"This Chu Tianle is this close to the rankings for the third time. He failed again!"
"Isn't that the truth? I've bet on him making the rankings twice, and both times I lost big!"
Outside the Pagoda, aside from the passing merchants and shops, gambling stalls were the most numerous.
Chu Tianle, as a young man who had been persistently challenging the pagoda daily and making rapid progress in recent years, had long been a regular on the gambling boards. Of course, a significant part of this was because everyone knew Chu Tianle had a close relationship with Tang Qiao.
It was precisely because of this that even though Chu Tianle had no power or influence behind him, no one sought to cause him trouble. After all, with Tang Qiao as his backing, people implicitly considered him to be backed by the Provincial Lord of Yingwu Prefecture.
Who would seek to displease a Provincial Lord for no reason?
Chu Tianle, the center of everyone's discussion, heard none of it. He walked briskly towards his residence, his sword slung on his back like a blade.
However, for some unknown reason, the already noisy outside suddenly became even more clamorous, like a large ladle of cold water being poured into a bubbling oil pan.
Chu Tianle had taken only a few steps when he heard someone nearby exclaim loudly.
"To the Lesser World? The Universal Secret Realm has appeared in the Lesser World?"
"Shenqi Lesser World? Does anyone know which forgotten corner this Lesser World is? Why haven't we heard of it?"
Shenqi!
Chu Tianle's steps faltered, unable to move forward.
He turned around, took a deep breath, and squeezed into the boiling crowd. He saw at the forefront of the group, a provincial ranking list, conjured by spiritual energy, displaying: "As the Universal Secret Realm appears today, for the benefit of Yingwu Prefecture, the Provincial Lord will select ten cultivators below the Void Comprehension realm to travel to the Shenqi Lesser World..."
Following this were the rules for selecting these ten cultivators, along with a series of restrictions and requirements. But Chu Tianle could see none of it.
His eyes were fixed on every word written there. He opened his mouth and said, "I can go back?"
As long as he obtained a spot?
Chu Tianle looked at the content again in detail, then, listening to the exclamations all around, he turned and rushed towards the Sky Curtain Pagoda.
"Young Master Chu, your opportunity to challenge the pagoda today has been used up," the guard at the pagoda stopped him, reminding him.
Chu Tianle said, "I'm not going in, I'll just wait outside for tomorrow's challenge."
The guard looked at him in confusion. He had been on duty for so many years and had never seen such an odd person. However, since the other party was not violating any rules, he said no more.
Yingwu Prefecture's sudden announcement of entry slots into the Universal Secret Realm placed immense pressure on Yunchen Prefecture and Xunming Prefecture as well. The very air in the Chongyuan Middle World felt hotter.
But all of this was irrelevant to the people of the Shenqi Lesser World.
"The demonic cultivators have retreated."
Except for the battlefield at Baiye City, the demonic cultivators on all other major battlefronts were retreating, heading towards the Far West. The Thousand Demon Pavilion cultivators who were originally stationed near the Far West, under the pressure of countless demonic cultivators passing through daily, were forced to retreat as well, all the way to the Buddhist sect's territory.
In just ten days, the entire righteous-demonic war, which had initially been chaotic, had transformed into two distinct territories. One was the mixed demonic clouds and spiritual rain roaring above Baiye City and Qunyu Mountain, and the other was divided into two by the Buddhist sect's boundary.
"Are they trying to preserve their strength to enter the secret realm?"
Within the Buddhist sect, golden light shone, and black demonic energy had nowhere to hide. A young Buddhist cultivator, holding a flower between his fingers, placed it on the Bodhi tree. Instantly, a gentle breeze blew, invigorating the disciples who had sustained minor injuries on the battlefield. They all perked up once more.
Especially the young man in the maple-colored robes leading them. He placed the large medicinal cauldron he was dragging onto the ground with a clang and declared霸气ly, "This master can refine ten more batches of pills!"
"Feng Wuya, what are you boasting about! We all know who's who!" The bright-smiling female cultivator sat on the ground, propping herself up with her hands, her head tilted back as she gazed at the brilliant sky, sighing, "With the demonic cultivators gone, the sky looks so much bluer."
The years of warfare had exhausted not only their bodies but also their spirits. Even though they did not know the reason for the demonic cultivators' retreat at this moment, for those who had gained a brief respite, everything felt precious.
Many people, like the female cultivator and the young man in maple robes, relaxed and sat on the open ground outside the Buddhist sect's premises.
And before this group of people, two figures, with their backs to them, looked somewhat somber.
"Fellow Daoist Ling Yue, what are your thoughts?" Chan Master Ku Le sighed deeply.
Ten years ago, Ling Yue, the head of the Disciplinary Hall of Shenqi Academy, had pierced the dantian of Song Sheng, who was hidden within the Supreme Sect's ranks, with a spear during a chaotic battle. He had successfully entered the Mahayana stage, becoming another pillar of support for Shenqi Academy. The demon-extermination team dispatched to the west by Shenqi Academy was led by him.
Ling Yue looked up at the sky.
While Luo Feihua, that little girl, saw a clear blue sky, he saw, hidden above the azure heavens, the Universal Secret Realm, like a colossal mountain, pressing down on all of Shenqi.
After the Universal Secret Realm suddenly appeared that day, it quickly disappeared. No, rather than disappearing, it had concealed its form. Only cultivators with Mahayana or higher cultivation could see the dissipating divine light.
It still hung above the Shenqi world, as if precarious, threatening to fall and shatter the entire world at any moment.
"It is a misfortune, not a blessing," Ling Yue said leisurely.
Chan Master Ku Le thought the same, "The Universal Secret Realm is called the dwelling place of gods, the ancestral land of the ancient Azure Dragon clan. How can such a secret realm be something our Shenqi can afford to bear?"
Chan Master Ku Le's words were not without basis.
He had entered the Mahayana stage over a thousand years ago. According to the lifespan of Mahayana cultivators, if he could not find a breakthrough, he would likely die of old age.
Yet, the more he cultivated, the more Chan Master Ku Le understood that his distance from ascension was not a small gap, but an uncrossable chasm.
Especially in recent times, he had even had a premonition that Shenqi's Heavenly Dao was flawed, making ascension impossible.
And the so-called ascension was to become an immortal upon achieving cultivation gains. However, so-called immortals were all beneath gods. Immortals were attained through later cultivation, while gods were born with heaven and earth. It was just that after ancient times, all gods had vanished without a trace.
"Now that the Universal Secret Realm has appeared, I fear there will be many outsiders," Chan Master Ku Le said gravely. "Our enemies will no longer be just the demonic cultivators."
At the same time, within Baiye City.
Bai Shengyi looked up at the dense darkness in the sky and frowned, "The demonic barrier has thickened."
Behind her was Yue Bufan, who had rushed from Yueqing Mountain upon hearing of her return. However, before they could even exchange pleasantries, their attention was completely drawn by the sky-obscuring darkness.
"Your Highness the Demon King, has Ao Ming made a move again?"
Bai Shengyi stood up, holding her brush, and leaped onto the city wall of Baiye City. A flame shot from her palm, circled around, and burned a large vacuum.
Lin Qingyu, who was about five li to the left of the city wall, turned back upon hearing her and replied, "No."
"On my side, the demonic army shows no anomalies either," Qian Ying said from the right front.
Only their large area of the righteous-demonic battlefield remained locked in a stalemate. The demonic cultivators showed no intention of retreating, unlike in other areas, and had even dispatched two additional demonic armies to reinforce them.
Lin Qingyu and Qian Ying had been leading their men in vigilance against the demonic army's troublemaking since yesterday, but until now, the demonic army had been extremely quiet.
Yue Bufan wanted to talk to his granddaughter a bit longer and subconsciously thought for the best, "Perhaps they..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the city wall began to shake.
Bai Shengyi immediately leaped up, warning everyone inside the city, "Everyone, take to the air! Be alert for the ground!"