Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 384: Entering the Hidden Realm

The hidden realm was an endless jungle.

Jack and the otherseighty-four cultivators in totalfloated roughly five miles over the ground. Their vision stretched for hundreds of miles, thousands. Yet, all they saw was green, endlessly lush jungles interspersed with lakes and other water bodies. The sheer number of trees was incalculable.

And that wasnt all. No matter how far Jack looked, there was no curvature. This was not a planet but an incredibly vast, flat piece of landor a planet of greater circumference than he could calculate.

What is this place? he muttered, looking in all directions. Hidden realms are soalive!

Beside him, Shi Mo was breathless. No they arent, he replied. Hidden realms are barren places where even space and time are broken. I have no idea whats going on here

Jack was surprised. He looked around, finding that almost everyone sported looks of confusion. Shi Mo was right. This was what they expected.

Spacewind, Min Ling said, arriving next to the Church expedition leader. Her normal distaste for him was covered by professionalism. Any idea whats going on?

Spacewind thought for a moment. This must have been the inner world of a Life cultivator. An extremely powerful one.

I thought so as well, but it doesnt explain why its still green. The formation of a hidden realm takes a long time. Any remnant energy should have run out long ago, so the world should be on the verge of collapsing. Even if it was a peak A-Grade, there is a limit to how much energy their inner world can hold.

I see two possibilities, said Monk Uruselam, entering their conversation. His long white brows fluttered in the wind, and his ears flapped like wings. One is that the former owner of this world was a powerhouse far eclipsing our imaginations. They must have been a peak A-Grade who managed to form an almost perfect energy circulation system. They were on the verge of transforming their inner world into a real one, which is why it could sustain itself for such a long time.

Everyone listened to him, waiting for the second possibility he mentioned. This first one seemed too far-fetched. Throughout history, peak A-Grades were extremely rare; could they really be so lucky as to stumble upon such a world?

The second possibility, Uruselam said, drawing out his words, is that this ancient powerhouse possessed a bottomless source of life energy. That would explain this worlds continued survival, and it would match with the life attribute we can sense in the air.

Life in the air? Jack wondered. He expanded his senses, and indeedthe Dao of this world was different than what he was used to. The power of life was much more vibrant, while all other Daos were subdued. In fact, the Dao of Life was so dense and prevalent here that Jack realized he was suffocating. He stopped breathing or he might start hyperventilating.

I favor the second possibility, Spacewind said, echoing everyones thoughts. Even throughout history, peak A-Grades have been utmost existences, leaders of the universe. If this was the inner world of such a powerhouse, our diviners would have known.

I agree, Min Ling said. Its impossible for this senior to have been a peak A-Grade. They must have possessed some extreme treasure with an endless supply of energy. That would make the most sense. However, for their inner world to be this large, they still must have reached the A-Grade.

How can the diviners have been so wrong? Arkenstal wondered out loud. They said it was the world of a peak B-Gradebut this is clearly far from the truth. For our experts to make such a mistake is unheard of.

Does it matter? Spacewind asked back, his gaze sharpening. Whatever the case, we are here now. This can be considered good news as well. If our factions knew the true Grade of this place, it would have never been our turn to enter. The dangers will far eclipse what we expected, but the opportunities should be massive as well. If we can survive, we will emerge reborn.

Somber silence fell over their group. Everyone digested this situation. As for Jack, he suddenly realized something: the portal was no longer behind them. It never had been.

What the hell? he asked.

Hidden realms have jumbled-up space, Shi Mo explained. The points of entry and exit are not necessarily at the same place. They could be anywhere.

We have to locate an exit in this large place!?

Yesbut there are usually multiple, and usually gathered inside the core areas. The B-Grades will discover them and summon us once its time to leave.

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Jack was about to ask more. Suddenly, the jungle below them split apart. A flock of birds flew at them. No, these werent birdsthey were dragons!

Jack turned his gaze at them.

Draconic Sharpwing, Level 145 (D-Grade)

A bird possessing dragon ancestry. Thought long extinct, this species inherits the characteristics of their ancestors to achieve much greater strength than ordinary sharpwings.

That was a lot of information. The System was active heredid it come with them, or had it infiltrated the hidden realm when the portal came into System space?

However, those were not the pressing issue. This was a flock of D-Grade birds. They were not a threat to anyone present, but they were random critters.

Spacewind waved his sleeve, instantly slicing the birds into ribbons. Everything here is at the D-Grade and above, he said, his expression grim. Were only at the periphery, too. Any local overlords should be at the C-Grade, and the monsters at the core area could be anywhere up to the peak B-Grade. This placeis dangerous.

Uruselam laughed carefreely. Since when do cultivators fear a bit of danger?

Feel free to be careless. Spacewinds voice was serious and commanding. Listen to me, everyone; we may be enemies outside this place, but here, we cannot afford infighting. I want everyone to work together. All opportunities will be split fairly between those who find them. Am I understood?

The Church disciples nodded. Uruselam said, Spacewind is wise. The Hand of God will act exactly like that. No infighting.

Everyone quickly agreed, and thus an alliance was formed. Of course, it was extremely frail; people might split lesser opportunities, but they would fight to the death for greater ones.

Be careful as you explore, Spacewind added. The outer areas should not have B-Grade monsters, but you never know. If you notice anything out of place, make a run for it and mark the position down for later. We will help you gather the most difficult resources on the way back.

As if to punctuate his words, a roar echoed through the air. It was bass and powerful, speaking of extreme strength. The world pulsed to its rhythm. The weakest people present shook, while those with faster reflexes used their Dao to cover their ears.

Jack felt the blood within his body shiver as if attempting to flow backward. Whatever released this roar was far, far more powerful than him. Possibly at the B-Grade.

The Envoys were not shaken, but their eyes gleamed with thought. This monster couldnt necessarily threaten them, but it was clearly far from the core area. Then, how dangerous would that area really be?

Since ancient times, hidden realms always came with risks. It wouldnt be the first time that an entire expedition was wiped.

Shall we, Spacewind? Uruselam asked, waving towards a direction. It was where the life energy was densestwhere the core of this hidden realm was located. That place would hold the greatest dangers and opportunitiesbut, unfortunately, it was not somewhere Jack could go. With his current strength, dominating the outer areas would already be a challenge.

We shall, Spacewind replied. Min Ling, I leave the C-Grades to you. Make the Church proud. For Enas.

For Enas, Min Ling replied.

Spacewind and Uruselam transformed into beams of light, diving deeper into the realm at speeds that Jack could only dream of following. All other B-Grades rushed after them. Soon, they were gone, and the only people remaining were the sixty C-Grades, thirty from each faction.

Alright, everyone, Min Ling said as she and Arkenstal took charge. We will now split up and look for our lucky chances. With such thick life energy in the air, this place should be a treasurybut remember to be careful. The dangers will be high, and lucky chances are seldom left unguarded. Only act if you have certainty of success.

And no infighting, Arkenstal added. This place will be difficult enough by itself. The last thing we need is cultivators stabbing each other in the back. Anyone found guilty of such behavior will be punished.

Everyone nodded. People were already looking left and right, wondering which direction held the most treasures. Seeing that, the leaders didnt hold them.

Dismissed, they said, and everyone split up, flying away in groups of one to three people.

I wish you luck, Shi Mo told Jack and Brock, preparing to fly off on his own. The B-Grades carry communication devices. They will contact everyone when the exits are found and its time to leave. Until thendo your best!

Good luck, Brock replied, and Shi Mo turned into a gust of wind as he flew away.

Most people had already left, so Jack and Brock also chose a direction. They took off, the heavy winds pushing against their faces and making Jacks robes flap.

After a while, all other cultivators had been left far behind. Jack and Brock were alone, two bros flying over an endless jungle filled with danger and treasure.

What could possibly be better?

How are you feeling, Brock? Jack asked, giving his little brother a toothy grin.

Never better, Brock replied. Lets adventure!

Haha! Lets!

They accelerated, heading even deeper. Their current direction was towards the center of this worldwhile the actual core area was too dangerous, they had the strength to explore just outside that. The closer to the center one went, the greater the danger would be, and the greater the opportunities.

Therefore, the sixty cultivators spread across the hidden realm, with the weaker ones remaining near the edges and the stronger ones closer to the center.

Jack and Brock flew for a while before making sure nobody was around them. No matter how the leaders prohibited infighting, only a fool would believe them.

Then, the two of them flew closer to the ground, slowing down so they could scan the jungle. However, their Dao perception was unneeded. It wasnt long until they discovered a large tree sticking out of the canopy. Even from the distance, they could make out a gargantuan shape wrapped around this tree. It was a real dragon.

Jack and Brock couldnt contain their excitement. They were two bros adventuring together. They would have the time of their lives!