On the peak of immortals, proud in this world, with me Ye Xuan, there is heaven.

After the Sword God Palace's team entered the secret realm, the other factions also began to make their moves.

"Heavenly Sword Sect, move out!"

A middle-aged man wearing a cyan Daoist robe and carrying a giant sword on his back shouted loudly, leading a group of disciples charging toward the entrance of the secret realm.

His name was Jian Wuhen, the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect. With a cultivation at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he was the leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect's expedition this time.

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect each carried a massive sword on their backs. These swords were all over two meters long and more than half a meter wide, looking incredibly heavy. Yet, these disciples could wield them with ease, a testament to their immense physical strength.

"Blazing Fire Sect, follow me!"

Fairy Red Lotus gave a delicate shout, followed by a dozen or so disciples clad in red Daoist robes. Faint flames burned on the bodies of these disciples; it was the Blazing Fire Sect's unique Undying True Fire, capable of incinerating anything.

"Mystic Ice Valley, let's go!"

An old man in a white robe, exuding a chilling aura all over his body, said coldly. His name was Bing Wuqing, the Valley Master of the Mystic Ice Valley, and his cultivation was at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.

"Blood Fiend Sect, kill!"

Hei Wuchang roared, leading a group of demonic cultivators dressed in tight black martial outfits as they rushed in. These demonic cultivators all emitted a thick stench of blood, clearly ruthless characters who had killed countless people.

"Rogue Cultivator Alliance, enter!"

Patriarch Black Wind waved his hand, leading a group of rogue cultivators to charge in as well.

The strength of these rogue cultivators was uneven; some were only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, while others had already reached the peak. However, they all shared one thing in common—they were poor.

Without the backing of a sect or abundant resources, they could only rely on themselves to accumulate wealth bit by bit. Coming to the secret realm this time was their chance to risk it all, hoping to find an opportunity that could alter their destinies.

"Demon Race, let's go!"

A giant man, three meters tall and covered in thick black hair, roared as he led a group of demon cultivators inside.

His name was Xiong Batian, an elder of the Demon Race. His true form was a black bear, and his cultivation was at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Behind him were various demon cultivators—tiger demons, wolf demons, snake demons, a complete variety of the demon race.

For a time, the entrance to the secret realm was packed with people. Escape lights of various colors intertwined, resembling a grand fireworks display.

Boom!

With a loud bang, the Tianyuan Secret Realm officially opened.

At the entrance, the originally calm space suddenly began to distort, forming a massive vortex. The vortex was over a hundred meters in diameter, its center pitch black. The edges of the vortex flickered with multicolored lights, the physical manifestation of spatial laws.

Buzz!

A powerful suction force emanated from the vortex, and the surrounding cultivators were sucked in one after another.

Countless streams of light rushed in like a swarm of locusts.

"Careful!"

"Don't push!"

Various exclamations rose and fell.

Some cultivators, being too anxious, were shoved by those behind them and plunged headfirst into the vortex, not even having the time to let out a scream.

Some tried to resist the suction, only to find it utterly futile, and could only let themselves be pulled in. Others tried to take the opportunity to sneak attack someone else, only to be ambushed in return, coughing up blood as they were sent flying backward.

The entire scene devolved into utter chaos.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath and glanced back in the direction of the Emperor Boat.

He could sense that Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao were standing at the bow of the ship, looking at him with complicated expressions. In their eyes, there was worry, reluctance to part, and a faint, almost imperceptible possessiveness.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Ye Xuan's mouth.

A flash of relief passed through his eyes.

He was finally.

Temporarily free.

Swoosh!

His body moved, transforming into an afterimage as he dashed into the vortex.

Executing the Kunpeng Free Roaming movement technique, his speed was astonishingly fast, disappearing into the vortex almost instantly. The surrounding cultivators only saw a white blur flash by, unable to even catch a glimpse of Ye Xuan's face.

"So fast!"

"What movement technique is that?"

"Could it be the legendary Kunpeng Free Roaming?"

Some sharp-eyed cultivators exclaimed in shock.

The Kunpeng Free Roaming was a legendary top-tier movement technique. Its speed was so great that it had few rivals in the world. Legend had it that if cultivated to the pinnacle, one could cross ninety thousand miles in an instant, roaming freely between heaven and earth.

However, this technique had long been lost to history. No one expected it to reappear on Ye Xuan.

"No wonder the Empress took a fancy to him..."

Someone muttered to themselves.

Inside the Tianyuan Secret Realm lay a desolate ancient battlefield.

A thousand miles of barren land, filled with ruined walls and broken debris.

As soon as Ye Xuan landed, before he even had time to observe his surroundings, he felt a thick murderous intent rushing toward his face.

He looked up, only to see a desolate wasteland before him.

The ground was covered in fissures. Some of the cracks were several meters wide and bottomless, as if leading straight to hell. Ruined buildings were everywhere; some were reduced to half a wall, some had only a single pillar left, and others had completely collapsed into piles of rubble.

The sky was a hazy gray. There was no sun or moon to be seen, only a deathly still grayness. A rotten stench permeated the air, mixed with a faint smell of blood that made one want to vomit upon smelling it.

In the distance, massive skeletons could faintly be seen.

Some of these skeletons looked human, some looked like demonic beasts, and others belonged to unrecognizable creatures.

They lay quietly on the ground, having been dead for an unknown number of years, yet they still exuded a faint oppressive pressure, clearly having been powerful entities in life.

"So this is the Tianyuan Secret Realm..."

Ye Xuan murmured to himself.

He had heard the legends of this secret realm before.

This place was once the battlefield of an earth-shattering war during ancient times. Countless experts had fallen here, and their lingering resentment and obsessions had coalesced, forming this eerie space.

The secret realm was fraught with danger. Not only were there various powerful demonic beasts, but there were also countless deadly restrictions and traps. Every time the secret realm opened, a large number of cultivators would perish inside. Less than thirty percent would make it out alive.

But at the same time, it also harbored countless opportunities. There were inheritances left behind by ancient experts, precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, as well as various powerful magical artifacts and cultivation methods. Obtaining just one of these would be enough to change a person's destiny.

"I should find a place to explore first..."

Just as Ye Xuan was about to move, he suddenly heard the sounds of an intense battle coming from not far away.

Ye Xuan looked toward the source of the noise and saw two groups of people viciously fighting over a newly unearthed Dragon Blood Herb a short distance away.

The Dragon Blood Herb was an extremely precious spiritual medicine that grew in places where dragons had fallen, absorbing the essence of dragon blood to grow. Consuming it could vastly increase one's physical strength, and even offer a chance to awaken a trace of dragon bloodline. For a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, this was absolutely a treasure that could be encountered but not sought.

At this moment, the two groups had already gone red-eyed with killing intent in their fight for this Dragon Blood Herb.

One side consisted of disciples from the Green Mountain Sect, led by none other than the Holy Son Zhao Ritian, who had mocked Ye Xuan earlier. He wielded a cyan longsword, its blade wreathed in cyan sword qi. Every swing brought forth a fierce flash of sword light.

"We of the Green Mountain Sect saw this Dragon Blood Herb first!"

Zhao Ritian shouted loudly, slashing his sword at the enemy opposite him.

This sword was as fast as lightning, the sword light like a bolt of cyan silk, tearing through the air and emitting a piercing whistle. Wherever the sword qi passed, a deep trench was plowed into the ground, and rubble flew in all directions.

Opposite him were the disciples of the Mad Saber Sect, led by the young master Qian Que. He held a giant black battle saber, the blade engraved with blood-colored runes, exuding a dense aura of malice.

"Bullshit! Heavenly treasures belong to the virtuous! Whoever grabs it, it belongs to them!"

Qian Que roared in anger, swinging his saber to meet the attack.

"Boom!"

The sword light and the saber gleam collided in the air, erupting with blinding light. A powerful shockwave spread out in all directions, sending all the surrounding rubble flying.

The two sides fought with spiritual energy flying wildly and blood splattering everywhere.

"Cyan Dragon Emerges from the Sea!"

Zhao Ritian shouted loudly, the longsword in his hand suddenly erupting with dazzling cyan light. The cyan light condensed into a giant cyan dragon, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it pounced toward Qian Que.

The cyan dragon was ten meters long, its entire body covered in cyan scales, each scale shining with a metallic luster. Its dragon claws were as sharp as knives, and its dragon tail was like a steel whip; wherever it passed, the air was torn apart.

"Tyrant Saber Slash!"

Qian Que was not to be outdone; he raised the battle saber high in his hand, the blood-colored runes on the blade suddenly lighting up, emitting an eerie red glow.

"Slash!"

With a single slash, a blood-colored saber gleam shot into the sky, like a blood-red lightning bolt, chopping toward the cyan dragon.

"Rumble!"

The saber gleam and the cyan dragon collided in the air, erupting with an earth-shattering boom. The powerful energy fluctuations spread out in all directions, overturning all the surrounding ground, and rubble flew like a rainstorm.

"Pfft!"

Zhao Ritian and Qian Que both spat out a mouthful of blood at the same time, their bodies retreating several steps.

Clearly, both of them had suffered severe injuries from this strike.

But in their eyes, the will to fight still burned, showing not the slightest intention of backing down.

The other disciples were also engaged in fierce combat.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan had a look of helplessness on his face.

He reached into his storage ring and casually grabbed a handful of Dragon Blood Grass, more than a dozen stalks, each of higher quality and with denser spiritual energy than the ones the two groups were fighting over.

These grass leaves were still dotted with crystal-clear dewdrops, exuding a faint dragon might; evidently, they were top-grade items just plucked from some dragon race ruins.

Ye Xuan played with the Dragon Blood Grass in his hand, looking at the cultivators ahead who were fighting until their heads were broken and bleeding, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

He really didn't understand.

Why were these people fighting to the death over things that, in his eyes, could be found everywhere?

In his storage ring, Dragon Blood Grass was piled up in bundles, and right beside them were Phoenix Feathers, Qilin Horns, Black Tortoise Shell Fragments...

There were so many kinds of heavenly treasures that he himself couldn't remember how many there were. These were all given by Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao; every time he casually said, "This looks pretty good," it would appear at the head of his bed the next day.

Shaking his head, Ye Xuan casually put the Dragon Blood Grass back into his ring and began to wander through the secret realm as if taking a leisurely stroll.

With his hands clasped behind his back, his white robes stood out conspicuously in the gray and murky secret realm, his posture so elegant it was as if he were taking a walk in his own back garden.

From time to time, the sounds of fierce fighting could be heard around him.

On the left, someone fighting over a clue map for an ancient spiritual stone vein executed the "Heaven-Burning Flaming Palm," the palm print like a blazing sun, burning the opponent into charcoal.

On the right, someone fighting over a jade slip suspected to have been left behind by a Soul Formation stage powerhouse used the "Myriad Sword Art," thousands of flying swords condensed from spiritual energy forming a sword array in the air, shredding the enemy into a bloody mist.

Ahead, a group of rogue cultivators was besieging a late Nascent Soul stage Red Flame Lion; the flames spewed from the lion's mouth were so hot they turned the ground into magma.

Ye Xuan just watched, occasionally nodding, occasionally shaking his head, as if he were critiquing a martial arts performance.

"The angle of this 'Void-Rending Slash' is wrong; it should cut in from the left side..."

"That 'Frozen Thousand Miles' was executed too slowly; the opponent had already run away..."

"Tsk, this defensive array is full of loopholes; it will definitely be broken within three breaths..."

His commentary wasn't loud, but the cultivators around him who were fighting for their lives almost coughed up blood from anger upon hearing it.

What kind of attitude was this?

We are here fighting desperately, and you are standing on the sidelines pointing fingers?

But seeing Ye Xuan's ethereal white robes, that handsome face that made people jealous, and the powerful aura faintly exuding from his body, the crowd didn't dare to act rashly.

After all, someone who could be so leisurely in a secret realm was either truly strong or a fool.

And Ye Xuan clearly didn't look like a fool.

Just like this, Ye Xuan wandered around the secret realm for more than half an hour.

He had watched at least twenty battles, witnessed seven or eight unlucky bastards trigger restrictions and get blown to pieces, and conveniently saved a little girl who was almost eaten by a demonic beast—of course, his method of saving her was just casually flicking out a sword qi, without even giving her a second glance.

Because he didn't lack resources at all.

However, his leisurely posture soon attracted the attention of everyone present.

Zhao Ritian and Qian Que, who were engaged in combat, stopped at the same time and turned to look at Ye Xuan.

The disciples of the Green Mountain Sect stopped the hand seals they were forming.

The disciples of the Mad Saber Sect put away their saber gleams.

Even that stalk of Dragon Blood Grass was forgotten by everyone at this moment.

An outer sect disciple of the Green Mountain Sect named Li Sanshi, a burly man with a pockmarked face, rubbed his eyes and pointed at Ye Xuan in disbelief:

"Is that... Ye Xuan?"

Another disciple of the Mad Saber Sect named Wang Tiezhu, a bald man with a face full of fierce flesh, swallowed hard:

"That soft-rice king?"

These two sentences were like two giant boulders dropped into a calm lake.

Instantly, the entire battlefield exploded with noise.

"It really is him!"

"That piece of trash who relies on women to climb the ranks!"

"I heard he has countless heavy treasures bestowed upon him by the Empress!"

"Kill him, and we'll strike it rich!"

In the next moment.

All the hatred, all the greed, shifted targets in this instant.

For these heaven-chosen geniuses who fought desperately and licked blood from the edges of their blades.

There was nothing that made them feel more angry and jealous than seeing a "soft-rice man" who "relied on women to climb the ranks" and "could have everything without having to work hard."

A glint of light flashed in Zhao Ritian's eyes; he remembered Ye Xuan's aloof and condescending appearance outside the secret realm earlier, and the anger in his heart instantly ignited.

Qian Que licked his lips, his eyes full of greed. He had heard that Ye Xuan possessed the divine artifact "Sun-Slaying Divine Sword" bestowed by the Empress; that was a legendary supreme treasure capable of slaying Soul Formation stage powerhouses!

Around them, more and more cultivators were drawn over.

There was a disciple from the Raging Fire Sect named Lie Wushuang, a young man with a head of red hair; his body burned with inextinguishable true fire, and his red eyes stared fixedly at Ye Xuan.

There was a disciple from the Mysterious Ice Valley named Bing Xin'er, a female cultivator with a cold and beautiful face; she condensed an ice sword in her hand, the tip pointing straight at Ye Xuan.

There were also demonic cultivators from the Blood Fiend Sect, led by the Blood Hand Butcher, a middle-aged man whose entire body exuded the smell of blood; he licked his lips, his eyes full of murderous intent.

Even the people from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance gathered around.

A rogue cultivator named Black Wind, as thin as a bamboo pole, but with an exceptionally vicious look in his eyes.

A rogue cultivator named Iron Fist Zhang, burly and robust, wore a pair of iron gauntlets on his fists.

There was also a female rogue cultivator named Poison Scorpion, whose appearance was alluring but whose eyes were vicious, clearly showing she was not to be trifled with.

On the demon race's side, besides Xiong Batian, several other demon cultivators also closed in.

In just a few breaths, over a hundred people had gathered around Ye Xuan.

These people came from different factions and were usually hostile to each other, but at this moment, they temporarily joined forces for a common goal.

Kill him!

As long as they killed him, they could not only snatch the precious treasures bestowed upon him by the Empress, but also make a name for themselves!

Just think about it, what kind of glory would it be to kill the Empress's male favorite?

Once this news spread, it would be enough to make them famous throughout the cultivation world!

"Get him!!"

Someone shouted from the crowd.

The two groups of people who were originally fighting each other instantly formed an alliance. Dozens of magical treasures, sword qi, and divine abilities smashed toward Ye Xuan, covering the sky and the earth!

Zhao Ritian was the first to strike. The cyan longsword in his hand erupted with dazzling light, and a cyan dragon sword qi roared out.

Qian Que followed closely behind. His black war blade slashed out a blood-red blade light, resembling a bolt of blood-red lightning.

Lie Wushuang formed hand seals, spewing a scorching pillar of fire from his mouth, within which the phantom of a fire phoenix could faintly be seen.

Bing Xin'er swung her ice sword, and countless ice spikes descended from the sky. Each ice spike glinted with cold light, sharp enough to pierce through metal and stone.

Blood Hand Butcher grinned hideously as his hands condensed two blood-red energy spheres, from which the wails of countless resentful souls could be heard.

Hei Feng unleashed the Black Wind Palm, a black palm print pressing down like a dark cloud.

Iron Fist Zhang swung his iron fists. The fist wind howled, blasting the very air apart.

Poison Scorpion threw a handful of poison needles, each coated with deadly venom.

Hu Xiaotian roared at the sky, his body expanding rapidly as he transformed into a giant white tiger, its claws slamming down viciously.

Silver Moon Wolf King turned into a silver afterimage, his fangs glinting with cold light.

Bi Lin spat out a mouthful of poisonous mist; wherever the mist passed, plants and trees withered.

Even more cultivators unleashed a wide variety of divine abilities.

Some summoned thunder and lightning; the sky became densely covered with dark clouds, and lightning danced wildly like silver snakes.

Some manipulated earth and stone; the ground suddenly bulged, forming stone pillars with tops as sharp as spears.

Some cast illusions; the surrounding space began to twist, revealing countless phantoms.

Some brought out magical treasures; various flying swords, flying knives, flying hammers, and flying axes swarmed densely like locusts.

For a time, the entire battlefield was shrouded in lights of various colors.

These attacks intertwined to form an airtight net, enveloping Ye Xuan.

The power of this combined strike was enough to easily obliterate an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!

Ye Xuan stood in place, watching the sky full of attacks.

He did not run.

Instead, he smiled.

He smiled arrogantly, smiling with madness.

Ever since he transmigrated here, he had been suppressing himself, constantly enduring.

But now, in this place where Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao were not watching, he could finally be himself again.

"Hahahaha!"

"Good timing!"

Ye Xuan abruptly drew the Sun Slaying Divine Sword. With the blade pointing at the sky, his robes fluttered and whipped about without any wind.

The Nascent Soul inside his body erupted with radiant golden light. It was a small cross-legged figure with a face identical to Ye Xuan's, exuding a sacred brilliance all over.

Flawless Dao Body fully unleashed!

Ye Xuan's body began to change.

His skin became crystal clear, like fine jade, emitting a faint golden light.

Every inch of his skin, every single hair, seemed to have been meticulously carved, absolutely flawless.

Golden light flowed in his eyes, containing endless Dao rhythm.

His whole person was like a golden sun, illuminating this gloomy secret realm.

Sensing this aura, the surrounding cultivators' expressions changed drastically.

"This... what kind of aura is this?"

"So strong!"

"No, he is clearly only at the mid Nascent Soul stage, how could he have such a strong aura?"

But the attacks had already been launched; the arrow was on the bowstring and had to be fired.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, and the Sun Slaying Divine Sword in his hand erupted with blinding golden light.

Countless runes lit up on the blade; they were ancient divine texts, each containing world-destroying power.

Sword qi began to condense, surging from the tip of the sword like a golden tide.

Ye Xuan let out a long howl, his voice shaking the surroundings:

"A bunch of ants, and you dare to swing your blades at me?"

His voice carried a domineering aura that looked down upon the world, an arrogant pride of absolute supremacy.

"At the peak of immortals, proud in the world, where there is me, Ye Xuan, there is the heavens!"