At this moment, not far from Lu Yuan, within the Immortal Cave secret realm, the largest towering peak began to shake. Clouds converged across the sky as streaks of black lightning rumbled incessantly.
Strands of black mist poured continually from the giant mountain, intertwining with the blood-red light.
The entire world grew chaotic, as though space itself had become unstable. And that inexplicable aura from earlier became even more intense.
The mountain trembled. The black mist surging forth swept across the land without pause, as if capable of corroding all things.
The scene resembled an apocalypse, instinctively sparking dread in people's hearts.
"There's an upheaval in the Immortal Cave. What on earth is hidden inside?" Lu Yuan's expression grew solemn, but he did not linger in place. Taking a step forward, he immediately hurtled toward the central zone.
Rumble! The closer he got, the richer that inexplicable aura grew. More importantly, Lu Yuan discovered that under the influence of the black mist, secret realm spirits were multiplying and growing increasingly powerful. They were like fiends.
The moment they detected a living being, they attacked without hesitation. Some extraterrestrials whose cultivation was not particularly strong were bogged down by them.
Of course, this posed no threat to Lu Yuan. The moment the Great Sun Smelting Furnace emerged, it seemed capable of awing all creation.
Wherever he went, the corrupted secret realm spirits exploded instantly, completely unable to withstand its might.
Advancing steadily, Lu Yuan finally arrived at the core of the Immortal Cave, at the foot of that towering peak.
The surrounding area was entirely flat ground, making the giant mountain appear as though it had materialized out of nowhere. The peak was blood-red throughout, with plumes of black mist rising from it from time to time.
Even though Lu Yuan opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, he could not clearly see what lay inside. However, he was in no hurry and simply remained where he stood.
He could sense in his heart that this giant mountain was undergoing some kind of transformation, and all he needed to do was wait quietly.
At this time, Lu Yuan also noticed several powerful extraterrestrial beings approaching the area. Others had already arrived earlier and were waiting in place just like him.
Among them were members of the Celestial Clan, the Yin Sparrow Clan, the Three-Headed Ghost Clan, the Origin Demon Clan, and more, as well as the Eternal Clan and the Spirit Clan.
In fact, Yu Heng and his companions also saw Lu Yuan arrive, but they did not come over to cause trouble as they had outside.
They knew very well that this human was exceptionally formidable. If a fight broke out, far from gaining any advantage, they might well throw their own lives away.
For now, the most important objective was to obtain the greatest fortuitous opportunity in the Immortal Cave. Everything else could wait.
Naturally, in the eyes of the Eternal Clan, Lu Yuan had been classified as an extremely dangerous figure. As for the extraterrestrial beings nearby, they all kept their gazes fixed ahead.
None of them intended to strike or initiate a great battle. After all, they all understood that the greatest fortune in this mythological secret realm was likely inside that towering mountain; for now, they had to exercise patience.
Lu Yuan had nothing to say to this either. He was indeed far more concerned with what secret lay hidden inside the mountain.
What was the source of that black mist and that inexplicable aura?
And so, amid everyone's tacit understanding, time ticked away.
The next instant, the massive mountain cracked open. Countless bolts of black lightning appeared, alongside surging plumes of black mist.
Amid the lightning and mist, a cave entrance could faintly be seen.
"The Immortal Cave—the true Dao arena of Immortal Guangchengzi!" someone exclaimed, pointing at the cave entrance with excited eyes.
They speculated that while this secret realm had been opened by Immortal Guangchengzi, the truly greatest fortune—the legacy he left behind—had to be placed in the core area, and that core was none other than this giant mountain before their eyes.
Furthermore, what they saw before them matched the word "cave" in the name Immortal Cave.
"Time is of the essence! The final ground has opened; let's go inside together," an extraterrestrial being spoke up at this moment, hailing from the Yin Sparrow Clan.
It could sense that the place had opened, but it did not rush in directly. The reason was simple: the black mist and black lightning inspired a profound sense of unease. Naturally, it did not want to stick its neck out first, so it urged those around it to enter together.
Hearing these words, the Origin Demon Clan, Three-Headed Ghost Clan, and other extraterrestrial beings did not move immediately either, showing a hint of hesitation.
Soon, however, a figure stepped ahead of everyone. It was Lu Yuan. Paying no mind to the bizarre scene, he strode straight forward.
Having already come this far, there was no turning back, not to mention that he wanted to discover the true source of that aura.
The next moment, as Lu Yuan took a step forward, he plunged straight into the Immortal Cave. This sight left the extraterrestrial beings staring at one another in dismay.
What should they do? Someone had already gone in—what about them?
"You want the greatest fortune, yet you aren't willing to face the risk? How could there be such a good deal in this world?" At this point, Lei Xiao of the Celestial Clan spoke up. Although he was also wary of that bizarre aura, they had already reached this point; if they continued to hesitate, how could they compete for fortunes later? After all, as time passed, more and more mythological secret realms would open.
They couldn't possibly tread on thin ice every single time, could they? If so, how would they ever seize opportunities?
Therefore, after finishing his words, Lei Xiao did not hesitate in the slightest and led his people into the Immortal Cave. Soon, the Yin Sparrow Clan, Three-Headed Ghost Clan, Origin Demon Clan, and others followed suit.
There were also some extraterrestrial beings who, after weighing the matter, chose to seek fortunes elsewhere.
Their reasoning was simple: with the powerhouses of the major clans entering directly, they wouldn't stand to gain much by going in. They certainly wouldn't get the greatest fortune, but in this mythological secret realm, there were bound to be other opportunities. Settling for the next best thing was the wiser choice.
Meanwhile, after entering the Immortal Cave, Lu Yuan discovered that a world of its own lay within. It was like a space within a folded space, yet unlike the outside world, this space was not very vast; one could see its boundaries at a glance. Currently, he stood upon a stretch of flat ground.
Ahead of him was an immense elevated platform. Around it stood towering stone pillars, their tops carved into the likeness of qilin.
From the mouths of the qilin streamed rays of light that completely enveloped the high platform. It truly resembled a Dao arena from mythological tales.
Strangely enough, as Lu Yuan looked closer, he discovered that atop that high platform lay a coffin that was blood-red from end to end!
Chapter 272