Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor-Chapter 117: Mysterious Palace

"What should we do now?" Lin Yumei turned her head and asked Chu Ming. Throughout the journey, Chu Ming had been making decisions, and this time was no exception.

"I want to go and have a look. Do you want to come with me or do we part ways here?"

Chu Ming said calmly, with a strange expression in his eyes. When the black rift appeared, the white light plate in his mind had started trembling slightly, something that had never happened before. No matter what, he had to check it out.

"I want to see it too!" Lin Yumei said, believing that her strength was sufficient to protect herself in the Celestial Flame Secret Realm. Even if she encountered dangers she couldn’t handle, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.

"I’ll go too!" Zhao Ming, having no other options, reluctantly agreed. If he left on his own, the chances of survival were too slim.

"Then let’s go!"

Chu Ming said calmly. He glanced at the black rift, clearly seeing it gradually expanding, with its gray shadows becoming increasingly distinct, slowly revealing its outline.

The three rapidly ran towards the direction of the black rift. The scenery around them quickly blurred into a haze.

.....

Boom!

Zuo Pengfei killed a Fifth-Level Advanced Demon Beast with a punch, then looked towards the direction of the black rift, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Many core disciples from the Five Great Sects had entered the Celestial Flame Secret Realm in the past. Upon leaving, they recorded their experiences comprehensively for future reference.

Zuo Pengfei had read all of those records, but none mentioned the black rift, suggesting this was its first appearance in the Celestial Flame Secret Realm. Whether it was good or bad was impossible to predict.

"If someone else gets the opportunities inside..."

Zuo Pengfei’s eyes flashed with fierce determination, and he too ran towards the black rift.

In the Celestial Flame Secret Realm, only about twenty core disciples remained; the others had perished here. Most of these disciples were heading towards the black rift.

Being a core disciple of the Five Great Sects meant their determination in martial arts was strong, not easily swayed by fear. Moreover, the black rift possibly contained great opportunities. Obtaining them could allow surpassing the Five Great Talents; it was only a matter of time.

Of course, some sect disciples chose to hide upon entering the secret realm, planning to leave safely after seven days. However, these core disciples were few.

The black rift was not very far from Chu Ming and the others, but it still took them a full day to reach within a hundred miles of it.

By now, the black rift had changed completely. The gray shadows had fully revealed a gray palace surrounded by swirling sand-like substances.

From a distance, the gray palace extended for miles. Its walls were carved with various strange patterns, resembling humans and beasts. The palace doors were tightly shut without any gaps.

Besides, the most striking feature was the blue crystal pillar in front of the palace, standing over a hundred meters tall. It seemed to have water flowing inside, shimmering with blue light, with occasional flashes like lightning.

The palace was slowly descending, now less than a hundred meters from the ground. The dust on the ground swirled and spread outward, exuding an aura of majesty.

Buzz buzz!

"Be careful!"

Chu Ming narrowed his eyes and said calmly. With his keen eyesight, he saw dozens of figures standing on a nearby hill, wearing different outfits, roughly divided into five camps.

Whoosh whoosh!

The sudden appearance of Chu Ming and his companions drew immediate attention from the core disciples on the hill. With only dozens of people present, each arriving individually, the arrival of three at once naturally attracted notice.

"Junior Brother Chu!"

A cold voice mixed with a trace of joy was heard, followed by a white silhouette flying towards Chu Ming and his companions, revealing a resolute face filled with delight.

"Senior Sister Li!"

This person was none other than Li Yuqing, one of the Five Great Talents, and the core disciple of Cyan Yang Sect.

Li Yuqing’s strength was still at the peak of the Transcendence Realm, but her aura felt deeper, with a faint sense of breakthrough. Chu Ming believed that even without gaining any opportunity in the Celestial Flame Secret Realm, Li Yuqing could break through to the True Dao Realm within two months after leaving.

"Have you seen any other sect disciples?" Li Yuqing frowned and asked slowly, realizing her question might be unnecessary, given that only three to five other sect disciples survived, with some sects having only three left.

"No!" Chu Ming and the others shook their heads. Li Yuqing sighed softly upon receiving their confirmation, knowing that most of the remaining sect disciples were likely dead.

Suddenly, Chu Ming felt a cold and murderous gaze directed at him, as if wanting to tear him apart.

Turning to the source of the gaze, he saw Li Yun’s grim face, his eyes cold like deep water.

"Do you have a grudge with Li Yun?" Li Yuqing stood beside Chu Ming, sensing Li Yun’s persistent gaze at Chu Ming. She asked quietly.

"Yes!" Chu Ming nodded lightly, explaining the series of events regarding Li Huo. Li Yuqing listened and nodded, finding nothing wrong with Chu Ming’s actions, though she felt a subtle confusion.

"Logically, Li Yun shouldn’t have seen your fight. Why does he still hold such strong killing intent?" Li Yuqing asked calmly.

"Someone must have seen it from hiding and told Li Yun!" Chu Ming guessed, feeling he had been too careless to notice being observed.

"Be careful of Li Yun!" Li Yuqing warned. Despite knowing their basic capabilities among the Five Great Talents, they were not entirely familiar with each other.

Chu Ming nodded and directed his attention to other groups. Among the dozens on the hill, Celestial Star Sect had only three, with Liu Lin appearing indifferent and unconcerned.

The other three sects had four core disciples each. Of Celestial Star Sect’s three, besides Liu Lin, the other two had already broken through to the True Dao Realm.