With that, Chen Yuyang said no more.
With a flicker of his body, he took to the skies and sped toward the center of the secret realm he had just sensed.
Yan Luo saw this and quickly followed.
The two of them traveled at high speed, one after the other.
The closer they got to the central area, the more desolate the surrounding environment became.
The dense forest gradually disappeared, replaced by rough, exposed, grey-black soil where not a single blade of grass grew.
The spiritual energy flow in the central area was even more chaotic.
Just being there made one feel a sense of oppression.
Although this chaotic spiritual energy would not have any impact on a person in the short term, the sensation remained very uncomfortable.
After advancing for a while, Chen Yuyang suddenly stopped.
The land ahead was even more barren, almost a black desert where all life was extinguished.
Violent winds kicked up dust, echoing between the dunes with a low, wailing moan like weeping.
In the very center of this black desert stood an ancient tower.
The tower was 1,000 feet tall. Its body appeared weathered by countless ages, carrying an ancient and heavy aura.
“That place is the core of this secret realm,” Chen Yuyang said to Yan Luo, pointing toward the black tower.
“The core is a tower?”
Yan Luo looked at the tall tower with even greater surprise and could not help but ask.
Chen Yuyang nodded and then explained, “The core of a secret realm is actually equivalent to the source that was born first when this world was initially constructed. The types can vary—a mountain, a river, a tree, or a house—anything is possible. However, the specifics depend on the creator’s preferences and inclinations.”
“For example, the core of the Ziyang Secret Realm is that Demon Suppressing Tower. Its master likely used the Ziyang Secret Realm as a sealing-type magic treasure during his lifetime.”
“This small world is much the same. It also uses a tower as its core, but I don’t know what this tower is used for yet.”
Yan Luo came to a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly.
However, she then had a sudden whim and tugged at Chen Yuyang, asking, “If anything is possible, then tell me, is there such a thing as using a person as the core?”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuyang’s lips could not help but twitch.
This girl’s thoughts were truly wild, deviating far from what he had been saying. However, using a person as a core…
Without mocking her, Chen Yuyang pondered for a moment.
After thinking it over seriously, he said slowly, “Theoretically, it is feasible, but… this would likely be a hundred times more difficult than using anything else as the core of a small world. No one could achieve it unless they were someone with great obsession and immense talent.”
Although Chen Yuyang had never done such a thing, with his knowledge and experience, he knew the difficulty of it with just a bit of thought.
The mysteries of the human body were actually no less than those of a world itself.
To use a person as the core of a small world, one would first have to evolve the operation of the five elements within the five internal organs and the harmony of Yin and Yang within the viscera.
By the time someone put in the effort to condense such a core, an entire, perfected small world would already have been constructed.
Besides, using a person as a core…
Did that even have any special meaning?
It was not as practical as using a tower or a mountain as a core.
Those were not only simple and stable, but they could also be sacrificed as magic tools to directly crush people at critical moments.
Their practicality was beyond question.
Yan Luo nodded as if she understood, her gaze fixed on the tall tower.
“Then, should we go in and take a look now?”
“Don’t be in a hurry. Let’s look around the perimeter first,” Chen Yuyang said, waving his hand.
Out of caution, he did not plan to take a single step inside until he figured out exactly what this tower was for.
“Fine…” Yan Luo was slightly disappointed.
However, remembering that her grandfather was not rushing her, she stood to the side and began observing along with Chen Yuyang.
At this moment, although Yan Dangmo was paying attention to the movements of Chen Yuyang and Yan Luo, his mind could not help but dwell on the set of improvement methods Chen Yuyang had proposed earlier.
Yan Dangmo deduced the feasibility of this method over and over in his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was viable and that there was a great future in this endeavor.
“An independent world…” Yan Dangmo muttered to himself, his eyes unconsciously flashing with irrepressible excitement.
A perfected small world was equivalent to an independent and complete system of laws! If he could thoroughly perfect this small world and bring its laws to the stage of Small Consummation, he would be transformed.
At that time, he could not only use the power of the laws from this small world to nurture himself and strengthen his understanding of the laws, but when he faced his Tribulation in the future, having this small world as a foundation would increase his chances of success infinitely!
For his current self, the temptation was simply too great.
Thinking of this, Yan Dangmo’s heart grew even more impatient.
If he were not thinking about bringing the two youngsters together, he would have loved to kick them out right now and start the grand project of perfecting the small world himself.
Meanwhile, at the center of the secret realm in the black desert.
Chen Yuyang circled the black tower, observing it carefully for about two quarters of an hour.
After a long time, based on his observations, Chen Yuyang reached a preliminary conclusion.
“This tower should be a formation tower.”
Yan Luo’s eyes widened instantly.
“Huh? How do you know?”
While Chen Yuyang was looking, Yan Luo had also been imitating him and observing for a long time.
But she could not feel anything and naturally could not make any useful judgments.
“It’s simple. Look at the space surrounding each level of the tower’s body. There are traces of different spiritual energy operations left behind. These traces each form independent small cycles, which are clearly signs left by the continuous operation of internal formations.”
“Moreover, from the bottom to the top, the fluctuations become more complex with each layer. It’s clear that the difficulty of the formations increases level by level.”
Yan Luo’s lips twitched slightly.
Though he said so, she tried her best to sense it and still only felt a mess of chaos.
In the shadows, Yan Dangmo was also surprised when he heard Chen Yuyang’s analysis.
This kid not only had unique insights into the construction of small worlds, but now it seemed he also had a considerable understanding of formations.
Was there anything in this world that this kid didn’t understand?
This boy was truly a genius whose future achievements would certainly be limitless.
“Alright, let’s go in and take a look.”
Chen Yuyang withdrew his gaze and spoke to Yan Luo.
Since he had confirmed it was a formation tower, with his knowledge of formations, he was confident he could handle it.
“Eh?”
When Yan Luo heard this, she had some concerns.
“But I don’t understand formations. Won’t I suffer if I go in?”
Chen Yuyang did not look at her but continued to explain, “First of all, looking at how the difficulty of these formations increases level by level, I guess the purpose of this tower’s existence is likely not for killing, but rather a kind of trial.”
“By passing the formations on each floor, one might receive some kind of recognition or benefit.”
Pausing for a moment, Chen Yuyang added, “However, looking at the overall situation of this secret realm, this formation tower itself shouldn’t be particularly perfected.”
“Maybe the senior who constructed this small world fell before he could further perfect it.”
Pfft—
Hearing this, Yan Dangmo almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
‘What kind of auspicious words is this kid saying? Fallen?’
‘Who has fallen!’
‘For this, I’ll have to give this kid a good beating after he marries into the family.’
‘However… since this kid is so familiar with formations, could he actually pass the trials here and reach the top floor?’
‘That item is still placed there. If… no, no, it’s absolutely impossible. These nine layers of formations consist of nine layers of illusions. Each layer adds more pressure, comprehensively testing adaptability, state of mind, concentration, combat power, and other qualities.’
‘Although this kid is excellent, reaching the sixth floor is already his limit. The part of the trial that tests combat power in the final three floors requires at least the Soul Transformation stage to pass…’
Thinking this, Yan Dangmo felt a bit more at ease.
That item was a true treasure, something left behind by a powerhouse who was once at the Half-step True Immortal stage.
After he obtained it, he had never been willing to take it out, fearing it would attract too much attention.
No longer hesitating, Chen Yuyang took the lead and stepped into the tower.
The moment he stepped into the first floor of the tower, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.
In the next instant, blinding sunlight, deafening cries of battle, and the clashing of blades—accompanied by a thick smell of blood—nearly overwhelmed him.
He found himself on a vast battlefield. To his front, back, left, and right were soldiers clad in armor and holding sharp weapons.
At this moment, the army was charging crazily toward the enemy line following the thunderous beat of war drums.
He was also wearing ordinary soldier’s armor, clutching a long spear in his hand with a short sword hanging at his waist, surging forward with the crowd.
Dust flew, and the cries of battle shook the heavens.
“Hmm?”
But Chen Yuyang did not have even a moment of hesitation.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘An illusion formation?’
‘What is it trying to test me on?’
Being in the middle of this battlefield and sensing the atmosphere, Chen Yuyang quickly guessed the general idea.
‘It’s probably meant to test my adaptability or my state of mind.’
Gently shaking his head, a trace of helplessness appeared on Chen Yuyang’s face.
Unfortunately, the very moment he stepped onto this battlefield, he realized it was an illusion.
‘Sigh, my soul power is too strong. An illusion formation of this level has absolutely no effect on me.’
Chen Yuyang sighed in his heart.
Since he knew it was an illusion, the first floor of this formation tower’s trial lost all meaning for him from the start.
Ignoring the slaughter around him, Chen Yuyang simply released a bit of his soul power.
It was silent and invisible, but the battlefield scene shattered instantly.
Everything around him quickly returned to peace.
He was still standing inside the first floor of the formation tower.
The inside of the tower was empty and simple, without any decorations.
On the ground, a complex formation circuit was engraved.
Based on the structure, Chen Yuyang judged that this formation was roughly at the fifth-grade level.
Neither high nor low.
Aside from that, there was nothing here.
“After passing the first floor, there isn’t even a basic reward? That senior is a bit too stingy.”
Chen Yuyang curled his lip and could not help but mutter a complaint.
Although he had not expected any rewards, it was truly rare for there to be none after he had explored so many secret realms.
Turning his gaze, Chen Yuyang looked to the side.
There, a slightly childish but impressively high-pitched shout rang out.
“You bastards, take my sword! I’ll show you how powerful I am!”
This girl was still deeply trapped in the illusion.