Chapter 4: The Fall of the Protagonist and the Secret Realm’s Absolute Core

The heavy, subterranean air of the ancient hall turned stone-cold in an instant.

Ye Tian stood frozen near the shattered stone threshold, his hand trembling so violently that the glowing red Blood-Dragon Sword in his grip hummed with an uneven, nervous vibration.

Behind him, Su Qingyao’s icy sword-qi had already sealed off the entrance. The floor beneath her feet turned into a mirror-like sheet of blue frost, frost blossoms blooming silently along the walls. Beside her, Zhao Ling stood with her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her silver blade, her peak Foundation Establishment spiritual sense locked directly onto Ye Tian’s heart meridians.

And directly in front of him sat Huang Yanyan.

Her fiery crimson hair floated in the air like dark crimson waves, her long red silk dress trailing across the stone floor. The Origin Demon Core, now fully integrated into her heart, pulsed with a rhythm that beat like thunder against the walls of the hall. The aura radiating from her body was no longer that of a mere Qi Refining beauty or a local auction master—it was the pure, suffocating pressure of a Middle-Stage Golden Core Demon Empress!

‘Fool! Run!’ the ancient voice inside Ye Tian’s dark jade ring shrieked in his mind, its tone stripped of all former arrogance, filled with pure, unadulterated panic. ‘The demon core has been fully unsealed! That woman is at the Golden Core realm! Even at my peak strength four thousand years ago, I would have had to tread carefully around her! You cannot fight her!’

“No… no…” Ye Tian muttered, his eyes wide, bloodshot, and filled with wild denial. “I have the Blood-Dragon Sword! I swallowed the Dantian Rebirth Pill! I am the favored child of Heaven! How could he… how could a useless playboy like Lin Chen get here before me?!”

Lin Chen stepped forward smoothly, placing his hands behind his back. The golden lightning sparks still dancing across his dark green silk sleeves faded into his skin as his Celestial Lightning-Furnace Body settled into equilibrium.

“Ye Tian,” Lin Chen said calmly, his tone as pleasant and conversational as if they were discussing the weather at an outdoor tea shop. “You spoke of destiny, but destiny is merely a matter of efficiency. You spent two weeks hiding in caves, nursing your wounds and swallowing low-tier pills, believing that a sword found in the outer ruins would turn you into a legend. Meanwhile, we simply walked through the front door.”

“Lin Chen!” Ye Tian roared, his voice splitting into an ugly, shrill scream. “You cowardly thief! You relied on women! You used the Su Clan’s resources, you hid behind a peak Foundation Establishment servant, and now you cling to a demonic witch! If you are a real man, face me in a fair duel!”

Huang Yanyan let out a light, melodious chuckle that echoed through the cavernous hall. She leaned back against the central altar stone, her crimson eyes flashing with cold, playful amusement.

“A fair duel?” Huang Yanyan purred softly, her red-nailed fingers stroking a strand of her fiery crimson hair. “A Eighth Level Qi Refining child asking my husband for a fair duel? Little boy, if Young Master Lin hadn’t absorbed the Nine-Demon Lightning Array barehanded just now, your precious ‘Blood-Dragon Sword’ would have been turned into molten iron the moment you stepped into this hall.”

Husband?!

The word struck Ye Tian like a physical blow. His vision darkened for a moment, his chest heaving as blood spilled from the corners of his mouth. He looked at Su Qingyao—the proud, unapproachable genius of Azure Cloud City—who didn’t show a single trace of jealousy or anger at Huang Yanyan’s words. Instead, Su Qingyao simply looked at Lin Chen with gentle, unwavering trust, stepping closer to guard his flank.

[Target Ye Tian: Mindset Collapsing!]

[Protagonist Halo Fractured!]

[Fate Value Points Acquired: +2,000!]

‘Elder!’ Ye Tian roared frantically in his soul. ‘Lend me your full power! Burn my blood essence! I must kill Lin Chen today! Even if I die, I will drag him to hell with me!’

‘Are you insane, brat?!’ the soul inside the ring yelled back. ‘If I unleash my residual soul force now, that Golden Core demon woman will erase both of us from existence before you can even raise your sword!’

“He won’t l-lend you anything, Ye Tian,” Lin Chen said softly, reading the sudden twitch in Ye Tian’s left hand where the dark jade ring sat.

Lin Chen raised his right hand, his middle finger lightly tapping the air.

Swish!

A golden needle of condensed Origin Lightning shot out from Lin Chen’s fingertip like a flash of summer thunder! It bypassed Ye Tian’s Blood-Dragon Sword completely, striking his left wrist with pinpoint precision!

Crack!

“AAAGH!” Ye Tian screamed in agony as his left hand was instantly paralyzed by golden electricity. The dark jade ring slipped off his charred, numb finger, clattering onto the stone floor!

Lin Chen beckoned with his hand, and the jade ring flew straight into his palm.

“No! My ring! Give it back!” Ye Tian shrieked, lunging forward like a mad dog, his Blood-Dragon Sword swinging wildly toward Lin Chen’s neck!

Clang!

Before the red blade could get within ten feet of Lin Chen, Zhao Ling moved. Her figure blurred into a streak of black shadow, her silver sword drawing a flawless, ice-cold arc through the air.

Pfft!

The heavy Blood-Dragon Sword was sliced cleanly into three pieces, falling onto the stone floor with heavy clatters. At the same time, Zhao Ling’s palm struck Ye Tian’s chest with the full weight of a Peak Foundation Establishment expert!

BOOM!

Ye Tian was sent flying backward like a broken kite, crashing violently into the far stone wall! Stone dust rained down as he fell to his knees, vomiting a huge mouthful of dark crimson blood. His dantian—repaired only days ago by the Rebirth Pill—shattered once again under Zhao Ling’s precise, merciless palm strike!

[Target Ye Tian: Dantian Destroyed!]

[Cultivation Wiped Out!]

[Protagonist Halo Completely Broken!]

[Fate Value Points Acquired: +3,000!]

[Total Fate Value Points: 11,700!]

Lin Chen looked down at the dark jade ring in his palm. Inside the ring, the old soul was trembling violently, hiding in the deepest corner of the ancient jade structure.

“Senior,” Lin Chen said smoothly, addressing the ring with quiet courtesy. “You spent three thousand years as a floating spirit, waiting for a foolish host to help you rebuild your body. Ye Tian was incompetent, reckless, and unstable. Why bind yourself to a sinking ship?”

A faint, trembling whisper emanated from the ring: ‘Young… Young Master Lin… I was blinded by his luck! I am an ancient Seventh-Rank Alchemist! If Young Master Lin spares my residual soul, I will offer all my ancient pill recipes, soul techniques, and medicinal knowledge to you! I will become your most loyal servant!’

Lin Chen smiled faintly, closing his fingers around the jade ring. “A Seventh-Rank Alchemist’s memories are indeed valuable. I accept your surrender.”

He placed the ring into his spatial ring, sealing it with a layer of golden Origin Fire to ensure the old soul remained completely contained.

On the far side of the hall, Ye Tian lay against the base of the shattered stone wall, his breathing ragged and shallow. His eyes were wide, staring blankly at the high, vaulted ceiling of the underground shrine. The grand vision of rising to the top of the Nine Provinces, crushing the Lin Clan, and claiming the world’s beauties had dissolved like morning mist in a single afternoon.

Lin Chen walked over, stopping five feet away from Ye Tian. He looked down at the broken young man without hate, anger, or triumph—only the cold, objective clarity of someone who had successfully rewritten a fatal destiny.

“Why…” Ye Tian rasped, his voice barely a whisper, blood bubbling on his lips. “Why did Heaven… favor you…”

“Heaven didn’t favor me, Ye Tian,” Lin Chen replied quietly, turning his back on him. “Heaven wrote a script where I was supposed to be your stepping stone. I simply refused to play the role.”

Lin Chen waved his sleeve lightly. Zhao Ling stepped forward, pulling a pair of spirit-suppressing iron chains from her ring, binding Ye Tian securely before dragging him into the side chamber to await transport back to the Lin Clan dungeon.

With Ye Tian neutralized, the subterranean hall fell into a tranquil, sacred silence.

Su Qingyao walked over to Lin Chen, holding a slender, blue crystal longsword that radiated an ethereal, ancient frost aura. The sword blade was covered in fine snowflake patterns that matched the mark between her eyebrows.

“This is the Ice-Heart Divine Sword,” Su Qingyao said, her voice filled with gentle delight as she presented it to Lin Chen. “Zhao Ling and I found it at the peak of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. It was left behind by the ancient sect leader of the Dragon-Tiger Realm. It matches my Nine-Ice physique perfectly.”

“It belongs with you, Qingyao,” Lin Chen smiled, pushing the sword back toward her gently. “A divine sword needs a proper master to awaken its true edge.”

Su Qingyao’s cheeks flushed with a soft pink hue, her heart swelling with warmth as she sheathed the crystal sword and stood beside him.

Huang Yanyan floated down from the central altar, her Golden Core demon aura gradually settling back into her body until she looked once again like the intoxicating, stunning beauty of the Treasure Moon Pavilion—though her eyes now bore a subtle, permanent golden-crimson luster.

She walked up to Lin Chen, taking his arm naturally, resting her head against his shoulder with complete, unreserved affection.

“Now that my core is restored and the shrine is clear,” Huang Yanyan whispered, “the absolute core array of this entire secret realm is wide open. Husband, do you know what lies beneath this central altar?”

Lin Chen looked down at the floating stone platform where the nine chains had once hung. “The Dragon-Tiger Origin Vein?”

“Exactly,” Huang Yanyan smiled, her red lips curving into a radiant expression. “An ancient, untouched Seventh-Grade Earth Spirit Vein! It contains enough concentrated spiritual energy to sustain a major sect for five hundred years. And because the spatial core is right here, you can refine the Realm Stone and take this entire pocket world into your own hands!”

Lin Chen’s eyes brightened.

A pocket world!

In the Nine Provinces, possessing a private pocket world meant having an unshakeable foundation—a safe, portable sanctuary rich in spiritual energy, rare herbs, and ancient trial grounds!

“System,” Lin Chen called out in his mind. “Can the Innate Heavenly Furnace refine the Dragon-Tiger Realm Stone?”

[System Query Processing…]

[Target: Dragon-Tiger Secret Realm Core Stone]

[Requirement: 10,000 Fate Value Points + Stage Two Innate Heavenly Furnace]

[Current Fate Value: 11,700 Points]

[Refinement Time: 3 Hours]

[Result: Full ownership of the pocket world + Direct Advancement to the Foundation Establishment Realm!]

Lin Chen did not hesitate for a single second.

“Do it,” Lin Chen commanded silently.

[10,000 Fate Value Points deducted!]

[Initiating Realm Core Refinement…]

BOOM!

A blinding column of golden-white light erupted from the center of the underground hall, enveloping Lin Chen entirely! The central stone altar cracked open, revealing a translucent, dragon-and-tiger-shaped jade crystal floating in the heart of the earth!

The jade crystal flew directly into Lin Chen’s chest, dissolving into his dantian alongside his golden origin lake!

“Qingyao, Yanyan, Zhao Ling,” Lin Chen’s voice echoed like thunder through the glowing light column. “Protect the perimeter! I am breaking through to Foundation Establishment!”

The three women instantly took their positions at the three corners of the hall, their powerful spiritual senses spreading out like a flawless shield around him.

Inside the golden light column, Lin Chen sat cross-legged in mid-air. The concentrated spiritual energy of the Seventh-Grade Earth Spirit Vein rushed into his body like a raging ocean!

His Stage Two Innate Heavenly Furnace roared at maximum capacity, purifying the boundless spiritual energy into pristine, golden liquid foundation state. The golden origin lake inside his dantian compressed rapidly, solidifying into a shining, nine-petaled Golden Lotus Foundation!

Nine-Petal Golden Foundation!

In the history of the cultivation world, a three-petal foundation was considered ordinary, a six-petal foundation was considered a rare genius, and a nine-petal foundation was a legend found only in ancient myths—representing an absolute, flawless foundation that guaranteed a straight path to the Immortal Realm!

CRACK!

An invisible barrier inside Lin Chen’s soul shattered completely!

[CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST!]

[Successful Breakthrough: First Level Foundation Establishment Realm (Flawless Nine-Petal Golden Foundation)!]

[Innate Heavenly Furnace Upgraded to STAGE THREE: ‘Divine Alchemy Furnace’!]

[New Capability: Instant Refinement of Low/Mid-Tier Pills, Automatic Weapon Forging, Realm Manipulation!]

[Pocket World ‘Dragon-Tiger Secret Realm’ Successfully Bound!]

When the golden light column finally faded, Lin Chen landed lightly on the stone floor. His dark green silk robes were spotless, his eyes glowing with an ethereal, divine golden radiance that slowly faded back into deep, calm black. His posture carried a terrifying, calm majesty that caused even the air around him to hum with subtle spatial resonance.

Huang Yanyan, Su Qingyao, and Zhao Ling walked up to him, their eyes filled with amazement and deep pride.

“Congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment, Husband,” Huang Yanyan purred, stepping into his arms once more, giving him a long, sweet kiss on his lips.

Su Qingyao smiled softly, reaching out to take his hand. “With this secret realm under your control, the Lin Clan no longer has to fear any external threats in the eastern territory.”

Lin Chen held both of their hands, looking around the ancient, grand hall that was now entirely his domain.

“This is only the beginning,” Lin Chen said smoothly, a warm, confident smile spreading across his face. “The small town of Azure Cloud City was just our starting point. With this realm, the resources of the Su Clan, and the strength we hold, it’s time for us to step onto the grand stage of the Nine Provinces.”