Chapter 307

Chapter 307: Secret Realm Rankings Update, A New Era Approaches

"Esteemed senior, have mercy!"

The Bi Fang ancestor’s eye flickered as he instantly knelt and surrendered, sobbing with snot and tears. "This lowly one acted foolishly and angered you. I beg you to high hold your honorable hand and spare this humble life."

"This servant… this servant is willing to form a master-servant contract and become your loyal steed."

"Since you refuse to choose, I will choose for you."

Ye Xu remained unmoved and spoke dismissively.

"Esteemed senior… senior—"

Boom!

At Ye Xu’s thought, the power of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion descended. The Bi Fang ancestor’s primordial spirit shattered instantly as his Dao fruit was extracted, hovering midair.

He had achieved the Immortal King realm through the pure Yang Great Dao, forming merely one Dao fruit. Among his fellow Immortal King cultivators, he ranked at the very bottom.

"Having lived tens of millions of years, he cultivated those years like a dog," Ye Xu remarked, shaking his head.

With the Bi Fang ancestor’s demise, the True Phoenix Treasure Robe, the cyan jade bottle, and numerous magic treasures and immortal pills fell into Ye Xu’s possession.

"System, exchange these."

Ye Xu commanded.

Ding!

[Congratulations, host. Obtained 5.2 billion heavenly secrets points.]

A delighted smile spread across Ye Xu’s face. Truly, no man enriches without windfall wealth—an age-old truth.

He glanced at the Bi Fang ancestor’s corpse. With both Dao fruit and primordial spirit gone, the body reverted to its true form: a crimson-feathered Bi Fang divine bird.

Ye Xu summoned Yang Xuanzhan.

"How may this servant assist, Honored Lord?" Yang Xuanzhan asked, spotting the divine bird carcass and instantly deducing the troublemaking immortal had been slain.

"This Bi Fang divine bird possesses an Immortal King-level body. Both its feathers and flesh are priceless treasures. Deliver it to the Auction House for sale," instructed Ye Xu. "Spread word of the auction beforehand."

"Understood. Obeying your command," Yang Xuanzhan acknowledged.

Ye Xu channeled his magic power, sealing the bird’s corpse into a storage ring handed to Yang Xuanzhan.

Once all was arranged, Ye Xu’s gaze deepened with thought.

"So immortals of the Immortal Realm can already descend…" murmured Ye Xu, his lips curling slightly. Before executing the Bi Fang ancestor, he had extracted every memory—including those concerning multitudes of immortals crossing to the mortal plane. No secret could escape Ye Xu.

"The sheep down here have been thoroughly sheared. Those newcomers from the heavens carry deep pockets. They will be my next flock."

Having fixed his targets, Ye Xu’s mind raced.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s influence saturates the lower world, yet celestial newcomers accustomed to grand spectacles may prove hesitant buyers. His task: to embed the name "Heaven’s Secret Pavilion" deep within their minds.

So that business may thrive…

"Seven days from now, Heaven’s Machine Auction House will hold an auction, with the final item being a complete physical body of a Bi Fang divine bird at the Immortal King realm."

Half an hour later, astonishing news swept through Linglong City and spread to all realms.

"A Bi Fang divine bird at the Immortal King realm? Wasn’t that the very one who wanted to use force in Linglong City half an hour ago?" The two Great Emperors drinking tea exclaimed in shock.

"An Immortal King physical body— such a tremendous opportunity!"

"We can merely look."

One of them smiled bitterly, "Which one of us could afford it?"

An Immortal King physical body was invaluable. Only top-ranked true immortals, or perhaps even Immortal King experts, had the capital to purchase it. Even the chance to see it was considered an honor.

"Even if we can’t buy the Immortal King physical body, we should at least buy something else."

"I’ve heard Heaven’s Machine Auction House has gathered many fine treasures during this time. Surely there are items suitable for us."

Within Linglong City, numerous Emperor Venerables and Great Emperors heatedly discussed the matter.

"Linglong City will be lively once again."

Lin Qianmo thought privately. Across all realms nowadays, Immortal Kings were extremely rare. With an Immortal King physical body going up for auction, it was impossible to guess how many true immortals it would draw.

It was worth noting that the profound mysteries hidden within an Immortal King physical body could drive true immortals to madness.

If comprehended, it could offer another sliver of hope for ascending to the Immortal King realm.

Buzz!

At that very moment, an unusual resonance suddenly echoed throughout heaven and earth.

The golden divine monument towering within Linglong City abruptly erupted with dazzling immortal light.

Profound Great Dao Symbols coiled through the void. A resonant sound like a great bell, the sound of the Dao, issued from the divine monument. Celestial radiance descended from the heavens, gently enveloping the entire Linglong City.

Bathing in the immortal light and listening to the sound of the Dao, countless cultivators experienced sudden insights. Some even achieved enlightenment on the spot, breaking through bottlenecks and drastically increasing their strength.

"We thank the Master of the Pavilion!"

"We thank this esteemed Senior!"

Having benefited from the golden divine monument, countless cultivators bowed deeply in the direction of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, expressing their gratitude.

"City Lord! I’ve broken through too!"

Zhao Cheng was overwhelmed with joy.

He’d been trapped at the Divine Catastrophe stage for over half a year. The moment the sound of the Dao rang out today, he felt a surge of sudden enlightenment. His spiritual power began circulating spontaneously, allowing him to break through to the Divine God realm on the spot.

Boom!

The heavenly tribulation materialized.

Yet, moments later, beneath the enveloping immortal light, it gradually dissipated.

The curtain of immortal light seemed to obscure the heavens’ workings.

Above in the sky, a vertical eye slowly appeared and gazed down upon Linglong City.

"This place again."

The Heavenly Son murmured.

That eye was profoundly deep; it took one glance at Linglong City before vanishing away.

"The Secret Realm Ranking has changed!"

The moment this anomaly occurred, cultivators in Linglong City grew extremely excited and quickly pinpointed the source of the change.

Upon the divine monument, words silently squirmed and transformed continuously, as if undergoing some wondrous change.

"The Secret Realm Ranking seems to be changing," one Emperor Venerable solemnly stated.

"Even a blind person could see that!"

Another Emperor Venerable rolled his eyes.

The first Emperor Venerable looked rather embarrassed.

This Secret Realm Ranking encompassed realms within the Lower World. Occupying the top spot was Pangu’s Daoist Temple, its existence linked to the divine being Pangu who separated heaven and earth, requiring hundreds of billions of heavenly secrets points to enter.

However, the Secret Realm Ranking displayed a massive gap.

Take the Ancient City of a Thousand Stars, for instance – it only cost eighteen million heavenly secrets points.

Yet at this moment, the Secret Realm Ranking was updating.

The top-ranked Pangu’s Daoist Temple was silently shifting position.

"This likely has something to do with the changes in the Immortal Realm," Lin Qianmo thought, an answer forming in her mind.

"Place of Origin!"

Once the four words that appeared became clear, Lin Qianmo narrowed her eyes. An inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her regarding this Place of Origin.

Moreover, the Place of Origin was not placed at the apex of the Secret Realm Ranking.

This signified that above the Place of Origin, there existed even more mysterious locations.

Inside the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, Ye Xu was also experiencing a sense of astonishment.

The moment the Secret Realm Ranking updated, he too received the system notification immediately. Staring at the information manifesting in his mind, Ye Xu was thoroughly surprised.

Pangu’s Daoist Temple, after the update, was actually no longer number one.

Furthermore, the Secret Realm Ranking now contained a blank spot.

"System," Ye Xu asked solemnly, "is that blank spot also representing a Secret Realm?"

[Yes.]

"Then why isn’t it displayed?" Ye Xu was perplexed.

[The Immortal Realm is collapsing, the universe is changing. Once the Immortal Realm collapses, everything will surface.]

[This era is like no other in the annals of time.]

[The new era is imminent…]

Ye Xu’s heart stirred.

The system’s reply implicated a vast amount of information.

"The era It mentioned probably isn’t just referring to this universe’s current age, right?" Ye Xu pondered internally. The Heavenly Machine System transcended the Heavenly Dao of this universe itself. Even It was being so cautious; this couldn’t be a small matter.

Ye Xu let out a soft chuckle.

He had descended upon this universe specifically to stir the pot; the more chaotic the world became, the more valuable his information would be.

"The moment the scars of the heavens changed, the Secret Realm Ranking reacted with such a massive shift… hehe…" Ye Xu rubbed his hands together, seeming unable to wait.

During this update, the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest vanished from the Secret Realm Ranking, the Ancient City of a Thousand Stars disappeared, the Heaven Deficiency Forbidden Land also ceased to be visible, and numerous lower-tier Secret Realms were purged from the list.

Now, any Secret Realm that made the ranking required at least one hundred million heavenly secrets points as the starting cost.

"Once the Immortal Realm collapses, and the Secret Realm Ranking updates again, that will likely be the ultimate version," Ye Xu murmured to himself.

Furthermore, when that day arrived, Ye Xu could also reconfigure the rankings.

His unparalleled rankings had long been in the planning stages.

Powerhouses like the Heavenly Emperor, the Son of Heaven, the human ancestor – they were all bound to make the list.

The Talents List for the myriad worlds could also be arranged soon.

"Miraculous treasures, peerless divine weapons… will all be arranged then."

"Should we add a beauty list?"

Ye Xu stroked his chin thoughtfully.