Chapter 132: Descending Upon a New World

Jiang Ming dismissed the thought. Even after comprehending the cultivation method, grasping its essence, and possessing the 'Infinite Gene' talent, he still felt it was too risky. Failure would mean total destruction. As for the virtual battle net? It was fine for contemplating the Dao, but not for actual cultivation. Jiang Ming did not rush to emerge from seclusion; instead, he continued to digest what he had gained, meticulously combing through every detail from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning.

On the evening of August 9th, Jiang Ming emerged. He leaped onto the balcony and found a figure on his left, hands behind his back, gazing at the sunset. He couldn't help but smile: "Brother Jun, darkness is approaching, and your era is about to arrive."

"Brother Jiang!" Jun Qiye also smiled and said quickly, "Hurry and add me to your friends list so I can come over."

"Alright!" Jiang Ming agreed. Every villa was protected by a defense system; entering without an invitation would trigger an alarm. He used a voice command to add the other to his approved friends list. Jun Qiye immediately leaped over, looked Jiang Ming up and down, and said with a complex expression, "You look unchanged, but your foundation has likely skyrocketed once again. The Heart of the Universe—a coveted opportunity. Before the Eighth Realm, this is probably the closest one can get. A pity, a pity..."

"Cultivating in the valley was also a significant opportunity; we all gained much," Jiang Ming invited him to sit.

"The opportunity was indeed great, but you, kid, are far too monstrous. You beat Ye Bai into a state of self-isolation with a single punch." Jun Qiye rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Brother Jiang, when will you teach me the Dao of Life and Death?"

"Let's wait until we reach the secret realm world; we'll have plenty of time," Jiang Ming mused. "We can gather there, learn from each other, and verify our insights, which will help us develop the secret realm."

"Brother Jiang speaks well!" Bai Bing appeared on the side, hovering in mid-air with cold mist swirling around her. "This young lady has arrived; aren't you going to open the gates?"

"Haha, coming right up!" Jiang Ming quickly invited her over. Soon, Ye Bai, Shi Lei, and the others arrived one after another. No one probed deeply into what benefits he had gained from the Heart of the Universe. They mainly discussed the situation after entering the secret realm and reached a consensus: competitive cooperation. If there was danger, they would unite; if not, they would compete.

"It's just one secret realm, yet we're all going. There aren't enough treasures for us to divide equally, so we'll just have to compete," Shi Lei laughed. "It's settled then, no one plays dirty."

"Those who didn't come don't count!" Jiang Ming interjected.

Shi Lei froze, then realized what he meant. He couldn't help but shake his head, "You really are vengeful!"

"This is a grudge any man would hold," Fang Qinghan laughed. "Forget it, if we get news of him, let's just bury him."

"Vying for opportunities is fine, and forcing someone to exit is fine, but we cannot truly kill," Luo Feng said seriously. "That is the principle."

"We must not take lives!" Wang Qiutong added. Jiang Ming nodded. They were clearly talking about Tang San Chui.

"Have you all purchased your supplies? Any recommendations?" Jiang Ming shifted the topic.

"I bought a pair of boots that will let my speed soar," Ren Tianxing laughed. "Combined with what I've learned this time, Jiang Ming, I don't believe I'll lose to you again."

"We'll compare when the time comes!" Jiang Ming couldn't help but smile.

"I bought a drop of precious blood!" Ye Bai said. "Actually, I struggled for a long time. I wanted a fighter jet and a weapon, but thinking about it, I can get those myself. It's better to improve my strength."

"You're just here to show off your wealth," Chen Bei pointed at him. "I bought a spatial ring; this thing is really expensive."

The items they bought varied, but they all shared one trait: they were wealthy, well-backed, and resource-rich. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so few buying weapons. After they dispersed, Jiang Ming opened the school network and, after much deliberation, purchased two items: a ten-cubic-meter spatial ring for 300 billion, and an Opening Mountain Axe capable of withstanding the impact of Eighth Realm power for 700 billion.

"Spatial rings are truly expensive!" Jiang Ming felt a deep sting in his wallet. Ten cubic meters for 300 billion—that was 30 billion per cubic meter. He wouldn't have bought it if not for the axe and the upcoming trip to the Myriad Realms Battlefield. The 100 billion reward, equivalent to a trillion in purchasing power, was spent in an instant.

"It's easy for the strong to make money, but it disappears incredibly fast!" Jiang Ming couldn't help but shake his head. Not long after, the items were delivered. The ring was silver and plain. He left a soul imprint on it; it contained a small space, enough to hold plenty of things. The other item was a large crate containing an axe over two meters long, with an edge like a wagon wheel, imbued with a sharp edge capable of shattering everything.

"I'll practice the Heaven-Opening Method well in the future as my strongest means of attack." Jiang Ming stored the axe in his spatial ring. That night, he didn't rest. He opened his phone, checked the class group, and chatted with Fatty Wang.

The next day, at 5:00 AM, Jiang Ming and the others were gathered early. They had all changed into ancient-style attire—the men looking dashing, the women elegant.

"I'll emphasize this once!" Qian Yuan at the front said. "You will all enter the same secret realm. You may bring weapons, including auxiliary tools, but you cannot carry pills, precious blood, or forbidden artifacts sealed with attacks. If you carry them in, they will be shredded immediately. If you have any, put them in the cabinets nearby." He pointed to the side.

It was a large, empty room. Beside it was a row of cabinets, and at the front stood the Realm Gate, shimmering with light. Several people looked pale as they placed their items in the cabinets. They had assumed they could bring them in and had prepared quite a bit, especially Luo Chen, who took out many items.

"I hope you all have a complete transformation when you come out and strive to step into the Seventh Realm!" Qian Yuan turned to the Realm Gate. "Students, go! We'll see you in an hour."

Jiang Ming and the others walked in one after another. Crossing space and time, the stars shifted.

Jiang Ming felt his vision go dark, space trembled, and then, as his vision cleared, he landed on the ground. The stars were twinkling. He was on a hillside surrounded by trees, where the cawing of crows added a strange chill. Jiang Ming quickly sensed his surroundings and looked toward a temple not far up the mountain, which was wreathed in baleful energy, flowing death, and demonic aura. It was clearly an ominous place.

At that moment, lines of text appeared before him, explaining the rules:

Secret Realm: Chaos World.
Survival: Ten years. You cannot leave unless you die.
Achievement: Survive for ten years and independently slay an entity of the Eighth Realm. Upon leaving, you may take everything you have gained, excluding physical matter. Otherwise, all gains will be erased.

This time, it was simple—so simple that it took Jiang Ming by surprise. "Survive for ten years?" "Slay an Eighth Realm entity?" Even he felt his scalp tingle. He was confident he could kill an Eighth Realm entity within ten years, but what about Ren Tianxing, Ran Xin, and the others?

"Chaos World, I fear it won't be that simple," Jiang Ming mused.

The night grew darker. *Clang!* A sword light suddenly erupted from the mountain, piercing the heavens. It was golden and filled with an imposing, righteous aura. The sword energy was extremely sharp. Jiang Ming looked up and saw a long sword dancing like a swimming dragon, attacking a tall banyan tree. No, it was a tree demon.

"Sword Returns to Infinity!" A voice shouted. The dancing sword split into several sword shadows, forming a formation that unleashed an even more terrifying destructive force, only to be blasted back by the tree demon.

"Heaven and Earth are infinite, I borrow the power of the universe!" The voice rang out again, and a thick bolt of lightning appeared in mid-air, striking the tree demon and sending it flying, its branches and leaves scattering in disarray. Green sap flowed everywhere.

"Yan Chixia, you deserve to die!" A hoarse voice carried savage anger. Thousands of branches flew, turning into spears, vines, or dripping with poison, churning up the area. Rocks shattered, and the night became bleak.

"Yan Chixia? A tree demon?" Jiang Ming looked puzzled. "How could such a world, such a scene, appear?"

He flew up and soon arrived in front of the temple. A scholar was trembling while watching the battle from afar, accompanied by a young maiden who exuded a dense ghostly aura. The girl was a ghost. On the other side, a disheveled middle-aged man was fighting the tree demon.

Seeming to sense something, the girl turned and saw Jiang Ming. Her eyes lit up, but she suddenly shuddered and hid in terror behind the scholar. She felt a terrifying blood energy from Jiang Ming; in her eyes, he was like a sun—scorching and horrifying. But a moment later, she realized the man's intense blood energy had retracted, and he now looked like a wealthy young master.

The scholar also noticed Jiang Ming, was slightly stunned, and quickly said, "Brother, it's dangerous, come over here quickly."

"May I ask your name?" Jiang Ming walked over and cupped his hands. "I am Jiang Ming!"

"Brother Jiang, I am Ning Caichen!" The scholar hurriedly returned the salute and introduced, "This is Miss Nie Xiaoqian."

*A guy who sleeps with ghosts.* Interesting. Nie Xiaoqian, however, looked ghastly and was trembling; even though Jiang Ming displayed no unusual phenomena, he terrified her.

"Brother Ning, what exactly is going on here?" Jiang Ming asked.

Ning Caichen scratched his head, frustrated. "I was passing through to rest. I first met Miss Nie, who was in trouble, and then Yan Chixia, that bearded man, arrived. Just as we were about to start a fire to get some food, the bearded man suddenly said there was demonic energy, rushed out, and then... it just became like this."

"The Master said not to discuss strange phenomena, spirits, or gods, so how have demons appeared?" Ning Caichen was very confused.

At that moment, Yan Chixia was blasted away, landing not far off. His clothes were tattered, and he was coughing up blood; he looked miserable. However, the tree demon wasn't having an easy time either, with few branches left and its trunk scorched black. They were clearly both injured.

"Yan Chixia, die!" The hoarse voice sounded again, and leaves from all over the sky rose, spinning as they flew toward them. Each leaf was imbued with terrifying demonic energy, comparable to divine weapons. Even Jiang Ming and the others were caught in the radius.

"You monster, how dare you cause such harm!" A person stepped through the air from afar. The voice was resonant and righteous. As the words fell, sword lights erupted, and the sky-filled sword energy shredded the leaves.

A man in white descended nearby. He was graceful, his sword intent soaring to the heavens. The sword in his hand contained righteous energy; he had the air of a hero.

"Tree demon, die!" Another sword light appeared, striking the tree demon and nearly cleaving it in two. It was a woman in red, heroic, sharp, and decisive. Her sword intent was even stronger and more piercing than the man in white's.

"Miss Ye Hongyu, Brother Jian Chen, you've come just in time. Join me to slay the Tree Demon Grandmother!" Yan Chixia had already stood up. Seeing the newcomers, he laughed and shouted, charging toward the Tree Demon Grandmother again. He formed seals with his hands, and his sword hovered before him, suddenly splitting into a dozen small blades that shot forward.

"Slaying demons and eliminating evil is our duty!" Jian Chen also charged in. His sword technique unfolded, carrying a strange, mournful air.

"I'll provide cover!" Ye Hongyu turned her long sword and watched quietly, though she was ready to act. Sensing something, she looked toward their direction. One glance at Ning Caichen—passed over. Two glances at Nie Xiaoqian—her brow twitched, but she said nothing. Three glances at Jiang Ming—she seemed puzzled.

"Ye Hongyu, the Daoist? Ye Su's sister?" Jiang Ming cupped his hands toward her. His heart was far from calm. Yan Chixia, Ning Caichen, and Nie Xiaoqian were one thing, but Jian Chen, the disciple of Wuming? And Ye Hongyu... Jiang Ming felt a sense of chaos. It was too messy.

"Correct!" Ye Hongyu's expression was cold. "May I ask your name?" She couldn't gauge Jiang Ming's depth, but she felt a powerful threat.

"Jiang Ming!" After stating his name, he felt even more conflicted. He looked up at the sky. He couldn't understand the origin of the person who created this world. How could they have melded these different worlds together?

Ye Hongyu frowned, her thoughts racing as she flipped through her memories, but she had never heard the name. Seeing Jiang Ming looking at the sky with a conflicted expression, a flash of doubt crossed her eyes.

*Bang!* The battle continued, but Jian Chen was ultimately a notch weaker and was blasted away by the Tree Demon Grandmother. However, the tree demon was also at the end of its rope. Ye Hongyu was just about to strike when she sensed demonic energy and black fog rolling in from afar. A terrifying aura swept over, causing her expression to change wildly.

"Master Black Mountain, save me!" The Tree Demon Grandmother felt the aura from afar and was overjoyed, shaking her branches as she cried for help. The tree demon flashed with light, transforming into a middle-aged person who was neither male nor female, covered in blood, with disheveled hair, looking utterly miserable.

"Damn it, Black Mountain is here! Kill her quickly!" Yan Chixia was anxious. Jian Chen and Ye Hongyu also changed expressions. The two struck simultaneously.

Jiang Ming stood still, analyzing the situation. Yan Chixia was at the Sixth Realm of Martial Arts, not weak at all. Jian Chen and Ye Hongyu were both at the Fifth Realm; at their age of around twenty, they were terrifying—even on Earth, they would be top-tier geniuses.

"Master Black Mountain?" "Could it be that there's also a Seven Night Holy Monarch?" "But Nie Xiaoqian is just a small ghost here!" Jiang Ming thought. A glance showed Nie Xiaoqian pale and trembling, and Ning Caichen was no better.

"Brother Ning, run, run, run! Quickly run!" Nie Xiaoqian urged, trembling.

"They are slaying demons and eliminating evil, how can I run!" Ning Caichen shook his head. Nie Xiaoqian smiled bitterly. She wanted to run, but she couldn't!

"Ah..." The Tree Demon Grandmother let out a scream. "Master Black Mountain, help! Help me!" Her cry was extremely shrill.

"Stop! Whoever dares to kill the Tree Demon Grandmother, I will slaughter your entire family, wipe out your ten clans, and devour a million humans!" A terrifying voice rolled in from afar, carrying immense heavenly might. It caused the wind and clouds to change color.

Yan Chixia and the others' expressions shifted again. As if by mutual understanding, they launched a combined strike and slew the Tree Demon Grandmother. Her human form turned back into wood, then exploded into pieces, scattering everywhere. The demonic aura withered, and the life force was extinguished.

"You're courting death!" Master Black Mountain was enraged. He arrived in the sky above—a black bear, ten zhang tall, wrapped in thick, black demonic energy.

"Die!" A roar like thunder erupted. He raised a claw, which transformed into a hundred-zhang size, covering the entire mountaintop. The heavenly might was like a prison, the pressure like a tidal wave. Ning Caichen's body trembled, his face went deathly pale, and he was about to collapse into a heap of flesh. Jiang Ming stepped forward, shielding him and neutralizing the pressure.

He took a deep breath, his body trembling. Nie Xiaoqian's form was also on the verge of collapse; she supported herself against the scholar, barely standing.

"I'll hold him off, you two flee!" Yan Chixia's expression was grave. As he spoke, he formed a seal and slapped upward. "Heaven and Earth are infinite, I borrow the power of the universe!"

*Boom!* Thunder exploded, striking the giant claw, but it didn't break through. His expression turned desperate. He bit his tongue, about to use a secret technique, when he saw a person appear right in front of him. It was none other than Jiang Ming.

"Black Bear Spirit, I wonder how bear paws taste?" Jiang Ming said. His palm grabbed, condensing energy into a weapon, and with a single strike of his sword, he shattered the giant hand.

"Eat my punch!" Stepping into the void, he rose straight up and slammed into the creature.

Inch Punch!

*I wanted to write a bit more, but the outline was pushed back four or five times, and I was quite conflicted. Finally, I finalized the draft. This is an incredibly chaotic world, even more cruel and ruthless. Well, enough said! Asking for monthly tickets.*