Chapter 166: Tremor- Reactions from all sides

But despite the absurdity, the battle was clearly heating up. The leaders, Huojin and Rao, were no longer holding back.

Their weapons clashed with such force that the very ground beneath them seemed to tremble. Huojin's fiery sword met Rao's flaming mallet in a blinding explosion of sparks, each trying to overpower the other.

Ruchir couldn't help but feel a bit concerned as the intensity of the battle grew. The flames were burning hotter, and the ground was beginning to scorch under the relentless attacks.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and charred earth, and it wouldn't be long before someone got seriously hurt.

Just as Ruchir was about to step in and try to stop the fight—he had no desire to see the forest turn into a raging inferno—a sudden tremor shook the ground beneath them. The disciples on both sides stumbled, momentarily disoriented. Huojin and Rao paused mid-swing, their weapons still locked in place as they tried to regain their balance.

Then, the ground shook again, harder this time, and a deep, resonant roar echoed through the forest. It was a sound that sent chills down Ruchir's spine, a primal noise that spoke of something ancient and powerful awakening.

The battle came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound. The forest seemed to come alive with the vibrations, the trees swaying as if in fear of whatever was approaching.

Huojin and Rao, both still breathing heavily from their intense duel, exchanged uneasy glances. Whatever was coming, it was clear that their petty rivalry had suddenly become the least of their worries.

Ruchir, his hand still halfway to drawing his sword, felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. "What... what was that?" he asked, his voice low.

No one answered. The disciples of both sects stood frozen, their fiery auras dimming as the realization sank in that they might have just awakened something far more dangerous than each other.

And then, as if in response to Ruchir's question, the ground split open with a deafening crack, and from the chasm emerged a colossal creature, its roar shaking the very heavens.

The battle between the True Sun Sect and Blazing Sun Sect had suddenly been dwarfed by a new, far more terrifying challenge.

In the depths of a moss-covered valley.

A group of young cultivators, their faces marked with a mix of determination and fear, stumbled as the ground beneath them trembled violently.

"Is this... is this an earthquake?" one of them gasped, his voice quivering as much as the earth.

"No, no," their leader, a serious-looking young woman with a calm demeanor, shook her head. "This is something else. We need to stay alert—"

Before she could finish, another tremor knocked them all off their feet. The youngest of the group, barely more than a child, let out a terrified cry. "What was that sound? It was like... like a monster's roar!"

"It was a monster's roar," the leader said, her eyes narrowing. "And it's not far from here. We have to move quickly—away from the source."

"But what if it comes after us?" the youngest asked, voice trembling.

"We won't give it the chance. Now move!"

At a secluded, serene waterfall.

Two cultivators, one lounging lazily on a rock and the other meditating by the water's edge, were jolted from their peaceful reverie by the sudden, earth-shaking tremor.

"Whoa!" the one on the rock yelped, nearly losing his balance and tumbling into the water. "What the heck was that?"

The meditating cultivator opened one eye, irritation flashing across his serene features. "I was just getting into the flow... What's happening?"

"I don't know, but did you hear that roar? Sounded like something big. Like, really big."

The meditating one sighed, slowly getting to his feet. "Can't a guy catch a break around here? First, it's the trials, and now some giant beast is waking up. How typical."

"Hey, look on the bright side," the other said with a grin. "Maybe it'll scare off the competition. We might even find a few treasures left behind in their panic."

"You and your silver linings," the meditating one grumbled. "Let's just hope we don't end up as the treasure."

In a dark, ancient ruin.

A trio of cultivators carefully explored a crumbling corridor, their torches flickering as they examined the faded carvings on the walls.

"This place gives me the creeps," one of them muttered, shivering despite the warmth of the air. "Feels like something's watching us."

"Keep your wits about you," the eldest of the trio replied, his tone stern. "These ruins are full of traps, but also of secrets worth uncovering."

Just as he said this, the ground beneath them rumbled, dust falling from the ceiling as the walls seemed to groan under some invisible weight.

"What now?!" the youngest exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. "Are we gonna get buried alive?"

The eldest's eyes darkened. "Quiet. That roar... it's not from here, but it's close. Whatever it is, we need to be ready."

The third, silent until now, looked around nervously. "Maybe we should turn back. We've already found some artifacts—"

"No," the eldest cut him off. "This is what we came for. If there's something that powerful in here, imagine what kind of treasures it's guarding."

"Or what kind of death it brings," the youngest whispered under his breath, gripping his torch tighter.

In a sunlit meadow, surrounded by glowing flora.

A group of five cultivators, all seasoned and battle-hardened, stood their ground as the earth trembled beneath them. Their leader, a tall woman with a scar running down her cheek, barely flinched at the sound of the distant roar.

"Looks like the real fun's about to start," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

One of the men, a burly fellow with arms as thick as tree trunks, let out a booming laugh. "Finally! I was getting bored with all this wandering around."

A wiry man with sharp eyes glanced at the horizon. "Should we be concerned? That roar didn't sound like something we could take down easily."

"Concerned? No," the leader replied with a grin. "But we should be prepared. Whatever's out there, it's big. But remember, big doesn't always mean unbeatable."

A younger woman, standing slightly apart from the group, looked uneasy. "Maybe... maybe we should avoid it. We're here to find treasures, not to fight monsters."

"Ah, don't be such a coward," the burly man said, clapping her on the back. "This is what we live for—danger, excitement, and the chance to prove we're the best!"

The leader nodded, her eyes gleaming. "Exactly. And if we take it down, imagine the respect we'll earn. Now, let's move out."

At the edge of a cliff, overlooking a chasm.

Two lone cultivators stood in silence, their gazes fixed on the source of the distant tremor and roar.

"Do you think it's…?" the first one asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The second, an older man with a stoic expression, nodded slowly. "Yes. It's begun."

"We should warn the others," the first suggested, but there was hesitation in his tone.

The older man shook his head. "No. They must face it on their own. If they survive, they will be stronger for it. If they don't... then they weren't meant to succeed."

The younger man swallowed, fear creeping into his eyes. "But... what if we aren't strong enough?"

The older man turned to him, his expression unreadable. "Then we die with honor, having faced the greatest challenge of our lives. Now, steel yourself. Whatever happens next, we must be ready."

With that, the two stood silently, the roar echoing in the distance, as they prepared for the inevitable storm to come.

Meanwhile, Raven Master sat under the shade of a massive tree, reclining comfortably on a rock, enjoying a handful of date palms. The sweet, chewy fruit was a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding within the secret realm, but he seemed entirely unbothered by the distant tremors that occasionally shook the earth. 

He popped another date palm into his mouth, savoring the taste, before lazily glancing at the shimmering entrance to the secret realm. His keen eyes, despite their casual demeanor, took in the subtle shifts and the growing tension within. A faint rumble rolled across the land, and a low, distant roar followed, causing a few birds in the surrounding trees to take flight in alarm. 

Raven Master chuckled to himself, wiping a bit of date palm juice from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "A little trick, ha? Seems like things are heating up in there," he mused, more to himself than anyone else. He leaned back further, resting his head against the tree trunk, completely at ease.

"Ruchir must be running around in circles by now," he muttered with a smirk, picturing his disciple caught in the midst of the pandemonium. "Good. Let the boy learn a thing or two about surprises."

He reached for another date palm, casually tossing it into the air and catching it with his mouth. His expression remained relaxed, almost indifferent to the situation inside. "After all, what's the point of a secret realm if it doesn't shake you up a bit? Builds character." 

As another tremor rippled through the ground, Raven Master laughed softly to himself. "I suppose I should keep an eye on things, just in case... Nah, he'll be fine. And if not, well, there's always the next disciple."

He closed his eyes, settling back into his leisure, content to let the events inside the realm unfold without further interference, the only sound around him being the occasional crunch of a date palm.