Chapter 449 - 331: The Secret of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm (Part 2)

Chapter 449: Chapter 331: The Secret of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm (Part 2)

’The time is almost upon us. This opportunity... Cheng’Er, you must seize it. Whether we can produce another peerless prodigy after the Old Ancestor... our resurgence depends on this...’

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Zhu Zhengping kept his eyes closed for a long while. When he opened them again, his expression was utterly serene. He glanced at the crowd below, shook his head slightly, and said nothing.

Long ago, when the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm was first created, its Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus and Heavenly Dao Qi had been completely absorbed by his sect’s Old Ancestor. Although countless years had passed and the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus could bloom once more, it was nearly impossible for the Heavenly Dao Qi to re-condense.

Unless, that is, there was an external push. By inviting the prodigies from across the Martial Continent to gather here, it was no exaggeration to say that the future hopes of half the continent were now present, along with the fortune they carried.

And so, by using the Blood Souls and fortune of these prodigies—by having them fall within the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm as a sacrifice to the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus—a new strand of Heavenly Dao Qi could be condensed. This was the selfish little scheme harbored in Zhu Zhengping’s heart...

As for who would ultimately obtain this Heavenly Dao Qi, Zhu Zhengping had long since made his decision.

For Yu Changsheng, killing Chu Chengyu was merely a small interlude. It caused a slight delay, but it didn’t affect anything else.

Moving up one spot in the rankings was even less significant.

’If I get the chance, I should try to break into the top three. The rewards for the top three are incredibly tempting...’

Yu Changsheng mused to himself as his figure streaked forward. He encountered no other obstacles along the way.

Even when he ran into Blood Demon Generals, he dealt with them in an instant, avoiding any major delays.

Time passed. Half a day later, the silhouette of Heaven’s Corner Mountain appeared before him.

The third level of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm had few mountains or rivers, but Heaven’s Corner Mountain stood in its very core—majestic, imposing, and one of a kind.

The mountain was immense, thousands of feet tall, piercing the clouds like a sword. Its surface was mostly giant rock with few trees, and its entire body was a dark crimson color. It emanated a boundless Blood Evil Qi, giving off an aura of strangeness and misfortune. Standing tall upon the land and shrouded in mist, its peak was impossible to see at a glance. A supreme majesty leaked from it, and from its heights echoed nameless roars, the faint, hidden sounds of Blood Demon Generals.

The mountaintop seemed to be man-made. It wasn’t a sharp peak but a relatively small, uneven platform, pitted and cratered.

At this moment, many figures had already gathered there. They each had different expressions, but most sat with their eyes closed in meditation, recuperating and conserving their energy.

’Heaven’s Corner Mountain... The Blood Evil Qi is so dense. And this formation... it really does seem to be suppressing the entire Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm...’

Yu Changsheng slowed down, took a deep breath, and stared at Heaven’s Corner Mountain with knitted brows. Layers of pressure emanated from the mountain, and the ceaseless Evil Qi constantly corroded one’s Divine Soul.

One could say that without sufficient strength, it would be impossible to even get close to the mountain. This indirectly proved how extraordinary the people meditating on its summit were.

Yu Changsheng pondered this but didn’t stop moving. He flew upward against the pressure, his expression unchanging, his gaze piercing through the void to focus on the center of the mountaintop.

There, the Blood Evil Qi was at its densest. All the Blood Evil Qi of Heaven’s Corner Mountain was drawn from the surroundings, rising from the base to finally converge at that spot.

A hazy blood-red light filled the air. The Blood Evil Qi was so thick that even a single glance made Yu Changsheng’s Divine Soul feel an irrepressible trance-like sensation. However, in that brief moment, he still managed to see it clearly—the spectral outline of a lotus flower...

The lotus was blood-red, but golden patterns spread across its surface, adding to its mysteriousness. Its petals were crimson, each one condensed with endless Blood Evil, demonstrating the object’s extraordinary nature.

Without a doubt, it was the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus!

At this moment, the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus had not yet fully bloomed. It was still a bud, trembling slightly, ready to burst open. What was most captivating was the wisp of blood-gold qi at its very center. Nestled within the layers of petals, this qi continuously flowed throughout the lotus...

This qi was formless and ethereal, yet truly real. It was invisible to the naked eye; only by sensing with one’s Divine Soul could a faint trace be caught. It was mysterious and unpredictable, yet supremely noble. It was hard to describe with words—innately majestic, yet soul-stirring.

"It really is Heavenly Dao Qi..."

The Profound Turtle’s excited voice echoed in Yu Changsheng’s mind.

"Looks like it still needs a little more time. When the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus blooms, this Heavenly Dao Qi will also be fully mature. Get ready. It’s going to be a bloodbath."

Yu Changsheng also felt a surge of excitement. He pulled his gaze away from the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus and nodded inwardly at the Profound Turtle’s words.

’A treasure is good, but you need to be alive to enjoy it. I’ll do my best, but if it’s impossible, I’ll have to give up.’

Yu Changsheng thought to himself as he landed on the summit of Heaven’s Corner Mountain. He scanned the crowd, his expression as calm as ever.

Many people had already gathered around the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus. The majority of those in the innermost circle, closest to the lotus, were the top-ranking cultivators on the Celestial Slaughter List.

As for those in the outer circles, further back, they were the cultivators ranked lower on the list.

"Someone else arrived?"

"Seems the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus’s appeal isn’t small... This guy, I recognize him. Isn’t that Yu Changsheng from the Wanxiang Sect, ranked tenth on the Celestial Slaughter List... oh, no, ninth now."

"A member of the Wanxiang Sect has the guts to come here? That’s rare. I wonder if he’ll dare to enter the inner circle. That place is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

All eyes turned to Yu Changsheng, and the crowd began to murmur with interest.

Hearing the whispers around him, Yu Changsheng’s expression remained unchanged. He couldn’t be bothered to respond, instead observing his surroundings and understanding the situation.

Many people had come for the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus, and they had formed several circles. The innermost circle contained only a few individuals, who were just a few dozen feet from the lotus.

One could imagine that once the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus fully matured and bloomed, these people would be the first to reach it. Judging by the looks of reverence from those in the outer circles, it was clear these individuals were not simple.

They were all among the top ten on the Celestial Slaughter List. Only those in the top ten had the qualifications and strength to occupy those spots.

The rest were positioned further back. In reality, the final owner of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus would most likely emerge from that inner group. The others were simply unwilling to give up, having come here to try their luck.

Thus, no one dared to object to this arrangement.

"Yu Changsheng is ranked ninth, so technically he’s qualified to be in the inner circle. But I wonder if he has the courage to go over there..."

"After all, Wang Haiyang, the fellow disciple of Chu Chengyu whom he killed, is right there. Not to mention the other prodigies, who are all elites from the top three sects. For someone from a bottom-tier sect like the Wanxiang Sect to go in..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m already looking forward to this."

The crowd clucked their tongues in amusement, their gazes filled with appraisal and curiosity as they watched Yu Changsheng’s every move.

Yu Changsheng pursed his lips. Just as he was about to step forward, he turned his head slightly. Two figures were rapidly approaching him, their expressions tinged with excitement.

"Changsheng? You’re here?"

Yu Changsheng recognized the newcomers. They were Lin Wang and Ling Tianyi, the other two Golden Core cultivators from the Wanxiang Sect present in the secret realm.

"Senior Brother Lin, Senior Brother Ling."

Yu Changsheng nodded and cupped his fists in greeting.

"No need to be so formal! I knew you would come."

Lin Wang and Ling Tianyi exchanged a glance and chuckled. A complex look flickered in their eyes as they gazed at Yu Changsheng. They clasped his saluting hands, their manner exceptionally familiar.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the three were the closest of friends.

However, in an environment like this, the bonds between fellow sect members were indeed infinitely magnified, so Yu Changsheng found their behavior perfectly normal.𝒻𝑟ℯℯ