Chapter 522: The Cyclical Secret Realm! The Celestial Inspection Bureau's Shortcomings!

Chapter 522: The Cyclical Secret Realm! The Celestial Inspection Bureau's Shortcomings!

A colossal dragon soared into the sky.

Da Huang's massive body stretched across the firmament.

Seven individuals stood atop Da Huang's body, gazing at the distant mountain peak.

Su Ping no longer felt the initial surprise.

Instead, he was filled with disbelief and astonishment.

When Long Er called, he almost thought he had misheard.

But now, it seemed that Long Er hadn't been mistaken,

or rather, the fact that Long Er, despite his busy schedule, took the time to call and inform him, showed that the former deputy leader of the Dragon Group had indeed become quite remarkable.

At this moment, on that mountain peak, the Proud Dragon emitted smoke and flew swiftly towards the outside of the mountain.

On the other side, there was another fiery red dragon, and on its back stood several figures, their faces pale with fear.

Su Ping's eyebrows furrowed as he gazed at the distant mountain peak.

The enormous mountain seemed to have undergone no significant changes.

However, there was an indescribable feeling in the air.

Soon, Su Ping understood where this feeling was coming from.

As Da Huang approached, an indescribable pressure and gravity settled on everyone.

Even Da Huang's flying speed decreased significantly.

What was going on?

Fortunately, the distance between the mountain peak and Su Ping's group wasn't too far.

The smoking Proud Dragon and the fire-type giant dragon slowly approached, and Long Er, whose mental state was extremely unstable, apologized with a guilty expression:

"Sorry, Su Beastmaster, the situation was sudden, and even I didn't react in time!"

Su Ping nodded: "Let's leave first. Are you injured? What happened?"

He turned to look at the Zhang brothers, who were lying on the fire dragon's back and had already fainted, and Huang Tianbing, who had lost an arm, and his pupils constricted.

However, Long Er waved his hand:

"It's fine. It's just the rupture of a dense space and the sudden appearance of powerful gravity. There's no real enemy, and it's already stabilized."

At the same time, after Long Er and the others approached, Meng Yao, who had summoned the Thunder Wing Demon, stood at the edge of the sky and nodded:

"There's no powerful beast aura, but the space fluctuations are extremely unstable, and the gravity is very strange! What's going on with the Celestial Inspection Bureau? Old Huang, you've been the Inspector General for so many years, how can such a problem still occur?"

Huang Tianbing opened his mouth but didn't speak, as excessive blood loss had made his face pale.

Fortunately, Meng Yao scolded him, but with a casual gesture, a strange sea star appeared by his side. The sea star emitted a peculiar beam of light onto Huang Tianbing, and his complexion quickly recovered.

However, the severed arm showed no signs of regrowing, and Meng Yao recalled his companion beast before saying:

"Your injury has spatial energy attached to it. Finish up quickly and go back to the capital to seek treatment from the Feather Saint. If you delay for a few more days, it might be difficult to recover."

Huang Tianbing nodded, and at the same time, the group slowly landed on the ground, and Zhu Hong finally asked:

"What's going on?"

Huang Tianbing finally opened his mouth, his voice hoarse:

"Forgive me, everyone. This is a failure in the Celestial Inspection Bureau's duties!"

Su Ping raised his eyebrows:

"Inspector General Huang, the last time you mentioned the inheritance secret realm of the immortal saint Gu Sansi in Huaiyang Province, you mentioned the Boulder Mountain Range several times. Is this place that serious? But, isn't it just a couple of mountains?"

Huang Tianbing's mouth twisted as if he were about to cry: "Su Beastmaster, it's not just unfinished. Since April and May of this year, we've been dealing with this for half a year, on and off. I, as the Inspector General, have personally come here, and this place has already taken the lives of almost all the Celestial Inspection Bureau members from Jianghai and Huaiyang."

Su Ping's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the distant mountain peak.

Regardless of what was said, he was also a member of the Celestial Inspection Bureau.

Seeing Huang Tianbing in such a state, he felt uncomfortable.

He waved his hand: "What kind of secret realm is this?"

Huang Tianbing shook his head: "I don't know."

Su Ping continued to ask: "Then, which senior Beastmaster from history left behind this secret realm? Can we deduce that based on the attributes of the companion beasts within?"

Huang Tianbing kept shaking his head: "I don't know..."

He was about to say more, but seeing the unfriendly gazes of the crowd, he quickly changed his words:

"I'm not sure, but it should be an Earth or Gold-type secret realm."

Before Su Ping could speak, Zhu Hong, standing beside him, exclaimed in disbelief:

"You mean, so many members of the Celestial Inspection Bureau died, and you still can't find the entrance to the secret realm? Every time there's a space fluctuation, dozens of space entrances appear, and there was once over a hundred! The space probes are useless against this! You can only send people in with equipment to inspect.

Then, after some time, they all disappear, and some of the comrades who went in never came out again."

Upon hearing this, Qin Erlong frowned: "In that case, why not wait until the space fluctuations stabilize before going in? There's no need to rush."

Huang Tianbing nodded:

"It's not just this year that the Boulder Mountain Range has had issues. There have been fluctuations for several years, but even when space entrances appear, they only last for a few seconds or minutes at most during monitoring.

At the same time, some things are squeezed out, and based on experience, this is a sign of a large secret realm appearing. So, we've been waiting without taking action and haven't paid much attention. At most, we've inspected some of the items that fell from the space entrances in the secret realm, but they're mostly useless rocks."

"This year has been unpredictable, and since May, this space has become extremely unstable. The Imperial Observatory doesn't want to monitor it constantly, but a few days ago, I received a notification that a Emperor-level Steel Stone King had appeared! We can't ignore this..."

Meng Yao asked again:

"Is it that dangerous? Have you applied for support?"

Huang Tianbing sighed:

"We have applied, but neither the Association nor the Legion has given a specific response."

Huang Tianbing became angry:

"Those people were eager to send their subordinates to my place to gain experience, but now that it's a matter of danger, they're all hesitant to take action. They think I'm a plague, and they don't want to get involved."

Su Ping's eyebrows furrowed.

He had seen Huang Tianbing's busy schedule, and the current state of the Imperial Observatory was evident. The members had decreased significantly, and even the leader had lost an arm.

Su Ping asked directly:

"Haven't you told the Holy Dragon Lord about this?"

But he quickly realized: "Forget I said that."

He felt frustrated, knowing that the Holy Dragon Lord wasn't someone who could be easily reached or consulted.

The entire Loong Kingdom was vast, and the Holy Dragon Lord couldn't possibly handle every matter personally.

Su Ping met the curious gazes of the others and felt a bit helpless. Fortunately, Zhu Hong nodded:

"The frequent appearance of secret realms in the past two years has indeed been dangerous. Huang's task is not easy, and we need to think of a solution."

Huang Tianbing's eyes turned red, and he felt a sense of relief.

Who knew about his difficulties and hardships? The Imperial Observatory had sacrificed many members in the past two years, more than in the past decade or two.

However, the Imperial Observatory had previously been a sought-after department, collecting secret realm inheritances and resources, which had led to resentment from many people.

Now, the world was unpredictable, and wild secret realms appeared frequently, like mushrooms after rain. The dangers were countless, and some people were waiting to see the Imperial Observatory's downfall.

If something unexpected happened, affecting the ordinary people's peace, Huang Tianbing would be the one to take the blame.

Su Ping thought for a moment:

"Fine, I'll make a call. Even if there's no Holy Spirit-level elder in charge, the local legion should cooperate. If something happens, it won't be good."

Everyone nodded, knowing that Su Ping's influence and authority would be helpful.

Meng Yao looked at the mountain peak:

"Alright, I'll go take a look. Dragon Two, check the damage to the Jiaolong."

After arranging everything, Su Ping walked aside and took out a special satellite phone, dialing a unique number.

"Hello, Su Ping? Why did you call me today? Did you make progress with the Dragon Bamboo?"

The voice on the other end sounded cheerful.

Su Ping smiled slightly:

"I've let Xiaohui and the others try it, but it's still in the cultivation stage. It's not like I can make progress that quickly. It's about the Imperial Observatory..."

Before he could finish, the voice on the other end interrupted him:

"Right, Su Ping, I heard from Meng Yao that you went to sea together last month and found information about the Golden Heart?"

Su Ping was taken aback and then explained the situation:

"Yes, that's right... I thought Meng Yao and Wu had already told you about it..."

The Holy Dragon Lord's voice became serious:

"The news from outside has confirmed that a guest from the other side of the ocean has arrived in the Sakura Kingdom. The Golden Heart's purpose is still unclear, even now."

Su Ping was surprised again, not knowing how the conversation had turned to Dong Muyun:

"Dong Muyun is extremely concerned about this matter and is willing to contribute to the Loong Kingdom. She's said multiple times that she's willing to go and investigate!"

The Holy Dragon Lord asked:

"Can you guarantee that her intention is to contribute to the Loong Kingdom and gather information?"

(End of chapter)

"The company's focus is on me. Although Yun Jie holds shares, without me, Pingyun has no real value or meaning. My thoughts are Yun Jie's thoughts! I can guarantee that."

"Hehe, that's good. Don't worry, for your sake, the Loong Kingdom will do its best to protect her safety in the background. But as for you, don't wander around like that in the future, and dare to go near the Endless Sea. It's a relief to have you back."

The Holy Dragon Lord continued, "However, what I didn't expect was that the effect of the World Tree's leaves would be like that. It's a small gain. Also, did Connor tell you about his trip to the Heart of All Souls last time?"

Su Ping nodded. "Yes."

"Although you're not directly involved in this matter, since you chose that time, you might as well go big. You, my boy, will uphold your reputation in the open!

Next year, let the Beastmasters of the world know that only in the Loong Kingdom will they have the chance to keep up with the top-notch cultivators!"

The Holy Dragon Lord spoke calmly, exuding confidence in Su Ping's abilities.

After listening to the man's rambling, Su Ping finally got to the point, "Senior, what do you think about the Imperial Observatory?"

"The Imperial Observatory? Tell me, what's your opinion?"

The Holy Dragon Lord seemed completely unsurprised by Su Ping's question, as if he had anticipated this moment.

"It's like this..."

Su Ping proceeded to explain the situation once again. On the other end of the phone, the Holy Dragon Lord didn't say much, merely responding with a casual 'hm' before asking, "If that's the case..."

Su Ping then said, "Given the current situation, Huang Jianzheng's strength is insufficient to guarantee the safety of the secret realm. We need a powerful high-level existence to oversee it, and we also need certain authority in various places, with local forces providing necessary support in special circumstances..."

"Hmm... That makes sense. The latter is easier to handle, but for the former, Su Ping, do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"

The Holy Dragon Lord continued his nonchalant inquiry.

Su Ping scratched his head, "Well, I haven't thought about it yet."

"You haven't thought about it? The Imperial Observatory doesn't have any particularly suitable candidates at the Holy Spirit Rank. Most of them are already fulfilling their duties in various departments!"

The man's voice carried a hint of laughter.

Su Ping's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he glanced at Meng Yao, who was walking away in the distance. Fulfilling their duties? No suitable candidates?

Before he could ponder further, the Holy Dragon Lord spoke again from the phone, "Alright, I agree to the second matter. I'll also inform the local leaders in your name that they should provide more support to the Imperial Observatory if needed.

As for finding a Holy Spirit Rank existence to oversee the Imperial Observatory, I can't help you with that. But I recall that you're also from the Imperial Observatory, right? This task is up to you.

Find a suitable person to oversee it, and let me know when you've done so."

After saying this, the man abruptly ended the call.

Su Ping, with a furrowed brow, was deep in thought.

What did he mean by asking me to find someone? Although Su Ping knew many Holy Spirit Rank Beastmasters, including Sang Sheng and Lord Leng, he hadn't maintained close contact with some of them.

But how should he go about finding someone?

He didn't understand, but he knew that the man on the phone had spoken with deep intent.

What was the hidden meaning? What did he truly mean?

Meanwhile, in the Imperial City of the Loong Kingdom.

Inside the Hall of Time.

The man put down the phone, his gaze shifting to the book in his hand, as if Su Ping's call had caused no disturbance in him.

Beside him, a peculiar half-human, half-dragon creature yawned and glanced at the man, "What are you doing? Why the rush? Are you pushing this boy too hard?"

The man ignored him and continued flipping through the book in his hand.

This book was not an ancient cultivation manual, nor was it a typical book. It was a special notebook filled with clippings from newspapers, dating back more than two decades ago: A Journey through Newspaper Clippings

The man's book contained clippings from newspapers, each piece seemingly stained with blood:

'New Calendar 203, the He Dong Luo family was destroyed. The Luo family's lineage dates back to the mid-Liang Dynasty, spanning nearly 500 years, specializing in water element spirits... During this period, the family was known for its Sacred Weapon Beasts.

New Calendar 201, the Minyue Xu family was annihilated. The Xu family's lineage began in the early New Calendar era, lasting about 200 years. They specialized in the Sacred Weapon Beast, the Water Elemental Sprite...

New Calendar 204...

The man's gaze quickly fixed on a particular clipping.

New Calendar 204, the Jianghai Dong family's branch was eliminated, and the main lineage was stripped of all positions. The Dong family's lineage dates back to the late Liang Dynasty, spanning nearly 300 years. They specialized in space-type Sacred Weapon Beasts, including the Hall of Mirrors and the Holy Spirit Rank, the Mirror of the Heavens...

After a few moments, the man withdrew his gaze and finally spoke, "This kid is too lazy, and he often doesn't realize the extent of his influence. I'm just helping him get used to it.

"The boy is lazy?" The man paused, shaking his head. "With the emergence of the Dragon Bamboo, if things go smoothly, it can increase the combat power of Dragon City several times faster."

Not to mention the future potential of the Dragon Bamboo, with new discoveries almost every few months. If all the breeders in the Breeder Association were this 'lazy', that would be great."

Beside him, the Candle Dragon pouted.

"Are you in a hurry?"

The man's pupils gradually deepened:

"I am a bit anxious. I can't afford to be patient in this situation."

The Candle Dragon frowned:

"You are now a legendary tenth-tier, with the Holy Dragon and White Tiger present, and the others are no less impressive. From the perspective of longevity, you have no worries for the next hundred years or more. Why take the risk of trying?"

The man smiled, "A hundred years? I'm not even willing to wait ten years! Elder Candle, don't you know that one should always strive for progress and never stop? I've been waiting for too long already."

Especially in this ever-changing world, if I delay any further, how can I protect this country and Dragon City in this era?"

The Candle Dragon pursed her lips, and on her dragon face that resembled a human, a complex expression appeared:

"Ah Xuan, you've worked hard."

The man didn't pay attention, and soon refocused his gaze on the book pages. At the same time, between his eyebrows, a dragon seal slowly condensed, like a five-clawed divine dragon about to take flight.

...

Su Ping put down the phone.

Frowning in deep thought.

At the same time, the Thunder Wing Demon returned,

Meng Yao jumped down from the sky, shrugging:

"The frequency of space rifts has indeed decreased, but as Huang Jianzheng said, the space is still extremely unstable. Countless gateways to unknown spaces appear, without fully forming true space vortices. The situation is very chaotic."

"And that gravity is extremely exaggerated! Even the Thunder Wing Demon has to reduce its flying speed significantly. If it were some low-level flying creatures, they probably couldn't even move."

Su Ping nodded but didn't pay much attention. He was actually not that interested in this secret realm itself.

As Huang Tianbing said, from the perspective of the Loong Kingdom and the Imperial Observatory, the problem is indeed quite significant.

At this moment, he finally understood what the Holy Dragon Legend meant by what he had said.

After a brief moment of thought, he dialed another phone number. However, this number belonged to a special life form.'

"Hello, Su Ping, why are you calling me? Have you run out of those teleportation mirrors?"

A somewhat exaggerated voice sounded.

It was none other than the only Sacred-level bonded beast in the Dong family, the Mirror Ancestor of the Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms.

Su Ping smiled slightly:

"Mirror Ancestor, I need your help. Do you have time..."

Twenty minutes later, a spatial fluctuation flashed, and a palm-sized mirror appeared out of thin air before everyone's eyes.

"Mirror Ancestor, it's been a long time!"

Su Ping greeted the mirror with a smile.

Inside the mirror, the Mirror Ancestor, in the form of a pink-haired anime girl, appeared again: "Hello, Su Ping, and everyone from the Loong Kingdom."

Everyone looked at the mirror.

The Dong family's only remaining Sacred-level guardian!

It seemed to be the only thing keeping the Dong family's reputation as a prestigious family.

After the greetings, Su Ping, accompanied by the Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms, finally arrived at the peak of the mountain.

As expected, just getting close, Su Ping felt an indescribable sense of oppression. This gravitational pressure was extremely uncomfortable! Fortunately, the Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms was helpful.

After hearing Su Ping's request, the Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms did not refuse.

Su Ping's theory was correct.

The secret realm was directly related to spatial abilities.

The Sacred-level existence in space had a more acute perception of the secret realm than anyone else,

and it was also more convenient.

In Huang Tianbing's astonished gaze,

the palm-sized mirror surface of the Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms slightly locked onto one of the space vortices on the mountain peak.

Inside the mirror, it directly passed through space, and the scene beyond the spatial passage appeared before their eyes.

This was a peak.

"Huh? This secret realm is quite interesting!"

The voice of the Mirror Saint came through.

Without Su Ping's urging, the Mirror Saint looked at the remaining entrances. This time, beyond the entrance, was a shattered and dark space rift.

"The space is very fragmented. No wonder the little guy from the Imperial Observatory couldn't get in. This secret realm is extremely special and bizarre! It seems not to be a single one but rather like something shattered!"

The Mirror Saint spoke, and the mirror surface suddenly emitted a brilliant light, covering all the space vortex entrances on the entire mountain peak.

And in the next moment, something even more unexpected happened to Huang Tianbing.

In this mirror image, everything was perfectly reflected.

The Mirror of the Ten Thousand Realms!

This name was fully embodied by the Mirror Saint.

Countless space vortices revealed a seemingly shattered, yet slowly merging secret realm.

However, the secret realm in the image was still extremely simple.

Even the ground beneath their feet was no different.

Indeed, it was still a mountain!

There was only one peak and a seemingly man-made staircase.

The staircase extended, with tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of steps.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

In this secret realm, there was truly nothing else! Only the mountain before them.

Of course, there were also some earth and gold element spirit bonded beasts on the mountain.

It was just that there weren't many of them.

Moreover, they were quite peculiar, all standing still as if asleep.

What kind of world was this? However, before he could take a closer look, the image on the Mirror Saint's body slowly faded away.

The pink-haired 2D girl reappeared:

"Su Ping, this secret realm is a bit special. The only thing we can be certain of is that this secret realm is relatively stable. Its space appears shattered, but its core is extremely stable."

Su Ping was a little confused by this: "Senior, what do you mean?"

The girl in the mirror scratched her head:

"It means this secret realm itself is damaged. It was split from a special world, and there are traces of violent shattering at the edges of the space.

This causes the 'door' of the secret realm to be in disarray when the world changes and these secret realms appear.

It's like a drafty house with a solid foundation, but all the doors and windows are broken, so the wind blows in relentlessly. And if there's no external interference, it might take some time to repair it."

Su Ping now had a general understanding.

He opened his mouth, and in the next second, a spatial barrier appeared, enclosing Su Ping and the Mirror of All Heavens.

This separated them from the rest, and Meng Yao frowned, but seeing that nothing unusual happened to Su Ping and the mirror, he relaxed.

Su Ping hadn't expected the Mirror Saint to take action so suddenly.

"Senior, this is..."

"I have something to tell you."

Su Ping was taken aback: "That's perfect, I also have something I'd like to ask you for help with!"

The Mirror Saint suddenly said:

"This secret realm, Su Ping, is probably not simple! If my guess is correct, this should be a circulating secret realm entrance!

Moreover, this is at least a Saint-level Beastmaster's secret realm. If possible, I can repair the entrance and even move its location!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ping's eyes lit up: "What do you mean?"

"This secret realm entrance can be transferred to your Heart of All Souls. Of course, it will take some time and certain resources."

It was indeed so!

Su Ping blinked, and as his realm and abilities improved, so did his vision. He had witnessed many secret realm entrance transfers.

He had seen the transfers in the Demon Capital Academy, the Beastmaster Association, and the Jianghai Academy.

However, the more Su Ping knew, the more he realized that transferring a secret realm entrance wasn't difficult.

What was difficult was finding a secret realm that could be transferred and was also a circulating secret realm, which was extremely rare and precious.

He hadn't expected that the one before him could do it?

"Of course, when the time comes, just tell me how many resources you need, and I'll definitely fulfill your request. If you have any demands from the Dong family, you can also let me know. You've helped me so much!"

"Hehe, I'm just mentioning it to you. You can go and communicate with the Imperial Observatory later. But it will take some time!

Alright, what did you want to ask me?"

The Mirror of All Heavens spoke up.

Su Ping pursed his lips:

"It's indeed about the Imperial Observatory. It's like this, I just mentioned it to Saint Dragon,

and we decided to enhance the Imperial Observatory's domestic status. Aside from the cooperation of various local departments, the most important thing is to have a Saint-level presence stationed there!

As you know, many Saint-level experts in the country are dedicated to their respective duties, and from what I can see, your understanding of space is unparalleled! So, I think if you were to take charge of the Imperial Observatory, it would be well-deserved! You and the Dong family would also be contributing to the Loong Kingdom! What do you think?"

The Dong family, contributing to the Loong Kingdom?

The Mirror of All Heavens was stunned, seemingly not expecting Su Ping to say such words.

For the past twenty years, the remaining Beastmaster families had not touched upon any of the Loong Kingdom's real power departments.

But now, what had it heard? Su Ping was inviting it to the Imperial Observatory, and even as the strongest force to lead it? It was momentarily bewildered.

"Su Ping, this..."

Su Ping blinked:

"Rest assured, you've seen the situation at the Imperial Observatory. Huang Jianzheng has been eagerly waiting for a powerful backer to take charge. Your abilities are beyond doubt! Moreover, ordinary secret realms won't hinder you, and you'll have a certain degree of autonomy.

You also know that although there have been numerous secret realms in recent years, with some risks, the rewards are also significant. You can handle it as you see fit."

The Mirror of All Heavens also fell into deep thought.

After living for so many years, when such words were spoken, it keenly sensed the uniqueness of the situation.

However, precisely because of this, it didn't immediately agree to any promises but nodded:

"I need to go back and discuss this with the Dong family."

"That's natural."

The spatial barrier dissipated, leaving everyone puzzled, as the Saint-level Mirror Ancestor seemed a bit distracted.

What had these two secretly discussed? Others didn't know, but the Mirror Saint was very clear.

Because it had just realized.

If it agreed and took up the position at the Imperial Observatory with its bonded beast,

would its decision to 'give' this circulating special secret realm to this young man be a bit hasty?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end