The crowd looked at Qin Feng with unconcealed disgust. If he hadn't been the Sixth Prince, they would have chased this dead weight away long ago.
The young man in black had told Qin Feng to go play in the Yellow-grade secret realm, not out of any desire to humiliate him, but because he genuinely believed Qin Feng only belonged in the Yellow-grade zone.
Hearing this, Qin Feng offered a faint smile and shrugged. "Before I entered this secret realm, I stated that my target is an Emperor-grade technique. How could a mere Yellow-grade technique possibly be worthy of me?"
The young man in black twitched his mouth in response.
"Haha, this guy must be bluffing!"
"I'm dying of laughter! Does he think Emperor-grade techniques are like cheap cabbage?"
The crowd burst into boisterous laughter, as if they had just heard the greatest joke in the world. In their eyes, Qin Feng was nothing but a useless ant at the Qi Condensation Realm; for him to even dream of learning an Emperor-grade technique was pure delusion.
As they were still laughing, Qin Feng began walking toward the Emperor-grade secret realm, brushing past them as he made his way inside. Seeing his decisive actions, the group’s faces turned sour, as if they had just swallowed something foul.
"The Sixth Prince is truly shameless. He needs our protection to enter the Emperor-grade secret realm, but with him here, our hands are tied. How are we supposed to fight?"
"Exactly! He’s just a weakling, yet he has no self-awareness. Both are sons of the Human Sovereign, so why is the gap between the Sixth Prince and the Crown Prince so wide?"
"..."
Resentment smoldered in their hearts. They felt Qin Feng was there purely to sabotage them.
Upon arriving at the Emperor-grade secret realm, Qin Feng saw only a single entrance. It was a swirling vortex filled with a terrifying aura, resembling the gateway to hell from the outside. Seeing this, Qin Feng offered a faint smile and stepped inside.
The others followed closely behind, terrified that Qin Feng might get himself killed or cause some disaster.
Inside, the secret realm was a world of brilliant gold, a sharp contrast to the gloom outside. A massive stone statue appeared before them; it stood a hundred feet tall, exuding an oppressive pressure like a god. The young prodigies looked up at the statue, a sense of shock rising in their hearts. The aura of this statue was simply too powerful!
"This is the guardian of the secret realm! We just need to work together to defeat it, and then we can proceed to challenge the young Great Emperor."
"The guardian statue only attacks the strongest person present first. Since I am at the Peak Purple Palace Realm, I will be the target. Once it attacks me, you must all focus your fire on it!" Meng Wushuang said, his expression grave.
The others nodded. Under Meng Wushuang’s direction, they pooled their strength. He had fought this guardian once before and felt confident they could defeat it. The guardian statue adjusted its strength based on the people who entered; the stronger the intruders, the more terrifying the statue became.
"Sixth Prince, stay back. You might get hurt," Meng Wushuang said, quickly pulling Qin Feng—who had wandered too close to the statue—to the very back.
*Rumble!!*
Suddenly, the statue moved. Its eyes ignited with a blood-red light! A massive wave of pressure swept over them, and everyone felt as if a giant mountain had been placed on their shoulders, making it difficult to breathe. Although the statue was lifeless, the aura it exuded was so overwhelming that they could barely summon the will to resist.
They stared with wide eyes, faces filled with terror, their bodies trembling as if they had encountered a supreme horror.
"How... it wasn't this strong last time..." Meng Wushuang stood stunned for a second. The others were equally bewildered. This was completely beyond reason!
But at that very moment—
"ROAR!!"
The statue let out a sky-shaking howl and lunged toward Qin Feng with its massive body.
"Oh no! Protect the Sixth Prince!"
The crowd was stunned. They had never imagined such a scene. Logically, how could a weakling like Qin Feng be the first target of the guardian statue?
"Kill!" Meng Wushuang gave a low roar, channeled his internal energy, and charged at the statue with his halberd. He was the strongest among them! Seeing him move, the others followed suit, unleashing their ultimate techniques in hopes of destroying the guardian in one strike.
"Heavenly Demon Dance!" Meng Wushuang swung his halberd, creating countless afterimages.
As his attack landed—
*BANG!!*
A muffled sound echoed. The statue’s body swayed as if it had been struck, but when they looked, they realized Meng Wushuang’s attack had only left a faint mark.
"What?" Meng Wushuang’s eyes widened in disbelief. The others gasped. The guardian was far stronger than they had anticipated.
"Keep attacking!" Meng Wushuang roared, unleashing his Heavenly Demon Dance again, desperate to shatter the statue’s defenses. But his efforts were in vain. All the shadows of his halberd were scattered by the guardian! In an instant, Meng Wushuang was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall. He felt a terrifying force surge through his body, threatening to tear him apart.
*Cough.*
Meng Wushuang spat out blood, his face turning pale as paper. The others were dumbfounded. Meng Wushuang was the strongest of the Purple Palace Realm, and even he had no power to resist. What hope did they have?
"Protect the Sixth Prince!" the group shouted in despair. At this moment, it was the only thing they could do! They unleashed their ultimate techniques at the statue, but their attacks were like stones sinking into the sea, unable to harm it in the slightest. Despair filled their faces.
"Why... we are only at the Purple Palace Realm, but the guardian is unleashing power at the Dao Palace Realm! This is impossible!"
There were too many mysteries in this battle. Before they could think further, they were all swatted away by the guardian statue, falling to the ground and coughing up blood.
"Sixth Prince, hurry and crush your teleportation talisman to save your life!" Meng Wushuang shouted in panic, seeing the situation was completely out of control.
Yet Qin Feng stood still as if frozen in fear, leaving the others frantic.
"Damn it! The Sixth Prince is such a liability! If only we’d forced him to stay outside."
"It's over. If the Sixth Prince dies in this secret realm, none of us will be able to escape responsibility!" They were so angry they could spit blood, never expecting Qin Feng to be so unreliable.
"Save my life..." Qin Feng looked at the guardian charging toward him, a playful smile curling his lips.
"Kneel!"
The crowd was dumbfounded. Seriously? We’re in a secret realm, and you’re still playing the spoiled prince?
But what happened next stunned everyone. The guardian statue actually stopped, its knees buckling, and it knelt before Qin Feng. The entire group stood frozen, staring in shock, their minds completely blank.
"End yourself," Qin Feng said softly to the statue.
"ROAR!!"
As if it understood Qin Feng’s command, the guardian statue roared at the heavens, then exploded, disintegrating into dust.
The crowd’s jaws dropped so wide they could have fit an egg inside.
"What... what the hell is going on?"
"Holy cow, is the Sixth Prince actually a hidden master? How is he this powerful?!"
"..."
The entire place fell into a deathly silence. It took a long time for them to process what had happened. They were filled with utter disbelief, feeling as if they were dreaming. Such a powerful guardian had just knelt and destroyed itself. Their entire worldview had been shattered!
"The Sixth Prince’s strength is actually at this level? No, that’s not right—I just checked, he’s still just a Qi Condensation ant..."
"Wow, is this what they call the legendary kingly aura?"
They exclaimed in their hearts, their gazes filled with awe as they looked at Qin Feng. Their attitude toward him had undergone a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, transforming from a useless prince into a mysterious, unfathomable figure!