I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 242 The Damaged Secret Realm

As soon as Chen Ming entered, he immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

There are seven people here, five men and two women, all of whom look quite young. These are the best of the younger generation in Jiangzhou, excluding those from the seven major powers.

The seven people each represented a faction.

The Qin family, the Ji family, the Cangyue Sect, the Wushan Sect, the Tiangang Sect, and one other person with close ties to Jin Yutang.

The last one is from the Six Doors (a government agency). And he's an old acquaintance.

With him representing the Jiang family, the eight strongest forces in the entire Jiangzhou were now all present.

This also means that without the support of a major power, one is not even qualified to participate.

The seven people present reacted in various ways: some were indifferent, some were wary, some scrutinized, some were doubtful, and some even had aggressive glint in their eyes...

"This young lady looks unfamiliar; I haven't seen her before. I am from the next generation of Korita Keito. May I ask your name?"

A rather friendly young man took the initiative to greet him.

Chen Ming replied politely, "Yuan Ziyi of the Star Moon Sect greets Brother Tian."

I still miss the Daigun Tian family.

I remember a few years ago, at the martial arts tournament held by the Governor's Mansion in Qingfeng City, there was a member of the Tian family named Tian Qiming, who should be this man's brother.

"So it's Miss Yuan, nice to meet you." Tian Qidong was sensible and, seeing that she didn't want to talk much, stopped trying to strike up a conversation.

Chen Ming stood aside, his gaze sweeping over the seven people, lingering on one of them for a second longer.

The man's name was Zhou Weihua, Zhou Weihao's cousin. And you know what, the two looked quite alike.

I wonder how Gu Yuantao and Zhou Weihao are doing now.

The two were not in Jiangzhou City, and for the time being, no news of them could be found...

As Chen Ming was thinking, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. He was surprised to find that there was someone else there.
Which faction pushed this person up here?

He turned his head and saw a wisp of bright yellow skirt fluttering past the moon gate. His heart skipped a beat as a familiar figure came into view.

Is it her?

The newcomer wore a bright yellow long dress, a veil over her face, and her long hair was tied up high, befitting a married woman. Her movements were graceful and elegant, exuding charm and grace; even with her face veiled, she was undoubtedly a stunning beauty.

The others were equally surprised. Those who recognized her wondered why she was there. Those who didn't speculated about which faction she represented.

"It's you?"

Only one man seemed quite excited when he saw her appear.

This person was none other than Yu Xiuming, a fifth-rank captain whom Chen Ming knew in Qingfeng City. He was originally the top leader of Qingfeng City, but later a third-rank admiral was parachuted in.

Not long after, he was transferred.

I never expected to run into this person here.

Two years had passed, and Yu Xiuming had broken through to the third rank. He represented the Six Doors, so he naturally didn't have a good look when he saw the person his superior wanted to deal with. He said sternly, "This is not a place for you! Get out of here now!"

The woman in the bright yellow dress was Yu Haitang. She didn't even glance at him and said indifferently, "I was invited here by the host. Who do you think you are to have the right to kick me out?"

Yu Xiuming looked at the manager of Jin Yutang who had brought her there and questioned, "What does Jin Yutang mean by this?"

The steward, neither servile nor arrogant, cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to this sir, this is Elder Jin's intention."

Upon hearing that it was "Old Jin's" meaning, Yu Xiuming's expression changed slightly, but he refrained from making a scene.

Those were experts at the Divine Realm. Even if they were on their last legs and barely clinging to life, they should not be disrespected.

Seeing that no one else had any objections, the manager said, "Please follow me, everyone."

Then, he led the eight people there to the backyard.

……

"Is she also vying for this inheritance? Is she plotting something?"

Chen Ming followed at the back, pondering to himself.

Although she had only recently broken through to the third rank, she possessed extraordinary treasures and had a record of killing a first-rank opponent in the Fire Element Space. Although that first-rank opponent had suffered considerable losses after a series of battles, it was still an extremely astonishing feat.

When he was a second-rank official, it was extremely difficult for him to kill a seriously injured Xie Jianqiu.

If it were a martial arts competition to select a successor, probably no one present could beat her.

However, even if she obtained the inheritance of that Divine Realm expert, she still wouldn't be able to control Jin Yutang. Because Pan Zhiyuan wouldn't allow it.

"I never expected that this trip would involve competing with her for that inheritance."

Chen Ming felt somewhat helpless.

But he couldn't reveal his identity to her.

Unlike Jiang Yingxue, who is obsessed with romance, Yu Haitang is an ambitious, driven, shrewd, and skillful woman.

He couldn't guarantee that once she knew his identity, she wouldn't send a sword beam flying over and kill him, mistaking him for a puppet of the Undying Demon Lord.

That peerless weapon, however, was the key to his survival, the very thing that held his life in the balance. He absolutely could not give it up to anyone else.

Who knows, I might have to do it with her later.

As Chen Ming was thinking, the person in front of him suddenly stopped. He looked up and saw that they had arrived at a courtyard.

The steward handed out a gold medal to everyone and said, "Hold this gold medal in your hand, and you can go to see Elder Jin."

Tian Qidong was somewhat moved and said, "Isn't this the token to enter the secret realm? Could it be that Elder Jin is actually in a secret realm?"

At this moment, Chen Ming also received the golden token, which was indeed somewhat similar to the one Xia Shaowen had given him, except that the pattern on it was different. The steward distributed all eight tokens and said, "The place where Elder Jin is in seclusion is a damaged secret realm, without any danger. You will understand once you enter."

A ruined secret realm?
Chen Ming was somewhat curious, as he didn't know much about secret realms. This was the first time he'd heard of a damaged secret realm, and he wondered what it was like inside.

He looked up and saw that several of them looked surprised, while only two looked normal.

One is Yu Xiuming.

The other one is the jade crabapple.

Suddenly, Yu Haitang looked at him and their eyes met. He smiled slightly and naturally looked away.

"This person—"

Yu Haitang's heart stirred slightly, feeling a sense of familiarity in the woman's gaze. Before she could think further, the token in her hand emitted a dark blue light, instantly enveloping her. An indescribable force surged forth, pulling at her body.

She erected a protective shield around herself, and after a few breaths, the tearing force disappeared. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a cave.

This was a stone cave, and apart from her and eight other people, it was deathly silent, devoid of any signs of life, which made people feel somewhat uneasy.

Yu Haitang had anticipated this. She looked at the woman in black who was also looking around and thought with certainty, "I must have seen this person before."

Strange, this woman is exceptionally beautiful and possesses such cultivation. If she had seen her before, she couldn't possibly not remember her.

interesting.

A slight smile appeared on her lips as she looked away.

……

"How perceptive."

Chen Ming waited until Yu Haitang looked away, then thought to himself.

However, she probably didn't notice.

Then, he began to examine the damaged secret realm.

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is extremely thin. There is no sign of life at all. The environment is even more extreme than the Fire Element Secret Realm, and it is somewhat similar to the Ink Painting Secret Realm."

At different times, this world should be free of monsters.

This is the third secret realm he has visited—if the Fire Element Secret Realm counts.

He always felt that the secret realms in this world were very strange. The Fire Element Secret Realm and this secret realm were one thing, but what the hell was that Ink Painting Secret Realm?

They are completely different art styles.

Chen Ming had a feeling that the secrets of this world were probably all in the secret realm, and that the human world was just the surface world, while the secret realm was the inner world.

Think about it, a first-grade martial artist can only break through to the Divine Treasure Realm by obtaining a spot to enter the secret realm.

This incident demonstrates the importance of secret realms.

There must be a reason why this Jin Yutang, a master of the Divine Treasure Realm, has stayed in this secret realm.

"You are here, come in."

At that moment, an aged voice came from the depths of the cave, its weakness barely concealed, yet still clearly audible to everyone.

At that moment, one of the women dressed in white took the lead and walked into the depths of the cave.

Before Chen Ming arrived, he had already reviewed all the information about the opponents provided by Jiang Jinan. This woman's surname was Wu, and her grandfather was originally a retainer of Jin Yutang. Although he had passed away, their connection was still quite special.

According to Jiang Jinan, this woman is likely his biggest rival.

As soon as the woman surnamed Wu made a move, the others followed suit.

No one spoke; the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

"Brother Yu." Suddenly, someone spoke, breaking the silence.

Chen Ming glanced over and saw that it was Tian Qidong, the same person who had struck up a conversation with him earlier. He was talking to Yu Xiuming, asking, "What's so strange about this damaged secret realm?"

Yu Xiuming's attitude towards him was quite friendly. "There are no living beings in the damaged secret realm. Rather than saying it's damaged, it's more accurate to say that life has been extinguished."

Tian Qidong asked in confusion, "Can even secret realms sever all life?"

"That's natural. Each secret realm is a world unto itself, and the rare treasures born within can help us martial artists unlock divine treasures. For us martial artists, it's no different from a sacred land. However, the source of each secret realm is limited. If too many rare treasures are extracted in a short period of time, causing the source of the secret realm to dry up, its vitality will naturally be cut off."

Upon hearing this, Tian Qidong was greatly surprised and said with some anger, "How could anyone in this world do such a destructive thing as draining the pond to catch all the fish?"

Suddenly, someone coldly remarked, "What's so strange about that? Isn't this a perfect example right here?"

Tian Qidong grunted, his face almost turning a deep shade of liver. He wasn't really targeting the senior inside; he wanted to explain, but felt that trying to explain would only make things worse.

That person killed the conversation with just one sentence.

Chen Ming glanced at the man; it was the same man who had been staring at him with such aggressive eyes earlier.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, the view opened up and a huge cave appeared before them.

In the middle, there is a spring, and an old man who looks like a dried corpse is soaking in the spring.

In the middle of the pool, a sword was stuck in the ground.

This scene is exactly the same as what was foreshadowed in the tortoise shell.

"coming!"

Chen Ming felt a surge of excitement.

(End of this chapter)