Chapter 533 – Inside and Outside the Secret Realm, Guardian Angel Evolution

Tianyuan City, City Lord’s Mansion.

Mu Yuan rested his chin on his hand, feigning sleep while his consciousness traveled through the mental network to various regions and cities.

Boulder City, Heavenmarsh City, Xuandu…

Local representatives continuously gathered firsthand intelligence.

Information about the World Secret Realm.

“Indeed, the existence of the World Secret Realm is gradually becoming less of a secret, given the immense benefits involved.”

Lords were creatures driven by profit, and Mu Yuan was no exception.

Explorers emerging from the World Secret Realm had produced one lucky individual after another, each undergoing transformative changes.

Domain creation, Bloodline advancement—Mu Yuan had even heard of someone obtaining an Epic Treasure.

An Epic Treasure appearing just in the outer regions of the Secret Realm?

“Yes, caw,” Sophia replied through their mental link. “But whether this lucky individual can hold onto that treasure is another matter. Isn’t it common in novels for minor characters to stumble upon treasures, only for it to bring them disaster in the end?”

That does happen, but…

“Wait, when did you start reading novels?”

“Before and now, caw. Remember when we started that company? I downloaded all the web novels I could find online. Back then, with the apocalypse approaching, money was practically worthless. Downloading all the legitimate copies didn’t cost much. Now, many of them are printed and stored in the Academy’s library.”

No wonder the Academy’s blank books are always running out, even after upgrading it from Rare to Excellent grade.

Fine, I’ll build another one—no, several more Academies.

Wait a moment…

Mu Yuan suddenly thought of something. A strand of his divine sense flew out, drifting through the city like a breeze. It wove through alleyways, soared past buildings, brushed past hurried pedestrians, and finally settled in a tranquil spot.

Lush green grass swayed, emerald bamboo rustled.

A babbling brook meandered, with several fish darting through its waters. An ancient stone bridge arched over the stream, leading to a solemn gate adorned with a plaque reading “Tianyuan Academy.”

Beyond the gate, stone tables, stools, and chairs were scattered throughout.

In a secluded corner of the lawn, a black-haired girl leaned against a stone bench, engrossed in a storybook. The wind gently lifted strands of her dark hair, lending her an air of elegance and intellect—like a scholarly woman immersed in study.

If only it weren’t Sophia.

If only she weren’t occasionally letting out foolish, aunt-like giggles.

“Caught slacking off, aren’t you?”

Mu Yuan’s strand of divine sense pressed forward. But Sophia, true to her status as a legendary being, keenly detected his presence. In a flash, she stashed the storybook away—poof—and it vanished.

“B-Boss?”

“Ahem, this is called gathering material. It helps deduce the truth at critical moments, yes, caw.”

Sophia stood up straight, unconsciously clasping her hands behind her back while her eyes drifted skyward. She let out an awkward, sheepish chuckle.

Mu Yuan flicked her forehead.

Of course, he wasn’t truly upset. Sophia was always efficient in her duties. As long as the work got done, he didn’t interfere with her personal pastimes—even if that included reading certain inappropriate storybooks.

He was merely amazed at the myriad uses of the Incarnation skill.

It was both a god-tier tool for work and a masterful technique for slacking off.Sophia changed the subject, “Indeed, there have been fortunate individuals who obtained treasures, only to vanish without a trace later.”

Mu Yuan nodded, unsurprised.

The Taixuan Alliance was indeed an orderly nation, but such order could only be maintained within cities and their immediate surroundings.

The wilderness was vast and fraught with dangers—what might happen was unpredictable. Murders and body disposals were not uncommon, though not exactly frequent either.

This was unavoidable.

Especially when it involved rare treasures like ‘Epic Treasures.’

A Fourth Order commander was no weakling, yet Epic Treasures could still be too hot to handle. Recently, due to the impact of the great calamity of the sky splitting, the wilderness had become even more chaotic.

They might have been ambushed and killed, or perhaps hunted by some monster.

“What’s the current situation at the Secret Realm entrance?” he asked.

Sophia replied, “It’s still unclear. Sister Isloria is leading a team there now, and I’m hitching a ride. Until we actually arrive, it’s hard to determine the conditions inside and outside the Secret Realm.”

She pointed a finger, and light swirled, materializing into a vast map.

A small dot flickered on it.

“We’re still on the steel train. We expect to arrive at Rockfall City, a frontline stronghold under the jurisdiction of West Ridge City, in about two and a half hours. After that, we’ll ride the Wind King’s Wings and reach our destination in a few hours.”

The team from Tianyuan City was in the same situation, unable to explore the World Secret Realm yet.

The Secret Realm entrance was too far away.

Within the Taixuan Alliance, only six entrances had been discovered, all located in the wilderness on the outskirts of the Alliance’s territory.

Neither the Twilight Great Domain nor the Taixuan Great Domain had an entrance.

The Secret Realm entrance in the West Ridge City area of the Western Wasteland Domain was basically the closest one to their Tianyuan City.

However, the few Star Gates they had deployed outside were split—two in the Twilight Great Domain and two in the Taixuan Great Domain.

After all, Tianyuan City’s operations hadn’t expanded to other Great Domains yet.

Upon receiving the news, one of Isloria’s Incarnations, ranked within the top six, was dispatched carrying a ‘Star Symbol’ to deploy a Star Gate in a suitable area. Sophia joined midway and sent a Nethercrow Avatar, storing half of her power, to accompany them.

The strength of the Incarnation technique was vividly demonstrated in such situations.

Tianyuan City had many powerful individuals, but without the Incarnation technique and Star Gates, they would be completely overwhelmed at times.

Several hours later,

“Screech—”

“Screech—”

“Screech—”

Three Epic two-star Wind King’s Wings, after using Soaring Nine Heavens multiple times in succession, finally arrived at the target area.

From a distance, Sophia caught sight of the World Secret Realm that had stirred up excitement among countless factions.

An entrance resembling a spatial rift, but stable, continuously emitting strands of golden light.

The entrance looked like an open eye, about sixteen meters in length.

“Sixteen meters? I heard the entrance was only six or seven meters long when the Secret Realm first appeared.”

“It seems the size of the entrance symbolizes the degree of access restrictions imposed by the world’s rules.”

The Secret Realm entrance hovered over a hundred meters in the air.

Surrounding it were continuous towering peaks, on which shadowy figures could be seen.

There were even more people at the foot of the mountains, some of whom had already set up camps.

“There are actually quite a lot of people here?”

The speaker was Deng Long, captain of the Dragon Force team, a Legendary Realm expert whose combat prowess ranked within the top thirty in Tianyuan City, truly remarkable.Isloria and Sophia had both arrived as incarnations, each with their own tasks. The one truly responsible for temporarily holding the fort here was Captain Deng Long.

On the back of the Wind King’s Wings, behind Isloria, a Starry Sky Eye visible only to her appeared, overlooking the surroundings.

“Quite a few Legendary Realm experts have arrived.”

“The Sirius Pioneering Corps, Hundred Rivers Group, Rockpeak Territory, Manticore Territory, Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce… and some are forces from outside Taixuan, including Giant Amber City factions, Tarola Chamber of Commerce, and the Eagle Knights.”

Isloria identified the banners and emblems of each force one by one, broadcasting in real-time through the mental network.

West Ridge City was located at the westernmost edge of Taixuan Territory. Further west lay the Wilderness, though not entirely—scattered across this vast wilderness were some neutral forces, with Giant Amber City being one of them.

Through Sophia’s vision, Mu Yuan simultaneously observed the scene here.

Sophia possessed the ‘Nightshade Eyes’ talent, and through these Nether Crow eyes, each Legendary Realm expert was distinctly discernible.

There were indeed many.

…

Outside the Secret Realm, on a certain peak, an elite exploration team was preparing.

“The Chamber of Commerce has spent a fortune to acquire intelligence. This time, you must obtain that rare treasure. As long as you can bring it back, the Chamber will reward you handsomely!”

A Legendary expert from the Chamber manipulated the power of heaven and earth, lifting the six team members high into the air.

Once elevated, the six experienced explorers took a deep breath and leaped down, their figures disappearing into the narrow, elongated entrance of the Secret Realm.

…

On the ground, far from the entrance, a young man and woman paced back and forth, their faces anxious.

“Second Brother and the others have been inside the Secret Realm for three days. Could something have happened to them? And now there are so many powerful experts outside the Secret Realm, even Legendary Realm existences. It might not be safe even if they make it out!”

“We shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess!”

…

On one of the mountain peaks, a Fourth-Order Lord was rallying his troops, preparing to lead dozens of Second, Third, and Fourth-Order experts inside.

“I’ll be charging ahead inside the Secret Realm and gathering as much information as possible, but once we’re out, it’ll be up to you, Dad.”

“Just focus on exploring the Secret Realm. Leave the rest to your old man.”

The burly Legendary stroked his stubble, full of confidence.

Then, glancing at the cracked sky in the distance, he suddenly grew thoughtful. “With so many Legendary experts gathered here, what if a Hunting Grand Duke-level monster appears and wipes us all out?”

His confidence wavered.

Times were different now.

Suddenly, several Legendary experts gazed into the distance.

“More explorers are arriving—three Wind King’s Wings!”

The Legendary experts widened their eyes.

The Wind King’s Wings were epic-tier lifeforms, and now three had appeared at once.

Moreover, it seemed these three Wind King’s Wings were merely mounts.

Which force could be so extravagant?

“…It’s Tianyuan City!”

“Look, that pink-haired woman on the Wind King’s Wings—it’s the legendary Lord of the Starry Sky, Isloria!”

“Is she leading the team? No, that’s not all. Look over there—isn’t that Nethercrow Sophia?”

The name Nethercrow was even more renowned than the Lord of the Starry Sky.

After all, the latter had only slain a Peak Heaven-Earth Realm expert like the Goblin King, while the former had annihilated the Crimson Twin-Headed Dragon in a battle that shattered the heavens and collapsed the cosmos.In the Twilight Great Domain, Deng Long was a somewhat renowned figure in the Legendary Realm. Unfortunately, this was the Western Wasteland Domain, and no one recognized him.

He wasn’t bothered by it.

After all, he was only among the top thirty strongest in Tianyuan City, while Sophia and Isloria were true powerhouses ranked in the top ten and top five, respectively.

The Tianyuan City squad descended upon a mountain peak.

Deng Long directed the squad members to begin setting up camp and constructing a temporary Watchtower, one of the Miracle Buildings, to facilitate the extension of the territory’s might.

Sophia transformed into a Black Crow and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Isloria had disappeared at some point without a trace.

However,

even with their absence, and even though they had arrived merely as Incarnations, the formidable reputations of ‘Nether Crow’ and ‘Lord of the Starry Sky’ still deeply intimidated everyone present.

“With these two here, we don’t have to worry about monster attacks.”

“Indeed, and the Tianyuan City Lord is upright and righteous at heart. He has aided countless cities. With people from Tianyuan City around, we can feel much more at ease.”

At a location dozens of kilometers away from the Secret Realm’s entrance,

two Legendary Realm experts concealed themselves within a treasure, gazing into the distance.

“It’s actually people from Tianyuan City! Why would they come here?”

“Let’s go!”

“Huh?”

“Nethercrow Sophia is here. If we don’t leave now, we might not get another chance! Don’t forget, the two of us are still high on Taixuan’s wanted list.”

Exploring Secret Realms often requires a powerful backer for protection.

But Tianyuan City itself was the backer—a foundational, ancestral-level support.

Seeing that the squad had reached the target area, Mu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

He didn’t have the time or energy to keep a constant watch over the situation. With Deng Long commanding on-site and Lu Liu and Deadbone providing remote guidance, nothing would go wrong.

The Star Gate would soon be anchored as well.

Mu Yuan was more focused on matters in the neighboring Great Domain. According to his estimation, with only Sario and the nine Legendary Realm experts, the probability of defeating the Serpent Attendant was merely 45%, while the chance of killing it was as low as 1.1%.

If they managed to locate the Serpent Attendant, Lord Mu would activate his contingency plan.

It was time to reveal a fraction of his power.

However,

one day, two days, three days—several days passed without any progress from Sario’s team.

They hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Serpent Attendant’s true form, let alone its Incarnation or a single scale.

Of course, Sario and the others couldn’t remain in the Shenluo Great Domain indefinitely—it would be a waste of time.

“If you truly can’t find it, just collect the reward and return.”

Meanwhile,

the elite forces of Tianyuan City were venturing deep into the World Secret Realm and had already brought back firsthand intelligence.

“The Secret Realm itself poses no direct danger. The threats come from other competitors and the intelligent monsters also exploring the realm.”

These intelligent monsters were not weak by any means and were certainly not from ordinary large Tribes.

Having confronted monster forces of various tiers, Mu Yuan understood clearly that while Fourth Order monsters were essentially ‘cannon fodder,’ there were still distinctions in their strength.

Within the Secret Realm, many Fourth Order monsters were at the level of Tribal Chiefs.

With their formidable strength and large numbers, human—or rather, living explorers—were at a disadvantage. For this reason, conflicts among living beings rarely occurred unless rare Treasures were at stake.

“The Secret Realm itself isn’t dangerous, but many of the Treasures inside require sufficient strength to obtain.”

For instance, some Treasures could only be retrieved by traversing a channel of molten lava;

others would constantly shift their locations;Some treasures can only be approached by withstanding spiritual pressure;

Certain special areas require immense strength to even set foot in.

This is why the Alliance’s analysis suggests that only those at the Heaven-Earth Realm or even the Soul Realm and Law Realm may reach the depths of the Secret Realm.

“The exploration team obtained some excellent-grade treasures, though not many, as the outermost treasures were already taken by earlier batches of explorers.”

“However, once the Secret Realm can accommodate passage for those at the Legendary Realm, we can compete for them.”

Thus, Mu Yuan had Sario return.

Lu Liu was already on standby—he ranked among the top three Heaven-Earth Realm experts in Tianyuan City.

Mu Yuan felt somewhat confident about competing within the World Secret Realm.

However,

He took a few steps out into the courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion and, the next moment, soared straight up into the Nine Heavens.

“Step.”

Mu Yuan stood atop the dome of the Miracle Building, the Scepter of Heavenly Authority.

“Lord’s True Form · Amplification Mode.”

Whoosh—

A surge of immense power erupted from within his body. The Starry Sky Eye materialized behind Mu Yuan as his gaze swept across the surroundings, surveying the landscape hundreds and thousands of miles away.

He frowned.

“I distinctly felt a vague sense of being watched, but even through the Lord’s True Form, I couldn’t detect anything. Is the distance too far?”

“Or is it some conceptual power spying across the Great Domain?”

He pondered

but reached no conclusion.

Over the past few days, he had faintly sensed this surveillance—part intuition, part illusion.

Mu Yuan trusted his intuitive judgment.

“For exploring the World Secret Realm at the Heaven-Earth Realm stage, generals like Lu Liu, Sophia, and Tree Spirit Grandma will be the main force. But if the Secret Realm opens to accommodate those at the Soul Realm level, then…”

Experts like Lu Liu and Tree Spirit Grandma might not be sufficient.

They are world-class powerhouses, yet the Eternal World is teeming with talents. Mu Yuan would never assume that Lu Liu and the others had no rivals among the Soul Realm just because they had slain a few Hunting Grand Dukes.

The waters of this world run deep!

He had yet to encounter the most peak-level Soul Realm experts.

By then, Soul Realm powerhouses like Deadbone, Dolai, himself, and Isloria might also need to step in.

Some benefits and opportunities within the Secret Realm could only be obtained by going in person.

But if all of them went to explore the Secret Realm, Tianyuan City would be left unguarded.

At least one T0 powerhouse needed to remain behind.

“However, for Deadbone, Dolai, and even Isloria, this exploration is a rare opportunity not to be missed.”

“Then…”

Mu Yuan cast a deep glance toward the horizon before descending through the air.

Whoosh—

Thud.

He descended like a falling meteor, yet as he neared the ground, he became as light as a feather.

He landed gracefully not far from the City Lord’s Mansion, before a magnificent, noble, and sacred statue.

The Guardian Angel statue.

“Lapis.”

He called the angel’s name.

“I am here.”

The six-winged angel statue, over ten meters tall, immediately shrank, transforming into a majestic angel clad in battle armor.

She knelt on one knee. “Master, what are your orders?”

Just as when she was first created, the six-winged angel Lapis remained expressionless, her voice devoid of any fluctuation, like a machine.

Apart from a slight increase in strength, this Guardian Angel showed no changes—cold and lifeless.Even though Dolai force-fed her quite a bit of food and took her around everywhere, it couldn’t impart even a hint of innocence and foolishness to her.

“If the Guardian Angel’s strength could significantly improve after evolution, we could have her stay behind to guard the territory. Otherwise, at least one of us—Dolai, Deadbone, or myself—would have to remain to oversee the domain.”

He waved his hand, and the Guardian Angel followed him as he stepped inside the Dragon Mound Secret Realm.

Hum—

Tianyuan City’s barrier activated, and various preparatory measures were initiated.

「Evolution Power – 5 million Yuan!」

Miracle’s evolution power descended.

A pure white light shot up into the sky.

Within the radiance, Lapis, the six-winged angel who had always worn an expressionless face, seemed to finally become a bit more vibrant.

At the same time, in the City Lord’s Mansion, the angel’s pedestal also began to glow brilliantly, slowly transforming.

「Prompt: The epic structure ‘Guardian Angel’ has received an infusion of special power and is currently advancing…」

5K

(End of Chapter)