626 The Equal Domain
Inside the secret realm of Pingwang county, the landscape was diverse, with surprises at every turn.

Qin Huai’s gaze settled on a massive tree that pierced the skies, contrasted by another that stood at a mere half a meter. Towering hills reached the clouds, dwarfing the small mounds beside them. Gigantic creatures rested in the forests, their snores echoing like thunder, while minuscule tigers and leopards roamed, looking no bigger than house cats.

An immense wave swept across the Pingwang, taking everyone by surprise. Hovering above in the sky, Qin Huai caught glimpses of an ancient city dating back ten millennia. Vines had taken over the streets, erasing any trace of human habitation. Yet, in the ruins’ proximity, clearings bore remnants of tents — evidence of martial artists who’d ventured into this realm before him.

Intriguingly, he identified miniature city structures, akin to the fabled kingdoms from fairy tales of his past life. These cities could fit within a space smaller than the length of his own body.

Sadly, the race responsible for these wonders seemed to have vanished. It appeared that the county governor’s dream of an egalitarian world had collapsed. The king domain, as he understood it, had drastically shifted, leading to an unpredictable environment.

Instead of landing immediately to search for the spirit stone mine, Qin Huai flew along the realm’s perimeter, studying the ground and testing the king corpse’s reactions within this space.

For the moment, he noted, “My blood manipulation technique remains stable, and the blood sea’s power is consistent.” His main concern was the potential loss of connection to the king corpse if his power level suddenly dropped within the secret realm.

Attempting to invoke the blood sea’s power, Qin Huai discovered he couldn’t. He whispered, “Has the guardian spirit item failed? Am I now at the bone pattern realm?”

Examining his hands, he noticed his flesh appearing to dissolve. Instead of falling to the ground, it floated skywards. Left unchecked, this phenomenon could transform the blood sea into an overhead blood sea array, just like in Qingzhou City. While this mirrored Qin Huai’s original plan, he realized it wasn’t the moment to reveal himself.

“Retract!” Qin Huai commanded. The scarlet blood bead swiftly absorbed the sea of blood from his body, pulling it into the bead. With this action, the king corpse also shriveled up.

Without the sustenance from the blood sea, the king corpse couldn’t wield the Spear of Annihilation, diminishing its offensive might. However, its defenses remained relatively unaffected.

From his vantage point above, Qin Huai observed martial artists pouring into the secret realm. Elevated in the skies, he appeared distant and detached. Few, if any, at the bone pattern realm level could achieve such aerial prowess, except maybe the phoenix cla.

Many martial artists below were behaving recklessly. Their actions and intentions seemed transparent. Following their trajectory, Qin Huai’s eyes settled on a distance where the flora glistened like crystals.

“Spirit stone mine,” he whispered. “The presence of so many spirit stones affects even the vegetation.” Such an abundance could potentially cultivate countless king realm experts.

From the information he gleaned, the majority had cultivated nearly to their peak but awaited the accumulation of these spirit stones for the final leap.

As he mused, the king corpse quivered. A faint kingly aura emanated from it but was snuffed out almost immediately.

“So, even the king’s force can be suppressed here,” Qin Huai noted.

This equal domain surpassed even the restraints of the spirit world. The absence of realm restrictions here explained the influx of so many martial artists. King tiers hesitated to enter, fearing the likely ambush from those eager to claim the treasures a king realm expert would carry.

Hours sped by, and suddenly, the king corpse felt a jolt. It began to wobble in mid-air.

“My blood manipulation technique is becoming rusty,” Qin Huai realized as the king corpse started plummeting. The cold wind whipped past, but he remained composed. Even a fall from such heights wouldn’t damage his king bones.

Though he strained to maintain the connection between his blood manipulation technique and the king corpse, it felt increasingly distant. Yet, there was a glimmer of hope: despite this growing unfamiliarity, he retained control over the corpse. Its agility was diminished, and flight seemed currently out of the question.
Observing the rapidly approaching ground, Qin Huai braced the king corpse for impact.