Chapter 485: The Secret Realm of Fire (Three-in-One Chapter, requesting all)

The newly opened Secret Realm is located between Peng City and Yecheng, though it is closer to Peng City, less than three hundred li away.

The moment the Secret Realm opened, Xu Wenhua sensed it and personally rode his Six-Winged Frost Centipede to stop the Langya Liu Clan.

Even by rushing as fast as he could, it still took Xu Wenhua twenty minutes.

The reason the Langya Liu Clan could not explore the Secret Realm in time had a great deal to do with the entrance to the Secret Realm.

The entrance to the Secret Realm was fused with a layer of Restriction; if one were to forcibly break this Restriction, the entrance to the Secret Realm would very likely be damaged.

Under these circumstances, the Langya Liu Clan could only test it patiently; this Restriction had no defensive or offensive mechanisms, but only those who met the conditions of the Restriction could enter.

Just as the Langya Liu Clan was testing it, Xu Wenhua arrived and single-handedly stopped the Langya Liu Clan.

Ever since Liu Xuguang leaped to become a Pseudo-King, the Langya Liu Clan, like the Yuanling Academy, possessed two Pseudo-Kings, and in terms of influence, they were not much different from the Yuanling Academy.

The person in charge of searching for the Secret Realm for the Langya Liu Clan was a Sixth-Rank Expert; even with their superior numbers, they still could not be a match for Xu Wenhua.

Thus, the situation reached a stalemate.

Soon, the Yuanling Academy, which was closer, was the first to arrive with reinforcements.

Aside from Dean Lu Qian holding down the fort at the Yuanling Academy, three high-level figures—Zhang Kaishuo, Ning Wei, and Xu Fanghua—led dozens of Instructors to support Xu Wenhua; this was a King's Secret Realm, and for them, it was also an opportunity.

Unfortunately, the commotion caused by the opening of the Secret Realm was too great, causing the surrounding factions to take notice, and these factions all sent people over, with the Tiantai Sect being the most prominent among them.

The Tiantai Sect is one of the three major sects of the Langya Kingdom, located near Peng City; although the sect's influence has waned in recent years, the Tiantai Sect's foundation remains, and it possesses a Pseudo-King holding down the fort.

Sects and Academies each have their own advantages; the former has stronger cohesion, concentrated resources, and a higher rate of producing talent, while the latter accepts students regardless of background, shares resources, and can cultivate batches of grassroots Monster Tamers in a short time.

This time, the one who came from the Tiantai Sect was the Supreme Elder Zuo Qiulin; he is a veteran Pseudo-King, already over a hundred years old, and for these past years, he has been using life-extending Alchemical Pills or Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure to prolong his life.

Even so, Zuo Qiulin still has little lifespan left; this time, with the opening of the Secret Realm, he mainly came to see if he could find treasures that increase lifespan so as to extend his life.

Zuo Qiulin has never given up hope of becoming a King, because his strength is greater than Xu Wenhua's; he possesses a full four Demon Beast, and still has the possibility of becoming a King.

Among the many Pseudo-Kings in the Langya Kingdom, Zuo Qiulin can even be ranked in the top three.

It is for this reason that after Zuo Qiulin arrived, Xu Wenhua temporarily extinguished the idea of exploring the Secret Realm; in order to strengthen his side's say, he sent the Green Bird to deliver a message to Ning Bizhen.

As long as he unites with Ning Bizhen, he can suppress Zuo Qiulin's momentum.

Zuo Qiulin is the same; although his strength is greater than Xu Wenhua's, Xu Wenhua has a large group of skilled hands, and two fists are no match for four hands; just those three Sixth-Rank Experts alone would be enough to give him trouble, and if a fight really broke out, he would definitely fall into a disadvantageous position.

So under these circumstances, Zuo Qiulin could only temporarily unite with the Langya Liu Clan to be able to contend with the Yuanling Academy.

At the same time, like Xu Wenhua, Zuo Qiulin was also calling for reinforcements.

As for the person in charge from the Langya Liu Clan, they had already reported the opening of the Secret Realm to the clan long before Xu Wenhua and Zuo Qiulin arrived.

Furthermore, the three major factions did not take the other factions seriously; as long as there were no Pseudo-Kings, those factions could forget about getting a share of the spoils.

The first to arrive with reinforcements was the Langya Liu Clan; although there were only two people, they were two Pseudo-Kings, faintly suppressing the Yuanling Academy and the Tiantai Sect.

The Langya Liu Clan attaches great importance to this Secret Realm and even views it as private property, but who knew the commotion of the Secret Realm opening would be so great that it would directly attract a pack of wolves.

The Langya Liu Clan could be said to have come out in full force, not only dispatching the clan's only two Pseudo-Kings but also following up with a batch of clan experts of the Fourth Rank and above.

These two Pseudo-Kings are Liu Zongtang and Liu Xuguang respectively; Liu Zongtang is a veteran Pseudo-King, but he only has two Demon Beast, so his strength is not as good as Xu Wenhua's. Liu Xuguang is a top Heavenly Pride of the Langya Kingdom, and it is rumored that he possesses an Epic-quality Demon Beast.

In addition, the Langya Liu Clan also sent their clan-protecting Demon Beast, which is yet another Demon Beast.

Seeing this situation, Zuo Qiulin did not join forces with the Langya Liu Clan again, nor did he stand on the side of the Yuanling Academy, but instead silently became a third party, forming a three-legged standoff trend.

Zuo Qiulin did this mainly because people from the Tiantai Sect had arrived.

The Tiantai Sect sent dozens of people, all of whom were Monster Tamers of the Fourth Rank and above, including two Sixth-Rank Experts.

Liu Zongtang furrowed his brows; even with the Langya Liu Clan's subsequent reinforcements arriving, they still did not have the strength to firmly suppress the other two sides.

Taking a step back, even if they could suppress them, the disadvantaged Yuanling Academy would definitely unite with the Tiantai Sect.

Chirp—

Just as Liu Zongtang was thinking of a countermeasure, a high-pitched and resonant crane cry resounded through the heavens and earth; all four Pseudo-Kings looked toward the direction of Yecheng, their faces full of solemnity.

Within the span of a few breaths, a white crane standing five meters tall circled and landed on the ground, and immediately after, a beautiful woman with a pretty appearance and dignified elegance landed lightly on the ground.

"Greetings, everyone, I pay my respects!"

The beautiful woman wore a polite smile and took the initiative to bow to the four of them.

The four Pseudo-Kings did not dare to be slighting and hurriedly returned the bow, because the other party was also a Pseudo-King, and most importantly, she came from the Royal Academy.

Her name is Sun Min, and she is the Vice Principal of the Royal Academy.

"By the way, the Imperial Family will also be sending people shortly."

Hearing Sun Min say this, the hearts of the four Pseudo-Kings all sank, yet they were helpless.

There was no helping it; the largest faction in the Langya Kingdom is the Imperial Family, so with an unknown King's Secret Realm opening, how could the Imperial Family not send people?

Looking at the situation, no one present could hope to eat alone, and it was even possible that they would be kicked out of the opportunity to enter the Secret Realm.

Not long after waiting, a black dot appeared on the horizon.

Within the span of a few breaths, five adult giant dragons of different colors were pulling a golden carriage; in the middle was a red dragon, on the sides were a blue dragon and a green dragon, and on the edges were a black dragon and a white dragon.

The golden carriage was painted with Suns and three-legged Golden Crows, and inscribed with profound inscriptions and Restrictions; as it traveled, the four wheels emitted rolling golden flames, leaving behind streaks of brilliant light in the air.

This is the Imperial Family's famous Solar Chariot; in terms of prestige, it naturally exceeds the Yuanling Academy's Dragon Horse Hall, after all, the ones pulling the carriage are five adult giant dragons.

Soon, the Solar Chariot landed on the ground, and a young man drifted lightly from the carriage, standing before the five Pseudo-Kings.

This young man appeared to be under thirty years old, his face like jade, his features regular, his eyes shining; he wore a golden hair-binding crown and a dragon-patterned robe, and the key was that the aura he exuded was not the least bit weaker than the five Pseudo-Kings present.

The person who arrived was none other than the Third Prince, Dou Yuanbin.

Besides Dou Yuanbin, there were also several Fifth or Sixth-Rank Experts; they were experts who were attached to Dou Yuanbin, including one expert from the maternal Xiao Clan.

"Third Prince!"

The five Pseudo-Kings cupped their hands, harboring more or less wariness toward Dou Yuanbin.

In terms of status, the five were not much worse than Dou Yuanbin, and bowing to Dou Yuanbin was entirely a matter of superficial etiquette.

"Greetings, everyone!"

Dou Yuanbin returned the bow and began to take the initiative to chat and socialize with the five; there was no sense of arrogance in his words at all, but rather he was quite warm.

These few years are a critical period for Dou Yuanbin; to become Emperor, the best method is to win over enough Stronger individuals to increase his influence and momentum.

It is not just Dou Yuanbin; the other Princes with hopes for the throne have similar ideas.

However, the five Pseudo-Kings are not easy to deal with either; on the surface, they are cordial with Dou Yuanbin, but in reality, they will not easily place their bets before the situation becomes clear.

Taking a step back, they are all top-tier powers of the Langya Kingdom, so even if they successfully pick a side in the end, the benefits to them would be very limited.

Dou Yuanbin has seen this situation many times; he knows that continuing to chat will yield no results, so he begins to enter the main topic.

"Which family discovered this Secret Realm?"

Liu Zongtang strokes his graying beard and replies: "It is precisely our Langya Liu Clan; we are willing to develop this Secret Realm together with the Imperial Family!"

If the Imperial Family's consent is obtained, then the other three families might not even get to drink the soup.

Except for Sun Min, who still maintains that charming, smiling appearance, Xu Wenhua and Zuo Qiulin both stare coldly at Liu Zongtang, then immediately turn their gazes toward Dou Yuanbin.

However, Dou Yuanbin is not stupid; he cannot offend the three major powers simultaneously for this small amount of profit, let alone the fact that developing the Secret Realm is the interest of the Imperial Family, not his personal interest.

Furthermore, Dou Yuanbin wants to seize the initiative; while striving for benefits for the Imperial Family, it would be best to take the opportunity to win over one or two of the families.

"How about this, let the five of us families develop this Secret Realm together."

"Good!" Zuo Qiulin.

"Agreed!" Xu Wenhua.

"Fine!" Sun Min.

Liu Zongtang and Liu Xuguang exchange a look, and finally, Liu Zongtang nods reluctantly.

Under these circumstances, the Langya Liu Clan can only choose to agree.

After the four major powers agree, Dou Yuanbin continues to ask: "By the way, do you all have any understanding of this Secret Realm?"

Xu Wenhua, Zuo Qiulin, and Sun Min shake their heads; they can be said to know absolutely nothing about this Secret Realm.

Looking at the Secret Realm portal not far away, Liu Zongtang thinks for a moment and says: "If this old man is not mistaken, this should be the Yan-Yan Secret Realm of the Flame King Di Zhiyi!"

Di Zhiyi was active before the Langya Kingdom was established; it is rumored that all his Demon Pets were of the Fire Element, which is how he earned the royal title of Flame King.

Unlike most kings, Di Zhiyi was also a solitary king; he did not establish a family, had no descendants, and had few close friends. He was also known for being in seclusion year-round and was famous for his mystery, so no one knows when the Flame King fell; they only know that the legend of the Flame King Di Zhiyi inexplicably vanished from the world.

To put it in common terms, this was a shut-in type of king.

Very clearly, the Langya Liu Clan likely possesses a token of the Flame King Di Zhiyi.

At this moment, Xu Wenhua interjects: "The entrance to the Secret Realm is perfectly fused with a special Restriction; if we break the Restriction, the entrance to the Secret Realm will very likely be annihilated directly. As for the conditions to enter the Secret Realm, we do not know them yet."

"Since that is the case, let us give it a try."

After the five major powers agree, they finally enter an orderly testing phase.

After spending more than half an hour, they finally test out the conditions for entering the Secret Realm.

Age!

In the tests, as long as one is under 20 years of age, one can enter the Fire Flame Secret Realm.

A young age represents strong plasticity.

Besides this, for some unknown reason, the Yan-Yan Secret Realm can still absorb energy from the void and is full of vitality, unlike the dilapidated state of other fallen kings' secret realms, giving people the feeling that the Flame King Di Zhiyi is still alive.

However, no one believes that the Flame King Di Zhiyi is still alive; after all, so many years have passed. Unless Di Zhiyi became an Emperor Rank or rode a Cheng Huang, it is impossible to possess such a long lifespan.

"There is very likely a Flame King inheritance inside!"

Thinking of the miraculous nature and age restriction of the Yan-Yan Secret Realm, everyone present cannot help but pay more attention to this Secret Realm.

The so-called king's inheritance is when a king passes down their signature skills, such as the "Book of Bloodlines" of the Hundred Victories King.

Obtaining the complete inheritance of a king allows one to follow that king's path, with hope of becoming a king in the future.

"Since there is an age restriction, we had best discuss a set of rules, such as the quota for each family to enter!"

Dou Yuanbin ponders for a moment and proposes a suggestion at the right time.

If the number of people is not limited, the advantages of the Royal Academy and Yuanling Academy would be too great, because except for the fourth-year students, the students of the other three grades all meet the age criteria.

Compared to them, the Imperial Family and the Langya Liu Clan are at a disadvantage; the Tiantai Sect, however, does not care, because the Tiantai Sect also has many disciples under 20 years of age, and the individuals are even more outstanding than those of the two major academies.

"Agreed!" Liu Zongtang.

"Seconded!" Zuo Qiulin.

Dou Yuanbin wears a smile and takes the opportunity to say: "I also agree. According to the principle of the minority obeying the majority, we will limit the number of people for the first exploration of the Secret Realm. Now, shall we discuss how many people each family will send?"

"Third Prince, the Secret Realm was opened by our Langya Liu Clan; this old man hopes to increase the quota for the Langya Liu Clan."

Liu Zongtang is still resentful in his heart; what was originally a good chance to eat alone has turned into a sharing among five families, so he wants to fight for more spots.

Seeing that others have no intention of objecting, Xu Wenhua also extinguishes the thought of opposing, because what Liu Zongtang says is reasonable, and he finds it hard to refute.

"Everyone is not an unreasonable person; since the Langya Liu Clan put in great effort, they should rightfully receive some preferential treatment."

Dou Yuanbin ponders for a moment and chooses to agree.

Suddenly, Zuo Qiulin's heart stirs, and he looks toward the south, saying: "Someone else is coming!"

Only a Pseudo-King could make Zuo Qiulin act this way; the others temporarily stop their discussion and simultaneously project their Mental Power outward.

In the distant sky, a three-legged fire crow soars through the heavens, sweeping toward this side at high speed.

Xu Wenhua reveals a smile; with one more Pseudo-King, the Yuanling Academy will have more confidence.

As for Li Changsheng, isn't he only 17 years old? Let him lead the team into the Secret Realm; Xu Wenhua believes that with Li Changsheng's strength, he can remain almost invincible against peers under 20 years old.

In the span of a few breaths, the three-legged fire crow circles and lands on the ground.

"Principal, we are late."

"No, you arrived just in time! Changsheng, you wait over there first; Principal Ning and I still have matters here."

"Understood!"

Li Changsheng nods and walks toward Zhang Kaishuo, Ning Wei, and the others.

He faintly feels a sense of oppression from the few people in front of him; their auras are no different from those of Xu Wenhua and Ning Bizhen, only some are faint and some are Vigorous, with the one from the Tiantai Sect's Supreme Elder—who has the appearance of a child with the hair of a crane—being the most Vigorous of all.

This is related to the number of Demon Beasts one possesses; possessing a Demon Beast will cause a certain change in a Monster Tamer's aura, which is also the biggest difference from an ordinary Sixth Rank.

During this period, Li Zhangsheng spent almost every day with Ning Bizhen, so he could be said to have a deep understanding of the aura of a Pseudo-King.

At this moment, Dou Yuanbin looked at Ning Bizhen, a glimmer of brilliance flashing in his eyes; her appearance, figure, temperament, and ability were all top-notch, far more charming than in the portrait, and his eyes could not help but be filled with overwhelming possessiveness.

"Lecher!"

Ning Bizhen's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she did not say it out loud; after all, the other party's status was set there. With a movement of her mind, a wisp of ethereal mist shrouded her, making it difficult for people to see her image clearly.

Dou Yuanbin finally moved his gaze away from Ning Bizhen and turned to look at Li Zhangsheng's back. Judging from the information gathered, Li Zhangsheng and Ning Bizhen definitely had something going on, and he was the biggest obstacle hindering his plan to marry Ning Bizhen.

For many in the Upper Rank, as long as they can achieve their goal, they can use any means necessary, and Dou Yuanbin is just such a person.

Unlike others, Dou Yuanbin does not fear Yuanling Academy much; of course, he also wants to distance himself as much as possible.

What puzzles Dou Yuanbin is that Xiao Chi, whom he sent to deal with Li Zhangsheng, has disappeared inexplicably, and it is the kind where neither the person nor the corpse can be found.

Needless to say, Xiao Chi must have met with misfortune.

"Now is not the time to think about these things!"

Dou Yuanbin had to suppress the distracting thoughts in his heart and began to discuss the quotas for the major forces with the six Pseudo-Kings.

The five major forces haggled with each other, all wanting to obtain more quotas so that they would have a greater chance of obtaining the inheritance of Flame King Di Zhiyi.

It took about half an hour to finally reach a result.

Among them, the Imperial Family and the Langya Liu Clan had the most quotas, both having ten quotas.

As the largest force in the Langya Kingdom, the Imperial Family goes without saying; the Langya Liu Clan obtained the same number of quotas as the Imperial Family because they opened the Secret Realm.

The Royal Academy has eight people, Yuanling Academy has seven, and the Tiantai Sect has the fewest with only five quotas; this is related to the gap in their strength.

Although the Tiantai Sect's foundation is strong, it is slightly inferior to Yuanling Academy overall; this is an indisputable fact.

In this way, the first batch totals 40 quotas.

At the same time, the five major forces also agreed on a set of rules.

In the Fire Flame Secret Realm, life and death are up to fate, but as long as one leaves the Secret Realm, grievances are wiped away, and one cannot take another's life again.

In addition, the five major forces also stipulated a time limit; the first batch of explorers only has three days of exploration time. If they do not come out after the time limit, their gains in the Secret Realm will be confiscated.

As for how to handle what these people gain in the Secret Realm, it is mainly decided by the heads of their respective forces; it is nothing more than handing it over or keeping it for personal possession.

After deciding on the basic rules, the heads of the five major forces returned to their respective camps; none of them left, and they began to arrange suitable personnel.

Li Zhangsheng leaned against a large tree, bored, chatting idly with Instructor Qian Yuanfei, occasionally letting his gaze fall on the five giants of Yuanling Academy.

At this time, the five giants of Yuanling Academy were determining the final quotas; their words were intense, and each had their own ideas.

This is a Secret Realm that has not yet been pioneered. For the students who enter in the first batch, even if they do not compete for the inheritance of Flame King Di Zhiyi, just picking Spirit Herbs is enough to make a fortune.

In addition to deciding the quotas, the five giants also confirmed one thing: the students' gains in the Secret Realm belong to them personally, and they have the right to decide whether to exchange these gains with the Academy.

This is mainly related to the loose mechanism of the Academy. If it were the Imperial Family, the Langya Liu Clan, or even the Tiantai Sect, they would probably adopt a method of handing them over, and even if someone obtained the inheritance of Flame King Di Zhiyi, they would probably miss out on it.

The following morning, the first batch of explorers from the five major forces had all assembled.

This time, Yuanling Academy is led by Li Zhangsheng and Luo Jing; they are also the only two Fourth Rank students. The other five are Zhao Shuyi, Xu Xiangzhi, Wang Xinyi, Qian Zhi, and Zhou Xiang, all of whom are Third-Rank Students.

Compared with the other four major forces, the Yuanling Academy team can only be considered average, at least from the surface.

The Tiantai Sect is the same as Yuanling Academy, with only two Fourth Rankers; the Royal Academy is slightly stronger, but also only has three Fourth Rank students.

The Langya Liu Clan sent a powerful lineup of one Fifth Rank and two Fourth Rankers; that Fifth Ranker is Liu Xudong.

The strongest is still the Imperial Family, also led by one Fifth Ranker, supplemented by four Fourth Rankers, and this is even after subtracting Dou Yuansheng.

"He is the Seventh Prince of the Imperial Family, Dou Yuanbiao, only 19 years old. He broke through to the Fifth Rank half a year ago and is ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Remember to be careful!"

Ning Bizhen once again transformed into an 'encyclopedia', explaining the basic information of Dou Yuanbiao to Li Zhangsheng.

The Hidden Dragon Ranking only accepts elites under the age of 30. Being able to enter the top ten at the age of 19 is proof of Dou Yuanbiao's strength.

The gap between people is still very large. Both reached the Fifth Rank at 19, but Liu Xudong can only be ranked 20th, and his ranking is even below Li Zhangsheng, who is only Fourth Rank.

Liu Xudong is also feeling aggrieved. It is no wonder that he was so furious when he met Li Zhangsheng yesterday; after all, no matter how you look at it, he is a top Heavenly Pride of the Langya Kingdom, and he still has his pride. Being suppressed by Li Zhangsheng, who is only Fourth Rank, is a great humiliation.

Unlike the First Prince, Dou Yuanbin, Dou Yuanhua, and Dou Yuansheng, Dou Yuanbiao is clearly very strong, but it is said that he has never had any thoughts of fighting for the throne, or at least he has never shown it on the surface, which also makes him a target for the other princes to win over.

After the first batch of explorers arrived, the heads of the five major forces began to undo the Restriction imposed on the entrance of the Secret Realm.

Boom—

Suddenly, a strong roaring sound rang out, and the ground shook violently, giving people the feeling of an earthquake.

Not far away, a circular channel appeared abruptly; the inside of the channel was pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly.

Looking at this channel leading to the Fire Flame Secret Realm, Li Zhangsheng clicked his tongue in wonder, because its form is completely different from the Baisheng King Secret Realm and Danwang Biefu; the latter two both appeared in the form of portals.

After the Secret Realm Channel opened, the younger generation of the five major forces lined up with solemn expressions and entered the channel one by one.

Today's goal: three, pig????, verified!

(End of this chapter)