I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Qing stood on a small hill a mile away from the secret realm rift, wearing a black robe and a mask that blocked spiritual consciousness, revealing only his eyes.

In the distance, the crack was much larger than when he first saw it, about twenty feet long, stretching across the sky like a hideous scar. The pale green light at the edge of the crack was also more intense than before, and vague shadows could be seen surging within, as if something was stirring and might burst out at any moment.

Below the crack, a dense crowd of people stood.

Chen Qing glanced at them briefly and saw that there were at least three or four hundred people, dressed in all sorts of different styles, making it look like a gathering of beggars from the cultivation world.

The largest group consists of independent cultivators.

These rogue cultivators came from diverse backgrounds, some from within the Lingyun Sect's territory, some from the neighboring Shuiyue Immortal Sect's territory, and some even from the Blood Spirit Abyss. Chen Qing saw many of these men with bloodshot faces and crazed eyes; they were clearly not good people and were mostly desperate criminals trying to make a living in the Blood Spirit Abyss.

Meanwhile, many cultivators also arrived from the northern Qian Kingdom.

Although the Lingyun Sect and the Blood Soul Sect have a strained relationship, the appearance of a first-tier secret realm in the border area means that neither side will go to war. They will simply send some Qi Refining disciples in to compete for it, which is considered an unspoken rule.

Moreover, this secret realm is located south of Blood Spirit Abyss and can be considered part of Lingyun Sect. Whether it's a rogue cultivator or a cultivator from another sect, they all have to pay taxes to Lingyun Sect when they come out. It's a 70/30 split, with 70% going to Lingyun Sect!

Besides the independent cultivators, two other groups stood out—

A group of about twenty female cultivators dressed in light blue gowns stood at the edge of the crowd. Their figures were graceful, their faces beautiful; they were clearly disciples of the neighboring Water Moon Immortal Sect. Chen Qing glanced at them a few more times, purely out of admiration.

The others are disciples of the Lingyun Sect.

There were about fifty or sixty people, all dressed in blue disciple robes with tokens hanging from their waists. They were gathered in twos and threes, some talking in hushed tones, some resting with their eyes closed, and some wiping their magical artifacts. Although the number of people was not large, their unique composure as disciples of a sect stood out among the group of independent cultivators.

Chen Qing searched through the crowd and soon spotted a familiar figure.

Xiao Chunan stood amidst a group of Lingyun Sect disciples, a long sword at his waist, his posture upright, looking up at the crack with a hint of eager anticipation on his face. His aura had clearly broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his spiritual pressure was much stronger than it had been three days ago, but his aura was still somewhat unstable, like a pot of water that had just been boiled, churning on the surface but not yet stable underneath.

"This guy..." Chen Qing frowned slightly.

Entering a secret realm right after breaking through is just asking for trouble, isn't it?

The secret realm will be open for at least several months, and possibly several years, so there's no need to rush. Waiting ten days or half a month until your energy stabilizes before entering is perfectly fine.

Chen Qing shook his head and continued to look around.

On the hilltops surrounding the crevice, there were also many people standing scattered around, and like him, they didn't rush to join the crowd.

Most of these people had a calm demeanor and composed eyes, clearly seasoned veterans, not newcomers to the secret realm. Chen Qing secretly noted down a few faces that didn't look too easy to mess with before turning his attention back to the crack.

……

As the sun sets and dusk deepens, the twilight deepens.

The pale green crack became even more conspicuous in the twilight, its pale green light reflecting off the sunset and turning half the sky into an eerie bluish-red.

Just as the sun completely sank below the horizon, the crack suddenly trembled!

An aura far more violent and tyrannical than before surged out of the crack, sweeping in all directions as if it were a tangible force, causing the robes of the people below to flutter wildly.

"They're here!"

Someone shouted, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the crack.

Lu Chenxing had appeared directly in front of the rift at some unknown time, standing suspended in mid-air. The array patterns on his robes were faintly visible in the spiritual light, and the pressure he exuded was as imposing as a mountain, silencing the noisy crowd below.

Lu Chenxing raised his hand and waved, and his natal magic weapon, shimmering with golden light, flew out from his sleeve, unfurling in the wind and transforming into a golden scroll tens of feet long, hovering above the crack. Runes flowed on the scroll, and spiritual light soared into the sky, echoing the grand formation he had set up three days ago.

Lu Chenxing's ten fingers flew, casting spells into the scroll.

The great formation began to loosen.

The dense golden array patterns peeled away layer by layer, like melting ice and snow, turning into specks of spiritual light and dissipating into the air. The azure-green crack, freed from its restraints, trembled violently, and a violent aura surged out from it. Many rogue cultivators with slightly lower cultivation levels turned pale and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Lu Chenxing continued to perform hand seals, and the great formation slowly opened a passage about ten feet wide, located directly in front of the crack, like a door to an unknown world.

Having done all this, Lu Chenxing put away the scroll, stood with his hands behind his back, and glanced at the dark mass of people below. His voice rang out like a great bell:

"The Eighth Abyss Secret Realm opens today."

"Those who wish to enter may do so as they please."

"Once inside, each will accept their fate."

Short, direct, and without any fluff.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chenxing's figure vanished from mid-air, landing instantly in a magnificent hall below the crack. The hall, its appearance seemingly out of nowhere, was entirely dark blue-green with flowing array patterns, clearly no ordinary object. The hall doors were wide open, and Lu Chenxing sat cross-legged within, his eyes slightly closed, as if the lives of the hundreds of people there were of no concern to him.

Everyone looked up at the passage opened up by the golden light net, from which pale green light poured out, illuminating everyone's faces and reflecting a variety of expressions.

Excitement, tension, fear, greed, and so on.

"Charge!"

With a loud shout, as if a floodgate had been opened, hundreds of cultivators set off simultaneously. Some rode their magical artifacts, others rode the wind, and still others rode spirit beasts or flew on swords. Various colors of spiritual light lit up the night sky, like a swarm of locusts, darkly rushing towards the crack.

Some people traveled in groups of three or five, looking out for each other; some went alone, moving like lightning, disappearing into the pale green light in the blink of an eye; and some hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted their teeth and rushed in after the main group.

The scene wasn't spectacular, but it was definitely breathtaking.

Chen Qing stood atop the mountain, hands behind his back, watching the group of cultivators surge into the crevice like a tide, his heart unmoved.

What's the rush?

The secret realm won't disappear.

Chen Qing glanced at those who weren't in a hurry to go in and nodded to himself.

Those who stood at a distance like him, watching, were mostly seasoned veterans with calm demeanor. Some had even sat cross-legged, closing their eyes to rest, as if this "feast" had nothing to do with them.

That's what a smart person is!

The opportunities in the secret realm don't increase just because you go early, nor do they decrease just because you go late. Those who go in first certainly have a head start, but they are also the most likely to make mistakes. Who knows what awaits in the secret realm?

There are quite a few cultivators who are "killed instantly upon landing" in the secret realm!

It's not too late to go in a few days, let the first group explore and find out what's going on inside.

Chen Qing's gaze fell on the bottom of the crack, watching Xiao Chunan rush into the crack with a group of Lingyun Sect disciples, and he sighed silently in his heart.

"Take care, Brother Chu Nan."

He muttered something under his breath and then stopped thinking about it.

Chen Qing looked around for a while and found that there were still many cultivators rushing towards this place from all directions.

People came in twos and threes, some riding weapons, some on horseback, and some on foot. Most of them were rare late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, with calm auras and sharp eyes, clearly not to be trifled with.

There are also those at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but not many.

Although the first-tier secret realm corresponds to the Qi Refining stage, the dangers within are no joke. Entering at the mid-stage of Qi Refining is practically suicide, unless one has special methods or a powerful background; otherwise, no one would risk their life.

[I apologize for the lack of updates during the new book period, and I'm shamelessly asking for votes! ^O^]