Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 145 Secrets of the Mysterious Realm

The group began to venture deeper into the secret realm.

The further you go in, the more bizarre the scene becomes.

The red mountains gradually turned pitch black, the ground was covered with cracks, and dark red magma surged.

The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, and the temperature rose higher and higher.

After walking for about an hour, a huge palace ruin appeared ahead.

The palace is built of black boulders, with an ancient and dilapidated style, but its former grandeur is still evident.

In the center of the ruins, there is a relatively well-preserved altar.

The altar was covered with dense runes, identical to those on the black stone slab.

"This is it." Li Chunfeng's eyes lit up.

"My lord, this altar should be the core of the secret realm."

If Li's guess is correct, this place should be an ancient ruin, sealed by a powerful being with an array, and can only be opened with a specific 'key'.

"Is the key that stone slab?" Lin Chen's eyes flickered slightly.

"Exactly." Li Chunfeng nodded. "Moreover... this place has the aura of the Lord's bloodline."

Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he walked to the altar.

He reached out and touched the altar, and sure enough, he felt a familiar resonance of blood.

The runes on the altar glowed faintly, as if responding to his touch.

"Did Father... come here back then?" Lin Chen murmured.

He closed his eyes and carefully felt it.

In a daze, he saw some images—

A burly figure stood before the altar; it was none other than the old Duke Lin Tianxiong.

Lin Tianxiong held a black stone slab in his hand, his face solemn.

He seemed to hesitate, and ultimately did not open the altar, but left in a hurry.

The image is shattered.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"My father discovered this secret place and obtained the stone tablet, but he did not open it."

Why?

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said:

"Perhaps... the old Duke sensed the danger; this secret realm is both an opportunity and a trap."

"That makes sense." Lin Chen nodded slightly.

"The fact that the Netherworld Sect attaches such importance to this place, even sending four peak Celestial Realm experts, shows that the things in this secret realm are extremely important to them."

He looked at the altar: "Mr. Li, can it be opened?"

"Yes," Li Chunfeng said, "but Your Majesty needs to use your essence and blood as a catalyst to activate the stone tablet."

Without hesitation, Lin Chen bit his fingertip, and a drop of his blood fell onto the stone slab.

The stone slab instantly lit up with a blinding light, flew out of my hand, and hovered above the altar.

The runes on the altar lit up and resonated with the stone slab.

"Boom!"

The entire secret realm began to tremble.

The altar slowly sank, revealing an entrance leading underground.

The entrance is deep and dark, with no end in sight.

Just as Lin Chen was about to enter, Zhuge Liang suddenly said:

"My lord, wait!"

He calculated with his fingers, his expression grave: "Below the entrance lies great danger."

"Great danger?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "What does the Netherworld Sect want?"

"I'm afraid so." Zhuge Liang nodded. "I suggest that Your Majesty reconsider."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Since we're already here, it would be a shame not to go in and take a look."

Having said that, he stepped into the entrance first: "Besides, great dangers bring great opportunities."

Zilong, Mr. Li, please come in with me.

"Mr. Kongming, you and your three wives wait outside and set up a protective formation, just in case."

"Eighth Prince!" Xiao Yulou exclaimed urgently, "I'll go with you!"

"Fourth Sister-in-law, be good." Lin Chen waved his hand and said earnestly:

"It's dangerous down there. You wait for me outside. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Xiao Yulou bit her lip and finally nodded: "You... be careful."

Qin Shuyan and Ye Qingying also instructed, "Eighth Brother, you must come back safely."

"Don't worry." Lin Chen waved his hand and disappeared into the entrance with Zhao Zilong and Li Chunfeng.

……

Below the entrance is a long set of stone steps.

The stone steps wind downwards, with ancient murals carved on the walls on both sides.

The mural depicts an earth-shattering battle—countless cultivators clashing with ferocious demons, shattering the sky and causing the earth to sink.

Finally, a divine general clad in golden armor descended and sealed the demon with supreme divine power, becoming part of the seal himself.

"The war between gods and demons three thousand years ago?" Li Chunfeng examined the mural closely.

"It seems this secret realm is a sealed place."

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat: "What's sealed?"

Let's continue reading.

The three continued on their way.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, we reached the bottom of the stone steps, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a huge underground space with a black stone monument a hundred feet tall in the center.

The stone tablet was wrapped with dense chains, the other end of which disappeared into the void, its destination unknown.

In front of the stone tablet, a person sat cross-legged.

An old man wearing tattered armor, with white hair and beard, and a withered face.

The old man's eyes were closed, and his breath was weak, as if he would die at any moment.

But as soon as Lin Chen and the other two entered, the old man opened his eyes.

Those were eyes that had weathered many storms; they held no sparkle, only endless weariness.

"Someone's come again..." the old man's voice was hoarse. "It's only been three years, has the world changed?"

Lin Chen looked at the old man warily: "Who are you?"

"Me?" The old man smiled bitterly. "I'm just a tomb keeper. I've been guarding it for three thousand years. It's time for it to end."

He slowly rose, the chains binding him rattling. "You...you've come to retrieve 'that thing'?"

"What is that thing?" Lin Chen asked.

The old man stared at Lin Chen for a moment, then suddenly smiled:

"The Lin family bloodline...you are a descendant of Master Lin Zhantian?"

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat: "You know my ancestor? Did Lin Tianxiong come here three years ago?"

"I've been here before!" the old man sighed.

"He came here three years ago, but unfortunately... he was too stubborn and refused to accept the power of 'that thing'."

He pointed to the black stone tablet behind him:

"This is the 'Demon Suppression Stele,' which seals a wisp of the remnant soul of the ancient Demon Lord 'Nine Netherworlds.'"

And that thing... is the Demon Lord's primordial power.

Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he murmured:

"It seems that what the Netherworld Sect wants is the Demon Lord's essence?"

"Excellent!" the old man nodded.

"The 'Nine Nether Profound Technique' they cultivate originated from the Demon Lord."

If one can obtain the Demon Lord's essence, a Celestial Being can break through to become a Land Immortal.

Land-based immortals have a 70% chance of breaking through to the Celestial Immortal realm, or even... touching upon an even higher realm.

"No wonder!" Lin Chen took a deep breath and asked.

"Who exactly is the Demon Lord?"

"The Demon Lord—he is not from this world." A flicker of fear crossed the old man's eyes.

"Three thousand years ago, a crack suddenly appeared in the sky, and then extraterrestrial demons appeared."

No one knows where they came from, only that they are exceptionally ferocious and their cultivation far surpasses that of the Tianyuan Continent…

Back then, my master sealed the Demon Lord at the cost of his life. Before his death, he entrusted me with protecting this place, and that I must never allow the Demon Lord's essence to fall into the hands of evil spirits.

The old man paused for a moment, then looked at Lin Chen:

"Lin Tianxiong came here by accident back then. He could have accepted the Demon Lord's essence and broken through to become a terrestrial immortal in one fell swoop, but he refused."

He said... "The Lin family has been loyal and valiant for generations, preferring to die in battle rather than be tainted by demonic practices."

Lin Chen remained silent, knowing in his heart that this was in line with his father Lin Tianxiong's personality.

"Therefore," Lin Chen said slowly, "this Demon Lord's origin should be destroyed."

The old man shook his head: "It can't be destroyed!"

"Back then, Master was exhausted and unable to completely destroy the Demon Lord's remnant soul, so he could only seal it."

After being sealed for three thousand years, the remnant soul of the Demon Lord had long been connected to the origin of this small world.

If it is forcibly destroyed, the entire secret realm will collapse, and Dingbei City in the outside world will also suffer.

"What should we do then?"

"Seal it," the old man said. "Use an even more powerful seal to completely sever the Demon Lord's essence and eliminate any future troubles."

The old man looked intently at Lin Chen: "And you... are the best candidate."

"I?"

"Yes." The old man nodded.

"You are a descendant of your master, possessing the bloodline of the Lin family, and have a cultivation level far exceeding that of ordinary peak Celestials."

"If you are willing, I can pass on the Demon-Suppressing Seal to you. Combined with the Lin family bloodline, it will be enough to slowly refine the Demon Lord's essence."

Lin Chen thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't need demonic power, but I can help you seal it."

The old man was stunned: "You don't want this power? It's enough to allow you to break through to the level of a terrestrial immortal..."

"No need," Lin Chen interrupted the old man, speaking with righteous indignation.

"I have my own path, and I will not follow evil or heretical paths."

He has the system; why would he take this risk?

"Good...good!" the old man laughed heartily.

"The descendant of our master is indeed just like him, well done!"

He raised his hand, and a point of golden light flew out from between his eyebrows and entered Lin Chen's forehead.

"The cultivation method for the Demon-Suppressing Seal is all inside. You will cultivate here for three days. After three days, I will help you seal the Demon Lord's origin."

After speaking, the old man sat down cross-legged again and closed his eyes.

Lin Chen also sat down cross-legged and began to comprehend the Demon-Suppressing Seal.

Zhao Zilong and Li Chunfeng stood guard on either side of him, protecting him.