Translator: CinderTL
"Young Master Fang," Mo Xianxian said with a curt nod.
Xu Sanyan was equally surprised to see Mo Xianxian emerge so quickly. His initial assessment of her had clearly been flawed; she was no ordinary cultivator.
Arriving with Huan Xi'er and Mo Xianxian was Tu Wanshan and his group. Tu Wanshan glared darkly at Jingyi, their animosity palpable.
By now, the majority of cultivators in the secret realm had gathered. Representatives from all five great sects of the Central Region were present, along with the Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake and the Jiang Family of Southern Heaven Valley, who had traveled from afar.
Everyone was eager to learn what had transpired here.
Jiang Yan's arm had been reattached, and he now carried himself with far more restraint, no longer the brash and boisterous youth he had been before. The previous incident had clearly left a deep impression on him.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "The fissure is widening!"
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. The fissure was indeed slowly expanding, its original width of three or four zhang (about 9-12 meters) gradually increasing to nearly five zhang (about 15 meters).
It was as if two colossal hands were gripping the fissure's edges, tearing it apart with immense force.
No one understood what was happening. They stared blankly at the sky.
Suddenly, Fang Qingge roared, "Retreat! The earth is cracking!"
The crowd frantically retreated as the fissure in the Void widened, causing the ground to tremble violently. Cracks spread across the surface like spiderwebs, radiating outward in all directions.
Xu Sanyan lightly tapped his toes, soaring into the air. Others followed suit, either hovering aloft like him or rapidly retreating.
Boom!
A massive section of the earth collapsed, creating a colossal pit dozens of meters wide.
Xu Sanyan peered down into the abyss, seeing only impenetrable darkness.
Rumble!
The earth continued to fracture, though at a slower pace. Distant buildings crumbled with thunderous crashes.
The crowd, still shaken, watched the fissure. Only when it stopped expanding did they breathe a collective sigh of relief.
By now, the rift in the Void had widened to nearly thirty meters, stretching downward until it met the massive pit. The surrounding ground was crisscrossed with spiderweb-like cracks.
Xu Sanyan, Fang Qingge, and the others hovered in the air, wary of approaching the massive crater.
"What was that?" Luo Qingwei gasped, clutching her chest to calm her racing heart. For a moment, she had feared the secret realm was about to shatter.
If the secret realm were to shatter, everyone present—from Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to Soul Refining Realm experts, and even those in the higher void harmony realm—would face certain death.
Because the secret realm existed within the Void, its destruction wouldn't return them to their original world. Instead, they would plummet into the Void itself.
What is the Void?
It is nothingness—no earth, no sky, no spiritual energy, not even a sense of up, down, left, or right.
Once trapped in the Void, there is no escape except to await death, unless one possesses the immense cultivation level required to tear through the Void and force their way back. Even then, survival remains a slim possibility.
Xu Sanyan stared into the deep crater, his expression a mix of shock and uncertainty. For a fleeting moment, he thought he had glimpsed something moving within the depths—a flash of light that vanished as quickly as it appeared. The movement was so swift, he almost dismissed it as a trick of the eye.
"Holy Son, look!" Elder Ren pointed into the distance. Xu Sanyan followed his gaze and saw a large group of ghost generals flying toward them. Leading the charge was a middle-aged man in a deep purple robe, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of extraordinary dignity.
Xu Sanyan frowned. What are these ghosts doing here?
Could they be here for revenge?
Fortunately, the middle-aged man merely glanced at the group before turning his attention to the deep pit, indicating that this was the reason for their arrival.
Mo Xianxian took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.
This man... is Yuan Anping, the one who stole her virginity.
Yuan Anping seemed to notice Mo Xianxian but paid her no attention. His sole focus now was finding a way out. He casually pointed to a ghost soldier behind him.
"Go down and investigate."
"Yes, sir."
Without hesitation, the ghost soldier leaped into the pit and vanished from sight.
After a long wait, he never returned.
At that moment, Fang Qingge's voice echoed in Xu Sanyan's ear through telepathy. "Brother Xu, if things turn sour, we should join forces to resist. What do you say?"
Their eyes met, and they both turned to look at Yuan Anping.
Xu Sanyan nodded in agreement, then glanced at Jingyi and the others, who had clearly also received Fang Qingge's telepathic message.
Despite their past conflicts, this situation was different. These ghostly creatures were, after all, foreign entities.
Yuan Anping remained oblivious to their subtle maneuvers, and even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared. He was confident in his ability to crush them all single-handedly.
Boom!
Boom!
Suddenly, the heavens and earth trembled violently, the ground shaking with even greater intensity than before.
"What's happening?!"
Someone cried out in alarm, scrambling to flee into the distance.
Anxiety flickered in Luo Qingwei's eyes. Could the secret realm truly be on the verge of collapse?
Fortunately, her fears didn't materialize, but a new development emerged from the deep pit.
A luminous white light erupted from the pit, drawing everyone's gaze involuntarily.
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention on the light. That white glow...
It resembled a massive tree branch.
A tree branch radiating crystalline light?
Its shape resembled the gnarled branches of an ancient tree, but this tree was colossal. Even a small section of its branch extended dozens of meters into the air!
The branch continued to stretch upward, its tip adorned with shimmering, translucent leaves. At the very top hung two fruits.
Both fruits were spherical, but their colors differed. One emitted a hazy gray aura, while the other glowed with a vibrant emerald green.
Xu Sanyan tilted his head back, gazing at the crystalline branch, his heart pounding with awe. What kind of tree was this?
Completely crystalline, without a single impurity, and growing from the Void itself? A mere branch capable of piercing a secret realm?
A branch... from an ancient tree!
Wait!
Xu Sanyan suddenly remembered something. Venerable He Yu had once instructed him that if he encountered an ancient tree within a secret realm, he should try to obtain a leaf or fruit from it. In exchange, the Venerable would offer a flying boat.
Could this be the ancient tree he was referring to?
Moreover, the previous owner of the discipline ruler, the Old man, had mentioned that the Peach Blossom Secret Realm contained over two hundred secret realms, like fruits growing on a tree.
So... those two fruits...
Were they actually independent secret realms?!
"Hiss..."
Xu Sanyan gasped, a realization dawning in his mind:
A supreme treasure!
This ancient tree was undoubtedly a supreme treasure. Even a single fruit from it would be a priceless artifact!
Boom~
The ground trembled slightly as the crystalline trunk sealed the massive hole in the earth. The branches ceased their probing, as if everything had come to a halt.
The crystalline branch, towering over three hundred meters tall, dominated the landscape, drawing everyone's gaze, especially toward the two fruits at its apex.
Yuan Anping's breathing quickened. He seemed to see a glimmer of hope for escape!
Xu Sanyan quietly retreated, sensing a dangerous aura. Those fruits wouldn't be easy to obtain.
(End of the Chapter)
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