UGB Chapter 887 The Otherworldly Realm
Chapter 887 The Otherworldly Realm
a few days later.
As the first rays of dawn pierced the clouds and fell upon the city walls of the Demon City, countless figures surged out like a swarm of locusts, all rushing toward the north gate.
The Otherworldly Demon Realm is a renowned ancient battlefield in the Eastern Xuan Region, and the entire area is shrouded in a powerful ancient array barrier.
As time passed, the barrier developed many cracks, allowing cultivators to enter the Otherworldly Realm at specific times and locations.
Outside the city of the Otherworldly Demons, there happens to be a gap in a massive array that opens automatically every so often, and the highly anticipated sect competition will officially begin at this time.
Led by several composed elders of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, the disciples representing their sect in the sect war lined up in an orderly fashion, including Xiao Ling and Ling Qingzhu who had accompanied them.
The group traveled through the air at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow, displaying neither ostentation nor the grandeur of a super sect. Before long, they were the first to arrive at the outer edge of the ancient magic array barrier that shrouded the Otherworldly Demon Realm.
The sound of something cutting through the air continued incessantly.
The group from the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace had barely stopped when the teams from the other major super sects arrived one after another, each settling down in an open space not far away, led by their respective elders and seniors.
As the recognized top forces in the Eastern Xuan Region, the eight super sects, with comprehensive strength far exceeding that of other sects, naturally took the lead and occupied the most forward and best-viewed positions on the outer edge of the barrier, displaying their imposing presence.
"With your strength, is it really appropriate for you to blend in with the younger generation of disciples and infiltrate the arena of the sect war? Logically speaking, shouldn't a top expert of your level keep a low profile and maintain a bit of mystery?"
Outside the crowd, Ling Qingzhu slightly turned her head to look at the composed Xiao Ling beside her. A hint of serious doubt flickered in her beautiful eyes as she spoke softly.
"You don't understand. True strength doesn't require you to put on airs or hide your tracks. The more mysterious you are, the more likely you are to arouse suspicion. On the contrary, it's much more interesting to mingle among people and observe the world from the sidelines than to sit alone in seclusion."
Xiao Ling chuckled softly upon hearing this, his gaze casually sweeping over the bustling disciples of various sects ahead, his tone light yet tinged with amusement:
He paused, then turned to look at the girl, his smile deepening.
"Besides, it was clearly you who invited me to come and watch the excitement. What's the point of just standing outside the barrier and watching from afar? Of course, it's worth the trip to sneak into the arena and watch these young people compete up close."
As Xiao Ling spoke, his gaze casually swept across the surrounding crowd, then paused for a moment before landing on two opposing sides within the eight major sects' camps.
The two groups were only a few dozen feet apart, yet their auras were already extremely tense, a palpable tension of impending conflict emanating from them, the air thick with an almost solidified hostility. Seeing this, the other disciples from surrounding sects all wore solemn expressions, instinctively lowering their breathing, not daring to approach this dangerous place lightly.
On the Daoist side, the leader was a woman with a tall and straight figure and a cool and aloof temperament. A faint chill was between her brows as she stood quietly at the front of the group, exuding an air of unassailable authority.
On the opposite side, within the Yuanmen Formation, three men stood side by side, their auras powerful and sinister. When their gazes fell upon the Dao Sect members, they were filled with undisguised killing intent and hostility.
Seeing that his gaze lingered there for a long time, Ling Qingzhu immediately spoke softly and explained to him in detail:
"Those are the people from the Dao Sect and the Yuan Sect. According to my master, the two sects have a deep-seated grudge and have been in constant conflict for many years. They are mortal enemies who cannot be fought to the death. Their disciples are like fire and water when they meet. Now that they are entering the Demon Realm together, there will definitely be fierce friction between them. They might even start fighting as soon as they enter the secret realm."
After hearing Ling Qingzhu's explanation, Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, glanced again at the woman's figure in front of the Dao Sect's camp, observed her for a moment, then turned to Ling Qingzhu beside him and asked in a deep voice,
"Is that woman named Wang Jie?"
Ling Qingzhu was taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of doubt appearing in her clear eyes. Although she was puzzled as to why Xiao Ling knew the name of this core figure of the Dao Sect, she still responded softly.
"That's right, she is Wang Jie, the current senior disciple of the Heavenly Palace of the Dao Sect, and also the leader of the younger generation of the Dao Sect. But how did you learn of her name and know so much about her identity?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling merely raised an eyebrow casually, his tone light and composed, without the slightest hint of affectation.
"What's so difficult about that? With my perception, I can clearly hear the whispers and murmurs of the disciples from various sects present. Knowing these trivial matters is nothing out of the ordinary."
After hearing Xiao Ling's explanation, Ling Qingzhu found it reasonable. Given his formidable strength, it was normal for him to perceive information unknown to others, so she stopped pressing the matter. She looked up at Xiao Ling, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and asked softly,
"Is there some other reason why you specifically inquired about her?"
Xiao Ling chuckled and waved his hand casually, "It's nothing serious, I just suddenly remembered some interesting things from the past."
Despite this, a few ripples stirred within Xiao Ling's heart. He had recognized the woman before him at a glance as Wang Yan's older sister, Wang Jie, and based on the plot of the original story, he already understood.
This sect war was Wang Jie's doom; she would die tragically at the hands of the Yuan Sect. It was also this incident that caused Wang Yan to become completely disillusioned with the Dao Sect, and he even ended up betraying the sect and fleeing.
Although Ling Qingzhu was secretly puzzled as to how this female disciple of the Dao Sect could have any past entanglements with Xiao Ling, seeing his unwillingness to talk about it, she wisely refrained from pressing him further and instead began to chat idly with Xiao Ling.
buzz-
A deep tremor suddenly resounded throughout the entire black plain, and the twisted ancient barrier above suddenly rippled with fine, water-like waves. A terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble quietly spread through the void.
Countless intense and tense gazes were instantly drawn to this turn of events, all turning towards the sky.
The Otherworldly Realm is about to open!
As they gazed at the slowly forming spatial passage in the void, a female disciple from the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, leading the group, said solemnly, "When we enter the Otherworldly Demon Realm later, everyone must hold hands with each other, otherwise we will be randomly scattered by the teleportation array and teleported to different areas."
She paused, then emphasized, "The Demon Realm is riddled with dangerous places and teeming with ferocious beasts. If someone is teleported in alone, even a powerful cultivator at the Lesser Completion of the Life Profound Realm could very well perish."
Rumbling--
Before the words were finished, the tremors grew more intense, and the distorted spatial passage solidified completely, transforming into an enormous, pitch-black vortex that slowly rotated, emitting chilling spatial fluctuations.
shhhhh--
The moment the passage took shape, a dense cacophony of whooshing sounds erupted. Disciples from various sects surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing to enter the deep, dark vortex. Xiao Ling gently took Ling Qingzhu's soft hand in his, and the two exchanged a glance. He said gently, "Alright, it's time for us to set off."
As soon as he finished speaking, before anyone could react, he and Ling Qingzhu leaped into the spatial vortex, transforming into a faint light.
Seeing that the two had left alone, the female disciple in charge of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace immediately looked at the elder beside her with a puzzled expression: "Elder, aren't Junior Sister Qingzhu and that senior going to travel with us?"
The elder waved his hand, his tone indifferent: "You all just mind your own business, there's no need to pay attention to those two."
Although he was unaware of Xiao Ling's true origins, he knew that Xiao Ling's strength was unfathomable and that the Palace Master had personally instructed him to treat him with courtesy, so he naturally dared not interfere.
Although the female disciple was puzzled, she dared not ask any more questions and could only lead the other disciples into the vortex that led them into the Otherworldly Demon Realm.
……
After a gentle spatial fluctuation, Xiao Ling landed steadily with Ling Qingzhu. Their bodies shimmered with light, and the two found themselves on a desolate plain.
Ling Qingzhu subconsciously looked around and sighed softly, "Is this the Otherworldly Demon Realm...? The environment is really harsh."
The somber color spread from the ground beneath our feet, stretching all the way to the horizon, even the sky was stained with a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere, and a heavy and murderous aura permeated the world, making it hard to breathe.
"It seems that we've barely stepped into the Otherworldly Demon Realm and already quite a few ignorant little things have come knocking on our door."
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
As soon as he finished speaking, the barren ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled violently, accompanied by a series of muffled cracking sounds, and large swaths of soil exploded.
bang bang bang-
Countless dark, ant-like creatures covered in jagged spikes burst forth from the earth, swarming across the open field. In the blink of an eye, they coalesced into an endless black torrent, like a surging, inky wave, sweeping wildly toward Xiao Ling and Ling Qingzhu's location.
The individual strength of these black demon ants is not particularly formidable. Even the leading ant kings among them are only equivalent to the seventh-level Nirvana Realm, which is not considered top-tier among the younger generation.
What is truly frightening is their terrifying number.
Looking around, all that could be seen was a dense, black swarm of ants, so numerous that they almost covered the earth. A rough scan revealed that there were at least hundreds of thousands of them. If one were to be completely surrounded by such an ant tide, even a Nirvana Realm expert would inevitably feel a sense of unease.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ling and Ling Qingzhu were not the only ones on this desolate plain. Many disciples from various sects and small groups were also randomly dropped here by the space teleportation array.
The sudden and terrifying ant swarm swept in, giving the disciples no chance to react at all. Those weak groups didn't even have time to circulate their Yuan Power or set up defensive barriers. They could only let out shrill and desperate screams before being completely overwhelmed by the overwhelming black demon ants. They were devoured in just a few breaths, leaving not even a trace behind. The scene was extremely tragic and chilling.
The boundless ant swarm seemed to have a clear objective. After devouring the weaker cultivators around them, it continued to gather and converge, eventually forming a huge black ant circle that surrounded and pressed closer to Xiao Ling and Ling Qingzhu in the center.
Witnessing such a bloody and gruesome scene, Ling Qingzhu's beautiful brows furrowed slightly, a sense of unease rising in her heart. She subconsciously moved closer to Xiao Ling, seeking a sense of security.
Xiao Ling glanced down at the girl beside him, stretched out his long arm, and gently pulled her into his arms. Then, his Yuan energy rippled slightly, and his figure slowly rose into the air, hovering in mid-air, completely avoiding the invasion of the ant swarm.
After protecting Ling Qingzhu, Xiao Ling remained calm and casually snapped his fingers.
"Snapped."
A soft sound was exceptionally clear on the open plain, but the next second, a devastating shockwave swept violently outwards from where the two were located!
This power was terrifying, far exceeding the limits that this world could withstand. It had no fancy moves, just pure, overwhelming, absolute strength.
Wherever the shockwave passed, the ground instantly cracked and collapsed. The thick earth crumbled inch by inch like a fragile piece of paper, pressing down hard. Hundreds of thousands of black demon ants had no chance to struggle and were instantly turned into ashes under this supreme power, leaving not even a trace of black residue.
In the blink of an eye, the ant swarm that had just blotted out the sky and was extremely ferocious was completely cleared out. The once densely packed ground was now just a large, flat, and deeply sunken pit, with no trace of the demonic ants left.
Ling Qingzhu nestled tightly in Xiao Ling's warm and comforting embrace, her beautiful eyes slightly open as she gazed at the battlefield below, which had been cleared away in an instant, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
She stared blankly at the nonchalant man beside her, her eyes filled with shock and amazement. Such formidable strength, capable of effortlessly annihilating countless crises, was truly beyond her imagination. She had never imagined that the pinnacle of strength was so terrifying.
"What? Were you surprised by your brother Xiao Ling's move?"
Xiao Ling's lips curled into a playful smile as he looked down at Ling Qingzhu in his arms, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate teasing.
Ling Qingzhu, who had just been secretly shocked, was amused by his slightly smug look, and her genuine amazement instantly dissipated. She immediately turned her head slightly and gave a nonchalant hum:
"His strength is indeed remarkable. However... his demeanor is still lacking."
"Does this sound familiar?"
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow, and several past events unconsciously flashed through his mind, his smile deepening.
Immediately, he gently lowered Ling Qingzhu back to the ground, and his hand, which had been loosened, naturally took hers again. The two walked side by side, their posture as relaxed as if they were strolling and enjoying the scenery. They showed no tension or vigilance like others entering the Demon Realm, nor any sign of panic.
The surroundings remained desolate and gloomy, fraught with hidden dangers, yet Ling Qingzhu inexplicably relaxed beside Xiao Ling, leisurely wandering along with him as if this perilous Demon Realm were nothing more than an ordinary scene. (End of Chapter)