"I didn't expect the location of the secret realm to be in the White Mist Forbidden Zone. Seeing Phoenix Qing and Phoenix Yin again is quite surprising," Wang Ping thought to himself as he read the simulated text.
However, it was also surprising that the ancient experts were willing to release Phoenix Qing and Phoenix Yin. After all, compared to the other prodigies on the list of Saint Kings, the two of them were still relatively inexperienced.
"Perhaps those ancient experts know something about this secret realm. Or maybe they are confident in the life-saving trump cards they gave to Phoenix Qing and Phoenix Yin, which can help them survive any dangers within the secret realm," Wang Ping pondered.
In his mind, he considered the value of this secret realm. While it may not contain precious heavenly materials and treasures, the clarity of the laws in this world and the ease of comprehending them were remarkable. It was as if the laws were laid out in front of anyone, making it accessible to most cultivators.
"This secret realm is extraordinary. The clarity of the laws here makes it easy for cultivators to comprehend them. With enough cultivators practicing here, even if they are considered insignificant in the face of Supremes, Semi-Emperors, and Emperors, their collective power could pose a threat to even the highest tiers of cultivation. This secret realm is a treasure for any major power to cultivate numerous Saint Realm experts," Wang Ping marveled.
Although Saint Realm experts were considered insignificant when compared to Supremes, Semi-Emperors, and Emperors, a large number of them working together in a powerful formation could potentially pose a threat to even the highest-level cultivators.
Wang Ping understood the potential value of this secret realm and was determined to participate in the competition for control over it. However, he didn't know how to gain control of the secret realm or if it was even possible. Regardless, he needed to explore and gather information.
As he ventured into the secret realm, Wang Ping discovered a dense forest. The purity of the spiritual energy and the clarity of the laws in this world amazed him. It was a perfect place for cultivation. However, as he proceeded, he encountered hundreds of indigenous cultivators clad in beast hides, armed with bone clubs, and speaking an incomprehensible language.
Wang Ping's expression turned serious. He realized that these indigenous cultivators were all at the Saint Realm. Among them, many were at the Saint Lord level, and there were even twenty of them at the Saint King level. Their formidable lineup was not to be underestimated.
Although their cultivation techniques were limited to Saint-grade and did not possess Emperor-grade or Supreme-grade techniques, their sheer numbers and strength made them formidable opponents. Wang Ping knew he had to be cautious when facing so many of them at once.
However, he was confident in his abilities. With his perfect Spacetime Dao Body and mastery of spacetime divine techniques, he found opportunities to strike back. Wang Ping quickly eliminated the group of indigenous cultivators, but he remained vigilant, as he knew there was something unusual about the situation.
He suspected that the indigenous cultivators were not acting randomly but had a purpose, possibly related to the presence of foreign prodigies in the secret realm.
"This secret realm is terrifying," Wang Ping muttered as he read the simulation.
The deaths of several prodigies who had reached the Saint King and even the Saint Lord ranks in just one day were indeed shocking. Wang Ping found the situation highly unusual and believed there might be a conspiracy at play.
"The actions of these indigenous cultivators are strange. It's as if they are specifically hunting down the external prodigies. And why haven't any Supreme incarnations appeared? Their presence should cause noticeable fluctuations," Wang Ping pondered.
He knew that Supreme incarnations were incredibly powerful, and even though the secret realm could suppress their explosive abilities, their presence should still be detectable. The fact that none had appeared in response to the prodigies' deaths was perplexing.
"Something is amiss here. It feels like a conspiracy to eliminate most of the competitors for the future Immortal Opportunity. But who would be so ruthless? It can't be Qin Yue or the Qin Family; they wouldn't dare to do something even the Qin Family's Emperor doesn't attempt. So, who is behind this plot to eliminate the Three Saint Factions' prodigies and shift the blame onto the Qin Family?" Wang Ping pondered.
With limited clues, Wang Ping decided to gather more information through the simulation. He knew that whoever was behind this plot was cunning, as they had managed to avoid leaving any obvious traces.
"This hidden mastermind is ruthless, planning to eliminate most of the competitors for the future Immortal Opportunity in one go," Wang Ping thought before immersing himself once again in the immersive simulation. He needed to continue his investigation and find Phoenix Qing and Phoenix Yin to ensure their safety.
Chapter 225: The Simulation Ends
The text simulation came to a halt at this point, and Wang Ping's mind was filled with various insights and images. His presence appeared within the secret realm, observing the indigenous people and the formidable array emitting terrifying power from a divine perspective.
"These indigenous people seem to be well-versed in such intricate formations. It should be the work of that mastermind behind the scenes, specifically designed to counter someone with my level of strength," Wang Ping thought with a solemn expression, squinting his eyes in contemplation.
"This time, I couldn't even identify the mastermind behind the scenes, let alone catch their trail. It's truly frustrating. However, even if your plan succeeded this time, I will slowly expose you in the subsequent simulations," Wang Ping muttered to himself, exhaling lightly.
Dealing with someone capable of orchestrating the capture of all the prodigies who had reached the Three Saints Rankings in one fell swoop was extremely dangerous. Wang Ping couldn't allow this person to continue lurking in the shadows, and he had to eliminate them as soon as possible. Otherwise, it could lead to significant trouble in the future, potentially affecting his path to becoming stronger through simulations.
Next, Wang Ping's consciousness fluctuated, and his vision shifted back to the real world. Then, the system's voice rang out.
"Ding, reward generation successful. The host can choose two items from the following rewards:
1. Perfect Spacetime Dao Body.
2. Peak cultivation of the Great Saint Realm Seventh Layer.
3. A randomly selected Great Saint Artifact.
4. A randomly selected Red Talent.
5. A randomly selected Sacred Herb.
6. The third fragment of the Emperor's Scripture."
"System, I choose 1. Perfect Spacetime Dao Body and 2. Peak cultivation of the Great Saint Realm Seventh Layer," Wang Ping declared his choices without hesitation.
Although he desired the third fragment of the Emperor's Scripture, knowing who possessed it in the real world made it easily obtainable through future simulations. Therefore, there was no need to select it at this moment.
As Wang Ping made his choices, his cultivation immediately skyrocketed:
Great Saint Realm Third Layer.
Great Saint Realm Fourth Layer.
Great Saint Realm Fifth Layer.
Great Saint Realm Sixth Layer.
Finally, it came to a halt at the Great Saint Realm Seventh Layer's pinnacle. Wang Ping felt the incredibly powerful force within him, and he nodded in satisfaction.
In this era of the Decline, reaching the peak of the Great Saint Realm Seventh Layer meant he could practically walk unhindered as long as he didn't run into wandering experts who had achieved the Dao Realm. Within the same realm, he was invincible.
Next, Wang Ping felt a tremor within his body once again. A pure origin essence surged, repairing his Spacetime Dao Body, making it complete once more.
Finally, it was entirely whole.
With his Spacetime Dao Body restored to perfection, a terrifying heavenly tribulation began to brew on this ancient star. The black and red tribulation qi gradually gathered, appearing extremely oppressive and dangerous.
This terrifying scene startled many cultivators on the ancient star, regardless of whether they had self-proclaimed God Realm experts or self-proclaimed Saints, Saint Kings, Great Saints, or even Half-Step Supremes. All wore expressions of shock.
No matter how powerful they were, this heavenly tribulation was too terrifying, causing them to feel an eerie sensation.
Even a self-proclaimed Supreme opened their eyes wide, staring at the heavenly tribulation with an astonished expression.
"Could it be that a young Emperor is attempting to transcend the Great Saint Tribulation? No, that's not right. Even if a young Emperor attempts the Great Saint Tribulation, it shouldn't be this terrifying," murmured the Supreme in their self-proclaimed divine consciousness.
"Not good!"
In contrast to the shocked expressions of the cultivators on the ancient star, Wang Ping's expression underwent a change.
He hadn't anticipated that after receiving his reward, he would have to face a tribulation.
Obviously, the reward had granted him the complete Spacetime Dao Body, but the tribulation aspect had to be faced in the real world.
Although Wang Ping could easily handle tribulations with his current strength, doing so here would undoubtedly expose him to the eyes of the powerful beings on the ancient star. It might lead to trouble.
After all, this place was not the Immortal Continent, nor was it the Golden Age, where many powerful beings protected the mortals and offered them shelter. Attempting a tribulation on this ancient star could potentially result in the destruction of many innocent lives.
Moreover, at his level, the power of the Dao Body tribulation would undoubtedly exceed the level of an ordinary Great Saint's perfection.
Such a level of power was already capable of shattering an ordinary ancient star.
Even if it couldn't shatter the ancient star, it could destroy most of it.
In that case, it would be a real tragedy.
Of course, another reason was that Wang Ping didn't want to be disrupted by others. Doing so might affect the intensity of the tribulation, making him appear quite embarrassed.
Therefore, Wang Ping immediately tore through space and forcefully entered the starry sky, intending to face the tribulation there.
Otherwise, there was no telling how many innocent lives would be affected if he attempted the tribulation on the ancient star.
After all, this place was not the Immortal Continent, nor was it the Golden Age, where many powerful beings protected the mortals and offered them shelter. Attempting a tribulation on this ancient star could potentially result in the destruction of many innocent lives.
Moreover, at his level, the power of the Dao Body tribulation would undoubtedly exceed the level of an ordinary Great Saint's perfection.
Such a level of power was already capable of shattering an ordinary ancient star.
Even if it couldn't shatter the ancient star, it could destroy most of it.
In that case, it would be a real tragedy.
Of course, another reason was that Wang Ping didn't want to be disrupted by others. Doing so might affect the intensity of the tribulation, making him appear quite embarrassed.
Therefore, Wang Ping immediately tore through space and forcefully entered the starry sky, intending to face the tribulation there.
"Here it comes!"
Wang Ping shouted loudly, showing no fear and no intention of holding back. His Spacetime Dao Body erupted with full force, and he directly used the divine technique from the "Devouring Void Emperor Scripture" to confront the blood-red thunderstorm, shattering it.
Seeing this scene, many self-proclaimed cultivators were in awe.
Especially the self-proclaimed Supreme, who had a shocked expression on their face, recognized that Wang Ping's constitution was the legendary Spacetime Dao Body. This constitution could rival Immortal Bodies and would undoubtedly become a focal point of the era. If fully developed, as a Dao Emperor, he would likely have no rivals among the Emperors. After all, the former Dark Era Emperor, who had only a single Dark Era Dao Body, had paved the way for his time-traveling path, becoming an unparalleled figure among Emperors.
The Spacetime Dao Body, a constitution that combined time and space, was even more formidable than the Dark Era Dao Body. Once he became an Emperor, it was hard to imagine how powerful he would become.
At that moment, the Supreme's gaze flickered with some thoughts of taking action against Wang Ping. However, considering the possibility that Wang Ping might be the heir of a major power, and one who had grown to this extent in the Decline era, taking action might be a suicidal move.
But the idea of letting go of Wang Ping, who was such a promising target, was hard for him to accept.
After all, the Spacetime Dao Body had the potential to help him break through to the quasi-Emperor level in the future and have another lifetime.
Should he take the risk and turn the tables? It was a dilemma.
"Fear? I don't have any fear. Besides, I have less than a thousand years of life left. Even if I hide within the Divine Source, it's questionable whether I can make it to the next Golden Age. Why not take a chance?" The Supreme made up his mind.
With that thought, the Supreme's expression turned fierce as he prepared to take action against Wang Ping after he had finished crossing the tribulation.
While the Supreme had set his sights on Wang Ping, Wang Ping was still in the midst of the tribulation.
The heavenly tribulation grew even more terrifying.
However, Wang Ping remained fearless, confronting the tribulation head-on and using it to temper his Spacetime Dao Body, as well as to break through the bottleneck.
In the end, to the astonishment of the onlooking cultivators, Wang Ping unexpectedly triggered the Ninth Movement and the critical strike effect of the Purple Talent, "Endless Blade." He unleashed a terrifying attack that surpassed the level of a Great Saint perfection, shattering the heavenly tribulation in the starry sky. The tribulation clouds turned into specks of light and disappeared.
Then, the Pillar of Heaven descended, engulfing Wang Ping.
This was the baptism of the Heavenly Dao, a reward for successfully crossing the heavenly tribulation, which greatly benefited cultivators.
During the baptism of the Heavenly Dao, Wang Ping's Spacetime Dao Body became even more powerful, and his cultivation advanced, breaking through a minor realm and reaching the level of Great Saint Eighth Layer.
"What secret technique did this kid just use? It was so terrifying that it could deliver a strike capable of severely injuring a Half-Step Supreme," the self-proclaimed Supreme marveled while Wang Ping was undergoing the Heavenly Dao baptism.
After all, this was beyond the ordinary.
Even a prodigy like him had to follow some basic principles.
From ancient times to the present, he had never seen a prodigy who, at the level of Great Saint Eighth Layer, could unleash an attack powerful enough to severely injure a Half-Step Supreme.
Even the prodigies with Spacetime Dao Bodies who had reached the Great Saint Realm perfection level could not contend with a Half-Step Supreme.
Wang Ping, however, defied common sense by unleashing such a terrifying attack, leaving even the self-proclaimed Supreme in disbelief.
"Great secret! He possesses an extraordinary secret. If I can obtain it, my future path to achieving the Dao may not be impossible!" The Supreme showed excitement and, without hesitation, chose to make his move.
In an instant, the terrifying pressure of the Supreme swept across the entire ancient star and the surrounding star domains, shocking countless cultivators. Many were even crushed by the unintentional release of the Supreme's pressure.
"The Fire Element Supreme has taken action; it's truly a desperate move."
"This kid is indeed a freak. Even if we were to take action, we might be killed or he might escape. However, no matter how powerful he is, he cannot be an opponent of a Supreme. He's in danger."
"Not necessarily. He is likely the heir of a major power. Even if he's not, such prodigies have great fortune. It's not so easy to kill them."
As the Fire Element Supreme took action, the three self-proclaimed Half-Step Supremes on the ancient star began to discuss quietly while observing the situation.
"Humph, Fire Element Supreme, you can't sit still anymore," Wang Ping said coldly, looking at the Fire Element Supreme, his expression calm and without fear.
Since he frequently entered and left this ancient star in simulations, Wang Ping naturally knew that there were Supremes on this ancient star and was aware of their titles and cultivations.
The Fire Element Supreme was a lone cultivator with a limited lifespan, and his cultivation was only at the initial stage of the Supreme level, equivalent to the most ordinary Supreme and far from something to be feared.
(End of this chapter)