Chapter 162: Chapter 138: Breakthrough to the Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment, Profound Celestial Immortal Palace

"Sigh, what a shame about this Magic Robe." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Xiao Chen sighed, bending over to pick up Lu Wuqiang’s Storage Bag.

To be fair, this was the strongest enemy he had encountered so far.

During their final exchange, he had resisted the longest, using up all his Talismans in an attempt to escape by exhausting Xiao Chen’s Magical Power.

Against any other late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he might have even succeeded.

But his opponent could never have guessed that Xiao Chen had a Fake Pill in his body, which provided double the total amount of Magical Power.

He had relied on a relentless barrage to shatter the Top Grade Magic Robe to pieces.

As Lu Wuqiang breathed his last, the Divine General and Yellow Turban Warriors he had summoned also dissipated into Spiritual Power.

Xiao Chen first put away the Golden Melon Thunder Hammer from the man’s hands, then turned and waved to recall the silk handkerchief, taking out the Flowing Color Golden Light Pearl from within it.

’Its Spiritual Light is dazzling. Truly a fine treasure, but it’s mine now.’

He nodded in satisfaction and used a Li Huo Thunder to clean up the entire battlefield.

"Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Lin Ping’an peeked his head out from the volcano’s crater, holding a Round Shield. "What was all that commotion?"

Xiao Chen landed calmly beside him. "It’s nothing. I’ve taken care of it."

"What about the Secret Realm? Have you repaired the Restriction?"

Lin Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief and put away his Round Shield. As he dismantled the temporary Defensive Array he had set up, he replied, "It’s done."

"Junior Brother Lin, are you also cultivating the Array Dao now?"

"You jest, Senior Brother. I’m not that skilled. I just learned a couple of Defense Arrays. Better to be prepared, right?"

The two of them jumped back into the volcano’s crater.

Lin Ping’an formed a series of Magic Formulas with his hands. "Open!"

The Restriction in front of them flashed with a white light, but then nothing happened.

"Hey, open!"

"Hmm? Open!"

"What’s going on? Open!"

Just as Xiao Chen turned to ask what was wrong, an intense white light erupted, followed by a massive torrent of Spiritual Qi.

Like a volcanic eruption, it blew both of them straight out.

Then, a white pillar of light dozens of yards thick shot into the sky. A powerful Spiritual Qi Tide swept outward, announcing the opening of the Secret Realm to everyone within a radius of over three hundred miles.

Lin Ping’an slapped his thigh. "We’re done for. There’s a hidden Restriction."

"It’s broadcasting the Secret Realm’s location to attract more Cultivators from the area."

Xiao Chen reminded him, "Don’t worry. We should be the only two people within a radius of over six hundred miles."

"How long will this last?"

Lin Ping’an went up to check and couldn’t help but sigh. "Sigh, judging by its scale, it will probably last for two hours."

"Alright then. Good things come to those who wait. We’ll just have to wait a bit longer."

Xiao Chen was rather philosophical about it.

He simply found a relatively flat rock to sit on and began the Refinement of the new Top Grade Magical Artifact he had acquired.

This was especially true for the Flowing Color Golden Light Pearl, which relied heavily on being nurtured by its user’s own Magical Power.

This time, Lin Ping’an’s judgment was quite accurate.

Two hours later, the pillar of light did indeed shrink rapidly until it vanished completely.

The two stood at the edge of the crater and looked down. Below, just like in the Flame Pool Secret Realm, shimmering ripples like water had appeared.

Through the ripples, they could see a small stream flowing and flowers blooming within the Secret Realm.

One after the other, Xiao Chen and Lin Ping’an passed through the entrance.

Instantly, his vision blurred, and the world seemed to spin around him.

It was as if the space around him had fallen into disarray.

The next moment, Xiao Chen turned his head, but Lin Ping’an was nowhere to be seen.

He himself had appeared in a small, ancient-looking room.

Inside the room, there was only a standing stone tablet, a tightly shut wooden door, and not even a single window.

But the room was brightly lit, allowing him to clearly see the several lines of small text carved on the stone tablet.

Xiao Chen moved closer to read it carefully.

Welcome to the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace. You are here to participate in this assessment.

Please proceed to the main hall. Survive the siege of three late-stage Foundation Establishment puppets for three Quarter Hours without being defeated to pass the first trial and proceed to the next hall for further assessment.

Note: You have a total of two hours to make your decision. If you exceed this time limit, your eligibility for this assessment will be revoked.

Use the Naming Brush to leave your name on the back of the stone tablet to open the door.

’It’s actually an assessment?’

Xiao Chen tried walking to the door and found that, as expected, a layer of Restriction prevented him from opening it directly.

The stone tablet was taller than a person, and a writing brush was laid across its top.

On the back, there were already several dozen names, and new ones were continuing to appear.

Xiao Chen glanced over them and saw many unfamiliar names, such as Tian Wenyu and He Qianlan.

The most recent name to appear was "Anping."

He waited for a Quarter Hour, but Lin Ping’an’s name never appeared.

’A little interesting.’

Xiao Chen picked up the writing brush, thought for a moment, and wrote directly in a blank space—Chen Xiao.

He placed the brush back, and the stone tablet immediately flashed with a golden light.

His writing and the brush both vanished, and at the same time, the name Chen Xiao appeared in the newest spot.

But in the span of that Quarter Hour, the number of names on the back of the tablet had grown to over a hundred.

’So many people have entered the Secret Realm?’

Xiao Chen was a bit curious. ’Could it be that the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace has more than one entrance?’

Otherwise, even if others had seen the pillar of light from the Secret Realm’s opening, they couldn’t have arrived this quickly.

CREAK.

The door behind him opened on its own, revealing a vast, empty hall.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but three walls emitting a white glow.

Xiao Chen stepped out of the room, and a new wall immediately dropped behind him, sealing his only way out.

Immediately after, a sliver of red light appeared on the wall in front of him, replacing the original white glow.

Judging by the speed of its transformation, it would turn completely red in exactly three Quarter Hours.

At the same time, three large holes appeared in the floor, and three puppets forged from Profound Iron were lifted up.