The next moment, the space around them distorted.
A powerful force swept across the secret realm like an invisible tide, and before anyone could react, all the remaining participants were violently expelled from the realm.
The crack in the sky trembled, then began to close rapidly.
One after another, figures were spat out from the spatial fissure and hurled down toward the ground from an astonishing height.
Wind howled past Lin Chen's ears as he fell.
"Shit—!"
He immediately wrapped his body in Essence Qi, stabilizing his posture mid-air as best as he could. Unlike those at higher realms, he had yet to reach Pulse Convergence, so flying was still out of the question. For now, falling with some dignity was the only option.
His robes fluttered wildly as he descended.
'I seriously need to learn sword control after breaking through Pulse Convergence,' he thought, narrowing his eyes while adjusting his landing angle.
[Yes. It is statistically overdue,] Aiva replied calmly.
Below, the ground rushed closer.
Around him, dozens of cultivators crashed down one after another, some landing steadily on flying artifacts, others using movement techniques to soften the impact.
And among the falling figures, two in particular attracted everyone's attention.
They stood out far too much.
Because they were almost completely stripped.
Only a single piece of cloth barely covering their lower bodies remained. Their faces were swollen, bruised, and battered to the point they were nearly unrecognizable, looking less like proud disciples and more like beggars dragged out of a battlefield.
They hit the ground with a heavy thud.
A group of disciples nearby froze for a moment before their eyes widened in shock.
"W–Wait… that's Senior Brother!"
One of Li Zhen's juniors rushed forward, staring at the pig-headed figure in disbelief. Even through the bruises and broken teeth, they could still recognize him.
They hurriedly lifted the unconscious Li Zhen and brought him onto their flying boat.
The elder from the Heavenly Dao Pavilion stepped forward the moment he saw him.
His expression instantly changed.
"What in the heavens happened?" he demanded, his voice trembling with suppressed fury as he examined Li Zhen's condition. "Who dared to injure our sect's prized disciple to this extent?"
The juniors exchanged nervous glances and shook their heads.
They genuinely had no idea.
"He entered the inheritance trials, Elder," one of them said cautiously. "The next time we saw him… he was already like this."
The elder's face darkened.
"Take him back immediately for healing," he ordered coldly. "And investigate. I want to know exactly who did this."
Meanwhile, on Lin Chen's side—
Just as he was about to hit the ground, a streak of crimson light flashed across the sky.
A red stream of Qi wrapped around his body and gently slowed his descent before pulling him onto a flying artifact.
He landed steadily.
Before he could even stabilize himself, a familiar figure rushed over.
Lan Yaoye.
Her eyes scanned him from head to toe with unusual intensity as her hands moved without restraint, checking his shoulders, arms, chest, and even his back as if confirming he hadn't lost a single piece.
"You're not injured… right? Did anyone bully you? Did you fight? Did you get hurt internally?" she asked in rapid succession, her tone far more anxious than usual.
Lin Chen blinked, slightly stiff as she continued patting and inspecting him like he was some fragile treasure.
"Master… you're acting strange," he said helplessly. "Last time you got flustered just because I hugged you, and now you're touching me all over in public."
Lan Yaoye's hands froze for a split second.
Then she coughed lightly and withdrew them, turning her face slightly away.
"Hmph. As your master, it is only natural for me to check my disciple after a secret realm trip," she said, trying to sound composed, though the faint redness at the tips of her ears betrayed her.
"…I see," he muttered.
Honestly, sometimes he really couldn't understand how his master's mind worked.
One moment she was flustered over the smallest things, and the next she was acting as if nothing had happened.
"Did you get anything good, good disciple?" Lan Yaoye asked, suddenly changing the topic as if the earlier inspection never happened.
"Yes, Master," Lin Chen replied honestly. "I obtained the inheritance of a Celestial Realm cultivator."
Lan Yaoye's eyes widened instantly.
For a brief moment, her usual lazy expression disappeared, replaced by genuine shock. Then a bright smile spread across her face as she patted his back with clear satisfaction.
"Hehe, as expected of my disciple," she said proudly, her tone full of smug delight.
Before Lin Chen could say anything else—
"Lan Yaoye, you bitch!"
A sharp female voice cut through the air.
Lan Yaoye didn't even turn immediately. Instead, her smile widened in a provocative manner.
"I'm in such a good mood today that I don't even mind you calling me names," she said lightly. "Seeing that pissed-off expression of yours is already satisfying enough."
Ling Qiao stood not far away, her face cold as she pointed behind her.
"You don't know how to teach your disciple any manners," she said, voice laced with anger. "Look what he did to my handsome disciple's face."
Tang Ruoxuan was lying on the artifact, beaten so badly that his face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition. His elegant appearance from before entering the secret realm was completely gone. He looked more like a battered stray than a chief disciple.
Lan Yaoye finally glanced at him properly.
She stared for a second.
Then her lips curved.
The so-called "handsome disciple" now looked like a pig with a swollen face and broken composure.
Lan Yaoye casually shifted her gaze back to Ling Qiao and smiled.
"You mean to say," she said slowly, "that my disciple at the ninth stage of Essence Forging beat your disciple who is at the fifth stage of Pulse Convergence?"
Ling Qiao's expression stiffened.
"You—"
The words stuck in her throat.
If she admitted it, it would mean her own prized disciple had been beaten into that state by someone six whole realms lower in cultivation.
Her gaze slowly shifted to Lin Chen.
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
The anger in her eyes faded, replaced by a calm, almost amused look. In the next instant, her figure moved like a drifting cloud and appeared right in front of him.
Before Lin Chen could step back, a slender finger lifted and gently hooked under his chin, tilting his face up slightly.
Her touch was light, but deliberate.
"Why don't you leave that uncouth woman," Ling Qiao said softly, her voice smooth and controlled, "and become my disciple instead?"
Her eyes carefully examined his face, as if judging a rare treasure rather than a person.
"A disciple who can defeat someone far above his realm is not ordinary," she continued, her tone lowering, carrying a faint, seductive persuasion. "Under my guidance, your talent would not be wasted."
"I can give you higher-grade techniques, better resources, and protection," she said calmly. "Things she cannot provide."
A slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Follow me," she murmured, her voice soft yet assured, fingertips lightly lifting Lin Chen's chin as she leaned closer. "And I will ensure your cultivation path rises far beyond what that woman can ever offer."
"You… you… you—how dare you…!"
Lan Yaoye's voice trembled with fury, her aura instantly turning gloomy and violent. The air around her rippled as if a storm was about to erupt. She stared at Ling Qiao with blazing eyes, the killing intent in them almost tangible.
How dare she.
How dare she try to poach what was hers.
A sword instantly appeared in Lan Yaoye's hand, its edge flashing as she slashed forward without hesitation.
The strike cut through the air, sharp and direct, but Ling Qiao vanished at the last moment and reappeared gracefully atop her flying artifact, robes fluttering as if she had expected the attack.
Before anyone could react further, Lan Yaoye suddenly pulled Lin Chen toward her with one arm and pressed his head straight into her chest, his face buried against her vest as if she was openly staking her claim in front of everyone.
The gesture was possessive, instinctive, and completely unhidden.
"He is mine. Go find someone else," Lan Yaoye said coldly, her arm still firmly holding him in place.
Ling Qiao's brows lifted in clear surprise.
In all the years she had known Lan Yaoye, she had never once seen that kind of expression on her face. Not anger alone. Not pride. But something far more obvious.
Jealousy.
That realization only made Ling Qiao's interest deepen rather than fade. Her lips curved into a faint, amused smile as she glanced between the two.
"My offer still stands," she said lightly, her gaze returning to Lin Chen as she gave him a slow, knowing wink. "You can come to the Skyward Blade Sect anytime."
With that, Ling Qiao turned her figure drifting away with unhurried elegance, as if she were completely certain the invitation would linger in his mind.
Lin Chen, however, did not even react to her departure.
At the moment, his attention was occupied by something far softer.
His face was still pressed against Lan Yaoye's chest, and she had yet to let go. The warmth and faint fragrance surrounding him made it feel less like a defensive gesture and more like he had been pulled into an extremely comfortable pillow.
He remained still.
Very still.
Completely uninterested in chasing after any offer.
Why would he?
He already had a beautiful master who hugged him without hesitation and, more importantly, had a very "big heart" in more ways than one. Only a fool would abandon that for another sect's elder, no matter how seductive the invitation sounded.
Lan Yaoye snorted softly, her arm still wrapped around him as her gaze lingered in the direction Ling Qiao had left.
"Hmph. That vixen…" she muttered, her tone still carrying a trace of lingering hostility. "He is mine."
The words came out almost instinctively, filled with possessiveness rather than deliberate thought.
Lin Chen blinked slightly, still half-buried where he was.
'Yep, Master definitely loves me,' he thought inwardly with quiet confidence.
From what he could tell, whenever she got angry, her thoughts and words stopped going through any proper filter. Whatever was on her mind simply slipped out directly, unrefined and honest.
And just now, in her anger, she had clearly admitted what she truly thought without even realizing it.
***
At the same time, in the far Southern Region, deep within endless ruins, an ancient platform stood at the center of a pool of pitch-black water that had not stirred for centuries.
Suddenly, the platform lit up.
Ancient runes carved along its surface flared to life, one after another, as a massive array formation awakened with a low, resonant hum. The black water began to ripple violently, as if disturbed by something descending from beyond the heavens.
A beam of light tore through the sky and slammed straight onto the platform.
Space twisted.
The light condensed.
A man stepped out.
The moment his foot touched the platform, the array formation flickered once and collapsed into nothing, as if its sole purpose had been fulfilled.
He slowly looked around at the desolate land, his gaze sweeping across the broken mountains, shattered spiritual veins, and lifeless air.
"Hehe… Taixuan Continent. So this is the place at last."
"The continent of sinners… the one that dared to defy the stars and lay hands on what should never be touched."
A faint smile curved on his lips, cold and indifferent.
"For two thousand years you hid behind silence and decay, thinking the heavens had forgotten."
"But karma does not disappear. It only accumulates."
His eyes turned toward the sky, filled with a quiet, ominous certainty.
"The debt of that defiance is long overdue."
"And very soon…"
"…the stars will descend, and Taixuan Continent will finally pay the price."
*****
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