Chapter 839: Several Families Rejoice While Others Grieve

The Libationer, who had been in secluded cultivation in the courtyard behind the Imperial Academy, suddenly opened his eyes. For the first time, a hint of surprise appeared on his usually calm face. "Heaven and earth are inverted? The cosmos is turned upside down?"

He stood up, took a step forward, and in the next second, he appeared directly at the entrance to the secret realm.

The Libationer rarely made public appearances, so his sudden arrival immediately caused a stir among the surrounding crowd.

However, due to the significant difference in their status, most people found it inconvenient to approach him for conversation.

Qi Yaoguang, however, had no such reservations. She bounced over to the Libationer. "Teacher, why are you here?"

As she was responsible for opening and closing this secret realm, she had to remain near the entrance.

"Teacher!" Jiang Luofu also approached. She had been spending her days here recently, chatting with Qi Yaoguang to relieve boredom, which led Qi Yaoguang to tease her by saying she was "selling dog meat under the guise of mutton."

The Libationer hesitated, then spoke: "I sense a significant anomaly within the secret realm."

Startled by his words, Qi Yaoguang quickly took out her divining plate. Her slender fingers moved in blurs as the star patterns on the plate shifted rapidly. After a moment, her expression changed drastically. "Extremely ominous!"

"What does that mean?" Jiang Luofu exclaimed, greatly alarmed.

Qi Yaoguang explained, "I detect that the space within the secret realm has become extremely unstable, as if on the verge of collapse."

Although she was stationed closest to the secret realm entrance, her cultivation was far inferior to the Libationer's, so she had only just now become aware of the situation.

"What? My brother-in-law, he's still in there!" Another startled cry came from Chu Youzhao, who had just rushed over.

She had been coming here often these past few days, eagerly awaiting news of Zu An.

By her calculations, those inside should have completed their mission days ago, yet no one had emerged. She had developed a sense of foreboding, which prompted her to come here daily for updates.

Upon arriving today and hearing such shocking news, she immediately panicked. If anything happened to her brother-in-law, her sister would be devastated.

Moreover, the thought of how kind her brother-in-law had been to her filled her with a sense of impending doom.

However, as she rushed toward the secret realm entrance, guards stopped her. "The secret realm entrance is sealed," they declared. "To ensure fairness, no one else may enter until those inside have emerged!"

Chu Youzhao instantly grew anxious. "Something has happened inside the secret realm!" she exclaimed. "And you're all just standing here watching?"

Unfortunately, no matter what she said, the guards remained expressionless and refused to budge.

Murong Qinghe, who was standing beside her, tried to reassure her. "Brother Chu, don't worry too much. Brother Zu is incredibly capable; even if something goes wrong, he'll surely overcome it."

Chu Youzhao was somewhat disoriented at the moment, but hearing Murong Qinghe's words seemed to comfort her. She instinctively agreed, "That's right, he's so powerful; he'll definitely be fine."

Nevertheless, the commotion eventually attracted the attention of many people. Both those from Prince Qi's residence and the Crown Prince's faction approached the Libationer, asking, "Lord Libationer, what exactly has happened inside?"

The Libationer stared at the secret realm entrance. "I don't know," he said. "I can only sense that the spatial elements within the secret realm are extremely chaotic, even a reversal of the cosmos. But how could that be possible..."

As he continued, even he grew confused. He, a widely knowledgeable man, had never witnessed such an event and even began to doubt the accuracy of his own judgment.

At this moment, Zhuxie Chixin also arrived. He had been stationed here to prevent any surreptitious entry by Prince Qi's mansion members. Initially, he had watched the commotion with a detached gaze, wary of a possible conspiracy from Prince Qi's side and hesitant to abandon his post. But upon hearing the Libationer speak with such grave concern, he could no longer remain still and quickly approached to inquire.

The Libationer shook his head. "I don't know what exactly happened inside," he said. "We can only understand clearly by sending someone in to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Zhuxie Chixin felt quite conflicted. He worried that the Libationer and Prince Qi were secretly colluding, aiming to send people inside to sabotage the Crown Prince's imperial examination.

Just then, a trembling fluctuation emanated from the secret realm entrance, causing the closest guards to stumble and look at the entrance in horror.

With such a massive disturbance inside, and violent spatial energy spilling outwards, one could only imagine the situation within.

Zhuxie Chixin's expression changed. Disregarding everything else, he immediately rushed towards the secret realm entrance, intent on going inside to investigate.

However, officials from Prince Qi's faction quickly blocked his path.

"This grand examination emphasizes fairness, justice, and transparency. Naturally, the Crown Prince must resolve it through his own abilities. If the Grand Commander enters, even if the Crown Prince genuinely emerges with the Quantian Biyue Dragon's sinews, who would know if Commander Zhuxie had assisted him? After all, given Commander Zhuxie's cultivation, killing a Quantian Biyue Dragon in a short time would be a trivial matter."

"Can't you see that something has gone wrong inside?" Zhuxie Chixin retorted furiously. "If anything happens to the Crown Prince or Crown Princess, who among you will bear the responsibility?"

"Grand Commander, please don't be an alarmist," said Pei Zheng, who was then the Imperial Secretary, Duke of Linhai, and head of the Pei family. "The individuals accompanying the Crown Prince are all hand-picked masters from prominent families; how could anything possibly go wrong?"

Prince Qi's faction had dispatched him to monitor the situation. While Zhuxie Chixin feared Prince Qi's people might enter to sabotage the Crown Prince's examination, Prince Qi's faction, in turn, worried that the Crown Prince's supporters might interfere and ruin years of Prince Qi's planning.

"It's obvious something has gone wrong inside," Zhuxie Chixin said coldly. "The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are in extreme danger, yet Duke Linhai openly obstructs. Is this an act of rebellion?"

Pei Zheng retorted without the slightest fear, "Everyone says Grand Commander Zhuxie needs no evidence to handle cases, and indeed, today's display of your formidable authority is quite impressive! I am merely trying to ensure the absolute fairness of this Crown Prince's examination. Commander Zhuxie, what is your intention in slandering me in such a manner?"

"Everyone clearly knows your true intentions," Zhuxie Chixin sneered.

Pei Zheng snorted. "Very well, I won't stop you from entering. However, if you bring the Crown Prince out this way, and he hasn't completed the task, will he be judged as having lost?"

"Nonsense!" Zhuxie Chixin retorted. "With such a cosmic anomaly in the secret realm, it's clearly unsuitable for the grand examination. Naturally, we'll find another time to hold it again."

Pei Zheng's face turned stern. "This examination is to choose the nation's heir," he stated. "To some extent, the outcome depends on Heaven's will. Now that a cosmic anomaly has occurred in the secret realm, Heaven has clearly made its choice. Why would there be a need for another examination?"

Just then, Qi Yaoguang's voice came from nearby. "You don't need to argue any longer," she said. "The spatial elements in this secret realm are now utterly chaotic; it's impossible to enter. Anyone who attempts to will be torn to shreds by the violent spatial storm at the entrance."

She had been studying the secret realm entrance closely and, upon hearing their argument, presented her findings.

"What?" Zhuxie Chixin's expression changed. Ignoring Pei Zheng's objections, he immediately drew a saber from a nearby guard, extended it into the secret realm entrance, and instantly pulled it back.

The blade of the saber had vanished into thin air, leaving a remarkably smooth and flat break that no known weapon could achieve.

"A spatial storm!"

Many faces in the crowd also changed. There are numerous secret realms in the world, but not all are suitable for human entry. Most are incredibly volatile inside, tearing apart anyone who enters — a harsh lesson learned from countless bloody experiences.

Had this secret realm within the Academy now become one of those?

While some rejoiced and others grieved, those from Prince Qi's mansion were naturally overjoyed. They eagerly wished for the secret realm to be utterly destroyed, which would ensure the Crown Prince could never emerge, thereby making Prince Qi the undeniable next emperor.

On the other hand, the Crown Prince's supporters were all visibly distressed. Many within the Academy looked as if they were mourning, knowing that the secret realm's countless resources and training opportunities had fostered countless Academy disciples over the years. Without it, the Academy's strength and foundation would suffer a substantial decline.

Just then, a golden light shimmered in the sky, and the clouds above condensed into the likeness of the Emperor.

"What has happened?" a majestic voice boomed.

Zhuxie Chixin quickly and completely recounted everything that had happened.

"The cosmos inverted?" The Emperor's visage turned to the Libationer. "Will this secret realm be completely destroyed?"

The Libationer shook his head. "Although the elemental forces inside are chaotic, a nascent rule is still mysteriously maintained," he explained. "I don't believe it will be destroyed."

"Then continue to wait!" With these words, the Emperor's cloud form dissipated, leaving Zhuxie Chixin and the others exchanging bewildered glances. What did His Majesty mean? Was he not concerned for the Crown Prince's safety?

At that moment, in the imperial palace, the Emperor opened his eyes. The Crown Prince carried a fragment of his soul, and as long as the world did not collapse, he believed his other self would be capable of handling any situation.

This was a perfect opportunity to show the world that the Crown Prince was truly favored by destiny.

Unfortunately, he had no idea that his other self, currently in the secret realm, was in complete disarray, unable to maintain stable levitation and falling head over heels into the sky below.

Zu An was in the same predicament. With heaven and earth inverted and all rules changed, he couldn't fly and could only watch himself continuously plummet downwards.

The enormous red fissure in the sky below resembled a monstrous maw, gaping open to devour everything.

In his previous life, Zu An had read online about novice skydivers who could easily get caught in a death spiral. That was exactly their situation now, tumbling relentlessly, their insides churning. If not for his significantly improved physique, he would have fainted long ago.

His peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a small floating island nearby that was not plummeting rapidly but instead hovering in the air. He quickly summoned Dafeng.

Fortunately, Dafeng was still operational. He teleported onto the island, carrying Bi Linglong. Neither of them had ever realized how blissful it was to have solid ground beneath their feet.

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This is the only chapter for today. I need to carefully consider the upcoming plot for the secret realm.