Chapter 433 - 400: Secret Realm Experiment

Chapter 433: Chapter 400: Secret Realm Experiment

Months later, in the sea region that once marked the border between the Inner and Outer Seas, a flash of light suddenly appeared. A small, exquisite, and ancient-looking Flying Boat materialized in the empty sky.

The Flying Boat didn’t pause for a moment. After exiting the Outer Sea, it continued onward without slowing, speeding toward the depths of the Outer Sea.

On the Flying Boat, naturally, was Chu Mu’s party, which had set out to sea.

On the nearly one-million-mile journey from Chixia to the Outer Sea, only the portion of the sea close to Chixia was still maintained by the order of the Vast Sea. Everything else they saw was in a state of utter decay.

The vast majority of islands recorded on the Sea Chart had been destroyed by Demon Beasts. Even those that weren’t destroyed had either been reduced to ruins or become the lairs of powerful Demon Beasts.

The Vast Sea was boundless. Although the Profound Serpent Race dominated a large swath of the sea, Demon Beasts below Tier Four could hardly develop full Spiritual Wisdom without a heaven-defying opportunity.

Without complete Spiritual Wisdom, that vast expanse of sea naturally became home to countless other Demon Beasts.

The so-called Beast Tide was, in essence, High Tier Demon Beasts that had gained Spiritual Wisdom driving Middle and Low Tier Demon Beasts that had not, ultimately creating a snowball effect as they swarmed toward the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

It was the most common method the Demon Beast Race used to deal with the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World. Once a Beast Tide reached a certain scale, given the low Spiritual Wisdom and bloodthirsty instincts of the Low and Middle Tier Demon Beasts, it was practically unstoppable.

Even a Nascent Soul Great Power, when faced with an endless, sky-covering Beast Tide, would likely have no choice but to flee.

Looking down from the Flying Boat, one could see the lingering traces of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World: shattered islands, barren Spirit Veins, and Demon Beasts with all manner of auras swarming on the surface and in the depths of the sea.

This former Demon Hunting ground was now on the verge of becoming a true Cultivator Forbidden Land.

Yet this lone vessel showed no signs of stopping in this forbidden sea. Upon reaching the Outer Sea, it continued to fly at high speed toward its depths.

Crossing the boundary of the Inner and Outer Seas, and then crossing the limits of the Sea Charts Chu Mu had collected, the Flying Boat, after only a few years, once again entered the uncharted Deep Sea.

It seemed the chaos had shattered the original order of this sea region. The once-peaceful Deep Sea was now visibly in turmoil.

If Chu Mu had been alone, this journey to the sea would have been a path of certain death.

But under the protection of the Nascent Soul True Demon, his journey remained stable and free of any danger, even after reaching the Deep Sea.

In the blink of an eye, nearly another half a year passed. Chu Mu had inscribed a large, previously untouched area of the sea onto his Sea Chart.

Their exact location was now unknown.

At dusk, as the setting sun cast shimmering light upon the boundless sea, the Flying Boat, which had been flying at high speed for nearly a year, finally slowed to a stop.

With a flicker of light, the man was already standing in the sky. He extended his left hand, faint Demonic Qi swirling around his fingertips. With a simple grasping motion toward the sea, the water rose as if drawn by a dragon, forming a water dragon that shot up from the surface.

Then, the man flicked his other hand, and a streak of inky black light shot into the water dragon. It was like adding the finishing touch to a painting, and in the unseen world, one could almost hear the roar of a Flood Dragon.

"Go!"

The man grunted and pointed. The pale blue water dragon soared into the air, its pitch-black eyes gleaming with a divine light. With another roar, though the sky was empty, the water dragon seemed to crash into an invisible barrier. It exploded, and invisible spatial fluctuations became clearly visible.

The man stared at the revealed spatial fluctuations, seeming to have pinpointed their source. A slight smile touched his lips. With a wave of his hand, he condensed more water dragons, which charged toward the sky one after another, like moths to a flame.

The shimmering spatial fluctuations grew more and more pronounced until finally, in the empty sky, a barrier glowing with a faint fluorescence abruptly appeared.

"Break!"

Following the man’s low shout, the barrier shattered. A fractured, crack-like portal was seared into the sky like a scar.

"Get in!"

The man turned his head and barked the order.

Not daring to delay, the others quickly swallowed their Divine Shadow Pills and leaped one by one into the portal that had suddenly appeared.

Chu Mu waved his hand to store the Flying Boat, grabbed the foolish youth, and with a single leap, appeared before the man.

He pushed the foolish youth toward the man, then took a step forward. The moment he entered the Space Gate, a long-forgotten, world-spinning sensation washed over him. But just for a moment, the feeling of solid ground returned beneath his feet.

What followed was Spiritual Qi so dense it was almost dreamlike. The vaporized, tangible Spiritual Qi filled his vision, a vast expanse of white that made it nearly impossible to see anything within.

"Cangyun Ridge!"

The name of this place instantly surfaced in Chu Mu’s mind.

When he first came to the Secret Realm, he had collected many Secret Realm Maps. Piecing them together, while not revealing the entire picture, had given him a general understanding of this place.

Cangyun Ridge was located in the center of the Secret Realm. It was said to be the core where the Secret Realm’s Spirit Veins converged. The Spiritual Qi was as dense as swirling clouds and mist. Over long periods, it would even precipitate naturally formed Spirit Rain to nourish the land, producing countless rare Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Materials that were hard to find in the outside world.

Back then, when the major factions entered the Secret Realm, this place had been the central point of contention.

His time had been limited, and he hadn’t wanted to stir up trouble, so he had always done his best to avoid such precious places.

However, at this moment, Chu Mu had no interest in whether there were any Treasures of Heaven and Earth here. He had a very important experiment to conduct.

After confirming the heaven-deceiving effect of the Divine Shadow Pill, he leaped up and moved through the mountain forest. Once he was sure there was no immediate danger, he went straight into a cave. With a wave of his hand, two Jade Boxes appeared, hovering before him.

He pondered for a moment, put away one of the Jade Boxes, and placed the other on the ground.

With a raise of his hand, a glimmer of light shone at his fingertip. As his finger moved, he inscribed lines upon the ground. In just a few breaths, a simple Array Prohibition took shape.

Then, he took a step and walked out of the cave, stopping only when he was about a hundred zhang away.

Looking back at the cave, he saw the heavily sealed Jade Box sitting in the center of the swirling Array Prohibition.

He glanced up at the sky, and after a moment of contemplation, a look of resolve appeared in his eyes. With a thought, the Array Prohibition in the cave activated. Like unraveling silk from a cocoon, the multiple seals on the Jade Box were undone in an instant.

Inside the Jade Box, a pale golden beetle appeared.

The beetle was unremarkable, only about the size of a fingernail.

But with Divine Sense Perception, one could clearly detect the beetle’s Cultivation fluctuations.

This tiny beetle had actually reached Tier Two!

As the seals were released, the beetle seemed to awaken from its slumber. Its delicate wings had just begun to stir...

BOOM!

Suddenly, a clap of thunder erupted from the clear sky!

Even from a hundred zhang away, an indescribable tremor of dread surged through his heart.

He only saw a flash of lightning and heard a deafening crack. The Jade Box in the cave, along with the beetle... had been completely annihilated!

Chu Mu’s throat moved as he swallowed hard.

Although he had already guessed it, the scene before him...

’So, any creature not native to this Secret Realm and above the Qi Cultivation Realm will be annihilated...’

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the terror in his heart as he silently summarized the rules of the Secret Realm’s restrictions.

One thing was certain: entering the Secret Realm at the Qi Cultivation Realm posed no problem.

Under the effect of the Divine Shadow Pill, his entry had been perfectly normal.

The beetle from just now was a Tier Two creature from outside the Secret Realm, which he had spent a fortune to acquire.

To be safe, even the Jade Box holding the beetle was refined from the remains of a Divine Shadow Diao’s body left over from Alchemy.

And on that tiny Jade Box, he had even inscribed three Tier Two Upper Grade Concealing Breath Separation Arrays!

The Jade Box opened, the beetle was annihilated.

’So, the Divine Shadow Pill’s simulation can fool the heavens, but can a flawless, sealed container also fool the heavens?’

Chu Mu was lost in thought. The Jade Box was completely sealed, refined from the remains of a Divine Shadow Diao, and inscribed with three Concealing Breath Separation Arrays. It was, for all intents and purposes, completely isolated from the world...

Chu Mu silently examined the other Jade Box in his hand. He had purchased two beetles. He had used one for the experiment, and this was the one left...

Just as Chu Mu was pondering, his usually calm Divine Soul Saber began to vibrate wildly. That same indescribable feeling of dread descended once more!

Almost instinctively, he threw the Jade Box in his hand!

BOOM!

Another crack of lightning and thunder. The thrown Jade Box was annihilated, and the forest before him was now a patch of scorched black!

He stared blankly at the scorched forest, a look of lingering fear on his face.

Another bolt from the blue had completely overturned the fact he had just confirmed.

The "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" descended, and countless thoughts surged, extending from the two thunderbolts he had just witnessed.

It was obvious that even when sealed, this Secret Realm could still detect the Tier Two creature that didn’t belong to it.

However, the delay in detection... seemed to prove that this Secret Realm’s method of inspection was not omnipotent.

Being sealed could delay the time it took for the Secret Realm to detect it.

But that time was very, very short.

He had used a Divine Shadow Diao to refine the Jade Box and inscribed multiple Concealing Breath Separation Array Prohibitions.

From the moment he entered the Secret Realm until the second thunderbolt struck, only a dozen or so breaths had passed.

With that little time, unless one could escape the Secret Realm, they would undoubtedly be struck by lightning.

’A Nascent Soul... can it withstand it?’

Chu Mu looked up at the sky. This crucial question had surfaced in his mind.

If it couldn’t be withstood, then this trip to the Secret Realm could very well become his home turf.

If it could be withstood, then...

’No... if it could be withstood, this Thunder Tribulation probably wouldn’t stop. If the commotion got too big, it would likely attract the attention of the Master of the Secret Realm...’

’Otherwise, that True Demon wouldn’t be so incredibly cautious...’

’I just don’t know if he’s wary of the Secret Realm’s Celestial Thunder, the Master of the Secret Realm, or if he’s wary of both?’

Chu Mu pressed his lips together. As his thoughts churned, a sense of calm settled in his heart.

As long as there was something to be feared, it proved that the True Demon would absolutely not dare to act recklessly. That fear was his leverage!

...