Chapter 662 - 179: Burial Immortal Valley, Immortal Demon Blood... The Profound Origin Secret Realm Competition Begins

Chapter 662: Chapter 179: Burial Immortal Valley, Immortal Demon Blood... The Profound Origin Secret Realm Competition Begins

CHH-CHH-CHH...

Faint sounds came from within Chu Fan’s body.

It was the sound of the Vajra Gang Qi tempering his flesh and bone.

His entire body gradually took on a faint golden sheen, not just on the surface, but radiating from deep within his flesh and blood, as if his whole being was forged from gold.

His muscles grew firmer under the scouring of the Gang Qi, and his bones began to emit a faint, jade-like glimmer as they were tempered.

His meridians widened like riverbeds, able to contain a greater, more torrential surge of energy.

Chu Fan’s breathing became long and slow.

With every breath, the Vajra Gang Qi completed a full cycle within his body.

With each cycle, his physical strength increased, and the foundation of his "Vajra Undying Body" grew stronger.

Time slipped by quietly as he cultivated.

The sun rose completely, its light spilling through the window paper and casting bright patches on the floor.

His entire focus was immersed in the tempering of his physical body.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the fourth day, during the late Tiger Hour, the sky had yet to brighten over Cuiyun Mountain, twenty-five miles west of Qing Province City.

The mountain, usually serene and beautiful, was now completely transformed.

At the foot of the mountain, a plain of over 160 acres had been specially cleared and paved with bluestone slabs to form a massive, circular arena.

Tiered spectator stands were built into the mountainside surrounding the arena, and they were already packed with a veritable sea of people.

The Profound Origin Secret Realm tournament was finally about to begin.

The sun had not yet risen; only a sliver of white showed on the eastern horizon.

But the area around the arena was already illuminated by countless Lighting Magical Artifacts—Bright Pearls floating in mid-air, torches stuck in the ground, and Crystal Stones embedded in stone pillars—bathing the entire area in light as bright as day.

The crowd was in an uproar.

The three great Noble Families, nine major sects, and Dozens of Gangs of Qing Province had all sent representatives to either watch or participate.

After all, the stakes involved with the Profound Origin Secret Realm were too high for anyone to miss such a grand event.

"ROAR—!"

A deafening roar echoed from the northeast corner.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a red-striped tiger, over fifty feet long with wings on its back, treading through the air. An arrogantly poised youth in brocade robes sat on its back.

The aura radiating from the tiger was shockingly close to the Peak of Divine Power Realm.

"That’s the ’Winged Tiger’ from the Beast Taming Sect!" someone exclaimed.

"Look over there!" someone else pointed to the southwest.

A giant, pitch-black python with a single horn on its head slithered over, a thin layer of ice forming on the ground wherever it passed.

Standing on the python’s head was a woman in blue with a cold, stunning beauty, holding an Ice Crystal Whip.

"An Ice-Scaled Python... The people from North Cold Valley are here too."

The roars of Exotic Beasts rose and fell, echoing endlessly through the valley.

Golden-Winged Rocs, Three-Eyed Demon Wolves, Iron Armor Earth Dragons... Rare and unusual Exotic Beasts, seldom seen on a normal day, were appearing in droves.

On their backs or by their sides stood young Cultivators, each with a breathtaking aura.

These were the prodigies of Qing Province’s younger generation.

On the west side of the spectator stands was an area designated for the smaller and mid-sized factions.

Cao Feng, Li Qingxue, Fatty, Zhao Tianxing, and the others sat in the front row, periodically glancing to the east. That was the exclusive entrance for the major sects and Noble Families, where a steady stream of young Cultivators with astonishing auras rode in on their Exotic Beasts.

"Why isn’t Fan here yet?" ℴ

Fatty was fidgeting, rubbing his hands on his knees.

He glanced at the Demon Suppression Bureau’s designated seats in the distance, which were already occupied. Seven or eight Demon Suppression Captains in black and gold uniforms sat there, while numerous Demon Suppression Guards patrolled the perimeter. But Chu Fan was nowhere to be seen.

’The people from the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived a while ago. Why hasn’t he shown up?’

Li Qingxue pursed her lips, saying nothing.

Today she wore a practical, light-cyan outfit, her long hair tied back in a high, neat ponytail.

But her usually clear eyes now held a deep-seated worry.

Zhao Tianxing’s brow was furrowed. "Old Chu is representing the Demon Suppression Bureau," he said in a low voice. "The pressure must be immense."

He paused, then pointed to a group that had just entered. "Look. Those Noble Family Members who just came in all have incredible auras. Even their mounts radiate a terrifying pressure."

"I heard that the geniuses from the three great Noble Families and the nine major sects are all at the peak of the Bright Heart Realm!"

Peak of the Bright Heart Realm...

Those words landed like a heavy hammer on their hearts.

The fourth realm of the Martial Dao: Enlightenment of Heart and Nature, where Divine Powers are Self-Generated.

Upon reaching this realm, a Cultivator truly transcends the mortal coil, able to channel the Power of Heaven and Earth with a mere wave of their hand.

And the peak of the Bright Heart Realm was a terrifying level of existence, just one step away from the fifth realm, the "Ruyi Realm."

If Chu Fan wanted to win a ticket into the Profound Origin Secret Realm, he would have to face these geniuses at the peak of the Bright Heart Realm!

Li Qingxue’s gaze swept across the arena.

She saw at least thirty or forty figures standing or sitting quietly, their auras as deep as an abyss and as vast as a mountain.

Some had their eyes closed in meditation, others spoke in low voices with their companions, but a faint flow of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism circulated around each of them.

’Bright Heart Realm.’

’All of them are in the Bright Heart Realm...’

’Just sensing their auras is enough to make my heart pound in terror!’

"There are only twenty spots for entry into the Profound Origin Secret Realm." Cao Feng sighed. "Getting one of them will be anything but easy."

There was no shortage of young Bright Heart Realm Cultivators in all of Qing Province.

But among them, only the twenty strongest would earn the right to enter the Secret Realm.

The cruelty of the arena battles was easy to imagine.

Suddenly—

Li Qingxue’s eyes lit up. "He’s here!"

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it made everyone from the nearby Seven Stars Gang whip their heads around to the east in unison!

A huge log, about thirty feet long and as thick as a water bucket, was seen streaking through the eastern sky.

The front of the log was sharpened to a point while the back was flat. It was dark brown all over, with rough bark and even a few knots from branches that hadn’t been fully trimmed.

Three people stood atop the log.

The woman at the front was none other than the Demon Suppression Guard, Xiao Ziye.

Her expression was blank, her hands clasped behind her back.

Behind her stood Chu Fan, his posture straight and tall in his dark Demon Suppression Guard uniform.

The last person, with dark skin and a muscular build that stretched his Demon Suppression Bureau uniform taut, was Shi Hao.

Other people used Sword Flight.

They, however, were using log flight.

Just then, from the Seven Stars Gang’s section, Fatty jumped to his feet, waving his arms and shouting, "Fan! Over here!"

Chu Fan and the other two instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.

In the split second that Xiao Ziye was distracted—

The front of the log slammed squarely into a protruding rock face on the side of Cuiyun Mountain!

"BOOM!!!"

Amidst the colossal bang, splinters flew everywhere.

The thick log snapped in the middle. The front half embedded itself deep in the rock face, while the back half, carrying the three of them, crashed together with a THUD!

Then, a blast of energy erupted from Xiao Ziye, sending Chu Fan and Shi Hao flying.

She, however, executed a graceful turn in mid-air and landed lightly on her feet.

Chu Fan and Shi Hao, still in the air, didn’t have time to react. With a THUMP, they ended up hanging from a jutting rock!

"AHAHAHAHA!"

The entire crowd burst into uproarious laughter!

Chu Fan paid it no mind. He slapped a hand against the rock, landed steadily on his feet, and looked up toward the center of the arena.

There, a stone platform one hundred feet square and three feet high had risen at some point.

The platform was built entirely of massive, blue-black stone, its surface covered in complex formation patterns that faintly pulsed with Spiritual Light.

An old man in a cyan Daoist robe slowly walked onto the platform.

He looked to be in his seventies or eighties, with a full head of white hair and a matching beard, but his complexion was ruddy and his eyes were bright and full of spirit.

He held a white jade horsetail whisk, which he flicked gently.

"Silence."

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it reached every person’s ears clearly.

The entire arena fell silent in an instant.

The old man scanned the crowd and began to speak slowly. "This old man is Qingyangzi. I have been entrusted by the Qing Province Demon Suppression Bureau to host this year’s Profound Origin Secret Realm tournament."

"I trust you are all already clear on the rules."

"In the arena battles, life and death do not matter. The final twenty people left standing on the platform will earn the right to enter the Profound Origin Secret Realm."

"Now—"

With a wave of his whisk, four curtains of light rose up around the platform.

On the curtains of light, names and numbers began to flash by rapidly.

"Let the drawing begin!"