Qin Royal City had been bustling with activity these past few days.
The area around the Celestial Essence Stone, in particular, was swarming with experts from both the Qin Royal Family and the Guiyuan Sect.
Traditionally, the longest the Celestial Essence Secret Realm had ever remained open was five months, but there were precedents for it ending early.
And for the past few days, the Secret Realm could close at any mont!
"I heard the Royal Family's experts clashed with the Guiyuan Sect a few days ago."
"I heard that too. Apparently, soone from the Guiyuan Sect was mocking the Royal Family, and one of the Royal Family's experts couldn't take it and made a move!"
"It's a sha the Royal Family isn't what it used to be. They were completely suppressed by the Guiyuan Sect's experts. If the Spiritual Craftsman Guild hadn't shown up in ti to support them, I'm afraid the Royal Family would have suffered heavy losses!"
"The Royal Family has bet everything on this Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial. They would rather die than let the Guiyuan Sect take it. But with Zheng Tian's strength, he basically wipes the floor with everyone his age. The Royal Family's chances of winning the trial are slim to none!"
Whispers rose and fell throughout the crowd.
Wherever people gathered, discussion and gossip were sure to follow.
The experts from the Royal Family and the Guiyuan Sect at the front naturally heard the chatter behind them. The two sides stared each other down, neither willing to yield an inch in terms of presence.
It was hard to imagine that the relationship between the Royal Family and its National Guardian Sect had deteriorated to this point!
"Your Highness, the people from the Guiyuan Sect are getting more and more out of line," Aunt Leng said softly.
Sister Qin's lovely brow furrowed, and she sighed faintly. "Aunt Leng, what will we do if we lose again this ti?"
"Your Highness, do you not have faith in Hong Yu?" Aunt Leng asked, surprised.
Sister Qin shook her head. "It's not that I don't have faith in him; it's just that Zheng Tian is too strong. Now I'm starting to regret letting Hong Yu enter the Secret Realm trial…"
"There's no use worrying at this point. All we can do is wait and see how things unfold!"
Aunt Leng sighed faintly. "Let's just hope for a miracle!"
"A miracle? Perhaps…"
Sister Qin shook her head slightly. Then, as if rembering sothing, she asked, "Oh, right, Aunt Leng, has Beichen Tianshuang woken up yet?"
Aunt Leng shook her head. "Still in a coma. However… for that little fellow from the Beichen Family to have such skills at such a young age, it truly surprised all the major powers in Qin Royal City!"
"That little fellow? He is indeed a talent!"
Sister Qin nodded.
Just then, the Spatial Array on the Celestial Essence Stone up ahead suddenly began to vibrate.
"What? Is the trial over?"
Amid a flash of light, figure after figure finally appeared before the crowd.
After being teleported, they quickly split into two groups.
The Royal Family on one side, and the Guiyuan Sect experts on the other.
The mbers of both sides groggily shook their heads as they ca to, faces filled with confusion. "Is this the Qin Kingdom? A-Are we out of the Secret Realm already?"
"Look, soone else is coming out!"
Everyone stared, stunned.
As the Celestial Essence Stone flashed with light, another figure was teleported out.
This person was none other than Hong Yu!
Facing the stares of several hundred people, Hong Yu rubbed his nose. His calm gaze swept over the crowd, but he didn't see Beichen Tianshuang or Little Feng. 'That's odd,' he thought, but didn't dwell on it.
His eyes landed on Sister Qin, and Hong Yu smiled at her. "Sister Qin, I'm back!"
"Hong Yu, what was the result of the Secret Realm trial?"
Sister Qin's eyes widened. After a mont of shock, she imdiately asked with tense urgency.
Hong Yu froze.
For so reason, hearing that the first thing Sister Qin asked about upon seeing him was the trial, he felt a slight pang of disappointnt.
But it was just a flicker of disappointnt.
He quickly recovered and said with a wry smile, "Sorry, Sister Qin, I couldn't take first place."
"What? Th-Then doesn't that an our Royal Family…"
A flash of pain crossed Sister Qin's eyes, and her face instantly turned pale.
Hong Yu frowned and stepped forward to support her, but she waved him away. "Let rest for a mont."
"…Alright!"
Hong Yu hesitated for a mont, then nodded.
Watching Sister Qin walk to the side with Aunt Leng's support, Hong Yu chided himself internally. 'I'm sorry, Sister Qin. Please forgive for hiding the matter of the Celestial Essence Spirit Plate.'
'If anyone found out that I control the Celestial Essence Secret Realm, there would be endless trouble in the future.'
'It might even attract the covetous eyes of Primordial Core Realm experts from the Guiyuan Sect and the Royal Family.'
'I may be confident, but I don't have what it takes to face a Primordial Core Realm expert yet!'
Looking around, he saw the Guiyuan Sect disciples celebrating wildly, while the Royal Family's experts looked dejected.
The corners of Hong Yu's lips tilted up slightly. 'Zheng Tian, it's about ti for your entrance!'
With that thought, he focused his mind.
The Celestial Essence Stone shimred with a silvery light, and Zheng Tian's figure appeared.
At the sa ti, Hong Yu made a subtle gesture with his hand. The Celestial Essence Stone, which had been standing behind Zheng Tian, transford into a streak of silver light and shot toward him.
The silver light vanished after entering Zheng Tian's clothes.
And along with it, the Celestial Essence Stone itself was gone!
"What happened? Where did the Celestial Essence Stone go?"
The Celestial Essence Stone's sudden disappearance from thin air caused an uproar.
Hong Yu even felt two extrely powerful consciousnesses sweep over the area. 'Clearly, there are Primordial Core Realm experts secretly observing the situation,' he thought, silently congratulating himself for finding a scapegoat.
"Hm?"
Zheng Tian opened his eyes in confusion, muttering, "Didn't that senior say I was to receive the inheritance and take control of the Celestial Essence Secret Realm? How co…"
Before Zheng Tian could fully grasp the situation, a group of Guiyuan Sect experts had already rushed to his side.
The group of Guiyuan Sect experts anxiously ford a protective circle around him.
Excited cries of admiration and praise rang in Zheng Tian's ears…
"Senior Brother Zheng, you're incredible! You took the Celestial Essence Stone itself! Not even the Grand Elder could do that!"
"Hahaha, the Celestial Essence Secret Realm finally belongs to our Guiyuan Sect!"
"Brothers, we must protect Senior Brother Zheng and escort the Celestial Essence Stone back to the Sect!"
The Guiyuan Sect experts surrounded a bewildered Zheng Tian and began to move off to the side.
Zheng Tian's head was spinning, his face a mask of confusion. "The Celestial Essence Stone? Mine? What are you all talking about…?"
"Senior Brother Zheng, don't be so modest! We all just saw it! You absorbed the Celestial Essence Stone directly!" a disciple said fawningly. "You're so damn amazing, hahaha! The Royal Family is going to be crying their eyes out now!"
Zheng Tian blinked. "…"
'When the hell did I take the Celestial Essence Stone? I was teleported out before the test even started, okay?'
"Senior Brother Zheng, you have to save a spot for your little brother in the Secret Realm trial from now on!" another disciple added with a sly grin.
Zheng Tian, frustrated and embarrassed, snapped, "A spot your ass! I don't have the Celestial Essence Stone!"
The disciple winked, giving him an 'I get you' look. "Hehe, I understand. I'll be sure to prepare a thank-you gift for Senior Brother afterward!"
Zheng Tian's face darkened, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "I did not take the Celestial Essence Stone."
"I know, I know! We all get it!"
A group of Guiyuan Sect disciples said, all wearing knowing smirks.
Zheng Tian: "…"
He felt like he was about to die from this injustice.
He was clearly told there would be a test waiting for him, that he could control the Celestial Essence Secret Realm after passing it, but instead of a test, he'd just fallen asleep.
When he woke up, he was already back outside.
And now the Celestial Essence Stone was gone. He suddenly felt like he'd fallen into the ocean and could never wash himself clean.
'Wait… the Celestial Essence Stone is gone? Could it be that soone else beat to it and gained control? Crap, if that's the case, they're definitely trying to fra …'
A shiver ran through Zheng Tian as he finally figured out what was going on.
He subconsciously tried to get away.
But…
No matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun the Royal Family expert who had been secretly observing the situation!
"Junior, the Celestial Essence Stone is a treasure of my Royal Family. You'd best be a good boy and leave it behind!"
A hand made of Elental Power suddenly appeared above Zheng Tian's head.
Zheng Tian cried out in alarm, "A Primordial Core Realm expert?" His eyes widened in terror, and a chill shot through his heart. He imdiately did a desperate dive and roll to get away.
The hand of Elental Power slamd into the ground.
BOOM!
The spot where Zheng Tian had just been standing exploded, leaving a two-ter-deep claw mark in the ground. The hidden Royal Family expert snorted in frustration. "Where do you think you're going!"
The hand of Elental Power ford once more and swatted toward Zheng Tian.
"Dammit…"
Zheng Tian's face twisted as he forcefully circulated his Profound Skill to defend himself.
But it was a pity…
Though he was hailed as the number one of his generation, the Guiyuan Sect's strongest genius in a hundred years, he was still as weak as an ant before a Primordial Core Realm expert.
BANG!
The hand of Elental Power easily shattered his defense, slamming into him with the terrifying force of a Mountain-Breaking Stone Shattering blow.
His body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragnts of his internal organs.
That single blow had nearly robbed Zheng Tian of his ability to move.
Zheng Tian's face was deathly pale. He tilted his head back and scread at the empty air, "Master, save !"
"Hmph, old man Qin Feng, you're becoming more and more shaless! How dare you attack my disciple?"
Wang Ba's voice suddenly echoed from the void.
A grim hand of Elental Power condensed, tore through the air, and viciously collided with the other hand that was trying to grab Zheng Tian.
BOOM!
The two forces annihilated each other.
Wang Ba's figure gradually materialized. He grabbed Zheng Tian and stared intently ahead.
From the void opposite him, another figure erged, dressed in a Golden Crowned Dragon Robe. It was the King of the Qin Kingdom, Qin Feng.
Qin Feng looked coldly at Zheng Tian and Wang Ba. "Hand over the Celestial Essence Stone."
Wang Ba sneered. "What a joke. My disciple won the Celestial Essence Stone from the Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial. On what grounds should he hand it over to you? Besides, our Guiyuan Sect won the trial this ti, so the Celestial Essence Secret Realm should belong to us by right."
Hearing their exchange, Zheng Tian fought through his pain and tried to explain, "M-Master, the Celestial Essence Stone is n-not…"
Wang Ba nodded. "Of course. I know the Celestial Essence Stone cannot be handed over. Don't worry. With here, not even the Celestial King himself could dream of snatching your stone!"
Listening to his master's fiercely protective words, Zheng Tian wanted to cry but had no tears. 'I-I was trying to say the Celestial Essence Stone isn't on !'
Qin Feng, however, was enraged by Wang Ba's words. He snorted coldly. "Old man Wang Ba, if you won't hand over the Celestial Essence Stone, then don't bla for being rciless!"
"Hmph, as if I'd be afraid of you?" Before the words were even out, Wang Ba had already shot into the sky.
King Qin Feng let out a furious roar, and the two Primordial Core Realm experts shot off into the sky one after the other. The intense roar of energy soon echoed from the distance.
Hong Yu blinked, watching the two Primordial Core Realm experts shrink into black dots in the distance. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. A black stone quietly materialized in his palm before he stored it in the Profound Celestial Tower.
He looked at Sister Qin, hesitated for a mont, and then walked over. "Sister Qin, I'm sorry I couldn't secure the Celestial Essence Stone. If you need any help, you can find at the Beichen Mansion!"
"You already did your best."
Sister Qin said dejectedly. Suddenly, she snapped her head up to look at Hong Yu…
"Oh, right! Speaking of the Beichen Mansion just reminded . While you were in the Celestial Essence Secret Realm, sothing happened to Beichen Tianshuang and Beichen Feng!"
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