Chapter 176
There was fundamentally no need to fight over the leftovers rewarded by the Ancient Phoenix King.
If these fortuitous encounters were divided up by the major Saint Lineages, it wouldn’t matter. However, if they all fell into Knox’s hands, then it would be extremely troublesome.
To prevent this unprovoked disaster from happening, he had no choice but to come here late at night and thoroughly sweep through the Secret Realm before the official opening ceremony.
After Alex entered the Heavenly Flame Secret Realm, the rock wall slowly closed. Shutting seamlessly.
The power of the resentful spirits on the rock wall was entirely retracted. It once again permeated with dazzling golden light.
Subsequently, Alex terminated the Saint Time Freeze. The golden light around Lily and the others disappeared.
The crowd looked at each other, completely bewildered.
"Did a streak of golden light just flash across the sky just now?"
"Mm, I felt it too, but I couldn’t see it."
"Could it be a shooting star?"
"It’s truly a pity we didn’t take the opportunity to make a wish."
The crowd casually chatted for a few sentences and tossed the matter to the back of their minds.
In their perspective, a streak of golden light had merely flashed across the sky. Disappearing before they could see it clearly. Because under the influence of the Saint Time Freeze, the time around them had completely stopped flowing.
They fundamentally did not know that in those few short minutes, Alex had swaggered right past their faces and entered the Heavenly Flame Secret Realm.
"Strange..." Only Lily, whose cultivation was the strongest, felt a trace that something was off. However, no matter how she looked left and right, she couldn’t detect any clues.
"Why did my mind suddenly think of that Alex?"
"And the impression is so deep. I can’t forget it even if I try."
"Could it be..."
Lily froze slightly. A look of sheer panic flashing through her eyes.
"I..."
"Have I fallen in love with that Alex?!"
...
If Alex knew Lily’s thoughts, he would definitely laugh so hard he’d roll on the ground for three minutes.
But fortunately, he didn’t know.
Because at this very moment, Alex was inside the Heavenly Flame Secret Realm. Carrying out a thoroughly exhilarating shopping spree.
"High-Grade Heaven and Earth-tier Heavenly Fragrance Bright Poison Grass? This should be useful for Joanna."
"Middle-Grade Heaven and Earth-tier Mystic Heaven Cassia Seeds... I’ll take them back for that brat Julian."
"Oh my, this one is incredible."
"Blood-Gathering Green Leaf Mandarin. Although it’s only Low-Grade Heaven and Earth-tier, it has at least two hundred years of maturity."
"I’ll take it back for Lara. She’ll definitely be able to refine a massive cauldron of good pills!"
In every previous year, the battles within the Heavenly Flame Secret Realm were incredibly fierce. Almost all the major Saint Lineages would suffer deaths and injuries. But that was because the major families fought each other while competing for fortuitous encounters.
Those who already had past grudges would take the opportunity to settle accounts. Those who had agreed to cooperate would turn hostile over some top-tier treasures.
But setting aside the grievances and the greed of human nature, the Heavenly Flame Secret Realm itself fundamentally had no danger to speak of.
The strongest spirit beasts were merely at the early stage of the Mahayana Realm.
For a powerhouse like Alex at the peak of the Supreme Realm, even an entire tribe of spirit beasts wouldn’t pose the slightest threat.
Coupled with the fact that right now, he was the only person in the entire Secret Realm. Naturally, it was like a bandit entering a village, doing whatever he wanted along the way, taking whatever he desired.
Wherever Alex went, he left practically not a single blade of grass behind. Storing all sorts of resources into his storage ring. Whether he could use them or not.
After sweeping through for about five to six hours, he finally arrived at the deepest part of the Secret Realm.
Before his eyes was a sheer cliff and precipice. Beneath his feet was an ocean of black water. Churning with violent, terrifying waves. Standing beside his feet was a stone stele, carved with three blood-red words.
Remnant Buddha Cliff.
"Remnant Buddha Cliff... this is the place!"
Alex stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the cliff, looking at the billowing black ocean waves below. A trace of wariness revealed itself in his eyes.
"This river is named the Heartless River. It was transformed from the rare hostile energy of the Ancient Phoenix King."
"Regardless of cultivation level, as long as one falls into the river, they will lose their heartbeat and become trapped in an illusion."
In the original novel, when Knox entered the Secret Realm, he encountered people from the Blackwood family.
Prior to this, he had caused a huge scene at the Blackwood family young master’s engagement banquet. Snatching away Isolde who was about to marry into the Blackwood family.
After running into them by chance in the Secret Realm, it was naturally a case of enemies seeing red the moment they met. He was hunted down by the Blackwood family crowd.
At that time, Knox was merely an ant compared to the Blackwood family. Facing the pursuit of over a dozen Nascent Soul and Void Amalgamation Realm experts, it was originally a guaranteed death trap.
As a result, at the critical moment, the Protagonist Halo exerted its power.
It forcefully caused the Blackwood family crowd, including First Elder Lazlo Blackwood, to fall into the Heartless River. Their Dao dissipating and their bodies perishing.
Knox, however, in the nick of time, suddenly awakened a trace of Buddha-nature. Forcefully floating back up. Surviving the disaster in an extremely unreasonable manner.
Alex’s evaluation of this was: Absurdly heaven-defying bullshit.
"Since this river is the Heartless River, then this rock wall is..." Alex slowly raised his head, looking at the rock wall in front of him.
A playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
This rock wall radiated a strong intent. Three Buddha statues were carved upon it.
The Buddha statues all had ferocious appearances. Bloody faces and sharp fangs.
They didn’t look like Buddhas, but rather like green-haired, red-eyed devils from myths and legends.
These three Evil Buddhas were exactly the final three mini-bosses for Knox in this Heavenly Flame Secret Realm dungeon instance. Greed, Anger, and Delusion.