Chapter 516: Chapter 514: Celestial Essence Secret Realm Tree

"Heavens, Celestial Essence Spirit Star!"

"The explosion of two intact Celestial Essence Spirit Stars might be no less powerful than the self-detonation of a True Monarch at Perfection!"

"What’s most terrifying is, once these two explode, the dozens of Celestial Essence Spirit Stars here will also be triggered to detonate..."

...

In that moment, nearly everyone couldn’t help but jump to their feet, as if ready to race away in all directions at any time.

This could be fatal!

Once it erupts, there’s no way to escape.

After all, besides the Celestial Essence Spirit Stars, the surging river outside—every drop is pure Spiritual Liquid!

If a pile of Celestial Essence Spirit Stars exploded and the storm collided with the river’s Spiritual Liquid, what kind of destructive force would that unleash?

Chen Xuanji hadn’t witnessed Xu Yang personally swallow the two Celestial Essence Spirit Stars.

But he could clearly sense that those two millstone-sized glowing orbs were, without doubt, Celestial Essence Spirit Stars!

And hardly any energy was lost.

Listening to the discussions around, the vast stars behind Chen Xuanji trembled violently.

The middle-aged man and the elder’s expressions twisted fiercely.

The elder gritted his teeth, barking, "Boy, this old man doesn’t believe you’d dare!"

"If you dare to self-detonate the Celestial Essence Spirit Stars, you’ll die just the same!"

Xu Yang replied, expressionless, "Being able to take the three of you with me—it’s worth it!"

"Besides, who says I have to die?"

The elder’s facial muscles twitched violently.

It had to be said, they’d truly been checkmated.

The life of a Daqian Martial Artist—how does it compare to theirs?

Even if Chen Xuanji survives, he’ll definitely be severely wounded, with recovery nigh impossible.

If his very foundation is damaged...

"Young master."

The elder couldn’t help but look to Chen Xuanji.

What now?

—Swoosh!

The vast stars behind Chen Xuanji suddenly receded like a tide, lightning-fast returning into his body.

That terrifying aura also vanished without a trace.

This sudden scene shocked everyone.

Was Chen Xuanji... giving ground?

On Chen Xuanji’s grim face, a radiant smile bloomed, as if meeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in years.

"No wonder you’re the Crown Prince of Daqian!"

"To break Xiao Ming’s Five Elements Heaven-Trapping Bowl at the Myriad Phenomena Realm, your courage is truly extraordinary!"

"Admirable!"

As Chen Xuanji spoke, he even cupped his hands in respect.

This made everyone nearly doubt their own eyes.

While Xu Yang’s actions were earth-shattering, who was Chen Xuanji?

Second on the Celestial Pride List!

The greatest genius of Star Nebula Infinite Sea!

In the whole Spirit Realm, he was among the rarest of the rare.

Not only did he back down, but with such humility?

This felt unreal!

Xu Yang raised an eyebrow—Chen Xuanji’s demeanor astonished him as well.

Chen Xuanji laughed as if no one else were present, "Today was just a misunderstanding—how about ending things here?"

Xu Yang blinked, "You’re really not going to fight?"

"Not fighting."

"If we meet outside, you and I are destined for a showdown!"

Chen Xuanji spoke with crisp decisiveness.

Swoosh!

Xu Yang unhesitatingly put away the two Celestial Essence Spirit Stars.

To be honest, if he’d really had to blow them up, it would’ve been a painful loss.

But this guy was cunning and adaptable!

Miles ahead of Deng Tianfang!

Seeing Xu Yang put away the Celestial Essence Spirit Stars, Chen Xuanji silently let out a breath; deep within his eyes flashed a trace of hidden malevolence.

"Damn it, just how did this guy do it?"

Swallowing Celestial Essence Spirit Stars whole, and managing to refine and control them to this extent—Chen Xuanji felt a chill down his spine.

The others around finally relaxed as well.

Thank goodness there was no fight!

Otherwise, they’d be the real victims.

Now, they could cultivate in peace.

With such a miraculous opportunity, no one wanted to waste it.

The situation returned to normal.

The elder and the middle-aged man, swallowing their indignation, returned to Chen Xuanji’s side, picked a Celestial Essence Spirit Star and sat cross-legged.

Xu Yang also sat down again.

The three Yie Vajra exchanged a silent glance, all shaken yet tacitly keeping silent.

Their eyes met Xu Yang’s across the air; all nodded slightly, then became strangers again.

After all this, the area grew eerily silent.

No one wanted another commotion; even their breathing was stilled.

Time slipped by quietly.

One Celestial Essence Spirit Star after another flickered and shimmered, their power frantically consumed from within.

On the twelfth day,

those Celestial Essence Spirit Stars at the outer edge with weaker energy had already been drained dry, vanishing completely.

At a certain moment,

Xu Yang gently exhaled.

A faint ripple flashed across his body, instantly restrained.

He had broken through to a spirit mark length of five feet!

Only four more feet to the nine-foot peak!

Earlier, Chen Xuanji had manifested spirit marks of five feet three inches!

Three inches ahead of him!

"If I didn’t rely on such methods as swallowing Celestial Essence Spirit Stars, I’d actually be evenly matched with Chen Xuanji; after all, he’s cultivated in the Spirit Realm, his foundation is no worse than mine."

"Defeating him will be no easy feat!"

Though he had many amazing skills, Chen Xuanji—second of the Celestial Pride List, the Infinite Sea’s top genius—was by no means weak.

Xiao Ming must certainly be stronger than Chen Xuanji!

Xu Yang took a deep breath and settled back into cultivation. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Suddenly—

A surging wave erupted from the depths, swiftly sweeping over.

Noticing the peculiar nature of this wave, Xu Yang instantly opened his eyes to look.

Everyone sensed it as well, turning their gazes, frowning deeply.

"What’s going on?"

"Is there something else in here?"

"Strange, there shouldn’t be anything at all."

The crowd was puzzled and uneasy.

Deeper within the Celestial Essence Spirit Star region, all was tranquil and empty—yet that surge grew more intense, plainly visible to the naked eye.

Xu Yang’s heart skipped a beat: "Feels like something is about to come out."

He instinctively stood up, narrowed his eyes, and stared hard.

One figure after another rose, all faces tense with vigilance.

Even Chen Xuanji was no exception.

"What the hell is happening?"

"Be careful!" Chen Xuanji warned in a low voice.

This treasure land was utterly astonishing, even he couldn’t guarantee what might appear.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

The surging wave seemed to reach its peak, erupting with a thunderous roar.

It was as if the power of a primordial volcano had burst into a vast ocean, boiling its boundless waters.

CRACK!

A piercing shatter resounded.

The tranquility in the depths was completely shattered as a massive rift appeared.

Splash!

The fissure grew at astonishing speed, its edges bathed in dazzling light like spirit stars, spreading in a ring.

A gaping void manifested before all eyes.

A nine-foot-tall sapling stood within the emptiness.

Its whole body was crystal-clear as jade, flawless, with no leaves—each branch like a jade stick, clustering upward from the root.

As all this appeared, the void trembled, expanding wildly.

It felt as if it might swallow every spirit star, devour the entire river—a terrifying threat.

"What is that?"

Xu Yang’s eyes brimmed with doubt and astonishment.

"Secret Realm Tree—the Celestial Essence Secret Realm Tree!"

"Run!"

Someone screamed, as though seeing something utterly horrifying; without a moment’s hesitation, they spun and began fleeing for their lives.

"What? That’s the legendary Secret Realm Tree? Isn’t that a supreme treasure? Why run?"

"You idiot!"

"Is that something we could possibly obtain? Even Chen Xuanji and Xu Yang might not be able to seize it. With the Secret Realm Tree emerging, the Celestial Essence Spirit Stars and even the whole river may be devoured. If you don’t leave now, you might as well wait here to die."

...