"The gates have closed!"
Finally, after the last group of monks rushed in, the door connecting the secret realm to the outside world slowly shut, and the light seeping through the gap between the doors gradually faded.
The outside world could no longer interfere with what was happening inside the secret realm. The only way out now was to obtain the legendary treasures of the three Holy Emperors.
Although nothing unusual had happened yet, it was a clear sign that the trials were about to begin!
Just then, a hysterical laughter echoed from the sky.
A figure wrapped in a black robe, with blood-red eyes glaring, and an eerie aura exclaimed, "Haha, now that the secret realm is sealed, I can drop the act. Here's the truth!"
"I am the Umbral Tyrant, and this body with only an Energy Foundation is merely a vessel I possess."
"My true power and methods are far beyond what you little kids can comprehend."
"With me here, you young disciples stand no chance of claiming the heritage treasures!"
"Those blood-red eyes, it's really the Umbral Tyrant!" Instantly, chaos erupted among the monks.
Two hundred years ago, the Umbral Tyrant was nearly killed by several righteous Sects.
Since then, he had vanished without a trace.
But unexpectedly, he had appeared here!
It was well known that to ensure fairness, all monks entering the secret realm were of Mystic Core strength or below.
Although the Umbral Tyrant had lost his physical body, his cultivation and sinister methods were intact. No one could match him in a fight!
This sudden turn of events terrified almost everyone.
They had never imagined that what was supposed to be a routine training in the Valley of the Undead would turn into an encounter with such a demon.
With this, wouldn't the treasures within the Mystic Realm simply slip through their fingers?
But just then, another cold laugh sounded.
A figure slowly floated up from the ground, a burly man with a scarred face, wielding a long sword, radiating a formidable aura. It was none other than the renowned rogue cultivator, Feydran!
"Hmph, a demon who nearly died and lost most of his strength, now relying on another's body, dares to be so arrogant here?"
"I'll drop the act too. Although my realm is low, I've been tempering my body for four hundred years!"
"Now, with just this powerful physical body, I can match a Mystic Core cultivator!"
"Physical strength is external, true cultivation is what really counts. I'll lay it all out. I took a Concealment Elixir to hide my cultivation and sneak in. My true cultivation is actually Mystic Core!"
Before Feydran could finish, another thin old man floated into the air.
"And me!"
"And me!"
"I'm dropping the act too!"
Soon, several more figures appeared, each with their own renowned identities and methods.
"..."
"..."
The seven people in the sky looked at each other, slightly embarrassed.
"So, you all came here hiding your true strength?"
"Uh, what a coincidence."
"..."
The disciples below were in an uproar.
The Valley of the Undead was supposed to have buried only three legendary Holy Emperors, and now suddenly seven hidden powerhouses had mixed in?
With so many strong contenders, what was even the point of competing?
It seemed their only purpose in entering the Mystic Realm was to serve as cannon fodder!
"Uh..."
Watching the seven powerful figures in the sky, Timothy suddenly felt unsurprised.
Rather, he had a hunch that the secret realm would be infiltrated by a bunch of show-offs.
He just hadn't expected so many to sneak in all at once.
"Brother Timothy, what do we do? We can't handle any of these powerhouses!" The disciples from Sky Sanctuary were completely panicking.
"What can we do but watch and wait?" Just as Timothy finished speaking, he suddenly felt the ground tremble.
The trembling grew more intense and quickly spread around.
The entire secret realm seemed to fall into a thunderous quake, a tremendous force brewing underground, ready to burst forth at any moment.
Timothy quickly pushed two disciples away from a crack that had just formed.
In an instant, the spot where they had been standing erupted with intensely hot magma and flames.
The heat was so intense that even the residual warmth spreading out was chilling to the bone!
The two disciples broke out in a cold sweat from the scare and looked at Timothy with a mix of gratitude and fear. "Thanks, Brother Timothy."
"No worries," Timothy said, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
At that moment, the entire Mystic Realm seemed alive with anomalies. Every seemingly insignificant crack was now spewing flames. And these flames and magma were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
"Monsters. Monsters!
Ahh!"
Screams of terror followed as the flames bursting from the cracks suddenly coalesced into various monstrous forms.
These creatures, made entirely of fire, lacked solid bodies, yet their strength was formidable.
They moved with terrifying speed and overwhelming force, and among them were colossal beasts towering over dozens of feet tall, rampaging through the crowd.
A single swipe of their claws could send people flying like leaves in a storm.
The attack was so sudden that many had no chance to react before being struck down.
It seemed that the original masters of the Mystic Realm hadn't intended to kill, as most of the injured monks were transported out of the realm by specks of light.
However, a few unlucky ones were killed on the spot.
In no time, dozens of monks who had entered the secret realm were dead, and nearly a third were severely injured and transported out.
Yet, the strange noises didn't stop,more and more fiery beasts emerged from the cracks.
They roared and charged relentlessly at the remaining monks, seemingly determined to tear everyone to shreds.
As comrades fell one after another, a sense of despair spread rapidly among the survivors.
The difficulty of this secret realm was beyond their ability to cope. It seemed that only those who had hidden their true identities and sneaked in were capable of getting through!
"Boom!"
A ferocious wave of heat swept around, and at the center of the Mystic Realm, where light and shadow intertwined, a massive flame shot up into the sky.
The raging fire surged and swirled, coalescing into a gigantic fiery monster with dozens of tentacles and towering several dozen feet high.
The flames roared and spread, forcing even the Umbral Tyrant to concentrate his spiritual power in front of him to block the intense heat.
The six of them looked solemn, equally surprised that the trials of the Mystic Realm had escalated to this extent.
Could it be that the three legendary Holy Emperors who had died had no intention of letting anyone inherit their treasures?
"Wait!"
Just then, their pupils shrank.
Through the massive body of the creature, which stood several dozen feet tall, the previously dark depths of the Mystic Realm were suddenly illuminated.
And behind that monstrous figure, a majestic hall stood imposingly!