Chapter 233 - 233 214 Inside the Secret Realm

Words : 2147 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Chapter 233 of "How Am I Still Alive?" kicks off with thrilling moments: 233: Chapter 214: Inside the Secret Realm 233: Chapter 214: Inside the Secret Realm For... Read more!

233: Chapter 214: Inside the Secret Realm 233: Chapter 214: Inside the Secret Realm For the “Xia Qin” of Special Service Team Three in the ancient city of Zion, today was definitely a bad day. Her body had become paralyzed, two bloody streaks under her eyes, both spirit and flesh pushed to their limits, her spiritual power almost drained, and the opponent in front of her seemed impossible to defeat. “How did a low-level pollution incident turn into this…?” Her body was numb from the pain, and her spirit had already reached its breaking point. White teeth gnashed into bleeding lips, Xia Qin, in agony, brought back her focus with much difficulty. Taking just one look at reality almost made her want to close her eyes again. Was this really an enemy that a 2-tier Secret Keeper like her could handle? “…The Balance Disaster Beast, Kerdalais, the ‘Lord of Thousands of Greeds’, why would it be here…” This was like a police officer encountering an international terrorist. The world before her had been completely transformed into another realm, with a divine giant beast on the stage. Yes, divine. The oak throne exuded a natural incense, the pure white sacred beast lying on it, its face filled with compassion and love. Its body seemed like wood but not wood, like flesh yet transcending flesh. The holy oak patterns on its skin connected to its tiger stripes, its fur resembling sacred mural paintings, while its twisted deer-like antlers emitted a sacred radiance. Just one glance was enough to know that this was not an opponent a mortal could handle. As a backdrop, the classic circular arena appeared to be in disrepair, with crumbling walls and broken carvings; the walkways covered with parasitic plants, the brick and stone seats all decayed, while the audience seats were packed. But enjoying the performance were all sorts of bizarre assembled monsters and twisted shadows. On the main stage sat a saddened Kerdalais, and the leading performer was the tragic human… Two Secret Keepers brutally fought each other, firearms and swords creating wounds and plagues. The middle-aged one, clutching his wounded chest, was forced into a desperate corner by his younger apprentice. Watching the master and disciple killing each other, the huge beast-like head of the tiger showed a merciful humanity, as if witnessing a tragedy of human compassion… if only it were not the cause of all this! “Lovely Liu Ye, you are indeed the best newcomer of Zion last year. Your ‘potential’ is far stronger than your master, and your life is far more brilliant than his. I’m happy to see you survive. Go on, the sinner who killed his master. Give your master the final blow and tell him that his era is over, and you will inherit all his happiness and live on…” The giant beast enticed the mortal in a lamenting tone, and at the same time, stirred up the atmosphere of the arena. But Xia Qin, as an observer, knew that this was the temptation of the devil, and it was only the beginning of misfortune. “Great Mother Tree, I, Rusty Axe Yueyun, am willing to offer ten years of my life in exchange for power…” The man’s hoarse and deep voice echoed and, under the power of the Tree of Life, filled the entire small world. The rules of the Secret Realm were triggered, with the duelists actively exchanging their lives for power. “Boom!” The ancient revolver fired a dangerous magic bullet, and the young man, who had been in control, was knocked down. The “master” who had fallen to the ground stood up quietly. The wounded wounds healed directly, and the thin body suddenly grew a lot. The forty- or fifty-year-old man, now bulging with muscles, looked like a twenty-year-old strongman. The holy domain of the Mother Tree responded to any mortal’s sacrifices, and the price for the powerful power was ten years of life. But this didn’t mean the end of it all. Xia Qin closed her eyes, unable to bear watching, but she already knew how the story would unfold. “…I can also sacrifice, I’m younger…” Yes, the young man who had been knocked down was younger. He could sacrifice more of his life in exchange for more power. “Ah, excellent! Liu Ye, I knew you could do it!” The most excited one was the giant beast on the main stage. The “mother” would not refuse any child’s request, and the transaction was completed again between life and power. “No…” Rusty Axe was knocked down again, and standing in the center of the stage, basking in the spotlight, was Liu Ye, who now had the appearance of a middle-aged man! The cries of killing were right in their ears, and the malicious wind poured the screams of the victims and the pleas of the attackers into Xia Qin’s ears. When everything returned to peace, only one performer remained on stage, and… the corpse made from dry bones and mummified flesh. The “elderly” Liu Ye didn’t have the slightest joy of victory. The pain and curse eventually turned into the despair of tearful silence. As the “Balance Disaster Beast” had said, he had more “potential” than his master, more years to exchange for “power”, and thus outlived him. And his opponent had already turned into a corpse in the endless exchange deals. The survivor, with white hair and death spots, would not live much longer. The numbed “victor” was lifted up by cheering spectators, and beside him were several other “old” people who were no less appalling. They were the “winners”, the pre-ordained survivors of this festival. The arena’s cleaner (the monster) went down from the stage, carried the corpse onto the main stage, and presented it to Kerdalais for inspection. It glanced at it, nodded in satisfaction, and then signaled its followers to complete their task. The corpse was dragged to the rear of the oak throne, under the twisted flesh-and-blood tree. Then, countless flesh tentacles extended from the tree, accepting the victim’s flesh and blood and incorporating it into the tree. The mother tree was benevolent, not plundering, but giving. The lifeless corpse was revitalized under the nourishment of the “Great Tree’s” roots, becoming vibrant once more. On the giant, black ancient tree, there appeared an old human face, which was the one that kept cursing at its own disciple, “Rusty Axe”… In a certain sense, it had gained a new life, an eternal life. “The thirteenth Secret Keeper from the ancient city Zion District will eventually be caught in one fell swoop.” The special service teams arrived quickly but got stuck in the first wave. The Tree of Life was huge and sacred. Within just an hour in the “past”, it had grown from a small sapling to a towering tree; the blood and flesh of the victims nourished it, making it fruitful. Kerdalais, who was satisfied with the increasingly colossal Mother Tree Statue, nodded and cast his tiger’s head towards the next “lucky audience.” “Li Zigui!” “Li Zigui!” Unknowingly, the entire audience was shouting the same name. “Li Zigui of Special Service Team Five from the ancient city Zion District, tell the Great Mother Tree and her adorable child devotees who you want to challenge, or, you choose to let Mother arrange the most suitable opponent for you…” In the cage, another unlucky Secret Keeper looked desperate. He searched for help from his companions, but they avoided meeting his eyes. “10, 9, 8…” Everyone knew that when the countdown was over, the arena would choose the opponent that would cause him the most pain, just like the poor Liu Ye and his disciple. They also knew that avoiding and delaying was meaningless, as their countdown would inevitably reach the end. From the moment they entered the Quasi-God level Secret Realm and faced the Quasi-God level opponents who were impossible to defeat, the outcome had already been decided. Selecting a weaker opponent, even if you win, would lead to the double consequences of “aging death” and “social death” after going out. Wait for the Mother Tree to arrange for you a “most dazzling opponent for your life”? From Liu Ye’s experience, it might be worse than dying on the spot. Perhaps it was because Xia Qin had good luck, or perhaps the duelist selection was indeed as she had guessed, ordered by age from oldest; the young Xia Qin hadn’t been chosen yet and could only watch the desperate matches unfold thirteen times. “… Are there any rules in this Secret Realm that we haven’t discovered yet, or is there still some hope left?” The professional training of a Secret Keeper kept “Xia Qin” unwilling to give up hope. She had received an “emergency call” earlier and, together with others, had arrived thinking it was just a low-contamination event. To dismantle a contaminated Secret Realm that had nearly reached its final stage, the most fundamental thing was to clear its unique rules, eliminate the pollution source in accordance with the rules and prevent the pollution from deteriorating and spreading further. However, this Secret Realm was created by a “Quasi-God level” mighty existence, and it itself is the source of contamination. In the Secret Keeper’s system, it is a ninth-order Quasi-God powerhouse and a world-crossing disaster. The current strongest Secret Keeper Rusty Axe was only at the third-tier, and he had already been hung on the Mother Goddess statue. The gap between the two sides was not a chasm, but a Mariana Trench. The rules of the Secret Realm were simple and crude, simply “using lifespan to exchange for power” and “one-on-one power duels, where the winner survives” for two rules. However, simple and crude rules, coupled with the chasm in strength, meant weaker characters were powerless to resist the bully from the strong. Accustomed to facing desperate situations, young “Xia Qin” didn’t give up but, seemingly trapped, she could only seek inspiration from her training. “Everyone will eventually enter death, and people like us will only be a tiny bit faster. The first lesson is to think about your tombstone because we are destined to constantly face the choices between death and desperation.” In her memory, the instructor, always wearing a smile that meant no good, finally showed a bitter expression before the end of the first lesson. “And the experienced ones in this line of work will tell you that the less you care about your own life, the better you can face the reality of impending death. The crazier you are, the more likely you are to find a way to survive in the insane and desperate death situation, and the longer you live. The way of the Sword Saint is to live through death. There is a dead end for the body, but not for the soul…” At this moment, however, to a truly desperate “Xia Qin”, the instructor’s last, profound teaching became a meaningless chicken soup for the soul. If truly fearless and willing to die, Kerdalais on the stage would’ve been slapped dead already! “Rule-level Secret Realm… Rule-level… Since it’s a rule, there must be flaws… “Xia Qin” still hasn’t given up.” Meanwhile, Lei Huoren behind her had already closed his eyes, seemingly unable to bear watching any longer and having given up hope. At this moment, the sealed entrance was opened once again, and the light spot of the “door” was right in the center of the arena. “…What are the people outside doing? Several teams have been broken, and with the loss-stopping program being implemented, how come there are still newcomers entering?” “… Could it be that a high-ranking Secret Keeper just happened to be in the ancient city?!” Watching this scene, “Xia Qin” inexplicably felt anticipation and even a weird sense of familiarity, as if someone would come in to solve everything soon… It seemed as if that person should walk in, wearing a patient gown, and casually point at the Sacred Beast above, saying “It’s you” before solving everything on their own… But dreams appeared to be just dreams… The Sacred Beast’s delighted singing interrupted her daydream. “Oh, oh, oh, look, my little darlings, they’ve brought us more participants. Come, come, sit down; it will be your turn soon.” The gray-green “wolf pack” walked in, and the crowd they herded became new participants in this “game” and, naturally, became new victims as well. Another batch of victims was born… As the others reacted with anger or fear, “Xia Qin” felt an intense sense of incongruity and disappointment, but the next moment, her mindset adjusted again. “Indeed, there are never any heroes or saviors…” “Xia Qin” mocked herself, then continued searching for hope in the dead end. What she didn’t know was that “history” had quietly changed. He was late.

Chapter 233 - 233 214 Inside the Secret Realm

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