Chapter 193: Heavenly Court Secret Realm

"This battle..." Mo Bicheng's face was pale, his expression as gloomy as water, his demeanor taut.

He had already been severely wounded, and after a brief period of healing, he had merely managed to stabilize his injuries.

Yet he had not expected Shui Qianqiu to be defeated so decisively; even learning of this caused his spirit to waver and his injuries to worsen.

But even so, he had to stand up and take charge.

Chen Mo's expression was calm, carrying a gentle smile; although he had just won, there was no pride or complacency in his demeanor.

"This battle... our Xuantian World has lost, and we are willing to accept the defeat. I shall immediately order people to build an altar and announce it to Heaven and Earth in three days.

The Xuantian World shall submit to the Cangxuan World, pay tribute, and cede five thousand li of land."

Mo Bicheng forced himself for a long time before he could speak these words.

In truth, the point was not the five thousand li of land; this five thousand li of land was merely symbolic.

The five thousand li of land ceded by the Xuantian World was basically the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, which was filled with demonic beasts internally, with only occasional small towns and villages, and was of little value.

If the Cangxuan World had lost, the territory ceded would have been nothing more than Xinzhou, which was nothing but yellow sand and grasslands, also of no great value.

The point was the submission; once they submitted, the Heavenly Luck of their Xuantian World would inevitably be a notch lower than the other side's.

In this struggle for Heavenly Luck, they had lost completely.

To this day, Mo Bicheng did not know how he would return to the Holy Land to face the ancestor, or how he would explain all this to the old man.

But they were willing to accept the defeat, as they had previously sworn an oath to Heaven and Earth; if they did not honor the oath, they would be disfavored by Heaven and Earth.

For a Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artist, this was an almost unbearable price.

From then on, they would be unable to borrow Heaven and Earth Power, and even less able to enter the state of Heavenly Human Unity; as for their cultivation, let alone increasing, it would be a blessing if it did not decline.

Aside from the oath, there was another point: that Chen Mo was able to defeat Shui Qianqiu.

This was enough to prove that his true strength was absolutely invincible within the Heavenly Human Realm.

Unless the ancestor took action personally, they had no way to deal with Chen Mo.

Therefore, they had no choice but to abide by this agreement.

"Very well," Chen Mo nodded and said, "This matter is not very urgent. If you, Great Elder, are too severely wounded, you may take more time to recuperate."

"No matter, it is better to get it done quickly." Mo Bicheng shook his head, then immediately took out two Heavenly Court Imperial Orders.

"These two Heavenly Court Imperial Orders, I will first entrust them to you, Fellow Daoist; please help me deliver one of them to the Fellow Daoist from the Blood Sea."

This Token was made of white jade, the size of an adult's palm, with golden cloud patterns carved upon it.

In the center of the Token were written several ancient characters, with faint Dao rhymes flowing through them.

Chen Mo saw at a glance that these ancient characters were extraordinary; to understand them, one had to comprehend the Dao rhymes within.

This was by no means an easy task, at least not something he could accomplish with his current cultivation.

Viewed in this light, the Heavenly Palace's use of the Heavenly Court Fragment was likely a case of knowing the result without knowing the reason.

"Good." Chen Mo reached out and took the two Tokens, looking at them carefully again and again.

"In another period of time, the Heavenly Court Secret Realm will open; it would be best for you, Fellow Daoist, to head to the vicinity of the secret realm in advance to wait," Mo Bicheng cautioned.

They could not determine the exact time the Heavenly Court Secret Realm would open.

But there was no doubt that every time the Heavenly Court Secret Realm opened, entering it first always yielded more gains.

These matters were widely known, so he did not hide this and told Chen Mo quite openly.

"Many thanks for the reminder." Chen Mo smiled and bowed in salute.

"The remaining promised resources will be sent over one after another. This old man has other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first." Mo Bicheng returned the bow, his entire aura seeming to collapse in an instant; he still stood there, yet it was as if his spine had bent.

Chen Mo did not say much, watching the other party leave before turning to walk into the palace.

He also needed to heal; just because his injuries were not heavy did not mean they did not exist.

The Dharma Sword in Shui Qianqiu's hand was indeed formidable; even now, its power was still eroding his own.

If not for the fact that Shui Qianqiu's own strength was not that great, and he himself had not given him the chance to continue using the Dharma Sword,

then the outcome of this contest might not have been known.

He walked back into the palace to sit cross-legged and heal, expelling the power that did not belong to him from his body.

Three days passed in a flash.

The Xuantian World Martial Artists built a high platform, ninety-nine zhang high and nine zhang square; it was a temporary construction, so the details were not particularly refined.

In any case, it would only be used this once.

Those from the Cangxuan World who could attend this ceremony were only Chen Mo and the Master of the Blood Sea.

The remaining Innate Martial Artists were not qualified.

Three days were enough for the Master of the Blood Sea to recover; although she had now left the Netherworld, Fengdu Niangniang still allowed her to wield a portion of the Netherworld's Divine Authority.

Using the power of the Blood Sea to heal herself, and since she herself was born from the Blood Sea, her recovery speed was naturally fast enough under these circumstances.

In three days, although she had not fully recovered, she was seven or eight-tenths better.

"We, the Xuantian Alliance, are willing to submit to the Cangxuan Alliance; from now on, we shall take the Cangxuan Alliance as our master!"

Just like the Cangxuan World, the numerous factions of the Xuantian World did not have a true leader, and they were likewise merely a loose alliance among themselves.

Mo Bicheng led the Xuantian World in taking the oath, acknowledging the leading position of the Cangxuan Alliance, and after speaking, he bowed and prostrated.

Chen Mo observed the surrounding Heaven and Earth, and in a daze, he felt the Heaven and Earth tremble and the Heavenly Luck shift.

When he observed the Heavenly Law himself, everything was vastly different.

This was the profound mystery of the blessing of Heavenly Luck; it appeared ethereal, but in reality, it truly existed.

The stronger one's power, the more clearly one could perceive it.

At this moment, Mo Bicheng's heart was bleeding as he felt the loss of the vast Heavenly Luck.

Admittedly, this loss of Heavenly Luck would not affect the birth of new Heavenly Human experts in the Xuantian World.

But once it was lost, the difficulty of the Xuantian World producing another Spirit Severing or Myriad Phenomena God Transformation expert would be unfathomable, or perhaps they might never be born at all.

Unless someone can break through the Heavenly Human Realm to reach the True One Realm, push open the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate once more, and induce the fusion of other worlds to allow the Heaven and Earth Qi to grow again, this situation cannot be resolved at all.

Originally, he wanted to steadily secure the Heaven and Earth Qi of the other world through the competition, but now he has ended up losing both his wife and his soldiers.

Yet, no matter how much regret he felt inside, it was useless; he could only blame his skills for being inferior to others!

Chen Mo reached out to take the letter of submission, leaving his own Blood Qi and True Qi upon it.

This document was made in five copies: one for the ancestral spirits of each of the two worlds, and one each for the Cangxuan Alliance and the Xuantian Alliance.

There was also one copy to be burned, scattered between heaven and earth to inform them of this matter.

"Fellow Daoist, we shall take our leave first. The Heavenly Court Secret Realm will open in a few days; I hope you will make preparations early."

As the ceremony concluded, Mo Bicheng straightened up and cupped his hands.

After saying this, he turned and left with a look of sorrow and complexity on his face.

The remaining Heavenly Human experts also left one after another, most of them in a rather poor mood.

Bai Yuxia was relatively familiar with Chen Mo, so at this moment, she only gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

"When shall we go to the Heavenly Court Secret Realm?" As the people from the Xuantian World left, the Lord of the Blood Sea looked at Chen Mo and asked directly.

"I will make a few more arrangements, and we shall set off immediately; it is better to go early than late." Chen Mo spoke calmly, having already drafted a plan in his mind.

Entering the secret realm at the first opportunity yields the most harvest, though of course, the risks may also be the greatest.

Chen Mo had some confidence in his own strength, and as far as he knew, the Heavenly Court Secret Realm was not considered dangerous.

After all, it was a fragment of the Ancient Heavenly Court left behind by a Great Ability of the Human Race, originally intended for the trials of juniors.

Even if one's strength were slightly weaker, entering it would at most result in being sent out after getting injured; there would basically be no danger to one's life.

"Very well, notify me when you set off." After the Lord of the Blood Sea said this, she did not return to the Netherworld, but sat cross-legged on the spot to heal her wounds.

Chen Mo flashed over to the area below the arena; the original palace had already been taken away.

Chu Tianxiu and Zhao Xuanxin were in another courtyard with many Innate experts; this courtyard had been crafted by Golden Core cultivators from the Cangxuan World.

It could not compare to the palace and was not particularly sturdy, but it was enough for a place to stay.

"We won a great victory in this competition, but our strength still cannot compare to the Xuantian World, so you seniors must still cultivate diligently.

Regarding the five-thousand-mile territory of the Xuantian World, do not interfere with the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range; if you wish to enter it to explore or hunt spirit beasts, you may go.

But the spirit beasts within are powerful, and there are a small number of Heavenly Human Realm spirit beasts present, so you must still be careful.

Within this five-thousand-mile territory, there are also cities and villages; you may gradually dispatch officials to manage them. If it is too difficult, letting the local populace govern themselves is also acceptable."

Chen Mo spoke carefully, instructing everyone on the matters to be handled next.

In fact, even if he did not say these things, others would have thought of them, but because he made the decision, it would be very easy to carry out.

"We understand." The many Innate experts bowed and replied one after another.

"I am about to leave to prepare for training in the Heavenly Court Secret Realm; the affairs of the Cangxuan World are left to you seniors to handle. While I am away, Senior Chu Tianxiu shall temporarily act as Alliance Leader, with Dao Lord Zhang and Abbot Mingxing assisting."

Chen Mo continued, making the subsequent arrangements.

Everyone had no objections to this. Chen Mo gave a few more individual instructions to Chu Tianxiu before setting off again to return to the arena.

"Senior, let us go." He called out softly, but the Lord of the Blood Sea did not respond immediately.

Chen Mo could see that she was healing her wounds and had not yet completed a cycle of cultivation.

After another moment, once she had completed a cycle, she slowly opened her eyes.

"I have troubled you to wait for me," she said with a smile as she stood up.

"A small matter," Chen Mo replied, stepping forward to lead the way.

The Lord of the Blood Sea followed closely behind him, transforming into a streak of blood shadow as they rushed toward the distance.

Neither of them was slow, but neither moved too quickly either.

On the way, Chen Mo carefully explained to the Lord of the Blood Sea the situation regarding the Heavenly Court Secret Realm that he had investigated.

Even so, for the distance of over a hundred thousand miles, the two of them only spent half a day.

The reason the Heavenly Palace got its name is because the place where its forces are stationed is truly a collection of palaces floating in the sky.

Looking from afar, one divine mountain after another floated in the air; on the mountains were jade towers and golden pavilions, stretching on endlessly.

The divine mountains were connected to each other by white jade stairs; dozens of divine mountains of varying styles and heights merged into one, stuck into the high sky like a nail.

Chen Mo slowed his movements, walking toward the Heavenly Palace at a slower pace, with the Lord of the Blood Sea following closely behind him.

Among the clouds of the divine mountains, immortal cranes chirped and patrolled, while various auspicious beasts rested and spirit apes walked upon the divine mountains.

There were also many Heavenly Palace disciples, dressed in white with the demeanor of immortals, wandering throughout the divine mountains, either refining pills or gathering herbs.

This place was also a rare Blessed Land, and its area was extremely vast; dozens of divine mountains connected into one, spanning far more than a thousand miles.

Just as Chen Mo and his party approached the Heavenly Palace, an Innate Realm elder came to greet them.

"Two seniors, may I ask what brings you to our Heavenly Palace?" The Heavenly Palace elder, dressed in purple Daoist robes, bowed and asked.

He indeed did not know Chen Mo's identity or age, but those who have attained are teachers.

Chen Mo and his companion had higher cultivation than him, and he did not know them previously and had no relationship with them, so using "senior" now was a respectful form of address.

"We are preparing to enter the Heavenly Court Secret Realm for training, so we have come to the Heavenly Palace early to make preparations." Chen Mo took two Heavenly Court Imperial Orders from his Huai and spoke slowly.

The Daoist took them, looked them over repeatedly, and after bowing, returned the orders to Chen Mo, saying, "Please, two seniors, follow me."

After saying this, he took the initiative to lead the way, bringing Chen Mo and the others to sit in a rear hall of a divine mountain, and ordered disciples to serve clear tea for hospitality.

Before long, a Heavenly Human Realm elder arrived.

"Two fellow Daoists, the Great Elder is in seclusion and cannot come to welcome you personally; please follow me."

That Heavenly Human expert had naturally already seen Chen Mo and the Lord of the Blood Sea; at this moment, his expression was calm, showing not the slightest ripple.

Chen Mo stood up and followed behind him. Traveling another thousand miles north from this place, there was a jade-like immortal platform amidst layers of clouds.

The immortal platform was built entirely of white jade and was not very large, only about three zhang square.

The immortal platform was surrounded by clear Qi and gathered five-colored profound light; stepping into it, even if one did nothing, one could sense the Heaven and Earth Qi continuously nourishing the physical body.

On the platform, one person was already waiting; it was none other than Bai Yuxia, whom Chen Mo recognized.

She sensed someone approaching, and upon seeing it was Chen Mo, she was not particularly surprised.

"The Heavenly Court Secret Realm has yet to open, so I ask the two seniors to wait here for now. Once the secret realm opens, you may enter the Heavenly Court Secret Realm from the Ascension Platform." The Heavenly Palace elder who brought them here gave careful instructions, then turned and left.

"I have been here for a while. According to past circumstances, the opening of the Heavenly Court Secret Realm should happen around this time. Fellow Daoist, you may just wait." Bai Yuxia wore a smile, clearly well-informed about these matters.

Opportunities to enter the Heavenly Court Secret Realm are extremely precious; even the Heavenly Palace itself does not have many.

Each time the Heavenly Court Secret Realm opens, generally only four or five people can enter.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Palace had previously given away two Heavenly Court Imperial Orders in succession, so as of now, there is not a single person from the Heavenly Palace here.

Chen Mo took out a Putan and sat cross-legged to cultivate and regulate himself; the Master of the Blood Sea did the same.

None of the three had any intention of chatting or speaking much, and after several more days, Shui Qianqiu actually arrived as well.

His injuries were so severe before, yet now he was already nearly recovered; it seems the Heavenly Palace truly spent a fortune on him.

This is also normal; while he is certainly no match for Chen Mo, his strength is absolutely top-tier when looking across the world.

Even the Master of the Blood Sea might not necessarily be his match in a short time.

However, apart from him, no one else from the Heavenly Palace came; it seems the Heavenly Court Imperial Order in his hand was the very last one.

Shui Qianqiu saw Chen Mo, his expression somewhat awkward.

As soon as he saw Chen Mo, he thought of the words he had once spoken.

Fortunately, Chen Mo paid him no attention and did not mention the previous matter, otherwise, he truly would not have known how to continue staying here.

Shui Qianqiu honestly shrank into a corner of the Ascension Platform, not saying a single extra word.

He had indeed been confident enough before, but the impact Chen Mo brought him was too great, making him realize he had truly underestimated the heroes of the world.

The confidence and pride he possessed were shattered in an instant, and even his Dao heart was somewhat unstable.

But ultimately, being a top-tier heaven-gifted talent, Shui Qianqiu could accept his own victory, and he could also accept his own failure.

He would never become despondent because of a temporary failure; on the contrary, failure could better motivate him.

The four waited for another three days, and the Ascension Platform suddenly began to vibrate as a jade-white long staircase to heaven appeared.

Chen Mo took out the Heavenly Court Imperial Order; this Heavenly Court Imperial Order can actually also be called an Ascension Order. Only by holding this token can one pass through the Ascension Steps and enter the Heavenly Court Secret Realm.

The heavens and earth shook, and the Heavenly Court Secret Realm opened once more. Chen Mo looked far into the high heavens, where an extremely vast and majestic portal was glowing faintly.

On the beams and pillars on both sides of the portal, two coiled dragons stood guard; although countless years have passed, they were still emitting dragon might at this moment.

Three characters were carved on the portal's plaque, yet the first character could no longer be seen clearly; only the latter two characters, "Heavenly Gate," were vaguely visible.

These two characters were written in a unique style; as long as one's cultivation reaches a certain realm, one can read them.

"Let's go, fellow Daoists." Bai Yuxia greeted with a smile and stepped onto the Ascension Steps first.

At this point, the trial could be considered truly begun; although they held the Ascension Order, they still had to endure great pressure with every step taken on the Ascension Steps.

This pressure varied from person to person; those with abundant merit, Heavenly Luck upon them, and clear Qi in their bodies walked quite easily.

But if one is loathed by heaven and earth, practices evil arts, or carries Blood Qi and karmic retribution, walking would be incomparably difficult, and even with an Ascension Order, one might not necessarily reach the Heavenly Court Secret Realm.

Chen Mo's pace was fast; Dao rhymes flowed around his body, Heavenly Luck manifested, and his physical body was blazing and brilliant, as if he were a scorching sun.

His physical body had undergone many Mortal Transformations; although it had not approached the level of becoming a saint through the flesh, it was nonetheless a body of no impurities.

Furthermore, he had Heavenly Luck upon him, and the merit he had accumulated from benefiting the Human Race was naturally immeasurable.

Merit is not Heavenly merit; heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs.

A blade of grass or a tree and a person are no different in the eyes of heaven and earth; they are all the same, and it cares for none.

Unless one helps heaven and earth in their operation, one can then obtain Heavenly Luck and Heavenly merit.

And the Heavenly Court was established by the Human Race, so this merit is Humanity Merit.

Chen Mo had killed many people, but most were evil.

He had saved even more people; the amount of merit he possessed was vast, not to mention the added blessing of Heavenly Luck, so his speed was fast enough.

The Master of the Blood Sea followed closely behind him; she was a Shape Transformation of the Blood Sea and even helped the Netherworld operate, allowing many of the Human Race to be reincarnated.

The amount of Humanity Merit she had accumulated was naturally quite considerable, even far more than Chen Mo's.

The reason she lagged behind was merely because her strength was slightly weaker and she received less blessing from Heavenly Luck.

Behind the two of them was Shui Qianqiu, and Bai Yuxia was at the very bottom.

The length of the Ascension Steps was unknown; Chen Mo sometimes felt he had walked for over ten miles, yet upon regaining his senses, he remained in the same spot.

However, the Heavenly Gate in the distance was indeed becoming clearer, and those waves of dragon might were becoming more and more obvious.

Chen Mo quickened his pace and continued to run; on these long Ascension Steps, one could not use too many complex methods.

One could only walk step by step in the simplest way, and with every step he took, he could sense the pressure he faced growing stronger.

This trial was not considered difficult; unless one was a Demonic Path Martial Artist, a normal righteous Martial Artist would certainly be able to pass, it was just a matter of speed.

Chen Mo walked along, and the higher he went, the greater the pressure he endured, and his speed became slower.

But eventually, he arrived before the Heavenly Gate; this portal was not yet fully opened.

Chen Mo took out the Heavenly Court Imperial Order, and as the token merged with the Heavenly Gate, the Heavenly Gate showed signs of initial revival.

The Master of the Blood Sea followed closely behind and also took out her token.

Immediately after came Shui Qianqiu and Bai Yuxia; the two arrived one after the other, almost simultaneously.

"The Heavenly Court Secret Realm is vast and ever-changing; even to this day, the Heavenly Palace has not been able to fully master this secret realm.

However, when you and I enter, the first two trials will certainly be the same; as for the remaining trials, it depends on how the Heavenly Court evolves."

Shui Qianqiu did not speak, so Bai Yuxia took the initiative to explain.

Upon entering the Heavenly Court Secret Realm, although they were competitors, it was more often a matter of relying on one's own abilities, and the fighting was not very intense.

"The first trial is called the Questioning Path; we have already walked half of it, and upon entering the Heavenly Court Secret Realm, we must walk the remaining half.

The second trial is ascending the Martial Tower, which tests a Martial Artist's actual combat ability; the stronger the strength, the more generous the rewards obtained."

"As for the third trial, based on past experiences, we will likely have to compete for it, so everyone will have to rely on their own methods then." Bai Yuxia explained in detail; she knew a great deal about these matters and held nothing back.

This is mainly because the first two trials rely on individual methods, with no competition between each other.

As the three chatted, the gate to the Heavenly Court opened completely.

In a trance, Chen Mo only felt celestial music ringing in his ears, and his consciousness suddenly became clear.

An aura unique to the ancient era gradually emerged; Chen Mo seemed to see many immortals riding cranes and spirit deer, coming and going within the Heavenly Court, and many golden boys and jade maidens moving in pairs among the palaces of the Heavenly Court.

Bursts of celestial Qi condensed into clouds, drifting between the skies.

Everyone's expression was peaceful, and every one of them wore a look of joy.

However, these scenes vanished in an instant, leaving only a long flight of stairs before his eyes, leading to the distant palace.

The Heavenly Court Secret Realm was deathly silent, with not a single sound emitted.

The condensed Heaven and Earth Qi drifted about; on both sides of the stairs were lotus ponds, and the lotuses growing within radiated a glowing treasure light, which one could tell at a glance were extremely rare treasures.

It is just that these lotus ponds are all guarded by the power of rules, so Chen Mo and the others can only look for now.

The interior of the Heavenly Court Secret Realm is extremely vast and boundless; this Heavenly Palace Path leading to the distant palace alone is likely hundreds of miles long.

Behind this palace, other palaces could be vaguely seen rising and falling.

The Heavenly Court gate opened, and Chen Mo was the first to step inside.

Because it was he who had inserted the Ascension Order first, and the Master of the Blood Sea followed closely behind.

Until everyone had entered, the Heavenly Court gate slowly closed and hid itself between heaven and earth.

Only when Chen Mo and the others pass this trial will it reappear again.

"Great Elder, do you think the Ancestor Son has a chance?" a Supernatural Realm expert of the Heavenly Palace asked Mo Bicheng.

"I do not know. The Heavenly Court Secret Realm is different from the outside world. If the Ancestor Son can take this opportunity to control a portion of the Heavenly Court Secret Realm, then he might be able to use this chance to charge into the Supernatural Realm in one go, but the difficulty of this is no less than a mortal ascending to heaven. The Ancestor Son is strong, but it is hard to say."

Mo Bicheng looked at the vanished Heavenly Court gate and spoke slowly.

The reason the Heavenly Palace is able to dominate this world is because it controls a portion of the Heavenly Court Fragment.

Among the younger generation of Martial Artists, those with high talent and good fortune have the opportunity to refine a portion of the Heavenly Court Fragment.

The Heavenly Court is very special; it does not belong to this world, and with it as a foundation, a Martial Artist can charge into the Supernatural Realm.

There is no need to rely on Heavenly Luck, so the Supernatural Realm experts born this way do not affect the original number of Supernatural Realm experts within this world.

It is precisely because of this that even after passing through many eras, the Heavenly Palace still stands tall.

Even if there is an occasional decline, as long as the Heavenly Court Fragment is not lost, they will always have a chance to make a comeback once the next genius is born.

And at this moment, inside the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm, Chen Mo is passing the Wen Dao Jie at a very fast speed.

(End of chapter)