Chapter 306 – Secret Realm Reconnection

The gifts from the Goblin Prince were immense.

Mu Yuan wasn’t particularly surprised.

After all, this was a Legendary Realm being—the first Legendary their Tianyuan Territory had ever slain—holding extraordinary significance. More importantly, the Goblin Prince was a high-ranking figure in the Goblin Kingdom, carrying with him a portion of the kingdom’s treasures.

Although most of these treasures had been used to curry favor and exchange for specific items, for the impoverished Tianyuan Territory, they were still abundant.

“One storage ring, two storage rings, three storage rings…”

Dolai counted carefully, pulling out a total of six.

Two of them were slightly damaged.

Perhaps, possibly, probably, inevitably… during the battle, some ‘fragile’ storage equipment had been destroyed, their contents scattered into the spatial turbulence.

At the thought of this, a certain General felt so heartbroken it could hardly breathe.

Lord Mu, however, was more philosophical. The primary goals of this ambush were to eliminate the highly unstable threat posed by the Goblin Prince and to truly test the power of the Legendary Realm.

With both main objectives achieved, that was the greatest gain.

Any other rewards were unimportant… like hell they were!

Mu Yuan still hoped for more loot.

Dolai opened the first storage device, and instantly, brilliant light shot into the sky. Before them lay a small mountain of Soul Crystals, along with numerous cultivation aids arranged neatly.

「Prompt: You have obtained Soul Crystals ×4000.」

「Prompt: You have obtained various basic materials ×4000.」

For a Legendary Realm being carrying a portion of the kingdom’s treasures, 4,000 Soul Crystals couldn’t be considered a lot.

Yet, seeing 4,000 Soul Crystals piled together was an indescribably shocking sight—their visual impact far surpassed that of a few high-tier treasures.

This batch of Soul Crystals and basic materials filled the Excellent-grade storage ring to the brim.

This was the tangible reality of an enormous amount of Soul Crystals!

Sometimes, it wasn’t easy for powerful individuals to carry vast wealth with them when traveling.

General Dolai rubbed its hands together with delight and anticipation. However, the next few “blind boxes” yielded rather disappointing treasures.

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Corrupted Goblin Soul Fragment (Common)’ ×2000.」

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Corrupted Goblin Soul Fragment (Rare)’ ×500.」

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Corrupted Frenzied Beast Blood (Rare)’ ×500.」

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Corrupted Flesh Sapling (Rare)’ ×500.」

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Corrupted Seed · Goblin Turret (Rare)’ ×50.」

It was clear these were strategic resources the Goblin Prince had stockpiled in hopes of making a comeback.

Among them, there were a full 500 Rare Remnant Souls!

Don’t be fooled by how many Great Lords could field hundreds or even thousands of fully-formed legions at will. Each of these legions, comprising hundreds of rare-tier units, represented years, decades, or even lifetimes of accumulation for the Great Lords.

Yet the Goblin Prince casually produced several hundred.

“Although I usually look down on Goblins, as long as there are enough of them, and as long as they’re free, I’m not too picky.”However, the tainted remnant souls could not be used by him. Forcibly recruiting them might contaminate his own Lord Altar, and the units recruited would be chaotic, tainted beings.

Trash!

Yet Mu Yuan couldn’t bear to discard them, so he had no choice but to keep them for now.

After all, remnant souls were precious, and given the wonders of the Eternal World, it was possible that someday he might encounter artifacts or structures capable of exchanging treasures through the sacrifice of remnant souls. When that time came, he would offer up these delectable Goblin Soul Fragments.

“There are still some untarnished treasures, such as rare-grade and exceptional-grade equipment. Some of these items are intact, while others are damaged. There are also scattered construction materials, forging materials, and…”

And the most important item in the Goblin Prince’s possession.

「Tainted Lord’s Heart (Nest Heart)」

「This Lord’s Heart has been tainted and cannot be used. However, a Lord or Hero can purify it by harnessing the power of purification. This process requires the consumption of Soul Crystals.」

——

「Lord’s Heart: A treasure that embodies the core rules of the Eternal World.

「① When used by a Lord, it can open a branch territory at a location of their choice. The branch territory and the main territory share all permanent blueprints and special bonuses.」

「② When used by a non-Lord, it allows the user to ascend to the status of a Lord, but they must pass the Lord’s Trial.」

The Lord’s Heart seemed to be one of the most precious treasures that could emerge in the Land Between Worlds. It also contained the power of rules, but unlike other fragmentary treasures, the Lord’s Heart would not dissipate over time.

It was the foundation of many miracles.

Recruiting miracles, constructing miracles, and ascending to miracles were all built upon the foundation of a Miracle Territory.

“It seems the Goblin Prince had a way to utilize this Lord’s Heart?”

Mu Yuan realized that the greatest gains from this battle were this Lord’s Heart, along with the large quantities of Soul Crystals and Materials.

Such rewards were indeed quite substantial.

The Lord’s Heart, in particular, was a treasure that could not be bought with money or power. On the Taixuan Covenant exchange platform, it was perpetually marked as “out of stock.” On the rare occasions one appeared, it would be swiftly snatched up by a powerful Lord who had been single for thirty years.

The only issue was that Lord Mu currently had no use for it.

The Lord’s Heart could be used to establish a branch territory, but he was already struggling to maintain the Tianyuan Territory. Dreaming of opening a branch territory was still far too distant.

“In any case, the Lord’s Heart doesn’t need to be used immediately, but it’s essential to have one.”

After tallying the gains, Mu Yuan instructed Isloria to find a way to Seal this batch of contaminated goods. What remained was only the legendary remains—a skeleton stripped of all flesh, with bones half-rotted and decayed.

The remains were neither tall nor imposing, nor did they exude any terrifying aura. It was as if what lay there was merely the corpse of an ordinary humanoid being, devoid of any legendary presence.

And indeed, that was the case.

If Mu Yuan didn’t speak of it, and Deadbone remained silent, no one would know that these remains had once belonged to a peerlessly powerful legend. The bones left behind were too ordinary, covered in stains, and could easily be destroyed by a professional-tier unit with a bit of effort.

Such was the terror of the power of decay.

A single touch meant death.

But on the other hand, the fact that the Goblin Prince could leave behind some remains under the annihilation of the decay power, rather than being completely obliterated, showed that…”This Goblin Prince was truly formidable. In this battle, I nearly suffered defeat.”

Deadbone sighed with genuine admiration.

Mu Yuan: ←_←.

But Deadbone wasn’t being modest – he genuinely considered this battle extremely perilous.

If he had failed to feign weakness initially; if he couldn’t close in on the Goblin Prince; if the withering force he channeled wasn’t sufficient… this Legendary Realm being might have escaped. Once they failed to ambush and kill this legend, their Tianyuan Territory would remain in constant danger.

This was indeed a near-defeat.

Even in victory, his withering force consumption exceeded one-third.

This battle was merely a narrow victory.

“Having consumed so much withering force, I must find a way to replenish it quickly, and then find another method to expand the storage limit of withering force. Otherwise, holding just this little power makes me feel too insecure.”

Deadbone showed no pride or exhilaration from defeating a legend against the odds. Tightening the rare-grade treasure armor he had just put on, his figure vanished in the cold wind in the blink of an eye.

Only General Dolai remained, staring at the legendary remains that contained no essence whatsoever. After a long while, it curled its lips without much regret.

“Goblin remains, not even dogs would want them.”

…

Ambushing and killing this legend didn’t mean Tianyuan Territory was safe – it merely eliminated one imminent threat.

Being able to confront a legend head-on gave Lord Mu slightly more confidence.

However,

“This is far from enough. The two dominant tribes of Gnolls and Snakemen clearly possess far more than just one Legendary Realm being. Besides legends, these two dominant forces probably possess various war machines. While the top individual war machines might not match legends in power, their role in large-scale warfare likely isn’t inferior to legends.”

Mu Yuan didn’t know much about dominant forces.

Monster forces came in endless varieties across the vast Eternal Continent. Even the top lords of the Taixuan Alliance wouldn’t claim thorough understanding.

Moreover, he hadn’t even discovered the locations of these two dominant forces yet.

“But thinking from another perspective, it indicates these two dominant forces are relatively distant from here.”

The several large tribes nearby were merely one of the dominant forces’ claws, not their entirety.

Dominant forces controlled surrounding areas through these tribes, annexing all emerging camps and tribes, occupying the most fertile treasure lands, and continuously growing stronger.

Meanwhile, they only revealed their claws while their true forms remained hidden in the dense fog, impossible for anyone to discern.

Not to mention small fries like Tianyuan Territory – even if top lords from the Taixuan Exploration Group arrived, they might not be able to investigate clearly.

If not strong enough, they might face targeted ambushes from dominant forces and perish.

If strong enough, dominant forces might abandon their claws and completely vanish into the fog.

For Tianyuan Territory, there remained a long road ahead before they could confront and destroy these two dominant forces. However, once Dolai and Deadbone advanced to Legendary Realm, they would likely gain some self-defense capability.

Currently,

General Dolai needed approximately 22 more days to refine itself and reach the ‘Fourth Order Great Perfection Limit State.’

General Dolai’s evolution required about 6 more days.”General Dolai’s evolution can bring about a tremendous boost, but since its potential ceiling also greatly increases after evolution… evolving Dolai may not necessarily shorten the tempering time.”

But it still had to evolve.

The higher the grade, the easier the process of breaking through to the Legendary Realm, and the greater the gains after the breakthrough.

As General Dolai’s Lord, Mu Yuan naturally hoped its potential could advance further before formally breaking through.

As for the overlord factions and various monster tribes…

“We need to stall, buying as much time as possible. As for exactly how to do that…”

He’d wait until he’d drafted two hundred contingency plans first.

Suddenly,

one of the three Secret Realm entrances located on the Lord Altar in the core area of the territory—the entrance leading to the Elven Courtyard—rippled faintly.

The change was subtle, but it was still noticed by the dutiful troops stationed in front of the City Lord’s Mansion.

They quickly reported this discovery.

“The Secret Realm entrance has changed slightly?”

Previously affected by spatial dislocation and turbulence, apart from the ‘Black Wasteland’ Secret Realm owned by Tianyuan Territory itself, the other two Secret Realms where he could only act as a ‘visitor’ were inaccessible.

But now…

The Elven Courtyard Secret Realm seemed to have recovered as time passed and space stabilized.

This was undoubtedly good news!

Currently isolated, Tianyuan Territory had just obtained a large batch of Soul Crystals that couldn’t be spent—exactly what was needed was a channel to use them!

With the Secret Realm reconnected, he could also inquire about the current situation inside.

…

Inside the Elven Courtyard Realm.

Today happened to be the biweekly trading gathering, and the Secret Realm was bustling with activity.

“The trading gathering is much livelier now compared to a few months ago.”

“That’s natural. Now that our Blue Star has merged into the Eternal World, we’ve lost the entire large transit platform and can only rely on these small Secret Realm platforms.”

“It’s not just much livelier. Now even a single Secret Realm Key is incredibly hard to obtain. My friend has asked me for the third time when they can get a key to the Elven Courtyard.”

“Difficult. The batches of Secret Realm Keys that Cold Moon City Lord gave out before have mostly found owners. Now, Cold Moon City Lord must still have Secret Realm Keys, but they’re not something you or I can easily obtain.”

“Not just hard to obtain—if we weren’t long-term members of the Elven Courtyard, getting a Secret Realm Key now would require significant cost.”

“Speaking of which, if even the Elven Courtyard is like this, it’s hard to imagine how bustling those established trading Secret Realms that have operated for decades must be.”

An old Lord sighed wistfully.

Trading Secret Realms and transit Secret Realms like the Elven Courtyard weren’t numerous throughout the Taixuan Alliance, but there were already over a dozen or twenty publicly known.

Among these trading Secret Realms, the Elven Courtyard was considered relatively ‘quiet’.

First, the Secret Realm was young. When Cold Moon City Lord obtained the Secret Realm and began operating it, most powerful Lords already had their fixed trading channels and didn’t want to use hers.

As for some ordinary, less promising old Lords, Cold Moon City Lord didn’t want to give Secret Realm Keys to them. She didn’t even want to sell them. A public Secret Realm has an upper limit on the number of territories it can connect to.

She only wanted to pursue an elite model.

Thus, most of the Secret Realm Keys Cold Moon City Lord gave out were gifted to promising new rising Lords.In the past, rookie Lords were not particularly wealthy, and with Blue Star serving as the primary trading platform, the Elven Courtyard Realm remained rather deserted. Even during the biweekly trading gatherings, the number of participating Lords was often sparse.

Now, however, with the Fusion of Blue Star, the importance of trading realms like this has skyrocketed.

Only in such places can one purchase specialties from other major regions.

Today, the number of Lords stepping into the realm has exceeded one hundred.

“The trading gathering is lively, but most of us can’t afford anything—we can only watch from the sidelines.”

In the distance, Jiang Luoxing shook his head slightly.

Beside him, several fellow rookie Lords smiled wryly.

They were the ones who truly couldn’t afford anything, unlike Jiang Luoxing and Liu Miumiu, who claimed they couldn’t buy anything but would splurge extravagantly the moment they saw something they coveted.

These few were the rich ones!

They were wealthier than many of the older-generation rookies!

Of course, compared to the wealthiest Lords present, Jiang Luoxing and the other affluent ones still fell short. At best, they were merely rich second-generation heirs, while the powerful Lords ahead were self-made tycoons.

Thinking this, the hearts of the fellow rookie Lords, which had been tinged with envy, gradually calmed.

The next moment, their eyes widened slightly, growing rounder and rounder.

They caught sight of a familiar figure.

“Tianyuan Giant!”

(End of Chapter)