My Celestial Ascension

Yuan's expression grew tense as the pain became almost unbearable. It felt as though his body was engulfed in a powerful flame, slowly cooking him alive.

*Rumble! Rumble!*

Suddenly, the entire secret realm began to shake violently, as if struck by a powerful earthquake. But that was impossible — there were no tectonic plates in a secret realm, a man-made dimension within a treasure.

The inhabitants of the secret realm stopped what they were doing as soon as they sensed the tremors, even the old monsters of the cultivation families awakened, disturbed by the shaking.

"Wh-What in the world is happening?! How can there be an earthquake inside this secret realm?! This should be impossible!"

"Is someone attacking the Secret Realm from the outside world?! But that should also be impossible!"

"Or perhaps some powerful beasts are fighting each other, causing the ground to tremble from their unparalleled strength?"

"That's out of the question; we know the strength of most of the Spiritual Beasts inside this Secret Realm. It must be something else entirely."

Many people came out of their homes in Xian City, and the trembling lasted for about five minutes before things returned to normal, leaving everyone in the city puzzled.

"Hmm?" Grandpa Fang suddenly raised his eyebrows, sensing the tremors.

"Is it just me, or did the ground shake for a moment?"

"I felt it too. There's no doubt it was an earthquake," Fang Xiaoyan confirmed, a serious look on her face, though she seemed confused.

"I also felt it," Anna added, her face full of worry. "It was small but noticeable."

"This is the first time I've ever felt an earthquake…" Fang Xiaoyan murmured, seemingly in a daze.

"Well, for me, it's been a thousand years since I last felt an earthquake," Grandpa Fang said quietly, his eyes fixed on Yuan.

However, the shaking didn't stop as expected. Instead, it grew weaker, then stronger again, becoming more intense than before.

"Everyone! This isn't a normal earthquake. What's happening?" Grandpa Fang frowned, realizing that this was no ordinary phenomenon. "Has something like this ever happened before?"

'Is this even an earthquake? Or could it be something else…entirely?' Grandpa Fang thought, frowning deeply.

Meanwhile, outside the Secret Realm, the soldiers from the Roth Family noticed the Stone Gate shaking. Puzzled by this strange phenomenon, everyone became vigilant.

"L-Look! The Stone Gate! It's shaking!"

"How is this even possible? I don't feel any earthquake at all!"

Upon closer inspection, they saw that the Stone Gate's shaking had intensified, creating a visible effect.

Soon after, the ground beneath them began to tremble as well, and with each passing second, the shaking grew stronger. Ancient structures in the ruins began to crack and crumble to the ground.

"What the hell is happening?! How can the Stone Gate cause such a powerful earthquake?!"

Suddenly, Robert arrived at the scene with Mr. Walton. They couldn't believe their eyes — the Stone Gate was trembling as if it had come to life.

"T-This is nothing short of a miracle… By the gods, what is happening? This is beyond my understanding!" Mr. Walton murmured, staring at the shaking Stone Gate. He couldn't help but sit on the ground to steady himself as the earth shook violently.

"What?! Even you, the famous archaeologist of the kingdom, have no idea about this phenomenon?!" Robert exclaimed, looking at Mr. Walton with a blank expression.

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Young Master Robert… This is beyond my expertise," Mr. Walton replied with a puzzled expression.

"This is unbelievable… After all, you're the most knowledgeable archaeologist in the entire kingdom. You must be pulling my leg by saying—" But Robert didn't finish his sentence when he noticed the seriousness on Mr. Walton's face.

A couple of minutes later, the shaking gradually subsided, and people could stand on their feet again without losing their balance. Everything seemed to be returning to normal.

Noticing this, Mr. Walton immediately turned around and said in a very serious tone, "Young Master, we should prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome… Perhaps this is a sign that the mysterious crack is about to appear again."

"You're right, Mr. Walton. This phenomenon could indeed signal the opening of the mysterious crack again… and we have no idea what might come out of that crack." Robert nodded quickly and approached the commander of the soldiers with a serious expression.

He ordered the commander to increase the security around the entire ruin and keep a close watch on the Stone Gate. The mysterious crack could appear at any moment, and they couldn't take any chances, not knowing what might emerge from it.

—

"Your Majesty, do you have any idea about the powerful earthquake that occurred a moment ago?" Lord Roland asked King Richard, wondering if he knew what was happening.

King Richard pondered for a moment before replying, "Unfortunately, I do not know the cause of such a powerful earthquake… and this is the third time such a phenomenon has occurred this year… I wonder what could be causing these strange events."

"The most reasonable explanation is that these phenomena are somehow connected," King Richard said with a serious expression.

"And this could be a sign that the mysterious crack is about to open again…" Prince Tristan said with a frown, feeling that the recent earthquake didn't seem natural and was curious about what could have caused it.

King Richard considered this for a moment and then nodded, "That is a possibility we cannot overlook."

"Lord Roland, how long will it take us to reach the ancient ruin? We've been traveling for over two hours now," King Richard asked, turning his head towards Lord Roland.

"We are almost there, Your Majesty. It will only take a few more minutes," Lord Roland replied quickly, feeling somewhat worried about his son, who was commanding the soldiers despite his lack of experience in handling such a large group.

"I see… then how about we increase the pace a little? The sooner we arrive, the better."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Lord Roland then ordered the coachman to drive the carriage faster. Shortly after, the carriage began to move at twice the previous speed, and the other carriages followed suit.

Almost twenty minutes later, they all arrived at the Abandoned Ruin.

The entire ruin was surrounded by soldiers from Roth City, all of whom were fully armed and ready for battle if necessary.

Some soldiers had built tall watchtowers at the four corners of the Abandoned Ruin to monitor every movement inside the ruin and keep a close eye on the Stone Gate.

The mysterious crack could appear at any moment, and archaeologists were working nearby, trying to find any clues connected to the Stone Gate.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Prince, and Her Highness, I am honored by your presence. Please, this way; we've set up a camp at a safe distance," Robert quickly approached the carriage and greeted the royal family with the utmost respect, leading them toward the camp.

King Richard nodded and followed the young man's lead, arriving at the camp shortly after.

Lord Roland felt proud at this moment, seeing his son manage to impress the Royal Family with his arrangements.

After arriving at the camp, King Richard looked around before turning toward Robert and said, "I see you've built a watchtower to keep an eye on the Stone Gate at all times. Well done, young man."

"I did what was expected of me, Your Majesty. I am not worthy of your praise," Robert responded politely, though inwardly he felt excited and proud of himself.

Now that King Richard had acknowledged his efforts, his position as the future Lord of Roth City seemed almost certain. With his younger half-brother missing for so long, he had the greatest advantage over his other siblings.

"Robert, how about you escort the prince and show him around? That way, he will have a better understanding of the situation," Lord Roland suggested to his son a moment later.

"I would be honored to accompany His Highness," Robert replied, nodding with excitement before turning to Prince Tristan.

"Your Highness, please follow me. I'll show you around the Abandoned Ruin and the mysterious Stone Gate that is still shaking."

"Go on, son. This way, you will gain a better understanding of the situation," King Richard encouraged Tristan to follow Robert's lead and familiarize himself with the surroundings.

"As you wish, Father." Tristan nodded, then turned to Robert and said, "Lead the way, Mr. Robert."

"Please, follow me, Your Highness." With a smile on his face, Robert began to escort Prince Tristan, showing him around the Abandoned Ruin.

Meanwhile, inside the Secret Realm, as the earthquake grew stronger, the people of Xian City began to panic, fearing that the Secret Realm might collapse for some unknown reason.

"Hmmm? What's going on?" Fang Hao, who was returning from Xian City, suddenly halted his steps for a moment before running toward his home.

As soon as he arrived, he saw many unfamiliar faces and Yuan sitting in the center of the living room in a lotus position, his expression filled with pain.

"Father! Mother! What is going on here? Why does Yuan appear to be in pain?" Fang Hao asked, so concerned about Yuan that he ignored the unfamiliar people in his house.

"Yuan is currently undergoing the process of awakening his bloodline... As for the earthquake, I have no idea," Grandpa Fang replied in a calm voice.

Fang Hao sighed in relief. "Thankfully, it isn't something serious—"

"Agghhhh!"