Chapter 285: Opening of the Desolate Ancient City Secret Realm

“What business brings you all to visit this old man together?”

In the side courtyard, the Dean looked at the nine disciples he had once personally instructed. His expression remained unchanged.

In unison, the nine said, “Master, we wish to enter the Holy Academy to cultivate. We ask for your permission.”

Hearing this, the Dean was briefly stunned. These fellows had only recently broken through to the Half-Saint Realm, and they had yet to bring glory to Wendao Academy. Why were they in such a rush to enter the Holy Academy for cultivation?

Could it be that they were discouraged by Xiao Feng?

But Xiao Feng hadn’t even made a move, had he?

The nine chief disciples were especially frustrated. They had gone into closed-door cultivation precisely so they could stand on equal footing with Chu Feng.

Yet as soon as they broke through to the Half-Saint Realm, they were beaten thoroughly by Senior Brother Jinchi. Worst of all, that guy even left them with a scathing remark: “At your level, you’d better train harder instead of going around lecturing about the Dao.”

Aside from the Great Sage Carefree, the remaining eight were all upset. They hadn’t lectured anyone about the Dao!

Haunted by the oppressive memory of being dominated by Senior Brother Jinchi just after joining Wendao Academy, all nine came together to see the Dean and formally proceed with the process of entering the Holy Academy for cultivation.

The Dean asked, “Are you sure you want to enter the Holy Academy to cultivate? Are none of you going to appoint a successor?”

The Great Sage Carefree was the first to step forward. “Master, I have already chosen a successor. Elder Bing will take over my position and oversee the Heavenly Spirit Courtyard.”

The Dean nodded slightly. “I will discuss this with the Holy Academy. Do the rest of you have any candidates?”

The other eight shook their heads simultaneously. “None of the Dao Courtyards we oversee have suitable successors. We leave them to be managed by the younger generation of the Holy Academy.”

The Dean replied calmly, “Very well. Since you have decided to devote yourselves to cultivation in the Holy Academy, I will proceed accordingly. In three months, you will enter the Holy Academy. Use the time until then to handle any essential affairs.”

“Yes.”

The group responded in unison, then one by one took their leave.

On Miao Miao Mountain.

The Great Sage Jinchi stretched his body and appeared beside Chu Feng.

“Brother Feng, do you think I could take on all nine of them at once?”

Chu Feng immediately understood what he was thinking and laughed. “You can’t. Though they’ve only just reached the Half-Saint Realm, if the nine of them join forces, they’ll definitely break your divine powers. Besides, the Dean wouldn’t allow it.”

“Sigh…”

The Great Sage Jinchi sighed. “What a pity. Before long, I won’t have any suitable sparring partners left.”

Chu Feng chose to remain silent and went back to fishing.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning.

Just as Chu Feng awoke, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

“Disciple Chu Caiyi has broken through to the True Fate Realm. She has awakened the Suppressing Prison Divine Body. The Lunar Truth has reached perfection. Rewarding host with twenty years of cultivation, the Suppressing Prison Divine Body has reached maturity. Great Dao Truth +8.”

Hmm...

Chu Feng hadn’t expected such good news first thing in the morning. That little girl Caiyi had broken through as well. Judging by the time, it had been about a year since they left Wendao Academy. He wondered where they were now.

Had they entered the Desolate Ancient City Secret Realm to cultivate?

As for the disciples' cultivation progress, Chu Feng remained confident. Over the past year, all had made solid gains.

Xiao Chen: Spirit Nurturing Realm, 8th layer

Cao Youqian: Spirit Nurturing, 5th layer

Qin Qin: Spirit Nurturing, 3rd layer

Wang Baole: Heavenly Origin, 9th layer

Ye Beixuan: True Fate, 9th layer

Xu Caichen: True Fate, 8th layer

Han Ping: True Fate, 6th layer

Fang Mu: Dao Foundation, 6th layer

At the same time, in the Yellow Sand Desert, within an oasis, corpses were strewn across the ground.

A heavy stench of blood hung in the air—it was clear a fierce battle had just ended here.

Only a dozen or so people remained standing.

Such bloodshed was a common sight in the Yellow Sand Desert, happening constantly in every corner.

In the desert, strength was everything. As long as your fists were strong enough, you could claim whatever you wanted.

As a result, this place had become a paradise for sin and demonic cultivators. Only ruthless people could survive in the Yellow Sand Desert.

At the center of the survivors, Chu Caiyi slowly opened her eyes. She stood up and offered a slight bow to the group. “Many thanks to all senior brothers and sisters for protecting me.”

Cao Youqian twirled a storage ring in his fingers and smiled. “No need to be polite, Junior Sister Caiyi. May I ask—what Divine Body did you awaken?”

Xiao Chen and the others also turned their attention toward Chu Caiyi. While they didn’t know her well, they were aware that her cultivation method was unprecedented.

After all, not just anyone could cultivate a truth to perfection while still in the Dao Foundation Realm.

Chu Caiyi offered a graceful bow. “Senior Brother Cao, I have awakened the Suppressing Prison Divine Body.”

During her awakening, she had seen a strange vision within her spiritual sea—a chaotic space.

There, a woman identical to her was bound under countless seals. Though that woman looked exactly like her, the aura she emitted was completely different.

Chu Caiyi didn’t know who that woman was. Before she could investigate further, she had woken up.

“So it really is a Divine Body. Junior Sister truly lives up to being a disciple personally granted a surname by Master—extraordinary indeed.”

Cao Youqian praised.

Chu Caiyi gave a faint smile. “Senior Brother flatters me. Compared to all of you senior brothers and sisters, I still have a long way to go.”

After a round of polite exchanges, Xiao Chen shifted the topic. “Junior Brother Ye, where should we head next?”

Ye Beixuan replied, “We wait here. When the nine sandstorms appear, that will mark the opening of the Secret Realm of the Desolate Ancient City. Judging by the time, the nine sandstorms should manifest within ten days.”

Upon hearing this, no one asked further questions. They cleaned up the corpses scattered on the ground and sat down cross-legged to begin their cultivation.

Seven days later.

A breeze tinged the cloudless sky with a layer of sandy hue.

The wind grew stronger and stronger.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood up, using their divine sense to probe the surroundings.

About half an hour later, yellow sand filled the sky. Everyone took out talismans to ward off the storm.

“A sandstorm has appeared—southeast, several dozen li away,” Xiao Chen was the first to speak.

As soon as he finished, Cao Youqian added, “There’s another in the northwest.”

“Another one in the northeast!”

“I see one coming from the southwest!”

“…”

In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, everyone had sensed eight sandstorms using their divine sense.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Sand Desert was engulfed in a storm of flying sand.

All cultivators came to a halt, shielding themselves with talismans to resist the raging wind.

At the oasis—

Everyone watched as the eight sandstorms closed in from all directions, seemingly about to devour the entire oasis.

Han Ping curiously asked, “Senior Brother Ye, where is the ninth sandstorm?”

Ye Beixuan smiled. “The ninth one is right beneath our feet. Senior Marquis Yishan, you may come out now. It’s time for us to depart.”

“Haha, didn’t think this old man would get to enjoy such benefits too.”

Marquis Yishan appeared before the group with a cheerful expression.

Ye Beixuan took out a key from his storage ring, poured spiritual power into it, and a beam of golden light shot straight into the sky.

Boom!

A violent tremor rumbled from beneath the ground. Everyone felt the earth shake and the sky spin, accompanied by an overwhelming wave of dizziness.

Instinctively, they looked down—only to see a massive vortex forming in the earth, gradually turning into an enormous sandstorm.

At that very moment, the eight surrounding sandstorms accelerated and surged toward the oasis.

In an instant, everyone was engulfed by yellow sand as the nine sandstorms merged into one.

Each person enveloped themselves in spiritual energy, allowing the sandstorm to consume them.

Within the Yellow Sand Desert—

The gales vanished, yet the sky remained filled with dust and haze. As countless living beings rejoiced at having survived the ordeal, they instinctively looked toward the horizon.

All cultivators at or above the True Fate Realm could see it clearly—one massive sandstorm reaching into the heavens.

“What… what is going on? I’ve hidden in this Yellow Sand Desert for a hundred years, and I’ve never seen such a grand and terrifying sandstorm.”

“It’s glowing—there’s a light coming from inside that sandstorm!”

“A heavenly sign—this is clearly a celestial phenomenon. It looks like a great treasure is about to appear in the Yellow Sand Desert!”

“…”

With wave after wave of startled cries—

Countless powerhouses within the desert raced at full speed toward the source of the massive sandstorm.

Within half an hour, more than a hundred cultivators at the Spirit Nurturing Realm and above had gathered around the sandstorm.

Among them were many from the Path Union and Nirvana Realms—and even King-ranked powerhouses of the Yellow Sand Desert had appeared.

However, none of these experts rushed into the sandstorm immediately.

The golden light emanating from within caused many to feel a sense of dread.

After a long while, the phenomenon faded.

And before everyone’s eyes—a spirit land slowly emerged…

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