The moment Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and the others stepped out of the secret realm, their auras erupted, sharp and forceful like unsheathed swords sweeping across their surroundings.
The scene before them remained unchanged.
Aside from the empty seats of the Clear Sky Clan,
the Spirit Hall congregation stood exactly as before—still and orderly.
Only then did they withdraw their killing intent and exhale slightly in relief.
Outside the plaza—
The spectators, startled by the sudden appearance of several Title Douluo-level auras, stumbled back in fright, exclamations erupting all around.
"They're finally out! The Seven-Sect Reselection is over!"
"No—where's Li Zhexian?! Is he still inside the secret realm?!"
"I knew something was off! After flattening the ru ined city, he kept entering houses to avoid being watched. He must have another plan!"
Whoosh—
A breeze passed.
Dugu Bo drifted in as green-red mist, condensing beside Feng Bailong.
He said nothing.
But reading the expressions on Chen Xin and Feng Bailong's faces, he instantly knew the situation remained under their control.
His cold, weathered face showed a rare grin.
"Hmph!" Yue Guan and Gui Mei stepped forward, coldly demanding:
"Most Command Banners have fallen into the hands of your three sects."
"Why does Li Zhexian remain in the secret realm?"
Ning Fengzhi remained unhurried.
He took a small sip of tea, rose, and smiled:
"There remain some sect experts within the ruined city."
"Moreover…"
"Zhexian is young yet resolute, wishing to search for treasures within the secret realm."
"Your Holiness already declared the reselection lasts seven days. Zhexian remaining inside conforms to the rules."
Yue Guan and Gui Mei's expressions darkened; they were about to argue—
But Bibi Dong lightly raised her hand, her voice cool and calm as water:
"Let it be as Sect Master Ning says."
"We shall wait for Li Zhexian to return in seven days."
Ning Fengzhi bowed and sat.
He exchanged glances with Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and the others—each saw a trace of heaviness in the others' eyes.
"As Zhexian predicted…"
"Bibi Dong is pleased to see him remain inside."
"But what scheme does she still hide?"
"Let us hope…"
"That Zhexian can obtain the Blood of a God and successfully comprehend a new sword intent."
...
Inside the secret realm—
So long as one remained in the ruined city, one would inevitably be eroded by the aura of decay.
But merely waiting would be a waste of time.
Thus—
Li Zhexian and Qian Renxue walked side-by-side through the streets, pushing open doors and destroying the undead within. Wherever his sword light passed, the dead were erased.
Zheng—!
A crimson sword light slashed horizontally.
Two Spirit Saint–level undead were annihilated instantly, fading back into nothingness.
"Hmm?!"
Unlike before,
this time Li Zhexian—because he was aiming to comprehend sword intent—paid close attention to the corrosion of decay.
And the moment the two undead vanished,
his heart stirred. He lowered his gaze to the Qinglian Sword.
A thin strand of black qi clung stubbornly to the pristine blade—like rot that refused to be cleansed.
"So that's it…"
"Destroying the undead actually increases the rate of decay invading me."
A smile appeared on Li Zhexian's face.
"Of course."
"Otherwise, why would Bibi Dong permit me and the seniors to slaughter Spirit Hall's undead without restraint?"
"The more we destroy, the more we are corroded."
"And in the end… we might even be assimilated into this city."
Worthy of a divine god's secret realm.
Even though the Rakshasa God is weaker than the Asura God,
she is still undeniably a first-tier gpd.
A realm constructed by a god would naturally have its own complete governing rules.
"I was worried that mere exposure to the realm's corruption wouldn't be enough for me to comprehend a new sword intent."
"But now… this will work."
After that—
Li Zhexian held nothing back.
He shattered doors with his blade and swept through building after building.
From the moon's rise to its disappearance behind the clouds,
Countless undead—Spirit Elders, Spirit Kings, Spirit Saints, and even one Spirit Douluo—were all slain beneath his sword.
The only ones he did not encounter were Title Douluo–level undead…
Li Zhexian paused briefly, then understood.
Even Bibi Dong had limits in the undead she could summon.
Otherwise, if every previous Pope appeared at once—
who in the world could stand against Spirit Hall?
As for Qian Renxue, facing the undead of Spirit Hall's past generations, her eyes showed no emotion—only icy indifference.
She inherited the Angel God—the deity of light.
Among all things, that which she loathed most—
was the existence of undead.
"Since they have already passed on, resting in peace is their rightful end."
"To forcefully summon them, to disturb the spirits of the departed—that is the true desecration."
The scraping sound of a scythe dragging across the ground echoed throughout the ruined city once more.
Li Zhexian and Qian Renxue slipped into a double-room house.
He used this moment—
To still his heart and comprehend the sword.
...
Outside the secret realm—
Spectators saw Li Zhexian repeatedly break into houses, but not what happened within.
Suspicion rose in whispers:
"What exactly is inside those houses?"
"Could the treasures be hidden there?"
"Why does it feel like every time Li Zhexian exits a house, his expression grows darker?"
Chen Xin and Feng Bailong frowned deeply.
Before leaving—
Li Zhexian had said he wished to avoid houses to prevent encountering the Devil Bear and Ghost Leopard.
Yet now he was rushing inside himself.
It was truly unusual.
"Do not worry."
Ning Fengzhi sent a voice transmission, his tone steady:
"Zhexian never acts without purpose."
"He must have gained something useful for his comprehension."
Upon the throne—
Bibi Dong's lips, barely visible beneath the jade ornaments, curled faintly.
"Li Zhexian…"
"Do not disappoint me."
Inside the house—
A faint flame of holy light hovered beneath the roof beam.
Its gentle glow flickered—
Illuminating Li Zhexian's increasingly shadowed expression and Qian Renxue's worried gaze.
"Zhexian…"
Li Zhexian lifted his eyes slightly.
The whites were filled with blood.
Looking at Qian Renxue's beautiful face, his pale expression twisted with a hint of cold ferocity he could not suppress.
"I…"
Even his voice was hoarse.
The Qinglian Sword in his grasp no longer felt pure; a mass of black mist coiled within its blade, radiating ominous energy.
Thin threads of corruption crawled from the hilt into his body.
Such dense decay—
It showed just how many Spirit Hall undead he had destroyed.
The corruption's tyranny far exceeded Li Zhexian's expectations.
It seeped into not only his flesh—
But also his heart and nature.
This was, after all, the corrupting aura of the Rakshasa God.
Yet precisely because it was so—
Li Zhexian felt no fear.
The more perilous the power—
The more extreme the sword intent he could forge!
"Xue'er…"
The Qinglian Sword trembled with a low hum.
Li Zhexian's fingers dug into the hilt, knuckles pale and rigid as ghost claws.
His other hand pressed painfully against his brow, trembling as he struggled to speak:
"Xue'er…"
"You must go… go to the other room in the courtyard…"
"I…"
Before he finished—
A pair of soft hands cupped his twisted, tormented face.
Li Zhexian lifted his gaze with great effort—
Straight into a pair of golden eyes…
not filled with fear,
but with shimmering tears and aching tenderness.
Seeing her white-clad youth tormented into such a state, Qian Renxue's red lips trembled; two lines of tears slid down her cheeks.
"I told you…"
"I will stay with you."
"I believe in you. You can do it."
Wind passed through the broken window.
The flame of holy light burst with a spark—
etching the outline of their entwined figures deep into the night.
"Come…"
Li Zhexian placed the gradually darkening Qinglian Sword horizontally across his lap.
Qian Renxue stood beside him,
gathering a barrier of pure light around them.
Instantly, the black qi surged like a living creature, rushing up his arm.
Where it passed, his skin turned purple, corpse-like blotches appearing.
Terrifying waves of decaying force erupted from Li Zhexian's body,
slamming against the walls; the window frames shuddered violently.