Each forbidden zone had a special environment.

    Some had high temperatures, while others were icy wastelands. There were also zones filled with demonic energy.

    Thus each forbidden zone nurtured unique Spiritual herbs or fruits because of its environment.

    Nearly a decade ago, when Tianyu Empress entered the Secret Realm, she discovered that the Thousand-Year Silver Lotus Heart Fruit was growing in this forbidden zone.

    As a fourth-grade heavenly treasure, its value was immeasurable.

    According to rumours refining the Thousand-Year Silver Lotus Heart Fruit could even allow a Golden Core cultivator to easily break through to the Nascent stage.

    However, at that time the fruit was not yet ripe. Its silvery skin still had a faint blue tinge, signaling its immaturity.

    So plucking it prematurely would have been foolish, risking the ruin of such a precious treasure.

    Ultimately the Empress had no choice but to leave it behind.

    Not to mention the presence of the peak Foundation Establishment beast and its kin made retrieving the fruit even more challenging.

    Had it not been for her special treasure, she might not have even spotted it from a safe distance.

    Now, finally after a decade, the Thousand-Year Silver Lotus Heart Fruit was about to mature.

    The Empress, knowing the time was right, sent her daughter to retrieve it.

    And Princess Iris, who rarely ventured outside the Royal Palace, entered the Secret Realm on her mother''s orders.

    As for the other Princes, the Empress didn''t trust them. Since the Empire''s situation was gradually deteriorating, they might use this fruit as leverage to hire a Nascent Monarch to get the Thrown.

    As for Prince Zhan''s arrival, Iris had a feeling that Silver Moon Empire sent him to verify the rumours about the Emperor.

    But she was sure that he didn''t know Iris''s real objective. So when he asked her if he could accompany, she didn''t refuse.

    She wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of him. After all, deaths were extremely common inside a Secret Realm.

    As for whether the Silver Moon Empire would suspect her later, she didn''t care.

    Unlike the demonic sects, the Royal Family''s tracking system was even more terrifying. Each member of the royal bloodline carried a soul mark left by a Nascent Monarch. This mark could capture the image of their killer and send it directly to the Monarch''s soul.

    However, the Secret Realm''s Space Law could disrupt this connection, providing a perfect opportunity for Princess Iris to eliminate Prince Zhan without fear of repercussion.

    But she still had another problem. She didn''t know how strong Prince Zhan truly was. Additionally, there was his guard, a man with one eye.

    So she needed another person in case anything went wrong. And given that men usually thought from their "lower brain", so as soon as she entered the cave and saw a Cultivator with Foundation Establishment stage, she knew she could use this guy if she just seduced a bit.

    So she personally went to get to know this person. But when she got closer, she was taken aback by how attractive he really was. She even noticed that her body felt strange as she got closer to him.

    The beast was truly massive — five meters long and three meters tall at the shoulder. Its thick white fur had blue patterns.

    But the giant leopard was not alone. Surrounding it were at least a hundred smaller snow leopards, each at peak Qi Gathering stages.

    "Grooowl~" "Grrrowl~"

    Their eyes glowed with an eerie blue light as they growled menacingly at the intruders.

    "It seems we can''t ambush it like the last time..." Prince Zhan said, pulling out a long black spear.

    "It doesn''t matter. As long as we can kill their leader, others will run away. Not to mention, it is also injured."

    "Princess is right. Both of us will attack it from its left while Lucian and my guard will take care of the right side, what do you say?" Zhan commanded.

    She nodded at Prince Zhan, then flew towards the giant snow leopard. Her violet hair streamed behind her as she soared through the icy air. Prince Zhan followed close behind, his golden robes fluttering.

    The one-eyed man turned to Lucian, his voice deep and threatening, "Don''t hold me back, boy."

    Then he too took to the air, flying towards the right side of the beast.

    Lucian smirked coldly. At last, he could stop pretending to be weak.

    "ROARRRR!!"

    As they approached, the colossal snow leopard let out a deafening roar. The sound shook the mountain, suddenly spewing a icicle towards the Iris.

    The other beasts also sprang into action, their eyes glowing with an icy blue light. They leapt towards the group of cultivators, fangs bared and claws extended.

    Princess Iris gracefully dodged the icicle, her violet robes swirling around her. She raised her hand, and a brilliant purple light erupted from her palm. As it touched the snow leopard, the beast howled in pain, its fur sizzling where the dust landed.

    Prince Zhan twirled his black spear, brown energy coiling around the weapon. With a shout, he thrust the spear forward, sending a wave of earth spikes towards the giant snow leopard.

    The one-eyed man was throwing fireballs to cause as much damage as posible.

    As for Lucian, he was also using a common Fire spell, materialising fire-spears to attack.

    Without any support, after an incense stick of time, the beast''s body was riddled with wounds, blood staining its white fur crimson, and its breathing came in ragged gasps.

    Lucian''s crimson eyes shone brightly as the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

    Suddenly, the massive snow leopard opened its maw wide. A blinding blue light gathered in its throat, condensing rapidly. This was the beast''s last-ditch effort – the energy it had been accumulating for nearly a half a thousand years to form its Core.

    But the Realm''s limitations prevented it from breaking through.

    "ROOOOAR!!" Experience new stories with empire

    Whoosh!

    With a deafening roar, the beast released the concentrated energy directly at Prince Zhan and Iris''s location.