Chapter 44: Hidden Realm

Far beyond the sprawling borders of the capital and deep into the untamed wilderness lay the jagged, imposing peaks of the northern mountain range.

This ancient mountain chain stood hundreds of miles away from the kingdom’s central domains, shrouded in perpetual mist and jagged, treacherous cliffs.

Normally, this desolate region was little more than a graveyard for reckless beasts and wandering outcasts. But today, the atmosphere across the entire mountain range was entirely surreal.

A colossal, shimmering golden barrier had materialized over the peaks, completely enclosing a massive valley. Right at the epicenter of the mountain range, a blinding pillar of pure golden light erupted toward the heavens, piercing the cloud cover and tearing at the firmament.

Yet, even this divine light was securely locked within the confines of the massive barrier, hiding its true glory from the mortal world below.

High above the clouds, suspended effortlessly in mid-air, Ethan floated in serene silence. His striking golden hair whipped wildly in the fierce high-altitude winds, contrasting sharply with the deep blue robes that hugged his athletic, powerful frame. His piercing blue eyes stared fixedly at the towering golden pillar.

Standing right beside him was Rose. Her rich red hair danced around her face in the gale, and a playful, triumphant smirk curved her lips.

"I told you the location of the Red Dust Magic Flame was genuine, didn’t I?" Rose chuckled softly, gesturing toward the barrier.

"Though, as you can see, that flame is sealed deep within a hidden secret realm. This realm only manifested two days ago. If you want the flame, you’ll have to find a way through that barrier."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, studying the complex runic structures pulsing across the golden dome. The defensive formation was staggering in its density. Even the king of their realm—a seasoned sixth-rank master—would likely break his teeth trying to shatter such an ancient barrier by force. Clearly, it was designed to keep uninvited interlopers out until the realm’s internal temporal seals stabilized on their own.

Looking down past the peaks, Ethan surveyed the sweeping valleys below. Legions of adventurous cultivators, wandering mercenaries, powerful warriors, and ambitious mages from every surrounding town and city had swarmed the base of the mountains, forming sprawling tent camps. The sheer concentration of talent and raw ambition was palpable.

Yet, a cold knot of cognitive dissonance formed in Ethan’s chest.

*This doesn’t make any sense,* Ethan thought, his brow furrowing slightly. *In my previous life, nothing of this scale happened when I was fifteen. Sure, a minor secret realm opened much later when I was twenty, yielding some decent opportunities. But an empire-shaking anomaly of this magnitude? I would have remembered it instantly.*

Just then, a crisp, mechanical chime echoed directly within his consciousness.

[Host, the opening of this secret realm is a forced intervention orchestrated directly by the Will of Heaven itself.]

Ethan’s eyes flashed in shock as he communicated mentally. [The Will of Heaven? You mean *Heaven’s Will* is actively opening this portal? But why?]

[Because of the Host’s actions,] the system replied coolly. [You have continuously intercepted, manipulated, and drained an excessive amount of fate from its three Chosen Ones—Lumian, Kael, and Arthur. To compensate for their plunging destiny reserves and prevent their complete collapse, Heaven’s Will has forcefully spawned this secret realm specifically for them, aiming to funnel massive opportunities back into their paths.]

A cold sweat nearly broke out on Ethan’s neck. "Wait! You explicitly assured me that Heaven’s Will wouldn’t notice me! You said even the entity controlling the heavenly order wouldn’t detect my interventions, let alone trace the stolen fate points back to me!".

A soft, synthesized chuckle echoed from the system interface. [Host, I stated that Heaven’s Will wouldn’t notice *you*. I never said it wouldn’t notice its Chosen Ones rapidly losing their destiny. The heavenly order can feel their fate bleeding away into the void, even if it lacks the awareness to pinpoint the thief. There is no need to panic. Even if you enter this secret realm and sweep away every single opportunity inside under its nose, Heaven’s Will still cannot lock onto your existence.]

Ethan’s mind raced, a fresh puzzle hitting him. [That still doesn’t add up. Kael, Arthur, Lumian, and Seraphina are currently hundreds of miles away, locked deep inside the Sterling Manor in the capital. How on earth are they supposed to—]

Before he could finish the thought, a deafening crack rent the air behind him.

Ethan whipped his head around. The empty expanse of sky fifty feet away had violently shattered like cheap glass, splitting open into a jagged abyss of churning, pitch-black void.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Four human figures were violently hurled backward out of the spatial tear by an invisible, divine momentum, tumbling hard through the air before catching their balance.

Three of them were young men. Kael stood tall, his jet-black hair bound in a half-ponytail, his yellow eyes wide with shock and his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword.

Arthur stumbled slightly, his fiery orange hair flaring with involuntary sparks of heat as his blue-red eyes scanned the rugged mountain landscape in disbelief.

Lumian hovered unsteadily, blue mana swirling frantically around his palms, his dark green eyes wide.

The fourth figure was a stunning young woman with vibrant red hair, striking green eyes, and a sleek, form-fitting black combat dress that accentuated her agile physique. Seraphina had been dragged right alongside them.

Heaven’s Will had literally torn the fabric of space across hundreds of miles, forcibly teleporting its four Chosen Ones straight to the mouth of the secret realm.

Below, the massive crowd of gathered adventurers and rogue warriors snapped their attention upward. Dozens of pairs of greedy, assessing eyes locked onto the four teenagers who had just materialized out of thin air.

"Look at that! Spatial teleportation!"

"Are those kids connected to the secret realm opening?"

"There’s something deeply abnormal about them. Look at their auras—second-rank warriors and mages at such a tender age! They must hold the key to entering the valley!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as several ruthless-looking mercenaries and rogue cultivators began closing in, their expressions predatory.

Kael blinked hard, shaking his head to clear the sudden, dizzying vertigo. He instinctively gripped the hilt of his broadsword, his yellow eyes darting around the jagged mountain peaks.

"Wait..." Kael muttered, his voice laced with absolute confusion. "Just a moment ago, I was back at the Sterling Manor training grounds, looking everywhere for Seraphina so I could talk to her."

A few paces away, Arthur stumbled, steadying himself with a burst of orange flame sparking off his palms. He stared at his hands in disbelief, then looked up, his fiery blue eyes wide. "Me too! I was just about to spar with her!"

Both young men stiffened, slowly turning their heads. Standing right between them, her red hair fluttering wildly in the gale, was Seraphina.

Kael forced a tense, awkward smile, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "Seraphina... you’re here too? And Arthur as well? What on earth just happened? One second we were in the capital, and the next... I don’t understand any of this."

Unlike the others, Seraphina’s expression remained eerily composed. Beneath her youthful exterior, a profound and terrifying soul awakening had long since taken root.

In her very first lifetime, she had been a supreme, peerless Empress who ruled over vast empires, carrying memories of blood, power, and ancient cultivation secrets.

When she spoke, her voice no longer held the soft, girlish cadence of a child that was music to the ears. Instead, it was biting, detached, and dripping with an absolute, bone-chilling frost.

"We didn’t walk here," Seraphina stated flatly, her green eyes scanning the surrounding thousands of predatory cultivators below. "An entity of unfathomable power forcefully ripped the fabric of space and summoned us across hundreds of miles."

She pointed a slender finger toward the perimeter, where dozens of ruthless mercenaries and rogue warriors were closing in, weapons drawn and eyes gleaming with greed.

"Look around us," Seraphina whispered, her voice like grinding ice as she raised her glowing magic staff. "We aren’t just in some random mountains. We’ve been thrown straight into the center of a storm, and a mountain of trouble is already marching right toward us."

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