Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Chapter 264: The Enormous Naturally Formed Cave Heaven

Sensing the atmosphere in the main hall had settled, Ji Mingxiu solemnly announced, "Holy Son Jiang Chen has declared that the moment the secondary gate opens, we must seize the opportunity to enter!"

"Given multiple secondary gates exist, other entities will undoubtedly try to gain entry through alternative gates!"

"These intruders will inevitably create obstacles for Holy Son Jiang Chen, putting at risk his chances of seizing the opportunities. We are duty-bound to assist Holy Son Jiang Chen in navigating and neutralizing these challenges."

Concluding his address, he said, "Now, let's determine who among us is privileged to enter the Cave Heaven." He then proceeded to initiate the selection of candidates.

...

Meanwhile, in the remaining three major domains, whether guided by Heavenly Fate or due to some mysterious force, the other secondary gates to the Cave Heaven appeared near the most influential organizations within each domain, much like the situation in the Everflowing Truth Domain.

In the Ninth Heaven Domain, the dominant force was none other than the Nine Heavens Tower!

Outside the Nine Heavens Tower headquarters, a massive gray vortex lazily rotated, signifying the location of another secondary gate to the Cave Heaven.

However, this gate's emergence stirred a palpable sense of dread and unease among all members of the Nine Heavens Tower, from the top echelons to the lowest ranks.

"Quick, look! A gray vortex is forming outside!" someone cried out in alarm.

"By the gods, it must be the legendary spatial passage! How terrifying!"

"How can such a vast spatial passage appear right outside our sect? Could it be a scheme by the Nether Demon Clan to seize the Nine Heavens Tower?"

"This is critical. The Immortal Martial Continent has already seen two domains fall to the ruthless invasion of the Nether Demon Clan. Are we, in the Ninth Heaven Domain, next?"

"The might of our Ninth Heaven Domain is on par with that of the Vibrant Blaze Domain, and we're clearly no match for the Nether Demon Clan. We must make haste to evacuate!"

Each cultivator from the Nine Heavens Tower gazed in horror at the looming gray spatial passage, feeling as if they were on the brink of an apocalypse.

Engulfed by a wave of terror, many cultivators hastily began preparations to desert the sect.

At the core of the Nine Heavens Tower's headquarters loomed an awe-inspiring pagoda. With its many layers of eaves and countless floors, it exuded a grandeur comparable to a towering mountain peak.

From the pagoda's highest level, Lu An, the current leader of the Nine Heavens Tower, scrutinized the assembled cultivators below him, his expression a mix of gravity and solemnity. "The spatial passage appeared without any prior warning," he declared.

"It chose to manifest right on the doorstep of our Nine Heavens Tower headquarters!"

His eyes sweeping across the ashen faces of the cultivators, he asked, tinged with a trace of desperation, "What are your thoughts on how we should proceed?"

It was clear that even Lu An regarded the looming vortex as a potential gateway for a demonic invasion!

A Dao Palace realm expert took a deep breath before asserting, "We cannot abandon our ancestral heritage."

"Nor can we forsake the countless residents of the Ninth Heaven Domain."

With steely determination, he urged, "Lord Lu, we must hold our ground to the bitter end!"

Another Dao Palace realm powerhouse interjected, "No! Our focus should be on fortifying ourselves for a higher causeto combat the Nether Demon Clan!"

"Take note: in the Everflowing Truth Domain, the Purple Heaven Holy Land reigns supreme. They've already defeated the Nether Demon Clan. We could seek their powerful protection!"

"As it stands, the Purple Heaven Holy Land is preparing to host the 'Number One Prodigy of the Immortal Martial Continent' event. Should one of us triumph, our Nine Heavens Tower could very well ascend in prestige and even overshadow the Purple Heaven Holy Land..." he mused thoughtfully.

"This is preposterous!" another voice erupted in disbelief.

"We can't possibly follow such a strategy!"

"Moreover, even thinking about usurping the Purple Heaven Holy Land is sheer nonsense."

A fervent debate erupted among the cultivators gathered below.

The Nine Heavens Tower was home to a total of three Dao Palace realm powerhouses. Besides Tower Lord Lu An, the two other figures were the ones currently engaged in this intense dispute.

As it was, these two Dao Palace realm authorities harbored opposing opinions. The tension between them had escalated to a boiling point, their faces flushed in the heat of argument.

Meanwhile, Lu An stood aside, his feeling of helplessness intensifying amidst the escalating chaos.

Much like the Nine Heavens Tower in the Ninth Heaven Domain, the dominant power in the Wind Gold Domain also found itself in a quandary.

Faced with the menace of the demon race, they lacked confidence, yet their unwillingness to capitulate ignited heated debates among their members.

Over in the Vibrant Blaze Domain, its premier sect, the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect, had fallen into the clutches of the demons, becoming a horrifying stronghold.

From the sect master to the outermost disciples, the remaining members had been warped into demonic cultivators!

This tragedy was not an isolated case. Other groups within the domain were meeting a similar dark fate, undergoing demonization one after the other.

Nearly everyone had been turned into soulless puppets, their free will usurped by the Nether Soul Demon Clan.

At this moment, a spatial passage materialized outside the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect.

Even the Nether Soul Demon Clan couldn't decipher the true purpose behind this enigmatic portal.

Nevertheless, they wasted no time in disagreement and swiftly sent their puppet cultivators into the passage to explore.

However, none of the demonic cultivators who ventured inside managed to report back, as though they had met their end.

Abruptly, the demon race forces within the Vibrant Blaze Domain were cast into a state of indecision, unsure whether to risk dispatching more souls into the cryptic passage.

...

At this juncture, Jiang Chen, Wu Qian, Gu Ran, and Liu Xiong had successfully traversed the spatial gateway, entering the Mysterious Cave Dwelling.

The air vibrated with a humming sound.

Amid faint tremors, Jiang Chen and Wu Qian exploded out of the grey spatial gateway in succession, landing securely on the ground.

The moment Jiang Chen emerged from the spatial passage, he swiftly expanded his divine sense, scanning a vast area within the cave dwelling.

Beneath him lay a sprawling grassland, tinged with shades of yellow and green. In this area, a handful of small animals and demonic beasts had managed to survive.

In the distance, towering mountains extended in one direction, a boundless ocean unfolded in another, while dense forests dominated the remaining quadrants.

Even further afield, the landscape morphed once more.

Beyond that, the view became hazy and indistinct.

Stretching his divine sense to its utmost limit, Jiang Chen was immediately stunned. 'What is going on? I can't see any further?'

'Is this Cave Heaven so incredibly expansive that even my divine sense can't fathom its full scope?' he marveled.

The sheer vastness of this Cave Heaven was genuinely awe-inspiring.

Even though his Transcendence realm divine sense could span a radius of a million kilometers, Jiang Chen found he could only grasp a fragment of the Cave Heaven's total expanse.

"Unbelievable!" Wu Qian gasped, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and disbelief. "Who could possess the power to create such a Cave Heaven? Its enormity is staggeringit's like its own small world!"

"Is it possible that this is the creation of a mighty cultivator at the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path?" he wondered aloud, deeply awestruck.

A Cave Heaven is a specially crafted sub-space, fashioned by a cultivator at the Third Step of the Cultivation Path. It is tethered to the vast Immortal Martial Continent through a unique technique.

The most basic Cave Heavens function at the Heavenly Origin rank and span a radius of merely ten kilometers.

Normally, these constructed sub-spaces aren't exceptionally large, their usual size ranging from hundreds to thousands of kilometers in radius.

Currently, the existence of a Cave Heaven with a radius exceeding one million kilometers is an extraordinarily rare phenomenon, bordering on the unprecedented.

In Wu Qian's eyes, only a powerhouse at the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path could be capable of crafting a Cave Heaven of such colossal dimensions.

Suddenly, Nangong Wan's voice echoed in Jiang Chen's sea of consciousness. "This Cave Heaven is naturally occurring, not the handiwork of any being!"

"Even with our advanced levels of cultivation, both Shangguan Ning and I lack the ability to manifest, let alone sustain, a dimensional space of such immense scale."

'So, this Cave Heaven formed naturally,' Jiang Chen realized, a sense of relief washing over him.

'Given that it was shaped by the formidable cosmic forces, its staggering vastness is understandable,' he mused internally.

While man-made Cave Heavens like Immortal Tian Cui's Cave Heaven Secret Realm harbored the risk of instability and potential disintegration, naturally occurring Cave Heavens were notably more stable, and their collapse was a rare event.

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