Chapter 10: First Broadcast – 03

At the tavern near the town square, the spring beauty sat with her bodyguard, the one carrying a large sword, on the balcony, watching the giant screen in the square.

“This guy really knows a thing or two about secret realms. I wonder what those hypocrites from the righteous sects, who are aiming to strike deals with the entities inside the secret realm, are going to do.” The spring beauty smirked. She couldn’t wait to see chaos unfold.

“You are correct, young miss.” The bodyguard nodded, her expression completely hidden behind her mask.

Meanwhile, in another city, the largest city in the province, Azure River City, which shared its name with the province, an old man stood atop the tallest building, the Azure Sky Conglomerate. He was one of its elders.

His face turned dark as he looked at the screen, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Little Wealthy Demon: [How are you going to prove this? As the saying goes, seeing is believing.]

Wei Chen pulled the text that Little Wealthy Demon had written onto the main screen and replied in the live feed.

“What you’re saying is true. Since this place is a newly discovered secret realm, there’s a high chance it could be a scam. I’ll go deeper and try to pass all the trials for you to see.”

With this declaration, he stood up and began walking toward the deeper parts of the secret realm.

This was exactly what all the cultivators wanted to see most. They wanted to know what dangers or treasures were hidden inside so they could prepare themselves.

Of course, none of them believed Wei Chen could pass the trials.

Wei Chen leapt forward, going deeper and deeper into the secret realm. Along the way, he didn’t encounter any major threats, only some fierce spirit beasts attacking him.

They were reptilian-like beasts that moved in packs, with sharp fangs and incredible speed. They could dive in and out of the lava below, swimming in it with ease.

“That… that’s a Flame Lizard! They have strength comparable to the Core Formation Realm. That guy is finished!” one knowledgeable cultivator exclaimed.

On Wei Chen’s side, he noticed the lizards as well, but he didn’t care much. Within his senses, they posed no real threat. So he simply jumped and avoided the packs. However, they pursued him, and he soon realized they were faster than he expected.

“Ugh… this is annoying.” Wei Chen turned back to see a group of lizards relentlessly chasing after him.

He stood his ground, crossing his arms to form dual claws.

Suddenly, the phantom image of a dark, eerie reaper avatar appeared behind him, mimicking his claw stance. Its signature feature was the black bone claws that extended from within its dark sleeves, exuding a dreadful and oppressive aura.

With one swift step, the dreadful avatar vanished along with Wei Chen.

As if the world itself had fallen silent, the audience in his stream gulped nervously. A moment later, Wei Chen reappeared behind the horde of Flame Lizards.

Suddenly, every Flame Lizard collapsed to the ground, unmoving, as if dead.

All the cultivators watching were alarmed. None of them had seen Wei Chen’s attack. One moment, he vanished and reappeared, and in the next, all the Flame Lizards lay lifeless.

But “death” wasn’t quite the right word, because the Flame Lizards bore no visible injuries at all.

“What… what happened?” one of the cultivators watching the stream uttered in confusion.

Wei Chen walked toward the group of lizards and waved his hand. Instantly, all the Flame Lizard corpses vanished, collected by the broadcasting orb.

But to the audience, it looked as if Wei Chen had stored them in his personal space. This meant that all of those Flame Lizards were completely dead, since the personal space of a storage ring cannot contain living beings.

“He’s a Nascent Soul!” one cultivator uttered in awe.

One needed to know that in a small prefecture of the Azure River Province, outside of major centers like Azure River City or the cities under the jurisdiction of prominent sects, Nascent Soul cultivators were considered top-tier, often representing the peak of minor local forces such as the Sword Manor.

Back at the tavern near the square, the spring beauty turned to her bodyguard.

“Sister Lan, can you do the same thing as that guy on the screen?”

The bodyguard, her eyes still fixed on the broadcast, shook her head.

“No, young miss. My Demonic Phantom Arts cannot achieve absolute tracelessness like he just did.”

On the screen, after clearing a horde of Flame Lizards, Wei Chen continued his progress. He faced many dangers, whether it was a sea of flames or a vast lava lake where the only way forward was to step on scattered lava rocks. Occasionally, lava beasts swam through the molten currents.

He fought some of them and stored their corpses inside his personal storage.

The camera followed Wei Chen like a professional cameraman working in Hollywood, capturing him at angles that heightened the impact and left the audience in awe.

The adventure continued for about an hour more. With the incredible speed of his movement technique, he arrived at the sole structure inside this sacred realm.

The structure looked like a giant mausoleum, its dark obsidian-like stone carved with flaming characters. Written on the giant stele were the words: “Flaming Lotus King.”

Outside, at the Sword Manor, Jian Ganglie gulped down his saliva as he watched the stream. The words “Flaming Lotus King” brought back his memories.

“It seems… what this expert said is not entirely fabricated. Maybe most of these secret realms exist to lure talented individuals so the creator inside can plunder their fate.”

Liu Shanhong, who stood not far from him, turned to ask,

“Why do you think so, Sect Leader?”

Jian Ganglie let out a sigh. “When I was young and still an outer disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, I once had the opportunity to browse their library. One of the records I read spoke of an ancient king who ruled over the Flaming Lotus Prefecture.”

“At that time, the Flaming Lotus Prefecture was not yet the wasteland it is today. But the Flaming Lotus King, who ruled that land, angered the heavens by performing a forbidden ritual to ascend to the Great Ascension Realm, attempting to bypass the Heavenly Tribulation.”

“As a result, he was punished by heavenly fire and burned to death along with his kingdom. If this tomb truly belongs to him, then there is a high chance he is still waiting inside, preparing to trap a talented individual who dares step in.” Jian Ganglie explained.

“It’s not good. If the expert steps inside, he may not be able to come out!” Jian Ganglie was alarmed, and he was about to use the Spirit Net Jade to send a warning.

But it was too late. Wei Chen had already stepped into the tomb as the giant doors opened for him to enter.

The moment Wei Chen went inside, the obsidian-like doors immediately closed behind him, imprisoning him within. Yet Wei Chen didn’t seem bothered at all.

“It’s too late…” Jian Ganglie let out a long sigh.

Some of the cultivators watching this scene smirked. To them, this guy was foolish enough to risk his life just to prove his point. But that was fine as well—it would confirm that this place was truly a death trap.

At the tavern, the spring-like beauty frowned as she watched the stream.

“How stupid of him. He already proved his point by finding the tomb, so why did he have to step inside!?” the spring-like beauty said, frustrated.

“He’s too reckless,” the bodyguard added.

“Congratulations, young hero. You have passed the trial.” A powerful voice rang out within the tomb.

Inside, as Wei Chen walked deeper past the gate into a great hall, he saw a stone sarcophagus placed upon an elevated platform, signifying the status of the tomb’s owner.

“Now, young hero, to become my successor you must cultivate this technique!”

As if by command, various flaming characters appeared on the walls from left to right. They formed the cultivation technique of the Flaming Lotus King.

But on the stream, all of the characters were blurred out, preventing anyone from reading or cultivating it.

Some of the cultivators cursed angrily at Wei Chen for keeping the technique hidden, while senior cultivators who understood the situation remained silent.

“That guy is very considerate… what a pity,” the spring-like beauty said with a sigh, shaking her head. She didn’t believe Wei Chen would survive this ordeal at all.

On the screen, Wei Chen asked, “What if I don’t want to cultivate it?”

The voice let out an amused laugh before replying, “Then you will die here. The entrance door will only open once you cultivate this technique to minor completion!”

“Fine, I’ll cultivate.” Wei Chen began to meditate. Using the Samsara Sovereign’s Scripture as his foundation, his comprehension soared, and he was able to learn this seemingly simple technique displayed on the wall.

Within half an hour, a flaming lotus blossomed beneath Wei Chen’s body, making him appear as if he were sitting upon the fiery lotus itself.

“Hmmm… as expected of a genius who passed all my trials. At first, I thought you were just a mortal, but it’s impossible for a mortal to come this far. You must have cultivated a technique to hide your cultivation, haven’t you?” the voice asked with intrigue.

“Maybe.” Wei Chen glanced over dismissively without giving a clear answer.

“Hmph! Acting mysterious, are you? Once I take over your body, I’ll uncover every secret you’re hiding!”

“Oh? What makes you think you can take my body from me?” Wei Chen asked, a smirk lingering on his lips.

“You fool! The technique you just cultivated was specially modified to open a path to your soul! It was designed for me to seize your body! Hahaha!”

With that, a flaming ghostly figure burst out of the sarcophagus at the center of the hall and rushed straight toward Wei Chen.

“Hahahahaha!” With a triumphant laugh, it dove into Wei Chen’s body.

But… the moment it entered, instead of feeling a surge of strength that would allow it to crush and devour Wei Chen’s soul, it encountered something else.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep