What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Lin Yuan's gaze fell on the Thunder Essence Fruit, and a very subtle light flashed deep in his pupils.

He had just broken through to the mid-stage of the Mortal Transformation Realm. The next bottleneck of the Hundred Refinements Mortal Bone Technique was the late-stage of the Mortal Transformation Realm, and the key to breaking through lay in the need for a sufficiently powerful external force to push the limits of the physical body.

This Silver Gang Thunder Essence Fruit is practically a tailor-made supplementary material for breaking through to the Hundred Refinements Mortal Bone Technique.

If we can get our hands on it... the late stage of the Transcendent Realm or even the peak of the Transcendent Realm will be just around the corner.

"What are they doing?" Lin Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the treasures, his voice low and filled with curiosity.

Li Yang stood beside him, her alluring eyes burning with undisguised passion and ambition. Her red lips curved into a confident smile.

"This is the long-standing rule of the Taixu Secret Realm."

"Each time the secret realm opens, at least one trial participant will break through to the Nascent Soul stage. In rare cases, there may be two or even three. Stepping into the Nascent Soul stage signifies entering the top echelons of power in the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world. From then on, one's lifespan is a thousand years, and one's word can decide the life and death of ten thousand people."

"These things—" She raised her chin, gesturing to the five treasures in mid-air that radiated astonishing spiritual energy, "are a congratulatory gift jointly presented by the five major powers. Or rather... chips in a gamble."

The fervor in Li Yang's eyes grew even stronger.

"The rules are simple. If only one person successfully forms a Nascent Soul this time, all five treasures belong to that person. If two people form Nascent Souls at the same time, they will share them equally. If three people form Nascent Souls, they will share them among themselves. And so on."

"If the entire army is wiped out and no one has reached the Nascent Soul stage—retreat along the same route and return to your respective homes."

The Poisonous Maiden of Medicine King Valley slowly took out a jade box from her sleeve. With a flick of her withered fingers, the lid popped open.

A bright green pill lay quietly inside.

The moment the fragrance of the herbs wafted out, the yin energy that had permeated the area within a hundred feet was swept away. The air became fresh and sweet, as if one were in the heart of a millennium-old herb garden.

Create a remedy to dispel misfortune.

This elixir can not only cure all poisons in the world, but also forcibly reconnect severed heart meridians.

The female cultivator from the Chu royal family, wearing a silver mask, made no extra movements; she simply raised her hand and tossed out a suit of armor.

The armor was entirely made of red gold, with lifelike five-clawed golden dragons carved on its surface. The dragon patterns seemed to move subtly under the stimulation of spiritual power, exuding a heavy, suffocating defensive aura.

Dragon-patterned crimson gold armor.

With the insight of a fifth-grade weapon master, Lin Yuan saw through the armor at a glance.

At least three high-level defensive array patterns are engraved at the core. Wearing this armor is enough to withstand a full-force attack from a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator without suffering any damage.

If he wore this, combined with his mid-stage Transcendental Body and the Heavenly Unmoving Talisman...

The female cultivator leading the group from the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect didn't waste any words either. With a flick of her wrist, she directly tossed out a crystal-clear jade bottle.

The jade bottle was translucent, containing a pool of deep blue, viscous spiritual liquid. The liquid churned slowly within, emanating an extremely pure, icy power. Even through the bottle, one could feel the chilling cold, enough to freeze one's soul.

Tai Xuan Ice Soul Liquid.

Using this item to temper one's soul can make one's divine consciousness several times more solid.

The five treasures floated in mid-air, their spiritual energy emanating from them forming a continuous, dazzling display.

The breathing of the thousands of cultivators present instantly became heavy.

Countless greedy, fanatical, and envious gazes converged on the five treasures.

Lin Yuan's eyes were as still as an ancient well.

"Gentlemen."

"The prizes this time are extremely generous. The rules remain the same—whoever can condense a Dao Infant and leave the secret realm alive will own these five treasures."

Her gaze slowly swept over the more than a thousand cultivators on the five mountain peaks.

"Life and death are left to fate. Within the secret realm, whatever happens will not be investigated by any sect."

The subtext of this statement couldn't be clearer—once you enter the secret realm, there are no sect rules, no moral constraints. Murder for treasure, kicking someone when they're down, stabbing them in the back…

After speaking, the five Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances.

Needless to say.

The five people simultaneously performed hand seals.

Five beams of magical light, each a different color, shot into the sky—black, silver, emerald green, golden red, and pale blue—intertwining to paint the entire sky into a bizarre yet magnificent spectacle.

An overwhelming and suffocating surge of magical power swept across all directions.

The void in the center of the basin began to distort violently.

A crack visible to the naked eye appeared out of nowhere.

The crack was initially only a few inches long and as thin as a hair. But under the continuous infusion of the five beams of magical light, it rapidly spread, expanded, and tore apart.

The space seemed to be groaning in pain.

The cracks grew larger and wider. Pitch-black void seeped through the cracks, as if an invisible giant hand was forcibly tearing open the curtain of heaven and earth.

finally--

A massive, deep, and dark space, tens of feet high, has been firmly formed.

The array patterns around the giant maw flowed, exuding an ancient and vast aura. A violent spatial pulling force roared out from it, blowing sand and stones flying in the basin. Hundreds of disciples with lower cultivation levels staggered and had to use their magic power to stabilize themselves.

The Secret Realm of the Great Void.

Turn on.

"Enter!"

The patriarch of the Myriad Laws Sect roared angrily, his voice like thunder.

Lei Xingtian laughed wildly, then pulled out the massive, purplish-black hammer, the size of a door, from his back. The lightning patterns on the hammer blazed brightly, and arcs of electricity crackled around his entire body, making him appear as if a thunder god had descended to earth.

He transformed into a dazzling bolt of lightning, leading the way into the spatial rift. Behind him, over a hundred disciples of the Myriad Laws Sect followed closely, disappearing into the deep darkness in single file.

The Crimson Scaled Dragon of the Chu Kingdom's royal family let out a deafening roar, its enormous body shrinking several times over, hovering above the head of the Third Princess, Chu Mingyue.

Chu Mingyue turned around and coldly swept her gaze across the entire room.

"Walk."

She uttered a single word, and the spirit patterns on her crimson armor suddenly lit up. She transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot into the passage. The Fourth Prince, Chu Jingfeng, closed his folding fan, the playful smile still on his lips, and followed her at a leisurely pace.

More than two hundred elite cultivators from the Chu royal family lined up behind him, their orderly ranks and military bearing immediately apparent.

……

Dressed in pristine white, Ji Qingying lightly touched the air with her toes and rose into the air on her sword. Her long, silvery-white hair flowed like a waterfall in the gale, making her appear like an ethereal ice fairy, untouched by worldly concerns, as she drifted towards the spatial rift.

Gu Jiusi followed closely behind.

Just as she was about to enter the passage, she suddenly paused.

He turned his body slightly to the side.

His gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on Lin Yuan once more.

Their eyes met.

Lin Yuan's face remained calm, and a very kind smile appeared on his lips.

He even gave a very friendly nod, as if greeting a long-lost friend.

Gu Jiusi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Let's go too."

Li Yang touched the ground with her toes, her long gold and red dress slicing through the air, her voluptuous figure drawing a bright arc in the sky.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath.

Riding the wind, I followed Li Yang's figure.

……