After the valuable possessions of the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent were thoroughly divided among the assembled powerhouses, Zou Zihe, the Lord of the Dark (Dark Nether), suddenly spoke.

The sun, hanging high in the sky, slowly descended, and the heavens began to darken.

In the valley, everyone wore grim expressions; not a single soul looked relaxed.

Both Bei Ming Shang and Zou Zihe turned their gaze toward Chi Xiao.

"Mr. Chi Xiao, you aren't suggesting we aren't permitted to participate, are you?" Bei Ming Shang asked lightly.

Chi Xiao's face shifted between shadow and light; he stood there, frowning, glancing at Xia Xinyan, then at Zhua Qi, clearly hesitant and uncertain.

Xia Xinyan had consumed a Heaven Mending Pill, and her body was gradually recovering, though she was still far from being fully restored.

At this moment, facing two Quasi-Heavenly Rank experts, if a real battle were to erupt, Chi Xiao and Zhua Qi, even at eighty percent of their strength, would gain absolutely no advantage.

"Let's bring them out and examine them together. We can't find the entrance to the Heavenly Gate anyway," Xia Xinyan, seemingly unburdened, said with a relaxed expression and unfurrowed brows.

"Miss Xia shows flexibility and restraint; truly, a person capable of great deeds." Bei Ming Shang nodded, addressing Xia Xinyan with gravity. "Miss Xia, my Bei Ming family seeks only the treasure map and has no intention of becoming an enemy of your Ethereal Pavilion. After this affair, regardless of the outcome, my Bei Ming family will not cause the Ethereal Pavilion the slightest trouble."

Xia Xinyan hailed from the Endless Sea, possessing only the cultivation of the Third Heaven of a Hundred Calamities realm, yet she could directly enter the Heavenly Rank realm via her Martial Soul! For such a young girl to be so formidable suggested that the power backing her must be unimaginably vast.

Bei Ming Shang was deeply wary of martial artists from the Endless Sea, and he preferred not to cross swords with Xia Xinyan unless absolutely necessary.

"I too am here for the treasure map," Xia Xinyan stated, her eyes devoid of other color, composed and unhurried. "Once the matter of the map is settled, I will return to the Endless Sea. As long as the Ethereal Pavilion remains unharmed, we from the Endless Sea have no interest in coming to such a remote place."

"That would be best," Bei Ming Shang agreed.

"Let me offer you a warning: the Heavenly Gate might contain supreme treasures. However, it might also conceal dangers beyond your wildest imagination!" Xia Xinyan paused for a moment, then continued, "In your region, no Heavenly Gate has manifested yet. Your understanding of the Heavenly Gate is likely limited to hearsay; you probably only know one part of the story, not the whole truth."

"We are eager to hear it."

Both Bei Ming Shang and Zou Zihe of the Dark, after a brief pause, turned with solemn expressions toward Xia Xinyan.

In the Divine Protection Empire, the Blazing Fire Empire, and the Merchant Alliance, legends of the Heavenly Gate had indeed circulated for ages, but these three realms had never actually seen one manifest. This was precisely why the appearance of this treasure map had drawn the attention of so many factions.

Chi Xiao, Zhua Qi, Han Feng, and the others also watched the representative from the Endless Sea, Xia Xinyan, with anticipation, filled with curiosity about the mysteries of the Heavenly Gate.

"In the Endless Sea, Heavenly Gates not only exist, but there is more than one! Yet, within every single Heavenly Gate lies immense peril!"

Xia Xinyan took a deep breath, her expression unusually grave. She spoke in a deep voice, "The Heavenly Gate leads to the God Realm. The God Realm indeed holds unimaginable mysteries, but every God Realm is also terrifyingly dangerous! Once an ordinary martial artist enters, the probability of them returning alive is minuscule! Whether it is the Fourth Demon Realm, the Sevenfold Netherworld, or the Abyss Battlefield—these are not places ordinary people can enter!"

"The Fourth Demon Realm!"

"The Sevenfold Netherworld!"

"The Abyss Battlefield!"

As the names of the God Realms connected to the Heavenly Gates of the Endless Sea were spoken by Xia Xinyan, the expressions of everyone in the valley shifted, inwardly alarmed.

"My purpose in coming here is only to see what realm the Heavenly Gate here leads to. Unknown territories might be dreadful secret realms that devour everything; you best prepare yourselves early!" Xia Xinyan surveyed her surroundings and said coldly, "Within the God Realms that have appeared in our Endless Sea, there exist experts equivalent to the Divine Connection Realm, and more than one! If this God Realm also harbors beings of that caliber, and you foolishly barge in—hmpf! Not a single one of you will make it out alive!"

Xia Xinyan's words sent tidal waves crashing through the minds of the assembled group.

Whether it was Bei Ming Shang or Zou Zihe, or even Chi Xiao and Zhua Qi, their faces paled, etched with shock.

A being of the Divine Connection Realm? And more than one!

What did that imply?

If the God Realm connected to this Heavenly Gate also contained existences of that rank, who among those gathered in the valley could confidently claim they would survive?

Silence enveloped the valley.

"What, are you all scared?" Xia Xinyan sneered.

"No matter what, we have to go in and take a look," Zou Zihe managed, his lips slightly dry. After a long silence, he finally said, "If we don't go in, how will we know what's inside? Miss Xia, despite only being at the Third Heaven of a Hundred Calamities realm, dares to come; what is there for us to fear?"

Zou Zihe’s words brought everyone else back to their senses.

Xia Xinyan had clearly come with the intention of entering the God Realm. She knew the dangers within yet dared to come; was she truly here to seek death?

Thinking this, everyone began to feel that Xia Xinyan might be exaggerating the peril, and perhaps the God Realm wasn't quite as perilous as she described.

"I have said what I needed to say. You all decide amongst yourselves," Xia Xinyan nodded toward Chi Xiao. "You can take out the treasure map now."

Chi Xiao realized it was impossible to exclude Bei Ming Shang and Zou Zihe, so he reluctantly retrieved the map from his chest.

Bei Ming Shang and Zou Zihe immediately crowded forward, surrounding the map to study it.

"The map only marks a single point within the Utterly Yin Valley—a spot on the ground. But there is nothing on the ground!" Zhua Qi said darkly, his voice cold. "I’ve already searched every corner of the valley, even probing deep underground with my divine sense. There is absolutely nothing there. Could this map be fake?"

"It is not fake," Xia Xinyan affirmed, but offered no explanation.

Everyone knew she came from the Endless Sea and must possess superior knowledge of Heavenly Gates and God Realms. Hearing her certainty, they were immediately reassured. They stared intently at the map, frowning in deep thought, pacing around the Utterly Yin Valley, seemingly trying to locate the Heavenly Gate’s position.

Shi Yan stood with Han Feng and Ku Long, remaining apart from the central activity. They observed the reactions of the others coldly, occasionally glancing over at Mu Yudie and Di Yalan.

Mu Yudie was standing with Bei Ming Ce, chatting softly and occasionally smiling behind her hand.

Di Yalan remained immersed in her delight, clutching the fire-attribute demon crystal marked 2580.E tightly, looking so excited she seemed on the verge of absorbing the crystal's energy right there to nourish her Martial Soul.

Time slipped by quickly.

The numerous Heavenly Rank experts in the valley wore expressions of deep worry, their brows furrowed as they contemplated the map's secrets, yet no one could discern the location of the Heavenly Gate.

Gradually, the daylight waned, and night descended.

A single, brilliant, cold star quietly appeared in the deepening dusk.

Slowly, more stars emerged in the night sky...

Finally, the entire expanse of the heavens was dusted with a myriad of stars.

Suddenly, the treasure map, held in Zhua Qi's grasp, flared with light!

The faces of everyone present drastically changed, and beams of gazes shot toward the map.

The map detached itself from Zhua Qi’s hand, slowly rising, ascending higher and higher until it hovered above the Utterly Yin Valley.

A strange, potent energy suddenly radiated outward from the map!

The starlight illuminating the vast heavens seemed to be drawn by the map's power; the brilliant stellar light poured down like rain, descending from the Ninth Heaven and striking the map.

"BOOM!"

The map violently shattered. A crystal-clear demon crystal, the size of a fist, materialized out of thin air as the map broke apart!

A bizarre, compelling force permeated the entire Utterly Yin Valley. The demon crystal shimmered brilliantly, transparent and radiant like pure crystal.

Within the crystal's center, there was a tiny figure with a vacant expression, radiating light, its countenance twisted in unbearable agony.

"Father!"

Zhua Qi suddenly shrieked, staring at the miniature figure in disbelief, roaring, "Father! I am Zhua Qi! Father!"

"The Eighth-Grade Demon Crystal of the Mud Marsh Flood Dragon!"

Chi Xiao also cried out in horror.

Throughout the valley, martial artists looked up at the sky, their faces etched with dread, completely unaware of what was happening.

The tiny figure inside the demon crystal seemed unable to hear Zhua Qi's desperate cries, its expression dull and lost within its crystalline prison.

The Eighth-Grade Demon Crystal grew brighter and brighter, and a strange power suddenly surged outward from it once more.

"Ah!"

Di Yalan gasped, crying out sharply, "My demon crystal!"

The Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent's demon crystal she had been clutching flew upward instantly, soaring into the sky.

Simultaneously, the other eight demon crystals, recently acquired by Bei Ming Shang, Zou Zihe, Chi Xiao, Zhua Qi, and Xia Xinyan, violently broke free from their grips and shot upward as well, beginning to orbit the Eighth-Grade Demon Crystal containing the Mud Marsh Flood Dragon's soul.

Brilliant, multi-colored lights poured down from the ten demon crystals in the sky, bathing the entire Utterly Yin Valley.

In the valley, the serpent blood that had flowed from the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent seemed to come alive, coursing across the ground in rivers of blood.

These rivers of blood acted like mysterious paintbrushes, splitting off streams that flowed rapidly like blood-snakes across the valley floor.

Soon, using the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent's essence as an intermediary, a bizarre, intricate pattern, inked in blood, miraculously appeared on the flat ground of the valley.

"RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! BOOM!"

The ten celestial demon crystals detonated simultaneously, transforming into ten pillars of light that slammed down directly into the strange pattern on the ground.

The bizarre pattern, resembling a river of stars, instantly flickered with intense light, and the starlight from the heavens descended, pouring into that design as well.

At the center of the vast, stellar pattern, the intense light rapidly coalesced. Thousands of pinpricks of light condensed, slowly forming a dazzling Gate of Light.

The Heavenly Gate appeared!