My Celestial Ascension

A couple of minutes later, Yuan and his wives arrived at the ancient ruin, hovering above as they gazed down. Yuan and his wives spotted a few people around the entrance to the ancient treasury and near the entrance to the Secret Realm.

"Who are these people? What are they doing here?" Yuan mumbled, looking at the group below with a confused and curious expression, wondering what they were doing at the ancient ruin.

This place isn't one where mortals should roam. This ruin was once home to a powerful sect, filled with formidable geniuses and immortals capable of destroying mountains with a mere wave of their hands.

Valeria focused her gaze on a few individuals who seemed to be supervising the others, accompanied by several guards.

"From the insignia on their armor and clothes, they belong to the Roth Family, and the people working in the ruin seem to be a team of archaeologists…" Valeria said, instantly recognizing the insignia. She was surprised to see a team of archaeologists working in such a place.

"I wonder what they're doing here, though. After all, there's nothing valuable left for them—I've already cleaned this place out," Yuan replied, watching the Roth family members as they ordered and supervised the archaeologist team.

"It looks like they're searching for something," Lily added, her eyes filled with curiosity as she gazed at the people below from the sky.

"The Roth Family, huh? A bunch of hypocrites, like a pack of hyenas…" Anna Grace mumbled, recalling their past encounters with members of the Roth Family.

"Indeed. Their greed knows no bounds—they want everything they set their eyes on. I despise people like them!" Rose's expression turned cold and murderous before she sighed. "Well, we should go down and handle our business. It's best to avoid any trouble."

"You're right. We have more important things to do inside the Secret Realm, and wasting time with these mortals is pointless," Yuan nodded before they slowly descended to the ground.

As Yuan and his wives landed, the Roth family members were busy inspecting items they had collected from the ruin. The complex designs and symbols left even the archaeologists puzzled.

The symbols were mysterious and intricate, as if they didn't belong to this world at all, but rather a completely different one.

"Have you figured out what these containers with strange symbols are used for, Mr. Walton? They look ancient, probably tens of thousands of years old," asked a handsome young man with golden-brown hair and a creepy smile.

"To be honest, Young Master Roth, we haven't been able to determine the purpose of these containers… Please forgive us, but there are no records of such items," the head of the archaeologist team, Mr. Walton, replied with a heavy sigh.

"But we did find something very mysterious inside these containers…" Mr. Walton continued.

"Oh? And what was inside them? An ancient remedy? A potion capable of granting immortality?" Young Master Roth immediately perked up, cutting Mr. Walton off in his excitement.

"Young Master Roth, please stop fantasizing about such things—there are no potions inside those containers," Mr. Walton said with an irritated expression, astonished at how the young master of the Roth family was so hungry for power and wealth.

"What?! There aren't any potions? Then what was inside them?" Young Master Roth demanded.

"Well, we found mysterious round objects inside the containers. But as soon as we took them out to examine them, something strange happened—they all turned to dust."

Young Master Roth looked at Mr. Walton in shock. His expression darkened, and the air around him grew cold.

Despite spending thousands of gold coins on this expedition, it seemed that whatever they had discovered turned out to be utterly useless. Young Master Roth realized that all the money he had invested had been wasted.

'This is bad! Father will be furious with me for spending so much money for nothing… especially now, with my half-brother missing along with his friends…' Young Master Roth's frustration grew. Aside from the mysterious scraps of metal, he hadn't found anything of real value.

"But Young Master, we still have several containers left. Only a few have turned out to be duds. Please, don't be disheartened," Mr. Walton said, noticing the frustration on the young master's face. The scraps of metal they had found were unlike anything he'd ever seen.

"You're right. We still have those mysterious metal pieces we found in the chamber. They should fetch a high price, considering how rare metals like these are," Young Master Roth nodded, his anger calming slightly. However, he remained frustrated that he hadn't found something that could directly increase his strength.

In the Roth family, where many young heirs competed, only the strong and successful would have a chance to become the head of the family. He needed to strengthen himself and solidify his position as a successor.

"Whoa! Look, someone's coming this way!"

A shout from one of the archaeologists interrupted Young Master Roth's thoughts. The entire group turned to see Yuan and his wives approaching the massive stone gate at the heart of the ruin. The archaeologists and others were stunned by the beauty of Yuan's wives.

"Look! So many beautiful women, each as stunning as a goddess… and they're all with that one guy."

"I've never seen so many beautiful women together… Wait a minute, I think I recognize one of them…"

"I-Isn't that woman with the scar on her face the famous Ruthless Lioness? The elder sister of the current Emperor?"

"Indeed, it's her—the renowned War General Valeria, who has won countless battles against powerful magical monsters that threatened the people of this land."

The archaeologists immediately recognized Valeria, her fame spreading across the continent, making her easily identifiable with just a glance.

Young Master Roth, hearing the commotion near the massive stone gate, turned his head. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the approaching women, their beauty leaving him mesmerized.

'Incredible… Who are these people, and what are they doing here in this abandoned ruin?' Young Master Roth wondered, captivated by the beauty of Yuan's wives and curious about their presence.

Meanwhile, Yuan and his wives ignored the curious gazes of the strangers, focusing solely on the towering stone gate emitting strong waves of spiritual energy.

"So this is the entrance to the Secret Realm, huh? It's gigantic and quite magnificent… I'm amazed that this structure is still standing after tens of thousands of years," Mireya murmured, her eyes wide with awe as she gazed at the towering stone gate.

"It's a treasure," Xi Meili explained calmly, studying the intricate symbols etched into the stone. "Such structures can endure almost forever unless destroyed. However, to achieve that, one would need to be in the Divine Realm of cultivation. Only a powerhouse at that level could damage this gate."

She continued, "But a Divine Realm cultivator can't exist in this world. This world can only hold Spirit Lord-level powerhouses. If a Divine-level powerhouse were to descend here, they would be forcefully expelled."

"So, we don't need to worry about encountering anyone that powerful," Xi Meili added before turning to Yuan. "The Secret Realm is about to open. Be prepared. We may get separated inside, so be cautious. Danger lurks around every corner."

As she spoke, the spiritual energy in the surrounding atmosphere was drawn toward the stone gate, like air being sucked into a vacuum. The ripples of spiritual energy emanating from the gate grew stronger with each passing moment.

Before they could fully focus on the gate, a voice interrupted them, dripping with condescension. "Excuse me, ladies, but can someone explain why such beautiful women like you are sticking to a pathetic loser like him and wandering around in a place like this?"

Yuan and his wives turned to face the source of the voice, their eyes instantly locking onto the Young Master of the Roth Family. Their gazes were cold and filled with murderous intent.

"Don't you have any manners?" Valeria's voice was as icy as her stare. "How could you speak so venomously about someone you've never even met? Is this how your family teaches the younger generation? Pathetic."

"You—" The Young Master Roth began, but before he could finish, Mr. Walton stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation.

"L-Lady Valeria, what brings someone as esteemed as you to this desolate place? Were you sent to inspect these ruins?" Mr. Walton asked, bowing his head in respect. His heart pounded in his chest, sensing the deadly aura surrounding Valeria.

"Oh, you recognize me. Interesting," Valeria responded, her tone still cold. "Regardless, we have no business with any of you, so back off."

Just as she finished speaking, the ground beneath them began to tremble, as if a powerful earthquake had struck. Everyone felt the vibrations, their eyes widening in alarm.

"Oh, it's happening… Everyone, get ready to enter the gate!" Yuan exclaimed, a mix of excitement and nerves in his voice.

Suddenly, the center of the stone gate, which had been hollow and allowed them to see through to the other side, shattered like fragile glass, sending shards cascading around them.