioned in the intelligence. If the number of Chu-Jiang Token holders falls short of the requirement, we must wait for ten days. After which, the path to the treasures will open,” Wu Three murmured softly.
“Mm.” Wu Yuan nodded.
As expected, I’m unable to mobilize heaven and earth’s power here.
Why could heaven and earth’s power be harnessed in the outside world? At its core, it represented the unobstructed diffusion of countless different powers, allowing cultivators who have reached the Unity level to perceive it.
However, in this Fourth Eldritch Realm, an unseen force seemed to hold sway, suppressing and compressing heaven and earth’s power. At least, Wu Yuan currently found himself unable to perceive its presence. Without being able to sense it, manipulating it became an impossibility.
My Soul Force has been greatly affected as well. I can only perceive a small radius of a few dozen meters.
To put it into perspective, before stepping foot into this realm, Wu Yuan’s soul allowed him to sense up to 200 meters in every direction. But now, that ability had been restricted.
However, apart from its dampening of heaven and earth’s power and the constraints on his Soul Force, the realm itself didn’t differ much from the world outside.
At that moment, a faint buzzing filled the air. Invisible vibrations rippled through the space, and suddenly, Song Guang, Li Yan, Tie Tuo, and their companions materialized nearby, as if conjured out of thin air.
The group gathered.
“It seems we are among the first to enter the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm,” Li Yan spoke, his gaze sweeping across the vast training ground that stretched for one li. “According to the information left by the Chu-Jiang Empire, it takes six Chu-Jiang Tokens to unlock the Immortal Realm.”
“Once twelve Chu-Jiang Tokens are present, we can commence the treasure hunt after three days of waiting. And if we manage to gather all eighteen Chu-Jiang Tokens, we can begin the hunt immediately.”
“Patience, everyone. We must wait a few more days,” Li Yan said softly.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Soon, they each found a suitable spot and settled into a lotus position, allowing themselves a moment of respite to maintain their peak strength.
Wu Yuan, too, found a place and sat down, crossing his legs. He focused on regulating his breathing, preparing himself for what lay ahead.
They didn’t have to wait long. Only two hours later, at the far end of the training ground, bursts of brilliance erupted, heralding the arrival of over a dozen figures.
“So many people.”
“It’s Jin Qing! Unexpectedly, he’s the one leading the Great Jin Empire this time.”
“There’s also Yue Shanzhong.”
“Indeed, they sent five Grandmasters,” Li Yan, Song Guang, and Tie Tuo were all on high alert, watching the group of people who had appeared 200 meters away. A total of fifteen people had arrived.
“So, he’s Jin Qing?” Wu Yuan’s gaze landed on the middle-aged man in black clothing, and information about the other party immediately surfaced in his mind.
21st in the ‘Land Rankings’! The former north king of the Great Jin Empire, nearly the same age as The Sword Hierarch. The last time he had displayed his strength in battle was more than ten years ago.
Li Yan leaned closer to Wu Yuan, speaking softly. “Brother Zang Jing, Great Jin has many members, but only two of them are real threats. One is Jin Qing, who is over 90, yet appears younger than he looked ten years ago. Rumor has it that he consumed a powerful treasure to maintain his appearance.”
According to his description on the ‘World Land Rankings’, ever since Jin Qing stepped down from the position of north king of Great Jin, he had been in closed-door cultivation. How much strength had he accumulated over such a long time? It was hard to say. Moreover, something about Jin Qing’s transcendent-like aura felt familiar to Wu Yuan.
However, the dual suppression of heaven and earth’s power and Soul Force in this realm made it difficult for Wu Yuan to get a clear sense of it. He could only feel that Jin Qing posed a lethal threat.
“The other is Yue Shanzhong. According to the Land Rankings, he’s the strongest among this group from Great Jin,” Li Yan continued.
Wu Yuan nodded, his eyes shifting to the man in black armor.
Yue Shanzhong, ranked sixteenth in the Land Rankings. A first-class duke of the Great Jin Empire, he wielded a first-grade divine weapon and had made significant contributions to the Empire.
Jin Qing and Yue Shan were all officially recognized as Great Grandmasters. Regarding the remaining three Grandmasters, Wu Yuan speculated that they were likely near the level of Chen Luo and Wang Huang.
It wasn’t just Wu Yuan, Li Yan, and their companions who were observing the experts from the Great Jin Empire; the team from Great Jin was also studying them.
“Song Guang from the Starcom Consortium.”
“They seem to have quite a few members.”
“Tie Tuo! He’s King Khan of the Eastern Plains of the Bei Continent! Which faction is he representing?”
“And that individual in the black robe, I recognize him as a Grandmaster from the Pleiades Guild.” The experts from the Great Jin were able to identify more than half of Wu Yuan’s group.
In reality, most Grandmasters possessed a certain level of arrogance. Under normal circumstances, they were unwilling to employ Transfiguration.
“Their team is made up of twelve individuals, indicating they possess four Chu-Jiang Tokens. But who is the final Grandmaster?”
“I can’t tell.” The experts from the Great Jin scrutinized Wu Yuan and the remaining experts, unable to discern the identity of the last Grandmaster.
Wu Yuan blended in seamlessly with the other eight Savant experts, remaining inconspicuous.
“It’s the young man in white with a sword!” Jin Qing, their leader, focused his attention on Wu Yuan. “His power might even surpass even that of Song Guang.”
“What?”
“Him?”
“He’s the strongest?” The team of Great Jin’s experts were all taken aback, struggling to believe it.
After all, Song Guang held the 24th position on the Land Rankings, and his name was renowned throughout the world. Meanwhile, as they observed Wu Yuan, they didn’t find anything noteworthy about him.
“Keep in mind, this team is a coalition of top-tier major powers. We don’t want to offend them completely.” Jin Qing’s voice was barely audible. “Our goal is to eliminate all the forces on the Jiang Continent.”
“Understood,” the experts of Great Jin replied in unison.
“But what if we come across them during the treasure hunt?” someone couldn’t help but ask.
“When it’s time to kill, we kill,” Jin Qing said indifferently. “But don’t go out of your way to slaughter them. And if you encounter the young swordsman in white robes, everyone except Yue Shan should immediately flee. None of you are a match for him.”
The Savant experts nodded in acknowledgment, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A few Grandmasters exchanged glances, displaying a hint of dissatisfaction. Jin Qing didn’t bother explaining further. He was also unable to mobilize heaven and earth’s power, but his soul had far surpassed that of an ordinary Grandmaster. His instincts were screaming that Wu Yuan was an absolutely lethal threat!