4378 Everyone’s Gathered at the Entrance of the Secret Realm
If it was in the Outer Boundary, most people would have been ecstatic when given a chance to enter a secret realm. After all, there were fortuitous encounters in secret realms.
Many supreme powerhouses and cultivators who did not belong to any sects or clans often left precious treasures and legacies in secret realms, which they prepared before their deaths. These secret realms were left to fated people to discover them. In the history of the Myriad Worlds, there were many supreme powerhouses who rose to the top through these encounters.
However, there were also malicious powerhouses who left deadly secret realms for hapless people who stumbled upon them just to mess with future generations.
Most people, even the most bloodthirsty, would have the intention to harm the future generation. No matter how vicious they were, they still hoped someone would inherit their legacies. It was also a way to gain peace before their deaths.
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For all these reasons, most people would be delighted by the chance to enter a secret realm in the Outer Boundary.
On the contrary, the prodigies imprisoned by the Crimson Demon despaired at the thought of entering a secret realm. After all, the secret realm opened by the Crimson Demon did not contain any treasure or fortuitous encounter and was only filled with challenges. If they could not pa.s.s the challenges, they would be severely injured, and in the worst-case scenario, they would die. There were no advantages and only disadvantages to entering the secret realm. Who would be willing to enter such a secret realm? Alas, no matter how reluctant they were, they could only obey and enter the secret realm. After all, they still had a chance of surviving if they entered the secret realm, but if they refused to enter the secret realm, they would be killed immediately.
…
Three months were not long to begin with, and it flew by even faster for the prodigies imprisoned in the Crimson Demon’s Little World.
w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, whom Duan Ling Tian was most familiar with in the Crimson Demon’s Little World, spent three months in torture. After all, he was certain that he would be among those who perished in the secret realm this time.
‘Previously, 67 people entered the secret realm, but only 31 people survived. Based on the death rate, even if the number doesn’t increase, at most only 15 or 16 people will survive this time. Excluding Brother Ling Tian who only came here a few years ago, more than half of us are injured. Seven people, including myself, are seriously injured. This time, unless there’s a miracle, the seven of us will surely die…’
w.a.n.g Yi Yuan did not dare to let down his guard at all during these three months. Although he was certain of his death, he did not stop preparing. After all, he really did not want to die.
…
“The secret realm is now open.”
A thunderous voice rang in the air, waking w.a.n.g Yi Yuan up from his cultivation. When he regained his senses, his expression changed drastically.
The day was finally here.
The owner of the voice was none other than the Crimson Demon, the supreme powerhouse who imprisoned him here. The Crimson Demon’s voice was like a nightmare to him.
“If someone doesn’t enter the secret realm within a hundred breaths, I’ll consider it as their refusal to enter the secret realm, and I’ll kill them immediately. The countdown starts now.”
w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, who was distracted, did not notice Duan Ling Tian who had flown up into the air as well.
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian, who was also awakened by the Crimson Demon’s voice, muttered inwardly, ‘I’m still a small distance away from breaking into the realm of advanced Supreme G.o.ds…’
As soon as Duan Ling Tian flew up into the sky, he noticed w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, the only person he was familiar with in this h.e.l.l. Although he could only see w.a.n.g Yi Yuan’s back, he could palpably sense how depressed w.a.n.g Yi Yuan was at the moment.
Duan Ling Tian approached w.a.n.g Yi Yuan and took the initiative to greet w.a.n.g Yi Yuan. “Brother Yi Yuan.”
However, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan continued forward as though he did not hear Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian moved next to w.a.n.g Yi Yuan. When he took a look, he saw w.a.n.g Yi Yuan’s pale face and lifeless eyes devoid of hope.
At this time, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan finally regained his senses and noticed Duan Ling Tian. He quickly forced a smile on his face and called out, “Brother Ling Tian.”
“You…” Duan Ling Tian was perplexed. Previously, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan was pessimistic, but w.a.n.g Yi Yuan was not in such a terrible state. He could not figure out what had happened to w.a.n.g Yi Yuan to bring about such a change.
Duan Ling Tian finally understood w.a.n.g Yi Yuan’s change when w.a.n.g Yi Yuan told him about how he was certain of his death in the secret realm this time due to his injuries from before. How could w.a.n.g Yi Yuan not be depressed since he knew he was going to die after he entered the secret realm?
“Brother Ling Tian, I’m sure I’m going to die this time. Since you just arrived, you don’t know how brutal the Crimson Demon’s secret realms are. You’ll be able to see for yourself after this. You must not be careless. I’ve seen many prodigies, who entered the secret realm for the first time, die,” w.a.n.g Yi Yuan said with a sigh with a hopeless expression on his face.
“I know,” Duan Ling Tian replied as he sighed inwardly. He did not know how to comfort w.a.n.g Yi Yuan at all. No matter what he said, it would be difficult to put w.a.n.g Yi Yuan at ease. Moreover, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan was much more familiar with the situation in the secret realm compared to him. He was just a newcomer, after all.
After traveling with w.a.n.g Yi Yuan for a while, Duan Ling Tian saw a lot of people flying over from different directions. All of them traveled in the same direction, and there was a huge vortex up ahead that resembled the maws of a giant beast.
A group of people stood outside the vortex, not daring to rush in.
“That’s the entrance to the secret realm…”
Duan Ling Tian and w.a.n.g Yi Yuan did not arrive too early or too late. When they arrived, about twenty people were already gathered there. Not too long after that, about a dozen other people arrived.
Duan Ling Tian swept his eyes past everyone and saw quite a few familiar faces. They were people he had seen when he first arrived and the people whom w.a.n.g Yi Yuan introduced him to.
Although everyone was gathered in the same place, they did not greet each other. Their faces were pale, and their expressions were grim. Some of them were despairing like w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, and their eyes, similar to those of w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, were devoid of hope.
Duan Ling Tian knew that these people must also be injured like w.a.n.g Yi Yuan during their previous trip to the secret realm. Now that they were about to enter the secret realm again with injuries, their deaths were almost certain.
‘These people were all prodigies in their own right in the Myriad Worlds before they were imprisoned by the Crimson Demon. Now, they’re all at the mercy of the Crimson Demon…’
Although Duan Ling Tian did not know these people very well, he could not help but feel sad when he looked at them. A sense of powerlessness rose instantly in his heart.
At the same time, Duan Ling Tian could not help but wonder inwardly, ‘Can I really escape alive with Sister Water’s plan? If I fail forever, my outcome will be like theirs. We’ll be doomed to stay here until we die. Perhaps, my body will be possessed by the Crimson Demon and my soul will no longer be mine…’
Duan Ling Tian felt extremely suffocated by the heavy and depressing atmosphere. Initially, he had regained his hope, but now, he could not help but feel affected by the atmosphere. He began to think that his chances of escaping were not very high.
“You have 50 breaths left…”
When the Crimson Demon’s voice rang in the air again, everyone, including Duan Ling Tian, jolted in shock. They quickly returned to their senses.
Subsequently, Duan Ling Tian saw many hostile and resentful gazes directed his way. He frowned slightly, puzzled. He did not know these people so he could not figure out why they were looking at him with such hostility.
At this time, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, who was pulled to his senses by the Crimson Demon’s voice, called out, “Brother Ling Tian…”
Then, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan explained why the others were hostile toward Duan Ling Tian. He had seen Duan Ling Tian’s puzzled expression earlier.
After Duan Ling Tian heard w.a.n.g Yi Yuan’s explanation, Duan Ling Tian was stunned and speechless.
“These people think that my arrival caused the Crimson Demon to open the secret realm in advance?”
Duan Ling Tian felt like he had been wrongly blamed. After all, he did not feel like he did anything wrong. He felt like the others were too unreasonable.
According to w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, before his arrival, the Crimson Demon had already increased the difficulty of the secret realm. The death rate had more than doubled compared to the previous ones. Before that, the death rate was relatively stable.
“Actually, they know this might not be because of you. It’s just that they need a target to vent their emotions on… They can’t afford to provoke the Crimson Demon, after all,” w.a.n.g Yi Yuan said through Voice Transmission.
Duan Ling Tian knew that those people regarded him as a pushover and vented their frustrations on him after listening to w.a.n.g Yi Yuan.
“Brother Ling Tian, let’s go in. I’m afraid these people will look for trouble with you during these 50 breaths…”
Duan Ling Tian agreed with w.a.n.g Yi Yuan and was just about to enter the secret realm when someone suddenly stopped them.
“w.a.n.g Yi Yuan, you can go in. However, I won’t allow him to enter without injuring him!” the other party said to w.a.n.g Yi Yuan before he turned to look at Duan Ling Tian with anger and hatred s.h.i.+ning in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, w.a.n.g Yi Yuan’s expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, “Peng Pu Sha, you’re crossing the line!”