As the shining portal opened, everyone held their breath.
Before them was the captivating sight of:
【Name: Ying Bing】
【Age: 16】
【Physique: Taiyin Moon Phoenix Body.】
【Realm: Inner Breath Jade Liquid Realm.】
【Fate: Red (born of imperial bones, icy essence for life, autumn waters for spirit, has the appearance of a Phoenix sky)】
【Evaluation: Destiny filled with tribulations, always able to turn misfortune into good fortune. Though her feathers are not yet full, when the winds and clouds change, she will surely soar high in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, the Phoenix gracing the realm of the universe.】
【Recent Encounter: Failed to capture the bl**d Phoenix Essence and sustained injuries on the third level of the portal.】
“!!?”
Standing at the portal, Ke Mo’s pupils slightly trembled.
Is the system malfunctioning?
In this secret realm, the highest level should be the Observation Realm!
She’s going to fail and be injured?
“Bing….”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden surge of crimson light erupted from the portal, engulfing everyone present in its glow.
……
The bl**d-red light resembled floating bubbles.
It transported everyone through boundless darkness, dropping them off in an unrecognizable place.
When they opened their eyes again, it felt like stepping onto an ancient battlefield.
This vast expanse of land was as wide as the skies, the overhead canopy dim and seemingly weeping, the winds howling eerily, like lost souls lamenting, sending chills down their spines.
It seemed that a brutal battle had once taken place here.
Before the battle, this place must have looked like a lush forest, but now it was left with countless blackened, dead branches, silently clawing at the sky.
“The bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm is no kind place.”
Ke Mo sensed the lurking storm within the land, latent fires of karma beginning to stir.
Karma fires react only to places of great evil or to the most vile of beings.
Under normal circumstances, as long as he doesn’t pull out a hammer, Ying Bing should have no opponents in this realm.
This means she must have encountered an unforeseen situation.
And this situation, most likely relates to the nature of this secret realm?
Crunch—
Lost in thought, Ke Mo stepped on a piece of beast bone, which cracked loudly.
“The aura of heaven and earth here is indeed much richer than outside?”
“Is that due to the bl**d Phoenix Essence?”
At that moment, the heavens trembled, and the previously dim stars began to shine.
On the endless sky, huge characters, like iron-painted silver hooks, appeared for all to see.
【Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all beings like mere fodder.】
【To achieve greatness in martial arts, one’s success is built upon the corpses of thousands!】
【Trial of the First Level of the Secret Realm: k*ll.】
【The top fifty have the privilege to advance to the next layer.】
The words hanging in the sky were few, but each was imbued with chilling intent.
What they expressed was straightforward and to the point.
Hunt exotic beasts, collect Beast Tokens.
Only the top fifty will qualify to continue exploring the next layer.
Everyone looking at the text couldn’t help but feel their hearts tighten.
While it speaks of hunting exotic beasts, it also imposes a limit on participation.
What about those outside the top fifty?
Killing a single beast only yields one token, but what about the rest…
These rules undoubtedly transformed this place into a dark forest, where one must not only hunt beasts but also guard against human treachery.
Upon entering the secret realm, everyone was deliberately spaced out to avoid forming groups.
Crash—
The sky shifted again.
Names began appearing, but only for the top fifty.
Clearly, those who manage to leave their names there would earn the right to advance deeper into the secret realm.
“If you end up on this list, you’re going to become the target of everyone.”
“Let’s get to work.”
Ke Mo pulled out his small weapon.
He wasn’t in a rush to hunt for Beast Tokens. The opportunities in the secret realm held little weight for him; as long as he could advance to the next layer, he’d be satisfied.
Investing wisely was the key!
A friendly reminder: the top right corner has options for switching between simplified and traditional text, adjusting font size, and changing background color.
……
Li Mo thought along these lines.
However, things didn’t go as planned; he hadn’t been there long when the bones on the ground suddenly moved without wind, assembling into a complete skeleton of an exotic beast that resembled a bear.
From its hollow eye sockets, bl**d-red light flared up, fixating on Li Mo, radiating a craving for life, for flesh.
“The aura is about as strong as that of the Xuan Dan Realm.”
“And with no flesh, it’s even tougher than your average Xuan Dan Realm beast. If we have enough of them, they could threaten even those at the Observation Realm.”
Li Mo pondered the power of the bone bear.
Boom—
The ground trembled as the creature lunged forward.
Everywhere it passed felt like a tornado swept through, shattering the stones beneath its feet.
It slammed down a paw with a thunderous roar, an intimidating presence.
However, when it hit the ground, it didn’t smash anything.
The little creature it eyed had somehow vanished.
“Humph.”
“Just a mere Xuan Dan Realm, taste my sword!”
His sword, Yixiao, was unsheathed, ringing with a tremor; the sword’s light was akin to a dragon diving through the air, fiery brilliance illuminating dozens of meters of darkness.
Have you ever seen a sword technique descending from the heavens?
Li Mo’s swordsmanship was no joke.
Although he didn’t possess prodigious talent in swordplay, our dear Little Li, having been sandwiched between Ying Bing and Little Princess Jiang, was well-cultivated.
Like daily drilling through exercises.
In his previous life, he was known as the strongest sword master in his little town!
Swish—
With the superior swordplay ignited by karma flames, its power was beyond its usual reach.
Bang bang bang—
Several dozen rays of sword light crisscrossed wildly.
The bone bear halted abruptly, then erupted with splendid fireworks.
Li Mo landed with Yixiao in his arms, his expression unfazed, not even bothering to look back at the explosion.
In his heart, he silently thought:
“Whoa, I’m cool!”
Just… it felt better than playing some joyful wind guy; Li Mo had definitely gotten his groove on.
“I’m just a boy who loves to show off,” he quipped to himself, gripping his sword, his left hand brushing against the hammer tucked below his clothing, making his way through the gloom.
……
Meanwhile, in front of a deep cave.
A girl surrounded by a glow of sunset hues, with her black hair dancing lightly, and the moisture in the air crystallizing into glimmering droplets, slowly falling.
The hues around her flowed, driven by her inner breath, spreading out to all directions.
“The bl**d Phoenix Essence is definitely not in the first layer of the secret realm.”
“I need to go to the next layer.”
Ying Bing opened her eyes, her clear gaze seemingly piercing through the void.
She raised her Tian Shuang sword, its jade-colored blade pointing into the cave.
The darkness inside seemed impenetrable, filled with eerie shrieks.
Rustle—
Countless giant bone bats emerged from the shadows, numbering in the dozens. The weaker ones emitted waves of Inner Breath Jade Liquid Realm aura, while the strongest bore a faint ghostly light, nearing the Observation Realm.
In life, these bone bats were known as:
Night Ghosts.
In an instant, the cave was filled with spectral figures.
But the next moment.
A brilliant glow of sunset hues surged forth.
…….
At that moment, the rankings in the sky began to shift.
A name rapidly ascended to the top.
Top Spot: Ying Bing, Number of Beast Tokens Obtained: 27.
Gasps of shock and disbelief erupted within the secret realm.
“How long has it been? She’s already hunted seventeen exotic beasts?!”
“That speed… it can’t be that she got lucky and merely picked them up along the way, right?”
“Look, she didn’t just climb the ranks one by one; she went straight to the top!”
“Are you saying she killed all those bone beasts in an instant?!”
