Chapter 843: Several Families Rejoice, Several Families Mourn

The Libationer, who had been in seclusion in the backyard of the Imperial Academy, suddenly opened his eyes. His usually calm face showed a rare hint of shock. "Heaven and Earth inverted? The cosmos overturned?"

He stood up and took a step forward. The next second, he appeared directly at the entrance to the secret realm.

The Libationer rarely appeared in public, and his sudden presence immediately caused a stir among the surrounding crowd.

However, many were deterred by the significant difference in status and position, finding it inconvenient to step forward and speak to him.

Qi Yaoguang had no such reservations. She skipped over to the Libationer. "Teacher, why are you here?"

She was responsible for opening and closing this secret realm, so she had to remain on guard near the entrance.

"Teacher!" Jiang Luofu also came over. She had been spending every day here, chatting with Qi Yaoguang to pass the time, which led Qi Yaoguang to joke that she was there under false pretenses.

The Libationer hesitated for a moment, then said, "I sense a significant upheaval within the secret realm."

Qi Yaoguang was startled by his words and quickly pulled out her divination disk. Her slender fingers moved so fast they became a blur. The starlight patterns on the disk moved rapidly. After a moment, her expression also changed: "Great misfortune!"

Jiang Luofu was greatly alarmed. "What does that mean?"

Qi Yaoguang explained, "I perceive that the space within the secret realm has become extremely unstable, as if on the verge of collapse."

Although she was guarding closest to the secret realm entrance, her cultivation was far inferior to the Libationer's. She had clearly only just become aware of it.

"What? Brother-in-law, my brother-in-law is still inside!" At that moment, another cry of alarm came. It was Chu Youzhao, who had run over.

These past few days, she had frequently rushed here, waiting for news of Zu An.

By her calculations, the people inside should have completed their tasks a few days ago, but no one had emerged. She had a bad feeling about it, so she came here every day to wait for news.

But today, as soon as she arrived, she heard such shocking news. She immediately panicked. If anything happened to her brother-in-law, her sister would be heartbroken.

Moreover, when she thought about how kind her brother-in-law had been to her, she suddenly felt as if the world was ending.

However, as soon as she rushed near the secret realm entrance, she was stopped by guards. "The secret realm entrance is sealed. To ensure fairness, no one else is allowed to enter the secret realm until those inside emerge!"

Chu Youzhao immediately grew anxious. "Something has happened inside the secret realm, and you're just standing there watching!"

Unfortunately, no matter what she said, the guards remained expressionless and unyielding.

Murong Qinghe, who was beside her, advised, "Brother Chu, don't be too anxious. Big Brother Zu is so capable; even if something goes wrong, he'll be able to turn misfortune into good fortune."

Chu Youzhao was somewhat dazed at this moment. Hearing Murong Qinghe's words, she seemed to find comfort. She instinctively agreed, "Yes, he's so powerful, he'll definitely be fine."

Nevertheless, the commotion here eventually alerted many people. Whether from Prince Qi's Mansion or the Crown Prince's faction, they all approached the Libationer to inquire, "Lord Libationer, what exactly has happened inside?"

The Libationer stared at the secret realm entrance. "I don't know. I can only sense that the spatial elements within the secret realm are extremely chaotic, even to the point of an inversion of heaven and earth. But how could that be possible..."

As he spoke, even he became somewhat perplexed. Even he, with his extensive knowledge and experience, had never witnessed such an event. He even began to doubt whether his own judgment might be mistaken.

At this moment, Zhuxie Chixin also arrived. He had been stationed there to prevent anyone from Prince Qi's Mansion from secretly entering the secret realm to cause trouble. Initially, when he saw the commotion, he remained a detached observer, worried it might be a scheme from Prince Qi's side and daring not to leave his post without authorization. But when he heard even the Libationer speak so gravely, he could no longer remain still and hurried over to inquire.

The Libationer shook his head and said, "I don't know what exactly happened inside. We can only send someone in to investigate to find out."

Hearing this, Zhuxie Chixin was greatly troubled. He worried that the Libationer and Prince Qi might be secretly conspiring and wanted to send someone in to sabotage the Crown Prince's grand examination.

Just then, a trembling fluctuation emanated from the secret realm entrance. The nearest guards stumbled, swaying unsteadily. They all looked at the secret realm entrance in horror.

The commotion inside was so immense. Violent spatial energy was pouring out. One could only imagine the situation within.

Zhuxie Chixin's expression changed. He no longer cared about formalities. He rushed towards the secret realm entrance, intending to investigate inside.

However, officials from Prince Qi's faction immediately blocked him.

"This grand examination emphasizes fairness, justice, and transparency. Naturally, the Crown Prince must resolve the challenge using his own abilities. If the Commander-in-Chief enters, even if the Crown Prince truly emerges with the Measure-Heaven Azure Moon Dragon's tendons, who's to say Commander Zhuxie didn't lend a hand? After all, with Commander Zhuxie's cultivation, it would be an easy matter to slay the Measure-Heaven Azure Moon Dragon in a short amount of time."

Zhuxie Chixin was furious. "Don't you see that something has gone wrong inside? If anything happens to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, who among you will bear the responsibility?"

"Commander-in-Chief, don't be an alarmist. The people who entered with the Crown Prince are all hand-picked masters from various families. How could anything happen to them?" The speaker was the current Imperial Attendant, Duke of Linhai, and head of the Pei family, Pei Zheng.

Prince Qi's side had sent him to keep an eye on things here. Zhuxie Chixin was worried that Prince Qi's people would go in and sabotage the Crown Prince's grand examination, and Prince Qi's people were equally worried that the Crown Prince's faction would enter and ruin Prince Qi's years-long plans.

Zhuxie Chixin said coldly, "It's obvious that something has gone wrong inside. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are in extreme danger. Yet, the Duke of Linhai openly obstructs. Is this an act of treason?"

Pei Zheng retorted without a hint of fear, "Everyone says Commander Zhuxie doesn't need evidence to handle cases, and today I see just how impressive you are! I am merely ensuring the complete fairness of this Crown Prince's grand examination. For Commander Zhuxie to label me like this, what are your true intentions?"

Zhuxie Chixin sneered, "Everyone here knows what your true intentions are."

Pei Zheng snorted. "Fine, I won't stop you from going in. But if you bring the Crown Prince out like this, and he hasn't completed his task, will that mean the Crown Prince loses?"

"Nonsense!" Zhuxie Chixin said. "With the strange phenomena in the secret realm, it's clearly no longer suitable for the grand examination. We'll naturally find another time to re-examine him."

Pei Zheng's expression became stern. "This examination is about selecting the heir to the throne for the nation. To some extent, the outcome depends on the will of Heaven. Now that strange phenomena have occurred in the secret realm, Heaven has clearly made its choice. Why would there be a need for another examination?"

Just then, Qi Yaoguang's voice came from nearby. "You don't need to argue anymore. The spatial elements in this secret realm are now extremely chaotic, making it impossible to enter. Anyone who steps in will be torn to shreds by the violent spatial storm at the entrance."

She had been studying the situation near the secret realm entrance. Hearing their argument, she stated her conclusion.

"What?" Zhuxie Chixin's face changed. Ignoring Pei Zheng's objections, he immediately drew a sabre from a nearby guard and extended it into the secret realm entrance. Then he instantly pulled it back.

The blade of the sabre had vanished into thin air. The break was exceptionally clean and smooth, something no known weapon could achieve.

"A spatial storm!"

The expressions of many present also changed. There were many secret realms in the world, but not all of them were suitable for human entry. Most secret realms were extremely violent inside, tearing anyone who entered into pieces. This was a lesson learned from countless bloody experiences.

Had the Imperial Academy's secret realm now become like that?

Some were happy, others were worried. People from Prince Qi's Mansion were naturally overjoyed. They wished this secret realm would be completely destroyed. That way, the Crown Prince would never emerge, and Prince Qi would be the rightful next emperor.

However, those on the Crown Prince's side were all frowning with worry. Even many in the academy looked as if they had lost a parent. It was well known that the countless resources and training opportunities in the secret realm had nurtured numerous academy disciples over the years. If this were lost, the academy's strength and foundation would decline significantly.

Just then, a golden light suddenly shimmered in the sky. The clouds in the sky coalesced into the Emperor's likeness.

"What has happened?" A majestic voice resonated.

Zhuxie Chixin immediately recounted everything that had happened there to him.

"Heaven and Earth inverted?" The Emperor's countenance turned to the Libationer. "Will this secret realm be completely destroyed?"

The Libationer shook his head. "Although the elemental forces inside are chaotic, a nascent rule subtly persists. I imagine it shouldn't be completely destroyed."

"Then continue to wait!" With this single remark from the Emperor, the clouds in the sky dispersed, leaving Zhuxie Chixin and the others looking at each other in bewilderment. What did the Emperor mean by this? Wasn't he concerned about the Crown Prince's safety?

At this moment, in the imperial palace, the Emperor opened his eyes. A part of his soul resided within the Crown Prince. As long as Heaven and Earth were not utterly destroyed, he believed his other self could handle any situation.

This was a perfect opportunity to let the world know that the Crown Prince was destined by Heaven.

However, he never would have imagined that his other self in the secret realm was in an extremely sorry state. He was unable to maintain stable levitation and tumbled head over heels, falling towards the sky below.

Zu An was in the same predicament. Because Heaven and Earth were inverted, the very rules of the world had changed. He couldn't fly and could only watch helplessly as he continuously plummeted.

The massive red fissure in the sky below looked like a monster with its gaping maw, waiting to devour everything.

In his previous life, Zu An had heard online that novice skydivers could easily get caught in a death spiral. That was exactly their current situation; they were constantly spinning, almost feeling as if their insides were being churned out. If his physique hadn't been vastly superior to what it once was, he probably would have fainted long ago.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a small floating island nearby that wasn't plummeting, but instead hovered in the air. He quickly summoned Gale.

Fortunately, Gale was still usable. He teleported onto the island with Bi Linglong in his arms. Neither of them had ever realized how blissful it was to have solid ground beneath their feet.

There will only be one chapter today. I need to carefully consider the plot for the secret realm going forward.