Chapter 87: Commencement

Within the Realm Within, a white orb of light hovered in the sky, scattering its radiance.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, countless black shadows streaked across the heavens, flying from the distance toward the five major factions.

“So many people?”

“How did so many appear all at once?” The five camps stirred with unrest.

Luoyuan mingled silently amidst the crowd, picking up attributes. He glanced upward, his gaze sweeping across the sky—he quickly estimated, “Roughly six hundred people? And judging by their appearance, they’re all from the same force. Six hundred strong—this will completely disrupt the balance among the five factions.”

Tens of thousands of adventurers in the five factions murmured in hushed tones.

“Black Dragon Mountain, Sachisen pays respects to His Highness the Ninth Prince!” A resounding voice thundered across the sky.

“Greetings to His Highness the Ninth Prince!”

In perfect unison, as if the heavens and earth trembled, the mass of Black Dragon Mountain’s holy land bowed respectfully. High above, six hundred figures surrounded a young man with fair skin. Standing in midair, his eyes flashed like lightning as he surveyed those below. His voice resonated in every ear: “I am Brolin, Ninth Prince of the Empire. I seek to claim this treasure. Those who stand in my way—die!”

Silence.

The five factions fell quiet. Naturally, Black Dragon Mountain supported their royal family, for the sacred ground was their very foundation.

Luoyuan and his thirteen companions stood at an inconspicuous corner amidst the crowd.

“This one’s rather arrogant!” Thor whispered via secret technique to Luoyuan and the others.

Luoyuan looked up at the flamboyant Ninth Prince, smiling as he replied through the secret voice: “He didn’t show up at first, but instead gathered forces throughout the nearby regions, then appeared suddenly at the critical moment! Instantly, Black Dragon Mountain’s power surged, catching the other four factions off guard.”

……

“Your Highness the Ninth Prince.” A strong, clear voice suddenly rang out from the Hundred Tiger Pavilion’s faction. A burly young man, his forehead adorned with two curved black horns, looked up toward the Ninth Prince in the sky and declared loudly, “You wish to take the treasure of the Realm Within for yourself—isn’t that a bit—”

“Chhh!”

A blinding white beam pierced through the burly young man, his head vanishing in an instant.

Silence.

The five factions were stunned. The residual afterimage of the white beam lingered in their vision, leaving everyone bewildered. They all understood what had happened—a laser shot had just killed the leader of Hundred Tiger Pavilion.

In the sky—

Behind the Ninth Prince stood nine bodyguards, each wielding a weapon roughly three meters long, with a thirty-centimeter caliber, resembling an enlarged version of a single-soldier rocket launcher from Earth.

“Allow me to introduce these,” he said. “C2-grade laser rifles, nine in total! The latest model, just acquired.” His gaze swept over the leaders of the other factions below, noting their pale faces, and he couldn’t help but smile. “As for their power—a single shot can kill a second-tier Universe-level expert. I came to Thunder World for the trainee assessment, and for safety’s sake, brought along a few of these. Never expected to encounter something like the Realm Within.”

“I trust—none of you will stand in my way?”

The Ninth Prince, Brolin, cast his gaze over the factions below.

Everyone was dumbfounded, promptly falling in line. Priceless weapons—capable of destroying them in an instant!

“Very good. Cooperative, as I expected.” Brolin smiled and dove downward, his six hundred followers descending with him.

Then, with their numbers swelled by Black Dragon Mountain’s forces, they marched grandly toward the castle. The other four factions hesitated briefly, but followed, albeit a step behind, toward the castle as well.

……

“What should we do?” Luo Feng asked.

“We’ll blend in and fish in troubled waters,” Luoyuan replied with a smile and a shrug. In truth, the nine C2-grade laser rifles posed no threat to him—his current strength could match a fifth-tier Universe-level expert. He only needed to be wary of those with special abilities and equipment; the universe was vast, who knew what dangers lurked?

Thus, Luoyuan and his companions mingled in the crowd, heading toward the blue castle.

Beilong City, Black Cloud Society, Hundred Tiger Pavilion, Sacred Ice Sea Kingdom—the four remaining factions could only watch as events unfolded.

At the castle gates, over ten thousand halted.

“Sambi, open the castle for me,” Brolin, the Ninth Prince at the forefront, ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

A bodyguard behind him replied respectfully. This curly-haired guard, clad in black alloy armor, had a helmet that automatically formed around him, enveloping his entire body. He then cautiously approached the ancient castle—the one that had stood for millions of years, never opened by anyone.

The castle’s gate stood twelve meters tall, eight meters wide. The bodyguard reached it, placed his hands upon the door, and exerted force.

As he pressed, the gate trembled, dust and fragments drifting down from all sides.

“Chhh chhh~~”

Suddenly, bolts of electricity erupted from every corner of the castle, lightning enveloping the fortress. In a flash, the bodyguard had no time to retreat—the lightning pierced through him. Like scorched hair, with a hiss, he was reduced to ash, leaving only his glowing, overheated alloy armor.

—

Even Brolin, the Ninth Prince, broke out in cold sweat, darting behind his bodyguards. Had he opened the door himself, he too would have perished.

This scene shocked the ten thousand adventurers; a ninth-tier Star-level warrior instantly reduced to dust by lightning—everyone looked at each other, unsure how to proceed.

Suddenly—

“Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack~~” The castle emitted a deep rumble. Its massive doors began to open on their own.

“The doors are opening by themselves!” Brolin, surrounded by his guards, eyes gleamed bright, like a starving wolf spotting a bone. “There’s a ninety-nine percent chance the treasure is inside!”

Yet with the gates open, none dared enter. The Ninth Prince merely watched, waiting for further developments.

“Your Highness?” a female bodyguard whispered behind him.

“Don’t rush,” Brolin replied softly, his gaze fixed on the lightning castle.

In the crowd, Luoyuan and his companions also watched the distant fortress.

Suddenly—

All the lightning on the castle’s surface rapidly receded, vanishing. The once ancient and dilapidated fortress seemed renewed. “Chhh!” “Chhh!” “Chhh!” Sounds echoed from within, beams of light illuminating the castle, soon enveloping it completely.

“Haha, hahahaha…”

A hearty, exhilarated laughter rang out from the castle, echoing through the heavens.

“Welcome, all, to the Realm Within. I have waited for this day—for over ten million years!” A deep voice resounded across the world.

Over ten thousand adventurers were stunned.

“What is that voice? Who’s speaking?”

“No idea.”

“Could it be the Realm Master who created this place didn’t die?”

“Dream on—the Thunder World was discovered over ten million years ago, no master could survive that long, unless he’s immortal.”

“If the original Realm Master became immortal, hiding here for millions of years—possible? Only if he’s a real monster.”

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