boyutpedia Chapter 100: Gathering of All Parties on the Eve of the Secret Realm
Chapter 100: Gathering of All Parties on the Eve of the Secret Realm
Qin Cang slightly turned his head and glanced at Qin Hao. Qin Hao was standing in the crowd on the east side, looking back at the high platform, and met his grandfather's gaze. He nodded slightly, his right hand unconsciously touching the protective jade pendant in his pocket. The jade pendant felt warm to the touch; he clenched it tightly for a moment, then relaxed it.
Lin Chen saw all of this. He didn't say anything, but simply took half a step closer to Su Muyue, his right hand hanging down, his fingers touching the talisman at his waist.
The light from the teleportation array grew brighter and brighter, the white mist of spiritual energy at the array's core surged more and more violently, and the air in the center of the array began to twist and rotate, like a slowly spinning vortex. The light of the runes gradually turned from silver-white to gold, its brightness fluctuating, the rhythm becoming faster and faster, like a heartbeat.
The magic circle has been activated.
The countdown began. No one shouted, but everyone felt it—the buzzing of the magic circle was rising, slowly climbing from a low bass to a higher, higher, higher shrill sound, until it suddenly stopped at its highest point.
The vortex of spiritual energy in the center of the magic circle suddenly expanded and then suddenly contracted. Between those expansions and contractions, the magic circle was fully activated.
"Squads, enter in order!"
Chen Feng's voice rang out again.
Qin Hao led his squad, heading first towards the magic circle. They walked slowly, deliberately, so everyone could see their grand entrance. Qin Hao walked at the very front, his back ramrod straight, chin slightly raised, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if receiving an inspection. When he reached the edge of the magic circle, he stopped, turned back, and glanced in Lin Chen's direction from a distance of several dozen meters.
That glance was brief, but it was full of meaning.
Then he turned around and stepped into the magic circle. A flash of light, and the dozen or so people vanished.
The military squad followed closely behind. Unlike Qin Hao, they didn't have a grand entrance; they marched in perfect unison, like an army on a march. When the leading officer reached the edge of the magic circle, he saluted in Leng Feng's direction, then turned and led his team into the magic circle.
Exchange students from various countries arrived one after another. As the boy carrying the greatsword walked past Lin Chen, he paused, tilted his head to look at him, and said something in a very soft voice that Lin Chen didn't hear. He smiled, turned, and walked away, the greatsword dangling on his shoulder.
The number of people in the square dwindled. The light of the magic circle flickered on and off, and with each flash, a group of people were teleported away.
Lin Chen glanced at the four people beside him.
Su Muyue slung her backpack over her shoulder, clutching the largest exorcising array flag in her hand. Chu Fan stuffed the map into his pocket and patted it. Su Ling'er zipped up her medicine box, fastened the buckle, and checked it again. Leng Feng sheathed his battle sword on his back, the blade sliding in with a low, resonant sound.
"I'm leaving," Lin Chen said.
The five people walked side by side toward the magic circle.
The bluestone slabs in the square were warm from the sun, and you could feel the heat rising through your shoes when you stepped on them. The light from the magic circle grew closer and brighter, almost blinding people.
The moment they stepped into the magic circle, the surrounding air suddenly contracted.
It wasn't cold, nor hot; it was an indescribable feeling, like my body had suddenly become lighter, yet also heavier, happening simultaneously, contradictory yet real. The ground beneath my feet disappeared, but my feet were still there, my body was still there, only I couldn't feel my weight anymore. The world in my vision began to distort, spin, and blur, like a painting that had been crumpled in half.
Then--
The light faded.
My feet were firmly planted on solid ground.
Lin Chen opened his eyes.
What comes into view is a primeval forest that blocks out the sky.
The ancient trees reach for the sky; the thinnest cannot be encircled by one person, while the thickest require three to five people to encircle. Their canopies form a vast green dome high above, completely blocking out the sky, with only sparse rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves and scattering golden patches on the ground. The trunks are covered in thick, almost black, green moss, spreading from the roots to the base of the canopy. The air is filled with the damp scent of earth, the smell of decaying leaves, and an indescribable fragrance, like some kind of medicinal herb.
The concentration of spiritual energy was astonishing.
It wasn't the faint, almost imperceptible spiritual energy of Xingwu University; it was so dense it was practically condensed into mist. Inhaling it made my entire respiratory tract feel cool, and the Xingwu core in my dantian, like a gluttonous old man smelling a delicious aroma, began to spin rapidly, greedily absorbing everything around it.
In the distance, the mountains rise and fall, layer upon layer, with white mist drifting through the valleys between the peaks like flowing rivers. Further away, the outlines of some buildings can be vaguely seen—not modern buildings, but ancient ruins built of massive stones, mostly covered by vines and moss, half-hidden among the forests, appearing and disappearing in the distance.
Birdsong came from all directions, some clear and crisp, some deep and resonant, some long and drawn-out, some short and abrupt, all mixed together like a melody that was hard to understand. Occasionally, a ferocious beast's roar would come from the deep mountains, deep and trembling, making one's chest feel heavy and causing the leaves on the trees to fall in a rustling sound.
Su Ling'er took a deep breath, her eyes wide open.
"Such a strong spiritual aura..." she whispered, as if afraid that her voice might disturb something.
Su Muyue squatted down, touched the soil on the ground with her hand, picked up a fallen leaf and looked at it, then stood up and clapped her hands.
"This should be the outer edge of the secret realm," she said. "The concentration of spiritual energy isn't high, but it's already stronger than the training rooms at Star Martial University. The middle and core areas will only be denser."
Chu Fan took out a map, looked at the surrounding terrain for a few seconds, and then tapped on the map.
"We are in the southeast corner of the secret realm. The outer area doesn't have very high-level beasts, so it's a good place to familiarize ourselves with the environment first."
Leng Feng stood on the outermost edge, facing the depths of the forest, his ears twitching slightly as he listened to the sounds in the distance. After listening for a while, he turned around and nodded to Lin Chen, indicating that it was safe for the time being.
Lin Chen took one last look at the teleportation point behind him—a small circle of light hovering above the ground, their only way back. The circle flickered slightly, like an eye that couldn't close.
He turned around and faced the depths of the forest.
"Let's go," he said.
Five people stepped into the dense forest. Sunlight streamed down from above, filtering through layers of leaves and casting dappled shadows on them. Their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness of the forest, but their footsteps lingered, rustling lightly, steadily, and rhythmically on the fallen leaves, one after another, unhurriedly, extending deeper into the forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, painting small patches of gold on the moss. These golden spots were tiny and fragmented, like someone had accidentally broken a mirror, shards scattered everywhere, impossible to collect completely.