Huh Senior Lingqiong, how are you still alive

After everyone had left the secret realm, Xiao Ruobai turned to look at Fang Hanyu, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Now that there is no one in the secret realm to get in our way, it is the perfect time to sweep up all the treasures here. We can give Master a pleasant surprise when we get back."

Fang Hanyu immediately understood his intention and nodded with a smile.

"You are right, Senior Brother! Earlier, we were so focused on fighting that we didn't even have time to see how many good things were hidden in this secret realm."

The two immediately sprang into action. With the connection between the Heaven-Reaching Tower and the secret realm, Xiao Ruobai could clearly sense the treasure spots where the spiritual veins converged, as if he were holding an accurate treasure map.

Fang Hanyu followed closely behind. Whenever they encountered treasures hidden behind restrictive barriers, a light swing of his sword blade would cleave the barrier apart with crisp and decisive movements.

In the spirit herb garden deep within the secret realm, thousand-year-old spirit herbs covered the medicine garden in vast patches, creating a dazzling sight.

In the mineral vein area, top-grade spirit stones brimming with dense spiritual energy were piled up like small mountains. Sunlight spilled through the cracks of the secret realm, refracting brilliant rays of light off the spirit stones.

The profound iron hidden within the rocks gleamed with a cold, hard black light, while the frost copper carried a faint cyan halo. Both were excellent materials for forging high-tier magical artifacts.

Meanwhile, Mo Luo and Xue Wushang escaped from the secret realm in a sorry state.

Mo Luo was heavily injured and his aura was sluggish. Aside from Mo Luo, not a single member of the Heaven Demon Cult who had entered the secret realm survived. It was an absolute disaster.

Xue Wushang was no better off. One of his arms had been directly severed, leaving him looking miserable. His storage ring had also been left behind in the secret realm, reducing all his life's savings to nothing.

Only a handful of battered survivors from the Blood Soul Sect managed to escape.

"This enmity is absolutely irreconcilable!"

Mo Luo clutched the wound on his chest, gnashing his teeth.

"Those two not only ruined our plans but also killed so many disciples of my Heaven Demon Sect. If I don't kill them, I, Mo Luo, swear I am not a man!"

"I have already sent a message to the sect's patriarchs!"

A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Mo Luo's eyes, his voice laced with urgency.

"The patriarchs have been in seclusion for a hundred years and have long reached the peak of the King Realm. What's more, they hold the sect's ultimate holy weapon, the Demon-Extinguishing Cauldron!

As long as the patriarchs strike personally and borrow the power of the holy weapon, even if those two can mobilize the Heaven-Reaching Tower, they will absolutely be no match!"

Xue Wushang's eyes were equally filled with hatred.

"The patriarch of my Blood Soul Sect is also at the peak of the King Realm. The Blood Soul Banner in his hands is a holy weapon left over from ancient times, capable of gathering the power of tens of thousands of vengeful spirits. As long as we can trap those two, we will definitely grind their bones to dust!"

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the greed and resentment in each other's eyes.

The spirit stones and spirit herbs in the secret realm were already a massive fortune. Coupled with a peerless treasure like the Heaven-Reaching Tower, even if there were no prior grudges, they would never let Xiao Ruobai and his companion leave alive.

Now, with new hatred piled onto the old, they wished for nothing more than to tear the two into a million pieces immediately.

Just as Mo Luo and Xue Wushang finished their vicious remarks, the various sect factions that had turned to leave suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Lie Tianxiong of the Burning Heaven Palace looked in the direction of Mo Luo and his companion, his face full of hesitation. He wanted to see how the drama would unfold, yet feared stirring up more trouble.

The people from the Cold Moon Valley and Heavenly Evolution Sect also quietly retreated to a distance, their gazes darting back and forth between Mo Luo, Xue Wushang, and the Azure Profound Sect's group, clearly wanting to watch the show.

Shi Wanshan stood at the front of the Azure Profound Sect's group. Hearing Mo Luo and the other clamoring about inviting peak King Realm patriarchs and holy weapons, his eyes suddenly turned cold.

These two demonic cultivators truly didn't know how to restrain themselves even at death's door. After suffering such a massive loss, they were still coveting Ruobai and Hanyu's Heaven-Reaching Tower inheritance. They were simply courting death!

He calmly swept his gaze over the ranks of the Azure Profound Sect disciples, his eyes landing on a plain-looking youth at the end of the line.

He secretly transmitted his voice: "Patriarch, these two demonic cultivators are planning to invite their sect patriarchs and holy weapons. Are you confident in dealing with them?"

The youth was dressed in an ordinary Azure Profound Sect disciple uniform, with unremarkable features. His aura was steadily kept at the early stage of the Core Condensation Realm, making him completely inconspicuous in the crowd. This was none other than the Azure Profound Sect's Fifth Patriarch, disguised as a disciple.

The Fifth Patriarch slightly raised his eyes, a faint golden spiritual light flashing in their depths before instantly reverting to a simple and honest look. He replied via voice transmission.

"It is a piece of cake. They are just two little demons at the peak of the King Realm, plus two holy weapons; they cannot stir up any real waves. Rest assured, with me here, nothing will happen to Ruobai and Hanyu."

Shi Wanshan felt a wave of relief and completely set his mind at ease.

Although he was also at the peak of the King Realm now, dealing with five peak King Realm experts and two holy weapons all by himself would still be somewhat strenuous.

For this trip to the secret realm, Xuanyangzi was worried that something might happen to the disciples, so he specifically chose the Fifth Patriarch to disguise himself as an ordinary disciple and accompany them.

These disciples were the precious darlings of the sect. Whenever there were activities like outside experiential learning or secret realm explorations that might involve danger, high-level cultivators would definitely be arranged to protect them in secret.

Like this trip to the secret realm, on the surface, Shi Wanshan was leading the team, but in reality, the Fifth Patriarch was lying in wait.

...

Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu still had no idea what was happening outside. The two focused all their attention on collecting the treasures in the secret realm, and two days passed in a flash.

In front of Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu lay a pile of over a dozen storage rings, each stuffed to the brim.

"That should be about it. Basically everything of value in the secret realm is right here."

Xiao Ruobai clapped the dust off his hands. Just as he was about to stretch and take a breather, he suddenly frowned.

He could clearly feel that the mark connecting the Heaven-Reaching Tower to the secret realm was weakening. The surrounding spiritual energy was dissipating rapidly like a receding tide, and even the ground beneath his feet was trembling slightly, as if it would split open at any moment.

"What is wrong, Senior Brother?"

Fang Hanyu also noticed something was amiss and quickly put away his smile to ask.

"This secret realm won't hold up for much longer."

Xiao Ruobai said in a deep voice.

"The Heaven-Reaching Tower was originally the core of the secret realm. Now that I have refined it, the secret realm has lost its backbone. Previously, Senior Ling Qiong used the power of the secret realm to set up restrictions and suppress so many people's cultivation bases, which also consumed a lot of the secret realm's spiritual energy."

"Now the spiritual energy is rapidly escaping. In less than two hours, this place will sink into a spatial rift. We need to get out as soon as possible."

Fang Hanyu's expression turned stern, and he immediately gripped his sword hilt tightly. "Then let's hurry up and leave!"

"Wait a moment, I need to store the Heaven-Reaching Tower first."

Saying so, he closed his eyes, his consciousness following the mark in his sea of consciousness to slowly sink into the interior of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Earlier, when he refined the Heaven-Reaching Tower, he had only had time to experience the boundless space and inheritance inside, without carefully exploring every corner.

But this time, as soon as his consciousness entered the tower, he was stunned by the sight before him.

In the core of the tower, which should have been empty, floated a semi-transparent remnant soul. The remnant soul was entirely wreathed in a faint golden halo.

However, it was as weak as a candle in the wind, looking as if it would extinguish with every flicker. It was none other than Ling Qiong, who at this moment seemed to struggle just to maintain his soul body.

Seeing Xiao Ruobai's consciousness enter, he barely managed to lift his eyelids, his voice raspy and faint as a thread: "You... have returned."

Xiao Ruobai's consciousness condensed into a human form, and he stepped forward in astonishment. "Eh? Senior Ling Qiong, how are you still alive?"

He had previously thought that after Ling Qiong handed over the Heaven-Reaching Tower and the inheritance, his soul would have long since dissipated along with the secret realm's restrictions.

After all, in those comic books I used to read, once the mighty figures finished passing on their legacies, weren't they supposed to "bow out gracefully" and have their souls dissipate?

This isn't how the script is supposed to go!