Chapter 154: Third Order
"Damn it! I should have thought of this earlier, isn't the Spirit Void Fox's talent in spatial abilities?!" Ling Xu anxiously exclaimed at the gates of the Great Void Tao Sect.
An Elder calmly analyzed, "While the Secret Realm hasn't fully emerged yet, we should quickly contact the Profound Ice Sect and ask them to send reinforcements, otherwise, we will have no chance of entering the Secret Realm."
A Secret Realm, even the lowest level one, holds tremendous value. Hence, any emerging Secret Realm known to multiple powers will surely trigger substantial conflict.
"You're right, we alone can't stop the Devil Race from Great Snow Mountain," other Elders voiced their agreement.
Ling Xu promptly pulled out a communication Magic Artifact and sent a message about the emerging Secret Realm in Great Void Province and its discovery by the Devil Race.
"Understood, the Sect will send people to Great Void Province soon," the Profound Ice Sect responded, though not enthusiastically; after all, as a Nascent Soul Sect, they controlled several Secret Realms themselves.
After some discussion, the Profound Ice Sect decided to dispatch two hundred disciples from the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment stages, thirty Golden Core cultivators, and one Nascent Soul True Lord to deal with any potential fourth-order Devil Beasts.
Maybe they weren't too concerned about this Secret Realm, but they certainly couldn't just watch it fall into the hands of the Devil Race, could they?
Especially since not long ago, the massive beast tide stirred up by the Devil Race from Great Snow Mountain had greatly infuriated the Profound Ice Sect; now they could take this opportunity for a small retaliation.
——
"Who knows how much longer these boring days will continue," Li Zhirui heaved a helpless sigh in his rented dwelling.
Since the Secret Realm started to manifest, cultivators in Great Void Province became far less active, each holing up in their dwellings, waiting for the emergence of the Secret Realm.
He did not understand their thinking; they actually believed they had the chance to enter the Secret Realm!
Li Zhirui held no such hope, for whether it be Great Void Tao or the Devil Race, both wanted to monopolize the Secret Realm and would rather keep the other out, let alone allow Loose Cultivators to enter.
In Li Zhirui's estimation, the only possibility for them Loose Cultivators to enter the Secret Realm was if it were extremely dangerous, requiring such expendable Loose Cultivators to explore the perils.
In such a scenario, even if some Loose Cultivators were lucky enough to escape, they would have to surrender most of their gains from the Secret Realm.
Risking life and limb, only to end up working for others in the end.
And with most cultivators not venturing out, Li Zhirui had no opponents to practice with, only able to slowly refine his Mana through cultivation.
As for the Devil Race? With the current situation, Li Zhirui dared not enter Great Snow Mountain, where the Devil Beasts were now all gathered together, also preparing for the imminent Secret Realm.
Boom! A loud explosion echoed above the Marketplace, prompting all cultivators to come out and check.
The sight that met them was a massive Spirit Boat slowly descending, emanating an extremely terrifying oppressive force.
Even through the Formation and from such a distance, Li Zhirui could feel the pressure and a fear deep in his heart.
'A Nascent Soul True Lord!' Li Zhirui thought silently, 'Now the hope of entering the Secret Realm is slim to none.'
Shortly after the arrival of this Nascent Soul True Lord, a fourth-order Devil Beast also emerged from Great Snow Mountain.
Because the Secret Realm had not yet emerged, the clash between the two sides remained relatively calm.
But as time went on, and as the commotion of the Secret Realm's emergence increased, the conflict grew fiercer, and casualties began to occur.
Until one day, the Secret Realm embedded within the world's boundary membrane had finally entered our world and lay peacefully upon the surface of the lake.
"Old Man Bai, this Secret Realm belongs to my Devil Race, you might as well hurry back," declared the Crystal Purple Tail Scorpion, a fourth-rank Devil Beast, with a commanding tone.
Old Man Bai, a Nascent Soul True Lord of the Profound Ice Sect, coldly replied, "Everything remains uncertain, from whence comes your confidence?"
"My confidence stems from the rank-three members of my tribe under my command!" Zi Jing replied, full of self-assurance.
Although the Profound Ice Sect had brought thirty Golden Core practitioners, they were still outnumbered compared to the Devil Race.
If their strengths were relatively equal, it would come down to the ability of their respective teams, and in this regard, Old Man Bai was at a disadvantage, even if he included the Golden Cores of the Great Void Tao – managing only a hard-fought opposition.
"Hmph!" Faced with such an obvious disadvantage, Old Man Bai had little to say, merely letting out a cold snort.
The Secret Realm that had entered the world now opened its gates, signaling that cultivators could be dispatched to gather resources within.
Zi Jing and Old Man Bai did not rush into confrontation but instead approached the sides of the Secret Realm, using their own methods to test the grade of the Realm.
"A third-rank Secret Realm!?" Both exclaimed in surprise.
Although as Nascent Souls they could not enter the Secret Realm, it was highly likely that the realm contained the Spiritual Objects they needed.
"This Secret Realm is the property of my Devil Race, don't even think about it!" Zi Jing immediately declared.
"Ha!" Old Man Bai was not about to back down this time, especially not with a third-rank Secret Realm at stake, knowing that the several Secret Realms under the control of the Profound Ice Sect were at most second-rank, which still brought considerable profit and benefits to the Sect.
If the Sect were to find out he had abandoned a third-rank Secret Realm out of fear of the Devil Race, even as a Nascent Soul True Lord, he would face reprimand.
Mere steps away, an onlooker by the name of Li Zhirui, lit up at the mention of a third-rank Secret Realm.
It meant that he, too, stood a chance of entering the Secret Realm!
A third-rank Secret Realm was considered quite dangerous, and Golden Core practitioners, being extremely valuable to any faction, could not be sacrificed in large numbers within.
This was when the dispatching of Foundation Establishment cultivators became a necessity.
As for what might happen once inside, whether they would encounter Golden Core practitioners or engage in battle with them, those were concerns for later.
Boom!
In the struggle for the Secret Realm, Zi Jing and Old Man Bai started fighting, and the Golden Core practitioners of both sides were also wary of each other.
The battle between the Nascent Soul practitioners was beyond Li Zhirui's comprehension; in other words, he didn't understand what was happening.
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The fight did not last long, merely a quarter of an hour, with the victor decided in just a few moves.
All Li Zhirui knew was that in the end, Old Man Bai seemed to have gained the upper hand thanks to his Magical Treasure, but that was about it – the Devil Race was not driven away.
Thus, the Secret Realm remained under shared control of both forces.
Yet in reality, this arrangement was not particularly fair to the Devil Race, for most second-rank Devil Beasts lacked high Spiritual Intelligence, and sending them into a third-rank Secret Realm was akin to a death sentence!
Zi Jing looked visibly upset while arranging for the majority of the third-rank Devil Beasts to go in.
Old Man Bai, on the other hand, was quite pleased; he not only dispatched his own cultivators but also allowed the Great Void Tao to send people inside, outnumbering the Devil Race significantly.