“`

“Boom…”

A warship from the Western Border moved forward a hundred meters. A young man in a black robe stood at the bow, full of spirit, his cold black eyes fixed on Baichen Star.

“Clang!”

An ancient bell rang, and hundreds of the Pear Blossom Palace’s Heaven’s Pride women moved together. Each wore a long dress, enchanting and captivating, drawing many gazes.

“Swish—”

A sword aura swept across the sky for thousands of miles.

Then, a young man in plain clothes, carrying a sword, walked forward. He was eight feet tall, with a face like jade and an extraordinary aura.

“Jiang Xun, the Sword Disciple from Shanglin Star Domain!”

It was rumored that this man had leveled the Snowy Mountain Range with a single sword strike, his sword intent lingering for nine thousand miles.

“The ancient secret gate is wide open, we must go!”

The Heaven’s Pride of the Heavenly Mansion Mountain Villa revealed their true forms. At the highest point stood a man in purple, with eagle eyes and a prominent nose. His cheeks were slightly sunken, not handsome but exuding an undeniable heroic spirit.

“Heavenly Mansion’s Holy Son, Ximen Jin!”

Someone called out the name of the young man in purple, their eyes filled with deep apprehension.

Ximen Jin glanced in the direction of the Northern Wilderness, finally locking his gaze on Chang Ziqiu. That day, Chang Ziqiu had tarnished the reputation of the Heavenly Mansion Mountain Villa. Entering the ancient secret realm this time, if there was a chance, he would surely seek revenge.

Chang Ziqiu, however, was unafraid, meeting Ximen Jin’s gaze without a change in expression.

Then, Heaven’s Pride from all realms headed towards Baichen Star, creating a grand spectacle.

Some traveled by sword, their figures graceful.

Some sat on a wine gourd, holding a jug of wine, looking slightly intoxicated.

Some walked in the air, each step blooming with lotuses, creating a celestial phenomenon.

In short, many Heaven’s Pride displayed their extraordinary demeanor to not lose their family’s prestige.

“Show-offs.”

Chen Qingyuan did not join the crowd, moving towards Baichen Star at a steady pace, without any dazzling phenomena or attention-grabbing Dao techniques.

“Such a grand event is rare indeed!”

In the Immortal Mansion, hundreds of old fellows watched the actions of the younger generation, their eyes filled with satisfaction and a touch of nostalgia.

“With Heaven’s Pride from the Five Provinces gathered, who will claim the peak?”

The number of Heaven’s Pride reached tens of thousands, with disciples from various forces in the Imperial Province making up more than half.

Most people knew their own abilities and had no chance of standing at the top of their peers. They came here just to witness the grand event of the Hundred Veins Banquet and try their luck.

In the southeast direction of Baichen Star stood an ancient stone tablet.

The stone tablet was about a thousand meters high and three hundred meters wide, every inch marked by the passage of time, exuding an air of antiquity.

In the center was a circular groove, with a few strands of strange laws flowing within.

Moments later, beams of green light emerged from the groove, extremely dazzling.

After the green light dissipated, a vortex about a hundred meters in diameter appeared in the groove.

“The entrance to the ancient secret realm!”

The Heaven’s Pride of the Imperial Province had heard about it from their elders and were not puzzled, but rather excited.

“Go!”

A group couldn’t hold back and entered first.

“Follow.”

Then, the others rushed in.

Chen Qingyuan was in no hurry, standing quietly to the side, waiting.

Zhangsun Fengye and others did the same, calm and composed.

“Buzz—”

A beam of golden light came from the direction of the Confucian Sect in the Imperial Province.

Next, a young man in light-colored clothes walked in the air, dressed elegantly, with a scholarly air.

“Could it be…” Chen Qingyuan quickly noticed the young man, squinting his eyes and murmuring, “The Heaven’s Pride of the Confucian Sect, Lu Nanxian.”

“It should be him.”

Zhangsun Fengye stared for a few moments, speculating.

This aura of Confucian Dao Law, with a touch of worldly essence, must be the Lu Nanxian who was rumored to have attained enlightenment in a single day.

Since Chen Qingyuan and others were standing in a corner of Baichen Star, they did not attract attention.

After most people had entered, Chen Qingyuan took a step forward, preparing to enter the ancient secret realm.

Whoosh!

Chen Qingyuan’s body was swallowed by the vortex in the center of the stone tablet, followed closely by Wu Junyan and others.

Everything went dark, and their bodies uncontrollably tumbled.

After half an incense stick’s time, Chen Qingyuan finally saw light. Looking closely, he found himself surrounded by towering trees, stretching endlessly.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that some of the giant trees had spiritual herbs growing beneath them, rarely seen even in many star domains of the Imperial Province.

“Where are they?”

At this moment, Chen Qingyuan looked around, only seeing Daochen Monk.

“The secret realm is strange. Zhangsun and the others might have been sent elsewhere.”

Daochen Monk answered slowly, his eyes cautiously scanning the surroundings.

“They are capable, no need for me to worry.”

Chen Qingyuan didn’t ponder Zhangsun Fengye and the others’ whereabouts. Everyone had different lifespans and fortunes. They would surely meet later and could travel together then.

For now, Chen Qingyuan wanted to find a way out of this ancient forest and understand the size of the ancient secret realm.

Everyone who entered was randomly teleported to different corners by the laws of the secret realm.

The luckier Heaven’s Pride might find great fortunes as soon as they landed, picking up rare treasures or top-grade spiritual herbs. The unlucky ones might encounter unsolvable troubles, getting injured or even perishing.

Outside, in the Immortal Mansion, the old fellows, though unaware of the specific situation inside the secret realm, lit a Soul Lamp for each junior.

Someone suggested taking out the Soul Lamps of Heaven’s Pride from all sides and placing them in the Immortal Mansion for everyone to observe.

This proposal was unanimously agreed upon, and everyone took out the Soul Lamps of their juniors.

Thus, in a corner of the Immortal Mansion, over ten thousand Soul Lamps floated.

Who knew that just as the Hundred Veins Banquet began, dozens of Soul Lamps extinguished.

“This… sigh!”

The elders of the Heaven’s Pride who encountered danger had flickering eyes and sighed lightly.

“They were probably teleported to extremely dangerous areas, what a pity.”

Many old fellows had entered the ancient secret realm in their youth and knew its dangers well.

“Since they chose to participate in the Hundred Veins Banquet, they must be prepared for the worst.”

In true peer competition, every step could be fraught with danger.

No matter how deep their background, once inside the secret realm, elders couldn’t intervene; they had to face it themselves.

The will of elders and various supreme treasures were suppressed by the strange laws of the ancient secret realm, unable to be used. Only their own power could be freely displayed.

“Spiritual herbs everywhere, I’m rich.”

Chen Qingyuan searched for a way out of the forest while picking spiritual herbs within his sight.

In just half an hour, Chen Qingyuan had harvested over a hundred plants, many of which were extremely precious and could fetch a great price outside.

“Donor Chen, there seems to be someone ahead.”

Daochen Monk did not pick any herbs, maintaining a solemn demeanor. Suddenly, he sensed a fluctuation of laws, looked in that direction, and said in a deep voice.

Just as Daochen Monk spoke, Chen Qingyuan also sensed it.

“`