Luo Xiaoxiao spent most of the day breaking through the seventh layer of the Dark Realm. Just as she was preparing to assault the eighth layer, she suddenly felt a mysterious formation envelop her and was teleported here.
Liu Mu, on the other hand, had completed the inheritance of Taoist arts and was sitting cross-legged, diligently comprehending when he was teleported over.
As for Zhang Fan, he had not expected to be teleported to this place either, but when he saw the man in white before him, he finally understood.
"This is the third level of the Great Luo Hall. In hundreds of thousands of years, not many people have managed to reach this third level," the man in white said with a smile, scanning their faces. He wanted to see their shocked expressions, but he was disappointed.
"The third level of the Great Luo Hall? Then who are you?" Luo Xiaoxiao looked at the middle-aged man before her, whose face bore some resemblance to the creator of the Great Luo Realm, her eyes full of confusion.
She had spent a great deal of effort to break through the seventh layer of the Dark Realm and was filled with fighting spirit. Now, she had been brought directly to the third level. Did that mean her trial had failed?
"I am the artifact spirit of the Great Luo Hall. My master called me Wen Bo when he was alive," the man in white said.
"Do artifact spirits have names?" Luo Xiaoxiao mumbled in her heart, but still quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Wen Bo."
"I am merely an artifact spirit, no need to be so formal," the Great Luo artifact spirit waved his hand indifferently.
"Before my master passed away, he set a rule: anyone who can enter the second level of the Great Luo Hall and cultivate the ultimate golden primordial infant can enter the third level and obtain the opportunities within," he continued.
Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. The condition for entering the third level was surprisingly simple. No wonder he had pondered for so long without understanding.
"May I ask, Senior, what opportunities are there in this third level?" Liu Mu looked around. It was completely dark, and he couldn't discern any opportunities here.
"Each person will receive one Great Dao Secret Treasure," the Great Luo artifact spirit said directly.
"Great Dao Secret Treasure?" Luo Xiaoxiao's bright eyes were filled with doubt.
However, Liu Mu's face lit up with surprise. If that were the case, then this trip to the Great Luo Realm had truly been rewarding.
Not only had he gained an immortal treasure, but now he had the chance to obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure?
It was important to note that only mighty beings who had mastered a complete Great Dao could refine Great Dao Secret Treasures, and even Nascent Soul stage cultivators greatly desired them.
"Of course, Great Dao Secret Treasures are extremely precious, and there are conditions for obtaining them," the Great Luo artifact spirit said slowly, looking at them.
"What conditions?" Zhang Fan asked.
The Great Luo artifact spirit did not answer. Instead, he asked, "Before I answer your question, I would like to ask you one question."
"Do you know about the Starry Sky Battlefield?"
"The Starry Sky Battlefield?" Luo Xiaoxiao was still bewildered.
The Great Luo artifact spirit was accustomed to Luo Xiaoxiao's ignorance. He turned his gaze to Zhang Fan, the young man he could not quite see through.
Seeing Luo Xiaoxiao's confused expression, Zhang Fan felt it was time to let her understand the outside world. He slowly began to explain, "The Myriad Domain Starry Sky, though called Myriad Domains, is the universe vast and boundless. Are there really only tens of thousands of star domains?"
"However, the distance between each star domain is extremely far. For cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, without special means, it is difficult to traverse between two star domains."
"Take the Wu Shan Star Domain as an example. Although it has produced cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage in history, some have left, and some have perished, resulting in the Wu Shan Star Domain's inability to effectively communicate with other star domains."
"Therefore, star domains without a Soul Transformation cultivator safeguarding them are called desolate star domains by cultivators."
"In the vast starry sky, over ninety-nine percent of star domains are desolate star domains."
"Only those star domains with a Soul Transformation cultivator stationed long-term are qualified to be called low-level star domains."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xiaoxiao's delicate face couldn't help but change slightly. In the Wu Shan Star Domain, Soul Transformation cultivators were legendary, yet in the outside world, star domains with Soul Transformation cultivators were only considered low-level.
One could imagine how powerful those high-level star domains must be.
"The higher the cultivation level, the less the constraints imposed by the distances between star domains, and the more intense the competition becomes."
"Some star domains engage in wars for cultivation resources or due to hatred. However, only at least a high-level star domain would have the strength to establish a Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Wars between star domains?" Luo Xiaoxiao was lost in thought upon hearing this. At this moment, she felt like a frog in a well, completely ignorant of the outside world.
"Well said. Now that you all know what the Starry Sky Battlefield is, I will answer your previous question." The Great Luo artifact spirit nodded with satisfaction and continued, "My master was originally the lord of the Great Luo Star Domain, with over a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators under his command. He enjoyed the worship of countless cultivators and was immensely glorious."
"But suddenly one day, two major high-level star domains in this region clashed over a branch flowing from the Central Star River, which eventually escalated into a fierce battle, even leading to the establishment of a Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Although my master was a Void Returning stage mighty being, he had no choice but to respond to the summons and participate in the battle. This battle was exceptionally fierce, with tens of millions of Nascent Soul stage cultivators thrown into it, and over ten thousand Soul Transformation stage cultivators..."
"My master was a being at the Dao Origin stage. On the battlefield, he was naturally invincible, capable of sweeping away a group of Void Returning cultivators alone. Because of this, he was also targeted by powerful individuals from the opposing side."
"Even with his unparalleled cultivation, he couldn't defend against multiple attackers. Although my master cultivated the extremely mysterious Dark Path, there were preparations against it. With him being caught off guard, my master ultimately perished on the Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and that Starry Sky War has long ended. However, the Jiuyai Star Domain cannot be destroyed. To obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure, the three of you only need to make an oath: after breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage, you must join the Zixiao Star Domain within ten thousand years and accumulate one million military merits, then you will be free."
"One million military merits? What are the conditions for acquiring so many military merits?" Liu Mu felt that things were not that simple. Her initially surging heart gradually calmed down as she asked.
"Killing one enemy Soul Transformation stage cultivator will earn you one hundred thousand military merits," the Great Luo artifact spirit said.
"Then wouldn't that mean killing ten Soul Transformation stage cultivators?" Liu Mu felt her head swim. Although she was exceptionally talented and had cultivated the ultimate golden primordial infant, how could any cultivator who managed to reach the Soul Transformation stage be simple?
However, facing the temptation of a Great Dao Secret Treasure, she ultimately did not refuse.
"I refuse." To everyone's surprise, Zhang Fan said without hesitation.
While a Great Dao Secret Treasure was indeed precious, it was only precious to his current self. To restrict his freedom for a Great Dao Secret Treasure was simply not a worthwhile transaction.
"Since Master refuses, then I refuse as well," Luo Xiaoxiao said proudly.
The Great Luo artifact spirit began to have a headache.