8: The Celestial Palace descends to earth, and the Nine Clouds vie for supremacy.

The violent tremor was like the end of the world. Crushed stones rained down from the cave ceiling, and the ground cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures. Lin Xuan reacted instantly, pulling Su Wanqing, who was slightly weak from spiritual energy depletion, into his arms. A golden light flashed around him, and the powerful Qi and blood force of the third revolution of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art erupted, shaking away all the falling rocks.

"This commotion isn't right!" Su Wanqing leaned in Lin Xuan's embrace, her cold, beautiful face filled with solemnity. She sensed a vast oppressive Aura descending, far surpassing the Nascent Soul, or even the Soul Transformation stage.

"Let's go out and see!" Lin Xuan made a decisive move, protecting Su Wanqing, and shot out of the cave like lightning.

The sight outside the cave caused both their pupils to contract sharply.

They saw the sky above the center of the Secret Realm, as if a giant curtain had been forcibly torn open, revealing a spatial rift, black and deep, stretching across the horizon! Endless Chaos Qi currents poured down like a waterfall, and in the center of that rift, an indescribably massive cluster of palaces was slowly manifesting from the void!

Magnificent buildings and jade pavilions, built entirely from unknown white jade divine gold, flowed with thousands of rays of light, permeated by an ancient, vast, and majestic Immortal Qi that made the Soul tremble! The mere faint Aura it emitted caused all living beings in the Secret Realm—whether low-Rank Yao Beasts or Foundation Establishment Cultivators—to feel suffocating pressure and an impulse to kneel in worship.

"Immortal Palace... it's an ancient Immortal Palace ruin!" Su Wanqing cried out, her crescent-like eyes filled with unprecedented shock. This Aura was even nobler and profound than her Awakened Supreme Yin Youying Bloodline!

Lin Xuan's heart was also churning with immense waves. On the System map, that area lit up with a dazzling golden marker, like a star, whose Rank could not be assessed!

[Warning! Super-standard Ruin 'Misty Immortal Palace' (Fragment) detected making a forced descent! Spatial structure is extremely unstable! Contains unpredictable risks and Opportunities!]

Misty Immortal Palace! The name alone represented supreme creation!

At the same time, all the surviving Cultivators in the Secret Realm were drawn by this heaven-shaking anomaly. After a brief silence, complete madness and turmoil ensued!

"Immortal Opportunity! An Immortal Opportunity to ascend in a single step!"

"Charge! Enter the Immortal Palace!"

Countless streaks of light, driven by greed and desire, rushed recklessly toward the phantom image of the Immortal Palace in the sky rift, like moths flying into a flame.

However, reality was cruel.

The dozens of Cultivators who first approached the spatial rift were crushed into the finest particles by the raging Chaos Qi currents and the scattered oppressive Aura of the Immortal Palace before they could even scream, their bodies and Souls completely destroyed!

This bloody sight was like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads, instantly sobering the fanatic Cultivators behind them. They stopped in horror, their faces filled with fear and unwillingness.

"Hmph, overestimating themselves." A cold, mocking voice rang out. Qu Feiyan had appeared on a nearby stone Peak sometime earlier, her red robes flapping loudly in the turbulent air currents. She looked at the Cultivators who had turned to ash, a hint of ridicule flashing in her charming eyes. Her gaze then fell upon Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing, and a trace of shock and uncertainty crossed her eyes, especially when she sensed the Aura on Lin Xuan's body, which had stabilized and even become stronger.

Su Wanqing felt her gaze and subconsciously moved closer to Lin Xuan, her cold eyes filled with vigilance.

Lin Xuan, however, ignored Qu Feiyan. His entire focus was on the Immortal Palace in the sky. Forcing entry was a dead end, but since the Immortal Palace had appeared, there must be a way to enter!

Sure enough, the magnificent Immortal Palace changed again. From the depths of the palace, nine clusters of dazzling, seven-colored light suddenly shone forth. Like nine falling stars, they transformed into nine solid light bridges, breaking through the turbulent Chaos Qi currents and descending toward nine different directions in the Secret Realm!

One ray of light, precisely, landed on the open ground less than a hundred zhang in front of Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing! The light converged, forming a stable and peaceful seven-colored light gate. Immortal Qi misted inside the gate, and white jade steps could vaguely be seen, leading to an unknown place.

"Immortal Palace Guiding Bridge!"

"That's the entrance! The real entrance!"

"Grab it!"

Seeing where the light landed, the eyes of all nearby surviving Cultivators instantly turned red! The greed that had just been suppressed reignited like wildfire, burning even more fiercely! Dozens of figures, like hungry wolves smelling blood, frantically rushed toward the seven-colored light gate from all directions! Among them were several Cultivators at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and even the Peak, all imposing with their Aura!

"Stop them! That Opportunity is ours!" A scarred, fierce-faced brute roared, summoning a Ghost Head Saber, and, carrying sharp Evil Qi, was the first to strike at Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing, who were closest to the light gate!

"Seeking death!" Su Wanqing's Phoenix eyes flashed with Evil Qi. Although her spiritual power had not recovered, how could the pride in her Bloodline tolerate provocation? She pointed her fingers like a sword, and a supremely condensed Moon Essence Sword Qi, carrying bone-deep coldness, instantly shot out, striking before the enemy's attack landed!

"Crack!"

The seemingly mighty Ghost Head Saber was easily sliced through like paper upon contact with the Moon Essence Sword Qi! The Sword Qi continued unabated, directly piercing the scarred brute's chest, instantly freezing him into an ice sculpture and severing his life force!

The might of a single sword strike shocked the entire scene!

The charging Cultivators froze, expressions of horror appearing on their faces. Only then did they realize that this seemingly young couple possessed strength far beyond imagination!

"Junior Sister Su has good methods." Qu Feiyan's delicate laughter drifted over. She didn't approach; instead, she transformed into a red shadow and sped toward another ray of light descending in the distance, her voice drifting back: "But for this Immortal Palace Opportunity, it's every person for themselves. Big Sister won't be joining you~"

Lin Xuan snorted coldly, knowing this was not the time for entanglement. He pulled Su Wanqing's hand and shouted, "Let's go!"

The two figures moved, shooting toward the seven-colored light gate like arrows released from a bowstring.

"Don't leave!"

"Leave the Opportunity behind!"

Seeing this, the other Cultivators stirred up again, and various Spells and Magical Artifacts rained down upon the backs of the pair!

Lin Xuan didn't turn his head, throwing a punch over his shoulder! The spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Peak mixed with the Qi and blood of the third revolution Golden Body, transforming into a solid golden fist seal!

"Boom!"

Wherever the fist seal passed, Spells were annihilated, Magical Artifacts were sent flying, and the few Cultivators rushing at the front were sent staggering backward, spitting blood, as if struck by a giant hammer!

Taking advantage of this momentary gap, Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing transformed into two streaks of light and instantly disappeared into the seven-colored light gate.

After they entered, the light gate flickered a few times, rapidly turned illusory, and finally dissipated on the spot, as if it had never appeared.

The Cultivators who rushed too late could only watch helplessly as the Opportunity vanished, letting out roars of despair and unwillingness. They immediately turned their greedy gaze toward the other eight rays of light that had not yet dissipated, and a new, more brutal round of contention erupted across the Secret Realm.

At this moment, Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing, having stepped through the light gate, felt their bodies enveloped by warm and peaceful Immortal Spiritual Qi, and the scene before their eyes changed.

A moment later, their feet touched solid ground.

A wave of Immortal Spiritual Qi, more than ten times denser than that in the Secret Realm, rushed toward them, causing all their pores to open and their cultivation bases to subtly stir. But simultaneously, an even heavier oppressive Aura, seemingly originating from the Soul level, enveloped them, making the circulation of spiritual power somewhat sluggish.

What greeted their eyes was an immensely wide white jade staircase, stretching upward and disappearing into the depths of the mist, seemingly connecting to the Heavenly Palace. On both sides of the staircase were rolling seas of clouds, where immortal cranes could vaguely be seen soaring, and magnificent buildings were faintly visible in the fog, presenting a scene of true immortal grandeur.

"Is this... the Misty Immortal Palace?" Su Wanqing looked at the endless celestial ladder before her, feeling the vast oppressive Aura and the majestic Immortal Qi, her cold eyes filled with shock and solemnity.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath of Immortal Spiritual Qi, his eyes burning and resolute. He could sense a faint resonance coming once again from the frost silence immortal sword resting in his arms.

"It seems the real trial is only just beginning."

He took Su Wanqing's hand, feeling the spiritual power resonance brought by the "Concentric" bond, and stepped onto the first white jade step.

"Let's go, Senior Sister, and see what kind of creation is hidden within this Immortal Palace."

The figures of the pair slowly disappeared onto the cloud-shrouded immortal ladder.