The dizziness from the Void Shifting faded in an instant.
When Chu Bai’s feet touched solid ground, the first thing he felt wasn’t the texture of the earth, but a crushing pressure, heavy as shackles.
’Several times the normal gravity.’
Chu Bai stood perfectly still, his knees not even bending an inch, but a sweep of his Divine Thought revealed that the cyan flagstones beneath his feet were now covered in a web of cracks.
The gravity here was far greater than in the outside world, and a sickly cyan mist permeated the air.
He drew in a breath.
The air held no gentle Spiritual Qi. Instead, it was thick with a viscous, violent Evil Qi.
If an ordinary Qi Cultivation Cultivator were here, the Evil Qi would pierce their meridians like steel needles the moment it entered their body. They would have to constantly devote thirty percent of their Spiritual Power just to resist its corrosion.
However, the Guiyuan Technique within Chu Bai, having already reached the Microscopic Realm, gave a slight tremor.
This Evil Qi, a lethal poison to others, was meticulously filtered by his Microscopic-level Spiritual Power. Not only did it fail to harm Chu Bai, but his Fate Chart forcibly stripped away its violent properties, transforming it into exceptionally pure Spiritual Power that flowed into his Dantian.
’The Spiritual Mechanism here is quite dense. It’s a shame the area is filled with Evil Qi.’
’Then again, if any Wild Spiritual Energy is produced here, its quality should be slightly higher as well.’
A peculiar glint appeared in Chu Bai’s eyes as he realized this.
For him, what should have been an incredibly hostile environment had unexpectedly become a natural Blessed Land.
Just then, his Divine Thought swept out a thousand yards.
In the ruins where he had appeared, dozens of other Cultivators had also landed.
The faces of most of them turned deathly pale the instant they arrived.
"COUGH, COUGH... This Evil Qi is so potent!" one Cultivator exclaimed, hastily pulling a Detoxification Pill from his sleeve and swallowing it. Spiritual Light flared around him as he summoned a Round Shield Dharma Artifact to protect himself.
"Dammit, the gravity is too strong! My Protective Spiritual Light has been cut in half!" another cursed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Amid the chaos and confusion, only Chu Bai, dressed in his green robes, stood apart. Not only did he not summon a Defensive Dharma Artifact, but he moved through the rubble and ruins with the ease of a leisurely stroll. His Body Technique was so light it was as if the threefold gravity didn’t exist.
The Merit Seal at his waist chimed, projecting a screen of light that only Chu Bai could see:
[Secret Realm: Cyan Nether Realm]
[Current Survivors: 9998]
[Rankings:]
[First Place: None (0)]
[10,000th Place: Chu Bai (0)]
Everyone started with zero Merit.
’I suppose I’ll need to find something living to warm up on.’
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a shrill bark suddenly echoed from the shadows of the ruins at his feet.
A grayish-cyan blur shot out from behind a broken stone pillar. It moved with incredible speed, kicking up a gust of fetid, stagnant air.
It was a Nightmare Corpse Dog.
It was not a creature of Flesh and Blood, but a Spirit Evil Body, condensed from the extreme yin Evil Qi and lingering Resentment within the Secret Realm.
Although its Cultivation aura was only equivalent to the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Cultivation, this type of monster was notoriously difficult to handle. Its attacks carried a Divine Soul Shock, and ordinary Dharma Artifacts could barely scratch it, let alone kill it.
The Nightmare Corpse Dog opened its massive maw in mid-air and spewed a cloud of smoke-like Netherworld Demon Fire, attempting to block Chu Bai’s retreat.
’Demon Beasts are born from Evil Qi. Given how dense the Evil Qi is here, there must be quite a few of them.’
Chu Bai neither dodged nor retreated. A faint golden light flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Golden Eye Shattering Illusion!
In his vision, the flow of Qi throughout the seemingly ferocious Nightmare Corpse Dog was laid bare. At the heart of its grayish-cyan Evil Qi, a single spark of emerald-green fire throbbed wildly.
’Found it.’
Chu Bai raised a fingertip. Spiritual Power, dense as lead and mercury, gathered there.
Spirit Water Needle.
There was no grand display of a thousand needles. There was only a single, subtle ray of blue light, condensed to the absolute limit, that streaked across the air in an instant.
The Water Needle threaded precisely through a gap in the Netherworld Demon Fire. Before the Nightmare Corpse Dog could even land, it struck the emerald-green flame within its chest.
An unparalleled surge of Spiritual Power erupted. The Water Needle shattered into a fine mesh of Spiritual Power, completely obliterating the creature’s Evil Qi core.
The fearsome Nightmare Corpse Dog didn’t even have time to cry out before it disintegrated in mid-air, dissolving into a wisp of scattered cyan smoke.
At the same time, the Merit Seal at Chu Bai’s waist pulsed sharply.
[Merit: +1]
’Only one point for a single kill?’
Chu Bai raised an eyebrow. ’This Merit isn’t going to be easy to earn.’
He walked over to where the Nightmare Corpse Dog had vanished and made a beckoning gesture with his hand.
The cyan smoke scattered, leaving a grape-sized bead on the ground. It was a deep, dusky cyan, and a faint thread of golden light could be seen swimming within it.
’It actually contains Divine Dao Origin?’
Chu Bai felt a familiar aura from within the bead. Even a brief inspection revealed its wondrous nature.
’I see... So in this so-called Secret Realm trial, hunting Demons is just the means to an end. Collecting these Divine Dao Fragments is the real resource needed to climb the Celestial Ladder.’
Chu Bai tucked the bead away and looked up at the vast, desolate ruins.
According to the rules, one could obtain Merit through Demon Hunting, Nascent Spirit, and refining the imprints of heaven and earth.
Killing other Cultivators wasn’t forbidden, but it wasn’t encouraged either, as it granted no Merit.
However, there was no law to speak of in this place. Driven by greed, killing for treasure was surely a common occurrence.
Besides, since they were all competitors, the sooner others were out of the picture, the greater one’s own advantage.
Within the Cyan Netherworld mist, Chu Bai’s figure flickered like a phantom, vanishing and reappearing among the rubble and ruins.
His Hidden Shadow technique allowed him to practically merge with the deathly still ruins.
He could sense that this massive Secret Realm was far more vast than he had imagined, and it was fraught with danger.
In mid-air, a huge, translucent Floating Mother was descending, its poisonous tentacles waving.
This type of Exotic Beast was notoriously difficult to deal with, as it could turn itself incorporeal to evade many Magic Techniques.

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