Shocking Secrets of the Celestial Realm

Chapter 111 Mysterious Guidance

Qin Feng, Jasmine, Lin Qing, Ye Lan, along with Su Yao of the Qingyun Sect and Elder Xuanfeng of the Zixia Palace, after a fierce battle with the guardian beast and the demon's minions, although they temporarily repelled the enemy, knew that their current strength was far from enough to confront the soon-to-be-born demon power, Qingtian. To obtain more information on how to fight Qingtian, the group decided to seek out a mysterious figure residing atop a high mountain in the sky. It is said that this mysterious figure knows many ancient legends and hidden powers, and might be able to guide them on a path to defeat Qingtian.

The group traveled along the winding and rugged mountain path, surrounded by towering mountains that seemed to conceal countless secrets amidst the swirling mist. Along the way, treacherous peaks, steep cliffs, and the occasional appearance of strange magical beasts posed numerous challenges to their journey.

"This journey has been fraught with danger. I wonder if that mysterious person can give us any useful information," Jasmine said, cautiously observing her surroundings.

Lin Qing gripped his longsword tightly, his gaze resolute: "No matter what, we must try. The Sky-Supporting Sword is about to be born, and this is one of our few remaining hopes."

Su Yao nodded gently, gripping her sword tightly in her hand: "Yes, although the road ahead is difficult, we have no choice but to stop the darkness from descending upon Qingtian."

As they climbed higher, the air grew thinner and the temperature dropped sharply. However, the belief in their hearts burned like a flame, showing no sign of being extinguished.

After several days of arduous trekking, the group finally arrived at the summit of a towering mountain. In a secluded corner of the mountain, there stood an ancient stone house, surrounded by a faint spiritual light, as if it had merged with the surrounding world.

"This should be the residence of that mysterious person," Qin Feng said, looking at the stone house.

The group stepped forward and gently knocked on the stone door. After a moment, the door slowly opened, and an elderly man dressed in a plain robe appeared before them. The old man had white hair, a kind face, and profound wisdom in his eyes, as if he could see through their hearts.

"You've finally arrived," the old man said with a smile, his voice calm yet seemingly carrying a power that penetrates the soul.

"Senior, we have heard that you know many secrets. Now that the powerful demon realm expert Qingtian is about to be born, the entire Cangqiong World is in imminent danger. We earnestly request that you guide us through this predicament," Elder Xuanfeng said respectfully, bowing as he spoke.

The old man nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to enter the house. The group entered the stone house, which was simply furnished with only a few stone tables and benches. The walls were covered with various strange runes and patterns, exuding a mysterious aura.

After everyone was seated, the old man slowly spoke: "I know why you have come. The birth of Qingtian is indeed a great disaster. The only way to fight against his dark power is to obtain the Star Stone and merge everyone's power with it."

“Starstone? We’ve been searching for it, but we’ve encountered many difficulties,” Qin Feng said, his brows furrowing slightly.

The old man looked at everyone with profound eyes and said, "The Star Stone is a divine artifact formed from the power of the stars and the heavens at the beginning of the universe, possessing unparalleled power. However, it is protected by a powerful guardian force, and to obtain it, you must pass many trials. These trials are not only a test of your strength, but also a tempering of your character and will."

"Senior, could you tell us some clues about these trials?" Ye Lan asked eagerly.

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "The power to protect the Star Stone is divided into three trials. The first trial is called 'The Realm of Illusions.' In this illusion, you will face the things you fear and desire most deep within your hearts. If you cannot maintain a clear mind, you will be lost in it and never be able to escape."

"The Realm of Illusions? That sounds extremely dangerous," Jasmine murmured to herself, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

“That’s right. This Dream Realm generates different illusions based on each person’s inner world. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall into an abyss of no return,” the old man nodded and said.

"What about the second test?" Lin Qing pressed.

"The second trial is the 'Starry Maze.' This maze is constructed from the power of the stars, with a chaotic interior filled with various powerful star guardian beasts. These guardian beasts are not only powerful, but their power also resonates with the power of the stars. If you cannot find a way to break the power of the stars, you simply cannot pass through," the old man said slowly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank. This Starry Maze sounded equally difficult, and navigating it would be no easy feat.

"Senior, what about the third test?" Su Yao asked.

The old man's gaze turned solemn as he said, "The third test is 'soul resonance.' The Star Stone possesses its own sentience, and it will examine the souls of those who come to obtain it. Only when your soul resonates with the Star Stone and gains its approval can you truly obtain its power."

"Soul resonance? How can that be achieved?" Qin Feng asked in confusion.

The old man smiled slightly and said, "Soul resonance is about the connection between hearts and the harmony between souls. This cannot be achieved through cultivation alone, but requires you to constantly understand and grow through numerous trials, so that your souls can be sublimated."

After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. Each of these three trials was filled with unknowns and dangers, but in order to fight against Qingtian, they had no other choice.

"Senior, we understand. No matter how difficult it is, we are willing to try," Qin Feng said firmly, his eyes revealing a resolute look.

“Good! I can feel your determination. However, before you set off, I can give you some pointers. In the Dream Realm, keep your true self and do not be misled by the illusions; in the Star Maze, pay attention to the trajectory and changes of the stars; and for Soul Resonance, you need to use your heart to feel the will of the Star Stone,” the old man said.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior!" everyone said in unison, their hearts filled with gratitude towards the old man.

Just then, a violent tremor suddenly came from outside the stone house. Everyone was startled and stood up, heading towards the door.

Dark clouds filled the sky, and streaks of black lightning flashed through them, as if to tear the sky apart. The ground trembled incessantly, as if a powerful force was awakening.

"What's going on?" Lin Qing looked at the sky warily, gripping his long sword tightly.

The old man said with a solemn expression, "It seems that the Demon Realm has already noticed your actions and is trying to interfere with your acquisition of the Star Stone. You must set off as soon as possible, otherwise, if the Demon Realm's conspiracy succeeds, the entire Sky World will be plunged into utter destruction."

"Don't worry, senior, we'll set off right away!" Qin Feng said, his eyes filled with determination and fearlessness.

The group bid farewell to the old man and hurried towards the mysterious valley. Along the way, they felt both nervous and excited. Nervous about the many trials they were about to face, and excited that they finally had hope of confronting Qingtian.

"Everyone be careful, the Demon Realm will definitely not let us off easily," Elder Xuanfeng said, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"Don't worry, we will definitely pass the test, obtain the Star Stone, and stop Qingtian's conspiracy," Su Yao said, her eyes revealing unwavering determination.

As the group traveled, a group of strangely shaped black figures suddenly rushed out from all directions. These figures resembled humans, but exuded a dense aura of darkness. Their eyes gleamed with an eerie green light, and they wielded sharp black daggers as they pounced on the group.

"It's the Shadow Assassins from the Demon Realm! Everyone be careful!" Qin Feng shouted, immediately opening a spatial rift in an attempt to suck the Shadow Assassins in. However, these Shadow Assassins were extremely fast, nimbly dodging the suction of the spatial rift and attacking everyone from all angles.

Lin Qing brandished his longsword, unleashing a fierce sword aura as he engaged the shadow assassins in close combat. His sword aura crisscrossed, repelling the approaching shadow assassins one by one.

Ye Lan waved her jade flute, drawing upon natural elements to create powerful wind blades that shot towards the shadow assassins. The wind blades whistled past, slicing some of the shadow assassins in half.

Jasmine activated her microscopic energy perception to search for the shadow assassins' weaknesses. She discovered that although the hearts of these shadow assassins were shrouded in dark power, brief energy fluctuations would occur at the moment of each attack.

"Attack their hearts! There's an opening there!" Jasmine shouted.

Su Yao swiftly tossed out the talisman in her hand. The talisman instantly ignited in mid-air, transforming into beams of golden light that shot towards the heart of the shadow assassin. The golden light struck the shadow assassin, triggering a violent explosion that blasted some of the assassins to pieces.

Elder Xuanfeng then unleashed the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, beams of purple light shooting from his hands and enveloping a group of shadow assassins. The shadow assassins enveloped in the light let out screams of agony as their bodies gradually dissipated.

Under the combined attack of the group, the group of shadow assassins were gradually driven back. However, before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, a muffled roar came from afar.

"It seems the Demon Realm has sent out an even more powerful enemy," Qin Feng said, his eyes revealing vigilance.

Following the direction of the sound, everyone looked and saw a gigantic monster slowly approaching them. This monster resembled a lion, but it had three heads, each capable of spewing forth raging flames. Its body was covered in a layer of black scales, which emitted an eerie glow.

"This is a three-headed Flame Demon Lion, one of the most powerful magical beasts in the Demon Realm. Everyone must not underestimate it," Elder Xuanfeng said, his expression becoming very solemn.

Faced with this powerful three-headed fire lion, can the group successfully overcome it? How will they pass the three trials of the Starstone amidst the numerous obstacles in the demon realm and obtain its power? Everything is full of unknowns and suspense, and an even more thrilling adventure awaits them.

"Qin Feng, use the spatial rift to restrain its movements, and we'll launch an attack while we have the chance," Lin Qing said quickly, his eyes fixed on the three-headed Flame Demon Lion, the longsword in his hand gleaming with a cold light.

Qin Feng nodded, his hands rapidly forming hand seals. A powerful spatial rift instantly opened before the three-headed Flame Demon Lion, its powerful suction distorting the surrounding air. The three-headed Flame Demon Lion seemed to sense the threat; its middle head roared, and three thick pillars of flame simultaneously erupted from its three heads, rushing towards the spatial rift. The flames collided with the spatial rift, producing a deafening roar. Some of the flames were swallowed by the rift, but some still broke through the defenses and surged towards the group.

Seeing this, Ye Lan immediately waved her jade flute, summoning water elements. A huge water curtain instantly rose in front of everyone, blocking the incoming flames. The water and fire collided, producing a large amount of water vapor that filled the surroundings.

"Su Yao, let's use ranged attacks together to weaken its power!" Jasmine shouted, activating her microscopic energy perception to condense microscopic energy into tiny energy projectiles, which she fired towards the three-headed fire demon lion. Su Yao also quickly took out various talismans, chanting incantations as the talismans transformed into beams of light, rushing towards the three-headed fire demon lion along with Jasmine's energy projectiles.

The three-headed fire lion's body was extremely tough; the energy blasts and runes that struck it only left shallow marks on its scales. It roared angrily and charged towards the group, its three heads spewing flames as it tried to devour them.

"This can't go on; its defense is too strong," Lin Qing said, frowning. Although his sword energy was sharp, it had limited effect on the three-headed Flame Demon Lion.

Just then, Elder Xuanfeng suddenly said, "Listen everyone, I have observed that there is a subtle connection in the energy flow between the three heads of this three-headed Flame Demon Lion. If we can break this connection, we may be able to find its weakness."

"Elder Xuanfeng, do you have any ideas?" Qin Feng asked while maintaining the spatial rift.

"I will use the Purple Cloud Divine Art to temporarily suppress one of the heads. Ye Lan, you take this opportunity to use wind element to disrupt the energy flow of the other two heads, while the rest of you attack the suppressed head with all your might, trying to break it in one fell swoop," Elder Xuanfeng said quickly.

Everyone nodded and began to act according to Elder Xuanfeng's plan. Elder Xuanfeng formed hand seals and unleashed a powerful move from the Purple Cloud Divine Art. A dazzling purple light shot towards the left head of the three-headed Flame Demon Lion, temporarily suppressing it and preventing it from spewing flames. Ye Lan, meanwhile, waved her jade flute, drawing upon wind elements to create a powerful whirlwind that swept towards the other two heads, disrupting their energy flow.

Lin Qing, Qin Feng, Jasmine, and Su Yao seized the opportunity and launched a full-scale attack. Lin Qing unleashed the strongest move of the "Blood Shadow Raging Wave Sword," countless sword energies carrying blood-red light slashing towards the suppressed head; Qin Feng concentrated the power of the spatial rift into a single point, shooting out a sharp spatial blade; Jasmine condensed microscopic energy into a sharp energy spear and hurled it forcefully; Su Yao threw out her most powerful talisman, which exploded in mid-air, releasing a powerful energy.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the suppressed head finally couldn't withstand it any longer, letting out a painful roar as a deep crack appeared on its head. The three-headed fire demon lion was severely injured, its body swaying a few times before temporarily ceasing its attack.

"Strike while the iron is hot!" Qin Feng shouted, and the group launched another attack. This time, their attack was even more ferocious. Finally, with a deafening roar, the three-headed Flame Demon Lion crashed to the ground, turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing without a trace.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew this was only the beginning of the demon realm's obstruction. They continued their journey toward the mysterious valley, their hearts filled with anticipation and apprehension about the unknown trials ahead.

After a difficult trek, the group finally arrived at the mysterious valley once more. A mysterious aura permeated the valley, making it seem even more eerie and terrifying than before.

"This is the mysterious valley where the Star Stone is located. We are about to face the three trials," Qin Feng said, his eyes revealing a firm determination.

"No matter how difficult the test is, we must get the Star Stone," Jasmine said, clenching her fist tightly.

The group exchanged glances, seeing unwavering determination in each other's eyes. They took a deep breath and stepped into the mysterious valley. The trials of the Dream Realm awaited them, and this was merely the first step in their quest for the Star Stones. Many more hardships and obstacles lay ahead…