Two words, as light as the wind blowing through bamboo leaves, yet like two sharp slaps striking fiercely across the faces of the Burning Heaven Palace crowd.
"You're courting death!"
The fiery spiritual energy around Lie Tianxiong exploded with a boom, the crimson spiritual light illuminating his robes.
He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, ready to rush forward and tear this foul-mouthed fat man to shreds. In all these years, no one had dared to humiliate him in public like this!
Uh, except for that time he took a beating...
"Palace Master! You mustn't!"
Yan Cangyun was quick on the draw, grabbing the arm of Lie Tianxiong who was about to strike again. The secret realm hadn't opened yet; fighting now would only make them a laughingstock to the other factions.
Looking at the still-fuming Lie Tianxiong beside him, Yan Cangyun felt his temples throbbing, his heart filled with an unspeakable exhaustion.
The profound light of the secret realm hadn't even fully lit up, yet the Palace Master had already blown his top and wanted to fight over a few words from Yun Canghai and Shi Wanshan. Being the Great Elder of the Burning Heaven Palace was honestly more tiring than guiding a group of rash disciples in their cultivation.
Seeing this scene, the Second Elder behind them almost let the corners of his mouth rise, but then suddenly froze, the muscles on his face twitching unnaturally.
Secretly pinching his thigh with his knuckles, he hurriedly lowered his head, using his wide sleeves to block his face, while muttering in his heart.
This Old Stone has such a venomous mouth! Look how angry he made Lie Tianxiong.
To think he had been undercover in the Burning Heaven Palace for so many years and had seen all sorts of scenes, yet this was the first time he had seen someone anger Lie Tianxiong to such a state.
Good thing I've received professional training from my sect, unless I just can't hold it in...
Right at this moment, the crowd suddenly quieted down, many people looking into the distance with solemn expressions.
Two black torrents surged up the mountain path. The two leaders wore black robes embroidered with skull patterns, exuding a cold demonic aura all over. They were none other than the people from the Demon Heaven Sect and the Blood Soul Sect.
These two sects were entrenched at the border of Xuan Province and Yun Province. Although they occupied a lot of territory in Xuan Province, they styled themselves as Yun Province factions. They had always disdained associating with the sects of Xuan Province. Their methods were ruthless, and their strength was on par with the Myriad Law Pavilion.
"I didn't expect even these two fiends to come."
Someone whispered, subconsciously stepping back.
"The little brats of Xuan Province sure arrived early."
Mo Luo swept his gaze over the crowd, his voice like sandpaper rubbing against wood, making everyone's ears ache.
"This secret realm is not something you trash can lay your hands on. If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now, lest you lose your little lives and don't even get the chance to reincarnate."
As he spoke, he casually waved his hand, and a streak of black demonic aura shot toward a nearby rogue cultivator. Before the rogue cultivator could even let out a scream, he was enveloped by the demonic aura and instantly turned into a dried corpse, making the faces of the surrounding people turn pale.
Xue Wushang licked his lips, his gaze falling on the disciples of the various sects as if looking at meat on a chopping block.
"It just so happens that my sect is short on blood slaves. If anyone refuses to leave, then stay behind and become nourishment."
As he spoke, the blood-colored mist at his fingertips suddenly surged, sweeping toward an early Core Condensation stage disciple of the Burning Heaven Palace. The disciple was so terrified that his face turned deathly pale, lacking even the courage to resist.
It was Yan Cangyun who stepped in to block it.
Xue Wushang sneered, "The disciples of the Burning Heaven Palace are nothing more than this."
This bloody scene caused an uproar throughout the venue, and the expressions of the major factions instantly grew heavy.
The originally calm face of Yun Canghai, the Pavilion Master of the Myriad Law Pavilion, also darkened. The strength of the Demon Heaven Sect and the Blood Soul Sect was equal to that of the Myriad Law Pavilion, and their methods were ruthless. Their appearance undoubtedly added unpredictable variables to this secret realm expedition.
He looked at the sect masters of the other major sects, who all wore equally solemn expressions.
Normally, the seven major sects fought tooth and nail over spirit veins and ore veins, wishing they never had to see each other. But right now, facing the Demon Heaven Sect and the Blood Soul Sect, these two great demonic sects were their biggest common threat.
At this moment, Xiao Ruobai stood in the crowd, his fingertips quietly clenching.
His gaze bypassed the dense crowd and landed on a group of people wearing royal attire not far away.
Those people had the character "Yan" embroidered on their chests; they were exactly the people of the Great Yan Dynasty.
The few elders leading them had steady auras, possessing the cultivation of the Grotto-Heaven realm.
The surrounding young disciples were mostly at the early Core Condensation stage. One of them wore a brocade robe and had spiritual energy fluctuations reaching the mid Core Condensation stage; judging by his attire, he was clearly a prince of the dynasty.
Hatred surged into his heart like a tidal wave, and Xiao Ruobai's nails almost dug into his palms.
He would never forget his experiences in the Great Yan Dynasty.
The assassination of his mother, his father's repeated concessions only to be met with a drive for utter extermination, and ultimately, his father dying to protect him.
Every inch of the Great Yan Dynasty's land was soaked in his parents' blood. Those high and mighty royal family members, every single one of them could have been an accomplice back then.
Right now, his enemies were right before his eyes. They wore bright and beautiful robes, coveting the opportunities of the secret realm as if nothing had happened, as if the massacre from back then had never occurred.
Xiao Ruobai ground his teeth audibly. The origin of his War God Physique grew restless due to his anger, and golden battle aura surged madly through his meridians.
During these past few months on Purple Bamboo Peak, utilizing the power of the Azure Profound Sect, he had already thoroughly investigated the strength of the Great Yan Dynasty.
The Great Yan Dynasty's strength in Xuan Province was second only to the seven major sects, classifying them as a first-rate faction.
On the surface, their strongest experts were at the Grotto-Heaven realm, but in reality, there were still two Heavenly Human realm ancestors. It was just temporarily unclear whether these two ancestors were at the early or mid Heavenly Human stage.
To be safe, and to prevent anyone from slipping through the net so he could wipe them all out at once, Xiao Ruobai had originally planned to wait until he broke through to the Heavenly Human realm before going to bathe the Great Yan Dynasty in blood. Yet, he hadn't expected to run into them early at the outskirts of this secret realm.
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
Fang Hanyu noticed his abnormality and followed his gaze, instantly understanding something.
He gently patted Xiao Ruobai's shoulder and comforted him in a lowered voice, "Don't rush, now is not the time. Once we enter the secret realm, we'll have a good time playing with them."
Xiao Ruobai took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, but the hatred deep in his eyes did not dissipate.
He nodded, his gaze falling back onto the Great Yan Dynasty's group, as if trying to memorize every single person's face.
For this blood debt, today in the secret realm, he would collect the interest first.
Little Black tilted its head on Fang Hanyu's shoulder, seemingly sensing Xiao Ruobai's emotions. It gently pecked at his sleeve and let out a low chirp, as if comforting him, or perhaps reminding him to stay calm.
The profound light above the secret realm grew increasingly dense, and faint fluctuations of restrictive arrays could be felt. Clearly, the time of opening was getting closer and closer.
Om—
The profound light above the secret realm suddenly skyrocketed. Complex array patterns emerged within the faint purple halo, swimming through the void like living creatures, madly drawing the surrounding spiritual energy inward.
The ground trembled slightly as the portal of light at the entrance of the secret realm slowly opened. Behind the door, mist-shrouded mountains could be faintly seen, mixed with the unique ancient and desolate aura of primordial legacies, causing the breathing of all the factions present to quicken.
"The secret realm has opened!"
Someone shouted, and the disciples of the various sects instantly grew restless, gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes filled with eagerness.
A favorite phrase: The strike range covers the entire globe, truly uplifting!

to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”

his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.