The Secret Realm of the Azure Void

By then, he would either be dead and his Dao extinguished, reduced to a handful of yellow earth in the Soul-Severing Valley.

Or, he would have seized the Primal Chaos Five-Element Lotus, forged a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, and returned as a king.

If it were the latter...

When that time came, he would casually congratulate his master.

...

[Green Intelligence: "Ice Soul Sword Immortal" Ji Shuanghua, a true disciple prodigy of the Supreme Sword Sect, has a severe "masochistic" tendency.

Having been placed on a pedestal since childhood, she subconsciously feels that only someone who dares to trample on her is a true king.

The rougher one is with her, the higher her favorability.

The more polite one is to her, the more she thinks of them as hypocritical and cowardly.

She possesses a special physique, the Shattered Jade Sword Bone.

Only by enduring strikes beyond her limits, even the agonizing pain of her bones shattering, can she break and then stand tall, comprehending deeper sword intent.]

...

[Purple Intelligence: Shattered Jade Sword Bone]

[Time: One hour after the secret realm opens]

[Coordinates: The outer perimeter of the Blue Heaven Secret Realm, the edge of the Rotting Bone Swamp [Click to view coordinates]]

[The protective escorts of the Supreme Sword Sect have all been reduced to severed limbs. Mo Bufan, bathed in blood, is laughing maniacally as he crushes the head of the last guard under his foot.

The Supreme Sword Sect's prodigy, "Ice Soul Sword Immortal" Ji Shuanghua, stands alone at the edge of the swamp. Her white dress is stained with dust, and her natal flying sword shows cracks.

Facing her tragically deceased sect members, there is no pity in her eyes; instead, she reveals a barely perceptible trace of disgust toward these "trash" who only knew how to flatter her.

Mo Bufan shatters Ji Shuanghua's protective sword qi with his tyrannical physical strength.

He grabs Ji Shuanghua by the hair and viciously slams her against a rock, his large foot mercilessly trampling on her breathtakingly beautiful face.

Under the extreme pain and the trampling of her dignity, the special physique within Ji Shuanghua resonates violently. A trace of morbid excitement ripples in her originally cold eyes.

Ji Shuanghua completely succumbs to this brutal power. After the secret realm, she constantly thinks about Mo Bufan, willingly restraining her sword qi to become a plaything in his palm and a sharp blade for killing, henceforth falling into the demonic path.]

Gu Yang merely glanced at these two pieces of intelligence before losing interest.

"Shattered Jade Sword Bone?"

"Can only grow stronger by being trampled on?"

Gu Yang shook his head, as if he had touched upon a realm he could not comprehend.

Among the people in this world, some sought immortality, some sought power, and some sought brutality.

That Ji Shuanghua, as a prodigy of the Supreme Sword Sect, was usually unattainable and aloof, yet deep in her bones, she was a masochistic wretch.

Mo Bufan's methods happened to perfectly suit her tastes.

"If it's convenient, I might as well intercept this opportunity."

Gu Yang stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his robes.

The Primal Chaos Five-Element Lotus was the foundation of the Great Dao.

Everything else had to make way for it.

It would not be worth it to pick up a sesame seed only to lose a watermelon.

He closed the interface.

The deep blue light screen instantly shattered, turning into specks of starlight that dissipated into the darkness.

It was time to set off.

...

...

One day later.

Eastern Region, Soul-Severing Valley.

This was a famous perilous land in the Azure Cloud Continent, shrouded all year round in a layer of pale white miasma.

On both sides of the valley entrance stood two mountain peaks that pierced the clouds like sharp swords, leaving only a narrow line of sky between them. It looked like a giant demon's eye, coldly watching the myriad living beings below.

The Soul-Severing Valley stretched for thousands of miles, and spatial rifts were densely packed like a spider's web.

"It seems I have arrived at a remote node."

"That's fine too."

Gu Yang circulated the Dead Wood Breath Concealment Art, turning his disguised sallow face deathly pale. His aura became chaotic, making him look exactly like an itinerant cultivator who had just advanced and had an unstable foundation.

He found a rock sheltered from the wind, sat cross-legged, and waited quietly.

At three quarters past noon.

The Yang energy between heaven and earth climbed to its absolute peak, perfectly suppressing the Yin Sha energy that lingered year-round in the Soul-Severing Valley.

Buzz—!

The Blue Heaven Token in Gu Yang's chest pocket suddenly became scalding hot, like a red-hot branding iron.

He snapped his eyes open. He saw the pale white miasma ahead being forcefully torn apart, as if by an invisible giant hand.

A pitch-black, profound spatial rift, with eerie purple lightning flashing along its edges, silently emerged.

Behind that rift was not a blessed immortal land, but a dim, chaotic obscurity.

"The secret realm is open."

Gu Yang did not hesitate at all.

He stood up, tightly clutching the Blue Heaven Token in his hand. His figure transformed into a streak of gray light, instantly dashing into the pitch-black rift.

There was no obstruction.

There was only an intense bout of dizziness, as if his internal organs were about to be flung out.

...

...

The light screen tore apart, and Gu Yang landed on the ground.

Five-colored mist surged all around him, and a sweet, cloying fragrance concealed hidden killing intent.

[Ding! Directional Intelligence triggered.]

[Do you wish to spend Destiny Points to trigger the Directional Intelligence?]

[Current Destiny Points: 160]

Was this the system reminding him to use intelligence?

He was determined to get the Five-Element Lotus this time, so Gu Yang did not dare to be careless and chose yes.

[Generating Directional Intelligence...]

[Destiny Points deducted: 10]

[Remaining Destiny Points: 150]

[Current Environment: Lesser Five-Element Illusory Extinction Array (Chaotic State)]

[Intelligence Analysis: The five elements here are in chaos; what you see may not be real.

The current layout is the "Yin Wood Soul Lock" phase. Spirit-devouring root systems are hidden beneath all the "empty ground."

After a countdown of thirty breaths, the array will transform into the "Gold and Fire Cross-Kill" phase.

Gate of Life: Only the patch of black mud on the left, pressed down by half a rotting beast bone. It appears filthy and highly toxic, but it is actually the blind spot of the array core.]

So that was it.

He should currently be in the Lesser Five-Element Illusory Extinction Array at the outer perimeter of the secret realm.

If he hadn't used the intelligence, not only might he have been injured, but he would have also wasted a lot of time.

...

Gu Yang's eyes flickered slightly as he was about to move toward that muddy patch.

Suddenly, his mind stirred.

There was no sound of the air being pierced, nor any fluctuation of spiritual energy.

It was as if a cold, sinister sensation of being targeted by a venomous snake pierced straight into the back of his head.

Without any hesitation, Gu Yang followed the momentum and threw himself forward, as if he had lost his footing due to weak legs.

"Swish!"

Almost the instant he fell to the ground, two extremely thin blood-colored threads sliced right past his scalp, silently severing a drifting strand of his hair. If his reaction had been half a beat slower just now, it would have been his neck that was severed.

"Huh?"

A very soft gasp of surprise came from within the mist.

Two figures emerged like ghosts from the left and right sides.

The person on the left was tall and thin, his face as pale as paper. His fingers were excessively long, and eerie blood threads coiled around his fingertips.

The person on the right was short and stout, carrying a massive blood-colored bone saber on his back, his eyes steady and ferocious.

Neither of these two wore any sect attire, but that bloody stench of having crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood could not be hidden at all.

Demonic cultivators. And they were the kind of seasoned veterans who cooperated tacitly and killed without blinking an eye.

Judging from their techniques, they seemed to be disciples of the Blood Demon Sect, a demonic sect in the Eastern Region.

"Second Brother, he isn't dead."

Yin Sha retracted the blood threads. His voice was hoarse, and his gaze stared at Gu Yang as if looking at a dead object.

"A Qi Condensation itinerant cultivator with a superficial aura actually managed to dodge my 'Entangling Blood Threads'? A coincidence?"