In the central core region of the Great Luo Realm, there lies a vast and boundless plain. Above the plain, there are no sun, moon, or stars; it is shrouded by a boundless, sea-like black mist.
The plain is covered in endless black soil, devoid of any life. All that can be seen are corpses scattered across the black soil, long since rotted away by the erosion of time, leaving only piles of white bones.
This is the place known to external cultivators as the Dark Plains, a forbidden zone for life, dark and quiet, like the netherworld.
A black temple, standing over nine thousand zhang tall, is erected in the center of the plain. Ancient and mysterious, its sky-like walls are covered in countless sword and saber marks, each imbued with an indelible ancient aura, resisting the erosion of time. It is both dilapidated and eternal, with a rich dark power continuously emanating from within, spreading throughout the entire Great Luo Realm.
On the edges of this Dark Plains, the silhouettes of various birds and beasts can vaguely be seen. They hover outside the Dark Plains, yet dare not step a single half-step into it.
On this day, the temple gates suddenly opened, its three-thousand-zhang-tall doors slowly creaking apart, revealing an endless space within. A mysterious power instantly enveloped the entire Great Luo Realm, causing all living beings within to boil with excitement.
Figures streaked through the sky at incredible speeds towards the Great Luo Temple. They had been hidden around the Dark Plains, waiting for this very moment.
Before the Great Luo Temple opened, the Dark Plains was a forbidden zone for all life. Any cultivator who stepped foot within would be consumed by the violent dark power and perish.
However, when the Dark Temple opens, the violent dark power will be absorbed by the temple, allowing external cultivators to enter. Yet, beings within the Great Luo Realm still dared not venture into the Dark Plains.
"A once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity! I never thought I would have the chance to enter this legendary Great Luo Temple in my lifetime. I would die without regret!" A black-robed cultivator at the Five Tribulations stage, soaring on his sword at a hundred li per instant, drew closer and closer to the Dark Plains. He could already feel the eternal aura emanating from the temple, his heart filled with excitement.
However, the moment he was about to enter the perimeter of the Dark Plains, a colossal hand erupted from the ground and seized him. Before the black-robed cultivator could even let out a scream, he was crushed into a mist of blood.
Simultaneously, other cultivators who dared to attempt entry into the Dark Plains also suffered fatal attacks. Some were swallowed whole by suddenly appearing demonic beasts, others were struck by a tail whip from the sky and instantly died…
Those who had prepared to seize the initiative found themselves under a mysterious onslaught. Not a single human cultivator managed to set foot into the Dark Plains.
Cultivators hidden in the shadows witnessed this scene with dread. They had never imagined that powerful demonic beasts were lurking around the Dark Plains, hunting down every cultivator who dared to enter.
At this moment, within a mountain cave, an old man in white robes stood at the entrance. His name was Gong Li. Though merely a rogue cultivator, he had cultivated to the Seventh Tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage, placing him among the top powerhouses in the Wu Shan Star Domain.
He had originally intended to rush into the Dark Plains as soon as the Great Luo Temple opened, but certain events within the Great Luo Realm a year ago had changed his mind. Witnessing the figures being brutally slain by demonic beasts, he felt immensely fortunate.
"The rumors are indeed true. The actions of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion and the Black Sand Cave Heaven have enraged the Beast Kings of the core region. It seems entering the Great Luo Realm will be difficult now," Gong Li thought with resentment. He decided to withdraw and wait for the cultivators of the top forces to arrive before following them in.
Just then, the ground trembled, and the mountains began to shake. Enormous figures, from all directions, emerged. There were colossal apes whose bodies were like small mountains, Iron Feathered Flame Eagles with wingspans of over a hundred meters, and swarms of Spirit Devouring Rats, seemingly small enough to fit in a palm, yet stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see. They covered the sky and the earth, a dense mass of demonic beasts as far as the gaze could reach.
"We're finished!" Gong Li's heart turned to ice as he watched this scene.
…
At the bottom of the Domain Lake, cultivators from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, Black Sand Cave Heaven, and the Giant Spirit Hall were in seclusion. While the top-grade spirit crystal mine at the lake bottom had no time to be excavated, they had taken advantage of the period before the Great Luo Temple opened to set up a spirit gathering formation, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit crystal mine for their cultivation.
With an abundance of spiritual medicines and Nascent Souls, supplemented by the spirit gathering formation, their cultivation had seen tremendous improvement in less than a year.
The moment the Great Luo Temple opened, all of them felt it. Fu Tianling opened his eyes, and a terrifying divine light emanated from them.
Above the Domain Lake, figures burst forth from the water and soared into the sky, stirring up colossal waves. Dozens of figures stood in the air, all gazing towards the center of the Great Luo Realm's core region, their eyes filled with unconcealed excitement and anticipation.
"Haha, the Great Luo Temple has finally opened! I can finally witness the strength of the various prodigies in the Wu Shan Star Domain!" Qin Hao's eyes burned with fighting spirit as he let out a long roar. The resulting surge rolled up a thousand waves, his powerful pressure permeating the air, forcing demonic beasts for ten thousand li to prostrate themselves in awe.
Leveraging the Great Luo Realm's unique cultivation environment and abundant resources, he had reached the late stage of the Nine Tribulations realm in the two years he had been in the Great Luo Realm.
Qin Hao possessed the bloodline of the Giant Spirit race and had cultivated a golden Nascent Soul, giving him a combat power slightly stronger than that of an ordinary peak Nine Tribulations stage cultivator.
Nangong Feng, holding a long spear, stood ramrod straight in the sky. Though silent, his eyes exuded a domineering aura. He had now reached the peak of the Nine Tribulations stage.
"Let's go. I'm eager to see what surprises Zhang Fan and the Six Royal Mansions will bring me. I hope they won't disappoint me," Fu Tianling's eyes flashed with a sharp sword intent. Ever since entering the Great Luo Realm, he had not forgotten his father's instructions.
Kill Zhang Fan and bring back the Golden Sparrow Silver Thread Lamp.
"Zhang Fan, huh?"
Nangong Feng murmured the name upon hearing it and shook his head, saying, "Just kill him if the opportunity arises. Don't forget, we went through all this trouble, traversing various dangerous places. I hope the few Beast Kings in the core region won't disappoint me."
The group of several dozen people, with an unstoppable momentum, flew towards the Great Luo Temple.