What Exactly Is a Secret Realm

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present changed!

What an arrogant brat!

Was this a threat? Or intimidation?

"I never expected the Huan Hua Immortal Sect's Grand Elder to have such a bold tone."

"I advise you to think more about yourself."

"First-level Quasi-Immortal Realm? Hahaha, how laughable."

"Elder Chen, could this kid be your illegitimate son? Otherwise, why would you be willing to give him the position of Grand Elder?"

"Hahaha, that’s very possible. But Elder Chen is truly generous, sending her own son to his death?"

Humph!

The words of the others darkened Chen Wanqing's expression. With a cold snort, she immediately struck.

Bang!

Bang!

The two elders who had spoken earlier were sent flying by Chen Wanqing’s palm before they could react. Only then did they remember—though she was a woman, she was still a powerhouse at the Celestial Immortal Realm.

"Watch your tongues. If there’s a next time..."

"I’ll take your lives," Chen Wanqing said coldly.

"Elder Chen, we were just joking. Why resort to violence?"

"Elder Chen, please calm down. The Five Great Immortal Sects are united as one. We mustn’t damage our harmony."

Harmony?

United as one?

What a joke.

"Humph!"

Chen Wanqing snorted coldly and ignored them.

Chen Chang'an had been watching silently the entire time. He agreed with Chen Wanqing’s actions but felt they weren’t enough.

Chen Wanqing had the strength, but her methods were too soft, not ruthless enough!

Perhaps this was why the other four sects saw the Huan Hua Immortal Sect as easy to bully.

The members of the other four sects now wore ugly expressions, but since they were no match for Chen Wanqing, they could only swallow their anger.

"Remember, once inside, find an opportunity to eliminate the Huan Hua Immortal Sect’s people."

"Best to let them find the treasures first, then strike."

"Understood?"

"Yes, Elder."

Meanwhile, Chen Chang'an looked at Chen Wanqing and smiled. "Do you know why they disregard you so easily? Even dare to mock you, a sect leader?"

Chen Wanqing was taken aback. Why?

"Because you always leave room for compromise."

"Remember: when you can’t win, endure. When you can win, be ruthless."

"Only when you’re ruthless will others truly respect you."

"In that situation earlier, what would it have mattered if you killed those two?"

"At most, you could’ve killed them all."

"No one wants to provoke a madman, let alone a madman with overwhelming strength."

"Understand?"

Chen Chang'an’s words struck Chen Wanqing like a revelation. All this time, she had acted too gently, never pushing too aggressively.

She avoided conflict whenever possible, hoping to let her sect’s disciples live peacefully.

But she had forgotten—once you stand in this position, peace is no longer an option.

If your enemies are shameless, you must be a thousand, ten thousand times more shameless!

If your enemies are domineering, you must be a thousand, ten thousand times more domineering!

Only then will others hesitate. Even if they scheme, they’ll think twice about the consequences.

"So... I’ve been wrong all this time."

"Thank you for your guidance, Young Master," Chen Wanqing said gratefully.

Her cautious approach likely stemmed from her past hardships. After enduring suffering, one naturally craves stability.

But she seemed to forget—to achieve that stability, one must first endure countless trials.

Five days later...

The day of the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm’s opening had finally arrived.

Everyone had long prepared. The realm would only remain open for a month, so every second counted in the hunt for treasures.

"It’s open!"

A spatial rift appeared within Scarlet Moon Valley. The moment the entrance formed, disciples of the four sects rushed in without hesitation, their movements practiced and swift.

"They’re in quite the hurry," Chen Chang'an remarked with a faint smile.

"Half of those disciples entered the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm once before," Chen Wanqing explained.

"It’s a tradition. A few disciples from the previous opening suppress their cultivation and stay behind to guide newcomers in the next cycle."

"This way, the experienced lead the inexperienced, making it more advantageous."

Chen Chang'an nodded. It was a clever system.

But with the realm opening only once every ten thousand years, how many treasures could possibly remain inside?

"Do the treasures inside replenish themselves?"

"An inexhaustible supply?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.

"Some heavenly treasures do," Chen Wanqing replied.

"But others aren’t so easily obtained."

"They require both strength and luck."

Chen Chang'an was deeply curious—how did such secret realms form? Who left these treasures behind?

But Chen Wanqing didn’t know either. Roughly three hundred thousand years ago, the five sects had discovered the realm’s entrance here.

Scarlet Moon Valley had even been renamed after it.

"I’m truly curious about what this realm looks like."

"Da Huang, Xiao Yao."

"Stop fooling around."

"Let’s go inside."

Da Huang and Xiao Yao hadn’t taken the realm seriously at all.

Ever since discovering Xiao Yao’s shapeshifting abilities, Da Huang had been dragging her into all sorts of mischief.

Right now, Da Huang had Xiao Yao transform into an extra tail. Staring at his two wagging dog tails, he grinned like an idiot.

"Huh? We’re going in now?"

"What’s the rush? Let’s play a bit longer."

"Aren’t we just going in to loot stuff anyway?" Da Huang said dismissively.

"Enough playing."

"You can mess around inside just the same."

"Aren’t you curious about the realm?"

"Not really. It’s just a secret realm. What’s the big deal?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Da Huang froze. It had been an instinctive response—almost as if it came from his very soul.

"Da Huang... are you about to awaken your inherited memories?"

As a member of the Qilin race, possessing divine beast bloodline, it was natural for Da Huang to have inherited memories. But this carefree fool had never awakened them, even after all these years.

"I’m not sure. But when you mentioned the secret realm just now, things I never knew before popped into my head."

"Secret realms are actually fallen worlds."

"Or they could be independent spaces that once existed within this world, like blessed lands or cave heavens."

"Though they’ve changed due to certain events, they still hold plenty of treasures."

"Moreover, the treasures left behind by the predecessors will remain here as well," Da Huang relayed the information surfacing in his mind.

Could this secret realm be a fallen world?