Chapter 179 Cloudy Mystery Realm

Just as the leaders of the various Sects were giving their final instructions to their Disciples, an elderly man with white hair and beard and a refined, ancient appearance stepped out slowly from the ranks of the Yunmiao Holy Trace.

He wore a moon-white Daoist robe embroidered with flowing cloud patterns and celestial trajectories. His aura was as deep as the sea; though he did not intentionally exude pressure, every step he took seemed to subtly harmonize with the glazed ground beneath his feet and the slowly rotating vortex of the Secret Realm, giving people a sense of naturalness and Daoist harmony.

He was none other than the Grand Elder of the Yunmiao Holy Trace responsible for presiding over the opening of the Secret Realm—Immortal Master Liuyun, a top-tier expert whose cultivation had reached the Peak of Void Refining.

Immortal Master Liuyun walked to the front of the vortex and faced the hundreds of Prodigies from the four great Sects and various other factions, his gaze calm and clear as he slowly swept across them.

Those touched by his gaze, regardless of their cultivation level or Heart-Nature, all felt a sense of mental clarity and tranquility, their chaotic thoughts instantly wiped clean.

"The time has come, the Yunxu Secret Realm will now open." Immortal Master Liuyun spoke, his voice aged yet warm and resonant, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present as if it were sounding directly in their hearts. "I am Liuyun, and on behalf of the Holy Trace, I welcome the arrival of you young Prodigies."

He paused slightly, his gaze growing more solemn. "The Yunxu Secret Realm is a world unto itself, containing Opportunities left behind from ancient times, but also hidden, unpredictable dangers. Fortune and misfortune have no set gates; we bring them upon ourselves. I hope you will all guard your inner selves, distinguish right from wrong, act with caution and integrity, and seek your own destined Opportunities within. Do not let greed cloud your minds and throw away your lives in vain. Furthermore, do not engage in acts that harm others without benefiting yourselves, nor commit fratricide among fellow Disciples, lest you disgrace your Sect and damage your own Dao path."

These words of warning were earnest and sincere, serving both as advice to the younger generation and containing a hint of intimidation.

"The entrance to this Secret Realm will remain open for three months." Immortal Master Liuyun continued, pointing to the slowly rotating silver vortex. "Once the three-month period expires, regardless of where you are in the Secret Realm or whether you have gained anything, you will be expelled by the inherent power of the Secret Realm and returned to this place. Remember, remember well: those who do not exit in time will be forever trapped within, their bodies and souls gradually assimilated by the Secret Realm, doomed to eternal damnation."

Having said this, Immortal Master Liuyun said no more. With a solemn expression, he slowly raised his right hand, palm facing the sky, and slightly curled his five fingers in a mysterious rhythm.

"Hum—" A low, ancient vibration sounded from the Void Realm.

Above his palm, the space rippled slightly, and a token the size of a palm, silvery in color, neither gold nor jade, quietly appeared.

The token was ancient and heavy in design, with cloud patterns encircling the edges. The front was engraved with runes originating from the same source as the giant array on the ground, as if containing the principles of life and death of a Small World; the back bore two ancient, weathered, and naturally Dao-imbued seal characters—'Yunxu'.

The moment the token appeared, the surrounding light seemed to twist slightly, and rich spatial fluctuations quietly rippled out from it as the center.

It was the key to controlling the entrance of the Secret Realm—the Yunxu Token!

With the appearance of the Yunxu Token, the giant array on the ground, which had previously only emitted a faint glow, seemed to be instantly activated!

"Hum—!" The array suddenly erupted with brilliant light. Countless mysterious silvery-white lines lit up from the core, rapidly spreading and illuminating every rune node in the surroundings like Bloodlines!

The entire glazed ground was illuminated, and vast Spiritual Power flowed and gathered beneath the ground, emitting a low roar.

In the air, the pale silver Secret Realm vortex, a hundred zhang in diameter, suddenly accelerated its rotation!

At the edges, fragmented silver spatial light sputtered and flickered wildly, emitting a faint "crackling" sound, as if it could not bear the burden.

The deep, dark center of the vortex began to surge violently, as if something was about to break through the seal.

Immortal Master Liuyun's gaze narrowed. Holding the Yunxu Token in his hand, he began to chant, reciting obscure and ancient syllables.

With each syllable he uttered, the light on the Yunxu Token intensified, and its resonance with the ground array and the aerial vortex grew stronger.

"Heaven and Earth align, stars shift and constellations turn, Yunxu—Open!"

Finally, Immortal Master Liuyun unleashed a sound of the Dao; a clear shout, like a crack of spring thunder, echoed in everyone's heart.

The Yunxu Token in his palm suddenly erupted with a brilliant, yet not at all blinding, silvery-white radiance. A beam of silver-white light, condensed to the extreme, shot up from the token and poured directly into the center of the frantically rotating vortex high above!

"Rumble—!" A dull sound, as if heaven and earth were being created, came from the depths of the vortex.

Under the infusion of the silver-white light beam, the violently surging center of the vortex seemed to be forcibly torn open by a pair of invisible giant hands!

The darkness quickly receded, and a stable, clear passage, its edges flowing with silver spatial halos, suddenly appeared!

Inside the passage, it was no longer void, but filled with vibrant light and shadows. Faint phantoms of rolling mountains, rushing rivers, and towering ancient trees flashed past. Furthermore, a strange Spiritual Qi, several times purer and richer than the outside world and mixed with a trace of ancient, vast aura (containing faint Immortal Qi from the Upper Realm), gushed out, instantly refreshing every Cultivator present!

The entrance to the Yunxu Secret Realm was completely wide open!

"The Secret Realm is open for three months. Everyone, the Dao is contested by strength; rely on your own abilities. Please enter and seek your Opportunities!" Immortal Master Liuyun retracted the Yunxu Token, stood with his hands behind his back, and spoke in a loud voice that carried in all directions.

Almost the instant his voice fell— "Swish!" Almost the moment his words ceased, the Prodigies from all sides, who had long been poised and ready, could no longer restrain themselves!

Streaks of light in various colors and intensities, like arrows released from a bow or rivers returning to the sea, shot toward the silver passage, racing against one another!

The sound of breaking through the air was endless, and the scene instantly boiled over!

"Charge! Opportunities wait for no one!"

"Quick! Seize the initiative!"

"Senior Brother, let's go!"

"The Opportunity is right before our eyes!"

The Prodigies from all sides, who could no longer hold back, instantly transformed into streaks of light of various colors, rushing headlong into the silver vortex, their figures quickly swallowed by the light and shadows within the passage, disappearing from sight.

A contest for Opportunities, gathering the top Prodigies of the young generation of the Xuanhuang Continent, had officially begun.