The Secret Realm Opens

"I told you to slow down, but you just had to speed!" Lin Chen said coldly as he stepped out of the car.

An Yi retorted sharply, "My route was perfectly timed. If we'd dawdled like you wanted, the secret realm would've closed by now."

The latter part of the journey had been driven by An Yi.

After a frenzied ride, they finally arrived at the marked location in Tianhuang Province where the secret realm was set to open.

Su Xue'er and Shangguan Qianqian stepped out of the car at the same time, exchanging a weary glance.

These two had been bickering nonstop the entire drive!

"An Yi!"

Bai Xiu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wasn't his token stolen?!"

Tang Qingqing grabbed Bai Xiu's arm and whispered, "We already made a deal. I even gave you the pendant."

Bai Xiu shot her a dismissive look. "He's my brother."

"Five million more!"

"This isn't about money!"

"Ten million!"

"An Yi is my brother!"

"Thirty million! Stick with me in the secret realm—no following An Yi!"

"Who the hell is An Yi?"

Chen Bing adjusted his black-framed glasses and remarked coolly, "Looks like he finally showed up."

Zhang Fan licked his lips, his gaze growing feverish and venomous.

Xue Ming gave a cold glance before losing interest.

Yan Zhi smiled faintly but made no move to greet him.

"Boss!"

Xiao Yike's eyes welled up with tears at the sight of An Yi, his voice choked with emotion.

His idol, his leader—finally here!

Then, a massive blade materialized in Xiao Yike's grip. His eyes burned crimson as he swung it down at An Yi's head. "You bastard! Die!"

He was no longer the same man he once was!

After his defeat at An Yi's hands, he had trained relentlessly, breaking through his limits to reach the realm of Hua Jin.

This strike—

Carried terrifying killing intent! The surrounding crowd shuddered as an eerie wind swept through.

Clang!

An Yi raised his hand, catching the blade between two fingers.

Divine Finger Technique!

For a moment, the entire area fell silent.

Mo Jiu paused mid-motion, halting the polishing of his axe.

Ji Chen's sutra-chanting ceased abruptly.

Even Jiang Cheng, usually squint-eyed, opened his eyes fully, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Hah! Now this is interesting!"

Lv Zheng, lounging in the sand, burst into hearty laughter.

"Damn impressive—catching a blade barehanded. He’s gotta be way above rank eleven on the Hidden Dragon List, right? Zhu Que, isn’t this the kid ranked above you?" Zhou Dahai mused aloud.

Yan Zhi currently held the twelfth spot on the Hidden Dragon List, with An Yi just one place ahead.

"What do you mean 'ranked above me'? Keep running your mouth, and I’ll cut you down!" Yan Zhi snapped, though the corners of her lips curled slightly as she watched An Yi.

This guy… seemed even stronger now.

Jiang Cheng’s reaction said it all—few could earn the respect of the mighty Azure Dragon.

"Goddammit, that bastard! I’m gonna kill him!"

Ning Lie crawled out of the sand, clutching his broken ribs and glaring at An Yi with gritted teeth.

He hefted his iron staff, ready to smash An Yi’s skull in—

"Let… go!"

Xiao Yike roared, struggling futilely against An Yi’s two-fingered grip.

"Knock it off, brat."

An Yi planted his foot squarely on Xiao Yike’s face.

A shockwave erupted!

Xiao Yike’s body shot backward like a cannonball, embedding itself deep into the sand.

Ning Lie, witnessing this, gulped hard. After a brief hesitation, he silently buried his head back in the sand.

Before long—

The clear night sky began to warp.

Streaks of cloud swirled into a vortex, swallowing the silver moon whole. Darkness swallowed the land.

Dense lightning churned within the clouds, blue-purple arcs flickering ominously.

The heavens trembled with thunder.

Those standing beneath the storm felt their legs give way.

This… was like the apocalypse.

Ji Chen stopped counting his prayer beads. "It’s here."

A bolt of lightning struck a man nearby—

Before he could even scream, his body was reduced to charred remains.

"Celestial Thunder?!" Lin Chen stared at the sky, stunned.

An Yi shrugged. "Guess the method changes every century. I thought it’d be Heavenly Fire this time."

Shangguan Qianqian said calmly, "This secret realm is different. Stay alert."

Though she was a reincarnator, even she knew little about the mysteries of the Hongtian Secret Realm.

In her past life, few had emerged alive from it.

And in that timeline, An Yi had been busy leading the Asura Sect in a war against the Blood Fiend Sect, skipping the realm entirely.

So what awaited them? No one knew.

Crack!

Another bolt struck—this time hitting Xue Ruirui.

She vanished in a flash of white light before she could even scream.

Xue Ming’s expression darkened, then eased slightly when he saw no corpse.

The first victim had been an impostor. But Xue Ruirui’s disappearance confirmed it—

Those with tokens were transported.

Next was Lv Zheng of the Pure Sun Sect.

Then Bai Xiu, mid-yawn, was engulfed by lightning and vanished.

This was just the beginning.

Soon, bolts rained down indiscriminately.

Xiao Yike, still rubbing his swollen face, was swallowed next.

Ning Lie was up after—

But alas, he had no token.

With his final breath, Ning Lie closed his eyes, catching the scent of his last meal…

Jiang Cheng, the Azure Dragon, finally opened his eyes fully.

He studied the storm and said, "The strikes are random. Once inside, stay sharp."

The moment he finished—

Lightning took him too.

Those without tokens panicked.

For them, a strike meant death.

Bodies piled up.

Token-bearers vanished in flashes of light.

Even Lin Chen and Shangguan Qianqian disappeared into the storm.

Only An Yi remained, staring at the sky.

"Nothing? Seriously?"

Ding! Anomaly detected. System repair in progress…

"Repair?!" An Yi’s eyes widened.

This damn system was interfering? Since when did secret realms affect it?

"If you’re repairing, just stop! Don’t push it!"

System upgrade in progress…

Then—

A violet-blue bolt, like a descending dragon, struck An Yi.

His soul quaked.

The world spun.

Darkness.

When his vision cleared, An Yi gaped at his surroundings.

A sea of flames stretched endlessly.

Scorching waves battered him.

"Such dense energy… Wait, this is spiritual power?!"

He stared at his hands in disbelief.

It was spiritual power—the energy of his original world, the one people here called the Ancient Continent.

If spiritual power existed here… did that mean his old abilities were back?

Excited, An Yi drew in the energy, circulating it through his meridians.

…Nothing.

His original powers had been obliterated when he crossed dimensions. The system had rebuilt his body from scratch.

"Useless."

Just then, his ears twitched.

A pack of four-legged beasts, flames spewing from their maws, closed in around him.