Chapter Forty-Six: Entering the Ancient Realm

The space rippled like water, spreading out from the center to reveal a passageway within. The entire corridor was sky blue, vast and shrouded in a mysterious azure haze.

The powerful figures sensed something and opened their eyes, gazing toward the now-visible gateway to the ancient realm. The entrance had expanded to several dozen feet, and blue droplets of light, like a rain, cascaded gently around them.

These droplets fell like rain, some merging with the blue armor of protection. Everyone present wore an expression of comfort. “Such a pleasant sensation. What are these blue droplets? The armor isn’t absorbing them; they are dissolving directly into our flesh and blood!”

Leng Tian probed every inch of his body with his spiritual sense, observing the changes as the blue droplets entered. “So that’s it!” Once inside his flesh, the droplets were enveloped and assimilated by a sudden appearance of tricolor radiance.

This phenomenon did not appear in others. For them, the droplets merely fused into their dantian, purifying their inner energy, spreading throughout their bodies with a clarity, rejuvenating their essence and spirit, leaving them invigorated.

“These must be the manifestations of divine power. Otherwise, how could they have such effect?” An expert who had entered the profound realm examined his own subtle changes and couldn’t help but exclaim.

“That’s right, this blue rain is the wave form of divine power. It’s nothing unusual. This ancient realm is the secluded cultivation site of a god of the ancient demon race. The residue of divine power is to be expected.”

Li Tianzheng controlled his armor to absorb the droplets, converting them into his own energy. He watched the ancient realm’s entrance, still pouring forth blue rain, and spoke calmly.

“So, can we enter now?”

“Not yet. The passage hasn’t fully stabilized, and there are dangers within. Better to seize the opportunity and gain some benefits first!” Wang Mang’s face wore a mysterious smile as he sat cross-legged again, absorbing energy.

Hearing Wang Mang, the others agreed, raising their guard and not daring to be negligent.

Du Qingfeng and Yan Nanfei quietly absorbed energy, converting the divine blue rain to purify their own true essence.

For those who had entered the profound realm, the most difficult step to ascend was the transformation of true essence into spirit essence. This was not merely a matter of quantity, but a qualitative leap, marking the martial artist’s entry into the domain of elemental law.

To transform true essence into spirit essence, the primary requirement was purification—refining true essence to its utmost, until the martial artist could commune with a natural element and integrate it into the purified true essence, thus elevating it from mere force. Once completely merged with the element, the true essence would metamorphose into a higher, spiritual energy.

However, few martial artists could commune with natural elements, for elemental energy was scarce now and its spiritual quality diminished, unlike the ancient times when elements filled the world and martial artists could easily ascend without bottlenecks. It was said that entering the profound realm was as common as wild grass, and transcendents roamed everywhere.

Therefore, this sparse, pitifully thin rain of divine power was a precious boon for those who had entered the profound realm.

Leng Tian already felt its benefits. In just a short time, his tricolor divine energy had condensed further, its hues becoming more vibrant.

At this moment, the walls of the ancient realm’s entrance displayed numerous irregular patterns. The void became like a mirror, crisscrossed lines spreading outward to form dense webs.

“These are divine patterns reinforcing the stability of the passage. It won’t be quick. Brother Li, shall we compete a bit, see who can condense their armor first?”

Du Qingfeng, uncharacteristically cheerful, smiled at Li Tianzheng and made a friendly proposal.

Li Tianzheng gave him a calm glance, his eyes full of fighting spirit. “I was thinking the same. Let’s begin now!”

Du Qingfeng nodded, and their first contest began.

“Sister, who do you think will win, the White-robed Sword Saint or the Head of Xuantian?” Guoguo blinked her large eyes, watching the two with serious expressions, and asked Luan Yudie who was meditating nearby.

“And who do you think will win?”

Guoguo pursed her lips, her gaze drifting between the two, finally settling on Du Qingfeng. She spoke softly, “He’s cold and aloof, but not lacking in boldness and grace. He has the potential to become a peerless champion. I think he will win!”

“I think it’s your heart that’s fluttering!” Luan Yudie teased, flicking Guoguo’s little head.

“Ouch…” Guoguo cried out, withdrawing her gaze and sticking out her pink tongue in embarrassment. “No, you’re making things up, Sister. I’m not talking to you!”

Guoguo turned her blushing face away, pretending to be angry and ignoring Luan Yudie.

Luan Yudie laughed, her eyes glancing meaningfully at Du Qingfeng, her smile deepening. She drew Guoguo into a gentle embrace. “Alright! I was just joking with you. Are you really going to ignore your sister?”

Guoguo pouted, struggling not to laugh. “To make up for traumatizing my innocent heart, you have to compete with me—let’s see who can condense their armor fastest!”

“Hehe… alright!” Luan Yudie kissed Guoguo’s forehead and, with a laugh, sat cross-legged to seriously absorb energy and divine light.

Their conversation drew curious looks from those nearby. Leng Tian remained serene, ignoring outside matters, while his body absorbed the divine rain voraciously, his will controlling his armor to drink in vast quantities of energy.

Droplets of light poured down, rushing into Leng Tian’s body, absorbed completely by his tricolor energy. As he absorbed more, his energy grew dazzling, much more solid than before, its thickness now over half an inch.

What pleased Leng Tian most was that his Glass Golden Body, which had long stalled, now showed signs of breaking through. The golden blood within him began to reveal platinum highlights—a result of the subtle divine power.

“If only I were alone here, these scattered remnants of divine power might help me evolve my bloodline further, reaching the level of Platinum Sacred Body. But that’s just wishful thinking. Still, this is a good start!”

The sky poured down endless streams of energy, which the gathered experts absorbed completely.

Leng Tian’s armor was now tangible. When he reached out to touch it, he felt resistance—it was no longer insubstantial, unlike before when it was as fluid as water.

The divine patterns at the entrance continued to spread, becoming increasingly complex and interwoven, forming a vast, intricate array in the void, whose outline was still a little blurry. At its center was the entrance to the ancient realm.

Within the passage, one could now glimpse a corridor built seemingly of green bricks, with every seam and pattern clearly visible.

The deeper into the corridor, the larger the space became. Occasionally, sharp screeches echoed from within, as if some creatures were roaming about, their rampant noises confirming their existence.

Hidden in a secluded spot on the barren island below, Nightshade, cloaked in black, scanned the crowd above with an uncertain expression.

He too wore a blue armor, his cold eyes fixed on Leng Tian, tinged with helplessness.

While others absorbed divine power and energy in abundance, Nightshade could not. As the top assassin of the Bloodsworn Alliance, second only to the Death God himself, his presence here could not be discovered. If exposed, he would be hunted down mercilessly.

Nightshade endured in silence—not only could he not reveal his identity, he couldn’t even absorb energy, let alone the divine rain. He could only stay hidden and not dare hope for more.

On the other side of the island, atop a hill, another figure was concealed. “Heh… Nightshade, your calculations failed. Without condensing your divine armor, you’ll be tormented in the passage!”

His silhouette blurred and vanished from the hilltop, reappearing miles away, and soon disappeared altogether.

Time slipped quietly by, and night once more claimed dominion as the sun set in the west. The urgent sea wind whipped the crowd’s robes, waves thundered against the shore, and the passage’s entrance showered starlight that merged into their bodies.

This scene lasted until dawn. Under the golden rays of sunrise, the sky was awash with brilliant colors. The crowd sat unmoving like statues, serene and calm, breathing evenly. Streams of energy fell from the sky, illuminated by the morning light, making them even more striking.

As warmth enveloped them, everyone finished their meditation, opening their eyes for the first time since nightfall, all immediately gazing toward the passage entrance.

“It’s stabilized.”

Leng Tian stood in the void, seeing the entrance no longer shedding light rain, his heart stirred. It seemed the Azure Sea and Jade Sky Domain was ready to enter.

A complex array of sky-blue patterns was tightly woven into the space, firmly anchoring the ancient realm’s entrance in the void.

“It appears we’re evenly matched this time,” Du Qingfeng smiled at Li Tianzheng.

Li Tianzheng looked at the entrance and said boldly, “Let’s continue our contest inside the ancient realm!” With that, he teleported into the passage.

Seeing Li Tianzheng take the lead, the others followed one by one, teleporting into the corridor.

Luan Yudie smiled at Leng Tian in greeting, then entered the passage with Guoguo, vanishing from sight.

Leng Tian smiled wryly, bracing himself for the worst, and in a moment appeared at the entrance.

Martial Edge 46 – Chapter Forty-six: Entering the Ancient Realm.