Half a day later.
Zhuo Yue, along with Mu Jinyu and the other two, arrived at the secret realm entrance within the Chu Kingdom's borders.
In the shadows, many people who couldn't find clues about the key secretly watched the entrance.
When they saw Mu Jinyu and his group of four appear, they didn't immediately reveal themselves to seize the key in haste.
Because recently, too many people wanting to watch the commotion had come near this secret realm entrance, wanting to see if there really was the Hedao Fruit inside, and what it looked like...
At first, many such people were killed.
Afterward, those hiding in the shadows naturally wouldn't just attack simply because someone came to watch nearby.
They would assess the situation first before making a move.
Mu Jinyu, with his keen Divine Sense, immediately sensed dozens of Spiritual Thoughts probing around, powerful and terrifying, malicious and cruel…
Once someone showed the key, it would be like blood in the ocean, and these bloodthirsty sharks would rush up to tear them to pieces!
Zhuo Yue's body was tense, extremely nervous, fearing someone might recognize him as one of the ten or so keyholders.
At this moment, he regretted the hot-blooded impulse that led him to follow Mu Jinyu to the secret realm entrance.
Just as Zhuo Yue hesitated, wondering if he should pretend to be a tourist just here for the spectacle, visit the entrance, and leave...
Mu Jinyu spoke, "Senior, take out the key and see if we can enter early."
"Damn it!" Zhuo Yue's expression immediately changed when he heard this, thinking it was bad.
Sure enough, as soon as Mu Jinyu's words came out, the murderous intent of those hidden nearby suddenly intensified.
Some could still hold back, wanting to confirm whether they truly had a key and didn't rush out immediately.
But some impatient ones drew their Divine Weapons and, with a monstrous killing intent, attacked Mu Jinyu and the others!
"Humph, reckless fools."
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu sneered, and the Myriad Phenomena Domain, the Dragon-Elephant Domain, and the Bloody Domain overlapped, releasing a killing formation. The surging murderous aura erupted like a volcano, overwhelming this group!
This group, each powerful, would not dare to linger nearby seeking the key otherwise.
Their lowest cultivation was at the Seventh Layer of the Fanxu Realm.
Most were at the Eighth Level of the Fanxu Realm!
They certainly weren't just people from the Chu Kingdom; they must be forces from various sides of the Kunlun Ruins.
And among them, maintaining composure and staying motionless in the shadows was also a Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm expert!
However, when Mu Jinyu's multiple domains unraveled, ten figures emerged, striking with punches, kicks, blades, and swords, slaughtering the advancing assassins into withering bones!
The scene suddenly fell into dead silence!
"How is this possible?!"
Those hiding in the shadows, while feeling fortunate, also exclaimed in disbelief.
They couldn't believe that those they viewed as formidable competitors for the key couldn't even withstand a single blow from Mu Jinyu.
And that Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm expert stared at Mu Jinyu's face, his pupils shrinking dramatically.
He recognized Mu Jinyu's identity.
The champion of the Hidden Dragon Conference, at eighteen, he wielded the strength of the Seventh Layer of the Fanxu Realm, suppressing contemporaneous Heaven's Pride like Ji Changxin to take the top of the Hidden Dragon List, a peerless monster!
He actually came too!
"Damn, this is tricky, should I retreat?"
This expert, with great self-awareness, knew that though he had Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm's strength, he was absolutely inferior to Dayan Genius Ji Changxin, whose cultivation was only at the Eighth Level of Fanxu Realm.
Even such a powerful man as Ji Changxin was easily defeated by Mu Jinyu in domain battles.
And it wasn't single-handed; it was with multiple Heaven's Pride besieging Mu Jinyu, yet he still lost to Mu Jinyu.
It was imaginable how strong Mu Jinyu was.
He didn't think with his Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm's strength, he would rival Mu Jinyu either!
He estimated that even with just one faceoff, he'd die at Mu Jinyu's hand!
Without much hesitation, this expert immediately chose to leave.
He didn't dare linger longer, lest Mu Jinyu went on a killing spree, leaving him no chance to escape when the time came.
After Mu Jinyu's decisive slaughter of over a dozen assassins, he naturally noticed a portion of people departing, including that Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm expert he paid special attention to.
Unexpectedly, he left too.
Mu Jinyu was somewhat disappointed; he wanted to see how many moves it would take to kill a Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm.
Since the other party didn't attack him, and he chose to retreat, Mu Jinyu wasn't bloodthirsty and thus didn't pursue him.
"Senior, take out the key and have a look."
Mu Jinyu gave a cold glance at the ten or so people still hiding in the shadows, not daring to move, and then looked up to the dazed Zhuo Yue.
Though he'd seen Mu Jinyu erase enemies with his domain before, Zhuo Yue was still shocked at witnessing it again, falling into a dazed state.
Upon Mu Jinyu's reminder, he snapped back, somewhat nervously revealing the Stone Command.
Then Zhuo Yue, holding the Stone Command, approached a Stele at the secret realm entrance.
The Stele, standing upright, had a groove of a size matching the Stone Command.
Clearly, when the Stone Command was embedded into the groove, the secret realm entrance would open.
The ten or so people hiding in the shadows, seeing them actually taking out the key, had eyes burning like bachelors who hadn't seen women in a hundred years, suddenly seeing a pretty old sow, eager to snatch it away immediately.
Yet, the previous scene of those dozen or so tragic deaths at Mu Jinyu's hand was still fresh in their minds.
Though they desperately wanted to fly up and seize the key, none dared genuinely to go hands-on for it.
"Click!"
By now, Zhuo Yue had embedded the Stone Command into the Stele groove amidst their unbearable impatience.
"Buzz!"
The Stele suddenly emitted a hazy white light, gentle and holy, without any lethal force.
However…
Mu Jinyu, his group of four, and the ten or so hidden people, after waiting several minutes, still hadn't seen the secret realm entrance open…
"Looks like this secret realm requires time to arrive before the key can be used to open it."
Seeing this, Zhuo Yue sheepishly retrieved the key, turning to Mu Jinyu with some embarrassment.
"Hmm, I know..."
Mu Jinyu slightly frowned, somewhat disappointed.
If holding the key allowed them to enter the secret realm early and harvest the Hedao Fruit mature first, things would simplify a lot.
But without that option, he'd inevitably have to contend with a crowd for the Hedao Fruit.
If it were only Fanxu Realm cultivators, he'd fear nothing.
What he feared was…
Shameless Hedao Realm experts joining the fray for a better chance for their descendants to reach the Unity Realm Stage stage.
Then things would indeed become difficult.
"Let's go."
Mu Jinyu slightly shook his head, thinking he'd wait and see later, and called his three companions as he intended to leave.
"Hmm? The key?! Hahaha, what a windfall! Where do you think you're going!"
Just as Mu Jinyu's four were about to leave, they encountered a heroic-looking middle-aged man, whose cultivation was at the Peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm, with half a foot into the Unity Realm Stage.
Such a person yearned most for the Hedao Fruit.
The moment the middle-aged man saw the key in Zhuo Yue's hand, his eyes gleamed as he struck, morphing into a massive hand dozens of feet in size, pressing down on Mu Jinyu and his companions!
The surging murderous aura soared to the sky.
If it were ordinary Sixth Layer and Seventh Layer Fanxu Realm cultivators, they'd likely die instantly under such a strike!
```