"Hahaha, we made it through, we really made it through!"
"This secret realm sure knows how to torment people. First it won't let us pass, then it lets us through. What an exhausting ordeal."
The cultivators who had broken through the restriction were all beside themselves with joy.
Even the Emperor-realm powerhouses who had passed through that terrifying restriction couldn't hide the delight on their faces.
Jiang Chen's heart, however, remained as still as an ancient well. On the contrary, he had grown even more vigilant. He knew that rather than saying they had broken through the restriction, it was more accurate to say that a force within this secret realm had chosen to let them in.
While everyone else was still caught up in their excitement, Jiang Chen opened his eyes and began carefully surveying the surroundings.
This realm was truly nothing like the places they had seen before.
In a daze, everyone felt as though they had stepped into an immortal paradise. In the distance, shrouded in mist and clouds, stood a magnificent palace of breathtaking grandeur, radiating seven pillars of divine light that shot straight toward the heavens.
"It's right ahead!"
Even the major powers from Pill Fire City and the Heavenly Dragon Sect could hardly contain themselves at this point. Their eyes burned with excitement as they gazed at the distant palace, as though the opportunities of antiquity were already within reach.
"Let's go!"
"Move it! Don't fall behind — hurry!"
"Opportunity has appeared. No matter what, we can't miss it this time!"
At this moment, aside from Jiang Chen, everyone's minds had begun to overheat. They had been completely consumed by the allure of this secret realm.
In their boundless fantasies, this realm must surely contain opportunities spanning ten thousand ages — it had to be the most powerful legacy sanctuary of antiquity. A holy land like this would surely be filled with countless treasures.
Thinking of ancient treasures, thinking of ancient legacies, how could these cultivators possibly remain calm?
Dong!
Suddenly, a distant, faint peal of bells drifted toward them — deep and resonant, yet ancient and unadorned.
The bell sound seemed to carry across the ages, traversing the tunnel of time and space before finally reaching their ears in this present day.
Hearing that primordial chime, everyone felt their minds expand with peace and clarity, as though all fear and all unease had vanished in an instant.
In their place came a sense of tranquil serenity — the comforting feeling of having reached a safe harbor.
Without realizing it, amid the frenzy in everyone's eyes, a measure of calm had crept in, while suspicion and doubt had quietly receded.
When Jiang Chen saw this, his wariness only deepened. At this very moment, the chain seal within his consciousness was fiercely resisting the emotional influence the bells were exerting upon him.
In other words, this chain seal had a strong aversion to the sound of these bells.
Jiang Chen had never once doubted this chain seal — he placed absolute trust in it. Time and again, it was this mysterious chain seal that had helped him overcome one crisis after another.
He would not slacken now. Sensing this peculiar atmosphere, he could all but confirm that, at this very moment, there were probably very few people left who had not been brainwashed by the bells.
Those who could still maintain their vigilance amid this peaceful chiming were likely fewer still.
As for someone who could face the situation with his guard fully raised the way he was — there might well be only him alone.
"The sound of these bells does seem genuinely transcendent, possessing an otherworldly quality. So why do I feel this warning instinct flare up inside me? Am I overthinking it?"
From time to time, such a terrifying thought flickered through Jiang Chen's mind. But each time, he immediately suppressed it. The chain seal had proven its accuracy too many times. Since it was so strongly resisting these bells, Jiang Chen had no choice but to remain on his guard.
The melodious bells continued to chime in perfect cadence, one resounding note at a time, ringing slowly through the void.
The frequency was languidly slow — like an old man dozing in the afternoon sun.
And yet, this sound captivated the soul, drawing listeners into a blissful stupor, guiding them toward the magnificent palace in the distance.
As the saying goes, look at a mountain and you could ride a horse to death trying to reach it.
The palace appeared to be right before their eyes, but in truth it was incredibly far away. Everyone was pushing forward at full speed, yet the palace always remained at the same distance — never seeming to draw any closer.
Though the gap was gradually shrinking, the road leading to that magnificent palace seemed far longer than it appeared to the naked eye.
"What the hell — half the day has gone by and we still haven't arrived?"
"Exactly. By the look of the distance, it should only take an hour or so at most. How come an entire day has passed and the gap doesn't seem to be closing?"
"Are they deliberately toying with us?"
"All of you, stop complaining. If you want to leave, feel free to turn back right now. But if you're staying, then cut the griping!"
"That's right — whining and moaning like a bunch of fabulists."