"Don't panic. If you panic in this place, you'll die," Sion said. He then showed everyone how to move in such an environment.After the initial panic, the others calmed down. As for Adrian, he was slightly uncomfortable when he first entered, but that lasted only for a few seconds. While Sion was teaching the others, Adrian was observing their surroundings.There was a pillar carved with a dragon near them. Adrian stared at it for several minutes. Besides the pillar, there were various dragon elements scattered on the palaces."Is this a gathering place for dragons?" he murmured.Adrian couldn't believe it. However, the scale of the dragon elements on the palace ruins and their larger-than-normal size made him feel that they must have arrived at a dragon’s ground."What's inside the palaces?" Adrian asked. Sion looked at everyone, who was looking back at him in curiosity. "Treasures, if you're lucky,” he answered."What if you're unlucky?" Adrian smiled. "You’ll encounter mon
The mirror was only the size of an adult's palm. When the bearded man held it in his hand, it looked even smaller. As Adrian studied the mirror, he was surprised. What was reflected in the mirror was not the bearded man's face, but a picturesque scene of mountains and rivers. And the surprising thing was that the picture was moving. It was like the cameras Adrian had seen on Earth, transmitting distant scenes to screens around the world. The image showed a picturesque landscape. Birds occasionally flew across the scene, and the camera seemed to be floating in the air. However, the more detailed things couldn't be seen."This item’s a little strange, and I don't know what it's for. Should we keep it?" The bearded man looked at Adrian and Sion. Sion glanced at Adrian, then at the mirror, nodding and saying, "It's best to take everything we can." But Adrian said, "I suggest you put down that mirror." "Why?" Adrian's facial muscles twitched slightly. He saw that within the mir
This wasn't the first time Adrian had encountered such a situation. This guy's situation was, in fact, similar to Thalia’s. Back then, Thalia too was manipulated by the Dark Dragon, and Adrian had used various methods to suppress the Dark Dragon. The mountain falcon within the bearded man’s body was nowhere near as powerful as a dragon, and under the terrifying pressure of the Abyssal Bloodstorm, its soul collapsed and left the man's body. When the bearded man woke up, he let out a miserable cry, clutching his injured arm. Adrian picked up the man’s arm from the ground and aligned it with the man’s sliced arm. He pressed the tip of his sword to the man’s wound, infusing energy into it to repair the arm."You can't even heal your wounds. No wonder only a few of you can leave this place alive every year," Adrian said coldly. The bearded man, seeing his arm restored, looked ashamed. The others were still shaken. When unexpected situations occurred, they panicked and lost all abilit
Before they entered the second palace, Adrian sensed the presence of others inside it. But upon careful observation, he confirmed that the other teams were rushing toward this palace and had not entered yet.Sion had told Adrian that while in the secret realm, the three teams would avoid running into each other if they could. This place was too dangerous, and no one wanted to risk a confrontation that could lead to disaster. "There are people on their way here. Can you sense them?" Adrian asked softly as he stepped into the palace.Sion nodded. "Don't worry, we got here first. They’ll probably leave and go elsewhere." He then led everyone in to start the search.Adrian was a little lacking in enthusiasm. He had hoped to find some useful items here, but the first palace had left him disappointed. Most of the things in this secret realm were useless to him. Some things, like swords, might be useful to him, but he already had the Divine Frost Slayer Blade and Hellblade. Other items w
The blood-red figure in front still stood in place, but the thousands of threads spewing from his mouth turned into the most terrifying tentacles in the world. The Mudstone team was now enveloped in them. It seemed they were about to be stripped of their flesh and meet the same fate as their companion.Adrian smirked, his gaze sweeping indifferently. This was dangerous, but that was for everyone else. He could easily cut through all the filth in the world with a single sword stroke. He was never in any danger."Blade Tempest!" he shouted.The Divine Frost Slayer Blade unleashed a golden sword essence that surged through the air.Although the silver threads the monster spewed were unparalleled in sharpness, they weren’t very strong. The sword essence from the Divine Frost Slayer Blade instantly cut them to shreds. "Aaagh!" the blood-soaked monster let out a roar.It was unknown how these threads had come to be inside its body. However, it was clear the extreme pain it was in afte
The number of treasures the Mudstone team had abandoned because they possibly carried strange souls numbered more than twenty. If not for Adrian, the death toll among the thirty people would already be more than half their group by now. Now that Adrian was around, he could help them distinguish which treasures had souls attached to them and which ones didn't, hence the big difference.Suddenly, a shout came from the outskirts of the palace. "How dare you kill one of ours!”Adrian and the others turned to see a group of more than twenty people standing at the entrance, glaring at them menacingly. At the forefront was an elegant young man dressed in dazzling white clothes. Beside him was a beautiful woman, Emma, and behind them was the Emberfallen team."It’s not what you think." Sion frowned.Normally, the other teams would not enter a palace that was already occupied. But the Emberfallen team had broken the rules and even accused them of killing one of their own. The reality was
Emma walked up to Adrian. "Name your price. Everyone’s lives are at risk in the secret realm. Since he's dead, we won't make things difficult for you. I'm also willing to exchange it with other treasures,” she said coldly.Sion and the others didn’t know what she was talking about, but Adrian knew.He smiled wryly and said, "You’ve got it all wrong. We don’t have your treasure.”"There is another palace ruins nearby. After finding that treasure there, this guy took it and fled. He wouldn’t have bothered to hide it, so the only possibility is that it's inside the palace. But as you can see, there are no traces of the treasure anywhere," Emma said coldly. Adrian nodded, acknowledging the validity of her words, but he truly hadn't taken any treasure. "We can show you what we've found so far," Adrian offered nonchalantly.His patience was wearing thin. If they continued to pester him, he would kill these people even at the risk of losing some of their numbers. Because of the nature o
They even knew why Emma wanted that particular treasure so much. The Crescent Divine Silk was not just an ordinary item, but a manifestation of her sentiments. Many years ago, her parents had ventured into the secret realm together and found the Crescent Divine Silk in one of the palaces. Unfortunately, they were possessed by monster souls, resulting in their death here.The situation had been critical then, and everyone was thinking about how to escape. So although the monster soul in the Crescent Divine Silk was cut down, they had to leave the secret realm under the pressure of other more dangerous elements.Emma had been a little girl at the time. When she heard the tragic news, she decided to enter the secret realm and find the Crescent Divine Silk. Therefore, it wasn’t just a treasure, it was a connection to her parents."It’s gone. There's no need to look for it," Emma said, suppressing her grief.Josef grew angry and shouted, "They must've killed our member and taken the ite
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A