Chapter 152: Entering the Secret Realm

The main reason was that Lin Qiu was the lord of the Other Shore King City. To these reclusive ocean-dwelling races, the previous lord of the city had left an extraordinarily deep impression.

Although Lin Qiu sensed the gazes of those races upon him, he paid them no heed.

He, too, ended his cultivation. From what he could sense, the spiritual energy fluctuations in this region of the sea had reached an exceedingly vigorous level, which indicated that the secret realm was about to open.

To be safe, Lin Qiu first used the Ancient City Stele to take the Other Shore King City inside it, leaving himself alone where he stood.

The moment he had stored the Other Shore King City within the Ancient City Stele, the area not far away began to tremble.

A submarine volcano erupted violently from the seabed, spewing forth surging, berserk spiritual energy. Around the volcano, a vortex of spiritual power took shape.

Everyone present immediately focused their attention. This was very likely the moment the secret realm was opening.

After the submarine volcano erupted once, a strange sight appeared. One star after another was shot out from within the volcano.

Strangely, the stars that had been expelled hung high beneath the sea, as though each one were a passage leading into the secret realm.

The ocean was filled with the spectacle of stars shifting across the heavens. Even Lin Qiu and the others, who were witnessing such a sight for the first time, could not help but feel astonished.

Then an aged voice rang out once more.

“The secret realm is now opening. Only marine creatures under the age of twenty may enter. Those who violate this rule shall be killed without exception!”

As the voice faded, the stars burst into dazzling radiance, and passages appeared one after another.

Only then did Lin Qiu realize that entry into the secret realm was subject to an age restriction. No wonder most of the people brought by the reclusive ocean races were young.

He gave the matter no further thought. He simply stepped into the air and, taking the lead, chose the passage shining with the brightest light before entering the secret realm.

The other marine creatures followed close behind, entering through the passages as well.

On land, meanwhile, the appearance of the secret realm brought about a series of turbulent changes.

High in the sky, the bright moon suddenly split into two, becoming a pair of moons. As a result, the gravitational force they exerted on Earth grew several degrees stronger.

Some ordinary people were unable to withstand the pressure. Blood began to pour from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths, and they died on the spot.

Clearly, the opening of the secret realm had accelerated Earth’s evolution even further. Those unable to endure the process of evolution would be eliminated.

The changes were quickly discovered by the governments of various nations. They had no choice but to dispatch their armies to suppress the unrest breaking out in different regions.

After all, during this evolutionary process, a small number of people had gained extraordinary powers, and some among them used those powers to commit evil.

But events on land had little to do with Lin Qiu at present. He had already passed through the starry passage and arrived in the secret realm, where the scenery before him had undergone a complete transformation.

Just as Lin Qiu was about to examine his surroundings carefully, an immense force suddenly emerged from the deepest part of the secret realm and tugged at the Ancient City Stele inside his body.

Before Lin Qiu had any chance to react, the Ancient City Stele was dragged away by that mysterious force and vanished from his sight.

Faced with this situation, Lin Qiu did not panic. He could more or less guess the reason.

Before they entered, a voice had already warned them that only marine creatures under twenty were permitted to enter. The reason the Ancient City Stele had been taken away was likely to prevent anyone from using it to bring in creatures who did not meet that condition.

Once he had understood the situation, Lin Qiu naturally had no reason to be anxious. Instead, he calmly observed his surroundings.

Everywhere his gaze passed was desolate. Nothing could be seen but heaps of stones scattered across the ground.

The spiritual energy in this space was also exceedingly thin, causing Lin Qiu to frown.

This meant that if a battle broke out here, he would be unable to use techniques that drew upon the power of the outside world, such as the Sea Dragon’s Claw. For Lin Qiu, that amounted to a considerable weakening.

“Dou Ming was actually assigned to the same area as me. How interesting.”

Just as Lin Qiu was about to continue exploring the secret realm, he suddenly spotted a lone member of the Netherfish Clan not far away. It was none other than Dou Ming, who had clashed with him outside the secret realm.

At the sight of this, a smile appeared on Lin Qiu’s face.

He circulated the power within his body and appeared directly before Dou Ming. With a faint smile, he said, “Who would have thought we’d be assigned to the same region? If you don’t want to die, you’d better see how well you perform.”

The instant Dou Ming saw Lin Qiu, he instinctively turned and tried to flee.

After all, Lin Qiu was now releasing an overwhelming pressure, and Dou Ming knew perfectly well that he was no match for him.

But how could Lin Qiu possibly let him escape? His aura locked firmly onto Dou Ming. He had no intention of killing him—or rather, he had no intention of killing him yet.

Lin Qiu still did not understand the secret realm very well. Judging from the people the reclusive races had brought with them this time, it was obvious that they possessed records and information concerning it.

When Dou Ming realized that he could not get away, he could only put on a cold expression and say, “What do you want to know? But you must first swear an oath. After I tell you everything, you cannot kill me.”

Dou Ming was also worried that Lin Qiu might turn against him once he had learned what he wanted. After all, nothing that happened in the secret realm would ever be known to the outside world.

Hearing this, Lin Qiu curled his lip. His voice was filled with mockery as he said, “You don’t seem to be in any position to negotiate with me. If you tell me, you may still have a chance to live. If you refuse, I won’t mind sending you to meet the King of Hell.”

As he spoke, Lin Qiu used the stones around them to condense a cross-shaped sword and placed it directly against Dou Ming’s throat. His meaning was clear: if Dou Ming dared to keep bargaining, he would strike without hesitation.

Under Lin Qiu’s overpowering presence, Dou Ming wilted like an eggplant struck by frost.

“This is the first level of the secret realm. It was once an imperial palace built in ancient times by an ocean royal clan that has since gone extinct. This place belongs to the most remote—or, more precisely, the outermost—part of the first level. If you want to reach the second level, you must go to the very center of the First City. A passage leading to the second level opens once every fifteen days.”

After hearing Dou Ming’s explanation, Lin Qiu’s expression grew noticeably more solemn.