Reincarnated as a Mosquito, I Sucked the Reborn Empress to Tears

Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Entering the Ancient Sunken Star Vein, Is Chu Sheng Hacking Again?

After Ye Qingzhou finished speaking, Hu’an and Ruan Jinshi found themselves in a difficult position.

However, they exchanged a look, and after a moment of calculation, they surprisingly agreed!

They seemed full of confidence.

Soon, the three parties had formally drawn up an agreement.

And then, the time had come for the Secret Realm to open!

One could not enter the Ancient Sunken Star Secret Realm at will. The Wormhole at its entrance only opened at a specific time each month.

It resembled a giant eye.

Only when it was fully open could one enter safely.

If there was an opening time, there was also a closing time.

Once the Ancient Sunken Star Vein opened, it would typically remain so for four to five hours.

In other words, after the contestants from the Three Kingdoms entered the Secret Realm, they only had four to five hours before they had to leave.

Once the entrance to the Secret Realm closed, they would have to wait until it opened again to get out.

And as for what might happen inside the Secret Realm during that time, no one knew!

…

「Sunken Star Island, Central Peak」

A giant, eye-like Wormhole slowly opened.

“It’s about to fully open!”

“Everyone, prepare to enter the Secret Realm!”

“Remember, once inside the Secret Realm, follow Gu Yuexi’s lead on everything!”

On the Great Xia side, Ye Qingzhou gave his final instructions in a deep voice.

According to the rules, the party that took first place in the last competition could enter the Secret Realm first. The other two teams had to wait ten minutes before following.

And last time, first place had gone to Great Xia.

At last, the giant, eye-like Wormhole on the peak opened completely.

With a flash of movement, Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng shot upward, taking the lead. The other members hurried to follow.

Soon, all twenty contestants were inside the Secret Realm.

…

「Ancient Sunken Star Vein, inside the Secret Realm」

Chu Sheng felt a powerful tearing sensation from the surrounding Space as the scene before him abruptly changed.

He was floating in midair, and Gu Yuexi appeared at his side almost simultaneously.

They were at the summit of a mountain peak.

As far as the eye could see, an endless mountain range stretched out before them, a faint, earthy-yellow mist lingering between the peaks.

The trees on the mountains had almost all withered and died long ago. Throughout the entire Secret Realm, the Spiritual Qi was extremely thin, nearly depleted.

BUZZ BUZZ. ’What the hell kind of Secret Realm is this?’

It was Chu Sheng’s first time entering a Secret Realm like this. He looked back and was surprised to see a partially buried stone stele not far behind him.

The stele was fractured, the inscriptions on its surface long since faded and illegible.

“Legend says this place is the ruin of an Ancient Sect,”

Gu Yuexi explained, her gaze fixed on the far distance.

She had been here in her previous life and had obtained a treasure of paramount importance—second only to the [Soul Sea Dao Seal].

BUZZ BUZZ. ’A place like this doesn’t even have Spiritual Qi. What kind of resources could it possibly have?’

Chu Sheng flew higher into the air. Only then did he faintly discern the dilapidated remains of what looked like palace buildings on the peaks and slopes of many of the mountains.

Although Gu Yuexi couldn’t understand Chu Sheng’s specific words, their growing rapport and the connection of their Blood Covenant allowed her to grasp the general meaning. She continued,

“The Spiritual Qi here is indeed depleted, and there are no Demon Beasts, either.”

“Therefore, the resources here are different from other Secret Realms. There are only two kinds.”

“One kind is the Ancient Spiritual Artifacts left behind from antiquity, but they’ve generally lost all their Spiritual Power and are only useful as materials. The other possibility is finding fragments, but even those are extremely rare.”

“The other kind is a specialty of the Ancient Sunken Star Vein: Star Source Crystal Cores. It is said they are formed from the world’s fundamental Power of Origin, though some claim they are the crystallized Origin of Realms comprehended by ancient Cultivators upon their death.”

“Star Source Crystal Cores are of immense help in comprehending Realm Power.”

’Comprehending Realm Power?’

Chu Sheng’s eyes lit up; he was now quite interested in these so-called Star Source Crystal Cores.

’Talk about perfect timing.’

’I’m in desperate need of Realm Comprehension right now.’

“Because the Ancient Sunken Star Vein only opens a few times a month—sometimes just once—and has both time and age restrictions for entry, the Three Kingdoms have explored less than half of this Secret Realm over the years.”

BUZZ? ’What the hell is with an age restriction? And how can it be so precise?’

“It’s supposedly an age restriction the Ancient Sect placed on its disciples…”

As Gu Yuexi spoke, the other members of the Great Xia team finished entering. A few of them had participated in the grand competition last year and were quite familiar with this place.

“Gu Yuexi, the City Lord told us to follow your lead once we were inside. That makes you the captain of our Great Xia Team. So, Captain Gu, do you have a plan?”

Gu Yuexi glanced back at the speaker and said flatly,

“Don’t call me captain. I have no interest in being one.”

“But if you insist I make a plan, then here it is: all of you should leave the Secret Realm right now. That will avoid any unnecessary casualties.”

Huh?

The group was stunned for a moment, then their expressions turned to anger.

“Gu Yuexi, what’s that supposed to mean? If we leave the Secret Realm now, we’ll be a laughingstock!”

“And what about the grand competition? What happens then?”

“Heh. What she means is that she can handle it alone. Don’t you get it?”

That last remark came from Mu Linyuan.

Gu Yuexi glanced at him.

“You’re right. I am enough. Since I gave City Lord Ye my word, I will win this competition.”

“I don’t mean to insult you. Leaving the Secret Realm now really is your best option. Of course, I know you won’t do that.”

“So, decide for yourselves how you will proceed.”

It was rare for Gu Yuexi to say so much at once.

The team members exchanged uncertain glances. Mu Linyuan was about to say something else when a loud BOOM suddenly echoed from another mountain peak in the distance.

Immediately after, the entire mountain began to tremble violently!

The cultivators’ expressions changed.

“It’s a Star Source Crystal Core! The appearance of a Star Source Crystal Core is always accompanied by a strange phenomenon!”

Star Source Crystal Cores were extremely rare. After their initial shock at seeing one in the outer region, the cultivators were overjoyed and hurriedly flew toward the mountain.

Meanwhile, Chu Sheng faced the direction of the mountain and closed his eyes.

Nether Vision, activate!

Instantly, his field of vision expanded to a radius of thirty thousand meters. Chu Sheng felt like a god, looking down upon almost the entire Secret Realm.

In other words, he now essentially possessed a map of the area.

Within his Realm’s Perception, a pulsating, fiery-red ball of light appeared right where the mountain peak was.

’Does that mean… Star Source Crystal Cores are highlighted in my Nether Vision’s Perception?’

’Isn’t that basically a cheat? A map hack?’

Overjoyed, Chu Sheng immediately pulled his perspective higher, surveying the entire Secret Realm.

Within his Nether Vision, one ball of light after another appeared clearly: red, earthy-yellow, golden, translucent… All of them seemed to represent a Star Source Crystal Core.

’Holy crap. What else is there to say?’

’Might as well just go pick them up one by one, right?’

’I never imagined such a fantastic start!’