Chapter 172: The Ancient Tomb Jades
The Ancient Tomb Jades
The killing intent had not vanished.
It had merely been completely concealed.
And once it was released—
it would no longer be killing intent alone.
It would be destruction.
Heaven could be annihilated.
All living beings could be slaughtered.
"Just fortunate."
Austin smiled.
He didn’t sound arrogant.
He had originally thought that obtaining the Death Illusion Demon Flame would place him far ahead of the other clansmen.
But now he realized something.
His brothers had also gained tremendous opportunities.
Still, Austin felt no jealousy.
Only happiness.
They were family.
The stronger they became, the stronger the Salvatore Family would become.
And the stronger the family became—
the more powerful their Patriarch would become.
As the two spoke—
BOOM—RUMBLE!!
The Heavenly Secret Realm suddenly trembled.
Its already-faint phantom became even dimmer.
The remaining light flickered violently.
It was nearly time.
The inheritance was about to completely disappear.
Nux’s smile faded.
His gaze swept toward the fading entrance.
"Austin hasn’t come out yet!"
Concern flashed through his red eyes.
The Heavenly Secret Realm had already become ephemeral.
If it completely dissipated while someone remained inside—
they would sink into endless nothingness.
Even supreme experts would find escaping such a place extremely difficult.
Austin, however, remained calm.
A faint laugh escaped his lips.
"Brother Damien is a monster—we needn’t worry."
He wasn’t saying that because he didn’t care.
Quite the opposite.
His Death Illusion Demon Flame had become extraordinarily sensitive to changes in the surrounding space.
It could sense things that ordinary cultivators couldn’t.
And just now—
Austin had detected something.
A terrifying Sword Intent.
It was sharp.
Cold.
Pure.
And powerful enough to make even the surrounding flames instinctively retreat.
His eyes narrowed.
The faint smile disappeared from his face.
Then—
SHING—!!
The moment Austin finished speaking—
A sword light pierced through everything.
It tore through the heavens with a brilliance so cold that even the surrounding flames seemed to freeze beneath it.
Everything in its path was annihilated.
An icy Sword Intent spread across the sky.
It carried the majesty of the Great Laws of World itself, as though the heavens had lowered their gaze upon every living creature beneath them.
Then—
BOOM!!
The Heavenly Secret Realm was cleaved open by that single strike.
A straight line of darkness appeared through the distorted space.
From within it, Damien Salvatore strode out.
His shoulder-length black hair fluttered behind him.
His black eyes were calm.
Yet the aura surrounding him was completely different from before.
His Sword Intent had become deeper.
Sharper.
More terrifying.
After finding another fragment of the Eternal Tribulation Sword, Damien had directly broken through to the Heavenly Genesis Realm!
The moment his feet touched the ground, the surrounding space trembled faintly.
Damien looked around.
Then he frowned.
"Did you guys feel like something passed by just now?"
His voice was quiet.
Yet there was a trace of uncertainty beneath it.
Under his Heavenly Law Sword Intent, all living beings were no more than ants.
With the Eternal Tribulation Sword in his possession, his perception had become frighteningly precise.
Every movement.
Every fluctuation.
Every trace of energy.
Everything could be reflected within his mind as clearly as patterns upon his palm.
But just before he stepped out of the Heavenly Secret Realm—
When he had drawn his sword...
He had vaguely sensed someone passing beside him.
It had been extremely faint.
Almost impossible to distinguish.
And yet...
There had been a sigh.
A quiet, distant sigh.
As though someone had passed through the same place before him.
Damien’s brows remained furrowed.
That feeling had disappeared too quickly.
Nux and Austin exchanged a glance.
Neither of them had noticed anything.
They shook their heads.
"No."
"Nothing."
Damien slowly nodded.
Perhaps he had sensed something.
Perhaps it had only been an illusion caused by the Eternal Tribulation Sword.
There was no way to know.
The greatest inheritances of the Heavenly Secret Realm had already been claimed by the three of them.
And, of course...
There was also a certain member of the Salvatore Family who preferred to remain unnamed.
At that very moment, Leandro Salvatore was somewhere nearby, quietly admiring the double pupils he had obtained.
He had no interest whatsoever in explaining himself to anyone.
The three young men barely had time to exchange another glance when Damien’s eyes suddenly landed on Austin.
More precisely—
On the cyan jade pendant hanging from Austin’s waist.
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
"Brother Austin, you have one too!"
He immediately reached beneath his robes.
A cyan jade pendant emerged between his fingers.
It was identical to Austin’s.
The same color.
The same shape.
Even the strange ancient markings upon its surface were exactly the same.
Austin looked at the pendant.
A smile appeared on his face.
"After I subdued the Death Illusion Demon Flame, this pendant appeared out of nowhere. I figured it was something special, so I kept it."
His fingers brushed lightly over the jade.
The pendant was cold.
Almost unnaturally cold.
Austin had never understood what it was.
But instinct told him that it was not an ordinary treasure.
Damien nodded slowly.
His own experience had been almost identical.
The pendant had appeared after he found the fragment of the Eternal Tribulation Sword.
Neither event could have been a coincidence.
Then—
Nux reached beneath his robes.
He pulled out another cyan jade pendant.
He gave it a slight shake.
The faint sound of jade striking jade echoed through the air.
Three pendants.
Three identical Ancient Tomb Jades.
For a brief moment, the three stood silently.
None of them spoke.
Yet Damien understood exactly what this meant.
As a reincarnator, he knew what these objects were.
But he could not say it.
Not here.
Not now.
The Heavenly Secret Realm had existed for an incredibly long time.
It was almost like a gift left behind by heaven itself for those prodigies who possessed sufficient talent.
Every being recognized by the Heavenly Secret Realm had a chance of obtaining this pendant.
And this pendant...
Was not the inheritance itself.
It was a ticket.
A ticket leading toward an inheritance far more terrifying than anything they had encountered inside the Heavenly Secret Realm.
Damien’s fingers tightened slightly around his jade.
He knew that much.
But he also knew something else.
Some secrets were better left buried until the right moment.
The moment the three Ancient Tomb Jades appeared—