Luo Xiaoxiao spent more than half a day breaking through the seventh layer of the Dark Realm. Just as she was about to attack the eighth layer, she suddenly felt a mysterious formation envelop her, and was then teleported here.
Meanwhile, Liu Mu had completed his Dao pháp inheritance and was sitting cross-legged, carefully comprehending it when he was teleported over.
As for Zhang Fan, he had not expected to be teleported to this place either. However, when he saw the white-clothed man before him, he finally understood.
"This is the third level of the Great Luo Palace. Not many people have managed to reach this third level in hundreds of thousands of years." The white-clothed man said with a smile, sweeping his gaze across their faces, hoping to see expressions of shock. But he was disappointed.
"The third level of the Great Luo Palace? Then who are you?" Luo Xiaoxiao looked at the middle-aged man before her, whose face bore a slight resemblance to the creator of the Great Luo Realm, her eyes filled with confusion.
She had expended a great deal of energy to break through the seventh layer of the Dark Realm and was full of fighting spirit. But now, she had been brought directly to the third level. Did this mean her trial had failed?
"I am the artifact spirit of the Great Luo Palace. My master called me Wen Bo in his lifetime," the white-clothed man said.
"Do artifact spirits have names?" Luo Xiaoxiao muttered inwardly, but still quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Wen Bo."
"I am merely an artifact spirit, there's no need for such formalities," the Great Luo artifact spirit said indifferently, waving his hand.
"Before my master perished, he set a rule: anyone who can enter the second level of the Great Luo Palace and cultivate the supreme golden Nascent Soul may enter the third level and receive the fortuitous encounters within," he continued.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile. 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 fortuitous encounters are there on this third level?" Liu Mu looked around. It was pitch black, and there was no way to discern any fortuitous encounters here.
"Each person can receive one Great Dao Secret Treasure," the Great Luo artifact spirit stated directly.
"Great Dao Secret Treasure?" Luo Xiaoxiao's bright, intelligent eyes were filled with confusion.
But Liu Mu's face showed surprise. If that were the case, then this trip to the Great Luo Realm would indeed be very rewarding.
Not only had she gained an immortal treasure, but now she had the chance to obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure?
It was known that only powerful beings who mastered a complete Great Dao could refine Great Dao Secret Treasures, and even Nascent Soul cultivators yearned for them.
"Of course, Great Dao Secret Treasures are extremely precious, so there are naturally conditions to obtain them," the Great Luo artifact spirit said slowly, looking at them.
"What conditions?" Zhang Fan asked.
Instead of answering, the Great Luo artifact spirit asked, "Before I answer your question, I'd like to ask you one."
"Do you know about the Starry Sky Battlefield?"
"The Starry Sky Battlefield?" Luo Xiaoxiao remained bewildered.
The Great Luo artifact spirit was accustomed to Luo Xiaoxiao's ignorance. He turned his gaze to Zhang Fan, this youth he couldn't quite fathom.
Seeing Luo Xiaoxiao's confused expression, Zhang Fan felt it was time to let her understand the outside world. He began to speak slowly, "The Myriad Domain Starry Sky, though called Myriad Domains, is the universe vast. Are there not tens of thousands of star regions?"
"However, the distance between each star region is too great. For Nascent Soul cultivators, without special means, it is difficult to travel between two star regions."
"It is like the Wu Shan Star Region. Although it has produced cultivators of the Divine Transformation stage in history, some have left, and some have perished, preventing the Wu Shan Star Region from effectively communicating with other star regions."
"Therefore, star regions without a Divine Transformation cultivator guarding them are called desolate star regions by cultivators."
"In the vast starry sky, over ninety-nine percent of star regions are desolate star regions."
"Only those star regions with a permanent Divine Transformation cultivator have the right to be called low-level star regions."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xiaoxiao's delicate face couldn't help but show a slight tremor. In the Wu Shan Star Region, Divine Transformation cultivators were already legends. But in the outside world, star regions guarded by Divine Transformation cultivators were merely called low-level star regions.
One could imagine how powerful those higher-level star regions must be!
"The higher the cultivation, the less the distance between star regions becomes a constraint, and the competition intensifies."
"Some star regions, for cultivation resources or due to grudges, will also erupt in war. However, only advanced star regions possess the strength to open a Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Wars between star regions?" 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 question," the Great Luo artifact spirit said with satisfaction. "My master was originally the lord of the Great Luo Star Region, with over a hundred Divine Transformation cultivators under his command. He enjoyed the worship of countless cultivators, living in great glory."
"But one day, two major advanced star regions in this part of the starry sky clashed over a branch flowing from the Central Star River, eventually escalating into a fierce battle that even led to the creation of a Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Although my master was a Void Returning stage cultivator, he had no choice but to respond to the summons and participate. This battle was exceptionally fierce, with tens of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators thrown into it, and over ten thousand cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage..."
"My master was a cultivator of the Dao Origin stage. On the battlefield, he was naturally invincible, capable of sweeping through a group of Void Returning cultivators alone. Because of this, he was targeted by powerful individuals from the opposing side."
"Even with unmatched prowess, he couldn't fend off all enemies. Although my master cultivated the extremely mysterious Way of Darkness, they had prepared countermeasures. With them having the advantage of planning, my master ultimately perished on the Starry Sky Battlefield."
"Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and that great battle in the starry sky has long ended. However, the Nine Cliff Star Region cannot be destroyed. To obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure, the three of you must take an oath: after breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, within ten thousand years, you must join the Zi Xiao Star Region, accumulate one million military merits, and then you will be free."
"One million military merits? What are the conditions for obtaining so many merits?" Liu Mu felt that things were not that simple. Her previously surging heart gradually calmed down, and she asked, "What are the conditions for obtaining so many merits?"
"Slaying one enemy Divine Transformation cultivator will earn one hundred thousand military merits," the Great Luo artifact spirit said.
"Then that means one would have to kill ten Divine Transformation cultivators?" Liu Mu's head began to spin. Although she had extraordinary talent and cultivated the supreme golden Nascent Soul, how could any cultivator who reached the Divine Transformation stage be simple?
However, faced with 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 Great Dao Secret Treasures were precious, they were only so for him at his current stage. To limit his freedom for a Great Dao Secret Treasure was simply not a worthwhile trade.
"Since Master refuses, then I refuse as well," Luo Xiaoxiao said proudly.
The Great Luo artifact spirit began to get a headache.