Chapter 864 - Demon Beast Spying

After Chen Fan accepted her invitation, they flew straight into the depths of the secret realm.

“I approached you because there is a tomb in the depths of this secret realm which is said to contain the secret to advancing from the Heavenly Star realm to the Manifestation realm,” said Su Tong.

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, his eyes flickering.

For most martial artists, the Heavenly Star realm marked the pinnacle of their aspirations.

Yet, for the experts in that realm, the hope of advancing to the Manifestation realm burned bright.

The Heavenly Star realm only offered survival in this cruel world, but advancing into the Manifestation realm elevated one to the level of a true expert.

And to step into the Legendary realm meant becoming a real peak expert—the ruler of a territory.

For peak Heavenly Star and half-step Manifestation experts, the Manifestation realm was tantalizingly close yet separated by a vast chasm.

It was said that advancing from the Divine Nascent realm to the Heavenly Star realm and comprehending a Martial Dao Will was difficult, but breaking through to the Manifestation realm was even harder.

The Heavenly Star realm represented a physical transformation, one even less talented martial artists could achieve if they obtained and harnessed a Martial Dao Will Fragment.

On the other hand, the Manifestation realm was a metamorphosis of the soul. One’s Martial Dao Will would transform into a Martial Soul, turning the intangible into substance. This breakthrough was exponentially harder than comprehending a Martial Dao Will.

Even in a behemoth like the True Martial Academy, Manifestation realm martial artists were revered as top-tier powerhouses and key pillars of their sects.

Legendary realm peak experts, rarely taking action, served as stabilizing forces to deter threats. On the front lines, it was the Manifestation realm martial artists who dominated.

“However, many already know about this opportunity. When the time comes, it will be a chaotic battle—a battle for supremacy. That’s why we’re seeking as many capable allies as possible.” Su Tong explained.

Chen Fan nodded.

Considering what was at stake here, that only made sense. Those venturing into this secret realm were undoubtedly elite, peak Heavenly Star martial artists. Every one of them yearned to break through their limits.

“Rumors say that in the last iteration of the selection battle, someone obtained the treasure within and successfully broke free from their shackles, metamorphosing their Martial Dao Will into a Martial Soul and advancing into the Manifestation realm.” Su Tong added, “That’s why so many experts have gathered here now.

“In fact, our squad has quite a few experts as well. When the time comes, I hope you’ll fight alongside me,” Su Tong said, staring at Chen Fan with a fiery gaze.

She was already in the early-stage, half-step Manifestation realm. Her comprehension of Martial Dao Will had long since reached perfection.

If she could claim the treasure, breaking through to the Manifestation realm would be within her grasp—perhaps even earning her a chance at one of the ten thrones.

Although Su Tong claimed no interest in the thrones, it was likely due to her current lack of strength. Once her power grew, ambition would naturally follow.

Everyone knew the significance of becoming a demonic child candidate signified. No one would give up that chance easily.

But with only ten spots and over ten thousand contenders in the secret realm, the competition promised to be unimaginably brutal.

Chen Fan immediately felt somewhat bad.

What kind of situation was this? Su Tong couldn’t even trust the people in her squad. On the contrary, she wanted to work closely with him, a relative outsider. Didn’t this seem laughable?

Still, after some thought, it made sense.

After all, everyone wanted to obtain this method to break through. If this method turned out to be a treasure, how were they supposed to divide it?

Temporary alliances like these were built on suspicion. They weren’t teammates but competitors, each guarding against betrayal. If they found the treasure, there was a very high chance that they would stab each other in the back.

Even so, Chen Fan was not worried at all.

A treasure like that was only appealing to those who hadn’t advanced into the Manifestation realm. As for those true Manifestation realm experts, they would refrain from interfering in this.

As long as no genuine Manifestation realm experts were present, even the most elaborate schemes would crumble before absolute strength.

“Since that is the case, there’s no time to lose. We’d better rush to the rendezvous location,” said Chen Fan, quickly disappearing into the horizon with Su Tong.

Both of them were extremely powerful; in the blink of an eye, they had already crossed many kilometers. In just a few hours, they reached a valley.

The Sky Suspended Secret Realm was infamous for its treacherous environment, teeming with ferocious demon beasts lurking in every corner.

Chen Fan’s keen senses allowed them to avoid unnecessary battles that, while manageable, would have cost valuable time.

Places like this were everywhere in the Sky Suspended Secret Realm.

This secret realm was, in a way, different from all the other microcosms Chen Fan had entered in the past—it was far more dangerous.

“Let’s wait for them here. Our squad wasn’t large to begin with. They’ve likely gone to find reinforcements, so we’re the first to return.” Su Tong said, “This place is crawling with demon beasts, practically a wild frontier. I have ways to escape even a half-step Manifestation beast, but it’s best to avoid an entire army of them.”

Chen Fan did not express an opinion.

For most, encountering a demon beast army meant retreat. After all, even if they could fight against ten or a hundred, what could they do against thousands—or even tens of thousands?

However, Chen Fan could do that. He was not afraid of individual battles or group battles. His Hegemonic Golden Body had already reached level 19. It would not be easy to hurt him at all.

His lack of reaction didn’t escape Su Tong’s notice, but she did not bat an eyelid about it.

It was normal for powerful martial artists to be arrogant—especially a genius like Chen Fan, who could effortlessly kill peak Heavenly Star realms as if it were second nature.

If she had not witnessed it herself, she would never have believed that a ninth-level Heavenly Star realm could wipe out a demon beast colony.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Only after one saw it would they feel that Chen Fan was simply a peerless monster.

Suddenly, Chen Fan furrowed his brow. He immediately looked into the distance.

“There’s a demon beast spying on us.” Chen Fan smiled coldly, “It doesn’t know its place.”

Su Tong froze for a moment, then extended her divine will. Sure enough, the void felt off. Her heart tightened—this was their designated rendezvous point, yet a demon beast was lurking nearby.

The implications weren’t good. It likely meant a demon beast force had taken an interest in this area or even anticipated their gathering, setting up an ambush. The spying beast was likely a scout.

A Divine Nascent realm demon beast’s intelligence was about on par with an adult human, not to mention a Heavenly Star realm beast. Some stronger demon beasts could even establish their kingdoms.