Chapter 254: Undead Secret Realm!

The structure looked similar to the previous spatial gap he had witnessed, from which the strange attack that had harvested the lives of two beasts had emerged.

However, what was different was that this gap showed no signs of healing.

Even as time passed, it remained the same size.

It was as though the passage had been permanently etched onto the fabric of the Mortal World, functioning like a gate that led to another dimension.

Undead constantly poured out from within, forming army after army.

Even when faced with the Azure Dragon's advance, these creatures showed no fear and continued emerging from the spatial passage.

Their movements were mechanical. They had no intention of stopping.

As long as the passage remained open, they would continue coming out without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan frowned.

He had already formed a suspicion when he saw the strange land within the previous spatial opening.

Now, after coming into direct contact with this gate, he had all but confirmed it.

'Has the entire territory of the Sword Forging Sect overlapped with a secret realm?'

'Is this the reason behind all these strange events?'

Although this sounded impossible, it was perhaps the simplest explanation for what was happening.

After all, the appearance of the spatial gaps, the endless undead, and the disappearance of so many cultivators were too closely connected to be mere coincidences.

Of course, this also gave rise to several questions.

Secret realms could be born naturally or created by cultivators.

For example, as long as Chen Xuan was given the required materials, he could also create an independent space that functioned as a secret realm.

However, most secret realms weren't particularly large.

Some, like the place where he had obtained the Kunpeng Art, were actually quite small.

Others, like the secret realm encountered by Cai Yao, were considerably larger.

But no matter how large they were, a secret realm shouldn't be able to reach the size of a major sect's territory.

The Sword Forging Sect had existed for countless years. Its territory was vast, and countless cultivators lived within it.

For such a huge region to overlap with another space was simply too strange.

'But if my idea is correct, it would also explain where the missing cultivators have gone.'

'Have they all been transported to this secret realm, unable to come back?' Chen Xuan wondered.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

He considered everything.

The strange spatial gaps. The sudden appearance of the undead.

The disappearance of the powerful cultivators.

Perhaps all of them were connected to this place. Or rather, to places like this.

Unfortunately, he still lacked enough information to reach a definite conclusion.

In the end, Chen Xuan didn't waste any more time.

Confident in his own strength, he chose to act.

After allowing the Azure Dragon to destroy another legion of undead, his body transformed into a stream of light and rapidly moved toward the spatial passage.

With his current speed, no one could stop him.

Before long, he arrived directly in front of the gate.

He didn't hesitate.

A moment later, his figure passed straight through the spatial passage and entered the vast land of the undead.

--

Chen Xuan's surroundings abruptly shifted.

One moment, he was in the Tianxuan Domain. The next, he had already appeared in an unknown land.

Fortunately, he had already been prepared for such a change.

Before passing through the passage, he had restrained his aura while activating several concealing techniques.

As such, what greeted him wasn't an immediate attack from the secret realm's natives.

Instead, it was a vast stretch of pitch-black land.

Chen Xuan finally had time to carefully investigate his surroundings.

His gaze swept across everything.

He had already made many guesses about what the other side of the spatial passage might hide. Yet when he truly came face to face with it, he was inevitably surprised.

The first thing that caught his attention was the endless number of undead rushing toward the spatial passage.

However, his gaze soon moved past them.

His attention was drawn to a towering structure not far away.

It was a city.

At first glance, it looked similar to the cultivator cities one could see in the outside world.

Just like the rest of the land, it was filled with dense Death Qi, perfect for the birth of undead creatures.

Yet behind that Death Qi was another aura.

Vitality.

Chen Xuan's expression became serious.

He could clearly sense that there were living beings inside the city.

Not like the mindless undead constantly pouring out of the spatial passage, but intelligent beings with their own consciousness.

This discovery immediately made Chen Xuan frown.

The existence of intelligent life here meant that this place wasn't simply a world filled with mindless undead.

However, he didn't rush toward the city.

He turned around and looked at the spatial passage behind him.

A look of realization flashed across his face as he inspected it.

In the past, he had wondered why no cultivator who had entered the secret realm had ever come out. After all, there were many such spatial passages scattered throughout the Tianxuan Domain.

Now, he finally understood the reason.

He could sense it clearly. He was unable to pass through it.

He was not the only one. It seemed that every living being would be unable to return through the passage.

'Are these spatial passages one-way only?'

'Can the undead go to the Tianxuan Domain and the living enter this secret realm, but neither side can return afterward?' Chen Xuan guessed.

Unfortunately, he had no way to confirm this.

He carefully sensed the spatial passage several times, but the result remained the same.

There was simply no way for him to return through it.

Even so, despite realizing that he was trapped here, he showed no fear at all.

Other cultivators would probably panic upon discovering such a restriction. But Chen Xuan was different.

Even though his real body was here, he still had two clones outside.

Once the Goddess of the Ocean's inheritance was obtained, he could very well "return" to the Jade Pure Sect through them.

Moreover...

'Perhaps this is an opportunity.'

'Such a massive secret realm with such peculiar restrictions is bound to hide certain secrets.'

Having gone through several secret realms, he knew how massive the benefits inside could be.

Chen Xuan's eyes flashed.

After taking one final look at the undead below, he no longer lingered here but moved toward the city.

--

The city was imposing.

Unlike cultivator cities, which were mostly protected by formations and other methods, a black wall hundreds of feet high enveloped this land from every direction.

The wall was made from Netherstone, a material only found in places rich with Death Qi.

Its surface was dark and cold, giving off an oppressive feeling even from a distance.

Powerful skeletons could be seen standing atop the wall, seemingly on the lookout for enemy attacks. Their bodies remained motionless, but the flames within their eye sockets constantly flickered as they scanned the surroundings.

Everything showed that the city was almost constantly prepared for battle.

Yet there was one thing that hadn't changed from cultivator cities.

The city owners' greed for wealth.

At the entrance, several large groups of undead could be seen.

Unlike those entering the Tianxuan Domain, these undead looked far more imposing.

Their bodies were adorned in pitch-black armor, and the flames within their eye sockets flickered with intelligence. They were clearly different from the mindless undead outside.

As for their purpose for being here?

To collect the toll required from every entrant!

Yes!

Even in this place that seemed almost identical to the legendary Underworld, the creatures still had to pay if they wanted to enter the city.

Those that refused to do so would be immediately expelled.

Fortunately, the city had stood here for thousands of years.

Its might had long since spread throughout the surrounding region, as had the name of its City Lord.

No one would be stupid enough to cause trouble at its gates.

As a result, these strange undead were free to collect the toll.

Some of the guards even went as far as to sit down nearby and practice, absorbing the surrounding Death Qi.

It was truly a strange sight.

The queue outside the city continued moving as normal.

One group after another entered through the towering gates.

No one seemed to notice anything unusual.

However, what no guard knew was that an ordinary undead had unknowingly entered the city.

Its stature was small, barely any bigger than the undead around it. Combined with its trembling posture, it looked like a complete weakling.

Nothing about it appeared worthy of attention.

However, no one was able to notice that the flames within its eyes constantly scanned its surroundings.

They moved from the towering walls to the undead guards and then to the many buildings and the residents inside.

It was as though this ordinary-looking undead was carefully inspecting an entirely new world.