With this explanation, Chase understood that his earlier struggle had actually helped him pass the trial, which was quite unexpected.The old man with the gray beard paused for a moment, then continued, "Still, it's a bit disheartening. Several of us old men ventured into this secret realm hoping to find a breakthrough opportunity before our lifespans ran out, but we ended up dying here without achieving anything."This secret realm was ultimately left for you later generations to explore. Enough of the side talk. Let's get down to business."When you entered this secret realm, those behind you probably didn't tell you the whole truth, or maybe they weren't aware either. This realm didn't originally belong here. Back then, tokens suddenly fell from the sky one day."These tokens were the keys to entering this secret realm. Sensing that this place was more suitable for cultivation than Bactria, a few of us old folks used a little trick to force our way in. "But once we entered, we
Leia, on the other hand, sat alone on a hill. It was silent and desolate, surrounded by a bloody scene. She looked utterly miserable.Chase could not help but think more highly of Leia. This woman always wore a facade, willing to bear the vilest accusations just to hide her true self. She was a person with a strong inner strength.As Chase continued to observe Leia's illusion, the green field gradually shrank. Soon, the green field disappeared entirely, followed by the castle walls and then the great hall. Eventually, the entire castle vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of yellow sand.The five people slowly woke up, with Chase being the first to regain consciousness. He saw that they were all stark naked in the midst of the endless desert, with no trace of the green field or the castle. Chase knew that it was just as the old man with the gray beard had said—the old man had completely dissipated.Seizing the moment while the other four had not fully awakened, Chase quickly stor
Thinking of this, the few of them broke out in a cold sweat."Who was the first to wake up?" Everett pressed on, still unwilling to give up."It seemed to be him," Leia pointed at Chase without hiding anything.Something like this could not be hidden. Even if she did not say it, it would have been deduced eventually."Chase, it's you again. Be honest, what did you get inside the castle?" Everett clearly suspected Chase of something."Don't go too far, Everett. So what if I was the first to wake up? What could I have gotten? If I had gotten something, wouldn't I have done something to you all when I woke up first? Or I could have just left first. Are you an idiot?" Chase retorted, silently thinking how quick this guy was to suspect him."That's because you're clever. If you had left first, we would've chased after you. In order to clear yourself of suspicion, you deliberately stayed with us. So, hand it over and let us see." It was not certain if Everett was just guessing or if he
"Since that's the case, let's skip the talking and get to it. In the end, words are useless. What matters is our skills," Chase declared proactively."Don't blame us for ganging up on you, then," Everett responded first, launching his attack. With the illusions gone, their powers had been restored, and his stage-nine marquis cultivation flared out.Everett swiftly advanced. Bo, Immanuel, and Leia—not to be outdone—also attacked simultaneously, forming a four-cornered encirclement around Chase.When did marquis-level fighters become so common? Besides Bo, who was slightly weaker, Immanuel and Leia were stage-eight marquises of martial arts. Everett, of course, was a stage-nine marquis.Even when surrounded, Chase remained calm, not even bothering to use his weapon.He effortlessly countered their attacks with pure techniques. Before Lucas trained him, Chase might have struggled with such a formation. However, after Caspian went into seclusion and Lucas took over his training, Chase
Seeing this, Bo shouted, "Leia, lend us a hand, or else none of us will escape death!"If Everett died here, that would leave only the three of them—two stage-eight marquises and Bo—against Chase. It would be a dead end.Thus, Leia also joined in. A red light flashed, and she emitted a mesmerizing aura.Finally, when Immanuel also joined the fray, the four of them together managed to fend off Chase's attack."Since you managed to block one of my moves, I'll spare you this time. But next time, I won't show any mercy," Chase warned before turning away and disappearing in an instant without looking back."Who would have thought that Chase's strength would be so terrifying?" Bo remarked, still shaken after Chase left. He wondered if his bet had been worth it. Had he been more resolute and sided with Chase, the outcome might have been different.Although he knew Chase was stronger, he had not realized just how overwhelmingly powerful he was. Chase was strong enough to handle all four
Indeed, this excuse worked every time. Hearing that Chase was a hunter who had gotten separated from his tribe, the person guarding the area did not ask too many questions, perhaps out of sympathy or pity. After inquiring about his name, they gave Chase a sleeping spot and advised him to rest early.At dinnertime, the person warmly invited Chase to join them for dinner. They were roasting a large beast's leg over the fire, and Chase could not resist the man's hospitality. He followed him to the fire.Around the fire, seven or eight men were already waiting. Seeing Chase, they quickly made room for him to sit. As a token of gratitude, Chase discreetly retrieved two bottles of liquor from his storage space and shared them.He was always generous to those who showed him kindness.Listening to the men talk about interesting stories from far and wide, Chase found himself thoroughly enjoying their company and soon joined in the conversation. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.After
Although this place was located in the wilderness, the spiritual energy here was no less than that in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm. Chase absorbed the spiritual energy into his body, quickly entering a state of cultivation.Though the effect of absorbing spiritual energy was minimal for Chase, cultivation had always been about gradual accumulation. There was no such thing as overnight success.In the latter half of the night, a sudden chill woke Chase. He spread out his consciousness, scanning the area but finding nothing unusual. When he shifted his gaze, he finally spotted half a pale face with blood-red lips peeking out from behind a tent.The figure was a woman, strikingly noticeable against the backdrop of the wilderness. As soon as Chase looked over, the woman locked eyes with him. Her eyes moved stiffly, as if studying him.Chase stood up, planning to ignore the woman and warn the men in the tent. However, he noticed that his sleeping bag had inexplicably disappeared. Steppi
The white-clad woman instantly stopped speaking and locked eyes with Chase. Meanwhile, the pool of blood around them slowly expanded, shrouding Chase in a blood-red mist that resembled a thick fog."Chase, don't be careless. This ghostly woman is the overlord of these desolate lands for miles around, known as the Bloodthirsty Preserver. It's said she was once a lover of a high-ranking figure in a tribe, who later abandoned her and tortured her to death."Her intense resentment transformed her into a vengeful spirit. Now, she preys on solitary travelers to absorb their light energy. It's strange, though. We've traveled this path many times and never encountered her before. I wonder why she appeared tonight?" said the leader of the merchants to Chase, alerting him.Chase slightly shrugged his shoulders, releasing a burst of true energy that instantly dispersed the blood mist around him.Sensing danger, the white-clad woman tried to dive back into the pool of blood to escape. Chase sw
"Damn it! I shouldn't have been defeated so quickly even if I hadn't healed from my injury!"The man in black clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes slightly. He wanted to kill Chase badly and turn him into dust.He thought that if he exerted some power, the bumpkin in front of him would kneel and beg for mercy, but things turned out differently. That bumpkin had actually faced three moves from him without losing and even made him cough up blood."Roar!"The man suddenly shouted, and the air around began to contort. A terrifying wind galed and took Chase with it.After that, the man leaped like an eagle hunting a rabbit and went for the kill. An eerie light black as ink wisped around his right fist as he dealt out a vicious punch. His punch was like a venomous snake leaping out of the hole. It was precise and vicious, and quick as lightning.Chase's eyes widened as he moved half a foot to the side. It was a close call as the lethal blow almost landed on him. He kicked at the ma
This was a huge palace that stood as tall as the mountains. It was glittering and brilliant with various paintings and images hung on the walls. Some were of deities visiting the moon and playing musical instruments, some were of phoenixes flying through the clouds. There were others of dragons roaring and griffins clawing in a dance. They were lifelike and looked real."Where is this?" Chase looked around in a daze.Meanwhile, deep inside the palace, a man in a purple shirt approached Chase.He had a good-looking face and nice features. The man was tall and exuded a strong aura. He was like a deity."W-Who are you?"Chase was flabbergasted. This man intimidated him. Chase felt a heavy pressure above him, which almost suffocated him."Who are you? Why did you barge into the forbidden land of my ancient country?" The man sounded calm. He had a hand behind his back and looked down on Chase when he spoke."Ancient country?" Chase was taken aback at the man's words. Was this the leg
There was a muffled sound, and the leaf turned into dust. The man's palm was unscathed. All he had was some dust on his sleeve."You…" Chase's eyes widened with great fear. He was aware that all that man had to do was blow some air and Chase would be dead for sure."This can't continue. There'll be hope as long as I'm still alive. I have to leave this godforsaken place right now!" Chase made a quick decision. He stood up right away and made a mad dash for the coastline."Die, you lowly ant!"A roar echoed in the air, and Chase's movement slowed. He felt a chill.A massive power came crashing down like the skyline was collapsing. It suppressed everything in all corners and was suffocating.Chase's knees gave out, his bones cracking. He fell kneeling to the ground. His shoulders were trembling, and he was in great pain."I need to run as far as I can!" Chase was filled with great fear. He gave everything he could to channel true energy and ran crazily to the front."Hmph! Trying
The martial artists who survived in the land where light and dark convened were naturally tainted by evil energy. Their physique would gradually transform, slowly making them a better fit in the nether realm.While within the nether realm, martial artists would experience various hallucinations.They would hear spirits crying and wolves howling. Resentment was everywhere, and evil spirits would constantly appear. That place was covered in dark fog, and spirits roamed. Every corner of it was dangerous and had high death rates. Ordinary people would never dare step into this place.Chase had lived on Earth for 20 years. He trained in martial arts and medical skills from a young age and had seen a lot of this world.However, even he felt a chill down his spine after he was one reading the record on the nether realm."No wonder I keep having the feeling of a mysterious movement at the northeast corner of the martial realm. Could the dark energy from the nether realm have seeped throug
"Unfortunately, we chose to stay behind back then. There's no other way. If we aren't able to stop the balance from being destroyed, the martial realm will meet with catastrophe."All three elders looked at each other and sighed.That was when a skinny middle-aged man suddenly pushed the door open and entered. He gave them a fist and palm salute. "Masters, I have something urgent to report."An emerald slip appeared in the man's hand."Oh? Is there news of the influential families of the martial realm?""I can't believe there's news so soon."All three elders were surprised.It had only been 15 minutes since it happened, and there was already news. That was not easy to obtain.All three elders were top powerhouses with strong capabilities. However, they were hopeful that the news was true and reliable. They took the emerald slip and used the divine sense technique to check the news in it."What?!" "The martial realm's Secret Sect has been destroyed?!"All three of them rais
"I understand it now. This is a spiritual stone tablet with a record of a mysterious Soul Refining Technique!"Chase looked delighted.The Soul Refining Technique was used to refine a person's soul and purify the Origin of the Soul."That's really powerful!"Chase opened his eyes and took a sharp breath. "The things left behind by powerhouses of the nether realm are really incredible. Such treasure is highly valuable. Even a small piece of this would be enough for powerhouses to fight over it!"A notion crossed his mind, and a massive soul energy surged. The spiritual tablet was instantly crushed by the soul energy.The spiritual tablet was crushed to dust and recondensed into an emerald slip that floated in the air. It gradually flew toward Chase."Huh? That isn't right."There was a cold look in Chase's eyes. He discovered a thread of a soul energy's fragment inside the emerald slip.A contorted savage phantom shadow shot out of the emerald slip. It came clawing at Chase wit
"My gosh! How is this happening?!" The skeletal old man panicked. His soul energy sensed that heaven and earth's vitality seemed to be attracted by something when it was around Chase, and it flowed directly into Chase.Meanwhile, the brilliant glow of the sun appeared in the air behind Chase. It burned brightly and blinded those who saw it.A massive Divine Red Phoenix appeared and opened up its wings as it flew in the air. It was ferocious and had an air of danger about it."The Divine Red Phoenix?!"The sight of it put fear in the skeletal old man as his eyes widened. "Who exactly are you?!"Chase ignored him. He had formed into a golden-red phoenix and was emanating a terrifying aura in the air."Burning Sky Technique!"The temperature in the cave suddenly hiked up several hundred degrees due to the burning golden sun. Even the cave walls and ground were melted into lava that started to flow like a river.The skeletal old man screamed in pain as his body turned red instantly
Chase moved extremely fast. He appeared in front of the skeletal old man, who was about ten yards away, in an instant.They were fighting in close combat. Their hands and legs hit and kicked each other as protective energy flew about.Several muffled explosions were heard. It was difficult to determine the victor in this fight."You're at the end of your tethers, little bastard! You're about to die! I'm going to refine you and feed your soul to the Phantom Coffin. You'll be vanquished completely and turned into a part of my body."The skeletal old man held back his head and laughed wildly. His wounds were healing at an incredible speed.Chase's performance in this fight had angered him. He no longer cared about hiding his identity."You want to refine me? You're nothing but a ghost. Are you dreaming?" Chase sneered and suddenly lunged forward."Die!" Chase was quick as lightning as he instantly got close to the skeletal old man. He pressed his palm down on the old man's shoulder
A strange air of authority could be felt coming from him."How did this happen?"The skeletal old man's eyes widened, and his heart beat violently. He was trembling.Chase looked just like a demon king.He took a step forward. The earth and sky tremored as cracks appeared on the ground.Chase's physique suddenly expanded exponentially. His skin was bright red, and his bones seemed to be clanging. A strong dark blood energy flooded out from him.Chase waved his arms about crazily. Explosions went off in the air. Every punch he swung was followed by the terrifying sound of an explosion.The surface of the graveyard collapsed from Chase's savage strength.Chase crushed half the skeletal old man's face with one punch, and the old man's body flew off several yards away.Meanwhile, Chase was suffering from backlash because the true energy reserves within his body had erupted. Bloody arrows began shooting out of him."Only a little of my true energy is left!" Chase said sadly.Even