Heh heh heh, it's your turn now, my dear junior sister~

But clearly, Su Jiu no longer had another chance.

The thick fog around her dissipated.

The secret realm had officially begun!

No matter how silver-tongued she was…

Would Su Ji give her the opportunity to speak?

Naturally, he wouldn’t.

The secret realm’s rules were clear—only one person could leave alive.

No matter how she tried to explain, Su Ji would only see it as deception.

And worse, she couldn’t even utter a word…

The nine phantom tails behind her bristled uncontrollably.

She had never felt such pure… despair.

Like an ant staring up at the collapsing sky.

Her throat felt strangled by an invisible hand, silencing her completely.

Then—

A dazzling golden light tore through the gloom of the world.

A golden war chariot, pulled by four divine steeds, shattered the void as it thundered into view.

Standing atop the chariot was a young man clad in golden feathered robes.

His face was jade-like, his brows sharp as swords, his eyes bright as stars, and his entire being radiated a scorching, sun-like aura of spiritual power.

"I am Xiao Fan of the Blazing Sun Sacred Land!"

His voice boomed like a bell, brimming with innate arrogance.

"What evil dares lurk here? Surrender now!"

His gaze swept over the terrifying phantom behind Su Ji, his brow furrowing slightly—but he showed no fear.

Instead, when his eyes landed on Su Jiu—her fiery red robes, her enchanting figure—they burned with desire.

What a peerless beauty!

Though cowed by the demonic aura, the allure in her eyes still stirred his soul.

A pity…

Only one could leave this realm alive.

She was but a fleeting temptation, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her while she lasted.

He had once been a mere stable boy, never imagining his future would be so terrifying.

Once he claimed this Heavenly Dao secret realm, he would climb step by step to the very top…

Xiao Fan mused to himself, already treating Su Ji as his prey.

With a shout, a blazing golden disc—like a miniature sun—materialized in the phantom’s grip behind him.

Ancient runes swirled across its surface, radiating an aura capable of purging all evil.

"Blazing Sun Purification Wheel!"

Xiao Fan roared, hurling the disc forward.

The golden wheel expanded midair, transforming into a true sun, its heat enough to boil seas and scorch mountains as it descended upon Su Ji.

Su Jiu instantly discerned the newcomer’s identity.

A once-in-ten-millennia ‘Solar God Physique,’ a stable boy who had risen to become a Sacred Land’s master, one of the most dazzling rising stars of this era.

But now…

Before the monstrosity named Su Ji, all of it seemed laughable.

Faced with the sun capable of incinerating the world—

Su Ji… or rather, the phantom behind him, finally moved.

No earth-shattering spells, no world-ending might.

It simply raised its skeletal left hand.

Five bone-white fingers spread open.

Then, clenched lightly.

Crack—

A crisp, grating sound echoed.

The once-indomitable golden sun froze midair.

Then, spiderweb cracks spread across its surface.

A heartbeat later—

Boom!

The disc shattered, scattering into golden sparks like a fleeting firework… before extinguishing completely.

Xiao Fan’s arrogance froze on his face.

He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

The cultivation limit of the Great Xia realm was the Golden Core stage…

Yet he knew his future self would ascend to ‘Immortality’!

Though he didn’t know how many realms lay between, it undoubtedly placed him above all life in Great Xia.

That was why he had acted so brazenly.

But his future’s ultimate weapon, capable of sinking Great Xia with a single strike… had just been crushed?

By a single, effortless grip?

A chill like never before shot up his spine.

He wanted to flee.

The thought barely formed—

The phantom’s other arm, the one shrouded in black scales, moved.

Its trajectory was simple.

Like swatting a bothersome fly.

A single backhanded slap.

No sound.

No explosion.

Not even a wisp of spiritual energy leaked out.

Xiao Fan’s handsome face, his horrified expression, his entire body—vanished into a mist of blood.

Not even a scream escaped him.

A future ‘Immortal’… had been erased from existence.

Then, one of the two black banners behind the phantom fluttered without wind.

A twisted, agonized face flashed across its surface—Xiao Fan’s.

In an instant, he was absorbed into the sea of wailing souls, becoming just another insignificant speck among millions.

[Successfully refined ‘Solar God Physique’…]

[Acquired divine ability: Great Sun Golden Crow.]

Su Ji could feel a pure surge of power merging into the phantom behind him.

Faint.

It had… grown slightly stronger.

Like leveling up in a game, gaining experience and skills.

Primordial and absolute.

"Keh keh keh…"

That hoarse, madly amused laughter rang out again.

"Go… neh neh neh…"

"Kill."

Su Jiu struggled to speak.

But she met that single, gloom-maddened eye.

One glance nearly shattered her Dao Heart…

It was over…

The entire world was doomed…

Su Ji had just become an outer disciple of the Love-Longing Sect. By protocol, in three days, someone would come to sever his useless spiritual roots…

But the power he wielded in this secret realm was an illusion.

When that day came, he would be helpless…

In the end, Su Ji would take the purple-grade talent she had given him, along with the rewards from this Heavenly Dao secret realm…

And climb, step by step, to the very top…

Fueled by boundless hatred…

To slaughter them all.

…

Su Jiu didn’t know when Su Ji left.

But she could see the demonic energy surging in the distance.

Someone tried to resist, summoning a blizzard to trap Su Ji.

In a second, they became a storm of blood.

Another unleashed ten thousand spirit swords, lighting up half the sky as they rained down upon him!

The sword intent was overwhelming.

Yet the phantom behind Su Ji merely crooked a skeletal finger.

Ting—

A whisper-soft chime.

The sky-rending swords froze midair.

Every blade trembled violently, humming in submission.

They had met their true sovereign.

The swordsman’s face drained of color.

He felt his connection to his swords being forcibly severed by an unstoppable force.

"No… come back!" he howled.

In response, the swords turned their points—

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

The rain of blades reversed, ten times faster than before!

The swordsman’s terror was immortalized in his final moment, alongside the phantom of his Sword God…

A burst of blood mist, swiftly devoured by Su Ji’s banners.

[Successfully refined ‘Ten Thousand Swords Spirit Physique’…]

[Acquired sword insight: First Sword.]

A crimson moon hung eerily in the sky.

Somewhere, a golden Buddha statue ten thousand feet tall shed tears of blood.

Some saw the towering divine demons behind them suddenly turn traitor.

Beastmasters were devoured by their own hordes.

Thunder-wielders met their end in bolts of lightning.

Perhaps...

this couldn’t even be called a massacre.

It was even easier than a farmer harvesting crops from his own field.

...

In a daze, Su Ji had already slaughtered every last soul within the secret realm.

Su Jiu looked up, locking eyes once more with that frenzied, solitary orb.

A twisted amusement rose in Su Ji.

Mimicking the shadow’s eerie tone, he spoke:

"Heh heh heh... Now it’s your turn, my dear junior sister~"