Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

"Strange..." Xia Jin rubbed his temples, feeling a bit irritated. He tried to probe with his divine sense, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea, with no response whatsoever.

"Why? Why can't I sense the presence of the avatar after entering this world?"

For the first time since entering this place, his expression became somewhat solemn.

Logically speaking, there should be a mysterious connection between the avatar and the original body that transcends space. No matter how far apart they are or what kind of secret realm they are in, this connection will not be severed.

Now, he has been in this world for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and his divine sense has swept across a radius of a thousand miles, yet he still cannot detect any trace of his avatar.

"Could something have happened to the Nascent Soul stage?" Xia Jin's eyes flickered, a vague sense of unease creeping into her heart.

But soon he shook his head, dismissing the idea.

His avatar was not much weaker than his original body. Even if the three top experts in this world joined forces, they would never be able to kill his avatar.

Besides, if you can't win a fight, you can always run away.

Unless there are other external problems.

A thoughtful look flashed in Xia Jin's eyes.

In this world, what could possibly sever the connection between him and his avatar?

After much thought, the most likely possibility is the fragment of the Eastern Emperor Bell.

That was a fragment of an innate spiritual treasure. Although it was incomplete, it was still imbued with the aura of the Eastern Emperor Bell. So it wouldn't be surprising if it could conceal the aura of the incarnation.

"Since we can't find the location of the incarnation... let Donghuang Zhong find it himself." A glint flashed in Xia Jin's eyes as she made her decision instantly.

With a thought, the Eastern Emperor Bell, which hovered above his soul in his sea of ​​consciousness, suddenly rang out, then transformed into a golden light that flew out from between his eyebrows and hovered three feet above his physical body.

"Big brother, whether you can return to your peak depends on yourself!!"

Xia Jin looked up intently at the Eastern Emperor Bell above her head, then raised her hands, and her spiritual power surged wildly into the bell.

"Buzz~~"

The Eastern Emperor Bell seemed to understand Xia Jin's meaning, emitting a deep hum. A strange wave surged from all directions, reaching every corner of this world.

After a full ten breaths, the fluctuation finally broke off from the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Then, a voice came from the Eastern Emperor Bell and entered Xia Jin's mind.

Xia Jin suddenly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.

"East? Is it this direction?"

With a wave of his right hand, the Eastern Emperor Bell above his head transformed into a stream of light and disappeared back into his brow.

The next moment, his figure transformed into a streak of light and sped off towards the east.

......

To the east of this small world lies a continuous, undulating, crimson mountain range.

Unlike the scorching heat of the outside world, a veritable furnace of life, this place gives off a desolate feeling.

In a secluded ravine in this mountain range, on a protruding rock platform, a figure sits cross-legged.

The figure's face was exactly the same as Xia Jin's, except that there was a hint of weariness in his expression.

That's right, this is Xia Jin's incarnation.

However, the avatar's condition did not seem optimistic at the moment, with veins bulging on its forehead as if it were enduring some kind of great pain.

In the palms of his hands, two palm-sized dark gold fragments were floating silently.

These are the last two fragments of the Eastern Emperor Bell.

"Damn it... these two fragments are actually contaminated." A trace of blood spilled from the corner of the avatar's mouth. He looked down at the two metal fragments in his palm, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Just three hours ago, after much effort, he finally found the two fragments of the Eastern Emperor Bell at the core of this world. However, the moment he reached out and touched the fragments, he discovered that there was an extremely strange power remaining within these two metal fragments.

He only touched the fragment, and the power, like a persistent leech, frantically penetrated his body.

With no other option, Xia Jin's avatar had to use most of its power to suppress the corrupting force within its body, preventing it from spreading further.

However, this would greatly reduce his strength.

What's more troublesome is that the corrupting power continues to assault his suppression, wave after wave, forcing him to devote even more energy to dealing with it.

"What bad luck! Why did this have to happen at this time? Those three old bastards, once their true forms arrive, I'll definitely kill them!!"

Xia Jin's avatar cautiously probed outwards with her divine sense, her expression growing even more grim.

He could sense that the three top-tier experts who had followed him into this realm were frantically searching within a hundred miles of him. Even if he could conceal his aura, he couldn't delay for long; sooner or later, he would be found by this thorough search.

"We can only try our best to hide for now. If we're really discovered, we'll have to drag these three old guys down with us, even if it means self-destructing!"

He absolutely could not let those three take these two fragments.

......

at the same time.

On the other side of the mountain range, three figures stood side by side.

The old man at the head of the group had a withered face, like a dried corpse that had crawled out of a coffin. His eyes were sunken, but a faint green light could be seen inside them.

To his left stood a burly, bald man with runes tattooed all over his bare arms, exuding a violent aura.

The last one was a short man with a narrow, rat-like face, but the shrewd glint that occasionally flashed in his small eyes made it clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.

"Where did that guy hide? I've been looking for ages and haven't found a single hair on his head!" The bald, powerful expert was surrounded by sonic booms, as if leaking power was constantly compressing the space around him.

"Burning Heart Venerable, what's your hurry?" The short, powerful cultivator sneered, his tone sarcastic. "What kind of trouble can a coward who doesn't even dare to show his face cause? This world isn't so easy to leave. We have plenty of time to search slowly! As long as we get our hands on those two mysterious fragments, it's worth any price."

"Venerable Meili is right!! In all my years, I've never seen any treasure exuding such a profound aura, especially from just these two mere fragments." A greedy glint flashed across the black-robed elder's face. "This thing is definitely not simple!"

"Although this world is vast and mysterious, with the abilities of the three of us, finding that person shouldn't be too difficult. It will just take some time at most."

"Old man Lingyuan, what you said makes sense!!" Venerable Burning Heart touched his bald head, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Huh!? Who's there!!"

The Venerable Lingyuan, shrouded in black robes, suddenly turned his head and stared intently in that direction.

On the ridge not far away, a tall, slender figure was slowly walking towards them.

The man was dressed in white, with a bronze mask covering his face, yet he exuded an extremely dangerous aura.

"When did another person come in here?" Venerable Meili noticed the newcomer and narrowed his small eyes into slits as he warily sized him up.

"Fellow Daoist! This is not a place for you. This world is where the three of us cultivate! Considering that you have only stumbled upon this place by mistake, please leave now, and this matter will be dropped!" Venerable Lingyuan warned the newcomer with some apprehension.

The bald, burly man didn't speak, but simply took a step forward, the warning clear.

"You want me to leave!?" Xia Jin stopped and glanced indifferently at the three of them.

The seventh level of the Great Power Realm.

The eighth level of the powerful realm.

Peak of the eighth level of the Great Power Realm.

These three top-tier experts are capable of roaming freely anywhere in the Mirage Realm; no wonder they dare to be so arrogant.

However, these three people appeared here and were clearly hostile towards him, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

What does this tell us?

This indicates that they are looking for something or someone.

In this world, who else could be worth the joint search of three top-tier experts, besides his avatar?

"So it was you who were chasing my incarnation."