Chapter 524: Chapter 524

Now that the three of them have entered the Secret Realm, each has their own thoughts.

Lin Fan is here to learn from others, to take what they do best and fill in his gaps, constantly perfecting his own Secret Realm.

Xiang Fei came to unwind. Although he says he won’t think about certain things anymore, who knows if he still does? Taking a walk to clear his mind isn’t wrong. Maybe during the journey, he might figure things out — you never can tell.

Qin Yang is purely tagging along as a bystander with no real purpose, just wandering around out of curiosity. In the past, he relied on the prestige of being a Noble Family Young Master from an Immortal Venerable Family to intimidate ordinary people.

But now? That’s no longer viable. He’s being hunted by his own family, and his ability to act superior has drastically diminished. It’s safe to say this situation is extremely unpleasant for him.

This Secret Realm has been scoured by Immortals for thousands of years. There’s no way anything would still be left in the usual treasure spots.

For instance, take that small mountain in the distance.

It was originally covered in greenery and lush plants all over the mountain. But over the course of thousands of years, a path has been forcibly trampled into it.

"Finding treasure around here is going to be pretty tough."

Lin Fan sighed, somewhat helpless. Too many people had entered this Secret Realm, so it no longer carried the kind of allure it once did.

Occasionally, there would be Immortals passing by.

When they saw Lin Fan and the others, they had no particular reaction. Some, being amicable, would nod as a gesture of greeting.

Everyone seemed very zen about it.

No conflicts occurred.

Lin Fan had figured out one thing: the reason there were no treasures here was precisely because of the lack of conflict. If there were treasures, people would undoubtedly fight fiercely over them.

A map might be vast, but the treasures cannot be too few. If there are too few treasures, there won’t be fierce battles.

Since he hoped to use the Chaos Secret Realm to grow stronger alongside his two companions, how could he not put in more effort?

As they delved deeper,

the surrounding environment began to change.

Before long, they reached a valley that was entirely crimson, as if the area had been drenched in blood long ago and eventually solidified into a surface harder than stone.

Xiang Fei said, "I heard that when this Secret Realm first opened, a powerful ancient beast once lived here. It drew the attention of numerous top cultivators, and more than a dozen Immortal Emperor Realm powerhouses came, all of them wanting to tame the beast as a mount."

"In the end, the fight among the Immortal Emperors became too intense, and the poor beast caught in the midst of their terrifying battle was torn apart by the residual waves of energy. Its blood dyed this valley red."

Qin Yang exclaimed in shock, "Those Immortal Emperors are just savages! That beast didn’t even know why it died."

"Yeah, you could say that," Xiang Fei replied.

Lin Fan sighed with regret. If only that beast had been a little more cunning and hidden itself, it might have been fated to become his mount.

But it just had terrible luck.

A bunch of people wanted to fight over it, and it ended up dying a senseless death. Truly a regrettable fate.

"Anything more tragic than this?" Lin Fan asked.

At the same time, this incident gave him another idea about the Secret Realm: adding some ancient beasts into it might actually be a good idea. However, finding such powerful beasts was no easy task, and weaker ones wouldn’t interest anyone — a real headache.

"Yes!" Xiang Fei nodded heavily.

Every Secret Realm had plenty of tragic, heartrending stories.

They continued onward and soon arrived at a vast ocean.

Xiang Fei said, "A long time ago, there was a massive population of Sea Demons living here. They had almost formed a distinct ecosystem within the Secret Realm. But sadly, over thousands of years, they were hunted to extinction by Immortals. Their blood, flesh, and inner cores were all used to refine elixirs. Completely wiped out."

Lin Fan and Qin Yang exchanged looks.

Immortals truly were terrifying beings.

An entire species could be annihilated. That level of cruelty was truly staggering.

Lin Fan still craved Innate Divine Abilities. The fact was, these abilities were incredibly powerful. But ever since arriving in the Immortal Realm, he hadn’t encountered any creatures that possessed them.

It was an exceptionally lamentable situation.

The Innate Divine Abilities he currently had were of the lowest tier, barely at the entry level of what could be called immortal-grade. And he had benefited so much from those. Even when facing formidable enemies, they proved to be incredibly useful.

Lin Fan raised his hand and scanned the surroundings. Moments ago, he sensed several extremely strong auras surging toward the distant horizon.

"Be careful. I’ve spotted some powerful figures heading that way."

"Powerful?" Xiang Fei’s expression grew serious. "Impossible. Why would strong cultivators come to this Secret Realm? It’s already been almost entirely cleaned out. Even if there were any treasures left, they wouldn’t be worth the effort. There are better Secret Realms out there!"

"Maybe these cultivators are a bit off in the head? They enjoy wandering into places to try their luck, thinking their odds are higher in such middle-ground Secret Realms," suggested Qin Yang, his tone brimming with disdain for such behavior.

"Let’s go take a look, but tread carefully and keep a low profile," Lin Fan instructed.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei nodded solemnly at his words. Indeed, caution and restraint were essential. But when treasure was involved, those virtues often gave way to recklessness.

They acknowledged that their prior misunderstandings had been their fault. Now, they wouldn’t repeat such mistakes.

The three of them went toward the distant commotion, following close behind the more powerful figures to see what they were up to and explore what remained worth discovering in this Secret Realm.

Even as they trailed behind,

Lin Fan continued to study the surrounding environment, analyzing the terrain and layout. For a Secret Realm to attract explorers for thousands of years, there had to be lessons worth learning in its design.

The Heavenly Vault in the distance trembled violently. Beams of light illuminated the entire sky, and cracks appeared in the Void, fracturing into a massive web-like structure that enveloped the heavens and earth.

The battle was extraordinarily fierce.

The shockwaves alone were mind-blowing; it was clear that powerful cultivators were truly engaged in battle.

The three of them concealed themselves in the Void, watching from a great distance.

"Three Immortal Monarch Realm powerhouses."

"And all of them are incredibly strong."

With a mere glance, Lin Fan discerned their strength using his auxiliary skill. Their mana was profound and dense, undoubtedly disciples of powerful factions, practicing Immortal Techniques and Divine Skills of exceptional caliber.

"The Eight Desolate Hidden Dragon Divine Ability—he’s from the Eight Desolate Sect," Xiang Fei noted as he observed one of the men. His hands were encircled by flaming dragons, with Samadhi Fire burning red-hot, overpowering the surroundings. "If it’s him, I probably couldn’t hold him off without a Holy Weapon."

As for the other two, Xiang Fei couldn’t decipher their origins yet.

Their techniques were strange and difficult to pin down.

But what astonished Xiang Fei the most was that their opponent turned out to be a dragon. That was something he hadn’t anticipated — how could a dragon exist in such a depleted Secret Realm? This update is available on NovelHub(.)net

Logically, after thousands of years, anything worth taking would have been taken, every creature either captured or killed. Not even a trace should remain.

"It’s been ages since I last saw a dragon,"

Lin Fan remarked, recalling Ao Baitian from the Cultivation World. He wondered how that guy was doing these days. If he ever found a way to return to the Cultivation World, he’d definitely go back and check on him.

His eyes stayed locked on the battle.

He felt a faint sense of destiny with this dragon. If he could catch it and trap it within his Secret Realm, it would undoubtedly attract a swarm of explorers.

proper marketing was key.

Something along the lines of "An ancient Heavenly Dragon has appeared within a certain Secret Realm! Those who acquire its Dragon Blood can cultivate a dragon-like physique, and those who consume its Dragon Essence can attain immortality!" would do the trick. The more exaggerated, the better — people always fall for grandiose claims.

Fools exist every year, and their numbers never dwindle.

He was entirely convinced of that fact.

The distant battle reached its conclusion. The enormous dragon radiated golden light and, with a swoosh, transformed into a streak of light, retreating into the mountains and vanishing from view.

The three Immortal Monarchs exchanged grim looks as they stared down at the mountain range below.

"This dragon is tricky to deal with. Hiding deep within the mountains, it’s going to be tough to pull it out," one Immortal Monarch remarked.

This dragon had been formed by the Dragon Vein and nurtured for millennia before taking on its current form. Capturing it would bring immense rewards. Whether for Artifact Refining, Alchemy, or practicing Divine Skills, it was of tremendous value.

Especially for Immortals with Earth Spirit Roots. By absorbing this dragon, their cultivation level and Divine Skills would soar dramatically.

It was truly an unparalleled treasure.

"No problem. I have a plan. In a moment, I’ll set up the Life Reversing Pulse Array to draw the dragon out. At that point, no matter how much it wants to hide, it will have nowhere to go."

"However, I’ll need your help."

"This dragon’s strength isn’t trivial. Drawing it out on my own would be quite difficult."

This Immortal Monarch had mastered a formation capable of extracting the Vital Dragon. However, using this array would deplete him considerably. To avoid being disadvantaged later, he needed to distribute the expenditure of energy.

It wouldn’t be fair to shoulder the burden alone, after all.

Quickly, the Immortal Monarch began to form an Immortal Seal with his fingers. With a flick of his robe, Immortal Stones scattered across the land. As he pointed downward, a resonant hum filled the air, and the ground quaked. Beams of light converged to form an enormous array.

The Immortal Monarch stood proudly in the Void, glancing at his companions. "Make your move. Let’s bring it out."

the three Immortal Monarchs spread their fingers and grabbed downward. Winds howled, clouds surged, and the ground fractured with countless cracks. A terrifying force erupted forth.

Were they to leave the Vital Dragon undisturbed below,

there would be no way to subdue it.

But now that the opportunity had arrived, how could they allow it to remain in peaceful seclusion here?

a dragon’s roar echoed across the heavens and earth.

The Vital Dragon soared upward, restrained by beams of light. It let out an angry bellow: "You Immortal Monarchs of the Human Clan — why can’t you spare me? I’ve nurtured myself for millennia to form my dragon body, and yet you refuse to tolerate my existence!"

An Immortal Monarch replied, "You’re a priceless treasure. Why wouldn’t we want something as valuable as you?"

"Enough with the nonsense. Fellow daoists, make your move. Let’s capture this Vital Dragon and split it among the three of us. This will be a trip well worth it."