Chapter 351: Opening Of Asura Desolate Realm [1]
The dense emerald canopy gave way to an extraordinary, terrifying sight.
In the heart of the deepest basin of the Mist Cloud Forest lay a colossal sunken valley spanning dozens of miles.
What should have been untamed wilderness was now an enormous staging ground of majestic camps, levitating pavilions, and colossal beast-drawn war chariots.
Hovering suspended directly above the center of the valley was the source of the ancient disturbance, a gargantuan spatial rift stretching hundreds of yards across the sky.
The void fissure looked like a jagged, bleeding wound cut into the fabric of reality itself.
Tendrils of viscous crimson and pitch-black Qi rolled off its jagged edges like stormy waterfalls, rippling the surrounding atmosphere with crushing gravitational waves.
Deep within the abyssal tear, ancient runes flickered in rhythmic cycles, slowly peeling back the primordial barrier that kept the pocket dimension locked away from the mortal realm.
As the combined procession of the City Lord and the Tang Clan rolled into the designated southern clearing, hundreds of eyes shifted toward their dark ironwood carriages.
Wu Shan and Wu Junjie immediately dismounted, while Shen Yu stepped down with effortless grace, his gold-trimmed white robes fluttering in the wind.
Flanked by Lixue, Li Na, and young Lu An’er, who was resting his small palm boldly against his heavy saber, Shen Yu’s golden gaze swept over the gathered powers with cool detachment.
"There are terrifying figures gathered here today, Yu’er," Lixue murmured softly under her breath, her sharp eyes scanning the surrounding camps with precise scrutiny.
Even without considering the imperial royal family, the sheer concentration of apex sects and premier clans was staggering.
To the northern ridge of the valley sat the delegation of the Heaven-Cleaving Jian Clan, one of the top three clans of the Crimson Lotus Empire.
At the forefront stood their prime disciple, Jian Wushuang.
Clad in stark grey robes with three ancient spirit swords floating vertically behind his back, he sat cross-legged in mid-air.
His aura was sharp, cold, and unyielding, a monstrous sword cultivator who had already reached the Peak 9th Stage of Foundation Establishment, exuding a sword intent so acute that the grass beneath him was shredded to dust.
Opposite them, occupying a grand encampment surrounded by dark, thundering war drums, was the Tyrant Blade Ba Clan from the eastern border.
Standing atop a spiked platform was Ba Tian, a towering young man with a scarred chest and arms as thick as tree trunks.
Carrying a serrated great-blade nearly eight feet long, he exuded the suffocating, blood-soaked pressure of an 8th Stage Foundation Establishment berserker who had slaughtered his way through hundreds of rogue cultivators during the slot trials.
Looking at the man with such a big blade, lu an felt jealous, he also wanted a big blade.
"And those are not just our empire’s geniuses," Li Na whispered, her hand tightening over the hilt of her blade as her warrior instincts flared.
Beyond the domestic factions stood the delegations of neighboring supreme empires.
To the east, hovering aboard an opulent, frost-carved flying ship, was the delegation from the Glacial Moon Empire.
Leading them was a young woman shrouded in misty azure silks, Princess Yue Lingxi.
Her face was veiled, but her crystalline, cold blue eyes radiated an aura of profound mystery and sheer frost Qi, a genius holding an Early Golden Core cultivation who barely slipped beneath the upper limit enforced by the ancient realm’s entry laws.
To the western flank, the sinister, ash-gray banners of the Thousand Poison Sect from the neighboring Great Venomous Empire flapped ominously.
Surrounded by crawling spiritual serpents and poisonous mist stood Du Sha, a pale-skinned youth with pitch-black fingernails and slit-like amber eyes.
Every breath Du Sha exhaled withered the vegetation around him, prompting even neighboring sect elders to keep a wide, cautious berth.
"Big Brother..." Lu An’er muttered softly, casting a lingering glance at the massive serrated great-blade in the distance before clutching his own weapon tightly.
His dark eyes flickered with pitch-black energy as his awakened Void-Devouring Physique resonated violently with an ancient presence hidden deep within the roaring rift above.
Understanding the boy’s subtle reaction, Shen Yu gently patted Lu An’er’s head and said in a low, calming tone, "I know..."
Suddenly, the sky darkened as a colossal crimson flying ship descended through the clouds, hovering majestically directly above their sector.
Decorated with soaring golden dragons and nine-petaled crimson lotuses, the imperial vessel commanded absolute reverence across the entire valley.
Even the foreign delegations from neighboring empires cast guarded, vigilant glances toward its shimmering hull.
Recognizing the royal standard, City Lord Wu Shan immediately enveloped his entourage and Shen Yu’s group in a protective shroud of spiritual Qi, lifting them effortlessly through the air and landing aboard the vessel’s grand observation deck.
Standing near the bow was the imperial royal lineage: two young princes and a stunning princess.
The two princes possessed dark hair and sharp, cool grey eyes, clearly carrying the shared bloodline of elder and younger brothers.
The elder, Prince Wu Zichen, possessed a tall, elegant, and slender frame, holding a jade-inlaid folding fan with an air of refined, condescending nobility.
The younger brother, Prince Wu Pojun, was heavily built, muscular, and imposing, radiating the raw physical power of an unyielding martial warrior.
Both carried an unmistakable aura of supreme imperial arrogance, viewing the common masses below as mere stepping stones.
Beside them stood Princess Wu Yuning, an utterly captivating beauty who defied standard proportions.
She had vibrant purple hair cascading past her shoulders and mesmerizing amethyst eyes set in an angelic, delicate face.
Yet, in stark contrast to her youthful, innocent features, her figure was jaw-droppingly voluptuous, boasting an impossibly lush, heavy chest that rivaled even Xu Yi’s generous curves, tapering down into a slender wasp waist and a plump, rounded rear.
She was the textbook embodiment of sultry allure wrapped in innocent charm.
With a casual, sweeping glance, Shen Yu instantly saw through their concealed auras.
All three imperial siblings had crossed the threshold into the Early Golden Core Realm, Prince Wu Zichen holding the highest cultivation at the 2nd Stage, while both Prince Wu Pojun and Princess Wu Yuning stood firmly at the 1st Stage.
Wu Shan stepped forward with a respectful bow.
"Greetings, Prince Wu Zichen, Prince Wu Pojun, and Princess Wu Yuning."
Wu Zichen snapped his fan shut with a graceful flick, smiling smoothly as his eyes lingered on the City Lord. "Greetings, Uncle Shan. And greetings to you, Junior Brother Junjie."
Wu Pojun simply offered a curt, indifferent nod, his sharp gaze completely bypassing Shen Yu’s group as if they were insignificant background scenery.
Princess Wu Yuning, however, offered a soft, melodious greeting in a sweet, gentle tone, politely nodding her head toward Shen Yu and his companions.
Wu Shan then turned toward an ancient, grey-robed elder standing near the helm, Elder Wu Min, bowing deeply. "Greetings, Elder Wu Min."
"Wu Shan," the elder responded with a faint, approving smile, stroking his long beard. "I see you have broken through into the 2nd Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Good, very good."
Elder Wu Min glanced briefly at Wu Junjie with a nod of acknowledgment before his discerning gaze settled upon Shen Yu, Lixue, and Li Na.
Stepping into his role, Wu Shan introduced them promptly: "Elder, these esteemed guests hail from the Tang Clan. They are the faction that swept absolute victory across the imperial pill and martial exhibitions in the three major southern cities."
Elder Wu Min’s eyes lit up with genuine appreciation.
Upon hearing this, the eyes of both princes and the princess flickered with sharp interest.
In the brutal race for the imperial throne, securing the backing of the empire’s wealthiest emerging mercantile and martial titans was paramount.
Wu Zichen immediately shifted his demeanor, striking up a polished, charismatic conversation with Yilan and Shen Yu.
Princess Wu Yuning clearly wished to speak as well, stepping forward with genuine curiosity, but Wu Zichen smoothly and subtly maneuvered the dialogue, cutting in to monopolize their attention and leaving his somewhat introverted younger sister lingering quietly on the side.
Before the conversation could continue, Elder Wu Min turned his sharp gaze toward the roaring celestial rift above.
"The celestial alignment has peaked," Elder Wu Min announced, his booming voice cutting through the ambient winds.
"It is time to unseal the realm."
Turning toward the distant floating vessels of the Glacial Moon Empire and the Great Venomous Empire, Elder Wu Min’s voice resonated like thunder across the entire basin,
"Old friends! Lend me a hand to break the seal!"
With a burst of crimson Qi, Elder Wu Min soared directly toward the spatial tear.
In an instant, two terrifying Middle Stage Nascent Soul realm auras erupted from the foreign vessels to meet him mid-air.
One was a graceful, pale-skinned middle-aged beauty draped in shimmering azure silks from the Glacial Moon Empire, the other was a sinister, hunched elder cloaked in swirling pitch-black miasma from the Great Venomous Empire.
Hovering around the gargantuan spatial crack, the three peak experts unleashed their vast, ocean-like spiritual energy simultaneously, preparing to shatter the barrier of the Desolate Asura Realm.
-x-
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